DB1 OSHA 4

OSH 2304, Introduction to Contractor Safety 1

Course Learning Outcomes for Unit I Upon completion of this unit, students should be able to:

1. Discuss hazards unique to contract work. 1.1 Summarize and classify the most common types of workplace accidents. 1.2 Indicate the industries most affected by accidents. 1.3 Explain the three steps of Hazard Communication classification.

5. Discuss contractor safety from a safety management systems perspective.

5.1 Describe an event that contributed to the safety movement. 5.2 Explain the costs of workplace accidents. 5.3 Identify the factors that are included in estimating the true cost of accidents for an employer.

Required Unit Resources Introduction: Safety Movement and the Construction Industry Chapter 1: Cost of Accidents: Why Safety is Important? In order to access the following resource, click the link below. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2022, November 9). Employer-reported workplace injuries and illnesses–2021

(News Release No. USDL-22-2139). U.S. Department of Labor. https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/osh.pdf

Unit Lesson

History Over many, many years, it has become recognized that worker safety benefits business. Without workers, a business cannot survive. In this first unit, we learn a little about the history of the safety movement and how the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Act and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) came to exist. Tragedy is often the precursor to change. Unfortunately, tragedy affects lives, and in the workplace, the avoidance of tragedies has not always been at the forefront of decision-making. In the unit reading assignment, we look at one of the most horrific workplace tragedies in the United States. In the early part of the 20th Century in New York City, 146 workers lost their lives in what is known today as the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire. This tragic event and others were integral to many advances in workplace safety. Also, up until the early part of the 20th century, as the textbook states, there was “little concern for the safety of workers and little incentive to be concerned” (Goetsch, 2018, p. 6). Workers were plentiful, including children, and the industrial revolution was booming. In the early part of the 20th century, workers became more valuable as industry continued to expand and war efforts needed workers. Losing a worker to the war efforts impacted businesses already; losing one to an injury was not acceptable as not only safety but quality suffered as well (Goetsch, 2018). As a result, safety programs began to be more common. In 1913, William B. Wilson was appointed as the first Secretary of Labor. His purpose was to guide the Department of Labor in improving working conditions for all Americans. Part of the duties of the Department of Labor was to ensure reporting of industrial diseases and accidents. Wilson had spent most of his career

UNIT I STUDY GUIDE

History of the Safety Movement and the Cost of Accidents

OSH 2304, Introduction to Contractor Safety 2

UNIT x STUDY GUIDE

Title

working in the coal mines and had been an official with the United Mine Workers. His experiences led him to write a poem, quoted here, in 1903:

Stalwart men were but as feathers Driven with a cyclone's fire. Fast their flesh and sinews shriveled, Scorched and roasted with the fire. (MacLaury, 1981, para. 14)

What had started as the Bureau of Labor transformed into the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and, in the early days, focused on collecting data for accidents in the iron and steel industries. This was eventually updated to include other industries as well. Under Wilson’s guidance, and in keeping with his 1903 poem, the goal was to improve working conditions and to "Make the unhealthy occupations healthy” (MacLaury, 1981, para. 15). That being said, and noting also that the safety movement has been in place for well over 100 years, we have some work to do! The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire kicked off the safety movement in a big way. But that is not the end of it—these incidents continue to happen:

1978: Willow Island, West Virginia - 51 workers died in a collapse of a cooling tower that was being constructed 1989: Pasadena, Texas, explosion at a refinery—23 workers never made it home, over 300 suffered injuries 1991: Hamlet Chicken Processing Plant fire—25 worker deaths 1988: Piper Alpha oil rig explosion—167 worker deaths 1947: Texas City cargo ship explosion—estimation of between 500 and 600 worker and community deaths 2008: Manhattan - 6 workers died as a result of a crane collapse 2010: Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion—11 deaths 2010: Upper Big Branch Mine coal dust explosion—29 deaths 2010: Top Notch Cleaners, Alabama chemical asphyxiation—2 deaths 2016: Miami, Florida - Pedestrian Bridge Collapse - killing 6 2019: New Orleans - Hard Rock Hotel collapse during construction - 3 dead

These are just the incidents that make the news. How many do not make the news but are just as serious? This is why we do what we do.

