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Preparing for the Arctic Freeze

Before the snow and the frigid blasts of arctic weather arrive, it’s important to prepare your facility and your employees. Preparations now can save costly damage and maintain important fire and life safety systems. Prepare all sprinkler systems, heating systems, process equipment, emergency generator, and snow removal equipment or service.  Check that sufficient heat will be available in buildings protected by wet pipe sprinkler systems.  Any hidden pipes alongside roofs edges and walls are susceptible to freezing.  Drain condensate from the ...

Steer Clear of Deer This Season

UNSWERVING ADVICE FOR DRIVERS: STEER CLEAR OF DEER Soaring deer populations and weather conditions during travel this season can be a dangerous combination for motorists — especially uninsured ones. Animals, particularly deer, are a factor in many traffic accidents. Although most deer and other animal-related accidents do not involve human fatalities, they do contribute to insurance claims and auto damages each year. While most deer-related accidents involve only one car, if a motorist swerves away from an animal and hits another car or another's property, he ...

OSHA Issues Stronger Workplace Guidance on Coronavirus

OSHA announced that it has issued stronger safety guidance to help employers implement coronavirus protection programs and identify risks that could lead to exposure. This announcement comes after President Biden’s executive order last week directing OSHA to provide employers with better guidance on preventing COVID-19 exposure. “Protecting Workers: Guidance on Mitigating and Preventing the Spread of COVID-19 in the Workplace” identifies several elements essential employers should include in their COVID-19 prevention programs, Including: Conducting a hazard assessment. Identify control measures to limit ...

Ohio Legislators Pass Coronavirus Immunity Bill

The Ohio House and Senate passed legislation this week to address liability protections for employers as they re-open. This legislation is awaiting Gov. DeWine’s signature. He has indicated support for this concept. Under House Bill 606, all Ohio employers are granted qualified immunity from lawsuits alleging their action or inaction exposed someone to COVID-19. This immunity exists from the date of the governor’s state of emergency order – March 9, 2020 – and ends on Sept. 30, 2021. This means Ohio businesses will have immunity from these types of lawsuits ...

CoVid-19 and Workers Comp

Common annual infections, such as a cold or the flu, have not been considered compensable workers' compensation injuries. Even though every state has its own legal interpretations to this rule, if the place of employment has a high risk of contraction of a illnesses like COVID-19, workers' compensation agencies may have decided that an employee's exposure is compensable. Other workers with jobs previously considered safe, such as grocery store checkout clerks, are now frontline workers of the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to this change, some states ...

CoVid-19 Reopening Business

General Resources Resuming Business Toolkit CDC has developed a toolkit to guide employers as they seek to resume normal or phased business operations. The toolkit is based on CDC’s Interim Guidance for Businesses and Employers Responding to COVID-19 and is designed to assist employers as they implement that guidance in their workplaces. These tools will help employers in planning, preparing, and responding to COVID-19. For More Information For more information, please visit the COVID-19 webpage. To stay up to date on new developments, sign ...

OSHA Revises Recordkeeping of Covid-19 Cases

OSHA has revised its enforcement policy for recordable cases of COVID-19  , adding that it will increase workplace inspections. Previously OSHA was not requiring most employers outside of the health care industry to record cases of COVID-19 among their employees, under interim guidance issued April 10. Now, OSHA states that COVID-19 cases are recordable if the illness is confirmed as COVID-19, the illness is work-related as defined by 29 CFR 1904.5 and the case involves at least one of the general recording criteria listed ...

Alternative Facemasks

Because a significant portion of the population who have coronavirus lack symptoms (“asymptomatic”) and can transmit the virus to others, the CDC now recommends wearing cloth face coverings in public settings.  It is critical to emphasize that maintaining 6-feet social distancing remains important to slowing the spread of the virus.  The cloth face coverings can also slow the spread of the virus and help people who may have the virus and do not know it from transmitting it to others.  The cloth ...

CoVid-19, Flu, Cold or Allergies - Which is It?

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Ergonomics While Working at Home

If you are working at home on a more full time basis it’s very different from doing it for a short while.  Having the right setup will keep you productive and more comfortable.  It can even help lower stress.   Do a quick review of your work-at-home setup and get it as ergonomically correct as possible.   When seated, your elbows and knees should be close to a 90-degree angle. This is the best position to try to be in ...

Working From Home -Tips and Tricks

Many people are working from home. With some assistance from NPR we compiled some tips and tricks from NPR to provide some productive and safe advice in the event you need to start working from home.  Written by Yuki Noguchi, NPR Get your technology in order. Technology is what enables remote work in the first place. Utilize applications such as Slack, Microsoft Teams, Skype, Zoom or GoToMeeting for communication Make sure you have bandwidth. Many conferences and almost all nonessential work travel are ...

If an employee gets sick with CoVid-19 is it OSHA Recordable?

OSHA - Recording workplace exposures to COVID-19 OSHA recordkeeping requirements at 29 CFR Part 1904 mandate covered employers record certain work-related injuries and illnesses on their OSHA 300 log. COVID-19 can be a recordable illness if a worker is infected as a result of performing their work-related duties. However, employers are only responsible for recording cases of COVID-19 if all of the following are met: The case is a confirmed case of COVID-19 (see CDC information on persons under investigation and presumptive positive and ...