It’s Not My Problem – 03/14/2022
Safety E-QuickTips
U.S. Compliance Systems, Inc.
Monday Mar 14, 2022
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It’s Not My Problem
Oh, but it is.
Why should I care about a hole in the floor? I didn’t put it there.
How is that live electrical box without a cover on it my problem? We’re just carpenters.
Those broken guardrails are the responsibility of the carpenter. I’m just doing drywall work.
And the list of “it’s not my problem” can go on and on.
But the fact is, if you’re an employee or an employer working on a job where these hazards exist, it is your problem.
Why is that?
Because workplace hazards are hazards, no matter who creates them. Those hazards can and do injure employees each and every day.
But if that’s not reason enough for you, OSHA provides another reason – The Multi-Employer Citation Policy, CPL 2-0.124.
Here’s what it says.
“More than one employer may be citable for a hazardous condition that violates an OSHA standard.” Any employer that exposes one of its employees to the hazards created by an unsafe condition may be subject to an OSHA citation. In situations where an employer’s own employees are not exposed to a hazard, that employer may still be subject to OSHA coverage if the employer qualifies as a “creating,” “correcting,” or “controlling” employer. A two-step process is used to determine whether more than one employer may be cited for a hazardous condition.
And here are the 2 Steps.
Step One. The first step is to determine whether the employer is a creating, exposing, correcting, or controlling employer.2 Once you determine the role of the employer, step two is used to determine whether a citation is appropriate.
Step Two. If the employer falls into one of the four categories, it has obligations with respect to OSHA requirements. Step Two is to determine if the employer’s actions were sufficient to meet those obligations. The extent of the actions required of an employer varies based on which category applies.
Hazards in the workplace are everyone’s problem and it’s everyone’s job to prevent employee exposure to those hazards, even if it wasn’t created by your company.
Employee QuickTip
It’s easy to walk by and ignore an existing workplace hazard created by another company. It may even be a hassle to let someone know that it needs corrected, but reporting it and having it eliminated could prevent a serious injury or even death of someone on the job. Isn’t it worth it?
Employer/Management QuickTip
Don’t Forget March is Ladder Safety Month.
To help you provide your employees continued awareness of the value of ladder safety we are offering free ladder safety training.
For your employees to take the training for free they will need to be signed up for the course through March 20.Then they can take the course anytime during or after the signup dates.
If you are a current client using our training system just log into your account and sign up as many employees for the training as you would like.
If you are not a current client or are a client that is currently not using our training system, you can also sign up as many employees as you would like.
Again, there is not cost, no credit card required or obligation to purchase anything.
To sign employees up, login to your account, or sign up for free credits.
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Thanks for Reading and Please – Stay Healthy and Work Safe.
