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Directives
This instruction provides current information and guidance to the OSHA national, regional, and area offices concerning OSHA’s policy and procedures for implementing inspections, issuing citations and proposing penalties.
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This instruction cancels and replaces Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Instruction CSP 01-00-002 (STP 2.0-22B), sets out instructions for State Plans in developing Strategic Plans and Annual Performance Plans, and implements revisions to the State Plan monitoring system.
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Guidance Documents
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This OSHA fact sheet provides a brief overview of the steps to implementing a Hazard Communication program.
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This sample policy outlines how automated external defibrillators (AEDs) will be used in the workplace and details the protocols for using an AED for cases of sudden cardiac arrest. This policy may be used as a supporting document for a First Aid Plan.
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This chart provides an overview of the state differences in worker safety and health requirements for the private sector.
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Give this brochure to your CDL drivers along with your company's alcohol and drug testing policy before they submit to any alcohol or drug testing.
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This comprehensive Security of Portable Electronic Devices policy document includes points to cover in your policy, legal and practical points to consider when drafting your policy, and 3 sample Security of Portable Electronic Devices policies you can use to develop a policy appropriate for your company.
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This document outlines important safety, security, and legal considerations for employers regarding visitors and vendors in the workplace and offers sample policies addressing the protocol around workplace visitors and vendors.
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This document contains sample policies that outline security rules and regulations for a variety of workplaces and provides tips and considerations for developing an effective security policy.
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Each year, nearly 100 workers are killed and another 20,000 are seriously injured in forklift-related accidents. In this special report, we'll tell you how to prevent these incidents by protecting against the top 5 deadly forklift dangers. Updated 2016.
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In this special report, we'll tell you why new employees are often injured on the job and give you tips on keeping them safe.
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No federal law prohibits drivers from using mobile phones while driving, but some states and local jurisdictions have taken action. This article has a state-by-state list of cell phone restrictions.
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This table describes the core federal safety and health rules (recordkeeping, inspections, penalties, and hazard communication) that all private-sector employers must follow, and the description of state rules that are more stringent than corresponding federal rules. All of the states that are listed are state-plan states. Private-sector employers in all states must follow federal rules.
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Summary of hours of service (HOS)regulations. Most drivers must follow the HOS Regulations if they drive a commercial motor vehicle, or CMV.
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This sample safety Scaffolding checklist "Supported Scaffold Inspection Tips" can be used to audit personnel safety procedures at your facility. Download this Scaffolding sample checklist to your computer or print it out.
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This guidance document "Methods for Estimating the Adequacy of Hearing Protector Attenuation" can be at your facility.
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This Lockout/Tagout guidance document "Preparation for Lockout/Tagout of Machinery and Equipment with Multiple Energy Sources" can be used to at your facility.
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This sample Evacuation Procedures for Individual(s) with Disabilities guidance document can be part of the emergency planning and response procedures at your facility.
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This sample Emergency Response to Severe Weather or Other Natural Disasters guidance document can be part of the emergency planning and response procedures at your facility.
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This sample safety Cranes and Slings "Know Your Hand Signals" can be used as a quick card for your employees to use to know the basic hand signals. Download this Cranes and Slings sample to your computer or print it out.
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This illustrated bilingual (English/Spanish) educational resource from OSHA provides clear, easy-to-follow information about ladder hazards and safety precautions.
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Download this OSHA Brief to help you comply with the training requirements for the new GHS-compliant chemical labels under the hazard communication standard.
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Enhancing Security of Hazardous Materials Shipments Against Acts of Terrorism or Sabotage Using RSPA's Risk Management Self-Evaluation Framework (RMSEF)
This template or overlay for the Risk Management Self-Evaluation
Framework applies the methodology to the issue of security. It is a tool
and not a regulatory requirement. Its use, like that of the basic framework,
is voluntary.
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Despite its high fatality rate, construction can be a safe occupation when workers are aware of the hazards, and use an effective Safety and Health Program. This eTool from OSHA will help you identify and control the hazards that commonly cause the most serious construction injuries.
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How-To Guides
Some hazards are obvious and many hazards will be uncovered as a result of a self-audit. Other hazards, however, are less obvious and are uncovered only by conducting a systematic analysis of the jobs in your worksite, one by one, to identify potential hazards.
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Interpretations
Question: Does the Personal Protective Equipment (POE) standard, specifically 29 CF 191 0.132(a) apply to body armor (such as, but not limited to, bullet or stab resistant vests)?
