Employers struggle to understand OSHA rules
- Many business owners and managers do not properly identify all of the confined spaces at their worksite because they do not understand the true definition under OSHA regulations.
- The space must be large enough and configured that an employee can bodily enter and perform assigned work; and,
- The space has limited or restricted means for entry or exit (for example, tanks, vessels, silos, storage bins, hoppers, vaults, and pits are spaces that may have limited means of entry); and,
- The space is not designed for continuous employee occupancy.
The workplace safety market continues to grow
- The global workplace safety market size is projected to reach $30.4 billion by 2028, an increase from 13.1 billion in 2021.
- Some of the factors driving this expansion include rising workplace injuries and tight industrial health and safety requirements.
- The industry will increase as long as environmental, health, and safety services and software can assist businesses in effectively managing their generated garbage.
- The market for environmental health and safety is anticipated to develop as a result of the popularity and proliferation of mobile applications related to these topics.
Forestry industry making strides for safety
- In 1992 there were 471 lost time injuries in the forestry industry, but there were 31 lost time injuries in 2021, according to the WSIB.
- There is still room for improvement and the industry has seen at least one fatality a year for the past five years.
- The top risk factors in the industry are workers taking shortcuts, machine lockout, and hazards with maintenance
- Substance use also continues to be a challenge, along with fatigue, distraction, and stress.
National meeting set to prevent head injuries
- The National Advisory Committee on Occupational Safety and Health has scheduled a virtual public meeting for Jan. 10, a month following a meeting by a workgroup on heat injury and illness prevention.
- The workgroup will meet virtually at 2 p.m. Eastern on Dec. 13 and it is open to the public but in “listen-only mode”: OSHA is not accepting public comments or requests to speak at this meeting.
- The tentative agenda for the NACOSH meeting includes an update from OSHA, a membership update, a report from the work group, and a follow-up discussion on OSHA’s Whistleblower Protection Program.
- The deadline to submit comments and requests to speak is Jan. 3.