In this edition, we are going to talk about Variances, Trainer Upgrades, the Washington State Forklift Rodeo Finals, assigning operator numbers, a $117,000 fine from OSHA, and our new Feedback Form.
First, we want to wish you a Happy Halloween! Check out this giant pumpkin from the Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off held in Half Moon Bay, CA on October 8. Thad Starr won the contest with a California record weight of 1775 pounds!
This picture doubles up as our What’s Wrong With This? photo. We’ll have the answer for you in November’s newsletter.
Variances
A variance is a regulatory action that permits an employer to deviate from the requirements of a standard under specified conditions. A variance does not provide an outright exemption from a standard, however.
Employers can request a variance for many reasons, including not being able to fully comply on time with a new safety or health standard because of a shortage of personnel, materials, or equipment. Employers may prefer to use methods, equipment, or facilities that they believe protect workers as well as, or better than, applicable standards.
A variance may be granted to employers when they can prove that their proposed methods, conditions, practices, operations, or processes provide workplaces that are at least as safe and healthful as the workplaces provided by the standards from which they are seeking the variance.
In the US, OSHA has enhanced its variances web page to improve public understanding of the variance approval process and increase access to the Agency’s decisions on variance requests. The page now lists both denied and approved requests and provides information to employers on submitting formal requests for a variance from an OSHA workplace standard.
Upgrade Your Trainers
In today’s world of new technology many of us are pining for the newest technology. We are continuously upgrading to bigger TVs, smarter computers, and faster cars that can even park themselves!
Did you know that your training skills can be upgraded as well? That’s right, IVES can upgrade your existing trainer credentials by adding additional mobile equipment to your training repertoire!
IVES can help you in a tangible way by increasing your value in the workplace, expanding your skills, and ultimately helping you make a greater contribution to mobile equipment operator safety.
If a new type of equipment has been introduced to your workplace, we can come to your site and deliver a Trainer Upgrade Program.
Call 1-800-643-1144 for more details.
This Ain’t Our First Rodeo!
The Washington State Forklift Rodeo Final held in Spokane, WA this year was a huge success! IVES lead the judging team and we were also a platinum sponsor of the event.
Operators from all over the country came to participate in the event. Jeff Edmund of Puget Sound Energy was the grand champion and took home a plaque and a check for $500.
To see the event photos, check out our Facebook album here.
Busted!
Federal safety regulators have proposed $117,000 in fines against a company in Batesville, Mississippi.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration said that when it inspected a work site April 12, the company wasn’t protecting workers against trench collapses or providing a ladder to enter and exit deep trenches.
OSHA standards mandate that all excavations 5 feet or deeper be protected against collapse, typically with a shield or by sloping or benching the soil.
Trench cave-ins can maim or kill workers, and are a focus of OSHA enforcement. The company was cited for two willful violations and one serious violation. Read the full story here.
Source: Washington Examiner
Ask Bob
Q: I’m a new trainer and I can’t recall how I’m supposed to assign operator numbers to my trainees. Please help!
A: We recommend you assign your operators using your trainer number followed by a dash and then 001. For example, if your trainer number is 17000 and you have just trained your first operator, you will assign number 17000-001. Your second operator would be 17000-002, and so on.
Make sure to record the assigned numbers in your Trainer’s Log. You can also keep track of the operator’s expiry dates using our TrainTrak™ Reminder System. Both are available for free on the IVES Member Dashboard.
Leave Your Feedback!
When you logout of the IVES Member Dashboard, you can now leave your comments, questions, feedback or suggestions. We want to know how we’re doing, what you like about the site and what you don’t, and if there’s anything we can improve on to make your experience an even better one.
You can leave your comments anonymously, or not – either way is fine by us!
Online Contest Reminder
Our contest closes October 31, 2012! All online training material orders and online registrations will be entered in to win one of our grand prizes. Orders placed by phone or fax will not be granted an entry.
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