Following a review of the requirements put in place in 2016 regarding the “Improve Tracking of Workplace Injuries and Illnesses” regulation, OSHA took direct action to correct an error that was made with regard to implementing the final rule.
OSHA determined that Section 18(c)(7) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act, and relevant OSHA regulations pertaining to State Plans, require all affected employers to submit injury and illness data in the Injury Tracking Application (ITA) online portal, even if the employer is covered by a State Plan that has not completed adoption of their own state rule.
OSHA immediately notified State Plans and informed them that for Calendar Year 2017 all employers covered by State Plans will be expected to comply. An employer covered by a State Plan that has not completed adoption of a state rule must provide Form 300A data for Calendar Year 2017. Employers are required to submit their data by July 1, 2018. There will be no retroactive requirement for employers covered by State Plans that have not adopted a state rule to submit data for Calendar Year 2016.
A notice has been posted on the ITA website and related OSHA webpages informing stakeholders of the corrective action.
Hilton Head Hazardous Waste and DOT Hazardous Materials Training
Register for Hazardous Waste Management: The Complete Course and DOT Hazardous Materials Training: The Complete Course in Hilton Head, SC on May 22-24 and save $100 or receive an Amazon Fire HD 10 tablet with electronic versions of both handbooks. To take advantage of this offer, click here or call 800-537-2372.
Baton Rouge Hazardous Waste and DOT Hazardous Materials Training
Register for Hazardous Waste Management: The Complete Course and DOT Hazardous Materials Training: The Complete Course in Baton Rouge, LA on June 5-7 and save $100 or receive an Amazon Fire HD 10 tablet with electronic versions of both handbooks. To take advantage of this offer, click here or call 800-537-2372.
Chattanooga Hazardous Waste and DOT Hazardous Materials Training
Register for Hazardous Waste Management: The Complete Course and DOT Hazardous Materials Training: The Complete Course in Chattanooga, TN on June 12-14 and save $100 or receive an Amazon Fire HD 10 tablet with electronic versions of both handbooks. To take advantage of this offer, click here or call 800-537-2372.
Beryllium Standard Final Rule Revised
OSHA issued a direct final rule (DFR) clarifying aspects of the beryllium standard for general industry as it applies to processes, operations, or areas where workers may be exposed to materials containing less than 0.1% beryllium by weight.
The DFR clarifies the definitions of Beryllium Work Area, emergency, dermal contact, and beryllium contamination. It also clarifies provisions for disposal and recycling, and provisions that the Agency intends to apply only where skin can be exposed to materials containing at least 0.1% beryllium by weight.
The direct final rule will become effective on July 4, 2018, unless the Agency receives significant adverse comments by June 4, 2018.
Virtual Reality Could Help Prepare First Responders for Emergencies
Virtual reality produces entertaining video games. But it’s also a serious training and testing tool. Pilots test their skill with flight simulators, and the military can practice by playing war games, for example.
Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) now aim to make virtual reality simulations more of a reality for first responders, enabling firefighters, law enforcement officers, and others to learn and practice how to best operate and communicate in emergencies.
NIST staff are developing virtual environments featuring scenarios such as firefighting in hotels. The goal is to spur industry to come up with user interfaces—visual indicators, sounds, voice commands—that are better, cheaper, proven effective and brought to market faster than otherwise would be possible.
Such interfaces could be embedded in firefighters’ masks or smart glasses worn by emergency medical technicians, for example. A visual display might show the temperature or audio might warn that oxygen is low in a backpack tank. The idea is to present helpful data in an intuitive and nonintrusive manner.
“There is currently no method like ours to test and measure user interfaces for first responders,” NIST project leader Scott Ledgerwood said. “We want to enable development, testing and rapid prototyping of these interfaces in a safe, controlled and repeatable environment.”
“Virtual reality is still in its infancy, and while there’s been some fantastic advances in training simulation, no one that we know has really looked at it from the testing and development perspective,” Ledgerwood added. “We’re creating this test bed because we don’t believe anyone else has the focus or capabilities to test user interfaces for first responders.”
Developing any new product for first responders requires complex and resource-intensive testing. Testing interfaces in real emergencies could expose first responders to high risk. Virtual reality offers a safer venue and can help ensure that innovations have a positive impact.
The NIST project uses commercial headsets and controllers, but NIST staff develop the content. So far, the software programs feature firefighting scenarios in a hotel, a mountain home, and an office environment. Users can choose their locations within the scenario and operate a controller to simulate a fire hose.
NIST had to hire unusual expertise for this project: Jack Lewis, who recently got an academic degree in video game design and is now using his creative skills to write software programs for public service purposes.
“I thought it sounded like a cool job,” Lewis said. “Not everyone gets a chance like this to make a difference.”
NIST staff are currently showcasing the concept and basic technology at events such as the recent Consumer Electronics Show.
In the near future, NIST staff plan to develop methods and criteria for evaluating interfaces to ensure that the test bed provides valuable data to its customers. NIST staff also plan to create additional virtual scenarios for a broad range of first responders and a variety of headsets and graphic engines. The environment and scenarios may also be extended through NIST grants. Virtual reality is also a topic of some NIST prize challenges.
Soon, companies will be able to visit NIST to test their experimental interfaces or even replicate the entire test bed.
“The goal is to make this virtual environment in such a way that anyone who has access to a headset could download our scenarios and use them at their own locations,” Ledgerwood said.
OSHA Sponsors National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls
OSHA is holding its annual National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls May 7-11. The event encourages companies and workers to pause during the workday for topical discussions, safety demonstrations, and training in hazard recognition and fall prevention.
The lack of proper fall protection is the most frequently cited OSHA violation. Stand-downs provide employers and workers the opportunity to talk about hazards, protective methods, and the company’s safety policies, goals, and expectations.
To guide nationwide and international efforts, the agency’s Stand-Down webpage offers information on conducting a successful event, and educational resources in English and Spanish. Employers are encouraged to provide feedback after their events, and to obtain a personalized certificate of participation.
Organizations supporting and participating in the event include the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health; Center for Construction Research and Training; National Occupational Research Agenda; OSHA-approved State Plans; state consultation programs; American Society of Safety Engineers; National Safety Council; National Construction Safety Executives; U.S. Air Force; and the OSHA Training Institute Education Centers, among many more.
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