Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA)Vol. 10, No. 1 Winter 2006

Cont. on Page 18

Don Milroy, Masco Corp.; David Graham, Dow Chemical; DavidYacavone, Johnson Technology; and Roman Krygier, Ford; listen as WesSmith (not pictured) describes their strenghts at E&E Manufacturing.

GoGovvernor’ernor’s Fs ForumorumorumTop Leaders at the Governor’s Workplace Safety &Health Forum Shared their Strategies for Success

On November 3rd, David Hollister, Direc-tor, Michigan Department of Labor and Eco-nomic Growth (DLEG) welcomed more than 250manufacturing employers from across the stateto the Governor’s Workplace Safety and HealthForum. Held at Macomb Community College,the forum continued Governor Granholm’s fo-cus on “Manufacturing Matters” in Michigan.

“Manufacturing is one of Michigan’s mostimportant economic sectors–and is absolutelyvital to our future success,” said Governor Jen-nifer M. Granholm. “When companies includeworkplace safety and health in their corporatestrategy–they not only protect their workers, theyalso produce better products and add greatervalue to our economy.”

“One of the cornerstones of growingMichigan’s economy must be collaborative part-nerships–labor, business, and government mustcome together to build a stronger Michigan,” saidHollister. ”I am honored to share the stage to-day with these outstanding leaders–who send astrong message that workplace safety and health

makes good business sense.”Michigan’s “Best of the Best”

Top executives from Michigan’s “Best ofthe Best” companies shared their stories of busi-ness successes, while creating a safe and health-ful work environment for their employees. Rep-resenting a wide range of manufacturing envi-ronments, all shared a message of increasingcompetitiveness through strong worker safetyand health efforts.

“With the UAW and MIOSHA as our part-ners, we’ve worked long and hard to make sig-nificant improvements during the last six years,in one of the most challenging work environ-ments,” said Roman J. Krygier, Group VicePresident, Global Manufacturing, Ford MotorCompany. “Today, we are proud to say MIOSHAadvocates some of Ford’s safety practices to otheremployers. “

“We are extremely proud of our safety andhealth achievements–which are a direct resultof the hard work of all of our Associates,” saidDavid M. Yacavone, President, Johnson Tech-

nology. “Our strong commit-ment to workplace safety andhealth has undeniably made ourcompany more competitive.”

“At Dow, the health andsafety of our people is vital toour sustainability as a company.In the past ten years, more than12,500 Dow employees inMichigan and around the worldhave not been hurt as a resultof our relentless safety efforts,”said David W. Graham, Vice-President of Environment,Health & Safety, The DowChemical Company. “We’renow in the process of setting

In This IssueDirector’s Column 2

Georgia-Pacific MVPP 3

MIOSHA Compliance Visits 4

Confined Space Hazard 5

Great Lakes Defender 6

Discrimination is Unlawful 7

CET Grants for 2006 8

Occupational Disease Reporting 9

Make a Difference Week 9

Macomb College Alliance 10

Gov. Construction Forum 10

CET Awards - Construction 11

CET Awards 12

Education & Training Calendar 13

Standards Update 14

Variances 16

TB Fit Testing Delay 16

MIOSHA News Quiz 17

Telly Awards Winners 17

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From theMIOSHA

Director’sDesk

By: Douglas J. Kalinowski

After MIOSHA’s30th Anniversary...Where do weGo from Here?

With the ending of 2005, the modern-day MIOSHA Program hasjust completed its 30th anniversary. In the past year, a lot has beenaccomplished. In addition to completing nearly 5,000 enforcement in-spections and more than 6,200 outreach seminars, workshops and con-sultations, we tackled three special projects to commemorate our 30th

anniversary. These projects were designed to reemphasize and rein-vigorate everyone’s awareness of workplace safety and health,

On August 25th, MIOSHA took a historic step in its “Take a Standfor Safety and Health Day.” On that day, 125 MIOSHA staff, bothenforcement and consultation, served as consultants–helping employ-ers across Michigan solve their safety and health issues without cita-tions or penalties. The feedback we received from employers and em-ployees, as well as our own staff who participated in this project, wasextremely positive.

“Make a Difference Week” was coordinated the week of Sep-tember 12 - 16th. MIOSHA consultation staff developed a workplacesafety and health “Toolbox” for employers and workers to addressthe key elements of a safety and health management system. Theweek included a call to “Stand Down for Safety and Health” on Sep-tember 16th.

The first “Governor’s Workplace Safety and Health Forum”was held November 3rd at Macomb Community College. It providedan opportunity for employers and employees in Michigan to hear froma number of business and labor leaders and the CEOs of several suc-cessful companies who understand the importance of safety and healthto their overall operations. The outcome of this forum is highlighted inthis issue of the MIOSHA News.Where do we go from here?

There are several lessons that my 16-year-old son, Phil, has taughtmy me about downhill skiing that all of us involved in worker safety canuse. Two of these are:

Look Down the Hill – Although we all must deal with immedi-ate issues that face us, to truly be effective, we must look ahead toaccomplish our goals. We in the MIOSHA Program do “look down thehill” in working towards eliminating workplaces fatalities, injuriesand illnesses.

Challenge Yourself to Improve – To improve and make a differ-ence for working men and women in Michigan, we must challengeourselves. The MIOSHA Program sets its goals high but reachable fordivisions, individuals and projects.

Over the next year, we will continue to address the key injuries,illnesses and industries through both enforcement and outreach strate-gies. We will also continue to address improvements in the operationof our program to enhance consistency, timeliness and effectiveness.

We have a number of specific projects planned for 2006. We ex-pect to continue the “Take a Stand Day for Safety and Health,” “Makea Difference Week,” and the “Governor’s Forum.” Three additional

projects are listed below.This January we will distribute 30,000 safety awareness CDs

“MIOSHA Walkthrough for Manufacturers” across Michigan. Thisinteractive training CD includes 22 modules designed to cover a widerange of workplace safety and health issues. The feedback we havereceived from people who have seen this tool so far has been verypositive.

In March we are planning a “Governor’s Construction Safetyand Health Forum,” similar to the forum held for manufacturers lastyear. Leaders from Michigan’s “Best of the Best” construction compa-nies will share their success stories. (See page 10 for details.)

We are also planning a “Young Workers Initiative” in the spring.Young people are our future and nearly 80 percent work at some timeduring their high school years. Nationwide, at least 70 young workedare killed on the job each year and more than 100,000 seek treatmentfor a work-related injury. We must address the safety and health issuesthat affect them early to really have an impact on their future.Where are we going over the longer stretch?

We will continue to use strategic planning with a lot of stake-holder input to guide the MIOSHA Program. We must also find newand better ways to challenge ourselves.

Some of these will entail using information technology to shareinformation. We have made significant strides to enhance the MIOSHAwebsite in the past few years. We plan to further expand the websiteand the information accessible through it. We will also expand the useof electronic tools to enhance our training programs.

MIOSHA has also found partnerships and alliances with employ-ers, associations and employee organizations to be extremely valu-able. They provide immeasurable ways to exponentially share infor-mation and resources, eliminate barriers and truly have an impact onworker safety. We must strengthen the partnerships and alliances thatwe have established and build new ones for the future.

The MIOSHA Program is currently in the early stages of develop-ing a MIOSHA Training Institute. The vision for this institute is tocreate a site or series of sites where MIOSHA staff can receive bothclassroom and hands-on training along side employers and employeesin Michigan. We are working with Macomb Community College as apilot to develop a core curriculum of safety and health courses thatwill have the greatest impact in Michigan’s workplaces. Comprehen-sive training and information are the keys to providing effective, com-mon sense solutions to workplace hazards. This applies to employers,employees and MIOSHA staff.

Communication is a critical part in MIOSHA’s future and in whatwe all do every day in occupational safety and health. We can onlyreally “Make a Difference” if we work together to eliminate fatali-ties, injuries and illnesses.

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Congratulations Georgia-Pacific!Georgia-Pacific’s Premier Packaging Albion Facility Receives State’s Highest Safety and Health Award

The Premier Packaging Albion facility became the 70th Georgia-Pacific site toreceive the prestigious Star Award.

Albion Premier Packaging employees raised the StarFlag during their MVPP ceremony.

Georgia-Pacific Corporation’s PremierPackaging Albion facility received the Michi-gan Voluntary Protection Program (MVPP) StarAward on October 18th from MIOSHA for work-place safety and health excellence.

“We are honored to welcome Georgia-Pacific’s Albion facility into this prestigiousgroup of Michigan companies that have imple-mented an exemplary safety and health system,”said DLEG Director David C. Hollister. “Youare to be commended for your safety and healthleadership–which demonstrates that focusing onsafety and health is a sound business decision.”

MIOSHA Director Doug Kalinowski pre-sented the MVPP Star Award to General Man-ager Bill Magee and the Albion Safety Com-mittee. All employees attended the ceremonyand were congratulated by local and state offi-cials, as well as Georgia-Pacific corporate ex-ecutives. Employees raised the MVPP Star flagfollowing the ceremony.Fostering Cooperation

“The employees at Premier have demon-strated what can happen when an entire busi-ness or group works together, when there is atrue spirit of cooperation, and when everyone isconcerned, not only about their own safety, buttheir co-workers’ as well,” said MikeRehwinkel, Senior Vice President – Packaging.

This is the most prestigious safety andhealth award given in Michigan. MIOSHA es-tablished the MVPP program in 1996 to recog-nize employers actively working toward achiev-

ing excellence in work-place safety and health.Since 1999, Michigan hasrecognized 18 MVPP Starc o m p a n i e s .“I’m extremely proud ofthe employees and safetyteam members here atPremier. The success ofthis MVPP program dem-onstrates our employee’stalents and dedication tosafety,” said Rick Fox,Plant Manager – Premier.

The incidence ratesat the Georgia-PacificAlbion facility are wellbelow the Michigan average for their SIC code2653, Corrugated & Solid Fiber Boxes. Theirtotal case incidence rate was 5.4 in 2002, 1.5 in2003, and 0.0 in 2004-compared to the Bureauof Labor Statistics (BLS) Michigan industry av-erage of 6.4 in all three years. The total daysaway/restricted cases (DART) rate was 1.4 in2002, 1.5 in 2003, and 0.0 in 2004-compared tothe BLS Michigan industry average of 3.4 in allthree years.Sharing Responsibility

“National VPP sites experience 60 to 80percent less lost work day injuries than wouldbe expected of an average site in their indus-try,” said Kalinowski. “Not only does the MVPPprogram significantly reduce injuries and ill-nesses, it also has a tremendous impact on thebottom line.”

Georgia-Pacific’s Premier Corrugated sheet-feeder plant employs 74 workers and specializesin manufacturing corrugated sheets in single-walland double-wall for its industrial based custom-ers. The MIOSHA review team, consisting ofDoug Kimmel, Sheila Ide, Sherry Scott andQuenten Yoder, conducted 28 formal and 22 in-formal interviews during the site visit. The teamexamined each of the required elements of theirsafety and health management system, and foundthem to effectively address the hazards at the site.

The Georgia-Pacific corporate safety state-ment reads, in part: “We recognize that there isno goal more important than having every em-ployee go home safely every day, which is whyaccident prevention is everyone’s responsibility.All employees are expected to follow safe workpractices to ensure their own safety as well asthe safety of their fellow employees. By doingso, we can keep our facilities in the top tier ofsafe working environments in industry.”

