17 Apr

Posted at 21:26h in Compliance White Papers, Risk Management White Papers by . .

On April 1, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) published its 2020 North American Standard Out-of-Service Criteria (OOSC). The new criteria supersede all previous iterations. The OOSC is intended to identify critical safety violations and provide guidelines for officers to use when conducting a roadside safety inspection on a vehicle or driver. Out-of-service violations can […]

17 Apr

Posted at 21:22h in COVID-19, Risk Management, Risk Management White Papers by . .

Due to complaints related to a lack of personal protective equipment (PPE), insufficient training on appropriate standards and possible coronavirus illness (COVID-19) transmissions in the workplace, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued temporary guidance for its area offices to use in their efforts to enforce the agency's workplace safety and health mandates. These mandates require employers to take prompt actions to mitigate hazards and protect employees during the COVID-19 pandemic

The new guidance, issued on April 13, 2020, directs OSHA compliance officers to process most complaints from non-healthcare and non-emergency response establishments as “non-formal” and to conduct investigations via phone or fax whenever possible. However, employers should know that after receiving a serious incident report, OSHA area directors will determine whether to conduct an inspection or a rapid response investigation (RRI). RRIs are intended to identify any hazards, provide abatement assistance and confirm abatement, and OSHA generally encourages area directors to recommend them. This Compliance Bulletin provides a summary of the enforcement guidance provisions that relate specifically to COVID-19 issues.

10 Apr

Posted at 18:30h in COVID-19, Risk Management, Risk Management White Papers, Safety by . .

The Occupational Safety and Health Act (the Act) requires employers to report and record work-related injuries and illnesses. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has indicated that COVID-19 infections are recordable injuries if they are work-related and they meet the Act’s recording criteria.

Recording requirements apply only to employers with more than 10 employees who are not in an exempt, low-risk industry. In addition, employers must report incidents that result in an employee’s fatality within eight hours. Incidents that result in inpatient hospitalization, amputation or loss of an eye must be reported within 24 hours. This Compliance Overview presents a summary of the reporting and recording requirements that will most likely apply to coronavirus cases in the United States. For additional information on OSHA reporting and recording requirements please contact Risk Management Advisors LLC or visit the OSHA

08 Apr

Posted at 17:18h in COVID-19, Risk Management, Risk Management White Papers by . .
 

In response to a shortage of disposable N95 filtering facepiece respirators caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued enforcement guidance that allows its Compliance Safety and Health Officers (CSHOs) to use discretion when enforcing certain respiratory protection rules.

The guidance encourages employers to identify any changes they can make to decrease their need for disposable N95 filtering facepiece respirators (N95s). If respiratory protection must be used, employers may consider using alternative classes of respirators that provide equal or greater protection compared to an N95, such as non-disposable, elastomeric respirators or powered, air-purifying respirators.

26 Mar

Posted at 15:37h in Employee Benefits White Papers, HR and Operations, Risk Management, Risk Management White Papers by . .

Safety Matters HeaderCoronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a respiratory disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. It has spread from China to many other countries around the world, including the United States. Depending on the severity of COVID-19’s international impacts, outbreak conditions—including those rising to the level of a pandemic—can affect all aspects of daily life, including travel, trade, tourism, food supplies, and financial markets.

To reduce the impact of COVID-19 outbreak conditions on businesses, workers, customers, and the public, it is important for all employers to plan now for COVID-19. For employers who have already planned for influenza pandemics, planning for COVID-19 may involve updating plans to address the specific exposure risks, sources of exposure, routes of transmission, and other unique characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 (i.e., compared to pandemic influenza viruses). Employers who have not prepared for pandemic events should prepare themselves and their workers as far in advance as possible of potentially worsening outbreak conditions. Lack of continuity planning can result in a cascade of failures as employers attempt to address challenges of COVID-19 with insufficient resources and workers who might not be adequately trained for jobs they may have to perform under pandemic conditions.