OSHA and APCA Ally for Work Safety

OSHA announced this January 2012 that it has renewed its alliance with the American Pipeline Contractors Association (APCA) to line up with its objectives of protecting workers from work hazards associated with trenching and excavation, hydrostatic testing, and of course, during equipment operation.

Most employers, especially those engaged in pipeline projects, require for employment OSHA 30 certification (for supervisors) and OSHA 10 hour training (for workers), and 40 Hour HAZWOPER training (in certain worksites) to ensure safety and health conditions at worksites.

"[O]ne of our goals is to ensure that appropriate precautions are taken to protect workers during pipeline construction for the oil and gas industry," said David Michaels, assistant secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health.

The two-year agreement entails sharing of information on occupational safety and health standards, and worker rights and employer responsibilities via such assemblies as fora and exhibits. The 14,000-strong APCA addresses safety, environmental and security issues within the pipeline industry among pipeline contractors, manufacturers and suppliers of pipeline-related products and services.

OSHA’s Alliance Program provides the federal work-safety watchdog another way to work closely with groups promoting workplace safety and health to prevent injuries, illnesses, and fatalities. OSHA coordinates with these groups to develop compliance-assistance tools and to educate workers and employers about their rights and responsibilities.

OSHACampus.com provides online OSHA training including OSHAcampus.com 10 Training and OSHAcampus.com 30 course for workers, supervisors, and contractors, as well as 40 Hour HAZWOPER training.

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Whistling Up the Whistleblower Protection Program

Your construction boss (who happens also to be the owner of the company) often requires more people on the scaffold than it was built to carry. It’s obviously an accident waiting to happen. You’d like to file a protest, but are afraid that you’d lose your job. Sounds familiar? Can you be protected from retaliation?

Retaliation against the whistleblower in the workplace has again come into the spotlight following the recent spate of fatal scaffolding accidents across the country and the announcement this August by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) of new measures to upgrade the Whistleblower Protection Program.

"The ability of workers to speak out and exercise their legal rights without fear of retaliation is crucial to many of the legal protections and safeguards that all Americans value," said OSHA assistant secretary Dr. David Michaels in the new release. "The new measures will significantly strengthen OSHA's enforcement of the 21 whistleblower laws that Congress charged OSHA with administering."

You can find the full story here: www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=NEWS_RELEASES&p_id=20394

As a worker, it’s equally important that you’re fully aware of your safety rights at the workplace and that you know what you can do to make it safer for you there. That’s why most responsible companies require programs such as the OSHA 10 hour training and the 30 hour OSHA training.

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