RDS Press Release

February 12, 2021

In 2017, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) published revised
regulations for Walking and Working Surfaces in General Industry. As it pertains to
professional window cleaning and building maintenance contractors, those regulations
contained safety requirements for employers and employees with regards to fall
protection systems and methods, falling object protection, ladders (fixed and
transportable), scaffolds, Rope Descent Systems (RDS) and training and education.

In order to continue to fulfill our mission statement by promoting the success of
members and the industry through standards of safety, education, advocacy and
research, the IWCA along with industry experts, equipment manufacturers, professional
safety trainers and the building management community; agree that a more
comprehensive safety and training guideline is needed above the ones in the OSHA
regulations.

Therefore, the IWCA is pleased to release the General Industry Safety Standard which
identifies accepted Safe Practices for Rope Descent Systems.

This standard includes detailed and comprehensive requirements for worker training,
evaluation, and certification as well as the shared responsibilities for building owners
and managers, when this type of equipment is used.

The IWCA shall be providing certification of RDS operators and to do so,
the IWCA and all their training affiliates shall be revising their Safety and Training
Programs to recognize and include these safe practices. Furthermore, the IWCA will be
updating the online testing to coincide with the authorized technician and certified
technician categories as defined in this new Standard.

Please continue to check back regularly at IWCA.org

Stay Safe.

https://www.journeysbridge.com/blog/5-first-steps-anxiety-depression

Disinfection 101—Are You Covering the Basics?

GBAC NL AD

Use the code IWCA when taking any courses or classes towards certifications and costs.

This week we take part in COVID Stand Down week with our Construction Industry Partners. Use these Toolbox Talk Sheets and information to step back and re-educate on safety protocols related to COVID today to keep staff, yourself, and customers safe today.

See the Toolbox Talks and Resources for Members here: Toolbox Talks

ANNOUNCEMENTS

https://www.osha.gov/injuryreporting/

March 2, 2021, is the deadline for electronically reporting your OSHA Form 300A data for calendar year 2020. Collection will begin January 2, 2021.

The collection of CY 2019 data and beyond will include the collection of establishments’ Employer Identification Numbers (EIN). If you submit your data using a csv file or API, you can view the new layout by selecting the “How” tab above.

Remember, not all establishments need to submit their OSHA 300A Data. To review which establishments need to provide their data, click here.

https://www.osha.gov/injuryreporting/

Register For Convention Here (Members are $499 for the first attendee and $349 for additionals – down from $550 and $389 from previous years)

Sponsorship Opportunities: 2021 IWCA Prospectus & Sponsorship Opportunities

Book Your Rooms for $79 a night at DoubleTree Hilton Orlando at SeaWorld HERE

*The only course which costs extra besides the registration is the Sunbelt Lift Course for $120. Everything else is free with your registration. The Certification Courses alone on Monday are a $1,000 plus value for your registration.

Registration Costs: $499 for each primary member and $349 for each additional member. Down from $550 and $385 in previous years. At the 2021 Convention, all in person attendees will be offered a $299.99 rate for the 2022 Convention to pre-register. You have to be there to get this rate for 2022.

Vendor Trade Show Floor Plan with 30-40 Vendors –Floor Plan Here & Booth #’s Here

Currently there is $11,601,634 in OSHA fines for Coronavirus Violations in the Workplace since October 2020. Most of the individual fines in the 10’s of thousands. It is imperative you have plans and protocols in place for your workplace. Examples of what was fine and items you need to seek to put into place, many in the toolbox section of the members site for you, are below.

“OSHA inspections have resulted in the agency citing employers for violations, including failures to:

• Implement a written respiratory protection program;
• Provide a medical evaluation, respirator fit test, training on the proper use of a respirator and personal protective equipment;
• Report an injury, illness or fatality;
• Record an injury or illness on OSHA recordkeeping forms; and
• Comply with the General Duty Clause of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970.”

https://www.osha.gov/news/newsreleases/enforcement

Michigan OSHA’s New COVID-19 Emergency Rule

Copy of the Slides: MIOSHA_COVID_Emergency_Rule_Oct_2020_

Link to the Webinar Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYqijStrZ0k&feature=youtu.be

Presented by:
Eric J. Conn and Aaron R. Gelb
on Thurs., October 29th at 11:00 AM ET / 10:00 AM CT

When the MI Supreme Court struck down Gov. Whitmer’s COVID-19 Executive Orders, MI OSHA responded quickly to fill the void, and last week issued a series of COVID-19 Emergency Regulations. When Gov. Whitmer signed the “Emergency Rules Order,” Michigan became only the second state in the country with a set of enforceable, COVID-19 specific regulations. While many of the requirements set forth in the new rules mirror the Governor’s prior EOs, having a prescriptive rule in place makes it that much easier for MI OSHA to issue citations to employers.

Given MI OSHA’s aggressive use of the General Duty Clause to support a series of citations after an inspection blitz over the summer, Michigan employers should expect enforcement to continue in a similar manner, making compliance with these rules all the more important.  Participants in this webinar will learn about the requirements of MIOSHA’s COVID-19 emergency rules and steps to take to avoid citations, including:

• Conducting COVID-19 hazard assessments
• Developing and implementing a written exposure preparedness and response plan
• Adopting workplace controls and safe work practices
• Training for employees
• Recordkeeping requirements

The membership site/events and Campus IWCA are all down currently. We appreciate your patience. The Your Membership team who provides the site is working on it currently and will let us know once it is back up. The new membership site and events/learning management system will be up and running early December for you. It should be much easier to navigate and use and have less issues crashing.