Types of Accidents There are hazards we face in everyday life. In the workplace, these hazards become amplified as we are performing tasks that we are assigned, and we may have no input in or control over the design of the tasks. Some industries are more hazardous than others by their nature; however, there are hazards in every occupation. In looking at the types of occupations that are highly hazardous, we use industry classifications to determine which have more risks. These classifications can be found in the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) and are tracked by the BLS. The data collected by these entities can be used to analyze trends and develop preventive measures within companies. When we look at the types of accidents, we can classify them into several groups. Nobody wants to go to work to die. Yet, in 2017, 5147 workers lost their lives at work (BLS, 2019). And nobody wants to get injured or ill at work. An example of the type of data the BLS collects can be seen below. Looking beyond 2017, we see that there were 5,190 fatal work injuries recorded in the United States in 2021, an 8.9-percent increase from 4,764in 2020, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See chart 1 and table 1.) The fatal work injury rate as 3.6 fatalities per 100,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) workers, up from 3.4 per 100,000 FTE in 2020, and up from the 2019 pre-pandemic rate of 3.5. (See chart 2.) These data sets are from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI).

OSH 2304, Introduction to Contractor Safety 3

UNIT x STUDY GUIDE

Title

When you look at “Safety by the Numbers,” as illustrated above, you can see that there is a downward trend in injuries for all industries over the last several years. However, according to the BLS (2018), we have hit a plateau. In 2018 alone, private industry employers reported 2.8 million nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses. Unfortunately, these numbers did not decrease from the statistics gathered in 2017 and continued steady through 2019, according to the BLS. There was a slight decrease in 2021 from 2020; however, into 2022 the incident rates continue to rise. The statistics might not mean much on a broad basis. However, all of us probably know or know of someone who has suffered an injury or illness as a result of their work. We hear of the big accidents, crane collapses, trench collapses, fires, and explosions, but what about those we do not hear about: the everyday injuries occurring at work that cause us to lose workdays, seek medical treatment, and cause pain. Think about what you do every day at work. What are the hazards that can cause you harm: repetitive motions, improper lifting, exposure to chemicals? Sometimes, it really is the little things. As stated before, some industries are more hazardous than others, just by the very nature of the work. However, there are hazards everywhere.

Example of data provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (Bureau of Labor Statistics, n.d.)

OSH 2304, Introduction to Contractor Safety 4

UNIT x STUDY GUIDE

Title

How do we prevent these?

Think about this. What do you do in your daily work activities? Can you list your tasks? Do you recognize the hazards? Do you know how to control them? If you do a quick web search for "fast food restaurant chemical accidents," you will see a few of the tragic incidents that can happen when workers were just doing their jobs or cleaning up. The exposures from the chemicals used created a toxic atmosphere: a mixture of two chemicals that by themselves are very useful but when combined, cause deadly results. Under the OSHA standards, workers have specific rights and safeguards. One of those is under the “General Duty Clause,” which states, under the OSH Act of 1970 (2004):

(a) Each employer --

(1) shall furnish to each of his employees employment and a place of employment which are free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm to his employees;

(2) shall comply with occupational safety and health standards promulgated under this Act.

(b) Each employee shall comply with occupational safety and health standards and all rules, regulations, and orders issued pursuant to this Act which are applicable to his own actions and conduct.

One other very important standard is the Hazard Communication Standard (2012), 1910.1200. Under this “HazCom” standard, the workers have the right to know and shall be trained on the substances they are working with.

