The Board of Certified Safety Professionals (BCSP) has joined the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Alliance Program. Through this 2-year collaborative program, OSHA provides mentoring and resources to help safety and health-focused organizations prevent workplace fatalities, injuries, and illnesses. BCSP members will take part in developing educational safety resources for employers, and participate in OSHA’s Safe + Sound Campaign, and the National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction.
BCSP sets the standards for safety practices and has certified over 38,000 safety, health, and environmental professionals.
Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA’s role is to ensure these conditions for America’s working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance. For more information, visit www.osha.gov.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is updating its Safety and Health Program Management Guidelines and wants your help in shaping the new document.
Intended to help employers establish safety and health management plans at their workplaces, the guidelines were first published in 1989. They are being updated to reflect modern technology and practices. As revised, the guidelines should be particularly helpful to small- and medium-sized businesses. And for the first time, they address ways in which multiple employers at the same worksite can coordinate efforts to make sure all workers are protected.
The guidelines are advisory only and do not create any new legal obligations or alter existing obligations under OSHA standards or regulations.
OSHA has made available a draft of the revised document on its website, at www.osha.gov/shpmguidelines, along with a set of questions to consider when reviewing the guidelines. The page also has a direct link to post comments, which will be accepted until February 15. Comments will be taken into consideration when creating a final set of guidelines.
“The goal of safety and health management is to prevent workplace injuries, illnesses and deaths,” said Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Dr. David Michaels. “Employers who embrace these guidelines will experience lower injury and illness rates, and their progress in improving the safety culture at their worksites will contribute to higher productivity, reduced costs and greater worker satisfaction.”
About LIA
The Laser Institute of America (LIA) is the professional society for laser applications and safety serving the industrial, educational, medical, research and government communities throughout the world since 1968. LIA is committed to keeping the workplace safe from hazards associated with lasers. The joined alliance with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) helps achieve these goals. www.lia.org, 13501 Ingenuity Drive, Ste 128, Orlando, FL 32826, +1.407.380.1553.
Orlando, FL (May 2, 2014) – The Laser Institute of America (LIA) will join with thousands of people and businesses worldwide, the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE), the Canadian Society of Safety Engineering (CSSE), and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) Alliance Program participants, in raising awareness of the importance of being safe at work during the annual North American Occupational Safety and Health (NAOSH) Week this May 4-10, 2014, and Occupational Safety and Health Professional (OSHP) Day on May 7.
North American Occupational Safety and Health Week, or NAOSH Week, occurs every year during the first full week of May. NAOSH Week is intended to raise awareness about occupational safety, health and the environment. The American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) joined with the Canadian Society of Safety Engineering (CSSE) and the Interdisciplinary Association of Occupational Health and Hygiene of Mexico, Civil Association , (AISOHMEX) to raise the public’s awareness of occupational safety, health and the environment in North America during NAOSH Week. This is just one tool the 100-year-old ASSE and its 35,000 occupational safety, health and environmental professional members use throughout the year to promote occupational safety aimed at preventing injuries and illnesses. Several organizations representing thousands of businesses have partnered with ASSE, CSSE and AISOHMEX to support NAOSH Week, including U.S. federal agencies such as the Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to reach millions of people around the globe on the importance of being safe at work.
The presence of so many attendees wearing red Certified Laser Safety Officer (CLSO®) and Certified Medical Laser Safety Officer (CMLSO®) ribbons at the International Laser Safety Conference (ILSC®) in Orlando, served as a clear indicator that the ranks of laser safety professionals are growing. And their job is going to be increasingly demanding as photonics expand into more advanced applications in aviation, energy, medicine, defense and manufacturing.
“We train about 1,000 laser safety officers a year,” noted LIA Education Director Gus Anibarro. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg when considering the enormity of the task ahead for companies and research facilities making an intensive use of lasers and trying to ensure the safety of their personnel. Continue reading →
