Kyle W. Morrison

Recent comments from assistant OSHA administrator Jordan Barab indicate that he believes OSHA enforcement can lead to a safer workplace, despite a lack of supporting evidence. While many experts agree OSHA can have a positive effect on workplace safety, they disagree as to how large of a role the agency plays in doing so.

Deaths and injuries from grain entrapments are on the rise and, as a result, OSHA is warning grain facility owners and operators to take appropriate precautions – or face steep consequences. In 2010, 51 grain entrapments were documented – the highest number ever reported, according to Purdue University’s Agricultural Safety and Health Program in West Lafayette, IN.

Combustible dust, diacetyl and – more recently – gas blows all are recognized industry hazards, yet federal OSHA does not have standards regulating them. However, the agency does have a way to protect workers from unregulated hazards, and employers could be seeing it more often: the General Duty Clause.

Experts warn that positive results from incentive programs may only be on the surface and caution employers to be careful when implementing any incentive program.

Despite all they do, many workers employed by local or state governments do not receive the same type of safety and health job protections as those employed in the private sector. Approximately 8 million public workers in this country go uncovered by the Occupational Safety and Health Act.

From lighting our workstations to powering massive industrial machinery, we depend on electricity to get us through the workday.

These “lagging” indicators represent the past, highlighting incidents that cannot be changed. To look at what is happening now to ensure such incidents do not happen in the future, “leading” indicators are needed.

Taking steps to keep parking areas hazard-free