We thought we'd pull together this review of the posts we've written lately about OSHA just in case you missed a few. We've got links to blog posts in a few different categories:
OSHA recently rolled out some new publications regarding HazCom 2012, the employer's training requirements, and the GHS labels and pictograms. If that's new news to you, scan backwards to the previous sentence and click those links.
But if you already know about all that and just want to practice your understanding of the new labels and pictograms, you're in the right place. Try your hand at the labels and pictograms self-quiz below.
In a recent blog post titled “Why People Don’t Remember Their Training: Five Steps of Learning and Applying Information," we introduced a few basic ideas about how people think and learn (that process, by the way, is known as cognition).
In that post, we briefly mentioned a five-step process of learning:
In an earlier part of my life, I flew to Hawaii a lot. I had a friend who was the Artistic Director for the Honolulu Theater for Youth in Honolulu, and because he had to travel to stage plays, I often was "saddled" with dog- and house-sitting responsibilities. Rough life, huh? Living in Hawaii was great, and I even got to surf the famous Pipeline surf break on the legendary North Shore.
On one flight from Oahu to San Francisco, several hours after the plane took off, the captain announced that there was a mechanical problem and we were returning to Honolulu. When I heard that, I was a little alarmed, and so I did four things. First, I looked at the map to figure out how far from land we were. We were basically in the middle of the ocean. Next, I grabbed the safety information card in my seat pocket and read it: where are the emergency exits, how do the doors open, and just exactly how does that seat cushion double as a floatation device? Then, I tucked my little bag of peanuts into my shirt pocket. I figured if the plane crashed, I'd eat them on the way down before we went into the drink, giving me a little energy to use while I was wading thousands of miles from land. And finally, I took a nap, on the assumption that if I was going to be paddling in the middle of the Pacific Ocean for hours, it was a good idea to be rested up.
My point is that before I pulled the safety information card out, I didn’t know the critical safety information I needed to know if the plane went down. Why? Because I didn’t listen to the safety information talk or watch the safety video before the flight took off. I blew it off, maybe reading a book or staring vacantly out the window. Odds are you’ve done it too; we all have.
OSHA’s been busy releasing new documents about Hazard Communication 2012, the newly revised Hazard Communication Standard that has been “aligned” with the Globally Harmonized System (GHS).
In a previous post, we discussed a recently published Fact Sheet that focuses on an employer’s requirements to train workers about certain elements of the new regulation before December 1, 2013. In this post, we’ll discuss highlights of the new OSHA Brief titled Hazard Communication Standard: Labels and Pictograms.
Our analysis? There’s one significant change that everyone should know about and then some interesting stuff that we’ve called out. We’ll address them in order. First, the change, which we’ll cover in detail. And second, we’ll point out some of the interesting stuff (which you may already know about) and let you know where to find it in the Brief if you want to read more.
Here’s a quick announcement to let you know about two new courses we just added to our ever-growing libraries of 3-D animated, SCORM-compliant training courses for the pulp, paper, tissue, and box industries.
Course Description: Forming fabrics allow water to quickly drain from papermaking stock while retaining the fibers and furnishing components that create the paper sheet. The design of the forming fabric influences these processes. This module discusses how different design characteristics affect the final quality of the sheet.
Here’s a quick announcement to let you know about three new courses we just added to our ever-growing libraries of 3-D animated industrial and manufacturing training courses. You can read descriptions and view samples of the new courses below, or you can see all the titles and view samples of the courses in our e-learning libraries here.
Course Description: This course explains the location and function of the major components of a typical table saw and provides safety guidelines to follow while working on and around a table saw. It includes explanations of how to adjust the blade height and blade tilt, how to square the blade, and how to set the cut width.
As you probably know, OSHA is revising its old Hazard Communication 1994 Standard and has created a new Hazard Communication 2012 Standard. The new HazCom 2012 Standard is “aligned” with the Globally Harmonized System, also known as GHS.
You may also know that employers have an obligation to train their employees about certain aspects of the new GHS-aligned HazCom 2012 Standard before December 1, 2013 (this year). This deadline is mentioned on OSHA’s website on a page titled Effective Dates. And it has also been the subject of one of our earlier blog posts explaining What to Know and Do for HazCom 2012/GHS During 2013.
But, you’d be forgiven if you didn’t know that OSHA recently published a Face Sheet titled December 1st, 2013 Training Requirements for the Revised Hazard Communication Standard. That’s because it’s brand new. We just recently learned of it ourselves.
The tornado that recently devastated Oklahoma, killing at least 24 people (and at least nine children), was a terrible tragedy. It was also a sobering reminder of how powerful, destructive, and deadly tornadoes can be.
According to the National Severe Storms Laboratory at NOAA, about 1,200 tornadoes hit the US every year. Further, they define tornado season this way: “The peak “tornado season” for the Southern Plains is during May into early June. On the Gulf coast, it is earlier during the spring. In the northern plains and upper Midwest, tornado season is in June or July. But, remember, tornadoes can happen at any time of year. Tornadoes can also happen at any time of day or night, but most tornadoes occur between 4–9 p.m.”
So, depending on where you live you may be facing heightened tornado risks right now.
Choosing Electro as an arch-villain seems appropriate, because electricity can present many hazards at home and at work. And apparently, some people are either not aware of these hazards or are not taking them seriously enough, because two separate electrical-related hazards (1910.305 and 1010.303) wound up on OSHA's list of the most common citations of 2012. In this post, we've got a fun word game that lets you test your knowledge of electrical terms related to 1910.303 (the words and definitions themselves come from 1910.399, where all definitions for the subpart are listed). Hope you enjoy this one!
Struggling to get better results from your on-the-job training (OJT) programs? Here are some quick tips to keep in mind.
What do you do when there's a hazard? As any horror movie aficionado will tell you, you lock the hazard out (although discriminating horror-movie watchers may remember that strategy didn't work so well in The Shining).
But I digress. When it comes to hazardous energy, you definitely want to lock it out and tag it out before working on a machine or equipment. As we all know from OSHA's Control of Hazardous Energy-Lockout/Tagout regulation (1910.147). And here's a fun word game to help you remember all that.
Convergence Training is creating a series of ready-made, off-the-shelf training materials for the pulp, paper, tissue, and box industries.
When complete, the series will include 180 titles specifically focused on pulp, paper, tissue, and/or box production. In addition, another 30 courses will address related cultural issues (such as 5S Methodology), general skills (such as Process and Instrumentation Diagrams), hazardous materials (such as Hydrogen Sulfide Awareness), environmental issues (such as Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasures), and workforce training and mentoring (such as Adult Learning).
In some parts of the country, the mercury is already skyrocketing up the thermometer. A quick look at today’s weather map shows about half the country with temps in the 80s or 90s.
It’s important to be aware of hot weather because workers can suffer serious problems and even die when working in high temperatures. So what can you do as an employer or supervisor to protect your workers? Well, one thing you can do is be aware of the hazard and know how to lessen the risk.
It was the Star Trek character Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy who once said "Damn it, Jim, I'm a doctor, not an electrician!"
Actually, I don't think he ever said that. But YOU might say something like that after trying your hand at this Convergence Word Game based on OSHA's Electrical-Wiring Methods (1910.305) regulation.