Building ExcellenceAreas of excellence include:

A very thorough and complete new em-ployee orientation program;

Holding all employees accountable forsafe and healthy conditions through corporategoal setting and a Total Performance Manage-ment (TPM) evaluation process;

A CORE: Safety Element System;Quarterly audits for Lockout/Tagout pro-

cedures;An excellent signage program offering

instructions and reminders which are visiblethroughout the production area; and

A computer-based system to report andtrack safety and health issues and suggestions.

Georgia-Pacific’s corporate dedication andcommitment to health and safety excellence isexemplified by their many facilities that haveachieved Star status in federal OSHA’s Volun-tary Protection Program (VPP). To date, Geor-gia-Pacific has 70 certified VPP sites.

Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia-Pacificis one of the world’s leading manufacturers andmarketers of tissue, packaging, paper, buildingproducts and related chemicals. With 2004 an-nual sales of approximately $20 billion, the com-pany employs 55,000 people at more than 300locations in North America and Europe. Its fa-miliar consumer tissue brands include QuiltedNorthern®, Angel Soft®, Brawny®, MardiGras®, So-Dri® and Vanity Fair®, as well asthe Dixie® brand products.

Georgia-Pacific’s building products manu-facturing business has long been among thenation’s leading supplier of building productsto lumber and building materials dealers andlarge do-it-yourself warehouse retailers. Formore information, visit www.gp.com.

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MIOSHA Safety Officer Rick Pfander conducts a “ProgrammedInspection” at Actron Steel, with President Ronald Watson. (Aspecial thanks to Actron Steel for use of this photo.)

MIOSHA Compliance VisitsInspection Procedures and New Instruction on AbatementBy: Martha Yoder

MIOSHA Deputy Director

Have you ever wondered what happenswhen a MIOSHA inspector arrives at your door?MIOSHA’s approximately 80 compliance staffmonitor workplaces covered by the programthroughout the state–to help ensure that Michi-gan workers have the safest and healthiest workenvironment possible.

MIOSHA compliance staff consists of oc-cupational safety officers, construction safetyofficers, and industrial hygienists, locatedthroughout the state. Compliance officers con-duct the following inspections and investigations,listed in priority order:

Imminent Danger Complaints or Re-ferrals–A condition where a danger exists whichcould reasonably be expected to cause death orserious physical harm, either immediately orbefore the danger could be eliminated by fol-lowing regular assignment procedures.

Fatality/Catastrophe Investigations–Deaths of workers that may be related toMIOSHA rules requirements or the hospitaliza-tion of three or more workers from the same in-cident or event.

Complaints and Referrals–Reports ofalleged hazards covered by MIOSHA.

Nonfatal Accident Investigations–Se-rious injury/illnesses determined appropriate fora MIOSHA on-site inspection.

Follow-Up Inspections–A review toverify or determine that a hazard has been corrected.

Monitoring Visits and Variances–Monitoring visits to ensure that hazards are be-ing corrected and employees are properly pro-tected. Monitoring visits may be requested by

employers to determine early in the abatementprocess whether efforts will meet rule require-ments, for assistance in determining an appro-priate abatement, or other technical assistance.Variance visits evaluate an employer’s requestto deviate from a rule in a manner that providesan equal level of protection.

Programmed Inspections–Routine re-view of workplaces, which have been scheduledbased upon objective or random selection crite-ria. These inspections are generally “wall-to-wall” covering all equipment, machinery and as-pects of the business operation.

Upon arrival, the MIOSHA officer will pro-ceed to the appropriate entrance, such as themain office, construction trailer, security post,etc., to make initial contact with the appropri-ate management representative. This may be thebusiness owner, operator or agent in charge. Onconstruction sites, this is most often the repre-sentative of the general contractor.Opening Conference

Once the proper representative is located,the MIOSHA officer will present identificationto verify their position. A brief opening confer-ence includes information on the reason for theinspection, a copy of the complaint, if applicable,and information on what will occur during theinspection process. The officer will ask to havethe appropriate employee representative join inthe inspection, when employees have represen-tation. If there is no employee representation,the officer will explain the need for employeeinterviews. Generally, MIOSHA conducted em-ployee interviews are held in private, withoutemployer representation present.Document Review

The officer may request and review allMIOSHA required records, includ-ing injury/illness logs and standardrequired written programs such asControl of Hazardous EnergySources (lockout-tagout), and Haz-ard Communication/Right to Know.Walk Around

The “walk around” includesphysical review of the workplace orjob site and may include collectingappropriate documentation such asphotographs, measurements, moni-toring and testing. Depending onthe scope and type of inspection, thewalk around may take less than anhour or many days to complete.Closing Conference

Once the physical walk around

is finished and the MIOSHA compliance officerhas completed the review and analysis, a clos-ing conference will be scheduled. At the clos-ing conference, the officer will discuss the find-ings including a review of hazards recommendedfor citation, if any. The officer will also reviewpenalty adjustment factors including “good faith”reductions for proactive efforts to implement asafety and health management system, size ofbusiness, and past MIOSHA history.

When an inspection reveals that there areviolations of MIOSHA rules and regulations,citations will be issued to the employer. If thereare violations classified as “Serious,” theMIOSH Act requires that a penalty be assessed.Penalties take into account the employee expo-sure, proximity of employees to the hazard, andhow hazardous the condition is.New Abatement Policy

Citations also include an abatement datefor each violation not corrected during thecourse of the inspection. MIOSHA has issued anew agency instruction, MIOSHA-COM-05-2R, Notification of Abatement and Citationsfor Failure to Provide Notification of Abate-ment, dated December 9, 2005. This instruc-tion sets requirements for submitting evidenceof abatement to MIOSHA.

For Serious, Repeat, Fail-to-Abate, Will-ful or Egregious violations, abatement informa-tion must be provided to MIOSHA and may in-clude photos, purchase or repair receipts, com-pleted work orders, and documents.

Violations classified as “Other-than-Seri-ous” require less documentation of abatement.A signed copy of the citation item indicatingthe item has been corrected is acceptable docu-mentation of abatement. This is a change withimplementation of the new instruction. It rec-ognizes that these issues are less serious andnot likely to cause serious physical harm ordeath. It reduces the burden of documentationrequired from employers for these items andreduces the documents that must be processedby MIOSHA.

If abatement is not received for “Serious”items, MIOSHA will generally return to theworkplace or job site to conduct a follow-upinspection to determine whether the employerhas corrected the hazard.

For unabated “Other-than-Serious” items,MIOSHA may issue a citation, with penalty, forfailing to submit notification of abatement inlieu of returning to the workplace or job site.

MIOSHA-COM-05-2R is available on theour website at www.michigan.gov/miosha.

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Cont. on Page 19

CHEMICAL MIGRATION THROUGH SOIL...POSES A CONFINED SPACE ENTRY HAZARDBy: Dan Maki, Industrial HygienistConstruction Safety and Health Division

The crawl space at Ferrellgas Company where the explosion tookplace was clearly a permit-required confined space.

Have you ever attended a confined spaceentry training class or talked with someone re-garding confined spaces, and discussed the topicof a hazardous atmosphere being introducedfrom chemicals migrating through the soil?

If you have, you know many people rolltheir eyes and say, “Yeah, when does that everhappen?” On a recent MIOSHA accident inves-tigation it was determined this is exactly whatoccurred, resulting in a plumbing contractor’semployee being severely burned.Background - Ferrellgas Explosion

On June 10, 2005, an employee of M &M Plumbing - Heating Inc. of Indian River,entered a crawl space beneath a building ownedby Ferrellgas Company to remove a waterpump. Upon activating a cordless reciprocat-ing saw to cut a pipe, an explosion occurredwhich severely burned the employee’shands, arms, face, legs, and back.

Approximately three weeks prior to theabove accident, the Ferrellgas propane storageand distribution center had experienced an ex-plosion under their office building in a crawlspace area. There was no real fire and no onewas injured, however, the explosion lifted therear portion of the building off its foundationand blew out windows.

As a result, Ferrellgas hired a consultingcompany to determine the cause of the explo-sion. The consultant inspected the site utiliz-ing a combustible gas meter, and concludedthat the explosion was caused by the build-upof methane gas from a broken pipe leading toan old septic tank. The consultant also foundelevated combustible readings in the soil out-side of the crawl space, but attributed it topast fuel spills.

Based upon these conclusions, the con-sultant instructed Ferrellgas to have the pipeand septic tank capped to prevent future gasaccumulations in the crawl space. Subsequentto the recommended repairs, Ferrellgas hiredM & M Plumbing – Heating Inc. to remove awater pump that was damaged during the firstexplosion.

As previously mentioned, an employee ofthe plumbing contractor entered the crawl spaceand the second explosion occurred when he ac-tivated a reciprocating saw.

The crawl space was approximately 16 ft.X 16 ft. and 45 inches deep. The floor of thecrawl space was sand. The opening to the crawlspace was a removable hatch in the floor that

measures 17 inches X 20 ½ inches.(See photo.)MIOSHA Regulations

This was a unique inspec-tion, due to the fact that theplumbing contractor falls underthe Construction Safety & HealthDivis ion (CSHD) and theFerrellgas facility falls under theGeneral Industry Safety & HealthDivision (GISHD). Therefore, wedealt with two different sets ofregulations.

The CSHD does not have aspecific standard dealing withconfined spaces; however, it doeshave specific rules regarding workin confined spaces. These rules are found inPart 1, General Rules, Rule 121(1) – (3).

The GISHD has a standard that addressesentry into confined spaces, which is Part 490,Permit-Required Confined Spaces. This standardis performance oriented and delineates what em-ployers must do prior to and during entry of aconfined space. The standard requires that thehost employer (Ferrellgas) inform contractorsthat the requirements of Part 490 are to be fol-lowed while working in established confinedspaces at their facility.Investigation Findings

The MIOSHA investigation revealed thatan underground propane gas line had developeda leak, causing the surrounding grounds to be-come saturated with propane gas. The gas inthe crawl space was not caused by a build-upof methane from a broken pipe leading to anold septic tank. Excavation of the leaking pro-pane pipe revealed that a 1-½ inch return linehad corroded causing a hole to develop on itsbottom side approximately 1/8th of an inch indiameter.

The Ferrellgas facility was constructedprior to the requirement for underground pip-ing to be cathodically protected. As mentionedabove, the floor of the crawl space was sand.Therefore, as the ground became saturated itmigrated toward the building and was able toescape into the area of the crawl space. Thecrawl space was approximately 30 feet fromthe leaking pipeline.

Air monitoring conducted after the acci-dent indicated very high combustible gas lev-els in the crawl space, but no tell tale odor ofpropane was present. Propane is actually acolorless, odorless gas. However, a chemicalis added called ethyl mercaptan that provides

the odor we associate with propane to helpdetect leaks.

It is theorized that the sandy soil acted asa ‘scrubber’ as the gas migrated through it, re-moving the ethyl mercaptan and odor from thepropane mixture. It is also believed that whenthe employee entered the confined space anddisturbed the sand getting ready to cut the pipe,the release of propane from the soil increasedas a result of these disturbance activities.Workplace Evaluation

Many employers have not taken the timeor are not aware of the requirement to evaluatetheir worksites(s) to determine if they containconfined spaces.

