COVID-19 has changed the way we do business.  In this environment, more people are working from home or attending school on-line.  Now more than ever, understanding ergonomics is a key to preventing “workplace” injuries.  If you’re like me, you didn’t give your home office setup much thought, except to make sure the lighting was good and the view was nice for the office Zoom meetings.  The reality is if you don’t properly establish your home work area, it could lead to physical ailments such as back, neck, or wrist pain that can impact you for years to come.  Is your area in need of an assessment?  Below are some tips to help you setup an ergonomic environment for your home office.

Desk

Make sure that you have adequate clearance for your knees, thighs and feet.  Adjustable desks are great, but if you can’t adjust them here are a few tricks.  If the desk is too low, sturdy boards or blocks under the desk legs can raise it to a comfortable level.  If the desk is too high, then raise your chair.  If the edges of your desk are hard, consider padding the edge or using a wrist rest.  Try not to store anything under your desk as this limits the amount of space for your legs.

Chair

You want to choose a chair that supports the curves of your spine.  Adjust your chair height so your feet rest flat on the floor or on a footrest if you had to raise your chair to accommodate the height of your desk.  If you don’t have a footrest, try using some books or a box to support your feet.  Make sure your thighs are parallel to the floor.  Also adjust the armrests so your arms gently rest on them and your shoulders relaxed.

Monitor

The monitor should be directly in front of you, about an arm’s length away.  It should also be directly behind your keyboard if possible.  The top of the screen should be at or slightly below eye level.  You may have to utilize a stand or books to raise your monitor to the correct height.  Do you wear bifocals?   If so, lower the monitor an additional 1 to 2 inches for more comfortable viewing.  If you have a bright light source, you should place your monitor so the light source is to the side and not directly behind.

Keyboard and mouse

Your mouse should be within easy reach and on the same surface as your keyboard.  While typing or using your mouse, you should keep your wrists straight.  Also try to keep your upper arms close to your body and your hands even with or slightly below your elbow level.  Don’t overextend using the mouse, pick it up and bring it back to a neutral position if necessary.  You can also try alternating the hand you use to operate the mouse.

Key objects

Bring key objects such as your pens, papers, stapler or telephone close to your body to minimize reaching.  You should place your phone on the opposite side of your writing hand.  This will allow you to hold the phone and take notes as opposed to cradling the receiver with your neck.  You may also consider placing your phone on speaker or using a headset if you are on the phone often.

Don’t forget to move around.  It is recommended you leave your workstation once an hour to stretch, get a drink, or just to get moving.  Use these tips to keep your body healthy and ready for the next challenge.

If you’re more of a visual learner, check out this short YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8_ME4VwTiw

The August HAZWOPER Challenge is now closed. Thank you for participating. Please come back September 1^st for our next HAZWOPER Challenge!

The August winner is Adrianne Pearson Congratulations!

OSHA has issued interim guidance that went into effect on 26 May 2020 regarding the reporting of occupational illnesses, specifically COVID-19.  The interim guidance will remain in effect until further notice and is intended to coincide with the current public health threat.  Following OSHA’s recordkeeping guidance, COVID-19 is a recordable illness and must be documented by the employer if the case is:

1. A confirmed case of COVID-19, as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC);[2]
2. Work-related as defined by 29 CFR § 1904.5;[3] and
3. Involves one or more of the general recording criteria set forth in 29 CFR § 1904.7.[4]

Because there has been difficulty in determining the origin of the illness in some workers, OSHA has also established guidelines for Compliance Safety and Health Officers (CSHO) to follow when investigating a COVID-19 case.  It would be beneficial for employers to review and understand these guidelines to ensure compliance with interim directives.  The guidelines are included in the release message located here.

The June HAZWOPER Challenge is now closed. Thank you for participating. Please come back July 1^st for our next HAZWOPER Challenge!

The June winner is Andrew Ruiz Congratulations!

The May HAZWOPER Challenge is now closed. Thank you for participating. Please come back June 1^st for our next HAZWOPER Challenge!

The May winner is Julie G. Congratulations!

