Highlights – Participants may earn a safety and health fundamentals certificate for Construction, Maritime, or General Industry after completing a minimum of 7 courses comprised of a minimum of 68 (Construction and General Industry) or 77 (Maritime) contact hours of training.

• OSHA’s Safety and Health Fundamentals Certificate program support’s OSHA’s mission by training public and private sector employees in occupational safety and health to reduce incident rates for workers.
• Participants have the opportunity to earn certificates for Construction, Maritime, and General Industry training.

Participants can choose from a variety of topics such as occupational safety and health standards, safety and health management, incident investigation, fall hazard awareness, and recordkeeping. Courses are available at OSHA Training Institute (OTI) Education Centers nationwide.

• Program Information All courses required to complete the certificate program are available through OTI Education Centers.
• To be awarded a certificate, students must successfully complete a minimum of 68 (Construction and General Industry) or 77 (Maritime) contact hours.
• Courses are transferable and may be completed at different OTI Education Centers.

For locations nationwide, please view the OTI Education Centers Map, For additional information, please see the FAQs or contact an OTI Education Center. How to Apply

Review program requirements to determine the appropriate certificate program ( Construction, Maritime, or General Industry ). Find and register for courses at an OTI Education Center using the Searchable Course Schedule, Upon completion of required courses, contact the OTI Education Center to request an application form. Submit the completed form and supporting documentation to the OTI Education Center.

What’s the highest OSHA certification?

Issued after 2/29/16 – These hierarchy charts illustrate the levels of training achievement reflected by the trainer and student cards issued through the OSHA Outreach Training Programs. At the top of the hierarchy are the trainer cards which reflect the highest level of achievement and proficiency.

1. Trainer card,
2. Signifies authority to teach 10- and 30-hour outreach courses and receive OSHA student completion cards.
3. Individuals become authorized by meeting training and industry safety experience requirements.
4. In order to provide flexibility, trainers are allowed to tailor the 10- and 30-hour training topics to meet the needs of their audience.

OSHA specifies mandatory topics along with flexible topic requirements for each industry. Trainer courses are offered by the OSHA Training Institute (OTI) Education Centers, Trainers must update their training every 4 years.30-hour card, Students who attend the 30-hour course receive this card.

1. The 30-hour course is intended for supervisors or for workers with some safety responsibility.
2. It provides a greater depth and variety of training on an expanded list of topics associated with workplace hazards than the 10-hour course.
3. Please note that these cards are not issued for completion of OSHA #510 or OSHA #511 courses.10-hour card,

Students who attend the 10-hour course receive this card. The 10-hour course is intended for entry level workers. This course provides information about worker rights, employer responsibilities, and how to file a complaint and provides basic awareness training on the recognition, avoidance, abatement, and prevention of workplace hazards.

What is the OSHA requirement for fall protection?

What can be done to reduce falls? – Employers must set up the work place to prevent employees from falling off of overhead platforms, elevated work stations or into holes in the floor and walls. OSHA requires that fall protection be provided at elevations of four feet in general industry workplaces, five feet in shipyards, six feet in the construction industry and eight feet in longshoring operations.

Guard every floor hole into which a worker can accidentally walk (using a railing and toe-board or a floor hole cover). Provide a guard rail and toe-board around every elevated open sided platform, floor or runway. Regardless of height, if a worker can fall into or onto dangerous machines or equipment (such as a vat of acid or a conveyor belt) employers must provide guardrails and toe-boards to prevent workers from falling and getting injured. Other means of fall protection that may be required on certain jobs include safety harness and line, safety nets, stair railings and hand rails.

OSHA requires employers to:

Provide working conditions that are free of known dangers. Keep floors in work areas in a clean and, so far as possible, a dry condition. Select and provide required personal protective equipment at no cost to workers. Train workers about job hazards in a language that they can understand.

What is the meaning of OSHA?

‘OSHA’ Stands for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration of the United. States Department of Labor, formed by the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970.

What are the requirements for OSHA training in PA?

There is no official certification required to teach most OSHA training classes in Pennsylvania. However, you must make certain that on site OSHA 10 or 30-hour training classes are conducted by a trainer who is officially authorized to conduct these OSHA courses.

The trainer must first complete a series of OSHA trainer classes provided by one of the OSHA Education centers located around the country. You can confirm their status as a currently authorized OSHA Outreach trainer by asking to look at their credentials proving they completed the following trainer courses.

Construction industry trainers must successfully complete the OSHA 510 course, followed by the OSHA 500 course. This qualifies the trainer to conduct OSHA 10-hour construction training in Pennsylvania and anywhere else in the USA and territories for a four-year period.

• The trainer is also authorized to conduct OSHA 30-hour construction training in PA and elsewhere.
• To maintain their status as an authorized OSHA Outreach trainer for construction, they must complete the OSHA 502 trainer update course every four years.
• General industry trainers must successfully complete the OSHA 511 course, followed by the OSHA 501 course.

