Search

This article reports that the materials handling often focuses on storage and transport by equipment, including forklifts. However, employee behaviors and work practices, such as using poor lifting techniques, also contribute to many injuries. Activities such as bending, overexertion, and repetitive motion are common when handling materials. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics categorizes these actions in a group designated bodily reaction and exertion. The OSHA regulation at 29 CFR 1910. 176(b) plainly states that the storage of material shall not create a hazard. Although injuries do result from unsafe storage, compliance with this requirement addresses only half the problem. Teaching proper lifting techniques and safe work practices can reduce these incidents.

This article discusses various issues related to the protection of eye and face in industrial operations. In an average day, workers often find themselves in situations where there are sparks, flying particles, dust or debris, and falling or swinging objects. The opportunity for an accident is undeniable. Workers who do not wear properly fitting protective eye/face equipment are at risk of losing their sight. The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has adopted the most recent ANSI Z87.1-2003 Standard, Practice for Occupational and Educational Eye and Face Protection. It is imperative that employers know the standard and comply the OSHA directives. It is the employers' responsibility to assess all work areas to identify potential hazards. INSET: PROTECTIVE EYE EQUIPMENT..

This article discusses various issues related to the prevention of hand injuries in industrial settings. According to the U.S. National Safety Council's accident report, hand injuries consistently rank as the second-most-common workplace injury. The U.S. Department of Labor statistics endorse hand injuries as the number one most preventable workplace injury. While industries have thousands of sources for hand protection with an even greater variety of product offerings, all can easily be organized into five types of hand protection. These are: leather hand protection equipment; cotton equipment; supported hand protection equipment; gloves manufactured generally by clipping a ceramic mold directly into a liquid polymer; and string knit equipments.

Presents an interview with Dan Wurzburg, senior vice president of Environmental Health & Safety division of Skanska USA Building Inc. Discussion on the history of Injury-Free Environment program initiated by Skanska; Arguments pertaining to the involvement and participation of top management with regard to safety on the job sites; Information on "commitment workshops"; Details of total number of employees participated in these workshops.

Presents an interview with Bill Sims, president of Bill Sims Award of Excellence in Columbia. Discussion on how to ensure industrial safety and to encourage the employees in this regard; Arguments pertaining to the concept of "behavior-based safety recognition"; Arguments pertaining to safety incentives; Discussion on safety programs of companies; Arguments pertaining to traditional safety incentive programs in the U.S.; Discussion on opinion of the U.S. Occupational safety and Health Administration in this regard; Arguments pertaining to the lack of creative thinking in the area of middle manager recognition.

This article compares and contrasts the components of basic compliance with the elements of occupational safety excellence and the benefits of reaching beyond compliance. The article author discusses the use of technology for delivering online training, measuring the effectiveness of training, and electronic-learning's role in driving safety excellence. Basic compliance is the bare minimum standard. Basic compliance as it pertains to safety is covered by a number of regulatory bodies such as the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Department of Transportation and Environmental Protection Agency, etc. Within these agencies are rules and regulations in the form of standards, directives, interpretations, enforcement guidelines, etc.

This article discusses various issues related to the prevention of serious occupational injuries. The article makes specific reference to the books: "Industrial Accident Prevention: A Scientific Approach," ed. 4, by H.W. Heinrich; "The Blame Machine: Why Human Error Causes Accidents," by R.B. Whittingham; and "Managing Maintenance Error: A Practical Guide," by James Reason and Alan Hobbs. The article author views that two age-old beliefs, which are often applied, are barriers to inquiry into the reality of systemic design and engineering, operational, and cultural causal factors for incidents resulting in serious injury. Those beliefs are: reducing incident frequency will equivalently reduce the occurrence of low probability/serious consequence events and unsafe acts of workers are the principal causal factors for occupational incidents.

The article presents information on mistakes that can be avoided to prevent industrial accidents. The investigation is done, corrective action is generated, and it places all of the blame on the inattention of the employee. The amount of data collected will greatly increase the probability of developing an effective corrective action. The biases mentioned will tend to look at one element or the other instead of looking at the problem from a systematic view. A consistent investigation routine and structured reporting method can help prevent biases.

The article discusses the need to minimize the stress imposed on a victim during an emergency incident as a part of safety and response planning and training. Plant management and safety personnel strive to minimize the occurrence of accidents, but when they do occur one wants to provide the best immediate and continuing response possible. They have a professional stake in doing the right thing, but the victim has an overwhelmingly personal stake in the outcome. Sometimes one's zeal to handle the more mechanical aspects of emergency response over-shadows the victim's needs and psychological state-of-mind in the moments following an accident.

