NFPA, CPSC, and the Maryland State Fire Marshal Encourage Holiday Decoration Safety

Each year, thousands of people are injured and report losses from falls, fires, and other incidents associated with the holidays. Injuries, property losses, Christmas tree and candle light fires tend to be some of the most common incidents that have increased since 2009, in which deaths have unfortunately been a part of. This year, the NFPA, CPSC, and the Maryland State Fire Marshal have teamed up to prevent holiday decoration fires and injuries.

“Make sure you water your Christmas tree frequently, use holiday lights that are tested and certified and safe and not damaged, use candles carefully, and do not put a frozen turkey into a deep fryer,” said CPSC Chairman Inez Tenenbaum. “We want consumers to avoid fires and injuries by adding “safety” to their holiday checklist.”

“Holidays are a time of celebration with family and friends,” stated Maryland State Fire Marshal William E. Barnard. “However, fire and life safety is everyone’s responsibility; by testing smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors, keeping exits clear of obstructions, monitoring water levels for live trees, staying with food while it is cooking, and following basic safety guidelines involving open flame devices such as candles and fireplaces, we can all avoid injury or death from fire.”

With this in mind, the following tips were put together by them to make sure we are aware of the dangers and take precautions during this year's holiday season and for years to come:

Trees and Decorations

Buying live trees? Check for freshness. A fresh tree is green, its needles are hard to pull from branches, and its needles do not break when bent between your fingers. The bottom of a fresh tree is sticky with resin, and when tapped on the ground, the tree should not lose many needles.
Setting up a tree at home? Place it away from heat sources, such as fireplaces, vents, and radiators. Because heated rooms dry out live trees rapidly, be sure to monitor water levels daily, and keep the tree stand filled with water. Place the tree out of the way of foot traffic, and do not block doorways with the tree.
Buying an artificial tree? Look for the label: “Fire Resistant.” Although this label does not mean that the tree will not catch fire, it does indicate that the tree is more resistant to catching fire.
Decorating a tree in homes with small children? Take special care to avoid sharp, weighted, or breakable decorations. Keep trimmings with small removable parts out of the reach of children, who could swallow or inhale small pieces. Avoid trimmings that resemble candy or food that may tempt a child to eat them.
Candles
Keep burning candles within sight. Extinguish all candles before you go to bed, leave the room, or leave the house.
Keep candles on a stable, heat-resistant surface where kids and pets cannot reach them or knock them over. Lighted candles should be placed away from items that can catch fire, such as trees, other evergreens, decorations, curtains and furniture.

Lights

Use only lights that have been tested for safety by a nationally recognized testing laboratory, such as Underwriters Laboratories (UL). Lights for both indoor and outdoor usage must meet strict requirements that testing laboratories are able to verify. On decorative lights available in stores, UL’s red holographic label signifies that the product meets safety requirements for indoor and outdoor usage. UL’s green holographic label, signifies that the product meets requirements for only indoor usage.
Check each set of lights, new or old, for broken or cracked sockets, frayed or bare wires, or loose connections. Throw out damaged sets and do not use electric lights on a metallic tree.
Check each extension cord to make sure it is rated for the intended use and is in good condition. Do not use cords with cuts or signs of fraying.
Check outdoor lights for labels showing that the lights have been certified for outdoor use, and only plug them into a ground-fault circuit interrupter (GFCI)-protected receptacle or a portable GFCI.

Fireplaces

Use care with “fire salts,” which produce colored flames when thrown onto wood fires. Fire salts contain heavy metals that can cause intense gastrointestinal irritation and vomiting, if swallowed. Keep them away from children.
Do not burn wrapping papers in the fireplace. A flash fire may result because wrappings can ignite suddenly and burn intensely.

New standard for workplace safety & health released

"Critical management system requirements and guidelines for improvement of occupational safety and health" are provided in a newly revised standard, according to Gary Lopez, chair of the American Society of Safety Engineers' Standards Development Committee.

ASSE announced the release of the American National Standard for Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems standard, following approval by the American National Standards Institute.

