 The MIOSHA team covered major ground in August, visiting a total of 101 worksites across the state to help employers proactively identify and address workplace hazards, improve their safety and health programs and stand up for worker safety. The visits were part of MIOSHA’s 18th annual Take a Stand Day — a yearly opportunity for employers to request free, one-on-one consultations to bolster worker protections without any citations or penalties.
We were thrilled to collaborate with companies from Monroe to Marquette, including 49 new and 52 returning participants, who took advantage of MIOSHA consultations to enhance employee protections and strengthen their safety cultures.
If you missed this year’s Take a Stand Day, don’t worry! You can access MIOSHA consultation services year-round at no cost to your workplace. Get the help your workplace needs today at www.michigan.gov/cet.
On August 23, MIOSHA, The Great Lakes Safety Training Center (GLSTC), and the Mid-Michigan, West Michigan and Greater Detroit Chapters of the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) invited employers and employees to the GLSTC in Midland to share a cup of coffee and learn about the importance of workplace safety and health.
Both MIOSHA consultative and enforcement representatives were on hand to answer questions and provide information on program services and resources to more than 45 attendees. Plus, MIOSHA had the privilege of renewing its long-standing alliances with both the GLSTC and ASSP Michigan Chapters.
MIOSHA alliances are three-year agreements that formalize the opportunity for organizations and the agency to work together to reach out, educate and lead the state’s employers and their employees in advancing workplace safety and health. Whether you're a trade or professional organization, government agency, businesses, or any other group, we invite you to build a trusting, cooperative relationship with us, network with like-minded safety professionals and leverage resources to maximize workplace safety and health.
Learn more about MIOSHA alliances and other cooperative program opportunities at www.michigan.gov/mioshacooperative.
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If you couldn't make it to our informational workshop on the Michigan Voluntary Protection Program (MVPP), don't sweat it. Tune in to the recorded webinar to learn how the MVPP can shine a spotlight on your company's exemplary safety and health.
This MIOSHA cooperative program assists employers and employees by providing a mechanism and a set of criteria designed to evaluate and recognize outstanding safety and health management systems. When you become an MVPP worksite, your team will enjoy exemptions from programmed inspections, recognition for organizational safety and health excellence, best practice integration, mentoring opportunities and more.
Find the MIOSHA cooperative program that meets your workplace wherever it stands on work safety: www.michigan.gov/mioshacooperative.
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The state's largest agricultural expo — AgroExpo — took place in St. Johns, MI last month. The two-day event boasted more than 3,500 exhibitors and attendees, including members of MIOSHA's Ag Workgroup. The workgroup members staffed the MIOSHA booth, where they greeted attendees and discussed heat-related issues affecting employees in the agricultural community. The MIOSHA team also distributed 100 Magid® cooling neck gaiters to help folks stay cool and talked to expo goers about how they can take advantage of free consultative services to improve their safety and health.
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 Death by suicide is a leading cause of death among working-age adults in the U.S., especially in the construction industry. Workers in construction face unique challenges that lead to a higher-than-average number of suicides in the industry, affecting their coworkers, loved ones and communities. There were approximately 1.2 million suicide attempts in America in 2020. Tragically, more than 45,000 of these attempts were fatal. The construction industry has one of the highest rates of suicides among all occupations — four times higher than in the general population.
During September 5-9, you can help raise awareness about these challenges and play an important role in reducing stigma and promoting mental health for Construction Suicide Prevention Week. By taking steps to create a work environment that fosters open communication and a sense of belonging, providing resources and programs that promote employee well-being and support work-life balance and more, you can help workers get the resources they need. While having conversations about mental health with coworkers can be difficult, everyone can help prevent suicide by knowing the warning signs, reaching out to a colleague if you’re concerned about them and staying with them and getting help if they are in crisis.
If you or someone you know is having trouble coping with work-related stress, talk with someone who can help. Call the new three-digit dialing code 988 or chat online at 988lifeline.org/chat.
Visit www.osha.gov/preventingsuicides for more resources and information to save lives together.
The fall harvest can be one of the most dangerous seasons of the year for the agriculture industry. That's why September 18-24 is recognized as National Farm Safety and Health Week.
This annual initiative, spearheaded by the National Safety Council, is devoted to helping protect workers in the agriculture industry by raising awareness of agricultural hazards and safety and health best practices.
Tune in to free webinars throughout the week to beef up your farm safety and find more safety and health resources through the Upper Midwest Agricultural Health and Safety Center.
MIOSHA is part of the Occupational Safety and Health State Plan Association, or OSHSPA, which represents all 28 unique State Plans. State Plans are OSHA-approved workplace safety and health programs operated by individual states or U.S. territories. OSHSPA presents a collective voice for the State Plans regarding occupational safety and health initiatives, policies and procedures that impact workplace safety and health throughout the country. Additionally, MIOSHA Director Bart Pickelman serves as vice chair of the association's board.
OSHSPA’s annual Grassroots publication recognizes the work and celebrates the achievements of the State Plans and this year, the report is especially noteworthy because MIOSHA took the lead on producing it. Take a peek at the FY 2021 OSHSPA Grassroots Workplace Protection: State Plan Activities of the Occupational Safety and Health State Plan Association to learn what the agency accomplished in the past year, as well as what other state plans are doing to protect the safety and health of working Americans.
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To date, there have been 30 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.
An 18-year-old crewman was driving an off-road vehicle on a public road and was struck by a motor vehicle.
A 47-year-old painter was on a ladder painting the exterior of a residential house when he fell approximately 20 feet, head-first on to another painter below.
A 59-year-old custodian was struck by a cardboard bale that slipped off another bale, pinning him to the ground against a fork truck.
A 23-year-old field worker was struck in the head by a 40-foot dead tree while waiting for his tote of blueberries to be weighed.
A 31-year-old shipping/receiving handler was using a Hilo to move pallets containing nylon sacks of plastic pellets when he was struck by one of the nylon sacks.
A 46-year-old roofer and crew leader was climbing a secured ladder while carrying a 10-foot piece of metal trim when the metal contacted a live electrical line, causing him to fall approximately 18 feet to the ground.
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.
August 3, 2022 — Cross-citing Hazards
August 3, 2022 — Interviews in Safety and Health Investigations
August 10, 2022 — Metal Industries — National Emphasis Program (NEP)
August 17, 2022 — Crane and Derrick Inspections in Construction Operations
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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