Safety Net | June 2021

THE SAFETY NET CO N SU LTA N T S

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DESIGNERS

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ENGINEERS

JUNE 2021

IT’S ALWAYS SAFETY FIRST. ▪

CON STRUCTORS

VOLUME 15 ISSUE 06

Traffic Deaths Rose 8% In 2020, Even As Americans Drove Fewer Miles During Pandemic 03.05.2021 | Associated Press

DETROIT – Pandemic lockdowns and stay-at-home orders kept many drivers off U.S. roads and highways last year. But those who did venture out found open lanes that only invited reckless driving, leading to a sharp increase in traffic-crash deaths across the country.

The nonprofit National Safety Council estimates in a report issued Thursday that 42,060 people died in vehicle crashes in 2020, an 8% increase over 2019 and the first jump in four years.

Plus, the fatality rate per 100 million miles driven spiked 24%, the largest annual percentage increase since the council began collecting data in 1923.

SAFETY FIRST. Austin employees have worked 4,157,175 hours without a Lost Time Accident through 04/2021.

And even though traffic is now getting close to pre-coronavirus levels, the bad behavior on the roads is continuing, authorities say.

“It’s kind of terrifying what we’re seeing on our roads,” said Michael Hanson, director of the Minnesota Public Safety Department’s Office of Traffic Safety. “We’re seeing a huge increase in the amount of risk-taking behavior.”

Last year’s deaths were the most since 2007 when 43,945 people were killed in vehicle crashes. In addition, the safety council estimates that 4.8 million people were injured in crashes last year.

Federal data shows that Americans drove 13% fewer miles last year, or roughly 2.8 trillion miles, said Ken Kolosh, the safety council’s manager of statistics. Yet the number of deaths rose at an alarming rate, he said.

“The pandemic appears to be taking our eyes off the ball when it comes to traffic safety,” Kolosh said.

Of the reckless behaviors, early data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration show speed to be the top factor, Kolosh said. Also, tests of trauma center patients involved in traffic crashes show increased use of alcohol, marijuana and opioids, he said.

In Minnesota, traffic volumes fell 60% when stay-home orders were issued early in the pandemic last spring. Hanson said state officials expected a corresponding drop in crashes and deaths, but while crashes declined, deaths increased.

“Almost immediately the fatality rate started to go up, and go up significantly,” Hanson said, adding that his counterparts in other states saw similar increases. “It created less congestion and a lot more lane space for divers to use, and quite honestly, to abuse out there.”

In late March and early April, the number of speed-related fatalities more than doubled over the same period in 2019 in the state, Hanson said. Last year, Minnesota recorded 395 traffic deaths, up nearly 9% from 364 in 2019.

Drivers also used empty roads to drive at extreme speeds. In 2019, the Minnesota State Patrol’s 600 troopers handed out tickets to just over 500 drivers for going over 100 mph. That number rose to 1,068 in 2020, Hanson said.

Traveling over 100 mph makes crashes far more severe, the safety council said.

The high number of speeding drivers is continuing even as traffic is starting to return to normal levels, according to Hanson.

The safety council is calling for equitable enforcement of traffic laws, infrastructure improvements, mandatory ignition switch locks for convicted drunken drivers, reducing speed limits to match roadway designs, and laws banning cellphone use while driving, among other recommendations to stem the deaths.

The council collects fatal crash data from states on public and private roads. The numbers released on Thursday are preliminary, but every year are only slightly different from the final numbers, Kolosh said.

Quick Quiz – Test your SPCC familiarity 05.17.2021 | JJ Keller Management Suite A cornerstone of EPA’s strategy to prevent oil spills from reaching our nation’s waters is the Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasures (SPCC) rule. Found at 40 CFR 112, the regulation requires covered facilities to reduce the risk of oil spills and develop steps to address any releases. This ensures that facilities have containment and other countermeasures in place to prevent oil spills from reaching navigable waters or adjoining shorelines. Today, we challenge you to test your knowledge on some trickier components of the SPCC rule.

QUESTIONS: 1.