Also known as the ANZI Z10-2012 Standard, or Z10, it offers practical guidelines of best practices for occupational safety and health programs.

"Z10 is the most important occupational health and safety standard in the United States because it establishes the requirements for an effective comprehensive management system," the ASSE said on its website."Often health and safety programs tend to be a collection of well-intentioned initiatives competing for management attention and necessary resources. Lacking a system to integrate activities, the organization continues fire fighting, chasing a never-ending stream of symptoms (injuries and illnesses) resulting from management system deficiencies."

Described as a "blueprint for widespread benefits in occupational safety and health," the standard offers a management system that ensures "that processes and business systems are integrated, mobilizing the organization for continuous improvement in health and safety." It includes management principles and systems to help organizations develop approaches to continuously improve their health and safety performance.

To read more, visit https://www.asse.org/ShopOnline/docs/Z10_Tech_Brief_2012_Revised.pdf.

OSHA Has A New Whistleblower Protection Program Director

Beth Slavet has been named the new Whistleblower Protection Program director, as recently announced by OSHA's Assistant Secretary of Labor Dr. David Michaels.

Slavet is an experienced administrator and manager with more than 30 years of experience with the enforcement of federal whistleblower statutes. She is the former chairman of the U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board, where she also served as vice chairman and a member from 1995-2003. She has spent the last decade in private practice where she had a special focus on whistleblower protection.

For more information on the Whistleblower Protection Program, visit http://www.whistleblowers.gov.

OSHA Encourages Crowd Management Measures for Black Friday

When sales and discounts that seem unbeatable are offered to customers around the time when Christmas shopping begins, who can blame anyone for trying to save some bucks, right? But it seems that year after year, the retail world gains more of a stigma for the Friday after Thanksgiving sales event known as Black Friday.

Every year, retailers become more willing to go to greater lengths to offer these sales. When the event reaches an uncontrollable point in which customers engage in physical fights or the shopping becomes unsafe, however, one starts wondering if it is even worth it.

This year, OSHA has put together a crowd management outline of tips for retailers that are holding sales this Black Friday to take maximum precautions and prevent as many injuries as possible.

"Crowd control and proper planning are critical to preventing injuries and deaths," said Dr. David Michaels, assistant secretary of labor for occupational safety and health. "OSHA urges retailers to adopt a crowd management plan during the holiday shopping season that includes a few simple guidelines."

A crowd management for employees and customers should include the following:

On-site trained security personnel or police officers.
Barricades or rope lines for pedestrians that do not start right in front of the store's entrance.
Implementing crowd control measures well in advance of customers arriving at the store.
Emergency procedures in place to address potential dangers.
Explaining approach and entrance procedures to the arriving public.
Not allowing additional customers to enter the store when it reaches its maximum occupancy level.
Not blocking or locking exit doors.

A fact sheet outlining these and other safety measures is available at https://www.osha.gov/OshDoc/data_General_Facts/Crowd_Control.html.

A letter that OSHA has sent to major retailers about preventing crowd-related injuries can be viewed at http://www.osha.gov/asst-sec/blackfriday_letter_2012.html.

Comments on this subject from Michaels are available for radio stations to rebroadcast. To download the audio file, or view a transcript, visit http://www.osha.gov/ooc/previous-focus.html.

U.S. Workers Ask For Workplace Violence Prevention Preparation

Due to this year's past high profile public and workplace shootings throughout the U.S., the FBI Academy Alumni Association, received high interest in a shooting response program held in Boston last week.

The workshop, “Active Shooter Preparation and Response” was held by the group and resulted in a turnout of about 300 attendees.

The local citizens group’s main goal is to raise awareness about workplace violence and shootings and prod employers and landlords to take preventative action in case of an emergency.

"Workplace homicides are still relatively rare, but general workforce violence is not uncommon, and there's evidence of an increase in violent crime in general," said Randy Spivey, chief executive of the Center for Personal Protection and Safety, a firm in Spokane, Wash., that develops workplace violence-prevention programs for companies.

