Hazwoper Training Requirements – Still Confusing After All These Years
Hazwoper Training – Confusing Requirements Puzzle Workers
HAZWOPER Training- An Overview
The OSHA Hazwoper Standard 1910.120, Hazardous Waste Operation and Emergency Response Standard, has been on the books for many years (since 1990 in fact). Even today, the training requirements are confusing and it’s hard to identify who needs it and what type of training they need. With this blog post we hope to help you identify what you, as an employee, need to meet your training requirements.
Under the OSHA Standard 1910.120 (e) are the basic Hazwoper training requirements. The standard starts out with (e)(1)(i), indicating that all employees working on a site (such as equipment operators, general laborers,etc.) who are exposed to hazardous… Continue reading
It’s All In the Wrist- New Wristband Can Detect Environmental Hazards
Environmental Hazards Soon May Be Easier to Detect
Workers are exposed to environmental hazards on a near-daily basis. In many job environments, it is unavoidable, even when complying with OSHA standards for safety. In fact, even in the everyday American household, average people are exposed to dozens of various toxins and chemicals [Sam: embed a link here to some sort of resource on this]. Unfortunately, many environmental factors both at home and in the workplace have yet to be tested for toxicity, and when cases of exposure do arise, it can take diagnostic physicians hours or even days to identify what patients were exposed to.
Anyone familiar with 2004’s “live strong” movement in support of Lance Armstrong… Continue reading
Need to Get Educated about Lockout/Tagout? Try our Free Tutorial
Try Our Free Tutorial on Lockout/Tagout For a Quick Education That Can Save Lives
You may have seen the Lockout/Tagout infographic we recently published here. Many companies have found it useful enough to share with employees. That’s great for many workers, but sometimes you need to make sure you and your staff need a bit more awareness than you can get from a graphic.
Well, we’ve got you covered. OSHA-Pros not only offers a valuable blog and training courses, but now offers a Free Lockout/Tagout Awareness Level Tutorial video. If you don’t yet know, Lockout/Tagout is a major procedure when working with any form of “hazardous energy” in the workplace – anything that can come from unsecured… Continue reading
Not So Shocking- OSHA Rules on Electrical Safety Standards
Electrical Safety – OSHA Rules Seek to Mitigate Active Dangers
Electrical safety is a difficult field, even for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to manage effectively. Electricity is more than just hazardous energy in the workplace, it is an active danger that can only be avoided with careful regulation and specialized training. Published on April 11, 2014, OSHA released its final rule on construction standards relating to electrical power: generation, distribution, wired transmission, and the necessary protective equipment and safety measures.
OSHA administrator David Michaels stated “Electric utilities, electrical contractors, and labor organizations have long championed these much-needed measures to better protect the men and women who work on or near electrical power lines.” The administration is right… Continue reading
Red Fish, Blue Fish….Blackfish, Backlash – OSHA and SeaWorld Refuse to Play Nice
Dr. Seuss tackled a lot of issues in his time, from environmentalism in The Lorax to WWII in Yertle The Turtle, but even he would balk at the issues surrounding world-renowned aquatic attraction SeaWorld. The theme park has garnered significant attention— all of it negative, following the expose-documentary Blackfish. The film, coming in the wake of a trainer’s death, has sparked international censure on the theme park’s attractions and focused heavily on the health and husbandry of Orca whales in an entertainment setting. Following a substantial public relations backlash and a substantial OSHA review of the park’s policies, SeaWorld is fighting back, alleging foul play on the part of the Occupational Health and Safety Administration inspector.
OSHA inspector Lara… Continue reading
Lockout before You Clock Out
Equipment left unattended (or worse, powered on and ready for use!) is the most dangerous of all. The key focus of OSHA’s Lockout/Tagout procedures is to control “hazardous energy,” or live machinery and equipment that could at any time endanger your coworkers if unattended. To that end, we at OSHA-Pros encourage all workers to obey Lockout/Tagout procedure—controlling hazardous energy saves lives in the workplace.
Pneumatics, hydraulics, and electrical systems all pertain to this “hazardous energy,” and if the sources of that energy aren’t locked down and tagged out, then people could very easily be hurt. The OSHA website gives such examples as “a steam valve is automatically turned on burning workers who are repairing a downstream connection in the piling”… Continue reading
AT&T vs. OSHA
A Violation of Basic Workplace Safety Policies
Corporate standards for workplace safety are often based on OSHA regulations; but what happens when a corporation attempts to undermine these to save face? Ohio Bell Telephone Company, a subsidiary of AT&T, is now under OSHA investigation following allegations that the company suspended 13 workers for reporting workplace injuries, something that violates even the most basic workplace safety policies.
The injuries were not reported as some sort of scam to take advantage of workers compensation funds. They weren’t injuries suffered off-the-clock and blamed on the workplace. They were on-the-job injuries that, in any other instance, would justify an OSHA recordable injury. However, the company alleges that each suspended employee violated a workplace safety… Continue reading
Lockout/Tagout Infographic: 6 Critical Steps that Save Lives
Lockout/Tagout And the Control of Hazardous Energy – Six Critical Steps for Safety
To safety professionals it’s known as “the Control of Hazardous Energy.” To the majority of managers it’s probably better known as “Lockout/Tagout.” Either way you know it, this infographic might help your workers remember what 6 steps are critical to their safety when working on machinery.
Silica Risks and Silicosis Prevention Infographic
Silicosis Prevention and Mitigating Silica Risk – An InfoGraphic
Recently I blogged about not only the danger of crystalline silica exposure, but also OSHA’s increasing focus on this workplace hazard. In my teaching experience I find that some learners tend to be very visual. So I’ve had my staff whip up a nifty little infographic that shows the dangers of Silica clearly and, yes, visually.
Please share this graphic with co-workers, employees, bosses…anyone who might be affected. Education about the dangers of Silica could save a life. It might be yours!
OSHA Online Outreach Training is Becoming a Bigger Factor
Online Outreach Training from OSHA-Accepted Providers Becoming a Big Factor
33 Years Old and Counting, OSHA Outreach Training

Richard Nixon was probably not thinking about OSHA training when this…or any other…picture was taken
Richard Nixon was President, American soldiers were in Vietnam, and Rolls Royce was in bankruptcy. Ah, 1971. It was also the year that OSHA was born. OSHA got right to work in educating workers by introducing its Outreach Training Program in an effort to
- Improve workplace safety
- Help educate workers about job hazards and how to avoid them
- Help employees understand their safety rights
Overall the program has been considered a success in achieving all those goals, and millions of workers have benefited.… Continue reading