OSHA has released two memorandas outlining guidelines for respiratory protection during the current global pandemic. The first memorandum outlines enforcement discretion to permit extended use and reuse of respirators, along with using respirators that are beyond their manufacturer’s recommended shelf life. It provides specific guidance to healthcare personnel and workers exposed to respiratory hazards impacted by shortages of equipment due to COVID-19. Memorandum 2 provides guidance on the use of N95 respirators that are not approved by NIOSH if all of the provisions in memorandum 1 have been exhausted.

All employers are being asked to re-evaluate engineering and administrative controls to determine any changes that could reduce respiratory protection dependency. If respiratory protection is still necessary, employers should look for alternatives to N95 respirators that would provide the same or more protection. If an employer can demonstrate that all options under these guidelines were exhausted, then reuse or the use of expired N95s approved by NIOSH could be considered.

OSHA’s prioritization of product usage is as follows:

• NIOSH-certified equipment; then
• Equipment certified in accordance with standards of other countries or jurisdictions except the People’s Republic of China, unless equipment certified in accordance with standards of the People’s Republic of China is manufactured by a NIOSH certificate holder; then
• Equipment certified in accordance with standards of the People’s Republic of China, the manufacturer of which is not a NIOSH certificate holder; then
• Facemasks (e.g., medical masks, procedure masks).

There are some concerns by Industrial Hygiene professionals that OSHA does not offer guidance on enforcement for those non-healthcare companies that are following the recommendations of the Federal government to donate their supplies of N95 respirators. It is important for each employer to review the interim guidance and make a strong assessment of their respiratory protection needs.

The April HAZWOPER Challenge is now closed. Thank you for participating. Please come back May 1^st for our next HAZWOPER Challenge!

We stumped you again for the month of April!

The March HAZWOPER Challenge is now closed. Thank you for participating. Please come back April 1^st for our next HAZWOPER Challenge!

We stumped you again for the month of March!

Please note that all the answers were available in our refresher study guide, the OSHA standards, the 2016 ERG, or online.

The Chemical Safety Board (CSB) has established new reporting rules for the accidental release of a regulated or extremely hazardous substance into the ambient air from a stationary source.  The rule was published in the Federal Register February 21, 2020 and goes into effect March 23, 2020.  The adopted rule has been added to the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) under a new section, 40 CFR 1604.  Under the new rule, there are some key definitions to aware of in Section 1604.2.

• Ambient Air – any portion of the atmosphere inside or outside a stationary source.
• Extremely Hazardous Substance – any substance which may cause death, serious injury, or substantial property damage, including but not limited to, any “regulated substance” at or below any threshold quantity set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator under 42 U.S.C. 7412(r)(5).
• Regulated Substance – any substance listed by the EPA Administrator pursuant to the authority of 42 U.S.C. 7412(r)(3).
• Serious injury – any injury or illness that results in death or inpatient hospitalization.
• Substantial Property Damage – estimated property damage at or outside the stationary source equal to or greater than $1,000,000.

The new procedures for reporting an accidental release are included in Section 1604.3.  Reporting is separate and in addition to other required reporting such as the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) or the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA).  Key takeaways from the reporting procedures are:

• The owner or operator of a stationary source must report any accidental release resulting in a fatality, serious injury, or substantial property damage.
• If the owner or operator has submitted a report to the National Response Center (NRC) pursuant to 40 CFR 302.6, the CSB reporting requirement may be satisfied by submitting the NRC identification number to the CSB within 30 minutes of submitting a report to the NRC.
• If a report is not submitted to the NRC, the owner/operator must submit a report directly to the CSB within eight hours of the accidental release and must include the required information listed in §1604.4.

For more information, check out the Final Regulation release at:

https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=d10ea88affb5d605468905bcb83f2936&mc=true&node=20200221y1.15

It’s that time of year again.  It’s time to prepare, certify and post your OSHA 300A Annual Summary of workplace injuries and illnesses in your workplace. This is required for all U.S. employers, except those with ten or fewer employees or those whose NAICS code is in the set of low-hazard industries exempt from OSHA’s injury and illness recordkeeping requirements.  They must be posted from 1 February to 30 April to comply with the regulations.

Additionally, organizations that require electronic filing must do so by the March 2^nd deadline.  If employers in State Plan states (e.g. Washington) have questions about their obligation to submit injury and illness information, please contact your State Plan office.