This qualifies the trainer to conduct OSHA 10-hour general industry training in Pennsylvania and anywhere else in the USA and territories for a four-year period. The trainer is also authorized to conduct OSHA 30-hour general industry training in PA and elsewhere.

What are the OSHA levels?

What Is Covered in OSHA 10 and OSHA 30 Training? – Outreach Training Program courses, including OSHA 10-Hour training and OSHA 30-Hour training, teach workers how to recognize and avoid common job-related hazards. The program also explains employer responsibilities, workers’ rights under OSHA and how to file a complaint,

How many levels of training are there in OSHA?

Before you can enter or start work on an uncontrolled hazardous waste operation, you need to learn how to stay safe while handling dangerous chemicals. HAZWOPER training is not one-size-fits-all: Workers with different responsibilities must have training that covers what they must do—or not do—in order to protect themselves around hazardous substances.

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What are the two types of fall protection OSHA?

What kinds of Fall Protection should employers use? Generally, fall protection can be provided through the use of guardrail systems, safety net systems, or personal fall arrest systems.

Does OSHA require fall protection training?

1. By Standard Number
2. 1910.30 – Training requirements.

• Part Number: 1910
• Part Number Title: Occupational Safety and Health Standards
• Subpart: 1910 Subpart D
• Subpart Title: Walking-Working Surfaces
• Standard Number:
• Title: Training requirements.
• GPO Source:

1910.30(a)(1) Before any employee is exposed to a fall hazard, the employer must provide training for each employee who uses personal fall protection systems or who is required to be trained as specified elsewhere in this subpart. Employers must ensure employees are trained in the requirements of this paragraph on or before May 17, 2017.1910.30(a)(2) The employer must ensure that each employee is trained by a qualified person.1910.30(a)(3) The employer must train each employee in at least the following topics: 1910.30(a)(3)(i) The nature of the fall hazards in the work area and how to recognize them; 1910.30(a)(3)(ii) The procedures to be followed to minimize those hazards; 1910.30(a)(3)(iii) The correct procedures for installing, inspecting, operating, maintaining, and disassembling the personal fall protection systems that the employee uses; and 1910.30(a)(3)(iv) The correct use of personal fall protection systems and equipment specified in paragraph (a)(1) of this section, including, but not limited to, proper hook-up, anchoring, and tie-off techniques, and methods of equipment inspection and storage, as specified by the manufacturer.1910.30(b)(1) The employer must train each employee on or before May 17, 2017 in the proper care, inspection, storage, and use of equipment covered by this subpart before an employee uses the equipment.1910.30(b)(2) The employer must train each employee who uses a dockboard to properly place and secure it to prevent unintentional movement.1910.30(b)(3) The employer must train each employee who uses a rope descent system in proper rigging and use of the equipment in accordance with § 1910.27.1910.30(b)(4) The employer must train each employee who uses a designated area in the proper set-up and use of the area.1910.30(c) Retraining,

1. The employer must retrain an employee when the employer has reason to believe the employee does not have the understanding and skill required by paragraphs (a) and (b) of this section.
2. Situations requiring retraining include, but are not limited to, the following: 1910.30(c)(1) When changes in the workplace render previous training obsolete or inadequate; 1910.30(c)(2) When changes in the types of fall protection systems or equipment to be used render previous training obsolete or inadequate; or 1910.30(c)(3) When inadequacies in an affected employee’s knowledge or use of fall protection systems or equipment indicate that the employee no longer has the requisite understanding or skill necessary to use equipment or perform the job safely.1910.30(d) Training must be understandable,

The employer must provide information and training to each employee in a manner that the employee understands.

Does OSHA require fall protection on ladders?

January 13, 2000 Mr. Peter G. Chaney Mechanical Contractors Association of America, Inc.1385 Piccard Drive Rockville, MD 20850-4340 RE: Subpart X Dear Mr. Chaney: This is in response to your May 26, 1999, letter in which you ask for clarification of several issues relating to the use of fall protection when working from ladders during construction work.

You specifically ask if OSHA has any requirements for the use of fall protection when working from ladders at heights greater than six feet. We apologize for the lateness of this response. Fixed ladders: fall protection must be provided for employees climbing or working on fixed ladders above 24 feet.29 CFR 1926.1053(a)(19) states that fall protection must be provided whenever the length of climb on a fixed ladder equals or exceeds 24 feet.

A fixed ladder is “a ladder that cannot be readily moved or carried because it is an integral part of a building or structure” (§1926.1050(b)). Also, even if the length of climb is less than 24 feet, under §1926.1053(a)(18), cages, wells, ladder safety devices, or self-retracting lifelines must be provided where the top of the fixed ladder is greater than 24 feet above lower levels.

