Here’s What’s New in OSHA Compliance
Update: OSHA says COVID-19 is a Recordable Illness
As economies around the country begin to reopen among the lingering threat of coronavirus — the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has adopted updated policies for enforcing agency standards during this time. On May 19, OSHA issued two revised...
How OSHA Enforces Hazard Communication
The hazard communication standard (HCS) -- (29 CFR 1910.1200) -- is the second most commonly cited federal workplace health and safety standard, behind only fall protection (29 CFR 1926.501). Between October 2018 and September 2019, the HCS was cited 4,102 times...
The OSHA Silica Standard is About to Get More Strict
OSHA’s medical surveillance requirements for employees exposed to respirable crystalline silica have been in effect since June 2018. Soon, they're about to get even more strict. Effective June 23, 2020, employers will be required to assess exposures for employees who...
COVID-19 Guidelines For Meat Processing Industry
The meat processing industry has had several highly publicized outbreaks of COVID-19 in the past several weeks. On May 1, The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reported that more than 115 meat and poultry processing facilities in 19 states have reported workers...
How to Prepare Your Dental Office For Reopening
In mid-March, as the coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) began rapidly spreading throughout the United States and deaths from COVID-19 began increasing daily, state governors imposed stay-at-home orders and ordered all non-essential businesses to close. At about the same time,...
3 Effective Ways to Decontaminate N95 Masks for Reuse
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) are recommending three methods to decontaminate N95 facepieces for reuse. Researchers at the agency successfully tested the effectiveness of these methods, as well as the function of the masks after repeat decontamination. To...
SAFER Task Force Launched For Life After COVID-19
On April 23, the National Safety Council launched a new effort to safely guide employers in getting back to work when the COVID-19 pandemic subsides. Not to be confused with FEMA's SAFER grants, SAFER: Safe Actions for Employee Returns will issue recommendations and...
OSHA Considers “Good Faith” Efforts During Pandemic
On, April 16, the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) issued a memo on April 16 announcing that they would take “good faith” efforts into account during workplace inspections. The agency made this decision after acknowledging that some standards may...
Is Covid-19 a Recordable Illness to OSHA?
**Updated April 16, 2020 In a new enforcement memo issued April 10, 2020, OSHA recognized the difficulty for employers to determine if an employee contracted coronavirus at work. The administration also emphasized the need for employers to “focus their response...
How to Fit Test an N95 Mask For Workplace Use
With the growing number of COVID-19 cases in the U.S, every workplace must adapt to keep workers healthy and safe. For many businesses, this means temporarily shutting the doors or having employees work from home. For companies that continue with on-site work,...