TEXTILES.ORG
Click It! campaign
Despite it being an ANSI/OSHA requirement, many boom lift operators don’t wear a full-body harness and short lanyard. Aerial Work Platform Training Inc. (AWPT) launched the Click It! campaign in 2007 to encourage occupants of boom type lifts of the need to wear this important safety equipment.
The simple message “Click it! Wear a full body harness and short lanyard in boom type platforms” has had great initial support and success. The International Powered Access Federation (IPAF), AWPT’s parent organization, reports that more than 165,000 Click It! stickers have been distributed throughout Europe. In North America, AWPT members such as NES Rentals, Sunbelt, Midwest Aerials and Admar Supply agreed to place the stickers on every boom lift in their rental fleets and manufacturer member Skyjack agreed to place them on every new boom lift. Additionally, more than 20,000 stickers have been requested in North America through e-mail (mail@awpt.org). AWPT offers free stickers in quantities up to 30, and they are available in German, Italian, Dutch, Spanish and French in addition to two English versions—one for North America and one for the U.K.
AWPT will continue to raise awareness throughout 2008 by distributing an additional 200,000 stickers, with the ultimate goal of having a sticker on every boom lift in operation in the world.
Final rule on PPE
Employers must provide all personal protective equipment (PPE), with a few exceptions, to employees at no cost, according to a final rule announced in late 2007 by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
Exceptions include ordinary clothing, weather-related gear, safety-toed footwear, prescription safety eyewear and logging boots.
The final rule also clarifies OSHA’s requirements regarding payment for employee-owned PPE and replacement PPE. While these clarifications have added several paragraphs to the regulatory text, the final rule provides employees no less protection than they would have received under the 1999 proposed standard.
The rule also provides an enforcement deadline of six months from the date of publication to allow employers time to change their existing PPE payment policies to accommodate the final rule. For more information, visit www.osha.gov.