Water Well Journal
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/440561
OSHA'S PENDING AND PROPOSED ACTIONS AND IMPACT ON DRILLING COMPANIES The protection of employees is important and relevant each and every day. W orker health and safety is a concern for all employers, regardless of the size of the company. Drilling companies range from a single drill rig and a few employees to large companies with multiple rigs and many employees. The foundation for both being successful, though, includes keeping employees from being injured or becoming ill. Workplace injuries and illnesses can be devastating. One of the many con- cerns as an employer or employee is how does the Occupational Safety and Health Administration affect what I do every day? This question, while not always at the front of our thoughts, influences our work. OSHA regulations are drafted and enforced with the intent of helping each company provide a safe and healthful workplace. No one wants to get injured or become ill on the job, and compli- ance is just one aspect of making sure that doesn't happen. So, what's going on with OSHA that might impact the water well drilling industry? The following information is limited to only a few ongoing events with OSHA and pending changes. But the information will focus on a few that can and will, if enacted, affect your industry. Final Rule on Reporting Severe Injuries OSHA announced a final rule that would require employers to notify OSHA when an employee is killed on the job or suffers a work-related hospi- talization, amputation, or loss of an eye. The rule goes into effect January 1, 2015 for workplaces under federal OSHA jurisdiction. States are expected to follow suit. Under the revised rule, employers must notify OSHA of work-related fatalities within eight hours and work- related in-patient hospitalization, amputation, or loss of an eye within 24 hours. Previously, OSHA's regulations required an employer to report only work-related fatalities and in-patient hospitalizations of three or more employees. Single hospitalizations, amputations, or loss or an eye were not required under the previous rule. The revised rule also provides employers with the opportunity to report incidents electronically, in addition to the phone reporting options. Silica Drilling crews can be subjected to exposure from silica simply because it is going to be present regardless of where drilling occurs. The proposed rule will lower the allowable exposure to crys- talline silica. Drilling companies will have a duty to evaluate employee expo- sures to determine if there is a regulated exposure or one lower than the permis- sible exposure limit of 50 micrograms of silica per cubic meter of air. Following the extensive public hear- ings and comment period, OSHA is presently reviewing thousands of com- ments to determine whether the agency should make any changes to its pro- posed silica rule. It has been estimated by the agency and professional associa- tions that the proposed rule will become a final rule before the end of the Barack Obama administration. The White House has reportedly given OSHA the go-ahead and OSHA plans on moving forward. Updating Permissible Exposure Limits Many of the permissible exposure limits (PELs) currently enforced by OSHA were developed and published back in the 1960s and 1970s. Obviously, we have improved our ability to both evaluate the health risks and measure these hazardous compounds since then. The OSHA PELs are consensus- based limits that indicate how long an employee can be exposed to a particular substance without experiencing harmful effects. These limits are considered by OSHA and the industrial hygiene pro- fession to be one of the most basic tools needed to protect workers. However, as previously stated, many PELs have not been updated for more than five decades. OSHA will continue to pursue the best method of updating the PELs. While this will most likely take many more years, the legal com- munity will use them just as if they were enforced and define them as a best man- agement practice to use in evaluating worker health risks. Injury and Illness Prevention Program If you work in California, this will not impact your business since this re- quirement has been in effect since 1988. OSHA has been attempting, and is finally developing, a rule to require employers to establish and maintain an injury and illness prevention program. GARY GANSON, CIH, CSP SAFETY MATTERS 32 January 2015 WWJ waterwelljournal.com Take the time to recognize and control the hazards on the job site and prevent workers from being injured.