Flashings

OSHA releases record-keeping bulletin

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has released a new record-keeping bulletin with requirements for staffing agencies and host employers to record temporary worker injuries and illnesses. The new bulletin addresses how to identify who is responsible for recording temporary workers' work-related injuries and illnesses on the OSHA 300 log.

OSHA launched its Temporary Worker Initiative to raise awareness and compliance with requirements that temporary workers receive the same training and protection of existing workers. The initiative is an effort to ensure temporary workers are protected in their workplaces.

"The Recordkeeping Bulletin is the first of many materials we are releasing and helps clarify which employers are responsible for reporting injuries and illnesses," says David Michaels, OSHA's assistant secretary of labor. "These materials will provide valuable information for host employers and staff agencies on how they can work together to make sure their workers are properly trained and protected."

Under OSHA's Recordkeeping Bulletin, 29 CFR 1904, covered employers are required to prepare and maintain records of serious occupational injuries and illnesses. The bulletin is the first in a series of guidance documents that will be released to raise awareness about compliance with OSHA temporary worker requirements.

For more information about OSHA's record-keeping and reporting requirements, visit www.osha.gov/recordkeeping/index.html; additional information and resources about temporary workers can be found at www.osha.gov/temp_workers.

OSHA announces safety stand-down

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has announced a national safety stand-down June 2-6 to raise awareness among employers and workers about the hazards of falls, which account for the highest number of deaths in the construction industry. During the stand-down, OSHA is asking employers and workers to pause their workdays to discuss fall-prevention topics such as ladders, scaffolding and roofing work safety.

The stand-down is part of OSHA's ongoing Fall Prevention Campaign that began in 2012, developed in partnership with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and NIOSH's National Occupational Research Agenda program.

"Falls account for more than a third of all deaths in this industry," says David Michaels, OSHA's assistant secretary of labor. "We're working with employers, workers, industry groups, state plans, and civic and faith-based organizations to host safety stand-downs that focus on recognizing hazards and preventing falls. We are getting the message out to employers that safety pays and falls cost."

To learn how to conduct a stand-down, visit www.osha.gov/StopFallsStandDown. Participants will receive a certificate of participation, access to free education and training resources, fact sheets and other outreach materials in English and Spanish. To learn more about preventing falls in construction, visit www.osha.gov/stopfalls/.

NRCA testifies against OSHA silica rules

NRCA Executive Vice President Bill Good testified April 2 against the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA's) proposed new silica rules. NRCA believes OSHA's required use of engineering controls and respirators could be potentially dangerous for roofing workers because they could pose fall and health risks.

Good began his testimony by stating NRCA wants to "reduce, wherever possible, exposures to harmful substances, including silica," but not at the expense of safety.

Good went on to explain the required engineering controls would require wetting tiles or vacuuming, both dangerous on a rooftop: "Both introduce new tripping hazards on job sites because both involve adding hoses on rooftops. In addition, wet tiles are slippery tiles, and on a roof that is sloped, we don't want workers moving around on slippery surfaces."

The idea of wetting tiles on the ground also is dangerous because the tiles need to be specifically cut on the roof to fit corners and edges to ensure proper performance, and carrying tiles up to roofs is dangerous. Good said the required use of respirators also is dangerous for roofing work because they can "constrict the user's field of vision, make it more difficult to communicate and create shortness of breath."

In addition to safety hazards, the new silica requirements would require a typical small business to incur an additional $500 per year to comply with the new rules.

Good stated: "As is always the case, higher costs for compliance for a small part of the industry will simply encourage unprofessional contractors to do nothing and take their chances. That is not good for NRCA, OSHA or the cause of worker safety."

Good concluded OSHA and the roofing industry should work together to find a compromise to the new silica requirements: "It would be far better, we think, for us to work with OSHA and the United Union of Roofers, Waterproofers and Allied Workers—with whom we have had ongoing dialogue on this issue—and arrive at workable, practical solutions."

IRS warns of new email phishing scam

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is warning taxpayers of a new email phishing scam. The emails appear to be from the IRS Taxpayer Advocate Service and include bogus case numbers. The typical message appearing in these fake emails is: "Your reported 2013 income is flagged for review due to a document processing error. Your case has been forwarded to the Taxpayer Advocate Service for resolution assistance. To avoid delays processing your 2013 filing, contact the Taxpayer Advocate Service for resolution assistance."

Email recipients then are directed to click on links to provide information about the "advocate" assigned to their case or to let them "review reported income," leading to a web page that solicits personal information.

The IRS does not initiate contact with taxpayers through email, texts or any social media; if the IRS needs to contact a taxpayer, it usually is first through the mail. Taxpayers who receive these messages should not respond to the email or clink on the links. They should forward the scam emails to the IRS at phishing@irs.gov.

For more information, visit the IRS's Report Phishing website or see the "Dirty Dozen" scam list at www.irs.gov.