The OSHA Announcements
OSHA announced a national safety stand-down from June 2 to 6
to raise awareness among employers and workers about the hazards of falls,
which account for the highest number of deaths in the construction industry.
During the stand-down, employers and workers are asked to pause their workday
to talk about fall prevention in construction, and discuss topics like ladder
safety and roofing safety. The stand-down is part of OSHA’s ongoing Fall
Prevention Campaign, which was started in 2012 and is still around today to
help make workers more aware of the hazards they can face on a ladder if the
proper precautions are not used. It was developed in partnership with the
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and NIOSH’s National
Research Agenda program. The campaign provides employers with lifesaving
information and educational materials on how to plan ahead to prevent falls,
provide the right equipment for their workers and train all employees in the
proper use of that equipment.
OSHA also announced that it will be issuing a final rule to
improve workplace safety and health for workers performing electric power
generation, transmission and distribution work. OSHA is revising the 40 year
old construction standard for electric power line work to make it more
consistent with the corresponding general industry standard. General industry
and construction standards for electrical protective equipment applies to all
construction work and replaces the existing construction standard, which was
based on out-of-date information, with a set of performance-oriented
requirements consistent with the latest revisions of the relevant consensus
standards. The final rule will result in estimated $179 million in annual
benefits. The net benefits will then equal out to about $130 million annually.
The rule will become effective 90 days after publication in the Federal
Register. OSHA adopted delayed compliance deadlines for certain requirements. OSHA
is also making some revisions to the construction and general industry
requirements. Those revisions will be released for industry scrutiny in the
future.
