On July 30, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued a notice of proposed rulemaking titled Tracking of Workplace Injuries and Illnesses. According to OSHA, the proposal seeks to better protect personally identifiable information or data that could be re-identified with a particular individual by removing provisions of the 2016 Electronic Injury Reporting and Anti-Retaliation final rule.

Today, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration sent out a release reminding certain employers that the deadline for submitting their 2017 Form 300A data through OSHA’s Injury Tracking Application is July 1. Learn which establishments are covered by this requirement and need to provide their 2017 Form 300A data through OSHA’s ITA.

On June 15, OSHA announced that it will extend the comment period on its proposal to ensure crane operators are qualified to safely operate equipment by an additional 15 days. Comments will now be accepted through July 5, 2018.

In testimony before a subcommittee of the U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce, Kwest Group President and Chairman of the ABC National Safety and Health Committee Ryan Odendahl called for a collaborative effort between industry and the federal government to increase workplace safety and promote economic opportunity in the United States.

On May 21, 2018, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued a proposed rule to update its standard for cranes and derricks in construction to ensure crane operators are qualified to safely operate equipment. Entitled Cranes and Derricks in Construction: Operator Qualification, the rule proposes several changes to the existing standard.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration will begin enforcement of the final rule on occupational exposure to beryllium in the construction industry on May 11, 2018. According to its May 10 press release and interim enforcement memorandum, OSHA will begin enforcing on May 11 the new lower 8-hour permissible exposure limit (PEL) and short-term (15-minute) exposure limit (STEL) for construction. 

ABC chapters across the country are celebrating Construction Safety Week 2018, May 7-11. These chapters are raising awareness about the importance of safety by hosting events, sharing resources, hosting safety stand-downs and more.

On April 30, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced that it made an error regarding implementation of the 2016 Electronic Injury Reporting and Anti-Retaliation final rule and determined all affected employers are required to submit injury and illness data in the Injury Tracking Application online portal, even if the employer is covered by a State Plan that has not completed adoption of their own state rule. 

ABC will be celebrating Construction Safety Week 2018, May 7-11, with an awareness campaign highlighting member achievements in safety performance and ABC’s commitment to achieving zero-incident jobsites. Visit constructionsafetyweek.com for advice on engaging your team with an event guide, toolbox talks, messages to share and more ideas to promote safety as an industry priority.  

To celebrate the National Safety Stand-down, May 7-11, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration is providing several resources on preventing workplace hazards, including a webinar on fall prevention in the construction industry.