OSHA Updates Hazard Communication Requirements for U.S. Companies

The U.S. workplace safety watchdog is requiring a change in the way U.S. companies teach their employees about potentially dangerous chemicals they come into contact with.

The changes are expected to make the workplace safer for millions of workers while also making the companies more competitive in the global market.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) already require businesses that use and make hazardous chemicals to inform workers of health hazards and physical hazards. The Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) requires chemical manufacturers and businesses that import chemicals to label them and prepare safety data sheets for workers. It also requires these employers to have a “hazard communication program” to teach workers about the dangers of exposure like hazwoper certification programs from OSHACampus.com.

The United Nations also has a global chemical labeling system known as the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS). OSHA's update to HCS will make the HCS consistent with GHS. Once implemented later this year, the revised standard will help businesses overcome trade barriers they currently face by using hazard standards that are inconsistent with GHS.

According to U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis, the soon-to-be-implemented upgrade will make workers safer and make it easier for employers to keep them productive.

"Exposure to hazardous chemicals is one of the most serious threats facing American workers today," Solis said via the OSHA website. "Revising OSHA's Hazard Communication standard will improve the quality and consistency of hazard information, making it safer for workers to do their jobs and easier for employers to stay competitive."

OSHA says the revised HCS will:

• Prevent an estimated 43 deaths per year.
• Result in an estimated $475.2 million in enhanced productivity for U.S. businesses per year.
• Save U.S. businesses $32.2 million per year.
• Prevent an estimated 585 injuries and illnesses per year.
• Reduce trade barriers for businesses that operate globally.

The HCS was conceived to maintain safety for workers by informing them of identities, properties, and potential harmful effects of the chemicals they work with. Under the HCS, such information must not only be developed by chemical manufacturers and importers, but also conveyed to their customers through labels and safety data sheets.

Companies that have harmful chemicals in their workplaces, meanwhile, are required to make these labels and safety data sheets available to their employees. They're also required to train them how to handle the chemicals properly.

Chemical manufacturers and importers will now be required to prepare labels that carry a pictogram, a “harmonized signal word” (such as “warning” or “radioactive”), and a hazard statement for each hazard class and category. Precautionary statements are also required. Safety data sheets will need to be in the required 16-section format for uniformity and readability.

In addition, employers are now obligated to train all their workers on the new labels and safety data sheets format by Dec. 1, ensuring that they will be able to recognize the symbols and pictograms and understand the significance of the hazard information included.

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Taking Office Bullying by the Horns

If you are yelled at frequently at work, are subjected to abusive language, unreasonable criticism, sarcasm, or rumors, are ignored and excluded from either work-related or social activities, are given impossible deadlines or illegitimate extra work, had your responsibilities unduly taken away from you, or had your job description changed without due notice and explanation, then you are the victim of bullying (definitely can compromise workplace safety awareness).

Unfortunately, you’re far from alone. In a 2010 survey by Workplace Bullying Institute (BMI), almost 50 percent of those polled revealed that they had been bullied in the workplace or had seen other employees bullied. WBI pointed out that, in fact, some 54 million have been bullied at work at one time or another. That’s a big number and a significant statistic for organizations, too, because bullying significantly impacts an employee’s productivity—whether you’re in real estate or insurance or marketing or some other field.

What to do? Here are a few suggestions from the experts:

Face the bully. Talking to your tormentor is certainly a difficult thing to do, but it’s the right thing to do. It’s in fact one of the best moves available to you. Confronting him (or her) accomplishes three things immediately: it tells him that his behavior is affecting you and your productivity (and thus the company); it makes it clear to him that you won’t tolerate it and you want him to stop; it makes the case for you that you talked to him and tried to resolve the issue, in case the matter progresses to the supervisor or boss.

Be firm. If the bullying only involves extra work, just learn to say no—and be firm about it. Office bullies, even the less-offensive ones, zero in on colleagues who have difficulties refusing, dumping more and more work on them as time passes. Be professional, be polite, and above all, be steadfast in refusing what is unreasonable work or work that shouldn’t be yours in the first place.

As a rule of thumb, you should accept only work from your immediate superior, although special circumstances exist that can legitimately override this. Bullies tend to take advantage of this gray area to pass on work to you. In most cases, refuse work from anyone other than your boss. You have a right to refuse. Knowing that should give you confidence to be even more firm the next time.

Document incidents. If matters escalate and you decide to lodge an official complaint, you’ll need documentation to corroborate your case. It’s vital that you keep a record of each incident of bullying by your colleague towards you, making sure that you include date, time, witnesses, and circumstances. Preserve email and other forms of correspondence between you and the bully.

Report matter to immediate superior. If confronting your colleague doesn’t stop the bullying and you need to report the matter, don’t bypass your immediate superior. He or she has to be in the loop; if he’s an impartial superior, then he’s going to be your ally. Make sure though to tell him you’d like to be productive in your work, but your colleague’s unprofessional behavior is affecting your job performance.

Consult an employment-law attorney. In the extreme case that no or ineffective intervention is made by your HR and management, consider seeking the advice of an employment-law attorney. Self-protection is a basic right.