The article presents information on the use of Personal Protective Apparel (PPA) in the modern workplace. Such apparels awaits almost any situation from the extreme to the daily grind. Chances are that if one needs a particular protective apparel item, it exists and can be shipped to them immediately. A quick review of many standards will indicate the need for some specialty protective apparel. This is true not only for injury/illness prevention, but also to prevent product contamination. The list of needed PPA in industry and construction applications is extensive, with many crossover areas. In today's workforce, it is simply good safety judgment to have needed apparel articles on hand in multiple locations and clearly identified for use.

The article focuses on the performance of oxygen sensors. Oxygen deficiency is one of the most common of all categories of atmospheric hazards. It stands to reason that the sensors used to measure oxygen concentration are one of the most widely used types of sensors included in portable atmospheric monitors, especially those used in confined space monitoring procedures. Fatal industrial accidents that stem from oxygen deficiency are unfortunately very common. Tragically, the same conditions and factors appear over and over again in confined space accidents.

The article focuses on the prevention of industrial accidents caused due to chlorine gas. Every year, workers art injured needlessly in plant accidents caused by leaking toxic gases. These gases include chlorine and others such as ammonia, carbon monoxide, hydrogen sulfide, and more. Most of these accidents are preventable with personal safety or plant gas monitoring equipment. Electrochemical sensors are widely used for both fixed gas detection systems and in hand held portable devices for personal use where fixed gas detection systems are impractical.

This article focuses on hearing, head and face protection. Any job task needs to be evaluated for head/face protection, especially heavy industry and construction activity. Every employee has the potential for injury depending on his duties and available protection. Every employee must understand clearly the hazards of her job and how wearing appropriate safety equipments will protect while getting the job done. One must understand that PPE is a requirement of employment. Such training can take several forms, including computerized interactive or video presentations, tailgate safety talks, one-on-one discussion, and poster/handout materials.

This article focuses on industrial safety. There are many hazards that are likely to cause an employee's death: electrocution, being run over by heavy equipment or struck by traffic, road construction toxic material exposure, confined space and excavation failures, falls from a higher elevation, head injuries, and lacerations. Workplace violence has also become an issue on construction job sites. Management's interest in safety and health and a keen eye on the project will maintain a neat, clean site and a well-trained and managed workforce.

This article presents information on industrial safety. An employer may not simply "assume" a confined space is a non-permit confined space, but rather must develop data to support this determination, and this data must be documented and maintained. It has been my experience that many employers fail to ensure this critical step is completed, but rather, base decisions on assumptions regarding actual or potential hazards, and frequently yield to what appears to be a more convenient path that requires the commitment of less resources both up front and over time. The deck- ration of a space as "non-permit required" should be supported by extensive and well documented data and decision-making criteria.

This article focuses on the maintenance of emergency systems in industries. Emergency lighting equipment, exit signs, portable fire extinguishers, and kitchen-hood fire suppression systems are required by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), Life Safety Code, the National Electrical Code (NEC), and various other federal and building codes. Many building owners depend on in-house staff to perform checks on emergency lighting equipment, exit signs, and inverter systems, as well as portable fire extinguishers and fire suppression systems. But maintenance workers often lack training, the time, and the experience to provide the regular and proper mandated maintenance these critical life safety products. INSET: COMBINING THE TWO INSPECTIONS..

This article provides guidance on safety systems. Safe work environments are often found to produce high quality products at high production rates, as well. People assess the culture in the organization. This assessment should begin at the management level because employees will adapt their work practices in accordance with what management desires. Based on the information obtained from assessment, a review of the assessment information should be conducted with top levels of management. Management safety training and, typically, highly needed in most organizations, that management safety training is a separate step in the plan.

NFPA 70E-2004 is the new standard in electrical safety. It takes the concept of clothing protective issues one step farther by being the first standard to specifically include arc flash PPE in work practice requirements. The 70E standard met with a lukewarm reception when first published in 2000. There were problems with NFPA 70E-2000 because of difficulties with the way the standard was written. The standard simplifies the decision-making process regarding what to wear in most electrical hazard working situations. Levels of protection as defined by the standard correlate to specific clothing recommendations but offer flexibility because NFPA requires standards to avoid design restriction to allow innovation in protection, donning, doffing, fit, and worker comfort. INSET: SUITING UP COMMON TASKS..

