Anyone here know any OSHA regulations ?

[mopar 3 B]

I learnt long ago that right after lunch was not a good time for reading spec. books.

 

[snakeyes]

Hate to say it but workers comp is a joke they are in bed with the manufactories and I'm really starting think OSHA in not there for us either seen where they had been called and didn't to bother just my out take on this

 

[Ron H]

Hate to say it but workers comp is a joke they are in bed with the manufactories and I'm really starting think OSHA in not there for us either seen where they had been called and didn't to bother just my out take on this

You present an interesting issue that I've long pondered on with the multitude of fines big corps have received that never seem to go anywhere. Example BP and gulf oil disaster and MSHA with mine disasters. Some of these companies had been inspected repeatedly for years getting citations in the millions before disasters and who's held to fess up or account? These cases get locked up by legal process for years. Then we get Senate and Congress 'hearings' AFTER people are dead where the bigwigs are spanked. Our gov has a habit of drumming up new laws when the ones that are already on the books aren't used anyway. I got some ideas that have to do with our gov dreaming up new regs while too lazy to just follow up on the ones that are there...

 

[Kern Dog]

Can you just imagine lugging power tools onto a site when each one has a 100' cord!! The dumbest thing I ever heard !! Then there's the cost of a cord for each tool. We always used to cut our cords off about 9" from the tool an put on a new plug. This way there's no getting the plug caught on something while you're sawing something or dragging the cord across construction materials.

Only my circular saw has the 100 foot cord because it is the tool used the most.

 

[Budnicks]

Don't quote me,
I've been away from that end of it, for a few years now too

IIRC the OSHA inspector here
(back in the early 90's it was in Concord Ca., at a Toyota Dealership
IIRC a Vision 2000, remodel project)
had said "a 25' cord only, was the longest allowed"
some stuff was deemed to be max of 12', can be the longest cords
& 12 ga. min,
also it needed to be 'UA approved' 'stickered' on the plugs & cords

I was fined like $2500
*(& subject to inspection at any time, & IIRC a $2500 per drill/saw etc., in the future)
a bunch of Skill saws (Circular 8" & 7-1/4" saws)
a couple of table saws & chop saws

one carpenter got popped for his blade guard
being held open with his carpenters pencil
he was doing a bunch of multiple/continuous cutting on saw horses
as you well know, it's a hassle sometimes
when the guard gets the start of the cut off line a bit
he knew it was wrong, it was pretty common practices too
that was another $2500 fine

& a few Hole Hogs/1/2" chuck Right Angle drill motors
a couple of Hammer drill motors too
(all of which drill motors were, newer Milwaukee's)
many were personal tools of my guys or my co. tools
I supplied them, if they didn't have them or preferred to use their own
that had std 12' cords, some had 25' up-to 50' or 100' cords
was common practices

mainly so they didn't get hung up on the plugs (catch on every damn thing)
when you were working or pulling them around or up on ladders etc.

we had some sheetrock drills that came org. with 25' cords
I even got a warning about them, they were like that from the factory
Black & Decker's IIRC (POS's)...

on most all of them,
were re-corded/extended with a longer cord & new plugs
by me or a competent electrician or the owners/carpenters
did it regularly

I got a stern warning no fine thou, also for some ladders
'not properly marked for weight & do not step above this level' BS
Werner ladders that were near new fiberglass ones,
that were never tampered with, we had to add more warning stickers
my plumbers & electricians was working on/off of

My co. never had any inspections after that, over about 15 years
never had any issues about 15 years prior either

I think some Union Mechanic/Tech's at the dealership
had a beef with one or a couple of my guys,
also a Union Carpenter or Electricians, given people a hard time
(we all knew each other, the owners, management, sales, finance people,
most the tech.'s, parts guys, service mngr/writers etc. (I played golf with),
most the guys from the Concord dealerships in the HG or 1st American group,
were over my house often or at one time or other,
almost every Mon. we/I had parties for Mon. Night Football, swimming, basketball, handball
I had a Mon. Night parties, whether it was football season or not, for about 12 years
& for a long time, I worked with the dealership group exclusively, we were familiar you could say)
& IMO he called OSHA to report violations
is why they were even there, in the 1st place

they (OSHA inspectors) can be real pricks at times, if they want to be
just be polite & deal with them
I saw them daily when, I was working for a civil engineering firm
when I 1st started out on a union bridge/overpas project, in Martinez Ca. ...

 

[Kern Dog]

Twist Lock terminals do hold together better but they still come apart sometimes....when I'm on a ladder or some other inconvenient place.
Some of the buildings that I've worked on have the power source on the concrete slab and the work is being done 20, 30 or more feet up. No matter what, some type of extension cord is needed. The more connections that you have, the more chances of a terminal getting kicked or moved and unplugged. My cord is convenient and safe. I just was looking for an actual legitimate clear cut code by OSHA that states whether it is acceptable or not. So far, I have not seen it clearly spelled out. I have sent an email to CAL OSHA and have received a response that it has been forwarded to another employee that should have a detailed response.

 

[mopar 3 B]

I hope the response is plan and clear cut. Most just send you to another section of their big volume library.

