OSHA has launched a Regional Emphasis Program to address fall hazards in the Pacific Northwest region construction industries, Health and Safety Magazine reports. The program would cover firms in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington and will begin with a period of outreach and education.
Enforcement activities will include "onsite inspections and evaluations of construction operations, working conditions, recordkeeping, and safety and health programs to ensure compliance." During the outreach period, the agency will continue to respond to complaints, referrals, hospitalizations, and fatalities.
Fall Protections - General Requirements topped the list of most frequently cited OSHA standards in the past year, its eighth consecutive year as the most-cited standard. Training requirements related to fall protections was also among the top most-cited OSHA violations in 2017 and 2018. According to Pacific Northwest region administrator Barbara Goto, the emphasis program is designed to reinforce the requirement to use fall protection systems to protect workers from serious and fatal injuries.
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