1. Portable ladders: fall protection is not required for employees climbing or working on portable ladders.
2. Neither the ladder standard (29 CFR 1926, subpart X) nor the fall protection standard (29 CFR 1926, subpart M) requires fall protection for workers while working on portable ladders.
3. You note that a number of general contractors in Georgia “are attempting to require personal fall arrest systems for their subcontractors working on ladders 6 feet or higher.” Although the OSHA standards do not require fall protection for workers on fixed ladders below 24 feet or on portable ladders, we encourage employers to provide additional protection.

Personal Fall Arrest Systems can be set up to limit arrested falls to less then 15 feet. In your letter you assert that personal fall arrest systems will not arrest a fall from an elevation lower than 15 feet. When anchored above the worker, a typical personal fall arrest system will arrest a fall in 6 feet or less.

Using a six foot lanyard, a fall distance as high as approximately 14 feet would result only if the system were anchored at the worker’s feet, as explained below. Several factors must be considered in determining how much distance will be needed for a fall arrest system to work — to prevent the worker from contacting the next lower level.

First, under §1926.502(d)(16)(iii), a personal fall arrest system must prevent the employee from contacting the level below. A 6 foot lanyard that incorporates a shock absorbing system may have a total extension of up to about 9½ feet before a fall is completely arrested.

Because the lanyard is attached to the body harness at a point that is more than half-way up the body, an additional distance of about 3-4 feet must be added to assure that no part of the employee’s body makes contact with the surface. Second, under §1926.502(d)(16)(iii), a personal fall arrest system must limit an employee’s free fall to not more than six feet.

“Free fall” is defined in the standard as “the vertical displacement of the fall arrest attachment point on the employee’s, body harness between onset of the fall and just before the system begins to apply force to arrest the fall.” If a 6 foot lanyard is rigged to an anchorage at floor level, the total free fall would be the sum of the vertical distance between the attachment point on the body harness and the floor (usually 4 to 4½ feet) plus the length of the lanyard (6 feet in this example), which totals about 10 feet.

1. That means that the use of a 6 foot lanyard, rigged to an anchorage at the worker’s feet would result in a free fall in excess of the 6 foot limit.
2. That would only be allowed where the employer cannot provide a more suitable anchorage or other form of fall protection.
3. Where a person is standing on the surface to which the arrest system is anchored, if a fall occurred, the person would first fall the distance of the anchor point to the location of the lanyard attachment on the body harness, which is usually approximately 4½ feet (this will vary with the height of the worker).

The worker would then fall the length of the lanyard, which in this example is 6 feet. Finally, assuming a shock absorbing system were incorporated into the lanyard, the worker would fall another 3½ feet if the full length of the shock absorber was used.

The total of these distances is about 14 feet. Remember that in many situations fall distances can be eliminated altogether by using restraint systems, which are set-up to prevent the worker from stepping past the walking/working surface edge. These systems are often attached to catenary lines. In work involving the construction of a “leading edge” (where the work surface itself is being constructed and advances as the work progresses), the catenary line is periodically advanced to keep pace with the advancing work.

Retractable lanyards are another option that can often be used. OSHA’s decision not to require the use of personal fall arrest systems in other situations while working on ladders. Apart from the above requirements, you ask why OSHA did not require the use of personal fall arrest equipment whenever an employee is working 15 feet or higher on a ladder (you do not specify whether you are asking this with respect to fixed or portable ladders or both).

You suggest that this may have been due to fall arrest systems causing a “greater hazard.” The preamble to the standard does not explain why fall arrest equipment was not mandated for situations other than those specified in §1926.1053(a)(18) and 1926.1053(a)(19). However, the use of personal fall protection does not generally result in a greater hazard.

Working without fall protection continues to be one of the leading causes of fatalities in the construction industry. OSHA jurisdiction in Georgia You also ask for a statement that Georgia is under the jurisdiction of Federal OSHA; it is. If you need additional information, please contact us by fax at: U.S.

1. Department of Labor, OSHA, Directorate of Construction, Office of Construction Standards and Guidance, fax # 202-693-1689.
2. You can also contact us by mail at the above office, Room N3468, 200 Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C.20210, although there will be a delay in our receiving correspondence by mail.

Sincerely, Russell B. Swanson, Director Directorate of Construction

What are examples of OSHA?

Examples of OSHA standards include require- ments to provide fall protection, prevent trenching cave-ins, prevent exposure to some infectious diseases, ensure the safety of workers who enter confined spaces, prevent exposure to such harmful substances as asbestos and lead, put guards on machines, provide respirators or

What does OSHA mean job?

Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

What are the 3 phases of an OSHA inspection?

The inspection includes an opening conference, a ‘walkaround’ of all or part of the workplace, and a closing conference. This may take a few hours or several weeks, depending on the number of hazards, workplace size, and other factors.

Is OSHA 30 required in PA?

