Lock-Out/Tag-Out Tools Available

 

The Phylmar Regulatory Roundtable (PRR) is a group of companies committed to improving workplace safety and health. The PRR Good Practices Task Force compiled information from members companies' existing safety and health programs and created materials that provide the public with a set of "successful" or "good" practices for confined space and lockout/tagout procedures. Failure to perform these procedures properly can lead to potentially life-threatening injuries to employees. The Task Force's tools provide a means for the employer to evaluate program effectiveness.

Materials available include:  

• Lock-Out/Tag-Out overview
• Sample Written Program
• Sample Checklist for Annual Verification
• Sample Checklist for Compliance Review
• Sample Checklist for Program Review Checklist
• Skills Survey

All are available at this link:

http://www.fels.net/1/fels-subscriber-resources/safety-resources-index.html#LockoutTagout

If you have questions or comments, please contact us at FELS: 1-800-753-9073 or info@fels.net

USDOL Using Hot Goods for Child Labor Enforcement

U.S. Department of Labor has been using the Fair Labor Standards Act's "hot goods" provision for enforcement purposes. "Hot goods" allows the Department to confiscate anything produced in violation of the requirements of the FLSA. In particular, DOL has been using "hot goods" for enforcement against alleged child labor violations.  While "hot goods" might make sense to use as leverage with manufacturers of inanimate objects, use against farmers and their perishable commodities can threaten the economic viability of a farming operation. Here's a report on DOL's use of "hot goods" in Oregon and other places.

CFBF Farm Labor Survey

California Farm Bureau Federation is surveying its members to try to learn the extent and severity of labor shortages being suffered by California farmers during this harvest season.  We've received anecdotal reports of 30%+ labor shortages (if you need 10 people, you have 7; if you need five crews, you have four, and so forth...)

If you're a farm employer and you have information to share about your labor situation, please check out the CFBF labor survey here.

Deferred Action Up and Running...

The Department of Homeland Security began accepting applications on August 15 for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, allowing young people brought to the U.S. by an adult as a child to apply for "deferred action"...a fancy of saying Immigration and Customs Enforcement won't make deporting you a high priority if they catch you.  More at this page on FELS Website...