January 1, 2019

IN THIS ISSUE

What’s Happening Michigan Becomes First State to Lower Acceptable Blood Lead Levels for Workers STOP FALLS. SAVE LIVES. 2019 Campaign to Focus on Slips and Trips New MIOSHA Posters Coffee with MIOSHA Event Scheduled Consultation Staff Update Michigan Worker Deaths of 2018

Media Variances Quick Links

WHAT’S HAPPENING

Michigan Becomes First State to Lower Acceptable Blood Lead Levels for Workers An important step toward keeping Michigan workers safe from lead exposure in the workplace took place in December with the filing of updated administrative rules that lower acceptable blood lead levels, replacing decades-old standards. The new rules became effective December 11, 2018. Click HERE to read the full press release.

Hear MIOSHA Director Bart Pickelman discuss Michigan’s new standards for lower blood lead levels for workers in a recent radio interview on WILS Morning Wake-up with Dave Akerly in Lansing by clicking HERE.

STOP FALLS. SAVE LIVES. 2019 Campaign to Focus on Slips and Trips

Raising awareness of fall hazards through continuous education and training, having appropriate equipment, and maintaining diligent safety practices on the job site, will further help decrease workplace fatalities due to falls. For free statewide assistance, companies can call the CET Division at 517-284-7720; toll-free at 800-866-4674, or visit the MIOSHA website.

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Since the start of MIOSHA’s Stop Falls. Save Lives. safety awareness campaign two years ago, fatalities due to falls have decreased, but there are still too many! This year’s 2019 campaign will focus on reducing worker deaths due to slips and trips. In 2016, prior to the start of the Stop Falls. Save Lives. campaign, fatalities due to falls were at 51 percent (22 of 43 fatalities); dropped to 39 percent after the first year of the campaign in 2017, and decreased further to 17 percent in 2018. Each year, the campaign targets specific industries or areas where worker fatalities due to falls have increased.

New MIOSHA Posters Even if you’ve never worked with MIOSHA you’ve probably seen our #1 publication, the Michigan Safety and Health Protection on the Job poster (CET#2010). MIOSHA Part 13. Inspections and Investigations, Citations and Proposed Penalties requires employers to post a notice furnished by the department, informing employees of the protections and obligations provided for in the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Act, 1974 P.A. 154, as amended. Part 13 also requires employers to take steps to ensure that the notice is readable, but it does not specify or require that the notice be posted in an employee’s native language (e.g., Spanish). Last year one of our safety officers noted: “The metropolitan Detroit area is not limited to just English and Spanish speaking employers/employees. We have the largest concentration of Middle Eastern persons in the United States, in addition to groups such as Albanian, Lithuanian, Polish, Vietnamese, and Chinese to name a few.” Are there plans to translate

Coffee with MIOSHA Event Scheduled MIOSHA and the West Michigan Chapter of the American Society of Safety Professionals (WMASSP) invite all West Michigan employers and employees to share a cup of coffee and learn about the importance of workplace safety and health of Michigan workers. MIOSHA Consultation Education and Training Director Nella Davis-Ray will be the presenter. After the presentation, you will have the opportunity to talk with MIOSHA representatives one-on-one and ask any questions you have. “Coffee with MIOSHA” offers an informal opportunity for employers, workers and company leaders to meet with MIOSHA representatives (consultative and enforcement) to ask questions, obtain information on program services and resources, learn about MIOSHA Training Institute (MTI) opportunities, and establish rapport. You do not need to be a WMASSP member to attend. DATE: Wednesday, January 16, 2019 TIME: 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. LOCATION: Kent Power, 7800 Childsdale NE, Rockford, MI 49341 COST: Free; Sponsored by Kent Power RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/coffee-with-miosha-tickets-50752235302

MIOSHA partners with organizations throughout the state to offer “Coffee with MIOSHA” periodically throughout the year at various venues and is offered at no charge to employers or workers. Check MIOSHA’s website for upcoming events. Also available at no cost to employers, is MIOSHA’s Consultation Education and Training (CET) Division services. CET consultants are available to help employers develop and implement long-term safety and health programs and comply with current MIOSHA regulations. For free statewide assistance, companies can call the CET Division at 517-284-7720, toll-free at 800-866-4674, or visit the website at www.michigan.gov/miosha.

MIOSHA documents into other languages? We agree there is a need to provide MIOSHA information in other languages but found hard copy printing in multiple languages to be cost prohibitive. So, we considered another option. We had the required Safety and Health Protection on the Job Poster translated into Arabic, Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean and Polish. These five new versions of the poster can now be downloadable as a PDF file from our website.

Consultation Staff Update Tom Hansen is now a Construction Safety Consultant for the southeastern Michigan counties. Tom worked as a Construction Safety and Health Division compliance officer for more than eight years before joining the CET Division of MIOSHA. Inspecting jobsites for compliance with safety standards, investigating construction accidents, and testifying on behalf of the State in court cases are just a few of the roles he has served. Tom also represented the Construction Division on MIOSHA’s Safety and Health Advisory Committee for more than six years. Tom is a journeyman bricklayer by trade, having served an apprenticeship with the Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers MI Local. As a tradesman, he was fortunate to work on high profile jobs such as the Hall of Justice in Lansing and the Breslin Center at MSU. Tom has an Associate of Applied Science and a Bachelor of Science degree. His collective experiences working in the trades and with MIOSHA’s construction safety standards have well prepared Tom to pass along his passion for safety in the workplace. Michigan Worker Deaths of 2018 The 35th, 36th, and 37th reported Michigan worker deaths of 2018 occurred on December 4, 12, and 15. The information below shares preliminary details about the most recent fatalities reported to the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA) which is believed to be covered by the MIOSH Act. The description reflects information provided to MIOSHA at the initial report of the incident and is not the result of the official MIOSHA investigation. Preliminary summary of incident #35: On December 4th, at approximately 7:00 p.m., a 24-year-old mechanic was found underneath a powered industrial truck.

Preliminary summary of incident #36: On December 12th, at approximately 7:40 a.m., a 36-year-old operator was loading garbage and was run over by a heavy loader.

Preliminary summary of incident #37: On December 15th, a 44-year-old general maintenance worker died from injuries sustained from a propane gas explosion that occurred on July 8, 2018. Propane tanks were being used to heat a cabin to exterminate bedbugs. There were 39 MIOSHA-related deaths in 2017. 2009 saw the lowest number with 24. Every life is precious. Our mutual goal must be that every employee goes home at the end of their shift every day! If you need help or assistance in ensuring your workplace is safe, MIOSHA is here with resources to help. The CET Division provides workplace safety and health training and consultations to employers and employees throughout Michigan, free of charge. Contact CET today at 800-866-4674 or submit a request online.

MEDIA December 3, 2018 - MIOSHA Invites Employers and Workers to Free "Coffee with MIOSHA" on December 21 in Marquette

December 13, 2018 - Michigan Becomes First State to Lower Acceptable Blood Lead Levels for Workers VARIANCES Variances from MIOSHA standards must be made available to the public in accordance with Part 12, Variances (R408.22201 to 408.22251). MIOSHA variances are published on the MIOSHA website.

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