Health and Safety Rules

FMCSA Expected to Publish Guidance to Ag Industry on Electronic Logging Device Requirements

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) Electronic Logging Device (ELD’s) rule is scheduled to go into effect on December 18, 2017, requiring commercial drivers to maintain hours-of-service logs electronically instead of using handwritten logs. However, in recent days, FMCSA has announced a 90-day waiver from the ELD requirement for agriculture, pending the publication of formal guidance to the agricultural industry in the Federal Register.

Ken Gilliland Nov 29 2017 in Regulations

California Contractors Fined over $240k by Cal-OSHA for Valley Fever Violations

In a press release issued today, Cal/OSHA announced it cited six employers $241,950 for workplace safety and health violations after reports that workers contracted Valley Fever on a solar project construction site in Monterey County.

“Employers who work in areas endemic to Valley Fever must take preventative measures to protect workers who may be exposed,” said Juliann Sum, Chief of Cal/OSHA said in the release.

The agency took the opportunity to provide tips to employers for reducing the risk of Valley Fever exposure, which include:

Jason Resnick Nov 20 2017 in Work Place Regulations

Employers Urged to Emphasize Importance of Ladder Safety

A recently released Consumer Product Safety Commission report on ladder safety revealed some eye-opening statistics regarding the frequency and severity of ladder-related incidents in the United States. Every year, thousands of people are injured and hundreds are killed in ladder-related incidents. Determining the root cause of these incidents can lead to the prevention of the majority of injuries and deaths.

Some compelling statistics include:

Stephanie Metzinger Aug 29 2017 in Health and Safety Rules

Fed-OSHA and NIOSH Develop Heat Safety Tool App

The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) have developed a real-time heat index app that helps employers and employees plan work around the heat. The app gives users hourly heat forecasts for individual locations and also provides safety and health recommendations on preventing heat illness.

The app could be especially useful to employers and farmworkers in California and Arizona who have been experiencing extreme heat conditions over the last couple of weeks.