TRUE

FALSE All tank trucks (or mobile refuelers) are exempt from SPCC requirements because they are considered “transportation.”

2.

TRUE

FALSE

3.

TRUE

FALSE Transformers located at your facility do not have to be included

SPCC only covers petroleum-based oil products.

in your SPCC plan.

4.

TRUE

FALSE The SPCC rule calls for “sufficient freeboard” and defines what that means.

...continued on next page 3

ANSWERS: 1. FALSE. Not all tank trucks or tank truck activities are exempt from SPCC. Only those activities subject to DOT jurisdiction fall outside the scope of SPCC regulation. For example, EPA regulates tank trucks (or mobile refuelers) under the SPCC rule, if they operate exclusively within the confines of a nontransportation-related facility (i.e. fuel trucks at airports or at large mining operations).

EPA also regulates the activity of loading or unloading oil in bulk into storage containers (such as those on tank trucks or railroad cars), as well as all equipment involved in this activity (e.g., a hose or loading arm attached to a storage tank system).

2. FALSE. Under SPCC, oil is defined as “oil of any kind or in any form.” This can include, but is not limited to, petroleum, fuel oil, sludge, crude oil, animal fats and greases, and vegetable oils.

Examples of nonpetroleum oils that are regulated, include: animal fats and oils, fish oils, vegetable oils, and oils that are solid at room temperature (such as coconut oil).

3. TRUE. The owner or operator of a facility that includes a container being used by another person that is not under his or her operational control should coordinate with that person to determine who will prevent spills from that container. This includes transformers or other energized electrical equipment that are located on an easement and are under the operational control of the local electrical utility and may be

To ensure a safer future, the American Rescue Plan includes funds to hire more OSHA compliance officers.

Every year on April 28, the U.S. Department of Labor and OSHA commemorates Workers Memorial Day, when “we remember and honor the men and women who have lost their lives on the job. “ “Workers Memorial Day reminds us of the sacrifices many workers make to earn their wages and provide for themselves and their families,” said Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh.

“No one should ever have to lose their life, suffer a disabling injury or develop a life-altering illness because they went to work. The dedicated professionals at the U.S. Department of Labor are determined to ensure that U.S. workers finish their workdays safely and hold those accountable whose neglect

addressed separately by the utility. However, the

increases the likelihood of harm to our fellow citizens.”

facility should coordinate with the electric utility

However, OSHA points out that many of these devastating

on how to address spill prevention procedures for

losses were “preventable if standards had been followed,

this equipment. This determination by the plan

appropriate controls existed, and if safety and health

holder must be based on site-specific factors.

programs were a priority.”

4. FALSE. While it is true that the minimum design

In 2021, the department also observes OSHA’s 50th

requirements for secondary containment

anniversary. Before the 1971 enactment of the Occupational

must be sized to contain the largest single oil

Safety and Health Act and the OSHA’s creation, many

compartment of the container plus sufficient

workers lacked basic protections from workplace hazards, the

freeboard, the SPCC rule does not specifically

agency said but pointed out that with the creation of OSHA

define the term “freeboard,” nor does it describe

U.S. workplaces have been transformed with injuries, illnesses

how to calculate the volume. A professional

and fatalities significantly reduced.

engineer can help determine if a containment system has sufficient volume.

However, there is still a large problem given more than 5,000 people suffer fatal injuries at work each year, and thousands more are hurt or sickened.

OSHA Recognizes 2021 Workers Memorial Day 04.28.2021 | EHS Today Staff

The coronavirus pandemic has highlighted – perhaps

160 new critical personnel, including compliance safety

more than in any time in its history – the vital importance of

and health officers to respond to the pandemic. OSHA will

OSHA’s mission. To date, the pandemic has killed more than

also make available an additional $10 million in funds for

570,000 people, many of them essential frontline workers,

Susan Harwood Training grants to support organizations

many people of color and immigrants among them, whose

delivering vital training to prevent vulnerable workers from

work served a nation in desperate need.

exposure to the coronavirus and infectious disease.