OSHA Training Requirements for Philadelphia Construction – One group of workers in Pennsylvania are required to take OSHA Outreach training: Philadelphia construction workers and contractors. According to Philadelphia Code, Title 4, Subcode A, Section A-1001.4, you need to complete OSHA 10-hour Construction Training if you are a:

Worker directly performing permitted construction or demolition activities State-registered Home Improvement Contractor Employee of a licensed contractor (including plumbing, electrical, fire-suppression and warm-air)

All licensed contractors need to employ at least one supervisory worker who has completed OSHA 30-hour Construction Training within the last 5 years. This rule does NOT apply to plumbing, electrical, fire suppression and warm air apparatus contractors. Course guide

How long is OSHA 30 good for Philadelphia?

Pennsylvania OSHA Training National Safety Training offers the University of South Florida OSHA Outreach training courses that are accepted nationwide and throughout the state of Pennsylvania as well as by the City of Philadelphia. The OSHA 10 hour training and OSHA 30 hour training courses below can be taken for all workers in Pennsylvania (and those in Philadelphia with the new mandate) that need OSHA Outreach 10 hour or 30 hour cards.

In addition, if you relocate to another state, the same card will be honored there. The City of Philadelphia Deaprtment of Licenses and Inspections now require (as of Sept 30, 2015) all workers performing construction or demolitons activities to complete the OSHA 10 safety training. In addition, all contractors licensed under Section 9-1004 of the Philadelphia code must employ at least one supervisory employee who has completed the OSHA 30 hour safety training course within the past 5 years.

Read the official requirements here. The Department of Licenses and Inspections will begin strict enforcement of these code requirements for all licensed contractors on April 1, 2016.

Is Pennsylvania an OSHA state?

Wisconsin – Wisconsin is under federal OSHA jurisdiction which covers most private sector workers within the state. State and local government workers are not covered by federal OSHA. OSHA Wisconsin Offices

What is OSHA limit?

Inner Ear – The purpose of the inner ear is to convert mechanical sound waves to neural impulses that can be recognized by the brain. The sensory receptors that are responsible for the initiation of neural impulses in the auditory nerve are contained in the cochlea of the inner ear.

• The cochlea resembles a snail shell and spirals for about 2 3/4 turns around a bony column.
• Within the cochlea are three canals. They are called:
  • The Scala Vesibuli
  • The Scala Tympani (a bony shelf, called the spiral lamina, along with the basilar membrane and the spiral ligament, separate the upper scala vestibuli from the lower scala tympani)
  • The Scala Media (cochlear duct)
    • The scala media is a triangular-shaped duct that contains the organ of hearing, called the “organ of Corti.”
    • The basilar membrane, narrowest and stiffest near the oval window and widest at the tip of the cochlea, helps form the floor of the cochlear duct.
    • The cochlear duct is separated from the scala vestibuli by Reissner’s membrane.

Hair Cells and Cilia

• The surface of the basilar membrane contains phalangeal cells that support the critical hair cells of the organ of Corti.
• The hair cells are arranged with an inner row of about 3,500 hair cells and three to five rows of approximately 12,000 outer hair cells.
• The cilia of the hair cells extend along the entire length of the cochlear duct and are imbedded in the undersurface of the tectorial membrane.
• In general, the hair cells at the base of the cochlea respond to high-frequency sounds, while those at the apex respond to low-frequency sounds.

Activity in the Cochlea

• The movement of the stapedial footplate in and out of the oval window moves the fluid in the scala vestibuli.
• This fluid pulse travels up the scala vestibuli but causes a downward shift of the cochlear duct, along with distortion of Reissner’s membrane and a displacement of the organ of Corti.
• The activity is then transferred through the basilar membrane to the scala tympani.
• At the end of the cochlea, the round window acts as a relief point and bulges outward when the oval window is pushed inward.
• The vibration of the basilar membrane causes a pull, or shearing force, of the hair cells against the tectorial membrane.
• This bending of the hair cells activates the neural endings so that sound is transformed into an electrochemical response.
• This response travels through the vestibulocochlear nerve and the brain interprets the signal as sound.

Noise and vibration are both fluctuations in the pressure of air (or other media) which affect the human body. Vibrations that are detected by the human ear are classified as sound. We use the term ‘noise’ to indicate unwanted sound. Noise and vibration can harm workers when they occur at high levels, or continue for a long time. A wide variety of noise sources may exist in the workplace. The NIOSH Sound Level Meter App is a tool to measure sound levels in the workplace and provide noise exposure parameters to help reduce occupational noise-induced hearing loss. A more detailed explanation of common terms, good program elements, and implementation steps can be found in NIOSH Document: Preventing Occupational Hearing Loss – A Practical Guide, Publication No.96-110, (October 1996).

