EHS Professional – January 12, 2023

Speak Up for Safety Challenge

Workers are valuable partners in making the workplace safer and they should be encouraged to communicate with management about hazards on the job. Safety reporting systems allow ideas and suggestions for improving safety to be captured.

Take the Speak Up for Safety Challenge! Review your safety reports with a team to find common themes and opportunities to improve your overall workplace safety and health performance.

Complete the challenge and earn your virtual challenge coin! Then, share the results in your workplace and on social media to show how you encourage workers to #SpeakUpForSafety and to be #SafeAndSoundAtWork.

Read more > https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USDOL/bulletins/34159b7

Final Steps of OSHA’s Proposed Permanent COVID-19 Standard for Healthcare

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) COVID-19 rulemaking process has been quiet for a while, but recent activity appears to indicate we are now entering the final phase of a permanent COVID-19 standard for healthcare. On December 7, 2022, the agency submitted a final rule to the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs for review.

As a reminder, in June of 2021, OSHA implemented an emergency temporary standard for medical facilities, which mandated those sites follow requirements around personal protective equipment, ventilation, physical barriers and other protections to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Eventually, the agency withdrew the rule in December 2021, stating that it was working expeditiously to issue a final standard while also considering its broader infectious disease rulemaking.

OSHA’s public hearing for the rulemaking was held from April 27, 2022 to May 2, 2022, and since then we have been waiting. However, on December 7, 2022, the OMB updated its website to reflect that it officially has OSHA’s “Occupational Exposure to COVID-19 in Healthcare Settings” standard listed as “under review.”

Read more > https://ogletree.com/insights/final-steps-of-oshas-proposed-permanent-covid-19-standard-for-healthcare/

Chatham sheriff investigating death of worker who fell off home in Governor’s Club

29-year-old Gabriel Strathern of Chapel Hill died December 14 while cleaning gutters in Governor’s Club.

Family members told WRAL News OSHA and the Chatham County Sheriff’s office are investigating. Strathern leaves behind a 19-month-old son he was raising as a single father; Friends started a GoFundMe for him. WRAL News tried to reach out to the company he worked for, Squeaky Clean, but have not heard back.

Original article > https://www.wral.com/osha-chatham-sheriff-investigating-death-of-worker-who-fell-off-home-in-governor-s-club/20660611/

Top Construction Stories of 2022

We wouldn’t be where we are today without construction workers. Literally. They built the building, house or other structure you’re standing (or sitting) in this very moment.

Their impact is profound, and our economy would come to a screeching halt if they stopped. That’s why they were declared an essential service during the early days of COVID-19 lockdowns, alongside healthcare workers.

Construction has always been a dangerous field, but the past few years have pushed the industry to the limit. COVID-19, mental health concerns, labor shortages, and substance use and addiction have made it more difficult to keep workers safe, both on and off the clock. It’s also made it more challenging to retain and attract workers.

There are no shortages of other woes facing the construction industry, including supply chain delays and higher costs of raw goods. But there are also a number of reasons why construction workers can be proud—and a number of lessons we can learn from the construction industry as a whole.

These articles, as chosen by the editors of EHS Today, highlight some of those strides forward. They showcase how the industry is learning to adopt technology to appeal to the next generation of workers. They show how technology can be adapted to make the work less grueling and more inclusive. They also recognize the accomplishments of a select few that have been named to the 2022 class of America’s Safest Companies.

Read the stories by clicking here.

OSHA’s Most Interesting Cases

What happened – and lessons learned

Every OSHA investigation offers an opportunity for using what comes to light to help prevent similar incidents.

At the 2022 NSC Safety Congress & Expo in September, OSHA staffers highlighted three investigations – and the lessons learned – during the agency’s “Most Interesting Cases” Technical Session.

The panel for the session included:

• Brian Elmore, an OSHA inspector based in Omaha, NE
• Marie Lord, assistant area director of the OSHA office in Marlton, NJ
• Peter Vo, safety engineer in OSHA’s Houston South area office

Here are the cases they presented.

Case 1: Shelving collapse in a cold storage warehouse
Case 2: Lockout/tagout-related amputation
Case 3: Crane collapse

Original article > https://www.safetyandhealthmagazine.com/articles/23342-oshas-most-interesting-cases

Why Training is Still one of the Best Ways to Prevent Falls

Many organizations are not doing enough to address fall hazards, and their employees are paying the price.

Over the past decade, businesses and regulators have focused more on preventing fatal workplace falls. Unfortunately, falls continue to occur at an alarming rate. Falls are one of the leading causes of workplace death in the United States, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Although fall prevention has been a big topic of conversation within construction for many years, no industry is safe from fall hazards. In 2020, 368 construction workers died from falls, while 805 workers across all sectors lost their lives to falls.

