Fall Protection Focus: OSHA investigations will rise

Starting in August, OSHA officers will be able to open an investigation on any employee observed not following fall protection regulations. An OSHA inspector can open an investigation on any employee observed even through the course of the inspector's commute to / from work or on the way to another inspection site. The OSHA inspection will initially be limited to fall protection, but the inspection can be expanded by the inspector at his or her discretion to other areas of concern.

This program will be in place for at least the following six months, with OSHA planning to review it at the 6-month mark (presumably January 2024).

A Cautionary Tale: Local retailer has "repeat - serious" OSHA fines, total over half million

It can happen to you!

A familiar national retail chain in western North Dakota received tremendous proposed OSHA penalties in May 2023. The proposed penalties totaled over $500,000, and each violation was a simple general housekeeping regulation. Here's where OSHA found fault:

"* The main storage room, receiving room, and store aisles were in a disorderly state due to excessive merchandise, posing slip and trip hazards.

* The emergency exit was obstructed by various merchandise and rolling storage containers.

* Portable fire extinguishers were not easily accessible or properly mounted.

* The storage and receiving rooms had boxes and loose materials stacked in an unbalanced and unstable manner, posing a risk of falling on employees. Products were stacked up to seven feet high and leaning.

* There was an electrical hazard involving an electrical panel in the main storage room."

This just goes to show: OSHA takes this stuff seriously! You don't have to be in a high-hazard industry to put your employees at risk. Granted, the fines were increased because the violations were a repeat offense. Still, it's easy to see that just a little general housekeeping can go a long way!

 Here's a few pointers to keep your employees safe and to avoid penalties like these:

- Keep emergency exists unobstructed.

- Mount your fire extinguishers, ensure they're not obstructed, and keep them up-to-date on inspections.

- Make sure there's at least three feet of clearance around electrical panels. Even better is to paint lines on the floor to remind everyone of this clearance requirement.

- Keep aisles clear.

- Make sure stacks of materials are stable and not in danger of falling over.

Source: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/killdeer-dollar-general-store-slammed-235000081.html