Some New Jersey workers may be interested in the Request for Information that was issued by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration on March 11. The RFI was issued to obtain information and comments from stakeholders about using powered industrial trucks in the construction, general and maritime industry classifications. The agency may revise its existing standards for the use of powered industrial trucks, and the information received from the stakeholders will be used by the agency to determine what actions will be necessary to revise the standards.
In 1971, the initial powered industrial truck standard was adopted. The basis for the standard was both the National Fire Protection Association’s standard for Type Designation, Areas of Use, Maintenance and Operation of Powered Industrial Trucks NFPA 505 and American National Standards Institute’s Safety Standard for Powered Industrial Trucks B56.1. Both of the NFPA and ANSI consensus standards have undergone revising and updating since the OSHA rule was initially established.
There are versions of the two consensus standards made in 2018. One of the requirements that is present in the ANSI B56.1 but is not in the OSHA standards include the mandate that operator training should address hazards, such as symptom of exposure from carbon monoxide emitted from internal combustion engines. Also, in the 2018 NFPA 505 are eight types of trucks that are not mentioned in the OSHA’s standards.
An attorney who practices workers’ compensation law may consider the factor surrounding the workplace incident that resulted in a client’s injury and may advise of legal options. Assistance may be provided for filing claims for worker’s compensation benefits and for appealing insufficient settlement amounts or denied claims. The appropriate federal agencies may be notified of the unsafe working conditions that contributed to a client’s workplace injury.