1. Noise is measured in units of sound pressure levels called decibels, named after Alexander Graham Bell, using A-weighted sound levels (dBA).
2. The A-weighted sound levels closely match the perception of loudness by the human ear.
3. Decibels are measured on a logarithmic scale which means that a small change in the number of decibels results in a huge change in the amount of noise and the potential damage to a person’s hearing.

OSHA sets legal limits on noise exposure in the workplace. These limits are based on a worker’s time weighted average over an 8 hour day. With noise, OSHA’s permissible exposure limit (PEL) is 90 dBA for all workers for an 8 hour day. The OSHA standard uses a 5 dBA exchange rate.

This means that when the noise level is increased by 5 dBA, the amount of time a person can be exposed to a certain noise level to receive the same dose is cut in half. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has recommended that all worker exposures to noise should be controlled below a level equivalent to 85 dBA for eight hours to minimize occupational noise induced hearing loss.

NIOSH has found that significant noise-induced hearing loss occurs at the exposure levels equivalent to the OSHA PEL based on updated information obtained from literature reviews. NIOSH also recommends a 3 dBA exchange rate so that every increase by 3 dBA doubles the amount of the noise and halves the recommended amount of exposure time.

Here’s an example: OSHA allows 8 hours of exposure to 90 dBA but only 2 hours of exposure to 100 dBA sound levels. NIOSH would recommend limiting the 8 hour exposure to less than 85 dBA. At 100 dBA, NIOSH recommends less than 15 minutes of exposure per day. In 1981, OSHA implemented new requirements to protect all workers in general industry (e.g.

the manufacturing and the service sectors) for employers to implement a Hearing Conservation Program where workers are exposed to a time weighted average noise level of 85 dBA or higher over an 8 hour work shift. Hearing Conservation Programs require employers to measure noise levels, provide free annual hearing exams and free hearing protection, provide training, and conduct evaluations of the adequacy of the hearing protectors in use unless changes to tools, equipment and schedules are made so that they are less noisy and worker exposure to noise is less than the 85 dBA.

Noise controls are the first line of defense against excessive noise exposure. The use of these controls should aim to reduce the hazardous exposure to the point where the risk to hearing is eliminated or minimized. With the reduction of even a few decibels, the hazard to hearing is reduced, communication is improved, and noise-related annoyance is reduced.

There are several ways to control and reduce worker exposure to noise in a workplace. Engineering controls that reduce sound exposure levels are available and technologically feasible for most noise sources. Engineering controls involve modifying or replacing equipment, or making related physical changes at the noise source or along the transmission path to reduce the noise level at the worker’s ear.

In some instances the application of a relatively simple engineering noise control solution reduces the noise hazard to the extent that further requirements of the OSHA Noise standard (e.g., audiometric testing (hearing tests), hearing conservation program, provision of hearing protectors, etc) are not necessary.

Examples of inexpensive, effective engineering controls include some of the following:

• Choose low-noise tools and machinery (e.g., Buy Quiet Roadmap (NASA) ).
• Maintain and lubricate machinery and equipment (e.g., oil bearings).
• Place a barrier between the noise source and employee (e.g., sound walls or curtains).
• Enclose or isolate the noise source.

Administrative controls are changes in the workplace that reduce or eliminate the worker exposure to noise. Examples include:

• Operating noisy machines during shifts when fewer people are exposed.
• Limiting the amount of time a person spends at a noise source.
• Providing quiet areas where workers can gain relief from hazardous noise sources (e.g., construct a sound proof room where workers’ hearing can recover – depending upon their individual noise level and duration of exposure, and time spent in the quiet area).
• Restricting worker presence to a suitable distance away from noisy equipment. Controlling noise exposure through distance is often an effective, yet simple and inexpensive administrative control. This control may be applicable when workers are present but are not actually working with a noise source or equipment. Increasing the distance between the noise source and the worker, reduces their exposure. In open space, for every doubling of the distance between the source of noise and the worker, the noise is decreased by 6 dBA.

Hearing protection devices (HPDs), such as earmuffs and plugs, are considered an acceptable but less desirable option to control exposures to noise and are generally used during the time necessary to implement engineering or administrative controls, when such controls are not feasible, or when worker’s hearing tests indicate significant hearing damage.

An effective hearing conservation program must be implemented by employers in general industry whenever worker noise exposure is equal to or greater than 85 dBA for an 8 hour exposure or in the construction industry when exposures exceed 90 dBA for an 8 hour exposure. This program strives to prevent initial occupational hearing loss, preserve and protect remaining hearing, and equip workers with the knowledge and hearing protection devices necessary to protect them.

