Employers can now report fatalities and other serious workplace incidents to OSHA via an online form. OSHA rules require employers to report to the agency, within eight hours of the incident, any time a worker is killed on the job. Serious injuries must be reported within 24 hours including amputations, loss of an eye, or an incident where an employee is hospitalized (in-patient vs a visit to the emergency room.) The online reporting form was added to the agency’s “Report a Fatality or Severe Injury” page in December. Employers may also report incidents by contacting their local OSHA office or calling OSHA’s 24-hour hotline at 800-321-6742. The form is available at www.osha.gov/pls/ser/serf
Baron personnel recently assisted several clients with creating and updating their Lockout/Tagout (LOTO) procedures. Proper lockout/tagout practices and procedures safeguard workers from the release of hazardous energy. The OSHA standard is found at 29 CFR 1910.147 and it outlines specific action and procedures for addressing and controlling hazardous energy during servicing and maintenance of machines and equipment. Using an iPad, Baron’s personnel spent several days walking through the clients’ facilities, taking photos of all manufacturing and building maintenance equipment, taking photos of the energy source(s) for each, and creating the LOTO procedures for each piece of equipment, speci
Baron Environmental Associates regularly attends the quarterly Industrial Stakeholders Group meeting held by the NJDEP’s Air Quality Permitting Department. Each meeting gives industry an opportunity to meet with DEP policy makers, permit writers, and enforcement officers and discuss the latest developments in the sector. The latest meeting was held on Friday, March 11th. Below is a brief description of the major talking points from the meeting: - Emission Credit Program The opening discussion revolved around the issues being faced by the Banked Emission Credits program. In short, New Jersey is divided into two sections by the EPA (which also include some areas in surrounding states) and
Baron's EHS (Environmental, Health & Safety) Risk Mitigation program is now available to all clients! Baron’s EHS Risk Mitigation program has been developed based on the needs of our clients to reduce risk and uncertainty. The EHS Risk Mitigation program features a series of periodic, customized visits that focus on an individual facility’s needs. Significant risks are eliminated. Facility Managers (and others within the company) have liability not only for civil financial penalties, but also for criminal enforcement if knowing violations are unaddressed. A single penalty from any agency can easily be $15,000 or more, which far exceeds our annual risk mitigation cost. For example, having
