To assist employers in complying with new rules and regulations, OSHA released new wallet cards to serve as resources on the jobsite addressing the OSHA reporting requirements and hazard identification training. The resources can be found on OSHA’s publication page.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Oct. 23 issued a directive for OSHA compliance personnel on how to enforce its 2010 standard for construction cranes and derricks. The directive, which covers jobsites where power-operated equipment covered by Subpart CC – Cranes and Derricks in Construction are present, provides guidance for OSHA inspectors on how to conduct site visits, interpret the rule, and decide when to issue citations.  

On Oct. 14, ABC submitted comments to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requesting it withdraw a proposed rule and supplemental notice that would require employers to electronically submit detailed injury and illness records to the agency. For the first time, OSHA plans to make this information publically available on the Internet through a new searchable database and use the data for enforcement purposes.

Under a final rule issued By the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Sept. 11, contractors will face new deadlines and requirements for reporting severe injuries on the jobsite. The rule will go into effect Jan. 1, 2015 for all employers covered by the Occupational Safety and Health Act, even those who are exempt from maintaining injury and illness records.

OSHA has released an updated list of almost 500 industry groups that are exempt from programmed safety inspections for FY2015; the list includes five construction-related North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes. An employer would be exempt from a programmed inspection when there are 10 or fewer employees at a worksite.

In an informal public hearing May 19, Steve Wiltshire, vice president and director of corporate safety at ABC member company, ECS Corporate Services, LLC, testified on behalf of ABC on the issue of a proposed rulemaking to extend the compliance date for the crane operator certification requirement by three years to Nov. 10, 2017.

More than 600 ABC members joined ABC in submitting comments to OSHA requesting it withdraw its proposed rule that would drastically lower the permissible exposure limit (PEL) of crystalline silica for the construction industry. The proposal also would require contractors to implement engineering controls and follow several “ancillary” provisions, such as exposure monitoring, medical surveillance and the establishment of regulated areas. 

OSHA issued a notice of proposed rulemaking Feb. 10 to extend the compliance date for the crane operator certification requirement by three years to Nov. 10, 2017. 

ABC is reminding its contractor member firms that 2013 Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Form 300A work-related injury and illness log summaries must be posted in a visible spot on all construction sites Feb. 1 through April 30. 

OSHA Jan. 24 announced a 15-day extension of the public comment deadline for OSHA’s proposed crystalline silica rulemaking, moving the deadline from Jan. 27 to Feb. 11. The extension comes in response to an error on OSHA’s public comment submission page, which was first identified by ABC and brought to OSHA’s attention.