Practical Facilities Tips, News & Advice.
Back to Basics is an article series that highlights important, but possibly overlooked, information facilities management professionals should know. Fires present a real danger to businesses, especially in workplaces where fire hazards are part of the job. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), a fire department in the United States responds to a […]
How likely are you to see an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) inspector? The agency’s continually growing list of emphasis programs offers one clue. Then there are the OSHA standards the agency cites more often than others. OSHA recently announced its top 10 most frequently cited safety and health standards for fiscal year 2022. […]
The construction industry fall protection standard remains the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) most frequently cited standard for the 12th year in a row, the agency announced on September 20. Patrick Kapust, acting director of OSHA’s Directorate of Enforcement Programs, presented a list of preliminary figures for fiscal year (FY) 2022—the fiscal year ends September […]
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) will co-host an excavation and trenching safety training event September 16 in Southlake, Texas, with the North Texas National Utility Contractors Association (NUCA North Texas). In July, OSHA announced plans for 1,000 site inspections to address a rise in trenching and excavation fatalities. In the first six months […]
Several years ago, a restaurant worker died while performing one of his regular tasks—cleaning a restaurant’s kitchen floor. To clean the floor more effectively and efficiently, he decided to combine two incompatible cleaning agents: concentrated chlorine bleach and an acid-based cleaning solution. An example of an acid-based cleaning solution is ammonia; however, reports of the […]
A nongovernmental task force recently recommended that building owners begin taking four steps to address SARS-CoV-2 infection risks in schools and workplaces: verifying building systems are performing as designed, increasing outdoor air ventilation, upgrading air filtration, and deploying portable air cleaners where needed. The Lancet COVID-19 Commission’s Task Force on Safe Work, Safe School, and […]
Based on inspections over the last several years, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has found many chemical storage and distribution facilities “are not developing safety precautions; instituting maintenance, monitoring, and employee training measures; and preparing risk management plans to remain in compliance with Clean Air Act (CAA) and Emergency Planning and Community Right to […]
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) should establish federal workplace standards regarding ventilation, appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE), physical distancing, and other basic public health precautions in anticipation of future surges in COVID-19 infections, according to a group of public health experts. In a report titled “Getting to and Sustaining the Next Normal: A Roadmap […]
The Department of Labor’s (DOL) Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has announced an enforcement memorandum for a short-term increase in highly focused inspections directed at hospitals and skilled nursing care facilities that treat or handle COVID-19 patients. For two years, millions of the nation’s healthcare workers have been battling the coronavirus. Many have endangered […]
The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is moving forward with plans to issue a permanent rule aimed at requiring employees of large employers to either be vaccinated against COVID-19 or face weekly testing. OSHA announced on January 25 it is withdrawing the emergency temporary standard (ETS) it issued on November 5 and that […]