Archive for August, 2011
Dept. of Labor & OSHA Create Mobile App to Relief Outdoor Workers
Work spaces come in different sizes, shapes, and styles and essentially don’t have to be in an office. I assume myself as a Cubicle Chick and I work at home. Others cubicle may involve their truck or vehicle that they work from. It may also include workers engaged at outdoors in construction, or other occupations for which they need to stay outside. Because of the severe hot atmosphere this year, Hilda L. Solis, Secretary of Labor, brought a mobile app earlier this week to help get the OSHA signs when it may be risky to work outside. She said, ‘‘summer heat presents a serious issue that affects some of the most vulnerable workers in our country, and education is crucial to keeping them safe. Heat-related illnesses are preventable. This new app is just one way the Labor Department is getting that message out.’’
According to a press release by the U.S. Department of Labor, a free mobile application has been released to prevent heat-related illnesses enabling workers and supervisors to monitor the heat index at their work sites.The app uses the information acknowledged from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and considers with the workers mobile position to determine whether the worker is at risk or not of evolving heat related harms and sicknesses and shows OSHA signs based on that.
“According to the danger level of the heat index, the app offers its users with information about protections they need to take like drinking fluids, taking rest breaks and altering work operations. Workers also can review the signs and indications of heat stroke, heat fatigue and other heat-related sicknesses, and learn about first aid steps to take in case of any emergency. Information for administrators is also available through the app on how to increasingly build up the load for new workers as well as how to train workers on heat illness signs and symptoms. Moreover, workers can communicate with OSHA directly through the app”.
The mobile app can easily be downloaded from http://go.usa.gov/KFE. Though, currently is applicable for only Android phones, another version for both iPhone and Blackberry touch pad phones are currently in progress and will be released soon according to the press release.
Information for employers about using the heat index to analyze and report risks posed to workers also is accessible through OSHA’s new Web-based tool “Using the Heat Index: Employer Guidance,” at http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/heatillness/heat_index/index.html. OSHA’s other instructive and teaching tools for preventing heat illnesses are available in both English and Spanish languages accessible at http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/heatillness/index.html.
You are going to love how the Dept. of Labor is approving mobile apps in order to support outside working employees! This is another example how mobile apps and technology is making easy everyday people lives. If you have to work outdoors or know someone who does, please download the app for yourself and others and also convey the message to others!
Information listed in this blog post was derived from a press release received by The Office of Public Affairs, U.S. Department of Labor. I have downloaded the application on my Android device, but make no claims or guarantees about the application or its use.
US Labor Department’s OSHA establishes safety and health partnership with Weis Builders for Illinois State University Cardinal Court project in Normal
Region 5 News Release: 11-1173-CHI
Aug. 11, 2011
Contact: Scott Allen Rhonda Burke
Phone: 312-353-6976 312-353-6976
Email: allen.scott@dol.gov burke.rhonda@dol.gov
US Labor Department’s OSHA establishes safety and health partnership with
Weis Builders for Illinois State University Cardinal Court project in Normal
NORMAL, Ill. – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Illinois Onsite Safety and Health Consultation Program have established a partnership with Weis Builders Inc. to promote effective safety and health programs during the construction of the Illinois State University Cardinal Court apartment project in Normal. Weis Builders is the lead contractor for the public-private student housing project.
“This partnership reflects the recognition of the importance of construction workers’ safety and health,” said Tom Bielema, OSHA’s area director in Peoria. “We want to ensure all construction companies are prepared to effectively control the workplace hazards their employees may encounter. Partnerships such as this one help develop effective safety and health programs, and improve open and continuous communication among OSHA, employers and workers.”
Weis Builders, which is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minn., will implement a site-specific safety and health program. The company will mentor subcontractors who have not yet developed their own safety and health program and, if necessary, refer them to the Illinois Onsite Safety and Health Consultation Program for assistance.
The company will also require the use of wet cutting techniques and/or dust collection systems in addition to the mandatory use of approved respirators where the potential for airborne silica exposure exists. Personal air monitoring will be conducted to assess employee exposures levels.
The voluntary partnership agreement is focused on identifying and controlling safety hazards, improving safety and health programs, promoting a cooperative relationship between labor and management, and encouraging employee participation in achieving a safe and healthful workplace. It aims to meet these goals through increased training, implementation of best work practices, and compliance with applicable OSHA standards and regulations.
Through the Strategic Partnership Program, OSHA partners with employers, workers, professional and trade associations, labor organizations and other interested stakeholders to establish specific goals, strategies and performance measures to improve worker safety and health. For more information, visit http://www.osha.gov/dcsp/partnerships/index.html.
Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA’s role is to ensure these conditions for America’s working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance. For more information, visit http://www.osha.gov.
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U.S. Department of Labor news materials are accessible at http://www.dol.gov. The information above is available in large print, Braille, audio tape or disc from the COAST office upon request by calling 202-693-7828 or TTY 202-693-7755.