In response to the devastation, President Biden issued an

The department’s Mine Safety and Health Administration

executive order that directed the Department of Labor to

is also ramping up efforts to protect workers at the nation’s

consider whether any emergency temporary standards

thousands of mines by hiring dozens of inspectors and

were necessary to keep workers safe from the hazard

specialists to serve critical geographic areas. Increasing

created by COVID-19. On Monday, April 26, OSHA sent

staff will enable the agency to direct more needed

draft standards to the Office of Management and Budget’s

enforcement efforts to targeted safety and health hazards,

Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs for review

as well as to provide more compliance assistance to

after working with its science-agency partners, economic

special emphasis programs, including coronavirus.

agencies and others in the U.S. government to get the proposed emergency standard right.

“Today we’re honoring the 29 miners who lost their lives on the job in 2020, and recognizing the devastating impact

“In its 50-year history, OSHA has been at the forefront

of their absence for their families and communities,” said

of many positive changes in workplace safety, but the

Acting Assistant Secretary for Mine Safety and Health

pandemic made it clear – there remains much room for

Jeannette Galanis. “More importantly, we’re recommitting

improvement and much more work to do,” said Acting

to creating safe and healthful workplaces where miners

Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and

and their families can trust that a day’s work will end with

Health Jim Frederick. “We intend to honor those workers

them heading home, safe and healthy.”

who risked and lost their lives in the pandemic – and those

OSHA also launched a new Workers Memorial Page that

they leave behind – by making America’s workplaces the safest and healthiest they can be.”

aims to lift up the voices of workers who lost their lives on the job. A virtual Workers Memorial Wall features names and

With $100 million in additional funding in the American

images of workers as a solemn tribute for workers’ families,

Rescue Plan of 2021, OSHA is working to protect workers

friends and coworkers.

now and in the future. This includes ensuring that OSHA has the resources, such as much-needed staff, to do the agency’s work. The agency is planning to hire more than

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Beryllium 05.17.2021 | OSHA QuickTake The element beryllium is a grey metal that is stronger than steel and lighter than aluminum. Its physical properties of great strength-to-weight, high melting point, excellent thermal stability and conductivity, reflectivity, and transparency to X-rays make it an essential material in the aerospace, telecommunications, information technology, defense, medical, and nuclear industries. Beryllium is classified as a strategic and critical material by the U.S. Department of Defense. In 2019, the U.S. produced 170 metric tons of beryllium domestically and imported 45 metric tons. Government stockpile release is another source of beryllium. Bertrandite (<1% beryllium) is the principal mineral mined for beryllium in the U.S. while beryl (4% beryllium) is the principal mineral mined for beryllium in the

WHY IS BERYLLIUM A HAZARD TO WORKERS? Workers in industries where beryllium is present may be exposed to beryllium by inhaling or contacting beryllium in the air or on surfaces. Inhaling or contacting beryllium can cause an immune response that results in an individual becoming sensitized to beryllium. Individuals with beryllium sensitization are at risk for developing a debilitating disease of the lungs called chronic beryllium disease (CBD) if they inhale airborne beryllium after becoming sensitized.

Beryllium-exposed workers may also develop other adverse health effects such as acute beryllium disease, and lung cancer. See the Health Effects section in the preamble of the Beryllium Final Rule for more information.

as beryllium oxide, and most commonly, as an alloy with

WHAT MUST EMPLOYERS DO TO PROTECT THEIR WORKERS FROM EXPOSURE TO BERYLLIUM?

copper, aluminum, magnesium, or nickel. Beryllium oxide

OSHA beryllium standards for general industry, construction,

(called beryllia) is known for its high heat capacity and is

and shipyards require employers to implement protective

an important component of certain sensitive electronic

measures for workers who are exposed to beryllium in their

equipment. Beryllium alloys are classified into two types:

workplace. This site provides employers and workers with

high beryllium content (up to 30% beryllium) and low

information on the beryllium standards, health effects of

beryllium content (2 - 3% beryllium). Copper-beryllium alloy

beryllium, and exposure evaluation and controls. For more

is commonly used to make bushings, bearings, and springs.

detailed information, OSHA has published Small Entity

Beryllium is also found as a trace metal in slags and fly ash.