Key elements of an effective hearing conservation program include:

• Workplace noise sampling including personal noise monitoring which identifies which employees are at risk from hazardous levels of noise.
• Informing workers at risk from hazardous levels of noise exposure of the results of their noise monitoring.
• Providing affected workers or their authorized representatives with an opportunity to observe any noise measurements conducted.
• Maintaining a worker audiometric testing program (hearing tests) which is a professional evaluation of the health effects of noise upon individual worker’s hearing.
• Implementing comprehensive hearing protection follow-up procedures for workers who show a loss of hearing (standard threshold shift) after completing baseline (first) and yearly audiometric testing.
• Proper selection of hearing protection based upon individual fit and manufacturer’s quality testing indicating the likely protection that they will provide to a properly trained wearer.
• Evaluate the hearing protectors attenuation and effectiveness for the specific workplace noise.
• Training and information that ensures the workers are aware of the hazard from excessive noise exposures and how to properly use the protective equipment that has been provided.
• Data management of and worker access to records regarding monitoring and noise sampling.

What are the 4 categories of OSHA?

What do the OSHA Standards Say? OSHA standards fall into four categories: General Industry, Construction, Maritime, and Agriculture.

Are there different types of OSHA?

How Are the Four Categories of Standards Related to the Types of OSHA Certification? – As we’ve said before, “certification” is not a term that OSHA is crazy about, but it’s become common vernacular for OSHA’s Outreach Training program. Outreach courses are offered in two levels – a 30-hour course if you have supervisory responsibilities and a 10-hour course if you don’t.

Getting “OSHA certified” is sometimes required by employers in high-risk industries, and sometimes it’s required by law. Like OSHA standards, OSHA certification programs are also divided up by industry. The four categories of OSHA standards almost match up with the four types of OSHA certification, but not quite.

The four categories of OSHA standards are General Industry, Construction, Maritime, and Agriculture. The four types of OSHA certification are General Industry, Construction, Maritime, and Disaster Site Worker. OSHA doesn’t manage an outreach training program for Agriculture.

Even though it’s considered separate within their standards, it’s lumped in with General Industry for Outreach Training purposes. It’s mostly about demand. OSHA does provide resources for agriculture safety training on their website, and you can find the occasional General Industry course that is tailored to agricultural work.

Meanwhile, OSHA has an outreach training program for disaster site workers even though there’s no separate standard for the work. Disaster site worker training is designed for “workers who provide skilled support (e.g. utility, demolition, debris removal, or heavy equipment operation) or clean-up services in response to natural and man-made disasters.” Disaster sites have unique hazards and workers need to be trained about them ahead of time, so OSHA designed a special training program.

What is the knowledge of OSHA?

Congress created OSHA to assure safe and healthful conditions for workers by setting and enforcing standards and providing training, outreach, education and compliance assistance. Under the OSHA law, employers are responsible for providing a safe and healthful workplace for their workers.

What is the purpose of the 300 log?

OSHA 300 Logs are valuable tools for workers and local unions to use in evaluating the types, frequency and severity of workplace injuries and illnesses. This information, in turn, can be used to identify the location and nature of workplace hazards that should be eliminated or controlled.

Is there an OSHA 300?

The OSHA Form 300 is a form for employers to record all reportable injuries and illnesses that occur in the workplace, where and when they occur, the nature of the case, the name and job title of the employee injured or made sick, and the number of days away from work or on restricted or light duty, if any.

Which is considered the most serious type of OSHA?

The 6 Types of OSHA Violations –

De Minimis Violations: A De Minimis violation is just a technical violation of OSHA rules and doesn’t lead to any heavy fines or citations. However, inspectors are still obligated to list the violation in the employer’s file and verbally inform all employees about the violation. A violation is only considered De Minimis if the possibility of an injury occurring is practically nonexistent. For example, if a ladder has 13 inches between the rungs instead of 12 inches, an employer may face a De Minimis violation. Other-than-Serious Violations: This is a violation of OSHA rules that may not lead to a serious injury or fatality, but still has the potential to put an employee’s health or safety at risk. Employers can face up to $7,000 for this type of violation, though inspectors usually reduce the penalty. An employer can receive this violation if they fail to post mandatory safety documentation in employee work areas. Repeated Violations: When OSHA issues a violation citation, they expect the safety or health hazard to be corrected immediately. If a subsequent inspection reveals that the employer failed to fix the issue, OSHA could issue a $70,000 fine. Failure to Abate Prior Violation: A violation citation always lists the date that OSHA expects a safety issue to be corrected. If the employer fails to remedy the situation, OSHA may charge them $7,000 per day until the hazard is remedied. Serious Violations: OSHA can issue a Serious Violation if an employer knows about a health or safety hazard and fails to correct it. Inspectors can fine an employer up to $7,000 for this violation. Once again, the fine may be adjusted depending on the severity of the violation and the employer’s history. Willful Violations: This is considered the most serious OSHA violation category. An employer can be issued a Willful Violation if they intentionally violate OSHA regulations or demonstrate severe disregard for their employees’ health and safety. The maximum fine for a Willful violation is $70,000. However, a Willful Violation can turn into a criminal offense if an employee is killed because of the employer’s negligence. In this circumstance, an employer can face a minimum fine of $250,000 and jail time, while a corporation may need to pay a minimum fine of $500,000.

