Yearly Archives: 2012

Eye Protection, General Safety Issues, Head Protection

TIPS TO ENSURE INDUSTRIAL SAFETY (GUEST POST)

By Grace Beckett

Industrial work is one of the most hazardous jobs that can affect the lives of its workers. Whether it is a minor cut, a major injury, or exposure to toxic substances, workers get affected everyday with any of these accidents which can otherwise be avoided with a little care and effort.

Tips You Should Follow for Industrial Safety

If you are involved in industrial work, it is high time you follow the tips that make sure you are safe and secure while you perform your tasks.

  • Protection from chemicals:If you are working with a lot of chemicals, paints and grease, it is better to apply ointments and creams on the exposed parts of your body before you get to work. This will save you from getting affected with skin diseases.Once you have completed working with the chemicals, you should clean your hands with a good quality lotion that can give a soothing relief to your hands.   

In fact, you can wear leather gloves to save your hands from getting injured due to rough surfaces and materials. Such gloves will also protect your hands when handling sharp tools and objects for industrial work.

In case you are dealing with acids, pesticides, petroleum, medical and other industrial agents, good quality rubber gloves can ensure that your hands are safe. But you should make sure that the gloves fit your hands exactly. If they are oversized, they won’t be able to work for your benefit.

  • Undertake safety measures:There are certain steps that you can take so as to avert accidents when lifting a load or working with screws. Be cautious against getting hurt due to broken glass, wood splinters and nails. Make sure you handle heavy objects such that they don’t your hurt your hands and fingers.You should also avoid testing the temperature of a liquid or gas through direct contact with your hand. Even if you get hurt, take quick medical precaution, or else it can lead to fatal results.
  • Concentrate on your tasks: Work–related accidents may happen if you don’t concentrate fully while performing a task. Often you are distracted and wipe your eyes off with your hands which are not clean because you have been working with chemicals or machines. This can actually affect your eyes adversely.

Sometimes, you may not be careful with your clothes when working with machines. This can result in your clothes getting torn, thereby affecting your body. It is also advisable to keep your hands away from rotating machines; be careful when using them to control the speed of such machines.

In addition to the above procedures, you can wear hard hats to save your head from injuries caused due to the fall of any heavy object. When it comes to protecting your eyes, you can put on goggles so that dust and debris in industrial areas can hardly affect you.

Grace is an expert associated with Intersafety that deals with the distribution of workplace safety equipment and products. Browse through www.intersafety.co.uk/hand-sanitisers/c037 to check out their hand sanitizers and hand wipes.   

 

 

 

General Safety Issues

REMEMBER TO VOTE!

Of course, you have remembered how important November 6th is!  We just want to issue a gentle reminder that this is a very important day in the history of our country.  Every presidential election has been very important, and it’s a good idea to educate your children to love history; as history is made during elections.  We are not only voting on a leader for the entire country; but for those who will serve in Congress, making decisions that affect all of us.

 

First Aid Safety, General Safety Issues, Protective Clothing, Weather Protection

AFTERMATH AND NEW WARNINGS REGARDING SUPERSTORM SANDY

 This latest report from Alert Net, regarding the situation in Northeastern United States:

“As the last remnants of Hurricane Sandy move out of the Northeast, the response to the superstorm continues. The U.S. death toll from the storm is up to 85 in 10 different states. Some 5.5 million electrical customers, down from a peak of 8.5 million, are still without electrical power; the storm caused power outages extending from Maine to North Carolina and as far west as Kentucky and Ohio. Hardest hit is New Jersey where 2,500,000 customers are still without power.

The storm was more than 1,000 miles wide at its peak.  The following states were affected: Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio, North Carolina, and the District of Columbia. Approximately 13,000 people are reported staying in shelters across the impacted states.

Sandy’s most severe impact appears to be in the state of New Jersey and in New York City, where the center of the storm made landfall. While it will be some time yet before damage assessments are complete, extensive damage from floodwaters occurred across the nation’s largest city in most of its five boroughs. In the Breezy Point section of Queens, more than 100 homes burned when gas from ruptured lines ignited. Firefighters were unable to reach the homes due to floodwaters.

