| Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. | |||
 |
|||
|
It's Time! Registration is Open for the First Annual Conference  The conference will offer unique benefits not commonly found in other safety and health conferences—namely, extensive networking opportunities and no less than eight synergistic panel presentations plus access to the World of Concrete--the largest construction trade show in the US.
The event brings the foremost VPP experts and
thought-provoking leaders in construction safety together for three
days of important learning. Presenters include OSHA Challenge
Administrators, Coordinators and participants including invited OSHA
officials plus SGEs (Special Government Employees). If you have a
vested interest in construction safety - you won't want to miss this
event.
Sponsors are needed to support this inaugural event. Contact
info@vppac.org for details.
Registration is open with early bird savings and a
complimentary ticket to the SOLD-OUT show: The Beatles LOVE by
Cirque du Soleil. Early registration ends November 21, 2008.
 Not Yet a Member? Enjoy the benefits of VPPAC.org membership. Download an application or email us with questions. A Special Thank You to Our Sponsors VPPAC.org relies on the support of its sponsors to help promote excellence in safety. We invite you to join VPPAC.org's "Wall of Fame" and become a sponsor along with these fine organizations.              The Association of State Dam Safety Officials estimates that $36.2 billion is needed to rehabilitate all dams across the nation, and $10.1 billion is needed over the next 12 years to address the most critical dams, both public and private, that pose a direct risk to human life should they fail. Needed repairs to publicly owned dams are estimated at $5.9 billion. - From the American Society of Civil Engineers Your Body As a Power Tool
Which body positions and movements are dangerous and inefficient? What are some alternative ways of using your body that may maximize your performance and keep you safe and healthy? Get the answers in this article.
Combating the Increasing Risk in Temporary
Work Zones
To combat the increasing risk in our work zones to road workers, motorists, pedestrians and bicyclists, now more than ever it is critical that organizations conducting temporary work zone operations proactively insure the effective training of their personnel. Read the full article: Combating the Increasing Risk in Temporary Work Zones. Get Connected!
"The Safety Zone" always needs your input. Would you like to
be a guest columnist? Do you have an interesting update or
industry facts that would be of interest to our readers? Do
you have an opinion you'd like to share? Please be in
touch and submit
your content, thoughts and feedback. The VPPAC Team
A Busy Fall! | So much going on! We are super-busy working on the First Annual Conference. We've had tremendous responses so far and we are thrilled with how the sessions are filling out. Call me personally if I can answer any questions at 937-321-7233. If you can help us support or promote the event through your organization, please send us an email at info@vppac.org and we'll get back to you pronto. The construction industry's focus on safety is in high-gear too! Here's what's covered in this issue of The Safety Zone:
 Michael W. Hayslip Esq, PE, CSP Executive Director VPPAC.org You may always contact me at hayslip@vppac.org or 937-321-7233. The DEPARTMENT OF LABOR, through the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for Cranes & Derricks in Construction in the Federal Register as of Oct 9, 2008. Here is a link to that information: [Docket ID-OSHA-2007-0066] [RIN 1218-AC01]. Download the proposal. (Note: this PDF is over 1 MB; 242 pages). Comments to OSHA are due by December 8, 2008.
Preventing
Fatal Falls in Construction is a new resource on OSHA's Web site for
employers and employees in the construction industry. This new Web
page is a central repository of resources targeting ways employers
and employees can prevent construction-related falls.
VPPAC.org recommends
subscribing
to OSHA’s
twice monthly e-news memo with information, updates, and results
from OSHA about safety and health in America's workplaces. Here are
a few excerpts from recent issues. October 1, 2008 Trenching and excavation work creates many hazards which can prove fatal to the employees doing the work. Cave-ins are perhaps the most dangerous trenching hazard and can be minimized or prevented by protective systems such as shielding (trench boxes) or benching, sloping and shoring. But other potential hazards exist including falls, falling loads, hazardous atmospheres, vehicular traffic and operating equipment. The following are some general trenching and excavation safety rules.
OSHA's
Safety and Health Topics Page on Trenching and Excavation is a
resource featuring the potential hazards and possible abatements for
the hazards associated with trenching and excavation work. The
trenching and excavation section of OSHA's
Construction eTool is an additional resource that employers can
use to prevent workplace injuries and help keep employees safe on
the job. Visit OSHA's
Web site for more materials focusing on safety and health
information and abating workplace dangers. The Mine Safety and
Health Administration (MSHA) published a proposed Drug and Alcohol
Testing rule (Alcohol- and Drug-Free Mines: Policy, Prohibitions,
Testing, Training, and Assistance) in the Federal Register on
September 8, 2008.
Download the proposal. MSHA has held a public hearing on the
issue and just announced a second public hearing to be held Tuesday
(October 28, 2008) and an extension of the comment period until
November 10, 2008.
The National
Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators has
introduced a
certification program for signalpersons. We are told the program
follows the intent of the latest revision of the ASME B30.5 standard
for mobile and locomotive cranes, the ASME B30.3 standard for
construction tower cranes, and the imminent OSHA proposed rule that
will revise Subpart N for cranes.
This is NCCCO's fourth personnel certification program, following mobile, tower, and overhead crane operator programs. More than 325,000 written and practical exams have been administered to some 65,000 crane operators since those programs began.
OSHA Names New Directorate of Technical Support and Emergency
Management (TSEM)
VPPAC.org would like to congratulate Mr. Thomas M. Galassi in his appointment as OSHA's director of the newly named Directorate of Technical Support and Emergency Management (TSEM), formerly the Directorate of Science, Technology and Medicine. Mr. Galassi most recently served nine years as deputy director of OSHA's Directorate of Enforcement Programs. "I am confident that the creation of the Directorate of Technical Support and Emergency Management, and the support of the talented OSHA team we already have, will further enhance the agency's leadership in protecting the working men and women of this country, whether they are engaged in their normal work or involved in the challenging tasks of response and recovery," Foulke said.
Talks Continue for an In response to the continued economic crisis, Congressional Democrats met the week of (October 13, 2008 ) to discuss another possible economic stimulus package to be enacted after the elections. A proposal put forward this week by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) would inject $150 billion into the economy by spending on infrastructure, extending unemployment benefits, and creating some tax rebates. The House is expected to hold hearings on these proposals the week of October 29. The U.S. Department of Transportation estimates that for every $1 billion in federal spending on highways, approximately 36,000 jobs are created. Further, a recent study by the U.S. Conference of Mayors found that every additional dollar spent on water and sewer infrastructure increased GDP in the long-term by $6.35 and adding one job in sewer infrastructure creates 3.68 jobs to support that job. Additionally, many states have projects ready to go that can create jobs quickly. 
This special package includes:
Combined, these standards give you what you need to conduct safe crane operations.
|
| |
Connecting to Facebook