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This memorandum revises OSHA’s enforcement policy on the concentration of a chemical that must be present in a process for the purpose of determining whether the chemical is at or above the threshold quantity listed in Appendix A of the Process Safety Management of Highly Hazardous Chemicals (PSM) standard (29 C.F.R. § 1910.119).
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Employer(s) with employee(s) exposed to PSM-covered processes formerly exempted under OSHA's 1992 interpretation of "retail facility" now must comply with the requirements of 29 CFR 1910.119 if the facility, or portion of the facility processing the highly hazardous chemical, does not fall into the North American Industrial Classification System definition of retail trade (NAICS 44 and 45). OSHA is delaying enforcement of the new interpretation of the retail exemption policy until after September 30, 2016.
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OSHA will continue to enforce the listing, labeling, or certification requirements [for approved equipment including extension cords] as outlined in 29 CFR 1926.403(b0(2) - Installation and use.
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The letter discusses whether the use of a crane for placement of a burial vault in the grave is a form of construction or a general industry activity. OSHA says the placement of a burial vault in the grave is not a form of construction.
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Specifically, you ask if fall protection is required around vertical walled trenches that have a depth 6 feet or greater; if there are any exceptions to fall protection around trenches implied or stated; and whether a controlled access zone be used in lieu of fall protection.
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This is in response to your July 30 letter, requesting interpretation of the Process Safety Management (PSM) of Highly Hazardous Chemicals standard, 29 CFR 1910.119. Please accept our apology for the delay in responding.
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White Papers
If you are sick at work, should you stay or should you go home? If you supervise workers who are sick, is it more productive to let them stay or send them home? The following information may help you decide the best, and healthiest, course of action. First, let’s look at some facts about the common cold and the flu and their effects on worker productivity.
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Critics have long asserted that OSHA misses a substantial number of workplace injuries and illnesses that are never reported and that OSHA's audit procedures are inadequate
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In 2014 OSHA issued more than 6,000 citations for hazard communication (HazCom) violations. The right-to-know standard, known for its complexity and multiple moving parts, is historically among the most frequently cited.
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In April, a temporary worker was killed when he became entangled in the rotating shaft of a mixer; as a result, the company was cited with multiple serious and willful violations and fined over $200,000. Check out the article to learn what went wrong and how to keep from making the same mistakes.
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Chemical accidents make headlines and rob families of loved ones. They also cause extraordinary damage to communities and the environment. This Compliance Report focuses on process safety management (PSM), the regulation that aims to prevent unwanted releases of hazardous chemicals.
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According to OSHA, 40 percent of injured employees have been on the job for less than a year. What's behind these injuries, and is there anything you can do to eliminate them? Check out the article to learn why these incidents happen and how to prevent them with a strong safety orientation process.
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An emergency can strike your facility at any time. Are you prepared? Check out the article for tips on planning for emergencies to keep your workers safe, minimize disruption to your business, and protect your bottom line when the unexpected happens.
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During the cold winter months, heating-related safety is of utmost concern. Here are some safety guidelines to help keep your workers and facility safe if you decide to allow the use of portable heaters in your worksites.
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United States Cold Storage of California operates a facility in Tracy, from where it stores and
distributes frozen foods. After the company reported an accident, Cal/OSHA inspected the facility.
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Workers who drive as part of their employment--even if all they do is drive to and from off-site meetings during the workday--can expose you to significant liability if they're involved in an accident. To avoid liability, you need to identify drivers who could put you at risk and keep them off the road for work purposes.
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What do you do when a truck isn't the right vehicle, but a tractor won't do the job either?
The answer is often the four-wheeler, also called an all-terrain vehicle or ATV. Farmers in Japan first began using these versatile vehicles in the 1960s. Today, in the United States, more than 11 million ATVs are driven for both work and recreation.
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In September 2012, Governor Brown signed legislation intended to address steadily increasing workers' compensation costs in the state. Many of Senate Bill (S.B.) 863's major provisions went into effect on January 1, and the rest will be implemented in stages through January 1, 2014.
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Scaffolds enable workers to perform work at elevation more safely than ladders or some other types of equipment, but like many useful pieces of equipment, they can also pose a hazard to workers. Scaffolds may collapse while being erected or dismantled, or if they are incorrectly assembled or overloaded. Workers who don't know the risks can fall.
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Work at elevation always exposes workers to the hazard of a deadly fall. The use of mobile elevating work platforms (MEWPs), also known as aerial work platforms (AWPs), such as boom lifts and scissor lifts, can provide a measure of safety.