Much of the city continues to remain without power forcing the evacuation of patients from a number of hospitals. Many locales will remain flooded until power is restored and pumps can be activated. Progress is being made as limited bus and subway operations are being restored.

The situation in New Jersey is grim, with much of the state’s coastline now demolished or heavily damaged. In Hoboken, as many as 20,000 of the city’s residents were trapped in apartments on flooded streets, and had no power. Heavy-duty National Guard vehicles are now at work bringing relief to the survivors.

Elsewhere, in North Carolina Sandy flooded 400 homes. In Ohio there is flooding along the Cuyahoga, Chagrin and Grand Rivers near Cleveland. In West Virginia homes have been destroyed when roofs collapsed due to more than 24 inches of snow falling. Communities in West Virginia are now bracing for the flooding that will result when the snow melts. All across the northeast homes have been destroyed and damaged by fallen trees.”

Response:

Church World Service Disaster Response Specialists are working with state, regional and local Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster, known as VOADS, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, our member denominations and other agencies to determine where CWS denominations are helping and are needed. CWS is providing material resources, including blankets, hygiene kits, school kits, baby kits and clean-up buckets to local agencies in four states: New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Total amount of current shipments: $481,577. More shipments are in process.

The initial response phase has not yet ended; as the affected areas become safe to enter teams from CWS-member communities will assess the damage, help home owners repair damaged houses and develop plans for future long-term recovery activities to include major home repairs and rebuilds.  CWS also will assist communities in developing Long Term Recovery plans, providing technical and financial support, and providing on site Long Term Recovery training.

According to ABC News and other news sources, as residents of several Northeast states try to recover from Superstorm Sandy, a nor’easter is expected to bring more rain, wind and cold over the next three days.  Cold air will bring uncomfortable wind chills to places already impacted by Sandy.  On Wednesday, wind gusts up to 55 mph are expected to reach the region.  Possible localized flooding from heavy rain and snow may cause more power outages, resulting in dangerous travel.

We’ve all heard the saying “when it rains, it pours.”  Our friends in the Northeast are suffering in many ways, through the loss of their homes, belongings, power, in addition to waiting in long lines for fuel for their cars and generators.  There are many organizations such as the Salvation Army, Red Cross, and others that are helping them and accepting donations; and as always,  thousands of volunteers working alongside professional rescue and response teams.   Clothing, blankets, and other supplies are being sent from all across the U.S.    Do what you can to offer help; please don’t forget our fellow Americans in their time of need.

Texas America Safety Company offers all types of personal protective equipment for those who are working in the flood cleanup.  It is important that all workers are protected from the remnants of debris and pathogens in the devastation.

General Safety Issues

HOW TO PROPERLY DISPOSE OF HARMFUL MATERIALS (GUEST POST)

Submitted by Mike Zook:

Even eco-crusaders—those who valiantly turn off their TV upon leaving the room, make sure all the lights are out before they go to bed, and meticulously sort through their rubbish to find anything that can be recycled—may dispose of harmful materials carelessly. In our electronic world, we deal with toxic substances more often than we realize, and we frequently dispose of these substances without a second thought. 

Here are some harmful materials that you can find in almost every American home, as well as a list of appropriate ways to dispose of those items.

Batteries.

There are two harmful components to standard batteries: First, the battery itself contains toxic metals (both mercury and cadmium are often used). Second, if the battery leaks, its fluid can toxify the air and local water supply near the landfill. In other words: Don’t just throw your batteries away! You can properly recycle your batteries by doing the following:

  • Check with your local recycling organizations. While most do not accept batteries regularly, some run special programs that allow you to hand over your batteries on specific days of the year (a “hazardous waste drop-off day”). 
  • Talk to representatives at local automotive stores. Since these companies do a large amount of battery recycling already, they are often able to recycle household batteries on your behalf. 
  • Use a web-based or local service to recycle your rechargeable batteries. Call2Recycle, RadioShack, and Staples all have programs as of 2012. 
  • Use a “battery box” recycling service such as Big Green Box or BatteryRecycling.com. You should only do this if you have a fairly large number of batteries.

