Boiler and Pressure Vessel
Rules Revised
Virginia's Boiler and Pressure Vessel Regulations
have been revised to address low water conditions that can cause accidents.
Drive Safely Work Week
October 6-10 is Drive Safely
Work Week, a national workplace traffic safety campaign sponsored by the
Network of Employers for Traffic Safety (NETS) to help employers promote
safe driving practices within their places of business. A wide variety
of resource material is available through NETS.
New VPP Star Worksites
VOSH has certified Kentucky
Derby Hosiery in Wytheville and re-certified Lockheed Martin in Manassas
as Voluntary Protection Program Star worksites. VPP
is Virginia's recognition program for general industry companies of any
size while the Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program (SHARP)
through VOSH Consultation Services is specifically for companies with
250 or fewer employees. Complete listings of both VPP Star and SHARP participants
are available on DOLI's Web site.
New Wage Payment Method
Approved
Virginia's revised Payment of Wage Law permits the use of pay
cards as a method of paying wages. These cards provide immediate access
to wages for withdrawal of cash or for using the card as a debit card.
Safety and Health
Codes Board Meeting
The Virginia Safety and Health Codes Board will meet at 10:00 AM, November
5, 2003 in Court Room A of the State Corporation Commission in the Tyler
Building at 1300 E. Main Street, Richmond. For additional information,
contact Regina Cobb at 804.786.0610 or shcb@doli.state.va.us.
Safety and Health
Training
VOSH Consultation Services will partner with Associated General Contractors
Central District Safety Alliance to sponsor trenching safety training
in Lynchburg on Wednesday, October 22. Registration forms [PDF
and MS Word]
are provided for convenience. The Department of Human Resource Management,
OTI and the National Safety Council also offer training
sessions in Virginia and surrounding states.
Virginia's Legal Presence
Law
A new law, effective January 1, 2004, will require all applicants for
an original Virginia driver's license or for a DMV-issued photo ID card
to show proof that they are legally in the United States. DMV
wants all customers to be aware of the new requirements.
The following items have been reprinted
from OSHA's Quick Takes. Some items have been edited for this publication.
New Publication Tells
Role of OSHA and Partners at World Trade Center Site
The critical role OSHA and its partners played in protecting workers at
the World Trade Center site following the 9/11 terrorist attacks is chronicled
in a new publication Inside
the Green Line. The "green line" signified the perimeter
of the disaster site where, for 10 months, OSHA worked with the City of
New York, construction contractors, labor unions and others in government
to protect the well-being of workers. Not a single life was lost inside
the green line during the recovery effort.
Electronic Assistance
Tool Focuses on Young Workers in Agriculture
It's estimated that more than two million young people are exposed to
farm safety hazards each year. To help ensure that they have every opportunity
to be safe on the job, OSHA developed a web-based training tool called
Youth
in Agriculture. The eTool presents case studies that describe common
hazards and offers potential safety solutions in various areas including
farm equipment operations, confined spaces, and prevention of common injuries
resulting from falls, electrocutions, and chemical exposures.
New Safety and Health
Topics Added on OSHA's Website
Several new subjects have been added to OSHA's Safety and Health Topics
web page that may be of interest to our readers. Assistance for the Airline
Industry provides information for employers and airline industry workers.
Four specific disciplines are addressed in the Printing
Industry page including lithography, flexography, gravure, and screen
printing. The page presents links to resources that provide useful safety
and health information about the printing industry. The Electrical
Contractors page offers information about the hazards facing electrical
workers daily. OSHA has published important safety and health and regulatory
information on radiation
and non-ionizing
radiation (e.g., radio waves, microwaves, etc.). Details on three
health-related topics are also available, including tuberculosis,
isocyanates,
and Legionnaires'
disease. The agency also added to its existing asbestos topics page,
a self-inspection
checklist to help employers determine compliance to the asbestos standard.
Finally, information on preventing occupational illness and injury in
the trucking
industry is also available that includes links to applicable Department
of Transportation and Environmental Protection Agency compliance requirements
related to worker protection.