Author, Kevin Howard, CRIS, Account Executive, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
Rancho Mesa Insurance Services’ RM365 Advantage Safety Star Program™ checks several boxes for contractors who are looking to improve their safety culture and lower risk. The program provides safety training designed to reduce an organization’s probability of work-related injuries; thus, minimizing the likelihood of an OSHA citation when used in conjunction with the Risk Management Center tools.
Encouraging a safety culture through proper training makes sense for employers. Fed OSHA’s, maximum fine for a non-serious violation is $12,600. A willful repeat violation, however, can cost an employer anywhere from $70,000 - $126,000.
According to the United States Department of Labor, the top 10 most frequently cited standards are:
Fall protection, construction
Hazard communication standard, general industry
Scaffolding, general requirements, construction
Respiratory protection
Control of hazardous energy (lockout/tagout), general
Ladders, construction
Powered industrial trucks, general industry
Fall Protection–Training Requirements
Machinery and Machine Guarding, general requirements
Eye and Face Protection
Avoiding OSHA’s #1 Violation
With Fall Protection being at the top of OSHA’s citation list, and one of the most frequent causes of workplace fatalities in construction, it is of the upmost importance to focus on it when developing a safety program.
Rancho Mesa’s Risk Management Center offers a number of safety trainings that cover all 10 of the most frequently cited standards listed above. Fall Protection is one of five modules, within the RM365 Advantage Safety Star Program that could potentially help avoid a severe injury and OSHA fines.
When Century Painting’s Eddie Lopez was asked to give his thoughts on becoming RM365 Safety Star certified, his response was sincere.
“Obtaining my RM365 Safety Star Certificate was not only fulfilling and educational as a safety manager, but it also helped me navigate through safety criteria that OSHA is expecting us to follow regardless,” said Eddie Lopez, Safety Manager for Century Painting Corp.
RM365 Advantage Safety Star Program™ is a comprehensive tool for contractors that are hoping to package several advantages into one single task. To learn more about how to enroll, please visit the Safety Star Program™ page or contact Rancho Mesa Insurance Services at (619) 937-0164.
To learn more about the Fall Protection in Construction requirements, visit Cal OSHA’s Safety & Health Fact Sheet. You will notice links dedicated to each industry down the left side of the page. This information can further help companies avoid a potential OSHA fine, and more importantly, protect employees.