If you’re looking to “save up” your batteries for future recycling, be sure to store your dead batteries inside of resealable plastic bags. This substantially reduces the risk of damage from a battery leak.

CRT computer monitors and TVs.

“CRT” stands for “cathode ray tube,” and each of those tubes contain at least five different toxic substances. To properly dispose of your CRT display system:

  • Donate the monitor. If the monitor is still in working condition, take it to your local Salvation Army (or other thrift shop), freecycle it, or give it to a friend. 
  • Call your local Best Buy. As of 2012, select Best Buy locations will recycle up to three of your electronic items daily. 
  • Contact the original device manufacturer. Some companies have a device recovery program. 
  • Research web-based and local electronics recycling groups. Most of these companies can recycle your monitor for a small fee (typically $5 to $20).

The cathode ray tubes are the only really toxic part of the monitor, but the tubes must be handled with care. Unless you’re an expert, do not attempt to remove the tubes from the monitor.

Printer cartridges.

In its concentrated form, your printer’s ink is a powerful form of chemical waste. It can be toxic to animals and environments alike. To dispose of a printer cartridge, you can:

  • Contact the original cartridge vendor. Many have a recycling program. 
  • Search for charitable organizations. For example, www.recycool.org lets you contribute to public education by donating your used cartridges. 
  • Visit a local university. Many universities have a cartridge recycling program. 
  •  Visit your local Best Buy. Best Buy locations with a toner kiosk accept toner cartridges for in-store recycling.

If you’ve tried handling your toner cartridge, you may already be aware that the ink can easily spill and smudge. Put the cartridge in a re-sealable plastic bag to avoid the mess and the hazard.

These three items are found in almost every home, and yet only a small portion of people are aware of the toxic contents. Spread word of the proper disposal of these items and be sure you take the necessary steps to avoid polluting your environment. If you’re uncertain whether or not an item you are disposing of contains toxic elements, conducting a simple Google search is a fast and easy way to arm yourself with the knowledge you need to help protect the environment.

About the Author: About the Author: Mike Zook writes for a containment solutions company. In his free time, he works on reducing his home’s carbon footprint.

 

 

General Safety Issues

We’ve Come A Long Way, Baby! (Woman Suffrage Information)

My hope in bringing you this review of womens suffrage, is that you will appreciate the freedom we women have to vote this Tuesday!  Enjoy this history lesson in order to understand just what happened, and how many years it took for us to make our feelings count.

 While John Adams was attending the Continental Congress in Philadelphia in 1776, working on the Declaration of Independence, his wife, Abigail Adams, wrote to her husband, “Remember the Ladies”.  John thought her letter was humorous.  The Declaration’s wording specifies that “all men are created equal.” 

For 60 years, from 1820 to 1880, a variety of printed sources such as advice manuals, poetry and literature, sermons, and medical texts reveals that Americans in general held highly sterotypical notions about women’s and men’s role in society.  This phenomenon was later given the term “The Cult of Domesticity” by historians.  Here are some of the events that took place during these years. 

The first women’s rights meeting in the United States was held in 1848 at Seneca Falls, New York.   The meeting followed several decades of a quietly-emerging spirit among women. Delegates called for the right to vote and other women’s rights.  What a long and unsafe road it would be to actually winning the vote for women! Before the Nineteenth Amendment secured women’s right to vote in the US, more than 70 years would pass. 

Elizabeth Cady Stanton and  Lucretia Mott, called the 1848 gathering at Seneca Falls.  Stanton and Susan B. Anthony founded the National Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA). The association  included only women and  opposed the 15th Amendment because, for the first time, citizens were explicitly defined as male.  Many of the participants signed a “Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions” which outlined issues and goals for the womens’movement.   The Woman Suffrage movement that started in 1848 with that pivotal meeting, weakened during and after the Civil War. There were several suffrage groups during the next several years, such as the American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA).After that, womens’ rights meetings were held on a a regular basis.The NWSA worked for a national Constitutional Amendment for woman suffrage. 

