Use near misses to create a safer workplace

British government researchers have found that for every lost-time injury more than 3 days in length, there were 189 noninjury cases. You just can't afford to ignore near misses.

Understanding the circumstances surrounding a near miss can be valuable to employers. But according to an article in the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) journal, Professional Safety, many organizations and employees resist reporting near misses.

Near-Miss Reporting: A Missing Link in Safety Culture looks at the reasons for this resistance and provides ways to overcome it. Author Mike Williamsen considers near misses to be an opportunity for personal risk assessment and adds, "We want to develop a culture that doesn’t wait until someone is injured, but identifies the risk before it happens."

How do you overcome hesitancy to reporting near misses? Williamsen offers the following tips:

• Clarify the expectation that employees report unsafe conditions or risks.
• Provide employees with safety training.
• Offer strategies to measure how near-miss reporting improves safety performance.
• Recognize and reward employees for proactive safety engagement.

According to Williamsen, near misses go unreported for a variety of reasons. These include fear of retaliation, peer pressure, concern about a safety record, complicated report forms, and lack of feedback.

5 Steps for More Effective Near Miss Reporting

• Establish oversight of process. A good task for a safety committee.
• Provide incident investigations training for all levels of staff. Even organizations that have a good process fail to train on the process. Provide mentoring help for new investigators.
• Investigate everything!! The time you spend investigating near misses will give rewards down the road that are better than investigating major injuries or property losses.
• Conduct comprehensive follow-up of corrective action plan. Ask who, what, and by when. Make sure the plan gets put in place. Many organizations fail to develop specific plans.
• Report out on all investigations. Make sure everyone knows about it. Everyone needs to hear about every near miss. Hearing about near misses helps the workforce think about other similar situations. It also encourages ongoing reporting of near misses as people see the value of the reports and understand that they help them do their work more safely.

HAZWOPER PPE Requirements - Levels of Protection

HAZWOPER rules (29 CFR 1910.120 Appendix) delineate four levels of PPE required to protect workers under various site conditions. Here's what you need to know.

Level A

Should be worn when the highest level of respiratory, skin, and eye protection is needed (i.e., for use with highly toxic releases, such as chlorine or ammonia). Level A protection includes:

• Fully encapsulated chemical-resistant suits
• Positive-pressure SCBA or positive-pressure supplied air respirator with escape SCBA
• Double layer of chemical-resistant gloves
• Airtight seals between suit and gloves and boots

Level B

Should be worn when the highest level of respiratory protection is needed, but a lesser degree of skin protection is needed (i.e., protects against splash hazards posed by acids or caustics). Level B protection includes:

• Positive-pressure SCBA or positive-pressure supplied air respirator with escape SCBA (NIOSH approved)
• Chemical-resistant clothing
• Double layer of chemical-resistant gloves
• Chemical-resistant boots, with steel toe and shank

Level C

Should be worn when the next highest level of respiratory protection is needed after Level B. Skin protection criteria are similar to Level B (i.e., protects against contaminants, such as asbestos and lead). Level C protection includes:

• Full-face or half-mask air purification respirator (NIOSH approved)
• Chemical-resistant clothing
• Double layer of chemical-resistant gloves
• Chemical-resistant boots, with steel toe and shank
• Eye protection if half-face respirator is worn

Level D

Should be worn only as a work uniform and not at any site with respiratory hazards. Provides no protection against chemical hazards. Level D protection includes essentially common work clothes, such as safety goggles, safety gloves, and protective shoes.

Plan, Provide and Train: 3 Simple Steps for Preventing Deadly Falls

Falls from heights are the leading cause of death in construction, and they cause many injuries and deaths in other industries as well.

OSHA says that falls from heights can be prevented and employee lives can be saved if you take three simple steps:

• Plan
• Provide
• Train

Plan

Plan ahead to get the job done safely. When your employees are working from heights, such as on ladders, scaffolds, and roofs, you must plan projects to ensure that the job is done safely. Begin by deciding how the job will be done, what tasks will be involved, and what safety equipment may be needed to complete each task. A little prior planning on your part makes every job safer for employees.

Provide

Provide the right equipment. Workers who are 6 feet or more above lower levels are at risk for serious injury or death if they should fall. To protect these workers, employers must provide personal fall protection and the right equipment for the job, including the right kinds of ladders, scaffolds, and safety gear.

Also remember that different ladders and scaffolds are appropriate for different jobs. Always provide workers with the kind they need to get the job done safely.

If workers use personal fall arrest systems, provide a harness for each worker who needs to tie off to the anchor. Make sure the equipment fits, and have a qualified supervisor regularly inspect all fall protection equipment to ensure it's still in good condition and safe to use (even though workers should inspect their equipment before each use).

Train

Train everyone to use the equipment safely. Falls can be prevented when workers understand proper set-up and safe use of equipment. But to develop that understanding they need training on the specific equipment they will use to complete the job and the hazards they may face. Workers should also be trained in the in the care and safe use ladders, scaffolds, fall protection systems, and other equipment they'll be using on the job.