This article presents author's perspective in investigating slip-and-fall accidents involving ice accumulation. The majority of slip-and-fall accidents that involve an alleged unnatural accumulation of ice typically involve an identified source. The article presents a rational method for determining whether an accumulation of water or ice can be considered an unnatural accumulation, based on sound engineering principles. A rational and technical basis for determining whether or not an accumulation of ice can be considered an unnatural accumulation is founded upon the basic principles of drainage system design.

This article presents recent developments related to occupational health and safety in the U.S. as of January 2004. A finding of the latest Liberty Mutual Workplace Safety Index shows that the cost of on-the-job injuries continues to rise despite the safety measures being taken in the workplace. Three safety companies, Memphis Glove, Crews, and River City have consolidated their companies to form MCR Safety. Cardiac Science Inc. of Irvine, California, has acquired Cleveland-based Complient Corp., a privately held company that is a leading provider of AED and CPR training and comprehensive program management.

Focuses on the International Society for Fall Protection symposium to reduce deaths and injuries from falls in the United States. Objectives of the symposium; Focus on trucking industry experiences; Advice on increasing industrial safety.

The article offers tips for trainers on how to maximize comprehension and retention of safety training in the U.S. Trainers need to bear in mind that audience will appreciate the preview and review components because it will help them integrate the new information into what they already know. They should use of develop training materials that acknowledge the expertise they bring to the subject. Likewise, trainers must keep their audience in mind when choosing material delivery methods.

The article focuses on the need for employees to receive eight-hours of refresher training annually on Hazardous Waster Operations and Emergency Response Standards in the U.S. Employees are required to be thoroughly trained in topics such as engineering controls, personal protective equipment, and monitoring instrumentation. Likewise, trainers are identified as having received a higher level of training.

The article focuses on the importance of fall protection for preventing sliding and engulfment in bins and product storage from high rise construction in the U.S. Most often, the fall protection programs go the way of other safety efforts. It is important that the person in charge of the fall protection program is knowledgeable about the hazards involved. In addition, the safety efforts and fall protection objectives must become an integral part of the company's operation.

Presents a 1999-2000 buyer's guide for professionals in the United States safety, occupational health, industrial hygiene and allied fields. Product index and directory; Services index and directory; Distributor locator; Company profiles.

The article discusses various issues related to workplace safety and workplace fall protection provided by the industries to its employees. Topics discussed include minor changes made in the work process by the companies to avoid fall injuries such as moving work to the ground level and relocating panel boxes, use of fall restraint and fall arrest systems attached to an anchorage system to prevent accidents at workplace and covering the conveyors completely with a monorail fall arrest system.

The article focuses on the Eye2Eye program by the Prevent Blindness America and Uvex, which aims to create a stronger culture of workplace safety in the U.S. with focus in vision protection. It says that the program is based on a peer-to-peer online initiative and designates a group of Safety Ambassadors that are socially networked with Eye2Eye members. It adds that the ambassadors encourage everyone for safe working using the series of training modules and training programs from the partners.

The article discusses the new B101.1 floor safety standard in operational health and safety in the U.S. According to the National Floor Safety Institute (NFSI) that 55% of slips, trips, and falls are due to hazardous walkway. It notes that accidental falls are the main cause of accidental death for the elderly and one of the leading causes of worker and guest injuries for many firms.

The article discusses the adoption of the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling (GHS) guidelines in occupational health and safety in the U.S. It highlights the introduction of the Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in effort to ensure American workers would be provided with information and training to work safely with hazardous chemicals. The use of a Material Safety Data Sheet is highlighted.

The article focuses on the harm caused by complacency in occupational safety in the U.S. It notes that complacency leads to "mind not to task" causing line-of-fire or errors. It suggests that people should be taught to pay respect to complacency and its potential. It points out that people need to realize the problems to be caused by complacency with decision-making, though both will lessen injury-causing errors.

The article focuses on the risks of confined space entry in industrial safety. It states the need for properly trained and equipped workers to establish and adhere to safe confined entry procedures. It also cites the three factors that define a confined space, based from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Common hazards in confined spaces include oxygen (O2)deficiency, carbon monoxide (CO), methane (CH4), and hydrogen sulfide (H2S). It notes that a multi-gas detector with H2S, CO, O2 and combustible (% Lower Explosive Limit) sensors are useful for confined space entry applications. It also stresses the significance of implementing an effective confined space entry program and use of correct safety equipment.