The Civil War disrupted suffrage activity from 1861 to 65 because women, North and South, diverted their energies to “war work”.  This work served as a training ground, as women gained important organizational and occupational skills that could be used in organizational activities.  

Frances Willard’s Women’s Christian Temperance Union, the growing Women’s Club movement after 1868, and many other social reform groups drew women into other organizations and activities. Many of the groups worked for suffrage, too. These women often applied their organizational skills learned in the other groups to the suffrage battles — but by the turn on the century, those suffrage battles had been going on for fifty years already.  

In 1890, the two rival organizations, the NWSA and the AWSA, merged under the leadership of Anna Howard Shaw and Carrie Chapman Catt in the National American Woman Suffrage Association.  After fifty years, a leadership transition had to take place because those earlier leaders, Lucretia Mott,  Lucy Stone,  Elizabeth Cady Stanton , and her lifelong friend and coworker Susan B. Anthony had all died. 

Women continued to provide active leadership in other movements, too: the National Consumer’s League, the Women’s Trade Union League, movements for health reform, prison reform, and child labor law reform, to name a few. Their work in these groups helped build and demonstrate women’s competence in the political realm, but also drew women’s efforts away from the direct battles to win the vote. 

Large parades in 1913 and 1915 helped bring the cause of women suffrage back to national attention. The NAWSA also shifted tactics  and in 1916 unified its chapters around efforts to push a suffrage Amendment in Congress.  Mabel Vernon and Sarah Bard Field and others traveled across the nation by automobile in 1915, carrying half a million signatures on a petition to Congress. The press then took more notice of the “suffragettes.” 

Montana,  in 1917, three years after establishing woman suffrage in the state, elected Jeannette Rankin to Congress, the first woman with that honor.  Finally, in 1919, Congress passed the 19th Amendment, sending it to the states. On August 26, 1920, after Tennessee ratified the Amendment by one vote, the 19th Amendment was adopted. 

Gaining the vote for all citizens wasn’t easy, as you can  gather from this history.  Women’s right to cast a ballot took brave and smart women who were dedicated to winning the freedom to vote.  Many women were humiliated and jailed for trying to win the vote.  Voting is an honor that was given to us by those women; an honor that we should not take lightly. 

So, Women, on Tuesday, November 6th, take the time to vote for the candidates of your choice, candidates that you believe can serve you and your fellow countrymen and women in the best way possible.  We have come a long way – with many women holding power the same as men.  We have the “suffragettes” to thank for that.   

Source: womenshistory.about.com

One Hundred Years toward Suffrage: An Overview compiled by E. Susan Barber

First Aid Safety, General Safety Issues

WHY ALL BUSINESSES NEED TRAINING IN FIRST AID (GUEST POST)

2 Comments

Submitted by Colin Skinner.

As a business it’s important not only to protect yourself but also your employees. It’s a good idea to implement a health and safety plan for your workplace in order to reduce accidents and provide your staff with the care they need if something happens. It doesn’t take that long, have much paperwork or cost your company millions; it makes great business sense!

Anything Can Happen

Firstly, the most important thing to do is to assess your businesses’ needs to see if you require basic first aid precautions or decide that you should have an appointed person or qualified first aider. You can then choose someone to be trained by an approved organisation where they’ll complete a course and gain a first aid qualification.

To complete this assessment there are a few steps you should go through:

  • Identify hazards in the workplace
  • Decide who could be harmed and how
  • Evaluate risks and consider precautions
  • Take note of your findings and put them in to practice
  • Make sure you review your assessment and update when necessary

These steps should really be carried out regularly in order to keep up to date with any changes in your work environment.  It is also a good idea to review any past accident and health records because these can often tell you what less obvious hazards might be.

It all depends on your circumstances, so if you work in manufacturing, engineering or agricultural industries for example then it’s probably a good idea to have a trained first aider on site. A first aid room can also be helpful for larger companies.