Even when your employees will not enterthese spaces, the evaluation must be performedand steps implemented to prevent unauthorizedentries.

Whenever a confined space is entered, ata minimum, the atmosphere must be tested toverify that greater than 19.5% oxygen is present,to verify that combustible gases and vapors donot exceed 10% of the lower explosive limitsand must be tested for toxic gases or vaporsthat may be present.

Had the employers complied with eitherthe MIOSHA construction or general industryregulations pertaining to proper confined spaceentry procedures, this accident could have beenprevented.MIOSHA Citations Issued

A high-gravity serious citation was issuedto Ferrellgas for the following violations:

The employer did not evaluate theworkplace to determine if any spaces were per-mit-required confined spaces; [General Indus-try Standard (GIS) Part 490, 1910.146(c)(l)];

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Cont. on Page 19

Operation Bridge Out–The Michigan National Guard 1437thEngineering Division’s boat is pushing a bridge section used toconstruct the pontoon bridge that spanned the Saint Mary’s River.In the background is Sault Sainte Marie, Canada.

Operation Bridge Out–Michigan National Guard trucks transportedthe bridge sections used to build the pontoon bridge. Shown here, atruck is picking up a section of the bridge. The bridge sectionwill fold in half, then slide up on the truck to be transported.

Great Lakes DefenderAn Exercise to Test Preparedness and Response to an Act of Terrorism in Michigan and OntarioBy: James K. KivellSenior Safety OfficerGeneral Industry Safety & Health DivisionMichael T. MasonIndustrial Hygiene SpecialistGeneral Industry Safety & Health DivisionBarry W. SimmondsSafety ConsultantConsultation Education & Training Division

On May 10, 2005, several members of theMIOSHA Disaster Response Team, along withparticipants from over 70 federal, state, local,and tribal agencies from both Canada and theUnited States, participated in an exercise, called“Great Lakes Defender.” To try and mimic a

coordinated terrorist attack, Great Lakes De-fender was arranged so that two separate sce-narios took place concurrently in two separateareas of the state.

The first scenario, called “OperationBridge Out,” simulated a terrorist attack on theInternational Bridge that links the cities of SaultSainte Marie, Michigan, and Sault Sainte Marie,Ontario. The second scenario, called “Opera-tion Rogue Tanker,” simulated the hijackingof an oil tanker on the Detroit River, followedby a release of oil into the river by terrorists,accompanied by threats to blow up the tanker.

The exercise was designed to challenge allthe participating agencies on both sides of theborder to react to a national, state, or local emer-

gency, and to test emergency pre-paredness and interagency coopera-tion. The U.S. Coast Guard providedboth materials and manpower for theexercise, which included barges thatwere used to create a temporarybridge, and facilitators and coachesto assist the participants with theexercise process. The exercise metthe requirements of The NationalPreparedness for Response ExerciseProgram of section 4202(a) of theOil Pollution Act of 1990.Operation Rogue Tanker

In Operation Rogue Tanker,The Atheneum Hotel and Confer-ence Center in Detroit’s Greek Townserved as the location of thisscenario’s Command Post. In theHermes Room on the main floor, theCoast Guard introduced OperationRogue Tanker to the participants andprovided a “hotwash” (critique) ses-sion at the conclusion.

On the second floor of the ho-tel, the Plato Room housed the Uni-fied Command Post, the SocratesRoom housed the Operations sec-tion, the Aristotle Room housed thePlanning section, the EuripidesRoom housed the Joint InformationCenter, and the Sophocles Roomhoused Finance and Logistics.

All these sections are requiredcomponents of an Incident Com-mand System, which is mandated bythe federal National Incident Man-agement System. Scenario controlfor Operation Rogue Tanker was

conducted from a third floor meeting room. Atthe hotel, three members of the MIOSHA Di-saster Response Team, Sharman Cross,Michael Mason, and Don Trefry, functionedas Assistant Safety Officers to the Incident SafetyOfficer, and participated in the preparation andimplementation of the Site Safety and ControlPlan for the scenario.

Utilizing the Disaster Response Team’s800-megahertz portable radios and Michigan’spowerful $220-million statewide 800-megahertztrunk, radio system, Cross, Mason and Trefrywere able to easily communicate with MIOSHAteam members in the field at the Saint Mary’sRiver in Sault Sainte Marie and also locally atthe Rouge River.

At the Rouge River, also during OperationRogue Tanker, an oil spill control (“booming”)drill was conducted at the Michigan Marine Ter-minal in the City of River Rouge, Michigan. Thisdrill tested the local emergency response planthat addressed oil spills on the Rouge River, andalso tested booming procedures at the facility.

Employees of Marine Pollution Control,Inc., a contractor of the United States CoastGuard, acted as if the terrorists had spilled fueloil on the river, and deployed a boom across fromboats to skim-off and collect the imagined pol-lution. At that site, another group of MIOSHADisaster Response Team members, Tony Allam,John Byrne, James Kivell, and James Zoccoli,also functioned as Assistant Safety Officers andreported to the Incident Safety Officer at TheAtheneum Hotel.

These MIOSHA team members had the au-thority to alter, suspend, or terminate any activitythat they judged to be unsafe. For example, theymade sure that everyone wore a personal flota-tion device while working near or on the water.Operation Bridge Out

Meanwhile, Operation Bridge Out was wellunder way in Sault Sainte Marie. In this sce-nario, terrorists had detonated an explosive-laden tanker truck on the International Bridgein Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan. Consequently,a span of the bridge had dropped into the ship-ping channel and severed the major commercialand travel route between Michigan and Ontario,and created a major federal, state, provincial,and local emergency.

Once again, using the required IncidentCommand System, a Unified Command Post wasestablished so that the directors of all the agen-cies involved could efficiently manage the inci-

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Discrimination is UnlawfulComplex Employee Discrimination Case Affirms Protections under MIOSHABy: Dana Girty, InvestigatorEmployee Discrimination Section

Proper Equipment–MIOSHA Asbestos Standards re-quire appropriate protective equipment that is properlymaintained. They also require appropriate training,work practices and engineering controls to protectworkers exposed to asbestos-containing material.

It is unlawful, under the Michigan Occu-pational Safety and Health (MIOSH) Act, for anemployer to discharge an employee or in anymanner discriminate against an employee be-cause the employee filed a safety and health com-plaint, or engaged in a form or protected activ-ity. Types of discrimination include:

Discharge,Demotion,Suspension,Harassment, and/orOther types of disciplinary action.

An employee who believes that their em-ployer discriminated against him or her must filea complaint with the Michigan OccupationalSafety and Health Administration (MIOSHA)within 30 days of the alleged violation. This is astrict time frame, and employees need to keepthis time limit in mind. Upon receipt of the com-plaint, MIOSHA’s Employee DiscriminationSection will investigate the allegations.

Upon completion of the investigation, if aviolation of the MIOSH Act is determined, theagency will order all appropriate relief, includ-ing, reinstatement, payment of back wages (in-cluding interest) and possible compensation forany special damages or fees.The Complaint

A recent employee discrimination casebegan with a complaint that was filed in Janu-ary 2004. The complainant was employed byPro-Tech Environmental & ConstructionServices, Inc. At the time of the complaint, hewas a project supervisor for an asbestos removaljob at Calvin College. He had been employedwith the company for over three years and hadreceived favorable performance ratings.

The complainant went to this jobsite onDecember 27, 2003, where he had 10 employ-ees working under him. Another project super-visor delivered the supplies that the workersneeded, specifically respirators. Complainantfound the bulk of the respirators to be unaccept-able, either because of contamination from pre-vious jobs and/or non-working batteries or bro-ken connectors.

Calvin College also had hired an on-siteindustrial hygienist to monitor the job. At thepoint in time when the complainant discoveredthe unacceptable respirators, the on-site hygien-ist appeared and advised him that he would notallow people to enter a contaminated area with

that equipment.The complainant called his foreman and

relayed his concerns and referred to the equip-ment as junk. This was followed by a heateddiscussion about the supplies. The complainantand the on-site hygienist pieced together as manyoperable respirators as they could. In addition,the on-site hygienist also allowed workers to usea couple of respirators that he had. Still therewere not enough respirators for all the employ-ees and some workers had to be sent home.The Termination

The following Monday, December 29,2003, the complainant went to the shop to turnin paperwork. He was assigned the same jobsite.The complainant stated the foreman gave himmore “junk respirators” to use and complainantadvised he didn’t want those. They again gotinto a heated discussion at which time the fore-man told the complainant to leave. He left butcalled the owner of the company to arrange ameeting. The complainant met with the ownerand the foreman and the meeting ended with theowner saying he’d look into the matter.

The following day, when the complainantreported to work, he was terminated. The ownertold complainant that he had no problems withhis work but that he didn’t seem to have a goodrelationship with the foreman.The Investigation

Pro-Tech contended that the complainantwas terminated for insubordination and usingabusive language towards his foreman on Decem-ber 29, 2003. While they allege the terminationwas not for the December 27, 2003, incident, theydo infer that it was inappropriate for him to havea conversation in front of the client and they statedthat this incident possibly cost them future jobsat the college, although the Calvin College repre-sentative testified that Pro-Tech was not the lowbid on future aspects of the job.

The college representative and the on-sitehygienist also testified that they didn’t believethat complainant did anything inappropriate onDecember 27, 2003, rather he was trying to pro-tect the employees under his supervision andtrying to comply with requirements of the col-lege and hygienist. There was testimony fromthe on-site hygienist, the Calvin College repre-sentative and numerous coworkers. It was re-vealed that the complainant had always been“rough around the edges,” yet he had never beenpreviously disciplined for this behavior.The Decision

MIOSHA found that the complainant’s

rights were violated and that the termination wasthe result of his raising the safety concern andinsisting on appropriate protective equipment forhis workers. Pro-Tech was ordered to reinstatethe complainant and pay him all back pay fromthe time of termination up to, and including, thedate of reinstatement.

Pro-Tech appealed that decision and anadministrative hearing was held over a periodof three full days. The complainant was repre-sented by counsel at the hearing. His attorneyrequested compensation for emotional damages.The July 2005 decision issued by the Adminis-trative Law Judge affirmed the findings of theMIOSHA Employee Discrimination Section. Thejudge ordered reinstatement, back pay, and in-terest. He also ordered that Pro-Tech pay thecomplainant’s attorney fees. There was no awardfor emotional damages.

Pro-Tech has appealed the decision toMontcalm County Circuit Court. Thecomplainant’s attorney has also filed an appeal,for the portion that does not award emotionaldamages. The Employee Discrimination Sectionforwarded all relevant documents to MontcalmCounty Circuit Court and awaits their decision.

If you have any questions about employeediscrimination under MIOSHA, please contactthe Employee Discrimination Section at248.888.8777.

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C E T G r a n t s f o r 2 0 0 6

FY 2006 CET Grant Projects

Twenty Grants, Totaling $1.25 Million, Will Protect Employees In High-Hazard Work EnvironmentsBy: Louis PeasleyCET Grants Administrator

Several CET Grantees joined MIOSHA at the Granger Construction site,including: Al Granger; Doug Kalinowski, MIOSHA; Bob Swanson, DLEG;David Hollister, DLEG; Louis Peasley, MIOSHA; Joe Ross, MCA; BartCarrigan, AGC; Arlene Cook, EMU; David Price, MARO; Pam Hill, EMU;Derrick Quinney, AFL-CIO; Kyle Smith, Warren Conner; Pete Anderson, AGC. Cont. on Page 19

On October 4th, DLEG Director David C.Hollister announced 20 Consultation Educationand Training (CET) Grants for fiscal year 2006totaling $1.25 million to promote worker safetyand health.

