MIOSHA recently introduced a State Emphasis Program to help workplaces identify and reduce exposures to indoor and outdoor heat-related hazards.
We encourage employers to use our new sample heat illness prevention plan as a template to establish heat illness prevention procedures and reduce the risk of work-related heat illness among employees.
The plan can help your company evaluate conditions at your worksite and gives detailed procedures on how to prevent and treat heat illness, including:
- Monitoring the heat index and what to do when the heat index equals or exceeds 80°F
- Provisioning water
- Accessing cooling areas or shade
- Building heat tolerance
- Developing an emergency response
- Handling a sick employee
- Training for employees and supervisors
Visit www.michigan.gov/heat for more heat illness prevention resources.
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 MIOSHA, the Mid-Michigan Chapter of American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) and The Great Lakes Safety Training Center (GLSTC) invite employers and employees to share a cup of coffee and learn about the importance of workplace safety and health.
Coffee with MIOSHA events provide an informal opportunity for employers and employees to meet with MIOSHA representatives — including consultative and enforcement — to ask questions, obtain information on program services and resources, learn about MIOSHA Training Institute opportunities and establish rapport.
Both GLSTC and ASSP will also hold brief signing ceremonies to renew their alliances with MIOSHA.
WHO: All Michigan employers and employees
WHAT: Coffee with MIOSHA
WHEN: August 23, 2022, 9-11 AM
WHERE: Great Lakes Safety Training Center
1900 Ridgewood Drive
Midland, MI 48642
COST: Free
RSVP: Register online
From August 15-21, your workplace can join thousands of businesses across the nation that are recognizing their commitment to workplace safety and health for Safe + Sound Week.
This annual, nationwide event acknowledges the successes of workplace health and safety programs while offering information and ideas on how to keep workers safe.
Why Participate?
Successful safety and health programs can proactively identify and manage workplace hazards before they cause injury or illness, improving sustainability and your bottom line. Participating in Safe + Sound Week can help your company get its program started, energize an existing one or provide a chance to recognize your safety successes.
Who Can Participate?
Businesses of all sizes, in all industries, are welcome to participate.
Register Now
Sign up and find ideas to plan or promote your event today at www.osha.gov/safeandsoundweek.
For guided help getting your company's program started, request MIOSHA consultative assistance at www.michigan.gov/cetrca and learn about the Michigan Challenge Program.
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 Excavation and trenching operations are among some of the most hazardous jobs in the construction industry. Just one cubic yard of soil can weigh as much as a car.
During the first six months of 2022, the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) reported 22 fatalities due to deadly hazards present in trenching and excavation work — surpassing 15 in all of 2021.
In April, two Michigan workers were killed in a cave-in accident in Alto while placing underground drainage tiles for a building project. The incident is currently under investigation by MIOSHA.
As a result of this rise in trench-related fatalities, OSHA recently announced enhanced enforcement initiatives to protect workers from known industry hazards. The federal agency is also encouraging workers to contact their state plan offices, like MIOSHA, if their employer requires working in or beside trenches that are not sloped, shored, or shielded and are five or more feet in depth.
For help with identifying excavation hazards, understanding MIOSHA regulations and more, employers can request free, confidential, consultative assistance with us at www.michigan.gov/cet or call 517-284-7720. For more resources on trench safety, visit the MIOSHA website.
The Employee Discrimination Section (EDS) of MIOSHA recently moved its office from Detroit to Lansing.
The new mailing addresses are as follows:
Standard U.S. Mail
P.O. Box 30644
Lansing, MI 48909-8144 |
Overnight Mail
2407 N. Grand River Avenue
Lansing, MI 48906 |
Although EDS complaints can be filed by mail or fax, over the phone is the preferred method. The phone method allows EDS staff to screen complaints for jurisdiction and gather all the relevant information required for a complaint.
Under Michigan law, all employees have the right to raise on-the-job safety and health concerns to management and to file a MIOSHA complaint without fear of retaliation. Section 65 of the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Act states, “A person shall not discharge an employee or in any manner discriminate against an employee because the employee filed a complaint or instituted or caused to be instituted a proceeding under or regulated by this act or has testified or is about to testify in such a proceeding or because of the exercise by the employee on behalf of himself or herself or others of a right afforded by this act.”
Section 65 of the Act requires all discrimination complaints to be filed within 30 days of an adverse employment action (such as termination, demotion, written warning, etc.). EDS has three Rights Representatives who investigate employee discrimination complaints across the state. If complaints are found to be meritorious, employers are required to make the employee whole.