Would you know what to do if an accident happened at work?

Slipping or tripping is one of the most common causes of injury in the work place. At a first aid course your employees would learn all of the necessary skills in order to act in an emergency situation. Taking on this responsibility would mean taking charge if someone is injured, administering any treatment and calling an ambulance if necessary.

One of the top mistakes concerning first aid is not frequently restocking the first aid box after use so it’s a good idea to make sure that it is checked regularly and to replace those items as soon as possible. As an appointed first aider in the work place this would be their responsibility. It’s important to make sure they keep up to date with annual refresher courses.

Do you value your employees?

With first aid you can not only protect your employees but protect yourself and your company. First aid can safeguard your business from potential legal action and protect your reputation. It ensures the number of working days lost due to illness or injury are reduced and can retain staff.

Could you save a life?

Businesses need training in first aid in order to potentially save lives and prevent minor injuries worsening. Not all companies have a formal process in place for assessing their first aid needs, as an employer you are responsible for your company’s first aid arrangements. There aren’t enough first aiders in the workplace and many injuries from accidents that occur can often be prevented by sufficient first aid.

First aid training at work is a cost effective way of not only potentially saving lives but also reduces the damage to a business an accident can cause.

Paula, the author, is an expert in health & safety and first aid training for businesses and is part of the Aid Training group.

General Safety Issues

TEN TIPS FOR PARENTS OF KIDS WHO ARE BEING BULLIED (GUEST POST)

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 This article is being shared by www.aupaircare.net, sent to us by Sophie Leake.  We have talked about bullying before; it is such an important issue that any help for parents should be passed on.  When you child hurts, you hurt!  Pay attention to this serious concern for the health and welfare of your child.  There’s no place in the world for bullying. pb
 
 
 

There are few things as heartbreaking and infuriating as learning that your child is the victim of bullying. As attention towards this very real problem allows more parents to understand that the way some children are treated is more serious than a simple case of “kids being kids,” efforts to crack down on schoolyard harassment are increased. If your child is among the millions that are physically or emotionally tormented by a bullying peer, these 10 tips can help you navigate this delicate situation.

  1. Recognize the Signs – Kids are often reluctant to approach an adult or to report bullying behavior because of a sense of shame or embarrassment. It’s important to keep your eyes open for any signs of bullying so that you’re able to recognize them and begin to help your child solve the problem.
  2. Be Available – While pushing or pressuring your child to open up about any trouble he’s having at school is likely to make him even more reluctant to talk, it’s imperative that your child know you’re there and available to listen to him whenever he does need to talk to you. When he’s not being pressed to talk about being bullied, he may be more willing to open up.
  3. Ask Questions – Make sure that you take the time to learn what sort of abuse your child is suffering from, why it’s happening and what you can do to support him through it.
  4. Discourage Retaliation – It’s imperative that you not only abstain from encouraging your child to retaliate against bullying peers, but also that you take an obvious stand against it. Retaliation will only cause your child to land himself in trouble, and can often backfire in terrible ways.
  5. Save Harassing Communications – Make sure that any emails, private messages on social networking sites, texts or voice messages that contain harassing statements, threats or other proof of bullying are saved for reporting purposes.
  6. Speak With School Administrators – In persistent cases of bullying, the best course of action is to calmly approach school administrators to discuss the matter. Though it can be understandably difficult for you to keep your emotions under wraps during these conversations, it’s important to remember that you’re more likely to get the results you’re looking for if you maintain your composure and remain calm.
  7. Teach Him How to Block and Report Cyberbullies –Social networking sites, email providers and other Internet-based communication portals almost always have “Block and Report” options, which can help to prevent some harassing messages from reaching a bullied kid. Make sure that your child knows how to block social networking profiles, email addresses and phone numbers from contacting him.
  8. Get Him Involved in an Activity or Hobby – Helping your child find a hobby that he’s interested in and getting him involved in activities outside of school can not only help to distract him from the taunts of his classmates, but also can boost his confidence when he discovers that he’s skilled in a particular area.
  9. Nurture His Self-Esteem – Your child’s self-esteem takes a battering when he’s taunted by bullies, making it imperative that you do everything you can to help him rebuild it. Make an effort to let him know that he’s an important, treasured part of the family, and that he’s loved very much and cannot be replaced.
  10. Consider Counseling – In particularly severe or long-term cases of bullying, your child may require the services of a counselor to work out his feelings and begin to recover. Remember that years of being bullied are the equivalent of being abused for that period of time, and may require some assistance for your child to overcome.