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RFID Improves Supply Management for Brazil’s Army, Air Force
Military logistics centers in Sao Paolo are equipped with EPC Gen 2 technology as part of a program to increase the efficiency, accuracy and visibility of distributing supplies to soldiers.
Aug. 12, 2011—More than a year after its launch, the Brazilian Army’s RFID Adoption Program has improved its process for receiving Class II products, consisting of such items as uniforms, tents, helmets and boots. The system was provided and installed by RFID solutions firm Seal Technology, at the Army’s 21st Supply Warehouse, located in São Paulo, with assistance from GS1 Brazil, which provided the Electronic Product Code (EPC) numbers and consulting services.
The Brazilian military commenced its RFID adoption program in 2005, when Luiz Antônio Silveira Lopes, an associate professor at the Military Institute of Engineering, led a project tracking Army parachutes via EPC Gen 2 passive RFID tags. He had been searching for an opportunity to test the technology’s ability to improve logistics visibility for the Brazilian military, he says, and began with a test involving between 3,000 and 5,000 parachutes (which had previously been tracked using bar-coded labels), to determine whether the tags could be read by a fixed interrogator as the parachutes were moved within the Army’s supply center. After determining that the technology worked properly, Lopes and the Army began looking into implementing a full deployment; five years later, the system to track Class II military supplies was the result.
In the case of Class II supplies, the Brazilian Army’s challenge was to monitor soldiers’ equipment as it was shipped from the Army’s warehouses to those soldiers. The goal was to make the supply chain of uniforms and personal effects more visible, and to automate the inventory-taking, shipping and receiving processes, thereby resulting in fewer mistakes.
“The adoption of RFID technology in logistics was aimed at increasing control and improving the management of supplies,” says Colonel Luiz Antonio de Almeida Ribeiro, who, along with Lopes, led the RFID deployment project. Although the Army is interested in how RFID can be employed to track a variety of items moving through the supply chain, it initiated the system to track uniforms, footwear, and protection and security equipment, such as helmets and vests, he says, “because these materials have a high turnover,” and because they are less likely to block RF transmissions than items containing a large quantity of metal or liquid.
Goods arrive at the Army’s distribution facility directly from vendors, and are then shipped to Army units and soldiers throughout Brazil. Prior to the system’s installation, Army personnel utilized paper and pen to manually track each shipment’s location and status, and made telephone calls to provide status updates to those who shipped or received the items.
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US Department of Labor’s OSHA releases mobile app to help protect workers from heat-related illnesses
OSHA News Release: 11-1204-NAT
Aug. 11, 2011
Contact: Diana Petterson Jesse Lawder
Phone: 202-693-1898 202-510-8095
Email: petterson.diana@dol.gov lawder.jesse@dol.gov
US Department of Labor’s OSHA releases mobile app
to help protect workers from heat-related illnesses
SANDY, Utah – As part of continuing educational efforts by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration about the dangers of extreme heat, Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis today announced a free application for mobile devices that will enable workers and supervisors to monitor the heat index at their work sites in order to prevent heat-related illnesses.
“Summer heat presents a serious issue that affects some of the most vulnerable workers in our country, and education is crucial to keeping them safe,” said Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis. “Heat-related illnesses are preventable. This new app is just one way the Labor Department is getting that message out.”
The app, available in English and Spanish, combines heat index data from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration with the user’s location to determine necessary protective measures. Based on the risk level of the heat index, the app provides users with information about precautions they make take such as drinking fluids, taking rest breaks and adjusting work operations. Users also can review the signs and symptoms of heat stroke, heat exhaustion and other heat-related illnesses, and learn about first aid steps to take in an emergency. Information for supervisors is also available through the app on how to gradually build up the workload for new workers as well as how to train employees on heat illness signs and symptoms. Additionally, users can contact OSHA directly through the app.
The app is designed for devices using an Android platform, and versions for BlackBerry and iPhone users will be released shortly. To download it, visit http://go.usa.gov/KFE.
More than 30 workers died from heat stroke in 2010. Thousands become ill from heat exhaustion and other heat illnesses every year. Some of the highest illness rates occur among construction workers, farmworkers, roofers, landscapers, baggage handlers and other air transportation workers.
Effective heat illness prevention requires simple planning. Employers are responsible for protecting workers by providing plenty of water, scheduling rest breaks in the shade or air-conditioned spaces, planning heavy work early in the day, preparing for medical emergencies, training workers about heat and other job hazards, taking steps to help workers – especially those who are new to working outdoors or who have been away from work for a period of time – acclimatize to the heat, and gradually increasing workloads or allowing more frequent breaks during the first week of an outdoor project.
Information for employers about using the heat index to calculate and address risks posed to workers also is available through OSHA’s new Web-based tool “Using the Heat Index: Employer Guidance,” which is accessible at http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/heatillness/heat_index/index.html. OSHA’s other educational and training tools about heat illnesses prevention, available in English and Spanish, can be found at http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/heatillness/index.html.
