Safety FAQs and Answers

How much weight is an employee allowed to lift in the workplace?
Although lifting limitations are not regulated by OSHA, proper lifting techniques must be addressed in a sound ergonomics/back injury prevention program. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) offers an equation whereby one can determine an employee's lifting limitation based on factors, such as, height, age, weight, etc. There has been an on-going effort by NIOSH to determine whether back support belts help lifting techniques. Recent studies suggest that these belts are effective.

When should danger signs be used in the workplace?
Danger signs should be used only where an immediate hazard exists and must be limited to extreme situations. All your employees must be instructed that danger signs indicate immediate danger and that special precautions are necessary. The wording must be brief, easily read, accurate, and contain sufficient information to be understood. The wording should relay a positive, rather than a negative suggestion to your employees. The signs must be in red, black and white. Make sure the signs have round or blunt edges free of sharp edges and splinters.

What is the OSHA Form No. 101? Do we need to fill one out?
OSHA Form No. 101 is used to record any additional information of an injury or illness recorded on the OSHA Log 300. This supplementary record describes how the injury or illness exposure occurred, lists the objects or substances involved, and indicates the nature of the injury or illness and the part(s) of the body affected. The form 101 must be filled out within 6 working days of the incident. You must fill one out with the presence of any recordable incident, unless other forms, such as workman's comp, supply sufficient information.

How long must the OSHA Form 300 be posted at each establishment?
The annual summary is to be posted by February 1 of each year and is to remain in place until March 1. It must be posted at each establishment in a conspicuous place where employee notices are customarily posted.

Does a company need to have a written plan for possible explosions, flash floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, blizzards, bomb threats, fires, chemical spills, or civil disturbances?
Yes and no. All companies with 11 or more employees are required to have an emergency action plan according to 29 CFR 1910.38(a). However, if a company has 10 or fewer employees, it has the option to skip the written plan and simply tell its employees its emergency action plan. All companies must have an emergency action plan, just certain companies do not have to put it in writing.

What annual safety training does OSHA mandate?
Although OSHA is moving towards safety training requirements that are "performance-oriented," that is, requiring training when certain indicators appear, some regulations still have annual retraining specifications built in. The following areas have citations which include annual retraining requirements:

• Access to employee exposure and medical records
• Bloodborne pathogens
• HAZWOPER
• Fire brigades
• Fixed extinguishing systems
• Grain handling facilities
• Mechanical power presses
• Occupational noise
• Permit-required confined space
• Portable fire extinguishers
• Respiratory protection

How long do I have to retain records for employee training?
There is no one standard length of time to keep training records for all OSHA regulations. Unlike employee exposure records that must be retained for 30 years and medical records that must be retained for the time of employment plus thirty years, training record retention varies from regulation to regulation. Here are some examples:

Bloodborne pathogens -- -requires retraining at least annually and a written training record that must be retained for 3 years.

Respiratory protection -- -requires retraining at least annually, but no specific written training record is required. Written fit testing records must be retained until the next test takes place.

Process safety management -- requires retraining at least every 3 years and a written training record. No training record retention time is specified.

Hazard communication -- requires retraining as new hazards are introduced, but no specific written training record is required.

General requirements for personal protective equipment -- requires retraining as necessary and a written training certification. No training record retention time is specified.

Lockout/tagout -- requires retraining as necessary and a written training certification. No training record retention time is specified.

Permit-required confined spaces -- requires retraining as necessary and a written training certification. No training record retention time is specified. Cancelled entry permits are required to be retained for 1 year.

Powered industrial trucks -- requires an operator evaluation at least once every three years and a written training and evaluation certification. No training or evaluation record retention time is specified.

