EPA Wants Your Opinion on New Bug Repellent Label

EPA's recent Federal Register Notice asks the public to provide their thoughts on a new insect repellent graphic for skin-applied insect repellent product labels. Manufacturers would voluntarily apply the graphic to their products, and the agency is hopeful the graphic will provide the public with vital health information, such as an estimated number of hours a product will repel harmful insects (e.g., ticks, mosquitoes).

The new graphic more prominently displays consumer safety information, and it will only be placed on insect repellent products applied directly to the skin. Visit EPA's website to view the graphic, Federal Register notice and for more information.

OSHA To Improve Injury/Illness Tracking

OSHA has issued a proposed rule to improve workplace safety and health through improved tracking of workplace injuries and illnesses. The agency is seeking to add requirements for the electronic submission of injury and illness information that employers must keep under existing standards. The first proposed new requirement is for establishments with more than 250 employees to electronically submit the records on a quarterly basis to OSHA. According to OSHA Administrator David Michaels, the changes will "encourage earlier abatement of hazards and result in improved programs to reduce workplace hazards and prevent injuries, illnesses and fatalities."

OSHA is also proposing that establishments with 20 or more employees in certain industries with high injury and illness rates be required to submit electronically only their summary of work-related injuries and illnesses to OSHA once a year.

The public will have until Feb. 6, 2014, to submit written comments on the proposed rule. The agency also plans to hold a Jan. 9, 2014, public meeting on the proposed rule in Washington, DC.

Raising Awareness of Responder Stress

Several companies are partnering to raffle a custom, hand-painted Reach For The Light firefighter helmet to raise awareness to responder stress. Monies raised will fund stress management training for first responders and emergency workers, say sponsors FoxFury Lighting Solutions, C4L & Associates, 1st Responder Treatment, Firefighter Wife and Smoke Eater Customs. The groups have also collaborated on a video, Return To The Station, to bring more attention to responder stress.

"In the arena of emergency management, responders can be exposed to catastrophic events," the groups explain. "Responder stress and traumatic incident stress, if not properly identified and managed early on, can develop into harmful addictions and post-traumatic stress disorder that directly threaten responders and their families."

The raffle winner will be announced Nov.15. Learn more here. The helmet will also be on display at the Superstorm Sandy Symposium Nov. 12-16 in Atlantic City, NJ

Worker Safety Groups, Public Health Professionals Release Recommendations to OSHA on Temporary Worker Safety

Reliance on temporary help has grown tremendously since the recession, with temporary workers accounting for 15% of all job growth in the past 4 years. However, confusion and ambiguity over the roles both host employers and temporary agencies play in the safety and well-being of these workers has left them vulnerable to injuries, illnesses or worse.

To address the issues associated with an overwhelming number of temporary worker incidents in the past few years, the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health (COSH), the National Staffing Workers Alliance and the Occupational Health and Safety Section of the American Public Health Association (AHPA) developed and presented 15 recommendations to OSHA Assistant Secretary Dr. David Michaels on Nov. 2, 2013, urging the agency to improve safety and health conditions for temporary workers. Clarifying health and safety responsibilities in dual-employer settings topped the list, followed by recommendations concerning targeting and tracking more data and improving the inspection process to bring more attention to temporary workers.

"Temp workers fall through the cracks," says Linda Delp, chair of APHA's Occupational Health and Safety Section. "From a public health perspective, we need to know where they're working, who's injured on the job and how, so we can improve working conditions, but [currently] there are not clear lines of reporting and responsibility for worker safety."

OSHA has addressed this issue in the past, Michaels says. In addition to an April 2013 memo in which the agency advised area directors to ensure that field inspectors assess whether employer of temporary workers are complying with the OSH Act, the agency is currently working on a proposal that would require employers to provide their 300 injury summary log data so that it can be publicly posted.

These initiatives still leave out some very important issues the safety groups say. Temp workers lack health benefits and sick leave, says Marcy Goldstein-Gelb, executive director of the Massachusetts Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health. The nature of the work causes job insecurity and many temps are more afraid to raise concerns about hazards for fear of losing their job, she continues.

“Many [temporary workers] receive insufficient training or are inexperienced with how to protect themselves on the jobsite, but are reluctant to mention that to employers so that they aren’t replaced," says Tom O’Connor, executive director of COSH. "At the same time, temporary workers are employed in some of the country’s most hazardous jobs, including waste recycling, fish processing and construction. Unfortunately, this has led to several temporary workers being killed on the job in recent months.”

Statistics suggest many temporary workers are injured or killed due to insufficient training, protection, fear and a lack of understanding says Goldstein-Gelb, but the recommendations made by the coalition of workplace safety groups and public health professionals can help address some of these issues.

The recommendations ask that OSHA initiate a National Emphasis Program in high-hazard industries that use temporary staffing agencies and identify the 20 largest temporary staffing agencies in high-hazard industries to more easily identify these major employers. Inspectors are encouraged to hold both temporary staffing agencies and host employers responsible for ensuring that temporary workers receive proper training, appropriate safety equipment and that they report all injuries to temporary workers appropriately. In addition to these recommendations, they ask federal OSHA to facilitate cross-training of compliance officers with COSH groups and Worker Centers to ensure that a clear understanding of procedures and to promote collaborative efforts to protect temporary workers.

Click here for the full list of recommendations.

Putting the Focus on Fall Protection

Falls continue to be a leading cause of workplace injuries and fatalities. In 2011, BLS reports that 40% of the injuries and illness cases requiring days away from work were attributed to three types of events or exposures--falls on the same level (15%); struck by object or equipment (13%); and overexertion in lifting or lowering (12%). BLS adds that injuries and illnesses incurred from falls on the same level and overexertion in lifting or lowering each required a median of 10 days for workers to recuperate--2 more than the 8 days required for all types of events or exposures. Furthermore, falls, slips, or trips took the lives of 668 workers in 2012, with falls to a lower level accounting for 544 or about 81% of those fatalities.

Statistics such as these keep fall protection top-of-mind for many EHS professionals and the broader occupational safety community. Here are links to several EHS Works posts on fall-protection-related topics:

• OSHA’s Top 10 Citations
• Fall Hazard Risk Assessment
• Z359 Fall Protection Code Updated
• Fall Rescue Systems
• Workplace Fatalities From Falls
• Fall Protection in Construction

You can also learn more about the Z359 Code and fall prevention strategies starting tomorrow during ASSE's virtual symposium that will include five live webinars on preventing falls from heights. Learn more here.