How the and Health Act is working 5a fety

Whqt OSHA is looking for when inspecting

(l) HOUSEKEEPING should be good in all places of employment. Floors, work areas, aisles and passageways. warehouse storage. service rooms, and saw areas must be free of waste, protruding nails, splinters. holes, or loose boards or wire bands or any obstruction that could create a hazard. (Section 1910.22)

(2) GUARDS shall be provided for all stairway floor openings. ladderway floor opening, overhead walkways. open balcony storage, hatchway and chute floor openine. every pit and trapdoor opening, every temporary ffoor opening, loading and unloading docks and raisecl platforms or runways. (Section 1910.23)

(3) A TOBBOARD four inches high is advisable along the outer edge of overhead walkways. open balconies and docks. (Section 1910.23)

(4) GUARD RAILS shall be on every flight of stairs having four or five risers. In most instances, steps with less than four risers should have a guard rail. (Section 1910.24)

(5) PORTABLE METAL

AND WOOD LADDERS shall be of sound and proper construction with proper care and usage under normal conditions. Must be free of splinters, sharp edges, etc. Nonslip bases shall be securely bolted or attached to the side rails. (Section 1910.25 and 1910.26)

(6) FIXED METAL AND WOOD LADDERS shall be designecl to meet maximunr live load requirements. (Section t9to.27)

(7) SCAFFOLDS should be furnished and safely erected only whcn the work cannot be donc safcly from the ground or from solid construction. They shall have guardrails and toeboards on all opcn sides and ends of olatforms more than ten feet above ground, except when ex- posed to hoistways, elevator shaft, stairwell, or any other floor opening and to machiner.v. Employees should not work on scaffolds during storms or high winds or when covered with ice or snow. (Section 1910.28)

(8) EVERY BUILDING OR STRUCTURE, new or old, designed for human occupancy shall be orovided with sulicient exits in -case of fire or other er.nergency. (Section I 9l 0.36)

(9) EXPOSURE BY INHAI,ATION, ingpstion, -skin absorptlon or contact to any material or substance shall be promptly checked by a competent industrial hygienest or other technically qualificd source. (Section ( 1910. 134)

( l0) PROTECTION against the effccts of noise exposure shall be orovided when the sound level exceeds a safe area as measured by a quaiified source. (Section r9 r 0.95)

Whqt OSHA hqs often found wrong

(1) The "Safety and Health Protection on the Job" poster not displayed in a prominenl place.

(2) E,lectrical tools. lights, machinery, appliances, office equipment, etc. not properly srounded.

(3) Saws, jointcrs. boring machincs. shapers, ctc. not propcrly guarded.

(4) Anti-kick back fingcrs not provided for rip saws.

(5) Spreaders not providcd for rip saws.

(6) Drive belts not completely enclosed.

(7) Railings on balconies not being 42" high with a mid-

Our thanks to the Woodwork lnstitute of California for the re- rail and a toe board provided on all open sides.

(8) Alternate means of escape from balconies not orovided.

(9) Guards under flourescent tubcs not provided to prevcnt tubes from falling.

( I 0 ) Mcans of egress remotcly located from the entrance not provided.

( I l) Exits arc not clearly marked.

(12) Area in front of electrical switch panels were not clear at all times.

( 13 ) Area in front of fire extinguisher was not clear at all times.

(14) The bottom of the rip saw blade not covered when not in use.

-.ults of OSHA checks on their members.-Editor.

( 15 ) Sticker noise was in excess of 90 decibels.

(16) Ladders not provided with 7" clearance from the back of the ladder rung to thc wall.

( 17) Hand rails not provided on stairwavs.

( l8 ) Passageways wcr€ not clear of all material at all times.

(19) It was possible to see into thc rcstroom from the place of work when the door was open.

(20) The restroom door was not provided with an automatic door closer.

Occupatiortal Safety and Health Act continue to bedevil businessmen at all levels in the lumber and building materials business as the United States government steps up inspections and implementation of the new law.

Iflhile strict enforcement of the August, l97I act was postponed until February 15, to allow retailerg manufacturers and wholesalers to adjust to the new conditions and to allow the government to hire and train new inspectors, the feds have never taken a casual attitude toward filling out their citation books.

According to the Department of Labor, inspectors found violations at 70/o of. the 10,668 work places theY inspected during the first six months the law was in efiect.

In a recent report to the Congress, labor department spokesmen said in' spectors issued 7,450 citations alleging violations of standards. Penalties totaled a hefty 8512,067 yet covered a period during l97l when strict en{orcement was not yet being made. The report also noted that of the companies inspected, 2O/a had minor hazards that did not result in citations.

Across the West, the various asse ciations have struggled to help their members to understand, cornply and cope with the bewildering amount to rules and regulations involved with OSHA. In a recent bulletin to its members, the Lumber Merchants Assn. of Northern California said: o'There are too many deniled requirements, tn&ny ol which are out ol your technical capabilities. You can't afford, to throw awa,y your present cut-off saws and, planers nor can you afrord n bui.ld, accoustical rooms to house them. The lumber associffiions across the country are pressuring Congressional action to lorce the Department ol labor to exclude the retail bu.ilding material ind,ustry lrom th,e Occupatianal Salety and Health Act.

"Congressman Fisher ol Texas, has introd.uced legisla.tion (HR 12068) which would, exempt 'Non-manulacturing business or an'y business hauing, 25 or less emplayees' lrom the rules and regukrtions ol OSIIA. Now is the lirne the Associati.on and, the in dustry neecls the support ol each ol YOU. Write to your Congress. mon and, urge him to support deluge ol lettersi."

The pleas for relief from the various associations in the West would seem to be well taken. Presently working under some of the strictest state laws in the country, westerners still find a great deal of trouble and expense involved in compliance. In some cases. owners aver that'oletter-of-thelaw" compliance is actually impossible as the law sets up standards that cannot be met. within reasonable economic expenditure, and hence are copes with problerre that are not serious enough to warrant the difficulties in solving them. Other critics of OSHA say that insufficient research has caused the DOL to establish limits that are unreasonable and are scientifrcally unjustifiable.

Inspectors have, naturally, come in for plenty of criticism. Most common complaints allege that they are illtrained to perform the jobs assigned them and that they indulge in excessive nit-picking.

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