OSH 2304, Introduction to Contractor Safety 5

UNIT x STUDY GUIDE

Title

The Cost of Accidents Accidents are not cheap—there is a cost attached to everything. And sometimes, those costs are not evident at first. For every class of accident, there will be a cost assigned—whether it is the cost of a Band-Aid or a trip to the clinic, property damage, auto accident, or other type of incident. Somebody is going to pay in some way for these accidents. An employer might carry insurance for these events; however, there are other costs associated with each accident. Whether out-of-pocket or through insurance premiums, deductibles, lost workdays and production, loss of use of equipment, or other losses—these all have costs attached to them. In order to move to prevent accidents, we have to consider all the costs attached to them. Sometimes, the simplest mistakes can be very costly. Consider example, for instance: on a construction project, the full use of PPE is required, including gloves. One of the younger workers did not like wearing gloves, so he cut the fingers out. Well, he picked up some metal ductwork, and gave himself a nasty gash across his fingers. Does this sound like a first aid treatment type of incident, not for this worker. He had to have surgery to repair the tendons on three of his fingers. They put him in a full arm cast with a metal halo to hold the pins in his fingers in place. He had to wear the brace for 8 weeks, followed by 6 more weeks of physical therapy. The medical costs were covered under insurance, of course. However, for the first 8 weeks, he could not perform his duties so somebody else had to do his work. Basically, paying for two people to do the job of one person. And, that person had to first be hired, and then trained. There was more overhead in hiring costs, benefits, and everything else that goes along with these types of losses. For the weeks of therapy, he could also only perform light duty, so the replacement worker was now the full-time worker. The cut resistant gloves he was supposed to be wearing (with the fingers intact) were priced around $14.00.

References Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2018, November 8). Employer-reported workplace injuries and illnesses–2017

(News Release No. USDL-18-1788). U.S. Department of Labor. https://www.bls.gov/news.release/archives/osh_11082018.pdf

Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2019, December 17). National census of fatal occupational injuries in 2018 (News

Release No. USDL-19-2194). U.S. Department of Labor. https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/cfoi.pdf

Goetsch, D. L. (2018). Construction safety and the OSHA standards (2nd ed.). Pearson. MacLaury, J. (1981). The job safety law of 1970: Its passage was perilous. U.S. Department of Labor.

https://www.dol.gov/general/aboutdol/history/osha Occupational Safety and Health Administration. (1970). Occupational safety and health standards: Toxic and

hazardous substances: Hazard communication standard (OSHA Standard No. 1910.1200). United States Department of Labor. https://www.osha.gov/laws- regs/regulations/standardnumber/1910/1910.1200

OSH Act of 1970, 29 U.S.C. § 654 (2004). Torre, E. (n.d.). ID 23503494 [Illustration]. Dreamstime. https://www.dreamstime.com/stock-images-iceberg-

image23503494

(Adapted from Torre, n.d.)

OSH 2304, Introduction to Contractor Safety 6

UNIT x STUDY GUIDE

Title

Suggested Unit Resources In order to access the following resources, click the links below. To learn more about historical workplace incidents and how industries are classified, please visit these sites: Bureau of Labor Statistics. (n.d.). Industry injury and illness data. United States Department of Labor.

https://www.bls.gov/iif/oshsum.htm Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2018, November 8). Injuries, ilnesses and fatalities: Incidence rates of nonfatal

occupational injuries and illnesses by industry and case types, 2017. United States Department of Labor. https://www.bls.gov/iif/oshwc/osh/os/summ1_00_2017.htm

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (1999, June 11). Achievements in public health, 1900-1999:

Improvements in workplace safety -- United States, 1900-1999. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 48(22), 461–469. https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm4822a1.htm

Occupational Safety and Health Administration. (n.d.). The triangle shirtwaist factory fire. United States

Department of Labor. https://www.osha.gov/oas/trianglefactoryfire.html North American Industry Classification System. (2019, November 13). Introduction to NAICS. United States

Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/naics/#:~:text=The%20North%20American%20Industry%20Classification,to %20the%20U.S.%20business%20economy.

