Compliance Stuff

Introduction OSHA duty officers around the country routinely field complaints from employees and labor unions alleging workplaces are understaffed and unsafe. Unions often dispute staffing levels, complaining that employers have insufficient bargaining unit members and insufficient members with seniority. Individual complainants allege that they are left to work alone, have no backup in case of emergency, or are at enhanced risk of accident or workplace violence. OSHA duty officers normally tell complainants that there are  no written regulations addressing safe staffing levels , and that it is not unlawful to work alone. But employers would be wise to consider staffing levels to protect employees from recognized hazards . In many situations, appropriate staffing can reduce risks of accidents and slow-developing injuries, and ensure employee safety and emergency response. Accordingly, understanding of issues relating to safe staffing levels can be key to minimizing risks to OSHA c...

  Fatigue continues to be a problem for workers. In fact, more than 43% of U.S. workers are sleep deprived and say they are too tired to function at their job, according to a survey released by the National Safety Council in 2019.     By 2020 that number went up to 77%. Although the pandemic was probably a large component of that, the numbers are not going in the right direction. This issue has a direct impact on safety in the workplace. It’s estimated, by the National Safety Council, that 13% of workplace injuries are caused by fatigue. Translated into costs, employers are paying more than $136 billion annually in health-related lost productivity. Viewing this number from a cost per employee, it’s around $1,200-$3,100 per year. In addition to injuries, fatigue can cause reduced mental cognition, decision-making, and reaction time, as well as decreased performance and productivity. As is the case with solving many issues, technology has a large role to play. In this...