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COTTON FARMING IS THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE GINNING INDUSTRY.
OSHA’s Citations Pushing The Envelope Under the current administration, the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) has increased its focus on enforcement. You don’t have to look hard to find a news article related to some large fine being issued for safety violations found at a company. Agriculture is a significant focus for OSHA right now, and they are happy to tell you that if you ask. Grain elevators are a special focus – more specifically, engulfment hazards in grain bins. Combustible dust is another emphasis, and the fertilizer plant explosion in West, Texas, is a final part of this overall emphasis. Most of the above issues are unrelated, but they all combine into a nice set of bullet points targeting agriculture. We have received reports of OSHA officials, when discussing a cotton gin, mention the West explosion as one reason they are so concerned about agriculture. Whether that specific inspector realizes the difference between the West facility and a cotton gin is unknown, but it seems that OSHA commonly blurs the line between facility types when issuing citations. For this reason, it is very critical for you to know how the regulations affect your specific facility. For another good example, agriculture is covered by Section 1928 of the regulations, which is the agricultural section. There are noise regulations that affect general industry and noise regulations for construction, but standards are different for construction and general industry because the exposure is different. The exposure for agriculture is very different from the exposure for either construction or general industry. For this reason, agriculture is not covered by the noise standard. If you check OSHA’s website, a section exists that explains what to do if an inspector measures a noise level in an agricultural facility that exceeds the general industry standard. The web page says: “Since 29 CFR 1928.21(a) does not reference the general industry noise standard (29 CFR 1910.95). “Hearing conservation programs are not mandatory in agricultural operations. However, if the CSHO inspects such operations and determines that they are likely to cause employees to be exposed to noise in excess of an eight-hour, time-weighted average of 85 dBA, the employer should be advised that it is good practice to reduce the noise level or provide ear protection and to train employees in the proper use
18 COTTON FARMING
MAY 2015
Stover Unwrapper GIS
Stover Module Retriever Bed
* Meets all John Deere requirements * 100% electric (no hydraulics) * One person to remove wrap * Process at 80+ bales per hour * Gantry is stationary * Adaptable to most module feeders * Computerized touch screen controls
* Rubber Tracks * RMS Chain on entire bed * Specially designed hydraulic tracks * Stover sliding tracks * Splitter valve * Automatic rear bumper * Optional camera and monitor
800-689-7740 361-884-8961 www.stoverequipment.com