OSH 2304, Introduction to Contractor Safety 1

Course Learning Outcomes for Unit I Upon completion of this unit, students should be able to:

1. Discuss hazards unique to contract work. 1.1 Summarize and classify the most common types of workplace accidents. 1.2 Indicate the industries most affected by accidents. 1.3 Explain the three steps of Hazard Communication classification.

5. Discuss contractor safety from a safety management systems perspective.

5.1 Describe an event that contributed to the safety movement. 5.2 Explain the costs of workplace accidents. 5.3 Identify the factors that are included in estimating the true cost of accidents for an employer.

Required Unit Resources Introduction: Safety Movement and the Construction Industry Chapter 1: Cost of Accidents: Why Safety is Important? In order to access the following resource, click the link below. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2022, November 9). Employer-reported workplace injuries and illnesses–2021

(News Release No. USDL-22-2139). U.S. Department of Labor. https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/osh.pdf

Unit Lesson

History Over many, many years, it has become recognized that worker safety benefits business. Without workers, a business cannot survive. In this first unit, we learn a little about the history of the safety movement and how the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Act and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) came to exist. Tragedy is often the precursor to change. Unfortunately, tragedy affects lives, and in the workplace, the avoidance of tragedies has not always been at the forefront of decision-making. In the unit reading assignment, we look at one of the most horrific workplace tragedies in the United States. In the early part of the 20th Century in New York City, 146 workers lost their lives in what is known today as the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire. This tragic event and others were integral to many advances in workplace safety. Also, up until the early part of the 20th century, as the textbook states, there was “little concern for the safety of workers and little incentive to be concerned” (Goetsch, 2018, p. 6). Workers were plentiful, including children, and the industrial revolution was booming. In the early part of the 20th century, workers became more valuable as industry continued to expand and war efforts needed workers. Losing a worker to the war efforts impacted businesses already; losing one to an injury was not acceptable as not only safety but quality suffered as well (Goetsch, 2018). As a result, safety programs began to be more common. In 1913, William B. Wilson was appointed as the first Secretary of Labor. His purpose was to guide the Department of Labor in improving working conditions for all Americans. Part of the duties of the Department of Labor was to ensure reporting of industrial diseases and accidents. Wilson had spent most of his career

UNIT I STUDY GUIDE

History of the Safety Movement and the Cost of Accidents

OSH 2304, Introduction to Contractor Safety 2

UNIT x STUDY GUIDE

Title

working in the coal mines and had been an official with the United Mine Workers. His experiences led him to write a poem, quoted here, in 1903:

Stalwart men were but as feathers Driven with a cyclone's fire. Fast their flesh and sinews shriveled, Scorched and roasted with the fire. (MacLaury, 1981, para. 14)

What had started as the Bureau of Labor transformed into the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and, in the early days, focused on collecting data for accidents in the iron and steel industries. This was eventually updated to include other industries as well. Under Wilson’s guidance, and in keeping with his 1903 poem, the goal was to improve working conditions and to "Make the unhealthy occupations healthy” (MacLaury, 1981, para. 15). That being said, and noting also that the safety movement has been in place for well over 100 years, we have some work to do! The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire kicked off the safety movement in a big way. But that is not the end of it—these incidents continue to happen:

1978: Willow Island, West Virginia - 51 workers died in a collapse of a cooling tower that was being constructed 1989: Pasadena, Texas, explosion at a refinery—23 workers never made it home, over 300 suffered injuries 1991: Hamlet Chicken Processing Plant fire—25 worker deaths 1988: Piper Alpha oil rig explosion—167 worker deaths 1947: Texas City cargo ship explosion—estimation of between 500 and 600 worker and community deaths 2008: Manhattan - 6 workers died as a result of a crane collapse 2010: Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion—11 deaths 2010: Upper Big Branch Mine coal dust explosion—29 deaths 2010: Top Notch Cleaners, Alabama chemical asphyxiation—2 deaths 2016: Miami, Florida - Pedestrian Bridge Collapse - killing 6 2019: New Orleans - Hard Rock Hotel collapse during construction - 3 dead

These are just the incidents that make the news. How many do not make the news but are just as serious? This is why we do what we do.

