Safety, Health & Environment

Grain, feed and processing facilities must electronically submit data from their Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses forms to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) by March 2. Facilities can submit OSHA Form 300A using the Injury Tracking Application on OSHA’s website.  The deadline differs from past years as the phase-in period for the Improve Tracking of Workplace Injuries and Illnesses rule comes to an end. For each year hereafter, the 300A Form will be required to be electronically filed no later than March 2. Employers should have ... Read More

The number of grain dust explosions increased in 2018, but the resulting injuries and fatalities decreased from the previous year, according to an annual report issued by Purdue University’s Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering. There were 12 grain dust explosions in 2018, compared to seven in 2017 and a 10-year average of 8.4 per year. There was one fatality and four injuries nationwide in 2018, compared to five deaths and 12 injuries in 2017. Explosions occurred at two feed mills, two ethanol plants and eight grain elevators, the report said. Grain dust ... Read More

By Sarah Gonzalez, Director of Communications and Digital Media The NGFA has launched its first interactive employee safety training module designed to provide information on certain types of hazards and best safety practices within the grain handling, feed and processing industry. The safety modules, funded by the National Grain and Feed Foundation – the NGFA’s research and education arm – and produced with the Articulate 360 e-learning program, will be published periodically as part of the Association’s continued commitment to promoting workplace safety. The first e-learning ... Read More

By Jess McCluer, Vice President of Safety and Regulatory Affairs President Donald Trump resubmitted Scott Mugno’s nomination to lead the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) – a move required because the Senate did not confirm his appointment before the previous session of Congress ended. Mugno’s nomination will go before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee for consideration. In the previous session of Congress, the committee approved his nomination, but the Senate never put it on its calendar for a formal vote. This is the longest-ever vacancy for ... Read More

By Jess McCluer, Vice President of Safety and Regulatory Affairs The Department of Labor published the annual penalty adjustments for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in the Jan. 23 Federal Register.   The Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Improvements Act of 2015 (Inflation Adjustment Act) requires the Department of Labor to annually adjust its civil money penalty levels for inflation no later than Jan. 15 of each year. OSHA penalties for all classifications will increase by $326. For other-than-serious, serious and failure-to-abate ... Read More

In a Dec. 31 letter to the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB), the NGFA and other grain organizations outlined reasons they believe additional regulations do not need to be developed by the board to mitigate combustible dust hazards in the grain handling and processing industry. “We support OSHA’s (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) goal of protecting employees and recommend that the CSB work cooperatively with industry groups to ensure stakeholder input and feedback is duly considered,” the groups noted, adding that they do support the continued delivery ... Read More

By Jess McCluer, Vice President of Safety and Regulatory Affairs; and Jim Seibert, Manager of Regulatory Affairs, Education & Training            The NGFA recently published a document to help clarify the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) rules found in Subpart D, otherwise known as the walking working surfaces standard. In 2016, OSHA revised its general industry standards addressing slip, trip and fall hazards found in the walking working surfaces standard. At NGFA’s request, OSHA’s Directorate of ... Read More

By Jess McCluer, Vice President of Safety and Regulatory Affairs; and Jim Seibert, Manager of Regulatory Affairs, Education & Training            The NGFA consulted with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and state regulatory authorities to address a common member question regarding inspections: Is it possible for an establishment to pass a federal/state OSHA inspection but then be cited and fined by the local inspection authority such as a county and/or state fire marshal? In principle, the answer is ... Read More