The article offers information on the advantage of hand protection developments especially in the reduction of accidents. It notes that hand protection is important and wearing appropriate gloves reduce hand injury risk by as much as 60%. Meanwhile, hand protection has a broad categories including disposable gloves which at present is more colorful, cut-resistant gloves where additional capabilities like aid in grip is in, and thermal gloves which has for high and low temperatures.

The article discusses the significance of hardware compatibility in fall protection equipment to avoid serious injuries or fatalities in the U.S. These serious problems led to the release of the revised ANSI Z359.1-2007 stardard in November 2007 to repond issues on incompatibility connections. This standard and the ANSI Z359.12-200X standard provide information on the design requirement for snap hook and other connectors to reduce danger of an incompatible connection.

The article focuses on the proposal of the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) for the change of Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Noise Reducation Rating (NRR) in the U.S. It states the impact of the change in NRR labels on the Hearing Conservation Program of companies. In addition, it highlights that the change in the labels could boost companies' confidence of having an effective hearing loss prevention program.

The article focuses on the formation of top-notch safety committee in companies in the U.S. It states the importance of committee's purpose because it promotes safety and health in each workplace. In addition, it highlights the application of basic project management techniques by the safety committee to address concerns that have been reported.

The article focuses on the need to conduct a fall protection program for industrial employees to prevent from accidents. In order for a fall protection program to be effective, it is important that trainers make very complex and potentially overwhelming subject understandable and practical for participants.

The article focuses on the value of safety signs in the prevention of workplace accidents and injuries. It mentions that sign color coding, shapes and symbols help the employees decide on how to respond and approach the situation. It provides a comprehensive discussion regarding the different meaning of the colors, shapes and symbols of safety signs. It also features different safety regulations that Occupational Safety and Health Administration requires.

The article discusses issues concerning prevention of slips and fall in the U.S. The author believes that taking the necessary precautions on the front end to prevent slips, trips and falls from elevated work surfaces can help to reduce injuries that can significantly impact workers' compensation costs, employee morale and lost work time.

The article provides tips on maintaining a safer and cleaner industrial fluid transfer area. The author enumerates the steps involved in identifying areas where fluids are most likely to present a safety problem. The author also offers tips on selecting tools and products for keeping fluid transfer areas secure.

The article focuses on specialized fall protection solutions for the transportation industry. The author discusses the challenges associated with providing fall protection solutions to transportation operations. The basic components of a fall protection system and how temporary anchors can be used to solve common fall protection challenges in the transportation industry are also discussed.

The article focuses on inspections and severity as industrial safety leading indicators. According to the author, as a leading indicator, severity of unsafe observations not only provides clues for the level of risk present on different work sites, but also presents a way to get management's attention and engagement at a system level in order to make long-term change.

The article discusses how the transformational leadership style can help safety professionals become more effective in terms of promoting organizational safety and performance. The author enumerates the key behaviors of a transformational leader. The author also discusses the elements of transformational leadership that can help safety professionals do their jobs right.

The article offers advice on training workers in using fall protection systems. The guidelines issued by the United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regarding when to use fall protection equipment are discussed by the author. Tips on using personal fall arrest systems are also discussed by the author.

The article offers tips on how to promote safety within the workforce. According to the author, selling safety products and solutions is not about the item but about the relationship. The author adds that for a Safety Awareness Item to be effective, it should occur when the safety coaching or feedback is taking place.

The article offers guidelines in creating a centralized safety training system in the workplace. Reservation and scheduling systems empower employees to reserve his courses online while the back-office staff reserves the instructor, location and other required staff reserves, all using the same system. These systems also link into computer-based training software to consolidate results, as well as allow training videos to be streamed and monitored over the Internet.

The article presents an overview of the Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear respirator standards of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Its approvals are based on concentrations that are higher than typical real-world exposures. It has developed into a broad term that first responders use to refer to chemical, biological, or radiological hazards that are released with the intent to cause harm to the general public and infrastructure.

The article focuses on the role of Powered Air-Purifying Respirators in several industries. These have been used in the workplace for more than 25 years and was chosen for use only when there was a high level of contamination in the workplace or when workers required a higher assigned protection factor. A powered air-purifying respirator provides a positive pressure within the hood or facepiece being worn.