Types of Accidents There are hazards we face in everyday life. In the workplace, these hazards become amplified as we are performing tasks that we are assigned, and we may have no input in or control over the design of the tasks. Some industries are more hazardous than others by their nature; however, there are hazards in every occupation. In looking at the types of occupations that are highly hazardous, we use industry classifications to determine which have more risks. These classifications can be found in the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) and are tracked by the BLS. The data collected by these entities can be used to analyze trends and develop preventive measures within companies. When we look at the types of accidents, we can classify them into several groups. Nobody wants to go to work to die. Yet, in 2017, 5147 workers lost their lives at work (BLS, 2019). And nobody wants to get injured or ill at work. An example of the type of data the BLS collects can be seen below. Looking beyond 2017, we see that there were 5,190 fatal work injuries recorded in the United States in 2021, an 8.9-percent increase from 4,764in 2020, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See chart 1 and table 1.) The fatal work injury rate as 3.6 fatalities per 100,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) workers, up from 3.4 per 100,000 FTE in 2020, and up from the 2019 pre-pandemic rate of 3.5. (See chart 2.) These data sets are from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI).

OSH 2304, Introduction to Contractor Safety 3

UNIT x STUDY GUIDE

Title

When you look at “Safety by the Numbers,” as illustrated above, you can see that there is a downward trend in injuries for all industries over the last several years. However, according to the BLS (2018), we have hit a plateau. In 2018 alone, private industry employers reported 2.8 million nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses. Unfortunately, these numbers did not decrease from the statistics gathered in 2017 and continued steady through 2019, according to the BLS. There was a slight decrease in 2021 from 2020; however, into 2022 the incident rates continue to rise. The statistics might not mean much on a broad basis. However, all of us probably know or know of someone who has suffered an injury or illness as a result of their work. We hear of the big accidents, crane collapses, trench collapses, fires, and explosions, but what about those we do not hear about: the everyday injuries occurring at work that cause us to lose workdays, seek medical treatment, and cause pain. Think about what you do every day at work. What are the hazards that can cause you harm: repetitive motions, improper lifting, exposure to chemicals? Sometimes, it really is the little things. As stated before, some industries are more hazardous than others, just by the very nature of the work. However, there are hazards everywhere.

Example of data provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (Bureau of Labor Statistics, n.d.)

OSH 2304, Introduction to Contractor Safety 4

UNIT x STUDY GUIDE

Title

How do we prevent these?

Think about this. What do you do in your daily work activities? Can you list your tasks? Do you recognize the hazards? Do you know how to control them? If you do a quick web search for "fast food restaurant chemical accidents," you will see a few of the tragic incidents that can happen when workers were just doing their jobs or cleaning up. The exposures from the chemicals used created a toxic atmosphere: a mixture of two chemicals that by themselves are very useful but when combined, cause deadly results. Under the OSHA standards, workers have specific rights and safeguards. One of those is under the “General Duty Clause,” which states, under the OSH Act of 1970 (2004):

(a) Each employer --

(1) shall furnish to each of his employees employment and a place of employment which are free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm to his employees;

(2) shall comply with occupational safety and health standards promulgated under this Act.

(b) Each employee shall comply with occupational safety and health standards and all rules, regulations, and orders issued pursuant to this Act which are applicable to his own actions and conduct.

One other very important standard is the Hazard Communication Standard (2012), 1910.1200. Under this “HazCom” standard, the workers have the right to know and shall be trained on the substances they are working with.

