In the case of a tragic accident in the workplace involving death, OSHA has come out with a new directive. This directive explains that OSHA Representatives are to contact the victim’s family after the incident, explain the investigation and offer a timeline with updates on the progress of it. Once finished, they will explain the findings to the family. Any citations given to the place of employment will also be disclosed to the family.

The directive states its “three-phrase approach” to interactions that include:

1. An initial communication;
2. Follow-up communication throughout the inspection; and
3. Post-inspection communications.

According to Dr. David Michaels, Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health, “OSHA is committed to working with families to explain the circumstances surrounding the deaths of their loved ones” he says. “This directive ensures that OSHA receives the necessary information from the family to assist in the investigation, and keeps the family informed throughout the investigation and settlement processes.”

To view OSHA’s press release on the announcement, visit HERE.

Did you know that in 2011, 68% of highway contractors experienced motor vehicle crasher in their work zone? According to the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC), www.agc.org, out of this percentage, 28% workers reported an injury and 18% indicated there was at least one fatality.

As an employer, there are several ways in which you can prevent these kinds of incidents that could prevent your company from temporarily shutting down. Many have opted for stricter enforcement in their training and/or existing safety laws. Others have been forced to require police presence for longer period of time for surveillance. Or what about monitoring fleet safety closer?

Unfortunately, not only is the number of work zone accidents high, they are actually increasing with time. Of course, ease of technology in handheld devices is a strong contributor. Consequently, according to the same source mentioned, 84% of contractors would agree that vehicle motor crashes are indeed greater today than they were a decade ago.

So if your company’s project requires work zone regulations, keep in mind that safety is regularly updated and strictly enforced at all times. Not only will it benefit deadlines and budgets, but more importantly, help save lives.

For more information on general safety training and consulting visit, https://safetylinks.net/index.php/training

The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has announced that Delta Air Lines Inc. signed a corporate-wide settlement agreement with the agency to install seat belts and implement seat belt policies on baggage handling vehicles as part of a compliance plan over the next two years at approximately ninety of its domestic airport locations that fall under federal OSHA's jurisdiction. The company plans to take the same safety measures at airport locations under state OSHA’s jurisdiction, although not part of the agreement.

The agreement resulted as abatement of alleged violations in the death of a Delta baggage handler in January 2010. The worker suffered a fatal traumatic brain injury when the tug vehicle he operated collided with a food service truck and the impact ejected him out of the vehicle and onto the pavement. OSHA issued a citation to Delta for violating federal regulations requiring employers to provide employees with personal protective equipment, including – in this case – seat belts.

Compliance measures in the plan include:

• Installing seat belts on all covered vehicles within the first twelve months;
• Any new covered vehicles the company purchases must come equipped with seat belts;
• Implement and enforce a program requiring its employees to wear seat belts when operating or riding on any Covered Vehicle;
• Conduct mandatory employee training on seat belt use and safe operation of covered vehicles;
• Track and enforce seat belt use through documented observations; conducting random audits of compliance; and periodically setting up checkpoints at Covered Routes to assess seat belt use;
• Inspect covered vehicles for property functioning seat belts and remove any vehicle from use if they find the seat belt missing or malfunctioning.

When completed, the compliance plan will help protect 16,000 Delta workers from injuries preventable by seat belt use.

"OSHA's corporate-wide settlement agreements are highly effective tools for ensuring that companies address hazards that can injure or kill their workers," said Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Dr. David Michaels in a release. "This kind of widespread change within corporations can go a long way toward keeping workers across the country safe and healthy at the end of every workday."

OSHA has resources available to assist the airline industry in workplace safety and compliance.

To view the agreement on the settlement, go to http://www.osha.gov/csa/delta041612.html.

As minority groups in the country grow, so does the need to expand safety communication to a wider audience. With this in mind, OSHA now offers many of its educational materials in other languages including Spanish.

Two of OSHA's signal publications are now available for order in Spanish through OSHA's Spanish Publications page. Derechos de los trabajadores (Workers' Rights) describes the rights to which workers are legally entitled under the Occupational Safety and Health Act. Derechos y responsibilidades patronales al cabo de una inspectión de la OSHA (Employer Rights and Responsibilities Following an OSHA Inspection) is provided during an OSHA inspection and explains to employers what happens after the inspection.

OSHA also has publications available in Portuguese, Simplified and Traditional Chinese, Korean, Polish, and Vietnamese. To order copies of these or any other OSHA publications, please call 1-800-321-OSHA (6742) or visit OSHA's Publications page.