It’s an ongoing challenge to ensure that temporary contracted workers receive appropriate protection from workplace accidents, according to OSHA and many safety advocates. Too often, New Jersey companies view temps as somehow separate from the rest of the workforce. Employers that view contract workers in this light may not treat all workers with adequate respect. For example, companies...

Ideally, both workers and managers in New Jersey and throughout the country will take responsibility for workplace safety. Workers are encouraged to report any unsafe conditions to their immediate supervisors or anyone else who can remedy the problem in a timely manner. Another safety strategy is to make sure that emergency exits are easy to access at all times. Emergency shutoffs should also...

A 2018 OSHA memorandum now allows its investigators to use camera-equipped drones during workplace inspections. Many contractors in New Jersey and across the U.S. are objecting to the measure, saying that the drones, which are capable of taking pictures and video recordings, can violate privacy. The main concern is how the employer’s right to object to inspections will be affected....

Scaffolding accidents are an all-too-common occurrence in the construction industry. OSHA reports that about 60 percent of construction workers, a total of 2.3 million, regularly use scaffolding. Of those, about 4,500 are injured every year, and approximately 60 die every year. Employers in New Jersey will want to consider the following tips for maintaining safe scaffolding. The first step is...

Retail workers in New Jersey, as elsewhere, will be stocking shelves, packing boxes and delivering products at greater speed during the holiday season, and this could raise their risk for injuries due to slips, falls and excessive manual lifting. For this reason, OSHA is reminding employers about their duties to their employees. Those with expanded work schedules are especially prone to...

Workers in New Jersey may face an array of dangers on the job, especially if they work on heights or in construction areas. This can be especially true when employers violate safety regulations. A deputy director of the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA, announced the agency’s top 10 workplace safety violations at the 2018 National Safety Council congress....

Construction workers in New Jersey should know that trenching and excavation operations are leading to more fatalities. Between 2011 and 2016, OSHA recorded 130 fatalities related to such operations. Approximately 49 percent occurred between 2015 and 2016 alone. The private construction industry accounted for 80 percent, numbering 104, of all the fatalities. Seeing a need for increased...

New Jersey employees naturally want to avoid injuries on the job. Their desire to remain safe, however, can either be encouraged or discouraged by management. An employer that consistently communicates safety procedures to employees and invites their feedback about potential safety problems can reduce incidents by as much as 70 percent compared to disengaged employers. Employers can...

Construction workers make up about 6 percent of the overall workforce throughout New Jersey and the rest of the U.S. However, they accounted for 20 percent of employee deaths in the private sector according to OSHA data. One of the biggest hazards workers face on a construction site is falling. Falls can occur because of an unstable surface or because they weren’t using a ladder in a...

Chemical handlers in New Jersey face a wide range of risks, but these could be reduced or avoided if they consider the following 11 safety rules. Employers will want to incorporate them as they are general enough to apply to any workplace where hazardous chemicals are present. The first rule may be the most important: Workers should perform their duties as they were trained to do. Second, they...