Compliance Guides (SECG) for general industry and will

rest of the world.

Beryllium is used industrially in three forms: as a pure metal,

soon publish SECGs for the construction/maritime industries.

WHO IS EXPOSED TO BERYLLIUM IN THE WORKPLACE? OSHA estimates that approximately 62,000 workers are potentially exposed to beryllium in approximately 7,300 establishments in the United States, including approximately 12,000 workers the construction and shipyard industries.

While the highest exposures occur in the workplace, family members of workers who work with beryllium also have potential exposure from contaminated work clothing and vehicles. Exposure data from OSHA’s Occupational Safety and Health Information System (OIS) identifies workers

Certain types of slags (coal, copper) used in abrasive blasting operations may contain trace amounts of beryllium (<0.1 % by weight). Due to the high dust levels generated during abrasive blasting operations, workers involved in these activities may be exposed to dangerous levels of beryllium.

WHERE IS BERYLLIUM USED? End products1 containing beryllium and beryllium compounds are used in many industries including: • Aerospace (aircraft braking systems, engines, satellites, space telescope)

engaged in primary beryllium manufacturing and alloy production, and recycling as having the highest exposures to beryllium.

• Automotive (anti- lock brake systems, ignitions) • Ceramic manufacturing (rocket covers,

General Industry occupations with potential exposure to beryllium include:

semiconductor chips) • Defense (components for nuclear weapons, missile

• Primary Beryllium Production Workers • Workers Processing Beryllium Metal/Alloys/Composites • Foundry Workers

parts, guidance systems, optical systems) • Dental labs (alloys in crowns, bridges, and dental plates) • Electronics (x- rays, computer parts, telecommunication parts, automotive parts)

• Furnace Tenders • Machine Operators

• Energy (microwave devices, relays)

• Machinists

• Medicine (laser devices, electro-medical devices,

• Metal Fabricators • Welders • Dental Technicians • Secondary smelting and refining (recycling electronic

X-ray windows) • Nuclear energy (heat shields, reactors) • Sporting goods (golf clubs, bicycles) • Telecommunications (optical systems, wireless base stations)

and computer parts, metals) • Abrasive Blasters (slags) Construction and shipyard occupations with potential exposure to beryllium include:

1

This list describes end uses of products containing beryllium, not sources of beryllium exposure. Exposures to beryllium occur in the processing of beryllium-containing materials to produce these end products, not in the use of these end products in their finished form.

• Abrasive blasters and pot tenders • Laborers • Welders

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Fall Protection | Impalement 05.23.2021 | Weeklysafety.com Ironworkers have identified impalement as one of the

There is one OSHA standard that very specifically applies to

Deadly Dozen Hazards and a leading cause of injury on

rebar impalement hazards.

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construction sites.

1. OSHA Standard 1926.701(b) All protruding reinforcing

Contributing factors that can lead to impalement

steel, onto and into which employees could fall, shall

incidents include:

be guarded to eliminate the hazard of impalement.

• Unprotected rebar dowels

Housekeeping issues can increase impalement risk if

• Reliance on mushroom caps, which don’t protect

hazards are not managed throughout the workday

workers from impalement • Improper wooden trough installment • Inadequate precautions when working over dowel covers • Inattention to other impalement hazards besides rebar

2. OSHA Standard 1926.25(a) During the course of construction, alteration, or repairs, form and scrap lumber with protruding nails, and all other debris, shall be kept cleared from work areas, passageways, and stairs, in and around buildings or other structures.

