IAMU members should note that the annual deadline for posting the OSHA 300A injury summary is February 1, 2018. All incidents of work-related injuries and illnesses must also be logged within seven days (Form 300) and detailed injury and illness reports for each entry (Form 301) must also be completed.

If there are more than 10 employees at any time during that calendar year, the employer may come under these requirements. When counting employees, you must include full-time, part-time, temporary, and seasonal workers. This exemption is based on the employment of the entire city rather than the establishment. For example, if a city has two establishments like water and public works, one with five employees and one with seven employees, the city must fill out the forms for each establishment because the city employment is greater than 10.

The summary should contain the total numbers of job-related injuries and illnesses that occurred in 2017 that were logged on the OSHA 300 form. Employment information regarding the annual average number of employees and total hours worked during the calendar year is needed to calculate incidence rates.

Even if there were no recordable injuries or illnesses in 2017, you are still required to post the form with zeros on the total line. The 300A summary must remain posted until April 30, 2018.

You may download forms 300, 300A, 301 from OSHA’s Injury & Illness Recordkeeping Forms Web page here or contact IAMU at 800-810-4268.

Many people do not believe that oily rags can ignite all by themselves without the presence of an ignition source, such as a spark or lighted match. However, oily rags stored in a waste can or thrown in a pile on the floor can ignite even without any help from a separate ignition source. This is known as spontaneous combustion.

Spontaneous combustion occurs when a combustible material, including liquid, is heated to its ignition temperature by a chemical reaction involving the oxygen in the air around the material. This heating process is known as self-heating. In the case of oily rags, it’s a simple process of oil oxidizing to generate heat, which will continue to build up until combustion occurs. Generally, this can happen when the materials are left in piles, which provide a source of insulation, trapping the heat that is generated.

The possibility of spontaneous combustion increases when the surrounding air is also warm and dry. Also, heat radiating from nearby sources, such as machinery or a non-insulated steam line, can accelerate the process by heating both the materials and the surrounding air.

It is simple to prevent spontaneous combustion of oily rags. They should always be stored in a metal safety can with a self-closing lid manufactured specifically to hold oily rags. OSHA requires that this can be emptied every day. This smaller can may be emptied into a larger metal container (55- or 60-gallon barrel) as long as the lid is sealed and is located in an outbuilding, detached garage, or shed outdoors.

The largest high-rise fire in modern U.S. history started as a result of the spontaneous combustion of oil-soaked rags left in a pile by contractors working in the building. The fire occurred in Philadelphia on February 23, 1991, on the 22nd floor of the 38-story Meridian Bank Building. The fire started in a vacant 22nd floor office in a pile of linseed oil-soaked rags left by a contractor and resulted in the death of three firefighters and injuries to 24 other firefighters. The 12 alarms brought 51 engine companies, 15 ladder companies, 11 specialized units, and more than 300 firefighters to the scene.

Did you know that about 25 million cloud-to-ground lightning strikes occur in the United States each year or that construction work has the second highest fatality rate for lightning strikes? Lightning can strike as far as 25 miles away from its parent storm; so if you hear thunder, you are within striking distance! According to the National Weather Service, only about 10% of people struck by lightning are actually killed. The other 90% must live with discomfort and disability, sometimes for the rest of their lives.

The safest location during a thunderstorm is inside a building with plumbing and electrical wiring. If lightning strikes the building, the plumbing and wiring will conduct the electricity and eventually direct it into the ground. If no buildings are available, then an enclosed metal vehicle such as an automobile, van, or school bus would be a suitable alternative.

Watch for dark clouds and increased wind; or if you hear thunder, it’s time to seek shelter. Other safety measures include:

• Avoid leaning against cars, fences or gates, construction equipment or trees.  Avoid standing on scaffolding or metal ladders as each of these items may be energized if struck by lightning.
• Refrain from touching concrete surfaces. Lightning can travel through the metal wires or bars in concrete walls and flooring.
• If inside a vehicle, roll up the windows and avoid contact with any conducting paths leading to the outside of the vehicle (e.g. metal surfaces, ignition and portable electronic devices plugged in for charging).

OSHA requires that employers adequately train all workers on lightning safety. Training should be provided for each outdoor worksite, so that supervisors and workers know in advance where a worksite’s safe shelters are and the time it takes to reach them. Employers should train supervisors and workers to provide lightning safety warnings in sufficient time for everyone to reach a worksite’s safe shelters and take other appropriate precautions.