Key OSHA Standards in the Manufacturing Sector

By April Corcoran

To provide a quick overview of some of the more important safety programs at our facility

Many of our programs are based on OSHA standards

We will cover the programs and at a minimum mention the relevant OSHA standard

Recordkeeping

Emergency Action Plan

First Aid

Life Safety

Industrial Noise

Personal Protective Equipment

Confined Space

Lockout Tagout

Machine Guarding

Welding Safety

Hazard Communication

Required by OSHA for establishments with 10 or more employees

Log of Work Related Injuries and Illnesses OSHA 300 form

Summary of Work Related Injuries and Illnesses OSHA 300A (to be posted in February)

Injury and Illness Incidence Report OSHA 301 form.

Employers with 10 or more employees are also required to have an emergency action plan for fires and emergencies

Escape routes

Assign responsibilities to individuals that assist in the evacuation

Training in evacuation procedures

All managers and supervisors at our facility are trained in First Aid and CPR

If a person is injured, they should report it immediately to their supervisors

Managers and supervisors are trained to protect themselves against bloodborn pathogen exposures

Employees that exposed to OSHA’s Action Level of Noise (85 Decibels) over an 8 hour time weighted average are required to be provided the following:

Annual audiograms to test for hearing loss

Annual training

Hearing attenuation devices (aka hearing protection)

Our facility provides employees with the PPE they need to do their jobs. Some items such as safety toe boots and prescription safety glasses are reimbursed upon purchase of the employee.

There are locations in our facility that have permit required confined spaces (PRCS). PRCSs should be posted A permit must first be obtained by a

permit supervisor prior to entry Only trained entrants are allowed to

enter PRCS A trained attendant must be stationed

outside the space Other important procedures must be

followed including testing of the air prior to entry and emergency procedures

When maintenance is performed on machinery and equipment the equipment must be de-energized and locked and tagged out prior to maintenance to protect workers from inadvertent start-up. Specific procedures are developed for each

piece of equipment Only authorized employees may apply a lock

and tag Authorized employees receive specific

training in how to de-energize and lock and tag equipment

Affected employees and other employees are required to receive training to in order to keep them from trying to re-energize equipment

Machinery and equipment used in this facility will be guarded according to OSHA standard requirements. Maintenance personnel with check

to make sure guards remain in place at the end of each shift

Employees are not allowed to remove or alter guards except when performing maintenance

Machinery and equipment will be properly locked and tagged prior to the removal of machine guards

All welding and cutting will be conducted in the welding shop. Any welding conducted outside of the welding area will require a hotwork permit. Welding equipment will be stored and maintained as follows Oxygen and acetylene will be maintained in their

respective storage areas and not stored together Oxy-acetylene hoses and equipment will be inspected

daily and removed from service if any defects are noted Appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE will

be worn during welding operations to protect the face and skin from harmful ultraviolet rays and from contacting hot surfaces. Examples include: Welding hood Face Shield Leathers Goggles Leather Gloves

We have a written hazard communication program that addresses hazardous materials used in this workplace and it includes the following:

Labeling for hazardous materials

Material Safety Data Sheets

Training for employees who use chemicals

Procedures for complying with the program.

We looked at a number of the things we do to protect our employees

We looked at some of the relevant OSHA requirements

I hope this will be helpful for you in making decisions regarding safety in our facility.

USDOL-OSHA (2013). Regulations(Standards-29CFR). OccupationalSafety and Health Administration. Retrieved from:http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owasrch.search_form?p_doc_type=STANDARDS&p_toc_level=1&p_keyvalue=1910

Goetsch, D., (2011). Occupational Safety and Health for Technologists, Engineers, and Managers, 7th ed.. Prentice Hall