This safety topic provides general safety guidance to

It’s important to remember that rebar is not the only

consider when impalement hazards are a risk on the

impalement hazard found on construction sites. Other

construction site.

impalement hazards not specifically mentioned in the OSHA

Because impalement is so serious and often catastrophic, or

standard, like protruding pipes, bolts, reinforcing wire, and

deadly, it’s important that all crew members understand and

cables are covered under the General Duty Clause.

follow all safety guidelines that pertain to working with rebar

3. OSHA General Duty Clause 5(a)(1) Each employer shall

and preventing impalement hazards. State OSHA plans and

furnish to each of his employees employment and a

project specific guidelines may be more strict than federal

place of employment which are free from recognized

OSHA requirements.

hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or

There are three OSHA Standards that provide the

serious physical harm to his employees.

regulations to protect workers from all impalement hazards

OSHA states that protective devices capable of

on the job site.

withstanding at least 250 pounds dropped from a height of ten feet will eliminate the hazard of impalement in most

Examples of wood and metal trough designs. cases. However, if a protective device guards protruding

Wooden or metal troughs can be an effective method

rebar enough to eliminate the hazard of impalement, it

to provide impalement protection, but they should be

satisfies the requirements of the standard.2

designed and tested to ensure that impalement protection

When employees are working at any height above

has been documented.

exposed rebar, fall protection and/or fall prevention needs

Impalement hazards are not limited to protruding rebar.

to be in place.

Any projection on the job site that is an impalement risk

Limit access to the work area where formwork, protruding

must be guarded.

rebar, and rebar cages are present.

Angle iron and other impalement hazards on site may not be

Guarding on rebar impalement hazards must be done

suitable for protective covers so consideration must be given

when workers will be working around or at any height above

to how workers will be protected from impalement risk while

exposed rebar, including work situations where the rebar is

the hazard exists during construction.

below grade or in a basement.

COPYRIGHT AND DISCLAIMER

Plastic mushroom caps that are not reinforced with steel are

This material is the copyrighted property of Weeklysafety.com, LLC. Purchase of this material from Weeklysafety.com, LLC grants the owner the right to use this material for workplace safety and education purposes only. Use of this material for any other purpose, particularly commercial use, is prohibited. This material, including the photos, may not be resold. Weeklysafety.com, LLC does not warrant or assume any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed in these materials. Photos shown in this presentation may depict situations that are not in compliance with applicable Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) safety requirements. These materials are meant for informational purposes only and it is not the intent of Weeklysafety.com, LLC to provide compliance-based training. The intent is more to address hazard awareness in the construction and related industries, and to recognize the potential hazards present in many workplaces.

These materials are intended to discuss Federal Regulations only, as individual State requirements may be more stringent. Many states operate their own state OSHA and may have standards that are different from information presented in this training. It is the responsibility of the employer and its employees to comply with all pertinent OSHA safety rules and regulations in the jurisdiction in which they work.

not adequate to protect against impalement.

All workers should be able to recognize when rebar becomes a hazard.

Common ways to guard rebar to prevent impalement: • Steel-Reinforced Rebar Caps • Carnie Caps • Wooden Troughs • Bending Rebar If the rebar caps being used on site are too narrow, not steel -reinforced, or do not meet OSHA’s requirements for protection, the caps will not protect workers from impalement. If a worker falls on rebar with these ineffective caps the impact pressure can still cause a deadly impalement.

Rebar caps that are designed to prevent impalement are typically larger than mushroom caps, square in shape, and fabricated with steel inside that prevents the rebar dowel from penetrating the protective cover.

Rebar of any length, any diameter, and any direction (horizontal or vertical) must be guarded when there is the hazard that a worker could fall onto the bar and be impaled (skin pierced).

FOOTNOTES 1 Deadly Dozen; ironworkers.org/news-magazine/ironworkermagazine/archives/articles/2012/07/10/preventingimpalement-one-ofthe-deadly-dozen-hazards 2 OSHA Standard Interpretation Letter Re: Impalement Protection; osha.gov/laws-regs/standardinterpretations/2014-08-26-0

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Bloodborne Pathogens | Protect Yourself 05.19.2021 | Weeklysafety.com It’s not just first responders and health care workers that need to

Bloodborne pathogens can be

be concerned about bloodborne pathogens. Any employee

transmitted by ingestion, through

on clean-up duty or administering first aid has the opportunity

blood and certain bodily fluids.

to be exposed!

