On July 31, California's Department of Industrial Relations' (DIR) Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) filed a proposal with the Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board to amend the state's heat illness prevention regulations, which follows the July 16 request by Governor Schwarzenegger to strengthen and improve the standards to protect outdoor workers from the hot summer sun.

Besides, the state budget just signed has authorized the spending of $1.5 million to expand upon the efforts already in place to educate workers and employers about the necessity of heat illness prevention. This was the expanding outreach to train outdoor workers and employers, and will help to expand Cal/OSHA's successful participation and partnership with industry, labor, and community groups.

Under the Governor’s leadership, California was the first state in the nation to develop a safety and health regulation addressing heat illness in 2005. Cal/OSHA issued permanent heat illness prevention regulations to protect outdoor workers in 2006. The Regulations address such topics as shade requirements, drinking water requirements, heat illness training requirements and other related subtopics. They require that the employer make shade available, provide drinking water, provide training to both supervisors and workers, and requires that the written heat illness prevention program include a plan for summoning emergency responders.

"Today we are moving to clarify amendments to the standards and to ensure that we provide the necessary measures to improve upon our first in the nation regulation to protect outdoor workers from the summer heat," said DIR Director John C. Duncan. "This package will, among other things, include a requirement for shade to be present at all times and a trigger for shade to be up when the temperature exceeds 85 degrees. It also makes it clear that employees have the right to take a rest in the shade whenever they feel the need to do so to prevent themselves from overheating."

~OSHA Seminar Highlights~ The general industry safety orders, including the five most often overlooked standards; The elements required for an effective Injury and Illness Prevention Program to be considered operative; Which industries are on the High Hazard Industry list and what that means to employers; The instruction and training requirements of the California Code of Regulations for each of the occupational safety and health standards; Which employers and industries are exempt from Cal/OSHA recordkeeping requirements; How to decide if a case meets one or more of the general recording criteria; What is required of employees to be involved in the recordkeeping system; The difference between medial treatment and first aid; The inspection procedures used by Cal/OSHA, including a copy of their inspection checklist; Sample templates for five of the most common written programs, including training materials and inspection checklists. A strategy employers can use to establish and maintain their programs.

OSHA regulations are designed to protect workers from hazardous conditions and ensure safe working conditions. These regulations cover issues such as recordkeeping, reporting and posting. Standards 29 CFR outline the various regulations that should be abided by. These include specifications regarding production or disclosure of information or materials, protection of individual privacy and access to records, inspection, citations, and proposed penalties, recording and reporting of occupational injuries and illnesses, administration witness and documentations in private litigations, occupational safety and health standards, rules concerning access to employee medical records, occupational safety and health standards for shipyard equipment, maritime terminals, agriculture, construction and general industry, longshoring, workshops and rehabilitation facilities, gear certification, identification, classification and regulation of carcinogens, procedures for handling of discrimination complaints by employees etc.  

OSHA compliance ensures a safe and healthy work environment and prevents employers from facing penalties and paying huge fines. The legal backing provided to OSHA makes conformity an integral aspect of all workplaces. It helps you save a lot of money as treatment of injuries and repairing and replacement of equipments is an expensive deal. It enables employees to concentrate on their work and increase productivity by reducing distractions like taking leave from work due to injury. Making it an integral aspect of the work culture ensures maintaining OSHA compliance. Setting a standard before your employees by agreeing, understanding and inculcating OSHA standards as well as introducing a system of rewards will go a long way in making sure that your employees also obey them.

OSHA Outreach Training Program is designed to acquaint workers with the fundamentals of occupational safety and health. This program authorizes those who finish a 1-week OSHA trainer course to teach 10 or 30 hour courses in construction or general industry occupational safety and health standards policy. Authorized trainers are supplied with OSHA course completion cards. These courses are provided by the OSHA Training Institute and enable the teachers to train for 4 years before the end of which an update course must be undertaken to renew their authorization.

OSHA Training includes 10 and 30-hour training courses for Construction and General Industry, Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response Standard (HAZWOPER) training, Environmental Protection courses etc. Voluntary training guidelines have been designed to aid employers in understanding whether a problem in the worksite can be resolved by training, identify whether training is required, outline the objectives and goals of training, formulate learning activities and conduct training, evaluate the effectiveness of training, revise the program periodically to prevent it from becoming obsolete.

OSHA certification involves the issuing of course completion cards, by the Department of Labour within 4-6 weeks upon completion of the 10 and 30 hour OSHA Outreach Training programs for both Construction and General Industry. Upon completion of online courses, students can avail of printable certificates.

Hence OSHA regulations increase the safety and reliability quotient of workplaces and ensure greater efficiency and productivity of work.

Need to get OSHA certification, but not sure of where to start? As of recent, more states are requiring OSHA training for the construction industry. So how do you know what course you need?