“For 30 years MIOSHA has recognizedemployers who do the right thing and makeworker protection a part of their company cul-ture,” said Hollister. “These CET Grants willhelp us reach more companies with tried andtested training techniques that can help themcreate an environment where every worker goeshome healthy and whole every day.”

The Consultation Education and Training(CET) Division provides outreach services toemployers in a variety of formats. The CET Grantprogram provides additional options for safetyand health education and training to employersand employees. Most of the grants will focus onthe performance goals identified in the MIOSHAstrategic plan, with a particular emphasis onhazard recognition and prevention for high-haz-ard manufacturing industries.

One critical area of concern is the high-hazard construction industry. Only about fourpercent of Michigan’s workforce is employed inconstruction–however, construction fatalitiesaccount for nearly 50 percent of all fatal work-place accidents.

Director Hollister made the announcementat Granger Construction Company’s parkingstructure project on the campus of Michigan

State University. The Michigan Chapter Asso-ciated General Contractors (AGC) of Americais one of the CET grantees, and is providingsafety and health training to the workers atGranger’s MSU parking structure worksite. Sixother grantees provide construction training.

“The dangers of the construction industrycontinue to plague our industry that result in alltoo many injuries and sad to say, all too manydeaths,” said Bart Carrigan, Executive VicePresident, Michigan Chapter Associated GeneralContractors. “A key element in preventing thesetragic losses is training.”

The 20 statewide projects include a widerange of training activities and many offer inter-active computer-based training modules. Strate-gic training topics include: ergonomics; emer-gency response and recovery; workplace violenceprevention; firefighter rescue; Spanish-speakinginitiatives; long-term care issues; asbestos aware-ness; trenching safety; road construction; fall pro-tection; and construction onsite walkthroughs.

“Protecting workers is the mission of theMIOSHA program. Working collaboratively withthese 20 organizations, we can maximize oursafety and health efforts,” said MIOSHA Direc-tor Doug Kalinowski. “These CET Grants arean important part of our outreach efforts to pre-vent injuries and illnesses from occurring.”

Alpena Community College will delivertargeted safety training in the high hazard in-dustries of construction, machinery manufactur-

ing, and wood productsmanufacturing. This pro-posal incorporates high-hazard industry training,primarily with smaller em-ployers, to satisfyMIOSHA objectives.

American RedCross, Mid-MichiganChapter will supplyemergency planning, re-sponse, and recovery train-ing for businesses. Thisprogram includes trainingfor not just natural disas-ters but also terrorism at-tacks and other significantthreats.

Bay De Noc Com-munity College will pro-vide safety training andtechnical assistance to

owners and employees in the wood products in-dustry through on-site visits with an emphasisin sawmills and secondary wood manufacturing.

Center for Workplace Violence will pro-duce a video, “Recovery for Workplace Emer-gencies,” as well as develop a print resourceentitled “Crisis Preparedness Action Guide.”Training sessions focus on emergency responsecapabilities.

Eastern Michigan University Organiza-tion for Risk Reduction will offer a two-hourasbestos awareness course on the nature of as-bestos, health affects of exposure, identificationof asbestos containing materials, and theMIOSHA General Industry and ConstructionStandards for Asbestos.

Lansing Area Safety Council will providesafety and health training to employees in long-term care facilities. The topics include:bloodborne pathogens; tuberculosis awareness;ergonomics; slips, trips and falls; hazard com-munication; and safe lifting and transfer of pa-tients.

Michigan AFL-CIO will deliver genericand customized workplace safety and healthtraining to new and incumbent employees on awide variety of topics, including confined spacetraining, back safety, chemical safety, and of-fice ergonomics.

Michigan Associated General Contrac-tors (AGC) will provide interactive, computer-based training for the construction industry. Theprogram is designed to provide easy access to14 standardized modules, which include: Asbes-tos Awareness, Confined Space, ElectricalSafety, Fall Protection, Hazard Communication,Personal Protective Equipment, Trenching andShoring, and Scaffold Safety.

Michigan Association of RehabilitationOrganizations (MARO) will provide trainingto rehabilitation organizations and their staffwith disabilities. Training will be presented intwo formats: customized on-site and a computer-based program. DVD’s will be developed fortraining in conjunction with on-site consultation.

Michigan Chiropractic Association(MCA) will deliver back safety and ergonom-ics training to workers in nursing home, manu-facturing, and construction industries. Throughits WorkSafe program, the MCA will conducton-site safety evaluations and presentations.

Michigan Farm Bureau will provide on-site and classroom safety and health training forfarmers, focusing on pesticide training and in-jury response management. The Farm Bureau

Winter 2006

9

MIOSHA Enforces OccupationalDisease Reporting Requirements

Since 1978, physicians, hospitals, clinics, and other health profes-sionals and employers have been required by the Michigan Public HealthCode (P.A. 368 of 1978, as amended, Part 56) to report known or sus-pected cases of occupational diseases.

Until 1996, these reports were submitted to the Michigan Depart-ment of Public Health. As a result of Executive Orders 1996-1, 1996-2,and 2003-18, the responsibility for implementing Part 56 of the MichiganPublic Health Code was transferred to the Michigan Department of La-bor and Economic Growth.

Michigan State University serves as MIOSHA’s agent to track thework-related diseases that are reported. The ability to identify and trackwork-related diseases in Michigan provides information that is used tohelp identify areas to target resources. For example, an emphasis on workerblood lead levels has lead to significant reductions.Serious Underreporting

It is estimated that there are 30,000 to 60,000 new work-relatedillnesses annually, while only 15,000 to 20,000 of those are reported toMIOSHA each year. Approximately 20 to 40 new cases of silicosis and anaverage of 141 new cases of work-related asthma are reported each yearto MIOSHA.

However, it is estimated there are actually 97 to 184 new cases ofsilicosis and 228 to 801 new cases of work-related asthma each year,which underscores the serious extent of underreporting.New Reporting Requirements

Due to this ongoing concern with underreporting, MIOSHA adopteda new agency instruction on October 7, 2005, MIOSHA-COM-05-3,Enforcement of Reporting of Known or Suspected Occupational Dis-eases. Under the new instruction, MIOSHA enforcement divisions willactively seek compliance with occupational disease reporting requirementsthrough continued proactive information outreach and targeted on-sitefocused inspections.

A letter was distributed October 6, 2005, to more than 200 occupa-tional health administrators with reminder information on the reportingrequirement. Instructions and the report form are also available on ourwebsite at www.michigan.gov/miosha. Left click on “Compliance.” TheOccupational Disease Report Forms are in the “Spotlight” section.

The MIOSHA program will develop a local emphasis programto address targeting and selection of locations for inspection to de-termine compliance with occupational disease reporting requirements.When noncompliance is determined, a referral will be made to theAttorney General for follow-up action.How to Submit Reports

Phone: 800.446.7805Fax: 517.432.3606E-Mai l : ODREPORT@ht.msu.eduWeb: http: / /oem.msu.edu/ /reportform.aspMai l : MIOSHA MTS Divis ion

P.O. Box 30649Lansing, Michigan 48909-8149

Contact InformationIf you have any questions regarding the occupational disease

reporting requirements, please contact Mary Jo Reilly, Coordina-tor of Michigan Occupational Disease Registry at 800.446.7805or e-mail ODREPORT@ht.msu.edu.

For any questions regarding MIOSHA enforcement, please con-tact Martha Yoder, Deputy Director, at 517.322.1817.

The Christman Company conducted special activities each day during “Make aDifference Week” at their project sites across the state. Pictured above, thestructural concrete crew (Christman Constructors, Inc) at St. Joseph MercyHospital in Ann Arbor celebrates 13,805 work hours without a lost-time accident.

EMPLOYERS COMMIT TO

“MAKE A DIFFERENCE!”Governor Granholm invited employers and employees across the

state to join MIOSHA and celebrate “Make a Difference Week” Sep-tember 12th through 16th, culminating in “Stand Down for Safety andHealth Day” on September 16th. The Governor issued a proclamation toencourage all employers and employees to place special emphasis onworkplace safety and health during this week and throughout the year.

“Across the state, in companies large and small, employers tell metheir workers are their most important asset,” said Granholm. “I chal-lenge employers to renew their commitment to their workers and takesteps to ensure their work environments are safer and healthier.”

The term “Stand Down” refers to taking special action to heightenawareness of worker safety and health through prevention efforts. It wasour goal to have an accident-free day on September 16th!

During “Make a Difference Week,” employers throughout Michiganwere urged to spend each day on special workplace safety and healthactivities:

September 12 – Management Commitment and Leadership;September 13 – Employee Involvement and Participation;September 14 – Worksite Analysis and Hazard Prevention;September 15 – Safety and Health Training;September 16 – Stand Down for Safety and Health.

“We are encouraging each and every employer and employee in Michi-gan to take part in ‘Make a Difference Week’–and to make workplacesafety and health a top priority,” said MIOSHA Director Doug Kalinowski.“One of the ways we can all participate is to take responsibility for our ownsafety and that of our co-workers. Working together, we can all make adifference to reduce injuries, illness, and fatalities in Michigan.”

The Consultation Education and Training (CET) Division devel-oped a “Toolbox” to help employers improve their safety and health sys-tems. This “Toolbox” contains ideas, activities, and materials that focuson the five major components of a safety and health system, and a CDwith MIOSHA standards and CET publications.

MIOSHA sent information on this campaign to more than 15,000employers statewide. Thousands of employers called the CET Divi-sion for the material. Many of them emailed their special activitiesand comments to MIOSHA. You can see their responses on ourwebsite at: www.michigan.gov/cet. Click on “MIOSHA 30th An-niversary Activities in 2005.”

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Signing the alliance were: Doug Kalinowski, MIOSHA Director; Barbara Clark,Vice President, Economic & Workforce Development, Macomb CommunityCollege; David Hollister, DLEG Director; and Dr. Albert Lorenzo, President,Macomb Community College.

Macomb Community College AllianceAllianceOn September 26th, Macomb Community

College and MIOSHA signed a formal allianceto help protect the safety and health ofMichigan’s workers.

Signing the alliance were: David C.Hollister, Director, Michigan Department ofLabor & Economic Growth; Dr. Albert L.Lorenzo, President, Macomb Community Col-lege; Barbara J. Clark, Vice President, Eco-nomic & Workforce Development, MacombCommunity College; and Douglas J.Kalinowski, Director, Michigan OccupationalSafety and Health Administration. Daniel L.King, Principal Engineer, CCRW, General Mo-tors Manufacturing Engineering also spoke atthe ceremony.

“I’m proud to stand side-by-side with Dr.Lorenzo today and forge a partnership to protectMichigan workers,” said Hollister. “This col-laborative alliance between labor, industry andgovernment will give businesses across Michi-gan the necessary tools to provide a safe andhealthy work environment.”

“Macomb is pleased to partner withMIOSHA to develop new opportunities for im-proving the health and safety of our workplaces,”said Lorenzo. “Creating linkages for meaningfuldiscussion with business and industry that leadto real-world, effective solutions for strengthen-ing workplace safety is important in sustaining adynamic economy that offers meaningful employ-ment options for community residents.”