EDS does not investigate complaints of racial discrimination (or other civil rights-related discrimination), unpaid wages, unemployment denials, pension concerns, disrespectful bosses, or disability discrimination. Those complaints may be addressed by other regulatory agencies such as the Wage and Hour Division, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, or the Michigan Department of Civil Rights, among others.
File a complaint with the Employee Discrimination Section by phone: 313-456-3109
To date, there have been 24 work-related fatalities reported to MIOSHA in 2022. The information below shares preliminary details about the most recent fatalities reported to MIOSHA, which are believed to be covered by the MIOSH Act. The descriptions reflect information provided to MIOSHA at the initial report of the incidents and are not the result of the official MIOSHA investigations.
Preliminary summaries of the most recent 2022 incidents:
A 29-year-old steel laborer was operating an extendable boom forklift to pick up pre-insulated metal panels when he leaned through the cab and was crushed by the lift boom.
A 61-year-old loader operator had a hydraulic line break. As he attempted to replace the hydraulic line, he loosened the wrong line and the load came down on him, crushing him against the axle.
A 35-year-old laborer was struck by a dozer that was backing up.
A 57-year-old truck driver was delivering trusses to a jobsite. While the employee was unloading the trusses, the trusses fell off the truck onto him, and he passed away on the scene.
A 51-year-old corrections officer felt ill and did not report to work. He tested positive for COVID-19 and later passed away.
A 61-year-old construction foreman was performing framing activities and fell from the third story of a residential construction project. He was not wearing fall protection.
A 61-year-old tree trimmer was aloft in a tree, using a chainsaw to trim branches, when he fell approximately 50 feet.
A 68-year-old electrician was performing electrical activities when he fell off a ladder.
A 45-year-old corrections officer fell ill and did not report to work. He tested positive for COVID-19 and later passed away.
A 24-year-old head milker was working in the yard when another employee operating a loader ran over him.
A 56-year-old supervisor tested positive for COVID-19 and did not return to work. She later went to the hospital, was released and passed away.
A 77-year-old direct service professional tested positive for COVID-19 and did not return to work. She was admitted to the hospital for COVID-19, was put on a ventilator and later, passed away.
A 59-year-old owner and 68-year-old laborer were placing underground drainage tiles for a pole building project. The property owner discovered the excavation had collapsed and called 911. Authorities later recovered two bodies.
A 65-year-old flagman was standing adjacent to the racetrack at the pit entrance when a race car lost control and fatally struck him.
A 34-year-old roofer was using a ladder to install a metal roof when he fell approximately 10 feet and struck a metal trash bin.
A 48-year-old maintenance worker was taking down a section of air ducts and using a powered industrial truck to help support and lower the duct system when the weight of the ducts caused the truck to tip over, crushing him.
A 49-year-old laborer was removing trash through a second story window into a wood box on the forks of a rough terrain fork truck when they exited the window into the box. Both the employee and the box fell approximately 16 feet.
A 57-year-old maintenance technician was installing components for a new conveyor system with two other employees when the conveyor components toppled from a forklift and landed on the victim.
A 58-year-old mechanic was performing maintenance on a conveyor system when it began moving and the employee was struck by and became caught in the system.
A 44-year-old general laborer was attempting to repair a tire on a wood chipper when the jack shifted and the woodchipper fell, crushing him.
A 53-year-old truck driver walked behind a tandem dump truck to clear the bumper of concrete debris, when they were struck by a bulldozer backing up.
A 57-year-old lead worker was attempting to clear a tree that was blocking both lanes of a roadway, when he was struck by a vehicle.
A 30-year-old mental health technician was overseeing patients outside of the clinic when he had a confrontation with an individual near the facility. The individual fatally shot the employee.
Every life is precious. Our mutual goal must be that every employee goes home at the end of every shift unharmed.
If you need help or assistance in ensuring your workplace is safe, MIOSHA is here to assist you. The Consultation Education and Training (CET) Division provides workplace safety and health training and consultations to employers and employees throughout Michigan, free of charge. Contact CET today at 800-866-4674 or request CET services online.
July 5, 2022 — Heat-related Illness – State Emphasis Program (SEP)
Variances from MIOSHA standards must be made available to the public in accordance with Part 12, Variances (R408.22201 to 408.22251). MIOSHA variances are published online at michigan.gov/mioshavariances.
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