KEEPING COMPLIANT

Allen Key, vice president of operations for Times Community Newspapers in Leesburg, Va., kicked off Monday’s "OSHA’s Listening" session by telling the story of his newspaper’s painful experience with the government agency.

Early last year, two Times employees filed complaints with the U.S. Occupational Safety & Health Administration over working conditions. Two OSHA inspectors then arrived in Leesburg for a plant inspection, with video camera in tow.

Finding only minor violations, the inspectors told Key, "It looks like you simply have some disgruntled employees." They also told Key that they thought no further follow-ups or investigation would be necessary.

Then, on Sept. 5 of last year, a list of OSHA citations arrived in the mail. "The citations were worded much more strongly and the fines were much higher than I expected," said Key.

Even so, Key worked diligently to address all the issues and document each fix. At an informal conference in Manassas, Va., OSHA officials agreed that corrective action had been taken on all citations except one--for an exposed shaft on the paper’s Goss press. For that, Key was forced to pay a fine and search for a machine shop that could manufacture a cup to place over the end of the shaft.

"Our dealings with OSHA are still not over," said Key, implying that once OSHA targets your plant, it can be easier to rid yourself of head lice.

The next speaker, Robert Fricke, offered advice on how to avoid such problems. A partner with ESMillennium L.C. in Braintree, Mass., Fricke discussed compliance issues common to newspapers, including:

o Labels. All hazardous materials must be labeled with product name, primary hazards and target organs.

o Lockout/Tagout. Lockout devices must be individualized, meaning they can have only one key. Taping over controls that are to be left in one position, an action Fricke referred to as "tapeout/tell-all" is not a compliant method and leads to a minimum $1,800 fine.

o Electrical Panel Issues. Electrical panels must be protected by a three-foot buffer area, include all necessary breaker blanks, and have all breakers labeled.

o Extension Cords. They may only be used for up to 30 days before being replaced by fixed wiring.

o Bencher Grinders. They must have clean wheel shields and tool rests within 1/8 inch.

o Medical Records Access. Employees have the right to view their medical and exposure records. You must provide annual notice to employees of this right. Also, the OSHA rule must be kept on file.

Tracy LaFave-Kadlubar, safety and environmental manager for the Austin (Texas) American-Statesman, continued the theme of avoiding Leesburg’s fate. She provided the following list of reasons for OSHA inspections:

o Random inspections (the least likely reason)

o A fatality occurs on-site, or three-plus employees are sent to the hospital

o Employee complaint

o Specific site targeting (based on Bureau of Labor Statistics injury and illness reports)

o Follow-up inspections.

The final speaker, consultant Daniel L. Souders of Chesapeake Safety Resources in Clarksville, Md., devoted his presentation to answering the question, "Who is qualified to provide lift-truck operator training and evaluation?" His answer came directly from OSHA:

"All training and evaluation must be conducted by a person with the necessary knowledge, training and experience to train operators and evaluate their competency."

In other words, said Souders, "It’s your call!"

-Clark Robinson