Safety And Health Consultant Services In Minnesota

The development of cost effective safety programs to manage risks and to comply with OSHA regulations is a core service provided by Caltha LLP. Caltha also provides expert professional & technical support in developing safety management systems and in OHSAS 18001 registration. Caltha also supports our clients’ liability management programs by providing both systems and compliance auditing services.

Developing safety management programs that are easy to implement, document & track is an important service Caltha provides to our clients. This includes integrating compliance management with other risk management, quality improvement and cost control initiatives that our clients may already have. Caltha will train your staff to successfully implement the safety management programs in the future.

Caltha can also provide "as needed" technical support in preparing and maintaining OSHA compliance records, and to conduct incident investigations to support a root cause analysis. Caltha staff have led multi-disciplinary teams to develop corrective action plans arising from variety of incidence, including injuries, accidents, spills and fires.

Click here for more details on the safety, health and emergency preparedness services Caltha provides.

Click here to review a sampling of our past safety related projects.

PPE Assessment and Employee Exposure Review For Minnesota Manufacturer

Caltha LLP Project Summary

Project: PPE Assessment
Client: Chemical Formulating Facility
Location(s): Minnesota

Key Elements: PPE assessment, OSHA hazard communication, employee training, safety data sheet, employee exposure control

Overview: Caltha LLP was retained by this chemical processing facility to conduct a PPE assessment for specific processing areas, including dry mixing, blending, wet mixing, and packaging. Caltha staff reviewed raw material and finished product safety data sheets, as well as specific tasks being conducted in each area. For each area, a standard set of employee PPE was prescribed; specific materials which require additional or other types of PPE were then identified. Employees were provided training, including visual reminders at each work station, to alert them when PPE beyond the standard was required.

For more information on Caltha LLP services, go to the Caltha Contact Page

Alliance of Hazardous Materials Professionals-NSC August Meeting

The North Star Chapter of the Alliance of Hazardous Materials Professionals (AHMP) is announcing its August General Membership Meeting. This month’s meeting focuses on indoor air quality topics and adjustments to air handling systems to improve performance.

Date: Thursday August 30, 2012
Time: 3:00 – 4:30 PM
Location: Institute for Environmental Assessment (IEA)
9201 W. Broadway, #600, Brooklyn Park, MN 55445

Agenda:
Indoor Air Quality/ Indoor Environmental Quality
This session will cover the key concepts of facility indoor environmental quality (IEQ) to provide a basic understanding of what factors impact a facilities indoor environment, especially in regards to mold and interior contaminants. Session will also discuss strategies to improve the IEQ in a facility.

Recommissioning HVAC Systems For Improved Air Quality and Energy Performance
Presentation will provide insight on recommissioning (renovating) of ventilation systems to improve air quality and energy performance. Discussion will include benefits and cost effective action items building owners and operators could consider to improve the indoor environment, as well as see benefits in energy efficiency.

General Membership Meeting
A brief general membership meeting will follow.
Membership:
The General Meeting is open to all North Star Chapter members – anyone else can become a member at the North Star Chapter website, or can print out the membership application ( http://ahmp-nsc.org/pdfs/memberap.pdf ) and bring it to the general meeting.

You do not need to be a Certified Hazardous Material Manager, or a member of the national AHMP group to be a member of the North Star Chapter.

Watch For Upcoming Meetings:
Tour of local hazardous and industrial waste treatment facility
Tour of local recycling operation

OSHA Announces Final HazCom 2012 Rule and Compliance Dates

On a teleconference call, OSHA announced the revision to the Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) as well as related compliance deadlines affecting chemical manufacturers, distributors and employers. According to OSHA the Final Rule will be filed on March 20th at the Office of the Federal Register and available for viewing on their Public Electronic Inspection Desk. The Federal Register will publish the final rule on March 26, 2012. The effective date of the final rule is 60 days after the date of publication.”

The revised HCS, which OSHA is calling HazCom 2012, is expected to affect every U.S. workplace with exposure to hazardous chemicals, and is estimated to cover over 5 million facilities and over 40 million workers. The first compliance date employers should be aware of is December 1, 2013, which is the date by which employees must be trained on the new label and SDS formats. OSHA is now calling this standard the “Right to Understand” updating the “Right to Know” concept behind the former HCS.

Caltha LLP provides specialized expertise to clients nationwide in the evaluation environmental rules, developing EH&S compliance procedures, and preparing cost-effective EH&S management programs.

For further information contact Caltha LLP at

info@calthacompany.com or Caltha LLP Website

Publication of Final Hazard Communication Rule Delayed

The U.S. Department of Labor - Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) has announced that its final Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS) rule, originally scheduled for released in August 2011, has been delayed for a few weeks due to the extensive review of the final standard. The final standard is not expected to be published in September 2011. The final Hazard Communication rule is entering final Departmental review and will be sent to OMB once this review is complete

OSHA had proposed a three-year implementation period to phase in compliance with the revised hazard communication rule. During the rulemaking comment periods and at the public hearings, stakeholders submitted recommended implementation periods ranging from 3 to 15 years. OSHA has indicated that it has considered all of these comments and the implementation period will be announced when the final rule is published. However, a company may opt to classify the products now according to GHS as long as it also follows the current Hazard Communication Standard. OSHA did not propose any changes in the language requirements in the Hazard Communication Standard. However, GHS is designed to enable workers of limited literacy in the English language to understand the information.

OSHA’s preliminary estimate is that updating the Hazard Communication Standard will create a substantial annualized savings for employers of at least $585 million. The majority of these benefits will be realized through increases in productivity for health and safety managers as well as for logistics personnel.

Caltha LLP provides specialized expertise to clients nationwide in the evaluation environmental rules, developing EH&S compliance procedures, and preparing cost-effective EH&S management programs.

For further information contact Caltha LLP at

info@calthacompany.com or Caltha LLP Website

AWAIR Requirements - Minnesota OSHA

Since 1991, Minnesota OSHA has required many employers to develop and use "A Workplace Accident and Injury Reduction (AWAIR)" program. Employers engaged in certain specific industrial classification codes (NAICS codes) are required to develop and implement a written safety and health program with specific actions designed to reduce the incidence of workplace accidents and injuries.

An employer subject to these rules must establish a written AWAIR program that includes:

1. how managers, supervisors and employees are responsible for implementing the program and how continued participation of management will be established, measured and maintained;
2. the methods used to identify, analyze and control new or existing hazards, conditions and operations;
3. how the plan will be communicated to all affected employees so they are informed of work-related hazards and controls;
4. how workplace accidents will be investigated and corrective action implemented;
5. how safe work practices and rules will be enforced.

An employer must conduct and document a review of the workplace accident and injury reduction program at least annually and document how the procedures included in the program are being met.

Caltha LLP provides specialized expertise to clients nationwide in the evaluation environmental rules, developing EH&S compliance procedures, and preparing cost-effective EH&S management programs.

For further information contact Caltha LLP at

info@calthacompany.com

or

Caltha LLP Website

Minnesota OSHA AWAIR Program Revision – New NAICS Requirements

In November 2008, the Minnesota OSHA adopted the new NAICS classification to determine if employers are required to comply with A Workplace Accident and Injury Reduction (AWAIR) Program. Employers that fall within the listed NAICS codes are required to prepare and maintain a written AWAIR program.

Because the shift to the NAICS system may make some employers subject to AWAIR that previously were not subject, a “grace period” have been established for companies to develop and implement their written programs. All companies subject to AWAIR must have their program established no later than May 3, 2009.

[read more about differences between SIC code and NAICS systems]

For further information contact Caltha LLP at
info@calthacompany.com
or
Caltha LLP Website