Training Points

Here are some specific training points suggested by OSHA to prevent falls in different hazard situations.

To prevent falls from ladders:

• Choose the right ladder for the job.
• Maintain three points of contact.
• Secure the ladder.
• Always face the ladder.
• Don't stand on top or on the top step of a stepladder.
• Don't overreach.
• Don't place the ladder on an unlevel footing.

To prevent falls from scaffolds:

• Use fully planked scaffolds.
• Ensure proper access to scaffold.
• Plumb and level.
• Complete ALL guardrails.
• Ensure stable footing.
• Inspect before use (by competent person).
• Don't stand on guardrails.
• Don't use a ladder on top of a scaffold.
• Don't climb on the cross-braces.

To prevent falls from roofs:

• Wear a harness and always stay connected.
• Make sure your harness fits.
• Use guardrails or lifelines.
• Inspect all fall protection equipment before use.
• Guard or cover all holes, openings, and skylights.
• Don't disconnect from lifeline.
• Don't work around unprotected openings or skylights.
• Don't use defective equipment.

OSHA Regulatory Agenda for 2013 and Beyond

Annual Survey of Illnesses and Injuries, Electronic Submission—OSHA's proposed rule will require the roughly 80,000 organizations that respond to the Agency’s annual survey of injuries and illnesses to submit their OSHA 300 Log and Summary data for the survey in electronic format.

Backover Injuries and Fatalities—Workers across many industries face a serious hazard when vehicles perform backing maneuvers, especially vehicles with an obstructed view to the rear. OSHA is collecting information on this hazard and researching emerging technologies that may help to reduce this risk and may consider rulemaking as an appropriate measure to address this source of employee risk.

Bloodborne Pathogens—OSHA will review the Bloodborne Pathogens Standard to consider the continued need for the rule, whether the rule overlaps, duplicates, or conflicts with other federal, state, or local regulations, and the degree to which technology, economic conditions, or other factors may have changed since the rule was evaluated.

Confined Spaces in Construction—OSHA has proposed a rule to protect employees from the hazards resulting from exposure to confined spaces in the construction industry. Under the proposed rule, employers would first determine whether there is a confined space at a jobsite.

Cranes and Derricks in Construction, Revision to Digger Derricks' Requirements—OSHA agreed to publish a direct final rule expanding the scope of a partial exemption for work by digger derricks. In the direct final rule, OSHA will revise the scope provision on digger derricks as an exemption for all work done by digger derricks covered by Subpart V of 29 CFR 1926.

Electric Power Transmission and Distribution, Electrical Protective Equipment—OSHA has a final rule awaiting action by the President’s Office of Management and Budget (OM that will update the electrical protective equipment requirements for foot protection and aerial lift fall protection for electrical installations.

Infectious Disease—Review the need for regulatory action to address the risk to workers exposed to infectious diseases in healthcare and other related high-risk environments.

Injury and Illness Prevention Program (I2P2) —OSHA is still shaping a proposed rule that would require employers to develop a formal program to reduce workplace injuries and illnesses through a systematic process that proactively addresses workplace safety and health hazards.

OSHA Standards Based on National Consensus Standards–Signage—OSHA's consensus standard update project is part of a multiyear project to update OSHA standards that are based on consensus standards. OSHA has published a notice of proposed rulemaking concerning a consensus standard addressing signage.

Reinforced Concrete in Construction—OSHA has published a Request for Information (RFI) seeking information about the hazards associated with the reinforcing operation in construction. OSHA believes current rules regarding reinforcing steel and post-tensioning activities may not adequately address worker hazards in work related to post-tensioning and reinforcing steel.

Silica Exposure—OSHA has initiated proposed rulemaking to make the permissible exposure limit for crystalline silica stricter and to require medical surveillance and training for employees.

Slips and Falls, Personal Fall Protective Systems—OSHA has a final rule awaiting action by the OMB that will incorporate personal fall protection systems into the existing general industry rule for Walking and Working Surfaces (29 CFR 1910.23) that reflect new technologies.

Standard Improvement Project, Phase IV (SIP IV)—OSHA's Standards Improvement Projects (SIPs) are intended to remove or revise duplicative, unnecessary, and inconsistent safety and health standards. The agency initiated a fourth rulemaking effort to identify unnecessary or duplicative provisions or paperwork requirements that is focused primarily on revisions to its construction standards in 29 CFR 1926.

Review–Lookback of OSHA Chemical Permissible Exposure Limits—OSHA is developing a Request for Information seeking input from the public to help the Agency identify effective ways to address occupational exposure to chemicals. OSHA believes many of the existing permissible exposure limits (PELs) are outdated and need revising.

Whistleblower Protection Regulations—OSHA proposes to issue procedural rules that will establish consistent and transparent procedures for the filing of whistleblower complaints.

Note on Combustible Dust—This issue was not included in the agenda. There has been no proposed rule drafted, so no new regulation is expected soon.