Dear Subscriber,

As 2019 draws to a close, make sure you're up to speed on the top safety developments and trends you can expect in 2020. Our recent articles provide an overview of what to expect from OSHA in 2020, the motor carrier safety issues to anticipate in the new year, and the items on OSHA's latest regulatory agenda.

Have a safe and happy New Year!

—The Safety.BLR.com Editorial Team

Commercial Driver Safety—NIOSH releases latest motor vehicle safety plan

Enforcement —OSHA revises amputations NEP

Safety - General—BLS: Workplace fatalities increased in 2018

Enforcement —States decline aircraft crew enforcement

Commercial Driver Safety—FMCSA petitioned to drop hearing requirement

Webinars

Job Hazard Analysis—Webinar [2019-09]: A-List Risk Assessment Teams: How to Create, Train, and Manage an Effective Risk Assessment Team Pam Walaski, CSP, senior program director at Specialty Technical Consultants, Inc., details how to effectively develop risk assessment teams, including training and maintaining them as an effective part of your organization's risk management framework.

Slips and Falls—Webinar [2019-09]: Preventing Slips, Trips, and Falls: How to Conduct a Fall Hazard Survey and Assessment Fall protection specialist and civil engineer Jake Williams, PE, CSP, describes how to conduct a fall hazard survey and assessment of your worksite to minimize the risk of slip-, trip- and fall-related injuries and avoid costly OSHA citations.

Training —Webinar [2019-09]: Effective Safety Training and Messaging: How to Best Develop Learning Objectives So Your Training Is Engaging and OSHA Compliant Mark Haskins, CSP and founder of Practical Safety Solutions, LLC, provides insight into how to develop and use targeted learning objectives to shape your safety training and ensure that it promotes learning and retention among your employees.

Employee Newsletters—December 2019 Safety Works for Employees—This month's issue includes information on winter holiday fire safety, first-aid kits, silica dust, and hand-washing tips for cold season.

Q: We have a mixture of used oil onsite. Can I use a generic, third party SDS for used oil that I found online for this mixture?

Q: If an employee seeks medical treatment via ER for a non-work-related fainting episode but is not admitted for any extended or overnight stay, does the employer have to call the incident into OSHA within 8 hours?

Q: I need information on portable eye wash stations. Can we use a tank and water hose?

Q: Do you have any ear bud safety policies or related information?

Final Rules

Proposed Rules

National:

12/26/2019—OSHA —Semiannual Agenda of Regulations

State:

12/30/2019—Dept. of Transportation (DOT)—Texas—Rail Facilities

12/30/2019—Dept. of Transportation (DOT)—Texas—Railroad Grade Crossings

12/27/2019—Lead —Maine—Lead Testing In School Drinking Water Rule

12/26/2019—Workers' Compensation—Oregon—Closure, Reconsideration, Apportionment

12/19/2019—Motor Carrier Safety—Oregon—Elimination of Fee

12/18/2019—Safety Plans—Minnesota—Workplace Accident and Injury Reduction Programs

12/18/2019—Construction - General—Washington—Part O, Concrete, Concrete Forms, Shoring Construction

12/17/2019—Workers' Compensation—North Carolina—Workers Compensation and Employers' Liability Insurance

White Papers

Understanding your experience modification factor—The experience modification factor, a ratio of the costs of a company's actual workers' compensation claims to the expected costs for companies of similar size in the same industry, is highly significant to employers—lower is better—because it determines workers’ compensation premiums. Read the article for an in-depth look at how experience modification factors are determined and what employers can do to improve.

Upcoming Webinars