The most commonly requested OSHA course is OSHA 10-hour Outreach Training for the Construction Industry. This is because it is state-mandated. If you are completing construction public work projects in the following 7 states you will have to get your OSHA 10 hour Outreach card:

* Connecticut

* Massachusetts

* Missouri

* Nevada

* New Hampshire

* New York

* Rhode Island

In addition to these state, enrollments have been increasing for other states whose work or contract requires OSHA training, or there has been a safety and health program adopted. States that have seen a recent increase in OSHA 10-hour Construction Course graduates are California, Ohio, Florida, Georgia, New Jersey and Texas.

The OSHA 10-hour construction course covers the necessities of OSHA regulatory standards including Fall Protection, Personal Protective Equipment, Material Handling and more.

Generally, most workers need either the 10 or 30 hour Outreach card. The 30 hour course gives a more comprehensive view of the OSHA regulations and hazard identification, and includes additional lessons such as OSHA Standards and Inspection Procedures, Recordkeeping, Fire Prevention and more.

Even if you are not required by law, it may be required by your employer or for a future project. Regardless, having an OSHA card is considered an asset and would look good on your resume.

The other main type of OSHA training is the OSHA trainer certification courses. Completion of the trainer courses allows you to teach 10 or 30 hour outreach training. For construction, this is the 500 Trainer course. To qualify, you need to have five years of construction safety experience and have completed the 510 Occupational Safety and Health Standards for the Construction Industry course. This course covers the OSHA construction regulations in detail.

So how do you find the training? You can take a classroom course provided by a trainer in your area, as well as enroll in a course provided by OSHA Training Institute Education Centers across the nation. However, online training is more accessible and the best option for those not able to attend a live classroom course. More people are choosing online training to cut travel costs, time off work and because live classroom courses for the required states fill up quickly.

To start, do an online search for either OSHA 10 hour, 30 hour or 510 certification course. Make sure you find a provider that offers OSHA accepted courses. Generally the website will say OSHA accepted, authorized or accredited. USF OSHA offers OSHA accepted 100% online training that is usually lower in price than the live versions. And you can also find coupons online.

Last, remember to call the training provider's number listed on the website for bulk discounts. If you have multiple sign-ups for your company this can save quite a bit of money. If you've registered for the online course, you will generally have 6 months to complete. There is a course trainer available to you for any questions you may have. At the end of the course is a final exam which you have to pass with an 70 or higher in order to get your certificate.

After you complete your training, your OSHA card and/or certificate should be delivered within 10 business days. You may be able to get it sooner if you request and expedite from the provider.

Visit www.usfosha.com for OSHA accepted training online. For a list of construction industry standards, visit http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owastand.display_standard_group?p_toc_level=1&p_part_number=1926

Three Department of Labor (DOL) agencies have responsibility for the administration and enforcement of the laws enacted to protect the safety and health of workers. These are the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Act, the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) and the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), which contains rules concerning the employment of workers under the age of 18. Almost every state has a workers' compensation department, the benefits under which vary from state to state.

OSHA or OSHA-approved systems regulate safety and health conditions in most private industries. Nearly every employee comes under OSHA's jurisdiction. There are some exceptions such as miners, some transportation workers, many public employees, and the self-employed. In addition to the requirements to comply with the regulations and safety and health standards contained in the OSH Act, employers subject to the Act have a general duty to provide work and a workplace free from recognized, serious hazards.

According to the Act, every employer shall furnish to every employee a place of employment that is free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm to employees. In addition, employers shall comply with occupational safety and health standards that are included in the Act.

The Department of Labor has an Employment Standards Administration division (ESA) whose mission is to enhance the welfare and protect the rights of workers. As an enforcement and benefit delivery agency, the ESA is composed of four major programs one of which is responsible for workers' compensation, the Office of Workers' Compensation Programs.

Workers who are injured while on the job, who have been injured in association with their job or who have safety or health issues directly related to their job may be covered under workers' compensation. Workers' compensation is a system of laws outlining specific benefits to which an injured employee is entitled, including lost wages and medical expenses. In other words, it is an important safety net for employees when they are injured while on the job or because of a job.

The specific issues associated with each case must be explored to determine the benefits an employee may be entitled to receive. In addition, depending upon the type of accident and injury, the worker may also be able to file a personal injury suit against one or more of the contractors involved, which does not affect workers' compensation claims or benefits.

In general, workers' compensation benefits provide regular weekly payments, medical coverage, vocational training, and other benefits to workers injured in the course of their employment. The basic purpose of the law is to provide prompt compensation for impairment of earning capacity. The Compensation Act sets strict deadlines for the processing of the claims, and imposes penalties on insurers who fail to make timely benefit payments when required. Employees also have strict timelines for reporting injuries or employment related temporary or permanent disabilities.