Las Vegas, NV September 14, 2020
Improved
business compliance with required health and safety directives led to no new citations
being issued during the week of September 7. To date, 36 citations have been
issued since the Governor’s Declaration of Emergency Directive 024 and Nevada
OSHA’s Guidance for Businesses Operating in Phase 2 went into effect on June
24.
During follow
up visits conducted last week, Nevada OSHA officials found 100 percent of the 53
businesses visited were in compliance with required health and safety measures
to slow community spread of COVID-19. A total of 1,322 follow up visits have
been conducted.
Division of
Industrial Relations officials also conducted 380 initial observations. Overall
compliance for the week of September 7 was 92 percent statewide, 88 percent in
southern Nevada, and 93 percent in northern Nevada. Findings of initial visits in
business categories with more than 20 observations conducted include:
- Restaurants,
110 observations: 99 percent compliance
- Convenience
stores, 20 observations: 95 percent compliance
- Financial
Institutions, 24 observations: 92 percent compliance
- General
Retail, 54 observations: 91 percent compliance
- Hair,
Nail and Tattoo Salons, 32 observations: 88 percent compliance
Since the
initial observations began, 7,740 businesses have been surveyed with a
cumulative statewide compliance rate of 89 percent, 90 percent compliance in
northern Nevada and 87 percent compliance in southern Nevada.
In addition to
the field observation process, Nevada OSHA continues to respond to complaints
and referrals regarding face coverings, social distancing, cleaning and disinfection,
and other areas of concern related to COVID-19 received by their offices. Of
the 3,624 complaints received, 980 (27 percent) complaints concern general
retail followed by 606 (17 percent) for restaurants and bars, and 270 (7
percent) complaints about medical facilities.
Workplace
safety concerns can be filed online with Nevada OSHA at https://www.osha.gov/pls/osha7/eComplaintForm.html.
The Division’s
Safety Consultation and Training Section (SCATS) also offers free consultations
to businesses to help them understand and implement the requirements in order
to comply with the health and safety guidance and directives for all
businesses, and specific requirements for each industry. SCATS can be reached
by calling 1-877-4SAFENV.
About the Division of Industrial Relations:
The Nevada Division of Industrial Relations (DIR) is the
principal regulatory agency responsible for workplace safety and worker
protections in the state of Nevada. Comprised of five sections
–Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Workers’ Compensation Section,
Mechanical Compliance Section, Mine Safety and Training Section, and the Safety
Consultation and Training Section – DIR works to protect Nevada’s working men
and women and provides a broad scope of training and support to the regulated
community. For more information please visit http://dir.nv.gov.
About Nevada OSHA:
Nevada OSHA operates as an approved state program as
defined by section 18 of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 and is
required by the Act to operate in a manner that is at least as effective as the
federal OSHA enforcement program. Operating out of district offices in
Las Vegas and Reno, Nevada OSHA conducts inspections and investigations
intended to identify hazardous conditions which could harm Nevada’s workers and
enforces state and federal laws protecting the state’s workers. From July 2018
to June 2019, Nevada OSHA conducted over 1,060 inspections, issuing an average
of 1.4 serious violations per inspection. The Nevada State Plan, at the time of
publication of this media release, is funded by a grant of $1,486,600 federal
funds, which constitutes 50 percent of the State Plan budget. Fifty percent, or
$1,486,600 of the State Plan budget, is financed through non-governmental sources.
For more information visit http://dir.nv.gov/OSHA/home.
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