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5 Mobile Apps for Workplace Safety and Health

On the job site, the safety of workers is the first priority.

But rules and regulations aren't always memorable or exciting. And getting the message to the workers who need it can be tough when the message is full of dry statistics and warnings.

The Department of Labor and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently co-sponsored the “Workplace Safety and Health Challenge,” in which application developers competed to create outstanding software tools that teach workers to recognize and prevent worksite hazards. One thing these apps have in common is that they all make the safety message accessible, interesting, and sometimes even fun. Three of the winners were the USW Chemical Safety app, Working Safely is No Accident and Ergonomics iOS.

The USW Chemical Safety app. If you have an iPhone and you work with chemicals, this is one app that you ought to check out. USW Chemical Safety is an easy-to-use tool to keep you safe from exposure to toxic chemicals. It accesses the New Jersey Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) database for information about health hazards, personal protective equipment, and workplace exposure limits. It also lets you browse the electronic version of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards. USW Chemical Safety can even deliver contact information for OSHA and United Steelworkers district offices.

Working Safely is No Accident. To raise awareness among young people about their right to a safe work environment, the University of Tennessee Construction Industry Research ad Policy Center and the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering teamed up to create this app. It includes a lighthearted interactive game that estimates the likelihood of specific workplace accidents compared to other events, such as dating a supermodel . It comes with tips on how to avoid these accidents (but, unfortunately, no tips on how to date the supermodel).

Ergonomics. Ergonomics is an iOS app that functions as your office wellness watchdog. It helps you manage your wellness, health, and, consequently, your productivity while at work. Use it for setting up office equipment such as your table, chair, and the desktop computer and its peripherals.  You'll also get valuable suggestions for simple stretching exercises and reminders to take frequent breaks to prevent musculoskeletal stress and injury.

Here are some other workplace safety training and apps that you might use to stay OSHA complaint on the job.

Sound Level Meter. This Android app is a real “tool” in the old sense of the word. Once downloaded to your smartphone, use it to measure noise levels in your workplace. The readout is in decibels (dB) and is displayed against a reference for safe noise levels. It's handy for safeguarding against unhealthy noise levels in the office or in the factory. Note: Very high noise levels (above 100 dB) won’t register on the Sound Level Meter because of the inherent limitation of smartphone microphones.

Cargo Decoder. Want to know what the tanker that just pulled in is carrying? Just tap in the four-digit number on the tanker’s DOT placard into your Cargo Decoder app and relevant data from the Emergency Response Guidebook will be displayed. This unique workplace safety tool is especially useful for emergency responders and hazardous materials workers who might need quick access to information. To make things quick and easy, Cargo Decoder supplements keypad input with voice command and swipe functionality.

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6 Good Reasons to Get Your Degree Online

You already know that many colleges and universities offer online degree programs.

But are they right for you?

There are some great reasons for choosing a traditional on-campus school experience. But the benefits of online career training and learning are bringing more and more people to the virtual classroom. If you're considering skipping the alma maters in favor of the almighty Internet, here are six incentives that could help you make your decision:

1. It's convenient. The reality of higher education is that many of us have to work to be able to afford it. Online learning allows working students to get their education when they aren't on the job. Traditional classroom schedules are usually during business hours. By contrast, an online classroom often allows you to choose the best time for coursework. There’s no such thing as a missed class. Although some programs are scheduled around real-time group meetings, oftentimes lectures and other course materials are available around the clock.

2. Participation is easier. An online classroom encourages students who might otherwise be too timid to speak up. Anyone can ask questions and interact with the teacher. Videoconferencing technology allows spoken discussions in real time, and chat group environments let everyone type their questions and responses. The former more closely approximates the experience of being in a “real” classroom; the latter fosters thoughtful dialogue by requiring everyone to type out what they say.
3. It's quick. Online learning gives you instant access to course materials and resources. A traditional training center in a rural location may not have the necessary books in its library, or the local bookstore may not carry them.  Online programs bring subject matter experts and guest speakers  to you no matter where you are.  If these lectures are prerecorded, they're the click of a button away. Even if they're “live” (allowing the students to interact), such presentations can be arranged quickly, without everyone having to travel to the same physical location.
4. It's cheaper. According to studies, online training can be as much as 93 percent cheaper than courses in the classroom. Why? For one thing, the school isn't paying to maintain an actual building. Those ivy-covered walls cost a lot to build, clean and operate. Tuition at online schools is sometimes cheaper (though not always), and the costs of commuting are eliminated. And those insanely expensive textbooks? Well, you may still have to buy some of them, but many of your materials will be available for you to download online.
5. Specialized degrees. There are tons of online degree programs these days. You can get an associate, bachelor's, master's or a Ph. D. online. For many of these specialized programs, there aren't as many non-core electives as you'll find at a four-year liberal arts college. You'll be able to focus more on courses that are relevant to your career path, saving you time and helping you get that degree even faster.
6. It's the future. In many ways, schools are still working out the kinks with online learning. As technology improves, new methods will no doubt replace the ones currently in place. But the very act of online learning exposes students to Internet technologies that will come to dominate the way society does business. The Internet is a global marketplace, so it stands to reason that we should get used to it while we're acquiring life and career skills.

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