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July 25, 2017This tragic story provides an important reminder to workers about confined spaces: If they don’t have the proper equipment and training to perform a rescue, they’re risking their own lives by going in to help a co-worker.
OSHA has cited Douglas N. Higgins Inc. and its related contracting company, McKenna Contracting LLC, with 10 serious violations totaling $119,507 in penalties in connection with the deaths of three workers in a manhole in Key Largo, FL, on Jan. 16, 2017.
Elway Gray, 34, entered the manhole (a confined space) and quickly lost consciousness. Louis O’Keefe, 49, entered the manhole and attempted to rescue Gray. After O’Keefe also became unresponsive, Robert Wilson, 24, also went into the confined space to attempt a rescue. All three men died.
Testing showed lethal levels of hydrogen sulfide and carbon monoxide in the manhole. Two other employees and a volunteer firefighter were also exposed to the toxic gases but survived.
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July 25, 2017Prevention of noise exposure and the use of personal protective equipment are vital to protecting workers from this workplace hazard, particularly in Europe, where noise is considered a Category III risk
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July 23, 2017Why do we have safety meetings? Safety meetings are an opportunity for management and your safety department to communicate to employees how they can do their jobs safer and better. Topics discussed in safety meetings may be topics that you are familiar with, or topics that you have limited knowledge about.
If the topic is something that you are familiar with, it may be easy to tune-out and not listen to the safety information presented. Do yourself a big favor and listen to the information as if you have never heard before. You may just learn something new, about the newest protective equipment, or a smarter way to do your job. Information passed on in a safety meeting has a purpose - to stop you or your co-worker from being injured. Safety meetings also allow employees an opportunity to relay safety concerns or improvement ideas to their supervisors.
Accidents result from unsafe acts or unsafe conditions. According to some experts, for a variety of reasons, unsafe -
July 23, 2017
Safety is everyone's responsibility! As an employee, you should:
- Learn to work safely and take all rules seriously.
- Recognize hazards and avoid them.
- Report all accidents, injuries and illness to your supervisor immediately.
- Inspect tools before use to avoid injury.
- Wear all assigned personal protective equipment.
- On the other hand, it is managements responsibility to:
- Provide a safe and healthy workplace.
- Provide personal protective equipment.
- Train employees in safe procedures and in how to identify hazards.
Everyone must be aware of potential hazards on the job:
- Poor housekeeping results in slips, trips and falls.
- Electricity can cause shocks, burns or fire if not handled properly.
- Poor material handling may cause back problems or other
- Learn to work safely and take all rules seriously.
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July 23, 2017One way chemicals can enter our bodies is through absorption through the skin. More often than not, this occurs through the hands as we handle various chemicals. It’s important to read the label and to know the chemicals you are working with and to utilize protective gloves when handling chemicals.
Chemicals can cause irritations to your skin. Most of the time this isn’t acute and doesn’t occur with just one unprotected handling of the chemical, but it’s with repeated unprotected handling of the chemical. Detergents and solvents can dry out your skin and dissolve the oils in your hands. Your hands may develop a rash that is further irritated as you use your hands to work on various tasks. Continued abrasion of the tender skin can cause you further irritation and discomfort.
Also some chemicals such as caustic Sodium Hydroxide can cause a burn to your hands. Very acid or caustic chemicals can immediately burn your skin from contact.
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July 23, 2017The updated UAE Fire and Life Safety Code was unveiled at the Intersec 2017 exhibition, held in Dubai this January.
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July 23, 2017The situation is under control and no injuries have been reported so far Published: 00:46 July 23, 2017
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July 22, 2017A web-based survey conducted by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) looked at how organizational factors and perceived safety climate might affect use of personal protective equipment (PPE) and engineering controls as well as the likelihood of spills, leaks or skin contact during administration of liquid antineoplastic drugs (AD). Antineoplastic drugs, also known as chemotherapy, cytotoxic and oncology drugs, are used to treat cancer, as well as arthritis, multiple sclerosis, and other non-cancer medical conditions. This study is published in the July issue of the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene and is currently available as an e-pub.
Results are derived from the 2011 Health and Safety Practices Survey of Healthcare Workers, the largest federally-sponsored survey of U.S. healthcare workers that addresses safety and health -
July 18, 2017A confined space does not necessarily mean a small, enclosed space. It could be rather large, such as a ship's hold, a fuel tank or a pit. One of the first defining features of a confined space is it's large enough to allow an employee to enter and perform work. The second defining feature is it has limited means of entry or exit. Entry may be obtained through small or large openings and usually there is only one way in and out. The third defining feature is that confined spaces are not used for continuous or routine work.
Permit or not
All confined spaces are categorized into two main groups: non-permit and permit-required. Permit-required confined spaces must have signs posted outside stating that entry requires a permit. In general, these spaces contain serious health and safety threats including:
- Oxygen-deficient atmospheres
- Flammable
- Oxygen-deficient atmospheres
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July 18, 2017Foot trouble can be as painful as back trouble, and it can be just as restrictive as to what type of work you can do, too. People used to complain about their bunions and corns hurting, but these complaints are less common today due to improved medical treatment and the better shoes now available.
To conform with what is fashionable, many of us still wear shoes that aren't comfortable or aren't safe. They have heels or soles that can easily cause a bad fall.
As important as our feet are to us, there are still many people who insist that they don't want to wear safety shoes because they are too ugly, too heavy, too uncomfortable, too expensive, and so on.
In reality, none of these complaints are justified. The safety shoes available today match most other shoes for comfort, appearance and in most cases, price too. So, really there are no valid excuses
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