What is OSHA limit?

Inner Ear – The purpose of the inner ear is to convert mechanical sound waves to neural impulses that can be recognized by the brain. The sensory receptors that are responsible for the initiation of neural impulses in the auditory nerve are contained in the cochlea of the inner ear.

• The cochlea resembles a snail shell and spirals for about 2 3/4 turns around a bony column.
• Within the cochlea are three canals. They are called:
  • The Scala Vesibuli
  • The Scala Tympani (a bony shelf, called the spiral lamina, along with the basilar membrane and the spiral ligament, separate the upper scala vestibuli from the lower scala tympani)
  • The Scala Media (cochlear duct)
    • The scala media is a triangular-shaped duct that contains the organ of hearing, called the “organ of Corti.”
    • The basilar membrane, narrowest and stiffest near the oval window and widest at the tip of the cochlea, helps form the floor of the cochlear duct.
    • The cochlear duct is separated from the scala vestibuli by Reissner’s membrane.

Hair Cells and Cilia

• The surface of the basilar membrane contains phalangeal cells that support the critical hair cells of the organ of Corti.
• The hair cells are arranged with an inner row of about 3,500 hair cells and three to five rows of approximately 12,000 outer hair cells.
• The cilia of the hair cells extend along the entire length of the cochlear duct and are imbedded in the undersurface of the tectorial membrane.
• In general, the hair cells at the base of the cochlea respond to high-frequency sounds, while those at the apex respond to low-frequency sounds.

Activity in the Cochlea

• The movement of the stapedial footplate in and out of the oval window moves the fluid in the scala vestibuli.
• This fluid pulse travels up the scala vestibuli but causes a downward shift of the cochlear duct, along with distortion of Reissner’s membrane and a displacement of the organ of Corti.
• The activity is then transferred through the basilar membrane to the scala tympani.
• At the end of the cochlea, the round window acts as a relief point and bulges outward when the oval window is pushed inward.
• The vibration of the basilar membrane causes a pull, or shearing force, of the hair cells against the tectorial membrane.
• This bending of the hair cells activates the neural endings so that sound is transformed into an electrochemical response.
• This response travels through the vestibulocochlear nerve and the brain interprets the signal as sound.

Noise and vibration are both fluctuations in the pressure of air (or other media) which affect the human body. Vibrations that are detected by the human ear are classified as sound. We use the term ‘noise’ to indicate unwanted sound. Noise and vibration can harm workers when they occur at high levels, or continue for a long time. A wide variety of noise sources may exist in the workplace. The NIOSH Sound Level Meter App is a tool to measure sound levels in the workplace and provide noise exposure parameters to help reduce occupational noise-induced hearing loss. A more detailed explanation of common terms, good program elements, and implementation steps can be found in NIOSH Document: Preventing Occupational Hearing Loss – A Practical Guide, Publication No.96-110, (October 1996).

• Noise is measured in units of sound pressure levels called decibels, named after Alexander Graham Bell, using A-weighted sound levels (dBA).
• The A-weighted sound levels closely match the perception of loudness by the human ear.
• Decibels are measured on a logarithmic scale which means that a small change in the number of decibels results in a huge change in the amount of noise and the potential damage to a person’s hearing.

OSHA sets legal limits on noise exposure in the workplace. These limits are based on a worker’s time weighted average over an 8 hour day. With noise, OSHA’s permissible exposure limit (PEL) is 90 dBA for all workers for an 8 hour day. The OSHA standard uses a 5 dBA exchange rate.

This means that when the noise level is increased by 5 dBA, the amount of time a person can be exposed to a certain noise level to receive the same dose is cut in half. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has recommended that all worker exposures to noise should be controlled below a level equivalent to 85 dBA for eight hours to minimize occupational noise induced hearing loss.

NIOSH has found that significant noise-induced hearing loss occurs at the exposure levels equivalent to the OSHA PEL based on updated information obtained from literature reviews. NIOSH also recommends a 3 dBA exchange rate so that every increase by 3 dBA doubles the amount of the noise and halves the recommended amount of exposure time.

Here’s an example: OSHA allows 8 hours of exposure to 90 dBA but only 2 hours of exposure to 100 dBA sound levels. NIOSH would recommend limiting the 8 hour exposure to less than 85 dBA. At 100 dBA, NIOSH recommends less than 15 minutes of exposure per day. In 1981, OSHA implemented new requirements to protect all workers in general industry (e.g.

the manufacturing and the service sectors) for employers to implement a Hearing Conservation Program where workers are exposed to a time weighted average noise level of 85 dBA or higher over an 8 hour work shift. Hearing Conservation Programs require employers to measure noise levels, provide free annual hearing exams and free hearing protection, provide training, and conduct evaluations of the adequacy of the hearing protectors in use unless changes to tools, equipment and schedules are made so that they are less noisy and worker exposure to noise is less than the 85 dBA.

