So as part of my new job I am charged with getting our shop close to OSHA compliance (Actually WISHA in Washington State, but close enough). Anyone have any good online resources for this kind of thing? We are a custom staircase/furniture/millwork shop in Seattle. I would love to find a list of the top 10 violations found in shops, I understand such a thing exists but I’m not having much luck finding it. I imagine a few of you have done this before. Thanks in advance.
-Andy
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Besides what you can google up, go to your insurance carrier. Talk to the loss control person. My agent gave me 2 notebooks on our exposures. They want to do this so let em. They can tailor the info to your situation. So you aren't looking at info on sheet metal fabrication or molten steel fab plants.
Also try your W/C carrier. Both of these loss control people have given me reams of info, all free.
Besides aftermarket training and resources, it's really worthwhile to read the actual regulations. It's not fun reading, but you really do need to know what they say. They cover all kinds of industry, so much won't apply at all to you. Don't get too scared or overwhelmed. Of course, machinery guarding, noise, dust collection, and machinery lockout will be the big ones for you.
The entire regulation is online at http://www.osha.gov. On the right hand side, click on Laws and Regulations, Standards, then Part 1910. Part 1910 is the OSHA regulation. Here's a link directly to it http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owastand.display_standard_group?p_toc_level=1&p_part_number=1910 .
Sections which I think you should look at include Subparts D, E, G, H, I, J (section .147), L, M, and especially O (machinery guarding) and P (hand and portable power tools). Under Subpart O, probably only sections .211, .212, .213, & .219 pertain to you.
It's really not so bad. A safe, well run shop already does many of the things the regulations require.
Also on the OSHA home page, down the right hand side, is a section on Compliance Assistance that might be a good online resource for you. Further down under Statistics, Inspection Data links to Frequently Cited (e.g. violated) OSHA Standards. You'll have to know the SIC code for your industry, or look it up using their search tool.
This may not be as specific as you want, but it's a start.
http://www.osha.gov/cgi-bin/std/stdser1?esize=7&state=FEFederal&sic=25
Thanks y'all, these are all great places to start. Hopefully someone will need some help that I can provide!
-Andy
Once got to talk to an OSHA inspector. Nice guy but he was realistic about what could be accomplished. This was during the Reagan administration and the mood was anything goes, anti-regulatory and his department had been gutted.
He said that when he started he would go to job sites unannounced look for problems and try to inform the contractors as to what needed to be done. Tickets were only for the very worse situations. Commonly following accidents.
He said that after Reagan got in he was warned not to come down hard. Fewer inspectors meant that he only inspected by appointment or after a major accident. A much more adversarial relationship.
He joked that any more it would be better for a company to finish off the wounded and pour a little more concrete to hide the bodies. No one to file a complaint so no inspection. The boss looked like he was making a mental note. I tried to be doubly safe after that.