IN THIS ISSUE:
· OSHA's Top 10 in 2006
· GAO Wants More Congressional Oversight
· Scott's Corner
· Using Cell Phone Won't Cause Cancer
· Coastal's 2006 Best-Sellers
· Deconstructing Falls


December 15, 2006
Volume 4, Number 24
OSHA'S TOP 10 IN 2006
Report lists most frequently cited standards
Scaffolding, hazard communication and fall protection are once again among the most frequently cited standards by OSHA, reports Safety+Health magazine.

The latest report ranks the standards OSHA most often used in 2006 to smack violators with citations. They are:
  1. Scaffolding
  2. Hazard communication
  3. Fall protection
  4. Respiratory protection
  5. Lockout/tagout
  6. Powered industrial trucks
  7. Electrical wiring
  8. Machine guarding
  9. Ladders
  10. Electrical.


Click here to access more information from the list.
GAO WANTS MORE CONGRESSIONAL OVERSIGHT
Occupational safety on the list
It might be a good idea to review workplace regulations and other government activities to ensure workplace safety is being provided, the Government Accountability Office suggested in a report to Congress last month.

The report laid out for members of Congress several areas within the government that GAO believes are in need of oversight, one of which is workplace safety. Driving the need is the changing nature of work and dramatic changes in the workforce itself. It's important for government regulations and other activities to reflect these changing conditions, it said.

Key areas GAO suggested for oversight:
  • Determine how well OSHA's enforcement program has adapted to changes in the workforce.
  • Assess the effectiveness of OSHA's recent efforts to assist employers in improving the safety and health of workers.
  • Examine the impact of recent efforts by the Mine Safety and Health Administration to protect the safety and health of mine workers.
  • Assess the preparedness of federal agencies to protect their employees in emergencies, while relying on a multi-sector workforce to perform its essential operations and return to normal operations.
Click here to read the full report.
SCOTT'S CORNER
A message from E. Scott Geller, Ph.D.
Ease Sensory Overload

As currently used for safety, signs, slogans, exhortations and objectives might only raise expectations without giving relevant and meaningful direction. If that's the case, they might as well be eliminated.

Consider six guidelines for increasing the impact of activator techniques:
  1. Get specific
  2. Avoid complacency
  3. Vary the message
  4. Involve the workers
  5. Carefully consider placement
  6. Specify consequences.
 Edited from the book, People-Based Safety: The Source.


Click here or call
1-888-201-1150 to learn more about the next evolution in safety... People-Based Safety™.

Click here to visit the People-Based Safety™ blog!
USING CELL PHONE WON'T CAUSE CANCER
Study finds long-term users not at risk
Maybe the oft-repeated "cell phones cause brain cancer" argument can finally be laid to rest. A new Danish study has found no evidence that cell phone users are at greater risk of cancer, not even among those who have used cell phones as long as 21 years.

The study involved more than 420,000 Danes who received their first cell phone between 1982 and 1995. Most had cell phone service for 8.5 years. Researchers then tracked cancers among the cell phone users from the start in 1982-1995 through 2002. They found the group's rate of cancer was actually slightly lower than Denmark's expected cancer rate for the general population.

Researchers did not know why the cancer rate registered lower, but surmised that cell phone users might lead healthier lifestyles.
COASTAL'S 2006 BEST-SELLERS
Help protect the safety and health of your employees and comply with applicable regulations with Coastal's 2006 best-selling programs! Click each title to preview the program online, or click here to have free 7-day previews shipped directly to your facility. Plus, don't forget about our Year-End Special — going on now! All DVDs, videos and CD-ROMs: Buy 5 for $1,195 or buy 10 for $1,995! Also, upgrade to ClarityNet HD eLearning and receive $1,500 off the server set-up fee. But hurry, offer expires 12/29/06!
DECONSTRUCTING FALLS
Agency to talk with journeymen, apprentices
NIOSH and several partners have begun a study of construction worker falls and close calls in an attempt to better understand why falls are the number one cause of fatal injuries in the construction industry.

As part of the project, apprentices and journeymen will evaluate two training tools to promote hazard recognition on job sites. In addition, NIOSH will use discussions with journeymen ironworkers who have experience with falls and close calls to identify and eliminate working conditions that may contribute to them.
Click here for NIOSH resources on construction safety.

Volume 4, Number 24 | © 2006 Coastal Training Technologies Corp.
500 Studio Drive | Virginia Beach, VA 23452 | 1-888-574-8531 | www.coastal.com

For FREE online previews visit www.coastal.com. To have your FREE 7-day previews shipped directly to your facility, simply call 1-888-574-8531 or email sales@coastal.com. Please be sure to give your name, facility name, address and phone number.

Please note: Safety Currents Express is a complimentary bimonthly newsletter updating you on the latest trends, news and information. All issues may be forwarded in their entirety via e-mail. Materials in this issue may only be reprinted with permission.

Click here to visit our Safety Training blog!

SUBSCRIBE
Are you receiving Safety Currents Express from a friend or co-worker? Would you like your own FREE subscription? Click here to subscribe.

CHANGE EMAIL FORMAT
Click here to change the format in which you wish to receive email.

UNSUBSCRIBE
Click here if you no longer wish to receive email updates from Safety Currents Express. Or, reply to this newsletter with REMOVE in the subject line.