 

[Ron H]

I can say given my work, I've had countless phone calls to regional and the DC OSHA office; most of the time I won't do this until having done a good extent of checking beforehand. Letters of interpretation are often good sources; but then OSHA qualifies be wary as some of them might be outdated. They do revise them and line out no longer valid language though the chance that the letter hasn't been revised has been remote in my experience. Could write a book on the confusion and takeaways that have driven some employers mad. If you're up against a brick wall, call your area OSHA office with the question. They won't ask who you are. This has been fruitful and sometimes not so much. Another book story, lol. This is especially true with the reg's that are way outdated. I run into this with machinery guarding regs more often. Their regs are almost 50 years old and just think how technology has advanced since then. OSHA will refer to consensus standards, notably ANSI, in the hunt to still enforce regulations and will also refer to the machine MFG's operating manuals...what safety stuff they say to do in them. If not = violation + fine. Then there is fed OSHA and some 21 or so states that have their own OSHA program. CALOSHA is among the most stringent meaning their regs are more hefty in some cases than the fed regs. I run into this when companies in my state (under fed osha) are doing biz with companies in CA. They need to be compliant with CA and fed regs may not be good enough. My most often encountered quagmire past several years is on fall protection standards. Friggin nightmare.

 

[Pops1967GTX]

 

[Ron H]

View attachment 903729

Now I know where everyone went for the safety meetings..

 

[68gtxman]

View attachment 903729

Toolbox talks!!!

 

[Pops1967GTX]

OSHA Imposes New Rule For Employer




https://www.constructforstl.org/osha-imposes-new-rule-for-employer-required-covid-19-vaccines/

 

[Moms68]

I need to know what the maximum length is for power cords connected to an electrical tool.
I am having trouble finding any information on this. I wired a 50 foot cord into a drill and nobody called me on it.
In every new circular saw that I get, I wire in a 100 foot TwistLock power cord. I don't like the thin and short cord they come with and I need the Twistlock pattern anyway. I've heard a few times over the years that the 100 foot cord is an OSHA violation but I can't find any evidence that it actually is. It my be buried in their regulations somewhere but I can't find it. I've heard just as many people say that it is NOT a violation so I don't know what to believe. Anyone know the truth or know where I can find it?

If you are using extension cord by snipping off the female end and direct wiring, that is big no-no. Depending on the amp draw of the tool 100’ should be the max. I wouldn’t want to lug around a tool with a 100’ 12-2 cord attached

 

[patrick66]

I had a 30' extension ladder I bought in 2002...and got blown with the wind in a tornado in 2003. It had a total of 36 warning stickers and such nonsense on it! By contrast, I have a ladder I bought new in 1982. It has just one warning label. How did I not kill myself on that over the past 40 years without warnings all over the place?

 

[mopar 3 B]

I had a 30' extension ladder I bought in 2002...and got blown with the wind in a tornado in 2003. It had a total of 36 warning stickers and such nonsense on it! By contrast, I have a ladder I bought new in 1982. It has just one warning label. How did I not kill myself on that over the past 40 years without warnings all over the place?

All those rules protect the ladder manufacturer. It's up to the employer to make sure employees understand the rules.
I have been to a few safety classes that were just plain silly and didn't pretain to anything at the work place. Best ones were from those that knew the industry they were presenting to.
Think there is something out there pertaining to the legalities of covid shot requirements in the work place. Time will tell how this all works out.

 

[patrick66]

We need to delete the requirements for those labels, and let the strong and smart survive. Life should not be easy for the willfully stupid.

 

[mopar 3 B]

We need to delete the requirements for those labels, and let the strong and smart survive. Life should not be easy for the willfully stupid.

We would have to wipe the legal professionals off the face of the earth. Those labels are there as much to pretect employees from employers. Like this ladder is only rated for 150 lb people and we are sumo weight. You can not fire people for having inadequate equipment. You can refuse to hire them because they don't qualify.

 

[patrick66]

Or you can let them self-eliminate. Back in the day, I seem to remember people using that long-dead human quality called "common sense". It's time to revive that. Quit rewarding people who can't perform, through no fault of their own. Some people choose stupid. Stop making it easy for them. Stupid should hurt.

If you've ever watched those videos of Third World construction workers, "handymen" and others that are out there, literally working fearlessly on the edge of a building or a trench, and surviving the day, that is neat to watch.

 

[Ron H]

Read about the Allegany Cty Death Survey and the number of fatalities for various projects 80-90 years ago...bridges, canals, skyscrapers. Although, today with all the fancy technology and safety devices, people still manage to get killed or lose body parts...almost like some have a wish to see what's on the other side sooner rather than later or their employers help them along..

 

[Moms68]

Read about the Allegany Cty Death Survey and the number of fatalities for various projects 80-90 years ago...bridges, canals, skyscrapers. Although, today with all the fancy technology and safety devices, people still manage to get killed or lose body parts...almost like some have a wish to see what's on the other side sooner rather than later or their employers help them along..

Ah yes, but the real question is who is liable for the injury or death nowadays?? If the employer has “checked”’ all the safety boxes and the employee does not follow guidelines, control measures, or PPE, who is at fault? Ultimately it’s the almighty dollar, disguised as caring.