Energy Department Completes Beryllium-Associated Worker Registry
- The Department of Energy has completed its 2022 Beryllium-Associated Worker Registry (BAWR) Dashboard.
- The dashboard is used to track the incidence and prevalence of beryllium sensitization and chronic beryllium disease among current and former DOE workers who may have been exposed to beryllium at federal facilities (see map above).
- In calendar year 2022, an additional 2,448 workers across the country were added to the registry.
- The dashboard data shows that more than four times as many workers are screened for beryllium sensitization compared to the number of workers monitored for beryllium exposure.
- According to DOE, registry data is analyzed to help identify at-risk workers, and assess the effectiveness of the agency’s prevention program and ensure that DOE facilities remain compliant with health and safety standards.
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Small Firms Face Higher Compliance Costs, Advised to ‘Have Plan’
- The cost of federal regulation compliance, including OSHA standards, falls disproportionately on smaller manufacturers, according to the National Association of Manufacturers.
- Manufacturing Dive reported that while manufacturers pay $29,100 on average per employee to comply with federal regulations, those with fewer than 50 employees pay the highest regulatory costs, about $50,100 per employee per year.
- Participants at the recent 2024 Women in Manufacturing Conference were advised that smaller manufacturers should cooperate with OSHA inspectors, “but have a plan. And you want to have your gatekeepers and you can train them what to do,” said Shannon Dennis, the national account manager at Safety Consultants USA.
- “Larger corporations typically seem to have more layers of legal counsel, and it may be that the policy is to not let them in and have them come back in the morning,” Dennis said.
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