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OSHA taking ‘good faith’ into account during COVID-19
Washington — “Good-faith efforts” by employers to comply with worker safety regulations during the COVID-19 pandemic should be taken into “strong consideration,” OSHA states in an April 16 memo to area offices and inspectors.
“The agency may issue a citation if it finds an employer cannot demonstrate any efforts to comply,” OSHA states in a corresponding press release, adding that, “once normal activities resume,” it will develop a program that looks at random samples of cases “where the agency noted, but did not cite, violations” to ensure corrective actions were taken.
OSHA notes that infection control measures, such as physical distancing, are limiting many employers’ ability to provide training, inspections, testing, auditing, and “other essential safety and industrial hygiene services.” Employees also have limited or no chance to participate in training or medical testing because of business closures and other restrictions.
The agency directs inspectors to evaluate whether an employer:
Explored all options to comply with applicable standards (e.g., use of virtual training or remote communication strategies)
Implemented interim alternative protections, such as engineering or administrative controls
Rescheduled required annual activity as quickly as possible
“Employers unable to comply with OSHA requirements because local authorities required the workplace to close should demonstrate a good-faith attempt to meet applicable requirements as soon as possible following the reopening of the workplace,” OSHA states.
The memo lists examples of situations in which area offices should consider enforcement discretion, including annual audiograms, hazardous waste operations training and construction crane operator certification.
“Where enforcement discretion is warranted, area offices will ensure that sufficient documentation (e.g., notes on the efforts the employer made to comply, letters or other documentation showing that providers had closed) is provided in the case file to support the decision,” the memo states.
Which Full-Body Harness Features Keep You Coolest?
To address the “hot-and-heavy” harness issue, leading PPE manufacturer MSA talked to workers who wear full-body safety harnesses on the job. One of the primary complaints that came out of the research was no surprise: full-body safety harnesses can be uncomfortably hot.
Of course, workers can’t just peel off their harnesses whenever they get hot, but heat stress itself can be something to sweat over.
What’s the Problem With Heat Stress?
Heat stress takes place when your body can’t release excess heat, raising both your core body temperature and heart rate. As a result, you might feel irritable, sick, or faint and find it tough to concentrate on your work, causing your performance and productivity to suffer. Heat stress can even lead to death.
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) says that two out of every thousand workers may be at risk for heat stress. In some occupations like mining, construction, and manufacturing, workers are even more susceptible. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)’s Heat Stress Guide notes that work sites that increase workers’ “deep core temperature (often listed as higher than 100.4°F [38°C])” contribute to on-the-job heat stress.
How Hot Is Too Hot?
OSHA doesn’t define any specific baseline temperature as being especially risky for workers, but OSHA does advise workers to take extra precautions depending on the heat index. This measurement takes into account the actual temperature of the air plus the humidity, and these values combined are a better indication than temperature of how hot conditions will feel to workers. The higher this index, the hotter you feel, and the higher the risk:
Heat index less than 91°F – Lower risk level – “Basic heat safety and planning”
Heat index 91°F-103°F – Moderate risk level – “Implement precautions and heighten awareness”
Heat index 103°F-115°F – High risk level – “Additional precautions to protect workers”
Heat index greater than 115°F – Very high to extreme risk level – “Triggers even more aggressive protective measures”
How Can Your PPE Help to Prevent Heat Stress?
To help prevent heat stress, your PPE should have an overall track record of being lightweight, enabling mobility, and feeling comfortable even in hot conditions.
For a full-body harness, this means including features that can help it keep its cool while stored, while being worn in the sun with a breeze, and while being at work in the sun with no breeze. When evaluating a harness, considerations include:
Overall temperature comfort
Temperature fluctuations over extended wear time
Heating up and cooling down speed
If you want a harness developed using a background of anthropometric data, ergonomic and range-of-motion studies, plus heat mapping, consider the MSA V-FLEX™ Full-Body Harness. Its features include:
Lighter-weight, lower-profile padding contoured along your body’s curves, reducing pinch points
Foam that stops moisture from building up and making the pad soggy
Lightweight, breathable materials that won’t prohibit your body from cooling itself down naturally, especially when covering the hottest areas of the body, which have denser soft-tissue and major arteries close to the skin
Venting positioned to help the harness cool off faster, stay cooler longer, and absorb less heat than its competitors, even during lengthy exposure to heat
Racing-style, athletic cut to the buckle so your upper body can move freely
Adjustable-waist belt that you can reposition higher or lower on your body
Bottom line, your full-body harness should help to keep you safer from on-the-job fall hazards and do its part to help you keep your cool.
Source: MSA The Safety Company