To put bullying into perspective, imagine that the children committing these acts against their peers were adults. Physically harming someone or intimidating them in order to take their money is robbery and assault. Slander, libel, harassment, assault and even sexual assault are all crimes that adults are charged with, but are often considered little more than a childhood rite of passage when they’re committed by other kids. Bullying is no laughing matter, though, and should never be taken lightly.

General Safety Issues

Why We Need Strong Workplace Safety Laws (Guest Post)

Written by Joseph Ginarte 

Many jobs involve some inherent dangers. However, an employer is always liable for maintaining a safe workplace and observing regulations set by OSHA, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. This liability covers anyone working on the premises, whether that person is an employee of the company or an independent contractor. In addition to a safe environment, the employer is also required to provide safe tools, including vehicles, appliances and other devices utilized to perform the work. Employers must caution employees about hazards relating to the job that the employee may not know about, provide sufficient help to get a job done safely and consistently enforce safety rules so that all employees comply. 

Workplace safety laws are complex and vary from state to state. However, in most cases, state laws conform very closely to the federal OSHA regulations. In the event of a workplace injury, in most states the standards set forth by OSHA are usually those that employers will be held responsible for. Employers are seldom held liable for any and every possible injury, simply because it happened in the course of employment. The factor that will determine whether an employee’s claim against an employer is justifiable is whether the injury occurred as a direct result of the employer’s failure to observe safety standards. 

If an injury should occur on the job, your first step should be to seek proper medical help for yourself. As soon as is reasonably possible given the circumstances of your health, you should notify the employer of your injury. Take steps immediately to file a claim for worker’s compensation. While no state requires an attorney to make a worker’s compensation claim, the services of an experienced attorney may be very helpful at this time. In addition, an injury lawyer can be useful in ensuring that the medical help you are receiving is adequate. It’s important to have an experienced expert oversee this issue because you will initially be required to utilize doctors specified by the company’s worker’s compensation insurance provider, not your own doctors. The attorney will also ensure that the facts of your claim are properly presented and that all documents are in order. 

In addition to worker’s compensation, a work injury may justify a personal injury claim as well. While worker’s compensation benefits require little proof beyond the facts that the injury occurred on the job, the basis for a personal injury claim is always negligence on the part of the party who is liable. Negligence can be difficult to prove in an employment injury and requires the expertise of an experienced personal injury attorney. Workplace personal injury claims must be carefully documented including medical records and statements of witnesses to the accident. In addition, very strict statutes of limitations apply. A personal injury attorney can advise you on your rights and responsibilities as well as evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of your case and offer an estimate, based on his or her experience, of the most likely outcome in terms of compensation. If you decide to go ahead with the claim, the personal injury attorney can make sure all important deadlines are fulfilled and gather the facts necessary to present your case.  

This guest post was contributed by Joseph A. Ginarte. He is a specialist personal injury attorney New York and the proprietor of the Ginart Law firm. He enjoys writing and sharing his insights on various legal blogs.

Note: As stated in a similar post, companies are required by OSHA not only to provide the proper tools and equipment for employees and see that they are trained properly, but also furnish the right work safety productsfor the particular job.  Then it is up to each worker to wear that PPE at all times while on the job.  PPE is the last line of defense in protecting each worker. Pat

 

 

Fall Safety, General Safety Issues, Respiratory Safety

OSHA’s TOP TEN MOST CITED VIOLATIONS SO FAR THIS YEAR

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At the National Safety Council (NSC) Congress and Expo, which wrapped up yesterday, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced the Top 10 most cited safety violations at workplaces so far this year.