Alliances enable organizations commit-ted to workplace safety and health to collabo-rate with MIOSHA to prevent workplace in-juries and illnesses. A key goal of this alli-ance is the establishment of a pilot MIOSHATraining Institute at Macomb’s M-TEC, witha specific core curriculum.

“The MIOSHA program is dedicated toworking with employers, both public and pri-vate sector–to find innovative ways to enhanceworkplace safety and health,” said Kalinowski.“Through this alliance, MIOSHA and Macombcan offer employers a high level of safety andhealth information and training.”

Other key goals of the alliance include:Coordinate consultation and educational

training strategies and co-sponsor seminars.Use quarterly publications to address

current health and safety issues.Initiate proactive approaches to a vari-

ety of delivery methods (online, CD Rom, video).Provide a forum for open discussion of

MIOSHA standards and regulations from theperspective of equipment manufacturers, equip-ment integrators and targeted industries.

Explore the impact of upcoming tech-nology and equipment on existing standards.

Establish a blueprint for collaborationto involve other colleges and M-TECs statewide.Utilize ITV and distance learning technology tocollaborate statewide.

“Macomb’s Workforce Development Insti-tute is in a unique position not only to facili-tate meaningful collaboration with local busi-ness and industry but also to provide hands-ontraining opportunities by combining key stake-holder resources with the college’s M-TEC andEmergency Services Training Center facilities,”said Clark.

Macomb’s comprehensive WorkforceDevelopment Institute will administer the al-liance. The Institute is focused on maintain-ing Michigan’s competitive edge in the globaleconomy–assisting industry in sustaining ahighly skilled workforce and supporting mean-ingful employment opportunities. The

college’s workforcedevelopment andtraining programs aredeveloped in conjunc-tion with the businessand labor community,and are headquarteredin Macomb’s M-TEC.

Macomb Com-munity College is oneof the nation’s lead-ing community col-leges, serving morethan 30,000 studentseach semester andreaching more than350,000 persons eachyear through culturaland community ser-vice programs.

Governor’sConstruction Safety

& Health ForumMarch 2006

(Date to be announced)

8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.Schoolcraft College

The Construction Industry isone of the Most HazardousIndustries in Michigan.

Only about four percent of Michigan’sworkforce is employed in construction–however, construction fatalities accountfor nearly 50 percent of all fatal workplaceaccidents.

The Governor’s Construction Safety &Health Forum will bring togetherexemplary leaders from Michigan’s “Bestof the Best” construction companies, whowill share their success stories of howsafety and health pays at their workplace.

Construction employers with a strong“Accident Prevention Program” reportnot only reductions in injuries andillnesses, but also very positive bottom linebenefits:

Lower work-comp costs,Increased productivity,Increased employee morale,Lower absenteeism, andLower employee turnover.

For agenda details, please visit theMIOSHA website at: www.michigan.gov/miosha.

To register, please contact the CETDivision at 517.322.1809.

Winter 2006

11

CET Awards MIOSHA recognizes the safety and healthachievements of Michigan employers and employeesthrough CET Awards, which are based on excellentsafety and health performance.

Connie O’Neill, CET Director; Doug Kalinowski, MIOSHA Director; RichSumner, CET Consultant; Steve Roznowski, President; Don Staley, SafetyManager; and Jay Smith, Senior Vice President and Safety Director.

Bob Swanson, Michigan Department of Labor & Economic Growth, DeputyDirector; Martha Yoder, MIOSHA Deputy Director; Chuck Clark, President; andTony Rohac, Chief Financial Officer.

On September 21st, The Christman Company received the GoldAward. MIOSHA Director Doug Kalinowski presented the award toSteve Roznowski, president, and Don Staley, safety manager. Christmanhas logged an unprecedented number of hours–over 2.1 million to date–without a lost-time accident.

“We work in an industry that is well-known for its sheer volume ofinherent dangers,“ said Staley. “Christman is committed to safety as ourtop priority, and we are fortunate to have that same commitment fromour employees.”

Christman uses a unique, proactive safety leadership approach, whichcombines expertise in safety regulations with a number of industry “bestpractices” which the company has targeted. These include:

Safety-conscious planning of site logistics and activities,Constant communication of safety goals and priorities,Team monitoring and reinforcement of safe site conditions,A comprehensive training program, andA supportive climate for discussing and addressing safety con-

cerns and violations.“Our employees are the award winners, and our clients also win,

ultimately, through construction projects that are not only safe for theirown employees to be near–but that also save money through lower insur-ance premiums and reduced overall risk,” Roznowski said.

Specific tactics include: establishing “zero injuries” safety programgoals in conjunction with an incentive program, implementing project-specific safety programs, utilizing safety video training, conducting regularsafety meetings, using a comprehensive qualification process to selectonly trade contractors with acceptable safety records, and performingrandom safety inspections by a full-time corporate safety department.

Founded in 1894, Christman has grown to become one of theMidwest’s leading construction firms. With over 140 employees in sixfull-service offices in Lansing, Grand Rapids, Ann Arbor, Petoskey, andTraverse City, Michigan, as well as Alexandria, Virginia, Christman ispresently managing a wide range of construction projects.

Clark Construction CompanyThe Christman CompanyTWO EXEMPLARY CONSTRUCTION COMPANIES ARE THE FIRST TO RECEIVE CET GOLD AWARDS

On October 26th, Clark Construction Company received the pres-tigious Gold Award from MIOSHA. The award was presented toCharles Clark, CEO of Clark Construction by Bob Swanson, DeputyDirector, DLEG, during ceremonies at Clark Construction’s headquar-ters in Lansing.

“I am honored to receive the CET Gold Award for our safety per-formance,” said Clark. “Our commitment to safety has been a priorityat all levels of our organization for many years. This award is recogni-tion of the dedication and hard work demonstrated by the entire Clarkteam.”

While earning the Gold Award, Clark Construction accumulatedmore than one million hours without a lost-time accident. They werealso the first construction company to join Michigan AGC and MIOSHAin a landmark safety alliance designed to protect construction workers.

Nine years ago, Clark Construction set a safety goal for the com-pany of zero hours of lost time due to injuries. Clark’s field personnelidentified eight behaviors they felt affected safety the most. The result-ing program that was developed by Clark Construction came to be knownas the Big 8! Safety Program. They are:

Wearing appropriate eye/face protection;Managing electric hazards and power sources;Good housekeeping in work areas;Appropriate protection equipment;Proper use of small tools;Proper material lifting and handling;Proper use of fall protection; andProper use of scaffolding.

Clark Construction Company was founded in 1946 and is ranked asone of the top 100 CM firms in the nation by Engineering News Record.The firm has offices in Lansing and Petoskey with projects throughoutMichigan, including southeast Michigan. In addition to a full range ofConstruction Management services, Clark continues to offer GeneralContracting and Design/Build services to their customers.

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CET Awards MIOSHA recognizes the safety and healthachievements of Michigan employers and employeesthrough CET Awards, which are based on excellentsafety and health performance.

William Fleming, Roger Paige, Ivan Moore, Jerry Powell, JoeSimpson, Amy Gales, Tim Sullivan, Barbara Thomas, JamesAlbert, Linda Long, Doug Kalinowski, and Judith Goston.

Tony Neroni, CET Consultant; Dennis Brovont, President; TomMcHugh, Controller; John Lund, Vice President of Manufacturing;Doug Kalinowski, MIOSHA Director; and Kathy Stuart, HumanResource Manager.

Connie O’Neill, CET Director; Tom Juzwiak, WarehouseManager; Rick Garcia, Safety Technician; and Kevin Tibbetts,Distribution General Manager.

Herman Miller – Midwest Distribution

Michigan Rubber Products - Cadillac

Focus: HOPE - Detroit

Herman Miller’s Midwest Distribution facility in Holland received the MVPPRising Star Award for an outstanding safety and health program in a ceremony at thefacility on September 28th.

CET Director Connie O’Neill presented the award to Herman Miller’s Directorof Logistics Kevin Tibbetts and to the assembled members of the Midwest Distri-bution Safety Team. Office furniture and seating products are stored and shippedfrom this facility, which employs 230 workers.

Herman Miller’s corporate mission is to create great places to work. A key ele-ment of the company’s mission is to create a safe, healthy and productive work envi-ronment for their employees. Areas of excellence at Midwest Distribution include:Housekeeping; vehicle safety and pedestrian walkways; and ergonomics checklists.Employees participate in the company’s safety and health efforts through teams, com-mittee membership, suggestion program and physical inspection.

Herman Miller helps create great places to work, heal, learn, and live by re-searching, designing, manufacturing, and distributing innovative interior solutionsthat support companies, organizations, and individuals all over the world.

On October 3rd, three Focus: HOPE programs received awards from MIOSHAfor outstanding safety and health records.

MIOSHA Director Doug Kalinowski presented the Bronze Award to Tim Sullivan,Director of Manufacturing, Focus: HOPE Manufacturing; the Silver Award to JulianPate, Director of Education, Focus: HOPE Center for Children; and the Silver Awardto Brian Meriweather, Manager, Machinist Training Institute.

“The safety and health of our colleagues is not only a top priority at Focus:HOPE–it’s a way of life,” said Roger Paige, Manager of Safety.

Focus: HOPE achieved ISO 9001:2000 quality certification for its education andtraining programs in 2003. Focus: HOPE Manufacturing earned QS 9000 certifica-tion in 1998 and TS 16949 in 2004.

Focus: HOPE, a nationally recognized civil and human rights organization inDetroit, was co-founded in 1968 by Father William Cunningham (1930-1997) andExecutive Director Eleanor Josaitis. Their mission is to use intelligent and practicalaction to fight racism, poverty and injustice.

Michigan Rubber Products received the Ergonomic Innovation Award on Oc-tober 17th for creative and effective ideas they implemented to reduce worker strain.

MIOSHA Director Doug Kalinowski presented the award to Dennis Brovont,President, who accepted on behalf of all employees. Also participating in the cer-emony were: John Lund, Vice President of Manufacturing; Tom McHugh, Control-ler; and Kathy Stuart, Human Resources Manager.

“We make every effort to create value for our customers–and this is only achiev-able by the people who work here,” said Brovont. “That is why protecting the health,safety and well being of our employees is a top priority for us.”

Michigan Rubber has made extensive ergonomic improvements in their plants,which has significantly reduced musculoskeletal injuries. These process changes haveeliminated or reduced lifting, pushing, pulling and twisting, and turning.

For nearly 30 years, Michigan Rubber Products has provided components, sys-tems, and solutions of the highest quality to the automotive, heavy truck, recreation,appliance and industrial markets utilizing cutting edge technologies and a thoroughintegration of industrial disciplines.

Winter 2006

13

Education & Training CalendarDate Course MIOSHA Trainer

Location Contact Phone

Co-sponsors of CET seminars may charge a nominal fee to cover the costs of equipment rental, room rental, and lunch/refreshment charges. Forthe latest seminar information check our website, which is updated the first of every month: www.michigan.gov/miosha.