Noise controls are the first line of defense against excessive noise exposure. The use of these controls should aim to reduce the hazardous exposure to the point where the risk to hearing is eliminated or minimized. With the reduction of even a few decibels, the hazard to hearing is reduced, communication is improved, and noise-related annoyance is reduced.

There are several ways to control and reduce worker exposure to noise in a workplace. Engineering controls that reduce sound exposure levels are available and technologically feasible for most noise sources. Engineering controls involve modifying or replacing equipment, or making related physical changes at the noise source or along the transmission path to reduce the noise level at the worker’s ear.

In some instances the application of a relatively simple engineering noise control solution reduces the noise hazard to the extent that further requirements of the OSHA Noise standard (e.g., audiometric testing (hearing tests), hearing conservation program, provision of hearing protectors, etc) are not necessary.

Examples of inexpensive, effective engineering controls include some of the following:

• Choose low-noise tools and machinery (e.g., Buy Quiet Roadmap (NASA) ).
• Maintain and lubricate machinery and equipment (e.g., oil bearings).
• Place a barrier between the noise source and employee (e.g., sound walls or curtains).
• Enclose or isolate the noise source.

Administrative controls are changes in the workplace that reduce or eliminate the worker exposure to noise. Examples include:

• Operating noisy machines during shifts when fewer people are exposed.
• Limiting the amount of time a person spends at a noise source.
• Providing quiet areas where workers can gain relief from hazardous noise sources (e.g., construct a sound proof room where workers’ hearing can recover – depending upon their individual noise level and duration of exposure, and time spent in the quiet area).
• Restricting worker presence to a suitable distance away from noisy equipment. Controlling noise exposure through distance is often an effective, yet simple and inexpensive administrative control. This control may be applicable when workers are present but are not actually working with a noise source or equipment. Increasing the distance between the noise source and the worker, reduces their exposure. In open space, for every doubling of the distance between the source of noise and the worker, the noise is decreased by 6 dBA.

Hearing protection devices (HPDs), such as earmuffs and plugs, are considered an acceptable but less desirable option to control exposures to noise and are generally used during the time necessary to implement engineering or administrative controls, when such controls are not feasible, or when worker’s hearing tests indicate significant hearing damage.

An effective hearing conservation program must be implemented by employers in general industry whenever worker noise exposure is equal to or greater than 85 dBA for an 8 hour exposure or in the construction industry when exposures exceed 90 dBA for an 8 hour exposure. This program strives to prevent initial occupational hearing loss, preserve and protect remaining hearing, and equip workers with the knowledge and hearing protection devices necessary to protect them.

Key elements of an effective hearing conservation program include:

• Workplace noise sampling including personal noise monitoring which identifies which employees are at risk from hazardous levels of noise.
• Informing workers at risk from hazardous levels of noise exposure of the results of their noise monitoring.
• Providing affected workers or their authorized representatives with an opportunity to observe any noise measurements conducted.
• Maintaining a worker audiometric testing program (hearing tests) which is a professional evaluation of the health effects of noise upon individual worker’s hearing.
• Implementing comprehensive hearing protection follow-up procedures for workers who show a loss of hearing (standard threshold shift) after completing baseline (first) and yearly audiometric testing.
• Proper selection of hearing protection based upon individual fit and manufacturer’s quality testing indicating the likely protection that they will provide to a properly trained wearer.
• Evaluate the hearing protectors attenuation and effectiveness for the specific workplace noise.
• Training and information that ensures the workers are aware of the hazard from excessive noise exposures and how to properly use the protective equipment that has been provided.
• Data management of and worker access to records regarding monitoring and noise sampling.

What is the most expensive OSHA violation?

#1 The Same American Refinery Experiences and Oil Spill – This particular accident killed 11 people on the drilling rig as a subsequent event to the event that occurred in case number 2. With a record number of violations stacked against the refinery, OSHA issued the largest fine in history, $81, 340, 000.

The blowout caused millions of barrels of oil to spill into the Gulf, endangering thousands of animals and contaminating their habitats. The environment affects of the spill were majorly on marine life, birds, and the groundwater supply in the area. The defendants alleged to be responsible for the spill received a complaint filed by the United States.

Factors Attributing to the Massive Explosions

Leak not spotted soon enoughValve failuresOverwhelmed separator No gas alarmFailure of BOP

Remaining Compliant and Saving Lives Environmental monitoring solutions ensure that the right people are instantly notified of environmental changes such as a chemical leak, an unsafe measurement of chemicals, and mechanical failure. With instant notification, mitigation is immediate and can prevent explosions from ever occurring.

Jack Gloop