Legislation OSHA

The need for improved workplace safety is vital in today s business climate. Corporations must control costs to be competitive. Monies lost on injuries, illnesses, and incidents is money that is lost forever. Warehouse Safety can help readers achieve a safer workplace. Many states are now requiring safety and health programs. California, for example, maintains strong safety and health legislation. OSHA is moving toward more formal safety programs, and has passed several new safety standards. 

There are 14 aspects required by this OSHA legislation ... 

Table 2 Hsts some of the physical, toxicity, flammabiUty, and reactivity properties of common chemicals (10,13,42,45—51). Also given are some of the quantities specified for reporting spills and for compliance with legislated requirements. The OSHA regulations require that material safety data sheets (MSDS) be developed for all process materials, so that the ha2ard data can be communicated to employees (52). Characteristics of toxicity, flammabiUty, chemical iastabiUty, reactivity and reaction energy, operatiag coaditioas, and corrosive properties of constmction materials must all be considered ia analy2iag ha2ard poteatials of chemicals and chemical operations.

There are occasions where rather less serious problems are encountered and the client refuses to take any action. In these circumstances, statutory bodies like the OSHA or the fire department can enforce their views through legislation. Insurers are not in that position. They can and do increase premiums for bad risks, but they also try to persuade management by commonsense argument that changes should be made, even if this is not necessarily an economic proposition from the point of view of insurance cost. 

OSHA s Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response (HAZWOPER) legislation protects workers who respond to emergencies, such as serious spills, involving hazardous materials. It also covers those employed in cleanup operations at uncontrolled hazardous waste sites and at EPA-licensed waste treatment, storage, and disposal facilities. 

Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970- -the main legislation affecting health and safety in the workplace. It created the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in the Department of Labor, and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health in the Department of Health and Human Services (formerly Department of Health, Education, and Welfare). 

Compiled from data of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), with standards set by the legislative process (part of the U.S. Department of Labor). Classifications are as follows ... 

In the United States the basis of the relative legislation covering chemicals in the workplace is the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHAct) which is enacted via the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA). The objectives of this body are as listed below [B-17]. 

The expressed intent of the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) originally enacted in 1970 is to assure so far as possible every working man and woman in the Nation safe and healthful working conditions and to preserve our human resources.. . The act presently affects approximately 6 million workplaces and 70 million employees. Over 500 amendments to the Act have been introduced since the original legislation. A recent printing of the OSHA standards can be found in Title 29, Chapter XVII, Part 1910 of the Code of Federal Regulations. 

The use of radioactive isotopes in industry is covered by government legislation. In the United States this is under OSHA (29 CFR 1910.1096), and in Canada it is governed by the Radiation Emitting Devices Act (R.S., 1985, c. R-1). Low levels of radiation may also be present in natural minerals. Care should be taken if these radioactive materials are concentrated or accumulated in the process or dispersed into the environment. 

Hazard evaluation will be changing in the future. Right-to-know legislation, including the OSHA Hazards Communication Standard, will place great emphasis on the availability of hazard information. In this context, it is reasonable to assume that the hazards information supplied will be complete and accurate. But these laws will not quantitatively increase the amount of hazards information available and care must be taken not to assume that if certain hazards are not specified, they do not exist. 

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