“OSHA’s prevention message is clear: Water. Rest. Shade. These are three little words that make a big difference for outdoor workers during the hot summer months,” said Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Dr. David Michaels.
Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA’s role is to ensure these conditions for America’s working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance. For more information, visit http://www.osha.gov.
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U.S. Department of Labor news materials are accessible at http://www.dol.gov. The information above is available in large print, Braille, audio tape or disc from the COAST office upon request by calling 202-693-7828 or TTY 202-693-7755.
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La OSHA del Departamento de Trabajo de EE.UU. interviene para retirar al personal de una zanja peligrosa en Auburn, Alabama; cita a la compañía de Arizona por poner en peligro a los trabajadores
Region 4 News Release: 11-1081-ATL (392)
Aug. 10, 2011
Contact: Michael D’Aquino Michael Wald
Phone: 404-562-2076 404-562-2078
Email: d’aquino.michael@dol.gov wald.michael@dol.gov
La OSHA del Departamento de Trabajo de EE.UU. interviene para retirar
al personal de una zanja peligrosa en Auburn, Alabama;
cita a la compañía de Arizona por poner en peligro a los trabajadores
AUBURN, Alabama – La Administración de Seguridad y Salud Ocupacional del Departamento de Trabajo de EE.UU. ha citado a la compañía NPL Construction Co. por dos violaciones de seguridad al exponer a los trabajadores a peligros en las excavaciones al conectar una línea subterránea de gas en South College Street, en Auburn. Las sanciones propuestas suman un total de $73,000 con una consiguiente inspección en el mes de abril.
NPL Construction es una compañía destinada a la construcción de tuberías que emplea aproximadamente 2,000 trabajadores en todo los EE.UU., con sedes corporativas en Phoenix, Arizona. La compañía cuenta con una oficina local en Moody, Alabama.
Cuando los inspectores de la OSHA se dirigían a realizar una inspección en las proximidades de Auburn, pasaron por una excavación abierta donde los trabajadores no estaban protegidos contra los derrumbes. Los funcionarios de la OSHA se detuvieron y comenzaron una inspección en el sitio de trabajo de NPL Construction, solicitando que se quitaran a los trabajadores de la zanja. Una de las paredes de la excavación se derrumbó más tarde.
Se citó una violación reiterada con $66,000 en multas por no proporcionar un sistema de protección para los empleados que trabajan en excavaciones a más de 5 pies de profundidad. Una violación reiterada se produce cuando un empleador ya ha sido citado por la misma violación o por una violación similar de una norma, reglamento, regla u orden en cualquier otra instalación en los estados federales de aplicación en los últimos cinco años. La compañía fue citada en Connecticut en el 2010 y en Kansas en el 2008 por la misma violación.
Se citó una violación grave con una multa de $7,000 por no garantizar el uso de los equipos a 2 pies del borde de la excavación. Una violación grave se produce cuando existe una probabilidad considerable de muerte o daño físico grave a causa de un peligro acerca del cual el empleador sabía o debería haber sabido.
“No considerar la seguridad de los trabajadores al dejarlos sin protección ante peligros de derrumbes potenciales es inaceptable y no será tolerado”, dijo Kurt Petermeyer, director del área de la OSHA en Mobile. “Las acciones de los funcionarios de cumplimiento de la OSHA probablemente hayan salvado la vida de estos trabajadores.”
Las normas de la OSHA exigen que todas las excavaciones de 5 pies o más estén protegidas contra los desmoronamientos. Se encuentra disponible más información detallada sobre los peligros en zanjas y excavaciones en el sitio web de la OSHA en http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/trenchingexcavation/index.html.
La compañía tiene 15 días hábiles desde la recepción de las citaciones y de las sanciones propuestas para cumplir, solicitar una reunión con el director de área de la OSHA o impugnar los resultados ante la Comisión Independiente de Revisión de Salud y Seguridad Ocupacional. El sitio fue inspeccionado por la Oficina de Área de Mobile de la OSHA, 1141 Montlimar Drive, Suite 1006, Mobile, Alabama 36609, teléfono 251-441-6131. Para denunciar sobre incidentes, muertes o situaciones laborales que suponen un peligro inminente para los trabajadores, llame a la línea gratuita de la agencia al 800-321-OSHA (6742).
Conforme a la Ley de Seguridad y Salud Ocupacional de 1970, los empleadores son los responsables de proporcionar lugares de trabajo seguros y saludables para sus empleados. El papel de la OSHA es el de asegurar estas condiciones para los hombres y mujeres que trabajan en Estados Unidos mediante la creación y aplicación de normas y mediante la provisión de formación, educación y asistencia. Para obtener mayor información, visite http://www.osha.gov.
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U.S. Department of Labor news materials are accessible at http://www.dol.gov. The information above is available in large print, Braille, audio tape or disc from the COAST office upon request by calling 202-693-7828 or TTY 202-693-7755.
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