March2 Supervisor’s Role in Safety & Health Lee Jay Kueppers

Bay City Dee Warren 989.892.86024, 11, 18 Fundamentals of Safety and Health Quenten Yoder

Jackson Bill Rayl 517.782.82687 Kitchen Safety Lee Jay Kueppers

Shelby Township Kathy Ashley 586.731.34768 Excavations: The Grave Danger & Mobile Equipment Hazards Pat Sullivan

Ann Arbor Larry Pickel 734.677.525914 When MIOSHA Visits Richard Zdeb

Port Huron Carter Hitesman 810.982.801614 & 15 MIOSHA 10-Hour for Construction Pat Sullivan

Ann Arbor Larry Pickel 734.677.525914 & 15 MIOSHA 10-Hour for Construction Tom Swindlehurst

Mt. Pleasant Pete Anderson 517.371.155015 Health Issues in the Healthcare Industry Cindy Zastrow

Gaylord Mark McCully 989.705.363115 Elements of Safety & Health Management System Bob Carrier

Harrison Karen Klienhardt 989.386.662921 & 22 MIOSHA 10-Hour for Construction Jim Dykes

Marquette Pete Anderson 517.371.155023 Recordkeeping of Occupational Injuries & Illnesses Tony Neroni

Traverse City Shelly Hyatt 231.546.726428 & 29 MIOSHA 10-Hour for Construction Tom Swindlehurst

Ludington Pete Anderson 517.371.155030 Guarding for Manufacturing Quenten Yoder

Battle Creek Connie Dawe 269.965.4137April6 Self Inspections to Identify Hazards and Safety Training Needs Linda Long

Flint Debbie Malbin 586.703.651911 Supervisor’s Role in Health and Safety Richard Zdeb

Clarkston Peggy Desrosier 248.625.561111 Overhead & Gantry Crane Safety Seminar Quenten Yoder

Muskegon Brian Cole 616.331.718012 Supervisor’s Role in Safety and Health Barry Simmonds

Houghton Cookie Maki 906.226.659113 Ergonomic Principals Dave Humenick

Holland Brian Cole 616.331.718014 Industrial Hygiene & Bloodborne Pathogens Sherry Scott

Holland Brian Cole 616.331.718019 Residential Excavations, Trenching and Soil Mechanics Tom Swindlehurst

Lansing Elyse Kopietz 517.323.039026 Avoiding Electrocution: High Voltage Safe Work Practices Tom Swindlehurst

Lansing Elyse Kopietz 517.323.0390

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Construction SafetyStandards Commission

LaborMr. D. Lynn ColemanMr. Gregg NewsomMr. Larry Redfearn

VacantManagement

Mr. Peter StrazdasMr. Don Staley

Ms. Valerie WarrenMr. Timothy Wise

General PublicDr. Ram Gunabalan

General Industry SafetyStandards Commission

LaborMr. James Baker**

Dr. Tycho FredericksMr. John Pettinga

VacantManagement

Mr. Timothy J. KouryMr. Thomas Pytlik*

Mr. Michael L. EckertMr. George A. Reamer

General PublicMs. Geri Johnson

Occupational HealthStandards Commission

LaborDr. G. Robert DeYoung**

Ms. Margaret Robinson FavilleMr. Ricardo L. LongoriaMs. Margaret Vissman

ManagementMr. David L. GlynnMr. John E. Miller

Mr. Gary R. NovakMr. Ronald J. Torbert

General PublicMr. Satyam R. Talati

*Chair **Vice Chair To contact any of the Commissioners or the Standards Section, please call 517.322.1845.

StandarStandards Updateds Update

Retiring Commissioners

Occupational Health Standards CommissionGovernor Appoints New Commissioners

On September 29th, Governor Granholm appointed seven members to the Occupational HealthStandards Commission. MIOSHA welcomed them to their first public meeting November 7th.The commission consists of nine members and provides rules that establish health standards toprotect the life and health of general industry and construction workers in Michigan.

David L. Glynn of Decatur, Human Resources Manager at Special-Lite, Inc. Glynn isappointed to represent management of principle industries in the state with 200 or less employ-ees for a term expiring 2008. He succeeds Michael Lucas whose term has expired.

Ricardo L. Longoria of Saginaw, Training and Safety Officer with the Saginaw Fire De-partment. Longoria is appointed to represent labor and public employees of the state for a termexpiring 2006. He succeeds Michael McCabe whose term has expired.

John E. Miller of Kawkawlin, Bay County Sheriff. Sheriff Miller is appointed to repre-sent public employers of the state for a term expiring 2006. He succeeds Douglas Williamswhose term has expired.

Gary R. Novak of Brighton, Health, Safety, and Environmental Manager at TRW Automo-tive. Novak is appointed to represent management of principle industries in the state for a termexpiring 2008. He succeeds Robert DeBruyn whose term has expired.

Margaret Robinson Faville of Muskegon, Secretary and Treasurer of Service EmployeesInternational Union Local 79. Faville is appointed to represent labor for a term expiring 2007.She succeeds Cynthia Holland whose term has expired.

Satyam R. Talati of Holt, Associate Attorney with Jaffe, Raitt, Heuer & Weiss, P.C. Talatiis appointed to represent the general public for a term expiring 2007. He succeeds Darryl Lesoskiwhose term has expired.

Ronald J. Torbert of West Bloomfield, Vice President and General Council of BartonMalow Company. Torbert is appointed to represent management of principle industries in thestate for a term expiring 2008. He succeeds Richard Olsen whose term has expired.

Retiring from the commission are the seven commissioners below who gave incalculableservice to Michigan workers. They offer words of encouragement to those who will follow.

Robert De Bruyn of Zeeland, is a charter MIOSHA Commissioner and served for 30years. “Serving as a commissioner has been challenging and enriching. It has been interestingto be involved in all the changes that have made MIOSHA more efficient, focused and resultsoriented. It has been exciting to seek out win-win solutions.”

Cynthia Holland, CRNA, MS, is Chief Anesthetist at Genesys Regional Medical Centerin Holland, and served for seven years.

Darryl Lesoski, M.D. is an Occupational Health Physician from Munson Hospital inTraverse City, and served for four years. “I feel privileged to have been selected by the Gover-nor to use my expertise to directly affect workplace health and safety. The experience allowedme to gain a different perspective of MIOSHA and understand the work they perform in keep-ing Michigan workers safe.”

Michael Lucas was on the professional Health and Safety Team of Stealcase, and servedfor 13 years. “The new commissioners have specific skills that will be of great value to thecommission and more importantly, to all the workers in Michigan. Work to protect them likethey are your family.”

Michael McCabe is the Under Sheriff of Oakland County, and served for 10 years. “Itruly enjoyed my years on the commission. All of the commissioners and staff are true profes-sionals. The decisions we made were important to Michigan workers.”

Dick Olson, CIH, is a Retired Chemist from Dow Chemical, and served for 21 years. “Isend the new appointees my best wishes as they help protect the health of Michigan workers.”

Doug Williams is the Deputy Executive for Oakland County, and served for 10 years. “Itwas an honor to serve the people of the state of Michigan. I hope I left a small mark on thecommission, and I wish the new commissioners well as they serve Michigan workers.”

Winter 2006

15

Occupational Safety StandardsGeneral Industry

Part 08. Portable Fire Extinguishers .................................................................... Public Hearing 1/18/06Part 17. Refuse Packer Units ................................................................................. Approved by Commission for reviewPart 18. Overhead & Gantry Cranes .................................................................... Final, effective 5/13/05Part 19. Crawler, Locomotive, & Truck Cranes ................................................. Approved by Commission for reviewPart 20. Underhung Cranes & Monorail Systems ............................................... Approved by Commission for reviewPart 50. Telecommunications (Joint) .................................................................... Final, effective 10/11/05Part 58. Vehicle Mounted Elevating & Rotating Platforms (Joint w/CS 32) ...... At Advisory CommitteePart 62. Plastic Molding ......................................................................................... Approved by Commission for reviewPart 79. Diving Operations .................................................................................... Approved by Commission for reviewPending Ergonomics (Joint) ................................................................................... At Advisory Committee

ConstructionPart 01. General Rules ........................................................................................... Approved by Commission for reviewPart 12. Scaffolds & Scaffold Platforms ............................................................... Approved by Commission for reviewPart 16. Power Transmission & Distribution ....................................................... Final, effective 8/22/05Part 26. Steel Erection ............................................................................................ Public Hearing 11/29/05Part 30. Telecommunications (Joint) .................................................................... Final, effective 10/11/05Part 31. Diving Operations .................................................................................... Approved by Commission for reviewPart 32. Aerial Work Platforms (Joint w/GI 58) ................................................. At Advisory CommitteePending Communication Tower Erection ............................................................. Approved by Commission for review

Occupational Health StandardsGeneral Industry

Part 451. Respiratory Protection ............................................................................. Final, effective 4/12/05Part 504. Diving Operations .................................................................................... Approved by Commission for reviewPart 520. General Ventilation .................................................................................. Final, effective 4/12/05Part 526. Open Surface Tanks ................................................................................. Approved by Commission for reviewPart 528. Spray Finishing Operations .................................................................... Approved by Commission for reviewPart 529. Welding, Cutting & Brazing ................................................................... Approved by Commission for reviewPending Diisocyanates ............................................................................................. Draft to Commission for reviewPending Ergonomics (Joint) ................................................................................... At Advisory CommitteePending Latex .......................................................................................................... Approved by Commission for review

ConstructionPart 681. Radiation in Construction - Ionizing and Nonionizing ......................... Final, effective 10/10/05

Status of Michigan Standards Promulgation(As of December 12, 2005)

The MIOSHA Standards Section assists in the promulgation of Michigan occupationalsafety and health standards. To receive a copy of the MIOSHA Standards Index (updatedMarch 2005) or for single copies and sets of safety and health standards, please contact theStandards Section at 517.322.1845, or at www.michigan.gov/mioshastandards.

RFR Request for RulemakingSOAHR State Office of Admn. Hearings and RulesLSB Legislative Services BureauJCAR Joint Committee on Administrative Rules

16

V a r i a n c e s

Following are requests for variances andvariances granted from occupationalsafety standards in accordance withrules of the Department of Labor & Eco-nomic Growth, Part 12, Variances(R408.22201 to 408.22251).

Published January 15, 2006

Variances Granted ConstructionVariances Requested Construction

Variances Granted General Industry

Part number and rule number from whichvariance is requestedPart 10 - Lifting and Digging Equipment: RuleR408.41015a (2) (d)(g) (3) (4)Summary of employer’s request for varianceTo allow the use of a work platform mounted ona boom of a Krupp Crane & Tadano Crane forunscheduled emergency power outage restorationwork provided all of the requirements listed aremet.Name and address of employerHi-Ball Co. Inc.Location for which variance is requestedAs reported in Item #1 in Terms of TemporaryVariance

Part number and rule number from whichvariance is requestedPart 13 - Mobile Equipment: Ref. #1926.1000(a) (1&2) (b)Summary of employer’s request for varianceTo allow the employer to work under overheadconveyor obstructions in a parking structure tograde and compact base material using a Cater-pillar D4C Series III Dozer without the use ofrollover equipment providing certain stipulationsare adhered to.Name and address of employerMerlyn Contractors, Inc.Location for which variance is requestedFort Street Parking Structure, DetroitGM Hines Parking Structure, Detroit

Part number and rule number from whichvariance is requestedPart 32 - Aerial Work Platforms: R408.43209,3209 (8)(b) and 3209 (9)Summary of employer’s request for varianceTo allow employer to firmly secure scaffoldplanks to the top of the intermediate rail of theguardrail system for use as a work platform pro-vided certain stipulations are adhered to.Name and address of employerBristol Steel & Conveyor Corp.Location for which variance is requestedGM North Lab Expansion, PontiacName and address of employerDe-Cal, Inc.