Despite the high incident rate and increased awareness, many companies continue to struggle with fall prevention. In fact, fall protection has been the most cited OSHA violation for the past decade.

One of the most prominent hurdles organizations face when addressing fall hazards is how complex the subject can be. All the standards, regulations, equipment options and required training make managing the issue properly a real challenge for even the most safety-conscious companies.

Read more by clicking here.

US Department of Labor Investigation of Fatal Equipment Rollover Incident Finds Texas Fencing Contractor Exposed Workers to Deadly Safety Hazards

A federal workplace safety investigation into how a 15-year-old worker tragically suffered fatal injuries while installing fencing in Guthrie has found the employer failed to follow required workplace safety standards.

U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspectors went to the work site on July 6, 2022, and learned the teenager had been trapped under heavy equipment. They determined that Sheppard Farm and Ranch Services LLC of Robert Lee had illegally modified a Caterpillar loader and failed to provide adequate training or personal protective equipment, such as a hard hat, gloves and safety glasses. The company also did not report the workplace fatality within 8 hours after it occurred, another violation for which OSHA issued a citation.

Read more > https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/osha/osha20230104-2

What ASSP Leaders Think OSHA Needs to Do

“Standards have no impact on where employee injuries are occurring,” says ASSP President Christine Sullivan. So OSHA should look at how it makes standards.

Talking the pulse of the leaders at ASSP –President Christine Sullivan, President-Elect Jim Thornton and Senior Vice President Pam Walaski – the organization asked them for their perspective on a number of issues in an article.

Here is what they said about what they would like to see from OSHA to help improve conditions for workers.

Sullivan: OSHA needs to reexamine the way it does standards. While standards are important for many organizations, the standards have no impact on where employee injuries are occurring. OSHA needs to use the data they are collecting from companies and do a better job using predictive analytics to focus their efforts on areas where they can make an impact.

Thornton: I think OSHA should require the recognition of qualified safety and health professionals for future regulations. Safety professionals will ensure requirements are properly followed and will be able to provide different control options for regulatory compliance. As a result, many more workers would have a safety professional looking out for their interests.

In addition, I think OSHA ought to consider more frequent use of the “negotiated rulemaking” method of developing OSH standards. Although the moniker carries a negative connotation, the concept is that the agency has the authority to bring affected stakeholders and technical experts together and develop “reasonable-yet-protective” OSH standards.

Walaski: Addressing emerging and changing hazards requires a process that is nimble, so relying on OSHA to promulgate regulations is unreasonable given that its process is part of the OSH Act and unlikely to be modified. However, the approaches and voluntary consensus standards that OSH professionals rely on are based on a model that includes all stakeholders and is revisited on a prescribed basis to be revised or reaffirmed.

I would like to see OSHA find a way to incorporate the required use of OSH professionals who use these standards into some of their activities. Perhaps local area directors who are negotiating with employers for the reduction of fines could require consultation as part of negotiations. In a way, this would expand the use of the consultation programs already in place.

Find the original article by clicking here.

US Department of Labor Again Finds Barley Supplier Exposing Workers to Workplace Safety Hazards at Wisconsin Malthouse

A Wisconsin company that supplies malt barley to major craft breweries, home breweries, and other spirit and food production in the Midwest has again been found exposing employees to dangerous workplace hazards by federal safety inspectors.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has proposed penalties of $174,351 to Briess Industries of Chilton after inspectors identified two repeated and 14 serious safety and health violations after responding to a complaint of unsafe working conditions at the company’s Manitowoc malthouse in August 2022. Inspectors found workers crafting the malt exposed to machine, respiratory protection, confined space and other hazards.

OSHA found the company – operating as Briess Malt & Ingredients Co. ­­­– exposed workers to amputation and other injuries by failing to adequately implement and periodically test procedures for controlling hazardous energy before servicing and maintenance. In 2019, OSHA cited the company for similar violations.

Federal safety inspectors also noted the company did not assess the safety and health hazards of malthouse confined spaces, as required. The company also failed to implement a permit required confined space program and train workers on the confined space hazards. Inspectors also found the company’s safety failures exposed employees to fall hazards from the roof, and entanglement and amputation hazards created by unguarded augers.

Read more > https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/osha/osha20230110

Health and Well-Being Trends to Watch in 2023

Employers in 2023 will face above-average increases in healthcare costs, driven in part by pent-up demand for medical services.

To help employers try to get a handle on what the healthcare landscape will look like next year, The Business Group on Health recently released Trends to Watch in 2023.

“While each trend relates to employer health and well-being strategies, they also exist against the backdrop of the global economy, workforce trends, innovation, and the policy and regulatory environment,” said Ellen Kelsay, CEO of Business Group on Health, in a statement. “As such, factors that range from provider labor shortages to the increased cost of health care will affect employers and employees alike in the year to come.”

