Safety program for warehouse workers

• OSHA launched a national emphasis program to prevent workplace hazards in warehouses, processing facilities distribution centers, and high-risk retail establishments.
• More than 1.9 million people employed have been employed at warehousing and distribution centers over the past 10 years.
• The Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows injury and illness rates for these establishments are higher than in private industry overall and, in some sectors, more than twice the rate of private industry.
• Under this three-year emphasis program, OSHA will conduct comprehensive safety inspections focused on hazards related to powered industrial vehicle operations, material handling, and storage, walking and working surfaces, means of egress, and fire protection.
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TJ Maxx faces nearly $67,000 in fines

• After OSHA inspected a TJ Maxx store in Reynoldsburg, Ohio, the agency issued a $66,960 fine because the location had inaccessible exits.
• The inspection found items in the path of the exit door and a space just 27 inches wide for workers to escape through, in violation of exit routes and emergency planning standards.
• OSHA requires businesses to have clear exit routes that are free from obstruction and don’t go through lockable areas, such as a bathroom, or lead to a dead end.
• “Following OSHA’s inspection in Reynoldsburg, we took immediate steps to correct the concerns brought to our attention,” officials at TJ Maxx said in a statement.
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New rules for OSHA arriving?

• The Department of Labor is planning new regulations on OSHA reporting, contract worker classification, and possibly a new overtime salary minimum.
• OSHA released a draft rule that nixes some reporting requirements for establishments with 250 employees or more if they are not in a high-hazard industry.
• Establishments with 100 or more employees in high-hazard industries, as designated by OSHA, would be required to promptly report worker injuries and fatalities to the agency.
• These proposed rules are coming from the Biden administration.
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Hospital cited after nurse stuck with needle

• Miramont Behavioral Health, a psychiatric hospital in Middleton, Wisconsin, was fined $8,370 by OSHA for citations related to a nurse being accidentally stuck with a needle.
• The agency said the hospital didn’t properly record the incident on an injury log, didn’t maintain a proper injury log, and didn’t include certain jobs in its exposure control plan.
• The incident “resulted in no work loss time or any other impacts to patient safety or the hospital’s operations,” a Miramont spokesperson said.
• Miramont said that the OSHA citations were fully decreased within 24 hours and primarily related to a documentation policy which the facility updated and conducted staff training on to ensure ongoing compliance.
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