Location for which variance is requestedGM Powertrain North Lab Expansion, PontiacName and address of employerW. J. O’Neil CompanyLocation for which variance is requestedPfizer Building 36, Ann Arbor

Part number and rule number from whichvariance is requestedPart 32 - Aerial Work Platforms: R408.43209,Rule 3209 (8) (b) & R408.43209, Rule 3209 (9)Summary of employer’s request for varianceTo allow employer to firmly secure a scaffoldplank to the top of the intermediate rail of theguardrail system of an aerial lift for limiteduse as a work platform provided certain stipu-lations are adhered to.Name and address of employerConti ElectricLocation for which variance is requestedGeneral Motors Paint Facility, Delta Town-shipName and address of employerSimplex GrinnellLocation for which variance is requestedUniversity of Michigan Cardiovascular Center,Ann ArborName and address of employerFM Sylvan PipingLocation for which variance is requestedGeneral Motors Body Shop Facility, Delta Town-shipName and address of employerVentcon, Inc.Location for which variance is requestedUniversity of Michigan Hospitals Cardiovascu-lar Center Project, Ann Arbor

Part number and rule number from whichvariance is requestedPart 432 – Hazardous Waste Operations andEmergency ResponseSummary of employer’s request for varianceThe employer has requested to use alternativemeans of protection for bomb squad memberswhen responding to events which might exposethem to certain kinds of chemical, biological,radiological, nuclear, and/or high yield explo-sive elements.Name and address of employerMichigan State PoliceLocation for which variance is requested714 S Harrison, East Lansing

During fiscal year 2005, MIOSHA delayedthe requirement for annual fit testing of respira-tors for occupational exposure to tuberculosis(TB). MIOSHA has extended the delaythrough fiscal year 2006, from October 1,2005, to September 30, 2006. This action fol-lows the lead of federal OSHA, who receivedthis direction from Congress.

During FY 2006, employers may not be citedfor the requirement to do annual fit testing of res-pirators for occupational exposure to TB. No otherprovisions of MIOSHA Part 451, Respiratory Pro-tection, are affected by this restriction.

MIOSHA will continue to cite the remain-der of Part 451 as it relates to respirators, in-cluding the provisions for an initial fit testing,or whenever a different respirator facepiece isused, or when facial changes could affect theproper fit of the respirator.

In addition, the restriction affects only an-nual fit testing of respirators used for protectionagainst TB. All requirements of the respiratoryprotection standard, including annual fit testing,will continue to be cited for respirator use againstother hazards.

In addition to the requirements of the res-piratory protection standard, employee exposuresto TB are also addressed by MIOSHA Instruc-tion GISHD-COM-05-2, Enforcement Policyand Procedures for Evaluating OccupationalExposure to Tuberculosis (TB). This instruc-tion provides guidance on agency expectationsfor employers based on industry recognition thatexposure to TB is a recognized hazard.

The instruction is on our website:www.michigan.gov/miosha . Left click on “Po-lices & Procedures,” then click on “Search forInstructions,” and type “tuberculosis” in thesearch box.

MIOSHA will continue its current enforce-ment policy of this instruction, through the Gen-eral Duty Clause, when an employer has a con-firmed or suspected case of TB and is not ad-equately addressing the hazard.

Occupational exposure to TB is a serious andrecognized hazard, and feasible abatement meth-ods exist. MIOSHA’s instruction for TB expo-sure control methods is based on the CDC’s 1994“Guidelines for Preventing the Transmission ofTuberculosis in Health-Care Facilities.”

Employers who have questions about TBenforcement and compliance issues may con-tact MIOSHA TB Specialist, Gerry Dike,General Industry Safety and Health Divi-sion, at 248.888.8863.

MIOSHA ExtendsDelay of Annual Fit

Testing for WorkplaceExposure to TB

Winter 2006

17

Questions

Answers

MIOSHA News Quiz

1. Which of the following forms are availablethrough the Management Information SystemsSection?

A. Log of Work-Related Injuries and Ill-nesses (Log 300)B. Notice of Alleged Safety and Health Haz-ards (MIOSHA-7)C. Summary of Work-Related Injuries andIllnesses (Log 300A)

2. T or F - The formula to calculate an inci-dence rate for an individual worksite is as fol-lows: Total annual number of recordable inju-ries and illnesses times 200,000, divided by thetotal number of hours employees worked.3. The Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries(CFOI) is a program that collects data regard-ing:

A. Non-fatal injuries and illnesses that oc-cur in the workplaceB. Workers’ Compensation casesC. Fatal injuries and illnesses that occur inthe workplace

4. Upon receipt of a Bureau of Labor Statistics(BLS) Survey of Occupational Injuries and Ill-nesses, an employer is required to do the fol-lowing:

A. Nothing, since your establishment had noinjuries or illnesses to record.B. Complete and return the survey withinthirty days.C. Wait until you receive a second requestfor the data.

5. The Freedom of Information Act sets require-ments for the disclosure of public records byall public bodies in the state. Which of the fol-lowing is considered a public record withinMIOSHA?

A. Field Operations ManualB. Common Violation book (C.V.)C. Handwritten employee interview statementsD. All of the above

6. T or F - Subpoena’s relating to work activitycreated by MIOSHA staff may be served on anindividual inspector for their deposition and/or on the agency for the created records.7. An individual may ask to inspect a publicrecord created by MIOSHA staff under the Free-dom of Information Act. That individual willbe viewing:

A. Edited recordsB. Un-edited records

8. T or F - The MIOSHA Appeals Division co-ordinates the trial appearances betweenMIOSHA staff and attorneys.9. How many MIOSHA Standard AdvisoryCommittees are there?

A. Over 100B. 50 to 100C. 10 to 50D. Less than 10

10. T or F - The MIOSHA Standards web pageis the most visited section of the MIOSHAwebsite.11. T or F - The MIOSHA Standards Section hasa self-subscribing electronic system (E-notice)toinform subscribers of changes to MIOSHA stan-dards and notices of public hearings.

1. Both A and C are correct. All recordkeepingforms are available through the ManagementInformation Systems Section. The Notice of Al-leged Safety and Health Hazards form is avail-able from the enforcement divisions.2. True.3. C is correct. Workers’ Compensation data isnot available from the Management Informa-tion Systems Section.4. B is correct . You are required by P. A. 91-596 to complete the survey and return within30 days.5. D is correct. All of the listed documents aresubject to disclosure.6. True.7. A is correct - Edited records.8. False. The Freedom of Information Sectioncoordinates the trial appearances betweenMIOSHA staff and attorneys.9. A is correct. There are over 100 MIOSHAStandard Advisory Committees. Although onlya few committees are actually active at one time,there is an advisory committee for almost ev-ery MIOSHA standard.10. True. More people visit the MIOSHA Stan-dards web page than any other in the MIOSHAwebsite to get information on: newly amendedstandards, commission and advisory commit-tee meetings, or how to be added to theMIOSHA Standards mailing list (to name a fewexamples).11. True. In order to serve our customers fasterand more efficiently, MIOSHA has establishedan electronic mailing list (LISTSERV). To sub-scribe: Send an e-mail request to: miosha-standardslistmgr@michigan.gov.

Topic: Management & Technical ServicesTelly Awards

Winners!

Dr. Kenneth Wolf, Connie O’Neill, DougKalinowski, and Marilyn Knight, MSW.

By: Christine Hundt, Departmental AnalystLisa Leik, Departmental TechnicianLaurie Lorish, Departmental AnalystManagement & Technical Services Division

MIOSHA is proud to announce that a videoon workplace violence prevention that we co-funded with the Incident Management Team, Inc.of Novi, was awarded two national Telly Awards.

Marilyn Knight, MSW, and Dr. KennethWolf, of the Center for Workplace Violence Pre-vention, and also principals of the Incident Man-agement Team, Inc., wrote and produced the video.The MIOSHA Consultation Education and Train-ing (CET) Grant program co-funded the video.

The training video titled, Workplace Vio-lence Prevention: Implementing Your Pro-gram, received awards in two divisions: 1) Cor-porate Training and 2) Safety Training.Since 1978, the Telly Awards have honored out-standing local, regional, and cable televisioncommercials and programs, as well as the fin-est video and film productions. The 26th An-nual Telly Awards received over 12,000 entriesfrom all 50 states and five continents.

This instructional video provides a detailedblueprint for employers to follow to implement acomprehensive violence prevention program.It includes strategies employers have used to suc-cessfully design and implement their safety pro-grams.

Ms. Knight and Dr. Wolf are currently pro-ducing another video for MIOSHA in the area ofdeveloping crisis recovery programs after indus-trial accidents and mass casualty events. On Feb-ruary 21st, they are conducting a special semi-nar on this topic with the CET Division. Pleasesee Page 19 for details.

The Workplace Violence Prevention videoand an accompanying handbook are availablethrough MIOSHA. Please call the CET Divisionat 517.322.1809 to get a copy of the video andhandbook.

18

Governor’s Workplace ForumCont. from Page 1

Dan Young from eMedia Solutions unveiled the “MIOSHAWalkthrough for Manufacturers” CD at the Governor’s Forum.

Doug Kalinowski, MIOSHA; Sandy Ring, MEDC; Frank Mirer, UAW;Mac MacIlroy, MMA; and David Hollister, DLEG (at podium); outlinethe global challenges facing Michigan.

more aggressive goals to become, among otherthings, healthier and safer by 2015.”

“We consider our people our most importantasset. Therefore, their safety is our top priority,”said Donald J. Milroy, Group Vice President,Masco Corporation. “At Masco we believe lead-ership is the cornerstone of an excellent safetyprogram–but it takes the teamwork of all our finepeople to improve our safety environment.”

“E&E Manufacturing, as all industriesshould be, is in the ‘people’ business,” said WesSmith, President, E&E Manufacturing Company.“That being said, if you take care of the people inyour business, the rest takes care of itself.”

These employers, with a strong safety andhealth system, report not only reductions in inju-ries and illnesses, but also positive bottom linebenefits, including:

Lower workers’ compensation costs,Increased productivity,Increased employee morale,Lower absenteeism & employee turnover.

Global Economic Challenges“Manufacturers are under tremendous glo-

bal pressure. Having a highly-skilled workforceand keeping those workers healthy and safe arevital to Michigan’s ability to compete with otherstates and other countries,” said John “Mac”MacIlroy, President and CEO, Michigan Manu-facturing Association (MMA). “Employers andemployees have a shared responsibility forkeeping the workplace safe, and both must dotheir part.”

“Health and safety excellence keys manu-facturing competence. Ergonomics keys qualityand efficiency,” said Franklin E. Mirer, PhD,CIH, Director, Health and Safety Department, In-ternational Union, United Auto Workers (UAW).“Michigan must bring together labor, managementand academic resources to move forward, other-wise we will all fail together.”

“Michigan needs healthyworkers to compete effectively inthe global economy,” said SandyRing, Chief Operating Officer,Michigan Economic Develop-ment Corporation (MEDC).“Companies that emphasizeworkplace safety and employeehealth will see the benefits oflower health costs and greater pro-ductivity.”