Click here for the full article and highlights from that report.

OSHA Record Keeping and Reporting Cheat Sheet

Don’t navigate the complexities of OSHA reporting alone. Download KPA’s OSHA Record Keeping and Reporting Cheat Sheet.

This cheat sheet covers:

Recordkeeping best practices and exemptions
Recordable injuries and illnesses vs. reportable injuries and illnesses
When and how to report events
OSHA Forms 300 and 300A, and electronic record submission

Download the Cheat Sheet.

Original article > https://www.safetyandhealthmagazine.com/articles/23375-osha-record-keeping-and-reporting-cheat-sheet

US Department of Labor reminds certain employers to submit required 2022 injury and illness data by March 2, 2023

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration is reminding employers that the agency is collecting calendar year 2022 Form 300A data. Employers must submit the form electronically by March 2, 2023.

Establishments under Federal OSHA jurisdiction can use the ITA Coverage Application to determine if they are required to electronically report their injury and illness information to OSHA. Establishments under State Plan jurisdiction should contact their State Plan.

Employers must connect their Injury Tracking Account to a Login.gov account to submit their 2022 workplace injury and illness data. Watch the video to learn how.

Read the original article > https://www.osha.gov/news/newsreleases/trade/01092023

Back to Basics: Workplace Stress

Stress impacts the health and mental wellbeing of employees in every industry. According to OSHA, mental health challenges can include clinical mental illness, substance use disorders, and emotions like stress, grief, and feeling sad and anxious, even when these feelings are temporary and not part of a diagnosable condition. Even though workplaces can induce stress, they can also provide resources, solutions, and activities to help improve mental wellbeing.

Read more > https://ehsdailyadvisor.blr.com/2023/01/back-to-basics-workplace-stress/

2023 IHMM Certificant Survey

This is our 2023 IHMM certificant survey. Your feedback allows us to gather broad based information about the needs and preferences of our certificants that leads to improving our services and credentials.

Please take a few minutes and answer the 19 questions posed in this survey and help us improve our services.

Take the short survey here.

IHMM Certified Pandemic Preparedness Specialist® [CPPS®] Credential

Dan Blankfeld, CSHM, CSMP, Chair of the Microcredential Task Force, is pleased to announce the release of the IHMM Certified Pandemic Preparedness Specialist [CPPS] credential blueprint. The Task Force received more than 200 suggestions for microcredentials that could be used in conjunction with existing IHMM credentials to add depth to specific knowledge and experience areas. Microcredentials are short, focused credentials designed to provide in-demand skills, know-how and experience.

A Certified Pandemic Preparedness Specialist® (CPPS®) Microcredential holder is first a CHMM or CSHM credentialed professional who has demonstrated, through education, experience, and examination, the ability to identify and assess the risks associated with pathogens and their effect on public health, commerce, industry, and/or government operation. The focus of the CPPS microcredential is to: assess and provide guidance concerning the preparedness levels of different entities, and develop and implement risk-reduction strategies.

The Task Force is making progress on the construction of the CPPS examination at this writing. We look forward to the completion of the examination and launch of the credential to the IHMM community and then begin working with federal officials from the CDC, NIH, and White House Pandemic Innovation Task Force on being better prepared for the next pandemic. Read the March, 2022 release from the White House here.

The new CPPS credential blueprint is found here.

In 2019 Mark Bruce from AHMP and Gene Guilford from IHMM worked on a project to get the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to recognize the CHMM and CDGT credentials. With Mark’s work on the ground in  Pennsylvania, we succeeded. The 45 in 5 Project is for ALL IHMM credentials. This summer we have worked on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers health and safety manual that recognizes the CSHM and CSMP credentials. We are working with a CSHM in New York on their Department of Labor recognizing the CSHM.

• We have already succeeded in 13 states – New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Indiana, California, Colorado, Nebraska, Minnesota, Arkansas, Oklahoma. Ohio, North Dakota, and Georgia. [Red states in the map above]. These are states where IHMM credentials are cited or 40 CFR 312.10 is cited by reference.
• We have partially succeeded in another 16 states – Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Arizona, Kansas, Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Florida, Delaware, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont, and Maine. [Orange/Black Stripe states in the map above] These are states where the requirements of an “environmental professional” or QEP are cited that coincide with an IHMM credential so that relatively little work would need to be done to clarify the desired outcome.
• We have 21 states where no reference to an IHMM credential is made in either statute or regulation, nor is there anything defined in the area of an environmental professional. These states will require legislation or regulatory work. [Yellow states in the map above].