OSH 2304, Introduction to Contractor Safety 5

UNIT x STUDY GUIDE

Title

The Cost of Accidents Accidents are not cheap—there is a cost attached to everything. And sometimes, those costs are not evident at first. For every class of accident, there will be a cost assigned—whether it is the cost of a Band-Aid or a trip to the clinic, property damage, auto accident, or other type of incident. Somebody is going to pay in some way for these accidents. An employer might carry insurance for these events; however, there are other costs associated with each accident. Whether out-of-pocket or through insurance premiums, deductibles, lost workdays and production, loss of use of equipment, or other losses—these all have costs attached to them. In order to move to prevent accidents, we have to consider all the costs attached to them. Sometimes, the simplest mistakes can be very costly. Consider example, for instance: on a construction project, the full use of PPE is required, including gloves. One of the younger workers did not like wearing gloves, so he cut the fingers out. Well, he picked up some metal ductwork, and gave himself a nasty gash across his fingers. Does this sound like a first aid treatment type of incident, not for this worker. He had to have surgery to repair the tendons on three of his fingers. They put him in a full arm cast with a metal halo to hold the pins in his fingers in place. He had to wear the brace for 8 weeks, followed by 6 more weeks of physical therapy. The medical costs were covered under insurance, of course. However, for the first 8 weeks, he could not perform his duties so somebody else had to do his work. Basically, paying for two people to do the job of one person. And, that person had to first be hired, and then trained. There was more overhead in hiring costs, benefits, and everything else that goes along with these types of losses. For the weeks of therapy, he could also only perform light duty, so the replacement worker was now the full-time worker. The cut resistant gloves he was supposed to be wearing (with the fingers intact) were priced around $14.00.

References Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2018, November 8). Employer-reported workplace injuries and illnesses–2017

(News Release No. USDL-18-1788). U.S. Department of Labor. https://www.bls.gov/news.release/archives/osh_11082018.pdf

Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2019, December 17). National census of fatal occupational injuries in 2018 (News

Release No. USDL-19-2194). U.S. Department of Labor. https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/cfoi.pdf

Goetsch, D. L. (2018). Construction safety and the OSHA standards (2nd ed.). Pearson. MacLaury, J. (1981). The job safety law of 1970: Its passage was perilous. U.S. Department of Labor.

https://www.dol.gov/general/aboutdol/history/osha Occupational Safety and Health Administration. (1970). Occupational safety and health standards: Toxic and

hazardous substances: Hazard communication standard (OSHA Standard No. 1910.1200). United States Department of Labor. https://www.osha.gov/laws- regs/regulations/standardnumber/1910/1910.1200

OSH Act of 1970, 29 U.S.C. § 654 (2004). Torre, E. (n.d.). ID 23503494 [Illustration]. Dreamstime. https://www.dreamstime.com/stock-images-iceberg-

image23503494

(Adapted from Torre, n.d.)

OSH 2304, Introduction to Contractor Safety 6

UNIT x STUDY GUIDE

Title

Suggested Unit Resources In order to access the following resources, click the links below. To learn more about historical workplace incidents and how industries are classified, please visit these sites: Bureau of Labor Statistics. (n.d.). Industry injury and illness data. United States Department of Labor.

https://www.bls.gov/iif/oshsum.htm Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2018, November 8). Injuries, ilnesses and fatalities: Incidence rates of nonfatal

occupational injuries and illnesses by industry and case types, 2017. United States Department of Labor. https://www.bls.gov/iif/oshwc/osh/os/summ1_00_2017.htm

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (1999, June 11). Achievements in public health, 1900-1999:

Improvements in workplace safety -- United States, 1900-1999. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 48(22), 461–469. https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm4822a1.htm

Occupational Safety and Health Administration. (n.d.). The triangle shirtwaist factory fire. United States

Department of Labor. https://www.osha.gov/oas/trianglefactoryfire.html North American Industry Classification System. (2019, November 13). Introduction to NAICS. United States

Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/naics/#:~:text=The%20North%20American%20Industry%20Classification,to %20the%20U.S.%20business%20economy.