In the workplace, bloodborne

Bloodborne pathogens are infectious, disease-causing

pathogens may be transmitted

microorganisms in blood and bodily fluids. Workers in many

from an infected person via

occupations, including first responders, housekeeping personnel, nurses, and healthcare workers are at high risk for exposure to bloodborne pathogens. However, any person that is administering first aid has the opportunity to be exposed to bloodborne pathogens. All workers should be educated on bloodborne pathogens so they can act in the safest way to minimize exposure if they have to administer first aid to a co-worker while on the job.

The three most common bloodborne pathogens are:

needle-sticks, human bites, cuts, abrasions, or through mucous membranes (eyes and nose).

Direct Contact Exposure: Infected blood or body fluid from one person enters another person’s body directly. Example: infected blood splashes into the eye or into an open abrasion on the skin.

Indirect Contact Exposure: Infected blood or body fluid infects another person by way

• Hepatitis B Virus (HBV)

of another object. Examples: A used needle pricks another

• Hepatitis C Virus (HCV)

person’s finger or a person who isn’t wearing gloves picks

• Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) A written exposure control plan must be part of the workplace safety and health program for any organization

up soiled gauze and has a cut on their hand which is an entry point for infection.

To prevent potential infection from bloodborne pathogens, follow these

that has employees that could potentially be exposed

guidelines as they are applicable

to bloodborne pathogens. Employees must complete

to your situation and workplace.

exposure control training before they begin work.

•

OSHA Standard 1910.1030(c)(1)(i) Each employer having an employee(s) with occupational exposure [to blood or other potentially infectious materials] shall establish a written Exposure Control Plan designed to eliminate or minimize employee exposure.

UNIVERSAL PRECAUTIONS

Avoid direct or indirect

contact with anyone else’s blood and body fluids.

•

Always wear disposable gloves

when providing first aid care.

• Use additional personal protective equipment (PPE) like eye protection, shoe coverings, gowns and breathing

When it comes to blood and bodily fluids, the best

barriers if required by your workplace exposure control

approach is to adopt the Universal Precautions to infection

plan and/or the situation calls for additional layers of

control. The concept of Universal Precautions means that

protection to protect you from bloodborne pathogens.

you should treat all blood and certain body fluids as if they were known to be infectious with bloodborne pathogens.

• Dispose of sharps in designated sharps containers immediately after use. Sharps are usually used needles

OSHA Standard 1910.1030(d)(1)

but could include any contaminated broken glass,

Universal precautions shall be observed to prevent contact

razors, or utility knives.

with blood or other potentially infectious materials. Under circumstances in which differentiation between body fluid types is difficult or impossible, all body fluids shall be considered potentially infectious materials.

• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth during or after providing first aid care.

• Remove disposable gloves without contacting the soiled part of the gloves and dispose of them immediately in a proper container.

• Thoroughly wash your hands (and any other areas) immediately after providing car.

IMPORTANT! All equipment, tools, PPE, working surfaces and floors must be thoroughly cleaned and decontaminated after exposure to blood or bodily fluids.

DON’T SKIP THIS STEP! Certain bloodborne pathogens can still be infectious for days outside the body. Hepatitis B can live in dried blood for up to a week and Hepatitis C can survive for up to four days.

OSHA Standard 1910.1030(d)(4)(ii) All equipment and environmental and working surfaces shall be cleaned and decontaminated after contact with blood or other potentially infectious materials.

If you think you may have been exposed to bloodborne pathogens, take the following actions immediately: 1. Wash any injuries, cuts and exposed skin thoroughly with soap and water. Flush around the mouth and nose with water.

2. If any blood or body fluids was splashed in or around the eyes, irrigate with clean water or saline for 20 minutes.

3. Report the incident to the appropriate person within your company and record the what happened by filing an incident report.

4. Seek immediate follow-up care.

5. Take any additional steps outlined in your employer’s exposure control plan.

If bloodborne pathogens are a potential hazard in your workplace, then make sure you don’t skip the safety meeting! All employees should take all precautions when it comes to contact with potential bloodborne pathogens in the workplace or on the job site.

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