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Whenever workers are welding, cutting, or brazing, they are at risk. Fire is the most obvious hazard, but compressed gas cylinders, electricity, and hazardous welding fumes also pose hazards. Check your welding, cutting, and brazing operations for safety with this checklist, adapted from federal OSHA.
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At the Teichert Aggregates plant in Woodland (near Sacramento), workers were putting the plant back in operation after a reconfiguration. At around 7:45 a.m. that day, the plant's superintendent noticed a problem with the plant's Warman slurry pump.
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According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, just five causes were responsible for nearly 97 percent of all fatal occupational injuries in 2011. Is your business at risk? Read the article to find out.
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Work at elevation always exposes workers to the hazard of a deadly fall. The use of mobile elevating work platforms (MEWPs, also known as aerial work platforms or AWPs), such as boom lifts and scissor lifts, can provide a measure of safety. Unfortunately, the enhanced safety provided by guardrails as well as the ability to have both hands free to work and a place to put tools and equipment are to some degree offset by the hazards of the elevating equipment itself.
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Many people suffer from allergies. An unfortunate minority have allergies so severe that their reaction is a life-threatening condition called "anaphylaxis."
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When Governor Brown signed a sweeping overhaul of California's workers' compensation system in September 2012, one of his goals was to control employers' workers' compensation costs, which had climbed precipitously in recent years.
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The Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board (OSHSB) was busy in the latter part of 2012, approving a slew of revisions to the Cal/OSHA standards that took effect in November.
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On September 11, 2012, 28-year-old Robert Munoz was working at Gibson Winery in Sanger (near Fresno) when a coworker opened the wrong valve, releasing anhydrous ammonia into the room. Munoz was overcome and died; five of his coworkers were also treated for ammonia inhalation.
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More than 400,000 hotel housekeepers are at work in America today, and they're working harder than ever. Housekeepers are dealing with thicker, fluffier pillows and comforters, more layers of sheets, and ever-heavier linen carts.
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An experienced welder and his supervisor were repairing a pressurized tank at the Live Oak Cogeneration plant in Oildale (near Bakersfield) in early October. They finished their repairs on Tuesday and returned on Wednesday to test their work.
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Training is a vital part of your safety program. It's a required part of your Injury and Illness Prevention Program (IIPP), it may be required by specific standards that apply to your workplace, and it can provide a natural environment for communication between management and employees about safety and health issues.
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On Friday, September 16, 2011, a new employee had just started working at the Law Offices of Christopher P. Ruiz, APLC, in Santa Ana. When she walked out of the building that day, she missed her footing on the front step and was seriously injured, fracturing both of her ankles.
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The California legislature passed five bills this year that could have affected occupational safety and health practices as well as liability for agricultural employers and state hospitals. This fall, Governor Brown signed one of those bills but vetoed the rest.
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It's the end of the year—is this the time of year when you perform annual maintenance tasks? If so, workers may be dusting off infrequently used lockout/tagout procedures and performing tasks they don't do very often. Now would be a good time to review the basics of hazardous energy control.
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The Maplegrove Gluten Free Foods bakery in Fontana produces more gluten-free pasta than any other manufacturer in North America, shipping the pasta to health conscious consumers on six continents.
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Two new standards were recently finalized by California's Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board (OSHSB) that address hazards common to laboratory workers and tree trimmers. Read on to learn what's new.
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In September, Governor Brown signed Senate Bill (S.B.) 863, legislation intended to address steadily increasing workers' compensation costs in the state. The new law, which has been in the works for 3 years, was supported by an unusual coalition of California businesses and workers' groups.
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At general engineering firm C.A. Rasmussen in Simi Valley, a maintenance employee was sent to replace the starter mechanism on a crane. While performing this task, he attempted to "jump-start" the crane's engine by reaching into the crane's engine compartment. When the crane started up, the unguarded fan blades inside the engine began turning, and part of the worker's middle finger was amputated.
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Think fast! You're traveling at 70 miles per hour on a busy highway, and you just blew a tire! Or perhaps there's a light drizzle, and your car hit an unexpected slick spot and started to fishtail. Or maybe you put your foot on the brakes … and nothing happened.
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Commercial fishing is tough work. The work surface is constantly wet, always moving, and buffeted by water and wind. Fishermen work long hours, sometimes with little sleep for long periods, in all kinds of weather. If they're injured on the job, their access to medical care is limited until the Coast Guard arrives.
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Many law enforcement agencies recommend that employers screen job applicants for violent histories to weed out those who pose a threat of workplace violence.
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In November 2011, federal OSHA compliance officers visited four Veterans Administration (VA) medical facilities in the VA's Northern California Health Care System.
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