In January 2021 Mark at AHMP and Gene at IHMM has launched 45 in 5, getting the other 45 states to recognize our credentials in 5 years. If we can find a volunteer like Mark in other states [see above] we can work with those volunteers on crafting the right message to the right agencies in state governments across the country. If we find enough volunteers we can get this done in less than 5 years.

In January 2022 Gene Guilford released the 40 CFR § 312.10 EPA regulation that states a private certification that meets or exceeds the requirements of the regulation is an Environmental Professional under the regulation. Here is the crosswalk between the 40 CFR § 312.10 EPA regulation and the Certified Hazardous Materials Manager [CHMM] blueprint. The CHMM meets or exceeds the requirements of an Environmental Professional. 

Here’s what we ask each volunteer to do:

• Watch legislative and regulatory developments in your state that provide an opportunity for us to create amendments or other interventions
• Be willing to speak with regulators and legislators in your area about the recognition efforts we craft together

Learn more about the AHMP-IHMM 45 in 5 Project here

OSHA’s FY 2023 Outreach Initiatives

IHMM  – 26 Fellows Are Mentors 

IHMM Fellows Committee Chair Atanu Das, CHMM, is leading the effort within the IHMM Collaboration networking platform to provide instruction to the more than 75 IHMM Fellows in becoming mentors.

Given the extraordinary experience Fellows have, this is a unique opportunity for IHMM Fellows to help guide more recent certificants in their professional development activities.

IHMM’s Collaboration platform contains a “Mentor Match” module [see below at right] that allows mentors to signup designating the hours, number of mentees, subject areas, and length of time they wish to mentor – as well as allowing mentees to signup requesting assistance in specified areas. The mentor match module does the rest by matching mentors and mentees.

Recert Video #1

Recert Video #2

IHMM Recertification Videos

IHMM is pleased to release two YouTube instructional videos about navigating the IHMM recertification process. These step-by-step videos easily enable IHMM certificants to start and complete a recertification application.

While the full recertification cycle is 5 years, IHMM encourages all certificants to start a recertification application and add certification maintenance points as they are earned to make the final submission quick and easy to accomplish.

• Every CSHM and CSMP should start a recertification application now.
• Even if your recertification is years away, starting an application now and adding your accumulated points enables you to see where you are all the time and it makes it very easy when you have to file your application

IHMM Scholarship Program

The Institute of Hazardous Materials Management is pleased to have created $32,000 in academic scholarships, divided equally between $16,000 for students enrolled in undergraduate or graduate education in approved schools and who are also Student CHMMs, and $16,000 for students enrolled in undergraduate or graduate education in approved schools and who are also Student ASHMs.

IHMM seeks to foster the growth and academic success of students whose courses of education, and participation in one of our Student certifications, will lead to those students becoming fully-certified IHMM credential holders later in their professional lives.  The first two IHMM Scholarships were awarded before Thanksgiving to Thomas Gerding, Student ASHM, and Ryan Bellacov, Student CHMM! Congratulations to Thomas and Ryan for being our first scholarship award winners.

Go to >  https://ihmm.org/scholarship/

IHMM is a member of ASSP and is pleased to bring this important information to all of its certificants.

ASSP News

• What ASSP Leaders Think OSHA Needs to Do

• Q&A: What OSH Professionals Need to Know About DEI and Workplace Safety

• Workplace Safety Professionals Invited to DEI Summit

• A Safety Professional’s Journey

• The Conceptual Toolbox: 6 Ideas For Addressing Workplace Safety Issues

ASSP Webinars

RCM&D Professional Liability Insurance

HMS is proud to have partnered with RCM&D to be able to offer an outstanding comprehensive professional liability insurance program to IHMM certificants. Here, you will find information about this important program offering Environmental Consultants and Engineers Professional Liability coverage. This coverage is intended to add protection for loss stemming from actual or alleged negligent acts, errors and omissions in performing professional services.

For more information see > https://hazmatsociety.org/professional-liability-insurance/

There are 823 different conversations going on in the IHMM/HMS Collaboration platform this week.

A collaborative culture is important for every business but is especially important for our hazardous materials, dangerous goods, environment, health, and safety communities of practice. Do you have a problem you need to solve and want the opinions of your colleagues? This is where we come together to help each other.

IHMM credentialed professionals are at the top 1% of their professions and their reach is global. We are at the forefront of environmental protection, health, and safety and this is where collaborating with the best people in their fields, always willing to help one another, lessens the stress of our jobs, and where we strive as a team to make a difference of which we are proud.

We opened COLLABORATION to enable thousands of certificants and supporters to collaborate together. You can collaborate here.

Access to COLLABORATION is through the same username/password you use to access your MYIHMM account. Having a problem? Contact Jimmy Nguyen at [email protected]