The deputy director of OSHA’s Directorate of Enforcement Programs, Patrick Kapust, presented the agency’s findings during a lecture at the Expo.  The Top 10 violations present key areas where OSHA can more actively enforce regulations as well as provide more training, outreach and assistance.

“”While great progress has been made in safety over the past 100 years, today’s presentation reminds us there is more to be done to make our workplaces safer.  We appreciate our colleagues at OSHA sharing their most recent data at our Celebration of the Century,” Janet Froetscher, the President and CEO of the NSC, said in a press release.

Business owners and managers can use this year’s Top 10 to better protect their employees. Many of the areas listed as the most frequently violated are simply overlooked in the workplace, either from overexposure or or lack of knowledge.

The Top 10 for 2012 so far are:

1. General lack of fall protection
2. Failure to communicate hazards
3. Improper scaffolding construction and safeguards
4. Insufficient respirators and masks
5. Unsafe ladder usage
6. Inadequate machine guards
7. Improperly maintained or used industrial trucks
8. Unsafe wiring methods
9. Lack of lockout/tagout tools
10. General lack of electrical protection

Number one was cited in 7,250 inspections of businesses so far this year, a staggering number given the priority OSHA has placed on the use of fall protection harnesses in the workplace. Be sure that your business is in compliance with this incredibly important safety regulation.  Those employees who are required to work at heights should have full protection from the risk of falls.

Companies that fail to comply with OSHA regulations are taking a chance with the lives of their employees first of all, plus having to pay large sums of money in fines, and lost time and productivity.  It seems it would be much easier to follow the rules than be reported as irresponsible.

General Safety Issues

DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME ENDS AT 2 a.m. SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 4TH

For those who live in the Daylight Saving Time zone, be sure to set your clocks back one hour this Sunday, November 4th!   (Go ahead and set your clocks back Saturday night.) The pros and cons of this decision made by the government are debated year after year.  Many people enjoy having extra daylight to enjoy outdoor activities, and others wish it were just left alone and not changed. 

During World War I, Daylight Saving Time was instituted in the U.S. in order to save energy for war production, by taking advantage of the daylight between April and October.  Between the wars and after World War II, communities and states were able to choose whether they wanted to observe DST.  During World War II, the government again required the states to observe this change.    In 1966, Congress passed the Uniform Time Act, which standardized the length of Daylight Saving Time.    

Since 2007, DST is four weeks longer, due to the passage of the Energy Policy Act in 2005.  This act extended four weeks – from the second Sunday of March to the first Sunday of November, hoping that it would save 10,000 barrels of oil each day through reduced use of power by businesses during daylight hours.   Unfortunately, it is very difficult to determine energy savings from this plan, based on a variety of factors.  Many persons speculate that little or no energy is saved by this time change.  Power usage increases in the early morning hours, as people must get up for work while it is still dark to prepare for their day.  Some even have to commute before daylight. 

Although research shows that traffic fatalities are reduced when there is more daylight, (DST), the early morning darkness brings more danger for workers driving to work, and children walking to catch the school bus while it’s still dark.  With the time change, statistics show an increase in evening traffic accidents immediately following the time change in November, as drivers face going home in a darker environment, and possibly children are on their bikes returning home from after-school activities.

To ensure that we don’t “fall backward” on safety, this marks an excellent time to do a home safety evaluation.  The National Fire Protection Association recommends that smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms be checked once a year.  Their figures show that around ninety per cent of homes in the United States have smoke alarms; however one-third of those are estimated to have dead or missing batteries.  They also recommend that smoke alarms be replaced after 10 years.  Some newer types of alarms have remote controls, making it easier than ever to check them. 

Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms should be:

  •        Installed on every level of the home, and in sleeping areas
  •        Tested once a month
  •        Equipped with new batteries annually 

Also, keep a fire extinguisher handy, and have a fire escape plan for every member of the family.  While you are doing your home safety evaluation, also ensure that your door locks function properly, 

Enjoy that extra hour of sleep we lost in the spring!