What are the steps involved in investigating an accident?
The accident investigation process involves the following steps:

• Report the accident occurrence to a designated person within the organization
• Provide first aid and medical care to injured person(s)
• Investigate the accident
• Identify the causes
• Report the findings
• Develop a plan for corrective action
• Implement the plan
• Evaluate the effectiveness of the corrective action
• Make changes for continuous improvement

As little time as possible should be lost between the moment of an accident or near miss and the beginning of the investigation. In this way, one is most likely to be able to observe the conditions as they were at the time, prevent disturbance of evidence, and identify witnesses. The tools that members of the investigating team may need (pencil, paper, camera, film, camera flash, tape measure, etc.) should be immediately available so that no time is wasted.

What are emergency procedures and how are they established?
Emergency procedures are plans for dealing with emergencies such as fires, explosions, major releases of hazardous materials, violent occurrences, or natural hazards. When such events occur, the urgent need for rapid decisions, shortage of time, lack of resources, and trained personnel can lead to chaos.

The objective of the plan is to prevent or minimize fatalities, injuries, and damage. The organization and procedures for handling these sudden and unexpected situations must be clearly defined.

The development of the plan follows a logical sequence.

• Compile a list of the hazards (for example: fires, explosions, floods).
• Identify the possible major consequences of each (for example: casualties, damage).
• Determine the required countermeasures (for example: evacuation, rescue, firefighting).
• Inventory the resources needed to carry out the planned actions (for example: medical supplies, rescue equipment, training personnel).
• Based on these considerations, establish the necessary emergency organization and procedures.

Communication, training, and periodic drills are required to ensure adequate performance when the plan must be implemented.

Why have an emergency plan?
A company may have many reasons for establishing and maintain occupational health and safety (OH&S) programs. A definite plan to deal with major emergencies is an important element of OH&S programs. The lack of an emergency plan could lead to severe losses such as multiple casualties and possible financial collapse of the organization.

Besides the major benefit of providing guidance during an emergency, developing the plan has other advantages. Unrecognized hazardous conditions that would aggravate an emergency situation may be uncovered, allowing them to be eliminated. The planning process may bring to light deficiencies, such as the lack of resources (equipment, trained personnel, supplies), items that can be rectified before an emergency occurs. In addition an emergency plan promotes safety awareness and shows the organization's commitment to the safety of workers.

Why should we pay attention to housekeeping at work?
Effective housekeeping can eliminate some workplace hazards and help get a job done safely and properly. Poor housekeeping can frequently contribute to accidents by hiding hazards that cause injuries. If the sight of paper, debris, clutter and spills is accepted as normal, then other more serious health and safety hazards may be taken for granted.

Housekeeping is not just cleanliness. It includes keeping work areas neat and orderly; maintaining halls and floors free of slip and trip hazards; and removing of waste materials (e.g., paper, cardboard) and other fire hazards from work areas. It also requires paying attention to important details such as the layout of the whole workplace, aisle marking, the adequacy of storage facilities, and maintenance. Good housekeeping is also a basic part of accident and fire prevention.

Effective housekeeping is an ongoing operation; it is not a hit-and-miss cleanup done occasionally. Periodic "panic" cleanups are costly and ineffective in reducing accidents.

What is the purpose of workplace housekeeping?
Poor housekeeping can be a cause of accidents, such as:

• tripping over loose objects on floors, stairs and platforms
• being hit by falling objects
• slipping on greasy, wet or dirty surfaces
• striking against projecting, poorly stacked items or misplaced material
• cutting, puncturing, or tearing the skin of hands or other parts of the body on projecting nails, wire or steel strapping

To avoid these hazards, a workplace must "maintain" order throughout a workday. Although this effort requires a great deal of management and planning, the benefits are many.

What are some benefits of good housekeeping practices?
Effective housekeeping results in:

• reduced handling to ease the flow of materials
• fewer tripping and slipping accidents in clutter-free and spill-free work areas
• decreased fire hazards
• lower worker exposures to hazardous substances
• better control of tools and materials
• more efficient equipment cleanup and maintenance
• better hygienic conditions leading to improved health
• more effective use of space
• reduced property damage by improving preventive maintenance
• less janitorial work
• improved morale