OSHA Announces Amputation Prevention Initiative

Posted November 9, 2016 at 6:06 pm

The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently launched an enforcement initiative to emphasize the prevention of amputation hazards among employees in Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas, the agency announced on Nov. 1.

Starting immediately, inspectors will examine operations, working conditions, recordkeeping, and safety and health programs in these states for compliance, the agency said. OSHA also will look at employers in industries using machinery that can be hazardous to workers. The goal of the initiative is to “enforce safety regulations and hold employers responsible for protecting employees and reducing instances of worker amputations.”

Each year, amputations cause more than 1,400 serious injuries, according to OSHA. In 2015, the agency received reports of more than 2,600 amputations nationwide, with 57% occurring among manufacturing workers. Typically, employees are operating machines without proper or adequate safety guards when an amputation occurs.

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