Safety And OSHA

OSHA compliance training you may visit PEO. To start and implement a comprehensive safety program for your company contact Robert Breakiron at rbreakiron@nationalpeo.com. By: Robert Breakiron Safety Manager, National PEO References: Federal OSHA Arizona Department of Occupational Safety and Health ">During the years I have been involved in the EH&S sector of business I am amazed at the attitude many companies and management take toward safety and compliance with OSHA standards. In many cases the general attitude is “I am a small company with only fifteen employees’, OSHA isn’t going to take time to visit me”. Other attitudes management takes toward a safety program are “Safety is a money pit with no return on the dollar and it adds to the cost of doing business”, “I can’t afford to have employees take a half hour a month for safety training”, “I can’t afford to implement a safety program”.

Unfortunately and sadly many employees of both small and large companies pay the price by being injured, permanently disabled or worse, losing their lives needlessly. Beside the false belief that safety costs money many companies and managers are also willing to roll the dice that no serious accidents are going to happen and OSHA will not pay them a visit.

The General Duty Clause of the OSHA Standard states that “Each employer shall furnish to each employee of his place of employment which is free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious harm to employees”. When an OSHA compliance officer shows up to your business to conduct a compliance inspection they are not there to hassle or make your life miserable and shut your business down. They are conducting the inspection to ensure you the employer are providing a safe and healthful work environment for your employees. Under federal law OSHA can not shut down or cease a business, however, they can issue citations and levy monetary penalties. Depending on how your business fairs during the compliance inspection will determine the type of citations and penalties issued. What management also must consider the standards the company is found not in compliance with and a penalty has been levied, besides paying the penalty, the company must also abate and correct the cited violations. This must be done by the abatement date on the citation for each type of violation, not when management decides they will get around to it. Failure to abate and correct the hazards may also lead to additional penalties on a daily basis until the hazards are corrected.

For the safety professional, changing the mindset of management about safety can sometimes be the same as running into a brick wall. When management is presented statistical and financial data on what accidents and injuries are actually costing the company they will usually sit back and take a different view of safety. Your company comptroller, workers compensation carrier, company liability carrier and OSHA will all support the fact that a comprehensive safety program pays dividends more ways than one. In a recent newsletter published by ADOSH (Arizona Department of Occupational Safety and Health) they estimate that for every dollar invested in a comprehensive safety program, an employer can realize a return of up to four dollars. Where else in todays or tomorrows business world can companies get that kind of return on an investment?

Any accident resulting in an injury has a direct affect on the bottom line of any size company. Take for example a business operating at a twenty percent profit having only one injury resulting in a workers compensation claim of only $495. The total direct and indirect cost of that accident would be approximately $2,722 which would require the company to generate an additional $13,610 is sales to cover the injury. This is the cost of not having a safety program in place to eliminate hazards, training employees in safety and reducing accidents. This goes to prove that the absence of a safety program cost money and a comprehensive safety program could be viewed as a profit center.

For companies who don’t know the process of implementing a safety program or what the OSHA standards are there is plenty of help in the business world to choose from and some of it is free. There are private consultants, PEO’s, professional organizations and OSHA, yes I said OSHA.

For more information on OSHA compliance training you may visit PEO. To start and implement a comprehensive safety program for your company contact Robert Breakiron at rbreakiron@nationalpeo.com. By: Robert Breakiron Safety Manager, National PEO References: Federal OSHA Arizona Department of Occupational Safety and Health


Full Hazwoper Safety Courses Online

Online CE - OSHA 10 Hour Safety Course

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) 10 Hour Course is the building block of any accident and safety prevention training program in the workplace.

This 10 hour course is designed for construction workers, foremen, job supervisors, and anyone involved in the construction or general industry. OSHA recommends Outreach Training Program courses as an orientation to occupational safety and health for workers.

Workers must receive additional training, when required by OSHA standards, on the specific hazards of the job. Upon successful completion of the OSHA 10 Hour course, participants will receive an OSHA construction safety and health 10- hour course completion card from the Department of Labor. There is no previous safety training or experience required for this course.

The 10 Hour classes emphasize hazard identification, avoidance, control, and prevention. Topics include an introduction to OSHA, electrical standards, and fall protection. Other topics include excavation, scaffolding, tool safety, materials handling, ladder safety, crane and hoist safety, and personal protective equipment.

This safety course has proven to be highly successful in reducing the number of on-the-job accidents and OSHA considers this course their “primary way to train workers in the basics of occupational safety and health.”

OSHA outreach training can be delivered via in-person training or, if approved by OSHA, via online training. OSHA has specific guidelines for on-line safety training, and there are only a few on-line safety programs that OSHA has allowed. Make sure any online program has been reviewed and accepted by OSHA for online distribution.

Online safety training has a number of advantages. Employees (students) can train "anytime, anywhere" in the world-whenever there is an internet connection. No more lost time from work travelling to distant seminars. Business travelers can train while working out of town. Employees who work night shifts don't have to lose sleep to attend classes. No matter what your work schedule, online safety training can work for you.

Many online safety course providers allow employee to train at their own pace. Course can be started and stopped by the student when it is most convenient for them. Make sure you can pick up your place where you left off (bookmarking).

Most online training is affordable. Corporations save between 50-70% due to elimination of travel expenses according to Training Magazine. By training online you can eliminate costly hotel stays and training rooms, costly instructors and other incidentals that add up big time! Individuals save time and money travelling to and from home or business to the training site as well.

Peter Altuch, President HR Training University www.hrtraininguniversity.com info@hrtraininguniversity.com “OSHA reviewed and accepted for online distribution”

OSHA General Training School - Courses for 8 hour, 24 hour and 40 hr training