OSHA Final Rule 2024: Workplace Injury Reporting Mandates and Risk Mitigation through Training
Did you know that the OSHA final rule (https://www.osha.gov/recordkeeping/final-rule) on requirements for submitting workplace injury and illness information became effective on January 1, 2024?
Announced by the U.S. Department of Labor (https://www.dol.gov/), the rule will require certain employers in designated high-hazard industries to electronically submit injury and illness information – that they are already required to keep – to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (https://www.osha.gov).
Part of the OSHA initiative is aimed at enabling companies to make more informed decisions about workplace safety and health, and to help identify patterns of injuries, illnesses, and hazardous conditions in workplaces. OSHA believes this will ultimately result in the reduction of occupational injuries and illnesses.
Industrial machine operations can include various hazards. One area where risks can be high are in welding, and one clear way to mitigate that risk is to employ trained welders (https://www.midwesttech.edu/programs/faq/welding/).
For many welders, training is the first step in a career. Midwest Technical Institute (MIT) (https://www.midwesttech.edu/programs/welding/) offers two programs: Welding and Welding & Pipefitting. Each features hands-on training and can be completed in less than a year.
MTI’s Welding Program trains students in the following processes:
Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW)
Gas Tungsten Arc Gas Welding (GTAW/TIG)
Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW/MIG)
Flux Core Arc Welding (FCAW)
Welding classes at MTI also include:
Field & Shop Safety
Properties & Cutting Techniques of Metal
Welding Metallurgy / Vocabulary
Basic Blueprint Readings
MTI Welding Certification Tests
Regardless of the welding program your employees or you may choose a key factor in your decision should be whether the program is listed by the Accrediting Commission of Careers Schools and Colleges (https://accsc.org/). ACCSC is an accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as the designated institutional accrediting body for over 650 post-secondary, trade and technical schools that provide education to over 150,000 students in a wide variety of vocational programs each year.
Welders have many opportunities for employment in industrial machine operations. These highly skilled tradespeople play an important role in the construction and manufacture of many products. They use over 100 different techniques to fuse metals and other types of materials together.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (https://www.bls.gov/ooh/production/welders-cutters-solderers-and-brazers.htm#tab-5), as of May 2022, the median annual wage for welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers was $47,540. According to BLS data, the highest 10 percent earned more than $68,750. Wages may vary by work experience and skill level.
BLS projects about 42,600 job openings for welders each year, on average, over the decade from 2022 to 2032. Welding job opportunities do vary, however, depending on skill level and experience, so earning a welding education and/or certifications can help increase your employability.
Seth Skydel (http://linkedin.com/in/seth-skydel-5360a586) is a writer with 38 years of experience covering the trucking, utility, construction, and related markets.
