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CIC Newsletter - 2006

• February 3, 2006:  Safety Policy OSHA Liability for Employees’ Failure to Use Seat Belts
  By Thomas H. Welby, P.E., Esq. 
  U.S. passenger vehicles have come equipped with seat belts for more than forty years.  During that time, seat belt use on U.S. roadways is believed to have saved some 200,000 lives. Read more...
   
• March 13, 2006:  Safety Policy Providing Competence to the “Competent Person”
  By Thomas H. Welby, P.E., Esq. 
  You have probably heard the term “competent person” used in connection with accident avoidance and OSHA compliance.  Having employees who are fully qualified as “competent persons” should be a key part of your company’s safety and compliance program.  Read more...
   
• April 12, 2006:  Safety Policy Testing for Substance Abuse:  A Useful Tool, Not a Silver Bullet
  By Thomas H. Welby, P.E., Esq. 
  Last month, we looked at the extent and consequences of drug and alcohol abuse in the construction industry, and concluded that if you don’t think this threatens your company, you’re probably wrong.  Read more...
   
• July 10, 2006:  Safety Policy Top New York Court:  Undocumented Aliens Not Barred from Recovering Lost Wages
  By Thomas H. Welby, P.E., Esq. 
  Our last installment discussed the importance of, and techniques for, safety training for, the construction workforce that today includes large numbers of immigrants and workers for whom English is not their first language.  The importance of effective safety training is underscored by a controversial recent decision by the Court of Appeals in Albany, which holds that undocumented aliens suffering personal injuries on the job are not barred (on account of their immigration status) from recovering damages in the nature of lost earnings.  Read more...
   
• August 3, 2006:  Safety Policy Recent Cases from the OSH Review Commission (Part 1 of 2)
  By Thomas H. Welby, P.E., Esq. 
  Our next two installments will be somewhat in the nature of a “review lesson.”  We’ll look at several 2006 decisions of the Commission, as they underscore some of the issues addressed in recent columns here.  Read more...
   
• September 3, 2006:  Safety Policy Recent Cases from the OSH Review Commission (Part 2 of 2)
  By Thomas H. Welby, P.E., Esq. 
  This month concludes last month’s “review lesson” using illustrative recent decisions of the OSH Review Commission.  Read more...
   
• October 16, 2006:  Safety Policy Preventing Vehicle and “Struck-By” Injuries on the Jobsite
  By Thomas H. Welby, P.E., Esq. 
  Recent articles have discussed fall hazards and unsafe practices in excavations and trenches, two leading causes of fatalities and OSHA citations at construction jobsites.  Read more...
   
• November 15, 2006:  Safety Policy Protection Against Lead Exposure:  The Basics
  By Thomas H. Welby, P.E., Esq. 
  Man’s use of lead goes back thousands of years (the oldest known lead mine, in Turkey, dates from about 6500 B.C.).  It’s a wonderfully versatile material — abundant, cheap, malleable, resistant to corrosion,   has a low melting point, and holds pigments well.  Read more...