Table of Contents
OSHA issued the following new or updated compliance
assistance resources from April 1 to June 30, 2017. For a listing of
all new compliance assistance products issued by OSHA, see OSHA’s New Compliance
Assistance Products webpage.
 Heat Safety App
OSHA and the
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) have
collaborated to update OSHA’s original Heat Safety Tool. The updated app,
available for both Android and iPhone, provides a
clearer user interface, while still providing the same information to help keep
workers safe when working outdoors in hot weather.
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 Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response (HAZWOPER)
OSHA has posted a new HAZWOPER Safety and Health Topics Page. The page serves as a resource for workers and employers engaged in hazardous waste, emergency response, and cleanup operations involving hazardous substances.
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 Rulemaking: Beryllium and Electronic Reporting
OSHA has posted a web page on its proposed rule to revise the provisions of its beryllium standard that apply to the construction and shipyard industries.
OSHA has also updated its web page on its rule to improve tracking of workplace injuries and illnesses to reflect its proposal to delay the electronic reporting compliance date from July 1 to Dec. 1, 2017.
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 Confined Spaces in Residential Construction
OSHA has issued a fact sheet on how its confined spaces in construction standard affects common spaces in residential construction, such as attics, basements, and crawl spaces.
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Communication Tower Best Practices
 OSHA and the Federal Communications Commission have issued a new booklet that provides safety information intended to reduce injuries and fatalities among communication tower climbers and ground crew employees. The booklet compiles best practices gathered from a series of discussions involving industry stakeholders and worker safety advocates.
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 Oil and Gas eTool: Transportation
OSHA has issued a new Transportation
module for its Oil and Gas Well
Drilling and Servicing eTool. Highway vehicle crashes are the
leading cause of worker fatalities in the oil and gas extraction
industry. The new Transportation module provides
possible solutions for hazards faced by workers traveling to and from well
sites, such as fatigue, distracted driving, and weather conditions.
The module also includes guidance on transporting equipment, vehicle operation
at the well site, and staying safe while using all-terrain and utility task
vehicles. OSHA
developed this module with input from the participants in OSHA's Alliance with
the National Service, Transmission, Exploration and Production Safety (STEPS)
Network and NIOSH.
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 Exposure to Infectious Diseases
OSHA has posted a web page on worker protections against occupational exposure to infectious diseases. The page compares the universal precautions of OSHA's bloodborne pathogens standard to the standard precautions and the transmission-based precautions used by healthcare practitioners for infection control.
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The following materials
developed by grantees under OSHA’s Susan Harwood Training Grant Program were
posted on the OSHA Web site from April 1 to June 30, 2017. See the OSHA Web site for
a complete list of a materials developed by Harwood grantees. These materials
do not necessarily reflect the official views of OSHA.
University of Texas at Arlington: Fall Protection and Motorized Vehicle Safety in Oil and Gas Industry
The University of Texas at Arlington revised its training materials on fall protection and on-site motorized vehicle safety in the oil and gas industry. The material is available in English and Spanish.
American Road and Transportation Builders Association: Construction Work Zone Safety
ARTBA developed training materials in English and Spanish on preventing backovers and runovers in roadway work zones
Wayne State University: Hazard Communication
Wayne State University developed training materials in English and Spanish on OSHA's 2012 hazard communication standard. The materials are for operating engineers, other construction trades, facilities management personnel, and Hispanic workers with limited English proficiency.
Purdue University: Grain Handling
Purdue University developed training materials for emergency first responders to effectively respond to entrapments, engulfments, entanglements, and falls in the grain handling industry. Purdue also developed materials on grain handling hazard for young workers.
University of Illinois-Urbana/Champaign: Grain Handling
The university developed training materials on grain handling awareness and lifeline installation and use for small grain elevators.
Latino Worker Resource Center: Fall Prevention
The Latino Worker Resource Center developed training materials on fall prevention in construction. The materials, in English and Spanish, include presentations, posters, and student workbooks.
Western Iowa Technical Community College: Communication Towers
This grantee developed training materials for workers and employers engaged in the construction, deconstruction, and maintenance of telecommunication towers. Topics include hand and power tools safety, incident investigation, and site inspection,
 The following products were issued by OSHA’s Alliance Program participants as part of the Alliance Program from April 1 to June 30, 2017. These products do not necessarily reflect the official views of OSHA. For a complete listing of Alliance products, see the Alliance Program Participants Developed Products page.
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 Silica and Confined Spaces in Construction
Through its Alliance with OSHA, the American Pipeline Contractors Association (APCA), developed a toolbox talk on silica in construction. APCA also developed a fact sheet on working in confined spaces during construction.
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 Free Online Battery Safety Course
Through its Alliance with OSHA, the Coordinating Committee for Automotive Repair (CCAR) has launched a free, online safety and health training course for automotive workers who install, activate, or charge Absorbed Glass Mat batteries. The use of AGM batteries is increasingly common as the automotive industry has evolved toward more fuel-efficient features. Sign up online to take the free course.
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 Oil and Gas Wellsite Hazard Alert: Ignition of Vapors by Mobile Engines
Through OSHA's Alliance with the National Service, Transmission, Exploration & Production Safety (STEPS) Network and NIOSH, the participants developed a hazard alert on how to prevent fires and explosions caused by ignition of vapors by motorized equipment during drilling, servicing, and production operations.
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 Window Cleaning Field Safety Guide
Through its Alliance with OSHA, the International Window Cleaning Association (IWCA) developed this field guide to provide employers and workers with a list of the major safety hazards that may be encountered during professional window cleaning. The guide also provides best practices to address these hazards and help workers stay safe on the job.
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 Hazard Communication Standard
Through its Alliance with OSHA, the Society for Chemical Hazard Communication (SCHC) has issued a series of Information Sheets on OSHA's hazard communication standard, as revised in 2012 to reflect the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS).
SCHC also developed training materials for public schools on OSHA's hazard communication standard. The materials include a presentation, script, and quiz.
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 Youth@Work-Talking Safety: Spanish Translation
The Florida edition of Youth@Work—Talking Safety,
the NIOSH young worker curriculum, has been translated into Spanish. Spanish
translations of the California, Oklahoma, and Texas editions will be coming
soon. This is a fun, free, and engaging curriculum that helps teachers and school/community-based job placement staff educate young people about the basics of job safety and health.
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 FACE Reports and Products
The
NIOSH Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) Program conducts
investigations on workplace fatalities to identify the factors that contributed
to these fatal injuries. This information is used to develop comprehensive
recommendations for preventing similar deaths. The NIOSH Fatality
Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) Program issued the
following reports and products from April 1 to June 30, 2017.
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 Motor Vehicles
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 Tree Care
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Other New FACE Reports/Products
 CPWR Hazard Alert: Working in Hot Weather
CPWR (The Center for Construction Research and
Training) has published a new Hazard Alert that reviews heat hazards and the steps
to prevent heat illness while working in hot weather. Free copies of the alert, in both English and
Spanish, can be ordered from CPWR.
The alert, and other resources and tools, are also available for download from
CPWR’s Working in Hot Weather web page.
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 CSB Safety Bulletin: Preventing Incidents When Preparing Process Equipment for Maintenance
The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) has issued a safety bulletin on "Key Lessons for Preventing Incidents When Preparing Process Equipment for Maintenance." The bulletin accompanies CSB's findings from its investigation into a 2015 chemical release and flash fire at the Delaware City Refining Company in Delaware City, Delaware.
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