While a workplace incident like a shooting spree is still relatively rare, the unfortunate past events shows that is highly important for all employers to be aware of the best strategy for a company to use in case of an emergency.

To view the original article, visit http://www.masslive.com/business-news/index.ssf/2012/11/companies_focus_on_preventing_workplace.html.

If you would like more information about Workplace Violence Prevention, visit https://safetylinks.net/index.php/training/safety-management-courses/violence-prevention.

Nominations for OSHA’s Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health Are Seeked

OSHA has recently announced that they are now accepting nominations for eight new members to serve on the Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health.

Groups in which the nominees are interested in representing can be an employee, employer, public, and state and health agency. All members serve for two years except for the representative designated by the Department of Health and Human Services and appointed by the Secretary of Labor.

If you’d like to submit a nomination, visit www.regulations.gov where you can also view the Federal Register notice for additional details.. You can also submit by mail or fax. The deadline is January 7.

To view the press release, visit http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=NEWS_RELEASES&p_id=23241.

What Four More Years of Obama Means To OSHA

According to Aaron Trippler, director of government affairs for the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA), the president’s re-election is unlikely to result in any drastic changes for OSHA.

Some of the things believed OSHA will keep focusing on are the Injury and Illness Prevention Program (I2P2) and possibly finally updating permissible exposure limits (PEL’s). On another note, Trippler also believes that OSHA will likely focus their funds on enforcement and the impact it has shown, and the relationship between federal OSHA and state plans, since 50 percent of their budget is received from them.

To read the article, visit http://ehstoday.com/osha/how-will-obama-s-re-election-impact-occupational-safety-and-health?page=1.

OSHA’s Advisory Committee On Construction Safety and Health To Meet in Nov.

The Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health (ACCSH) has a meeting scheduled by OSHA on November 27-30 in Washington, DC. It will consist of meetings divided in Work Groups and a full committee at different times. ACCSH Work Groups will meet Nov. 27-28 and the full committee on Nov. 29-30.

The ACCSH works as an advisor to the Secretary of Labor and Assistant Secretary of Labor of OSHA. The full committee agenda will include Dr. David Michaels, assistant secretary of labor and updates from the Directorate of Construction. The Work Group meetings will include the topics: Health hazards, emerging issues, prevention through design, training and outreach, and injurly and illness prevention programs.

To submit any comments or requests, visit their Federal e-Rulemaking Portal at http://www.regulations.gov. You can also submit by mail or fax. All comments and requests must be submitted by Nov. 16, 2012.

For more details, visit http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=NEWS_RELEASES&p_id=23202.

CPSC Urges Consumers to Change Batteries in Alarms This Weekend When Changing Clocks for Daylight Saving Time

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is encouraging consumers to change the batteries in their smoke alarms and carbon monoxide (CO) alarms this weekend.

"When changing clocks this weekend for Daylight Saving Time, remember to change the batteries in smoke and CO alarms," said CPSC Chairman Inez Tenenbaum. "Fresh batteries in alarms are essential to keeping your alarm working and on guard to protect you and your family."

Daylight Saving Time ends on Sunday, November 4, 2012.

About two-thirds of fire deaths occur in homes with either no smoke alarms or smoke alarms that don't work. CPSC also recommends that consumers test their alarms once each month and place smoke alarms on every level of the home, outside sleeping areas, and inside each bedroom.

Fire departments responded to more than 366,700 residential fires nationwide that resulted in more than 2,300 deaths, more than 12,500 injuries, and $7.09 billion in property losses annually, on average, from 2008 through 2010.

CO alarms are equally important and should be installed on each level of the home and outside sleeping areas. CO alarms should not be installed in attics or basements unless they include a sleeping area. Combination smoke and CO alarms are available.

Carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless, poisonous gas that consumers cannot see or smell. There was an average of 183 unintentional, non-fire CO poisoning deaths each year from 2006 to 2008. To protect against CO poisoning, schedule an annual professional inspection of all fuel-burning appliances, including furnaces and chimneys. Keep portable generators outside, far from the home when they are being used.

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