MIOSHA distributed an in-teractive training CD, “MIOSHAWalkthrough for Manufactur-ers,” to all participants at the fo-rum. The high-tech CD was developed by“eMedia Solutions” and has 22-modules ofsafety and health training. MIOSHA, MEDCand the Lansing Area Safety Councilpartnered with commercial donors and spon-sors to bring the program to Michigan. AllMichigan manufacturers will receive a freecopy in the mail at the end of January 2006.

“For 30 years MIOSHA has recognizedemployers who do the right thing and makeworker protection a part of their company cul-ture,” said MIOSHA Director DougKalinowski. “Every company participating intoday’s forum has a proven track record ofexemplary safety and health achievements.They are truly Michigan’s ‘Best of the Best!’Roundtable Sessions

During roundtable sessions, the individu-als below shared their companies’ best prac-tices, lessons learned, and how-to strategies.Orchestrating a Culture Change!Terry De La Garza - UAW InternationalRepresentativeChris Petersen - Manager Health and SafetyJoint ProgramsHarry Tarrant - Manager Safety Security -Vehicle OperationsFord Motor CompanyManagement Leadership & Commitment

Ed Rule, Production LeaderThe Dow Chemical CompanyRichard Sbroglia, HR Man-ager & Safety DirectorE & E ManufacturingEmployee InvolvementDave Varwig, CSP, CSHMMark Brooks, MVPP Coordi-natorDTE EnergyBrian Shaw, EHS SpecialistJohnson TechnologyPete Panourgias, FacilitiesSupervisorHuntsman CorporationWorksite AnalysisDoug Flint , OperationsManagerInternational Paper – Sturgis

Jim Sutton, Safety ManagerInternational Paper – QuinnesecJohn Rupp, Deputy Safety & Health DirectorUAW Powered Material Handling VehicleHazard PreventionBruce Shepherd, Health & Safety ManagerAlcoa Howmet CastingsRon Roman, Human Resource ManagerEric Neer, Director of OperationsBrassCraft Manufacturing CompanyAndy Comai, International RepresentativeUAW Health & Safety DepartmentSafety & Health TrainingDeb Lambert, Safety SpecialistJill Woods, Safety Committee LeadHerman Miller, Inc.Mike Haire, Corrugating SupervisorGeorgia-Pacific CorporationAsk the MIOSHA CommissionersRobert Deyoung, St. Mary’s Mercy MedicalCenterMargaret Vissman, (Retired) MarriottTom Pytlik, The Dow Chemical CompanyTim Koury, Renaissance Precast IndustriesGeorge Reamer, (Retired) Mich-Con

Industrial Ventilation ConferenceFebruary 13 - 16, 2006

Kellogg Hotel & Conference CenterEast Lansing, Michigan

More than 25 industrial ventilation expertsfrom across the U.S. and Canada will pro-vide instruction and lectures on the de-sign, construction, use and testing of, ven-tilation systems. The Conference has an in-troductory course and an advanced courseof instruction.

The 4-day early registration fee is $550.00,which includes handout materials andmeals.

The Ventilation Conference is sponsoredby MIOSHA. For more information, con-tact Suzy Carter toll free at 866.423.7233or visit the conference web site at:www.michiganivc.org.

Winter 2006

19

Cont. from Page 8

The employer did not inform ex-posed employees, by posting a danger signor by any other equally effective means, ofthe existence and location of and the dan-ger posed by the permit space; [GIS Part490, 1910.146(c)(2)];

The employer did not develop andimplement a written permit space program;[GIS, Part 490, 1910.146(c)(4)] and

The employer did not inform contrac-tors that the workplace contained permit spacesand that permit space entry is allowed onlythrough compliance with a permit space pro-gram [GIS, Part 490, 1910.146(c)(8)(i)].

M & M Plumbing – Heating Inc. wasissued the following citations:

The employer did not develop, maintainor coordinate with its employees an AccidentPrevention Program meeting the minimum re-quirements [Construction Standard (CS) Part 1,Rule 114(1)];

The employer did not test the atmo-sphere in a confined space prior to employeeentering [C.S. Part 1, Rule 121(2)]; and

The employer did not enter a lost timeinjury within the 7-day time limit, and did notmaintain the required MIOSHA 300 log. [GIS/CS Part 11, Rule 1129].For Information

For more information regarding confinedspaces and the hazards that can be encoun-tered, please visit the MIOSHA website atwww.michigan.gov/miosha.

The Consultation Education and Train-ing (CET) Division can provide assistance re-garding MIOSHA confined space regulationsand can contacted at 517.322.1809.

dent under a unified command. The UnifiedCommand Post directed resources to secure thearea, find and arrest any terrorists, limit thedamage, and manage the consequences.

A major objective in Operation Bridge Outwas to reconnect Michigan and Ontario, as soonas possible. Reconnection was accomplishedwith the construction of a pontoon bridge thatspanned the Saint Mary’s River between SugarIsland, Michigan, and Garden River, Ontario.The 1437th Engineering Division of the Michi-gan National Guard constructed the 780-footbridge across the Saint Mary’s River in a mat-ter of hours. Outbound and inbound land trafficcould have begun again the same day on thenewly constructed floating international bridge.

At Operation Bridge Out, two members ofthe MIOSHA Disaster Response Team, Mat-thew Macomber and Barry Simmonds, alsofunctioned as Assistant Safety Officers to theoverall Incident Safety Officer to ensure that allhealth and safety measures were implemented.At this scenario in Sault Sainte Marie, theseMIOSHA team members monitored the bridge-building activity and also had the authority toalter, suspend, or terminate any activity that theyjudged unsafe.

Great Lakes Defender was a significant ex-ercise that tested the preparedness and responseof the participants to an act of terrorism in Michi-gan and Ontario. As a result of the participationof the MIOSHA Disaster Response Team in thisexercise, MIOSHA was able to enhance its ownemergency response and preparedness capabili-ties, and in addition, to continue to meet its com-mitment to protect the health and safety ofMichigan’s workers.

Great Lakes DefenderCET GrantsCont. from Page 6

Confined Space HazardCont. from Page 5

program includes the development of an “InjuryResponse Plan,” training farm workers to handleemergency injury situations.

Michigan Infrastructure and Transpor-tation Association (MITA) will develop special-ized company training sessions, on-sitewalkthroughs, and statewide conferences to re-duce injuries in the road construction industry.

Michigan State University School ofCriminal Justice will offer a 36-hour train-the-trainer rapid intervention course for firefightersand a 16-hour firefighter survival course. Theprogram will also train firefighters in excava-tion and trenching rescue operations.

Michigan Urban Search and RescueFoundation (MUSARF) will provide trainingto contractors engaged in trenching and excava-tion work, to construction workers involved inthis type of work, and to fire service personnelproviding rescue services during trenching andexcavation operations.

Parents for Student Safety EmploymentStandards (PASSES) works with high schoolsto provide construction technology classroomtraining, utilizing the web-based PASSES cur-riculum. PASSES has organized district widesafety committees that assist with the program.

Retail, Wholesale, and Department StoreUnion (RWDSU) will provide health and safetyinjury prevention training in food processing fa-cilities through safety and health committees.These committees will focus on training sessionsin areas such as repetitive motion injuries, facil-ity emergency preparedness, and proper lifting.

Southeast Michigan Coalition for Occu-pational Safety and Health (SEMCOSH) willoffer basic safety and health training for Span-ish-speaking immigrant workers. Specific areaswill include basic first aid, hearing protection,and personal protective equipment (PPE).

United Auto Workers (UAW) will provideworkplace safety and health training to indus-tries with fabricated metal, stone, clay, and con-crete products. The training will include a facil-ity walkthrough and hazard evaluation, followedby hazard prevention training.

University of Michigan has developed andwill deliver on-site customized ergonomics jobanalysis, follow-up activities to documentchanges and development to small and medium-sized companies. They will also provide schol-arships to attend a two-day open enrollmentcourse.

Warren Conner Development Coalitionwill provide workplace violence prevention foremployers and employees in small service sec-tor businesses. The program will train local busi-nesses to implement programs and strategiesdesigned to identify potential risks and developcorrective action plans.

Managing Industrial Accidents and Crisis EventsCET Division Special Seminar – February 21st – 8:30 - 4:00

Plymouth-Canton Community Center – Cost: $75.00

FeaturingDr. Kenneth Wolf & Marilyn Knight, MSWCenter for Workplace Violence Prevention

Rad Jones, US Secret Service (retired) & Ford Security Director (retired)Jerry Miller, Daimler Chrysler Director of Crisis Management (retired)

Martha Yoder & Mike Mason, MIOSHA Program

Participants will learn how to conduct a crisis assessment and the importance ofstructure and operational procedures in a crisis management program. Attendeeswill participate in an interactive session involving a critical incident scenario thatbuilds from the response to the recovery phase of the crisis management process.Through participation in a desktop simulation training of a crisis event, participantsmay see and identify gaps in their own plans or procedures.

To register, contact the CET Division at 517.322.1809.

20

Michigan Occupational Safetyand Health AdministrationDirector: Douglas J. Kalinowski

The MIOSHA News is aquarterly publication of theMichigan Occupational Safetyand Health Administration(MIOSHA), which is responsiblefor the enforcement of theMichigan Occupational Safetyand Health (MIOSH) Act.

The purpose is to educateMich igan employers andemployees about workplacesafety and health. This documentis in the public domain and weencourage reprinting.

Printed under authority of theMichigan Occupational Safetyand Health Act, PA 154 of 1974, asamended. Paid for with the state“Safety Education and TrainingFund” and federal OSHA funds.

Editor: Judith Keely Simons

Michigan Department ofLabor & Economic GrowthDirector: David C. Hollister

Michigan Department of Labor & Economic GrowthMichigan Occupational Safety and Health AdministrationP.O. Box 306437150 Harris DriveLansing, Michigan 48909-8143

(25,000 copies printed at a cost of $10,595 or $0.42 per copy.)

Website: www.michigan.gov/miosha

How To Contact MIOSHA

If you would like to subscribe to the MIOSHA News, please contact us at 517.322.1809 andprovide us with your mailing address. Also if you are currently a subscriber, please take thetime to review your mailing label for errors. If any portion of your address is incorrect, pleasecontact us at the above number.

PRESORTEDSTANDARD

US POSTAGE PAIDLANSING MI

PERMIT NO 1200

MIOSHA HotlineFatality/Catastrophe Hotline

General InformationFree Safety/Health Consultation

800.866.4674800.858.0397517.322.1814517.322.1809

517.322.1814 Doug Kalinowski517.322.1817 Martha Yoder

DirectorDeputy Director

DIVISION

Appeals

Construction Safety & Health

Consultation Education & Training

General Industry Safety & Health

Management & Technical Services

517.322.1297 Jim Gordon (Acting)

517.322.1856 Bob Pawlowski

517.322.1809 Connie O’Neill

517.322.1831 John Brennan

517.322.1851 John Peck

OFFICE PHONE MANAGER

Asbestos Program

CET Grant Program

Employee Discrimination Section

Management Information Systems Section

Standards Section

517.322.1320 George Howard

517.322.1865 Louis Peasley

248.888.8777 Jim Brogan

517.322.1851 Bob Clark

517.322.1845 Marsha Parrott-Boyle

PHONE DIRECTOR