New OSHA Poster & Confined Spaces in Construction Info
New OSHA Poster & Confined Spaces in Construction New Workplace Notification Poster – You may have seen or heard about the OSHA news release published a few days ago where they announced the availability of a brand new version of the Federal OSHA Workplace Notification Poster. This is the poster that all employers must display in a prominent place at their workplaces so workers can be made aware of their rights as well as their employers’ responsibilities for providing a safe workplace. Many employers have called or messaged us recently about purchasing copies of the new poster for their workplaces (we sell the “all-in-one” labor law posters). And while this recent change could be a boon to our online poster sales, I always feel obligated to make certain that employers know the truth; they are actually NOT required to replace their old posters with the new OSHA poster. Even though the new OSHA poster appears very different than the previous version at first glance, it says essentially the same thing as the older version of the OSHA poster, with just a few updated employer responsibilities for reporting worker injuries listed. So there is no need to rush out and replace your old Federal OSHA posters. In fact, OSHA even tells employers via their website they do NOT have to obtain a copy or copies of the new one to replace their old posters; the old posters still suffice in terms of being in compliance with 1903 regulations requiring the poster. New Confined Spaces for Construction Standard – Those of you who have been tracking OSHA’s progress in developing a confined spaces for construction standard over the past 20 or so years may have read proposed rule 1926.1219(a), which said affected employers who have workers perform work related to permit spaces did NOT have to develop a written confined space; they actually had the option to maintain a copy of the OSHA standard for confined spaces for construction at the work-site instead of developing a written permit confined space program. But be aware; after some further thought, the powers that be at OSHA changed their minds. The new confined spaces in construction standard released this month was changed from the proposed rule, and now it actually DOES require employers to develop a written permit-space program if their workers enter permit spaces in a construction environment (see 1926.1203(d)); just having a copy of the standard on site no longer will suffice. So don’t overlook this responsibility as you move to implement this new OSHA confined spaces in construction regulation at your company.
