OSHA Makes Exit Routes Standard User-Friendly

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has rewritten its requirements for exiting buildings briskly during an emergency, revising its standard to make it easier to comprehend. The reworded Exit Routes, Emergency Action Plans, and Fire Prevention Plans Standard takes effect on December 7, 2002.

"Having a clear plan and procedure for exiting a building as safely as possible, if necessary, is one of the most basic and important safety precautions," says OSHA Administrator John Henshaw. "OSHA's standard was over 30 years old and in need of updating. The changes to the language in this rule will make it more clear and consistent, and aid workers and employers alike in understanding the requirements of the standard."

The new version is more concise and straightforward than the previous one. For example, Means of Egress has been reworded to Exit Routes. OSHA has taken out inconsistencies and redundant requirements from the text. In addition, the agency has reorganized and simplified the information, reducing subparagraphs and cross-references to other OSHA standards.

Employers can now choose to adopt the National Fire Protection Associations' Life Safety Code, instead of the OSHA exit routes standard. OSHA has determined that the NFPA standard offers a similar level of safety protection.

The reworded standard provides employers with more compliance options, but it does not modify their regulatory duties and the level of safety and health protection extended to employees.

OSHA Joins Forces with 13 Airlines

Workers in the airline industry will be provided with even more protection under a new alliance that unites OSHA with a group of 13 airlines and the International Air Transport Section of the National Safety Council.

OSHA and the airlines will jointly develop best practices and technical knowledge with an emphasis on ergonomics. They will tackle the ergonomic issues that result from the handling of checked baggage, identifying ways to facilitate communication, outreach, training, education and a national discourse.

"This Alliance provides us a great opportunity to advance a culture of injury and illness prevention among workers in the airline industry," says Henshaw. "By law, employers are responsible for the safety and health of their workers. It is our job to ensure that employers keep their workplaces safe. This Alliance is the beginning of what I hope will be a continuing relationship with the airline industry that is focused on results—worker safety and health."

The following companies are part of the alliance: Air Canada, AirTran Airways, Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, American Trans Air, America West Airlines, Continental Airlines, Delta Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Midwest Express Airlines, Southwest Airlines, United Airlines and U.S. Airways.

In the coming year, OSHA and alliance members will hold a one-day seminar for airlines and other interested aviation groups on OSHA's Voluntary Protection Programs. Another planned seminar with the airlines and OSHA personnel will deal with the ergonomic concerns and solutions associated with handling checked baggage.

Alliance members will also review suggestions to improve ergonomic conditions during a national safety-related conference and perhaps during other venues. Finally, the agency and the airline group will work on a biomechanics-training module for airline employees who have to deal with checked baggage and offer that module to all airlines for free.

OSHA Aims to Improve Construction Site Conditions with New Alliances

OSHA has also formally teamed up with the Construction Management Association of America and the American Industrial Hygiene Association to promote the health and safety of construction site workers. The agency and the two associations will share best practices and work jointly to reduce injuries.

"Construction workplaces are among the most hazardous workplaces in this country today," says Henshaw. The agency is also preparing a targeted inspection program to direct enforcement attention on the construction sites that require it.

AIHA members will be given advice on how to minimize exposure to ergonomic risks. OSHA and the association will develop materials aimed at helping employers create programs to prevent musculoskeletal injuries like carpal tunnel syndrome.

Sources: OSHA Revises Exit Routes Standard
OSHA Trade News Release, Nov. 6, 2002
http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=NEWS_RELEASES&p_id=9810&p_text_version=FALSE

OSHA Revises Exit Routes Standard
FacilitiesNet, Nov. 8, 2002
http://www.facilitiesnet.com/news/Nov08news1.shtml

OSHA Forms Alliance with Airline Group
OSHA Trade News Release, Nov. 12, 2002
http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=NEWS_RELEASES&p_id=9823&p_text_version=FALSE

Alliances to Help OSHA Address Ergonomics, Construction Sites
Kent Hoover
The Business Journal Phoenix, Nov. 1, 2002
http://phoenix.bizjournals.com/phoenix/stories/2002/11/04/focus5.html