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February 2006
Area of Interest: OSHA Reminds
Employers to Post Injury/Illness Summaries Beginning February
1
Beginning February 1, employers must
post a summary of the total number of job-related injuries and
illnesses that occurred last year, the Occupational Safety and
Health Administration (OSHA) announced today. Employers are only
required to post the Summary (OSHA Form 300A) -- not the OSHA 300
Log -- from Feb.1 to Apr. 30, 2006.
The summary must list the total
numbers of job-related injuries and illnesses that occurred in 2005
and were logged on the OSHA 300 form. Employment information about
annual average number of employees and total hours worked during
the calendar year is also required to assists in calculating
incidence rates. Companies with no recordable injuries or illnesses
in 2005 must post the form with zeros on the total line. All
establishment summaries must be certified by a company
executive.
The form is to be displayed in a
common area wherever notices to employees are usually posted.
Employers must make a copy of the summary available to employees
who move from worksite to worksite, such as construction workers,
and employees who do not report to any fixed establishment on a
regular basis.
Employers with ten or fewer employees
and employers in certain industry groups are normally exempt from
federal OSHA injury and illness recordkeeping and posting
requirements. A complete list of exempt industries in the retail,
services, finance and real estate sectors is posted on OSHA's
website.
Exempted employers may still be
selected by the Labor Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics to
participate in an annual statistical survey. All employers covered
by OSHA need to comply with safety and health standards and must
report verbally within eight hours to the nearest OSHA office all
accidents that result in one ore more fatalities or in the
hospitalization of three or more employees.
Source: Occupational Safety and
Health Administration
State: Missouri
Area of Interest: John J. Steuby
Company Cited for Alleged Workplace Safety and Health Violations;
OSHA Proposes $788,000 in Penalties
The U.S. Department of Labor's
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cited John J.
Steuby Co., located in St. Louis, for more than 50 alleged safety
and health violations, and proposed penalties totaling
$788,000.
OSHA issued separate willful
citations for each hazardous screw machine under its
instance-by-instance citation policy because the employer did not
address machine guarding issues despite its history of injuries, as
well as warnings from workers' compensation carriers about the
unsafe conditions of the machines. Numerous hazardous grinders were
also cited in another willful citation. The company also received a
willful citation for failing to perform lockout/tagout to prevent
machinery from starting up during maintenance or repair. The OSHA
inspector observed workers servicing machinery by putting their
arms into the equipment without locking or tagging out the power
source.
A willful citation was also issued
for allowing cooling oil and water to build up on the floors,
creating slippery conditions where employees walked by unguarded,
operating machinery and where employees drove forklifts. The
remaining willful citations related to failing to provide
audiometric testing; the inappropriate use of high pressure air for
cleaning; and for failing to train employees in lockout/tagout
application, the safe operation of powered industrial trucks, and
chemical hazards.
The company has 15 working days from
receipt of the citations and proposed penalties to contest them
before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review
Commission.
Source: Occupational Safety and
Health Administration
Area of Interest: OSHA Offers New
Guidelines to Help Reduce Motor Vehicle Crashes
Employers and employees who use motor
vehicles for work purposes stand to benefit from new guidelines
developed by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration
(OSHA), National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and
Network of Employers for Traffic Safety (NETS).
The 32-page Guidelines for Employers
to Reduce Motor Vehicle Crashes offers useful information to help
employers design an effective driver safety program in their
workplace. It features a 10-step program outlining what an employer
can do to improve traffic safety performance and minimize the risk
of motor vehicle crashes. The document includes success stories
from employers who have benefited from effective driver safety
programs.
The guidelines include a detailed
section on the causes of aggressive, distracted, drowsy and
impaired driving, and tips for avoiding such behavior on the road.
There is also a sample worksheet for calculating the costs of motor
vehicle crashes to employers.
Source: Occupational Safety and
Health Administration
State: New York
Area of Interest: Insurance
Department Fines Cigna $150,000
Superintendent of Insurance Howard
Mills today announced that CIGNA Healthcare of New York, Inc.
(CIGNA) has paid the Insurance Department a $150,000 fine for
neglecting consumer complaints for a prolonged period of time,
which is a violation of the law. In addition to paying the fine,
CIGNA pledged to take steps that would prevent the recurrence of
the customer service violations which initially prompted the
Insurance Department's action.
Under New York State Law, insurers
and health maintenance organizations (HMOs) have 15 business days
in which to respond to consumer complaints sent to them via the
Insurance Department's Consumer Services Bureau (CSB), a statutory
deadline CIGNA repeatedly failed to meet.
The Insurance Department alleged, and
CIGNA agreed as part of the stipulation, that CIGNA provided
neither timely nor substantive responses to the written customer
complaints that were referred to CIGNA via the Insurance
Department's CSB. The Department sends hundreds of pieces of
correspondence each year to CIGNA's Customer Advocacy Unit for
either a response or action on CIGNA's part.
Source: State of New York
State: California
Area of Interest: Insurance
Commissioner John Garamendi Announces Filings from Workers' Comp
Insurers Show 37.7% Decrease in Rates Since Reforms Took Effect in
2004
Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi
announced Thursday that insurers, since the workers' compensation
system reforms went into effect in January 2004, have decreased the
rates they file with the Department of Insurance by a cumulative
37.7%.
A list of the cost savings by
insurance carrier was sent to Legislative leaders on Thursday. It
noted that during this same period, the Commissioner has
recommended that insurers cut rates by 46.24 percent, based on his
analysis of the savings provided by the legislative reforms of AB
227, SB 228 and SB 899.
Twice each year the Commissioner
assesses the state of the workers' compensation system and issues a
pure premium advisory rate. While many insurers use this as a
benchmark, they are not required to follow the recommendation.
According to the latest data available from the Workers'
Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau, the actual rates charged to
employers by insurers decreased by 32% between January 2004, and
Sept. 30, 2005
Source: State of
California
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