Yearly Archives: 2012

First Aid Safety, General Safety Issues, Uncategorized, Weather Protection

Cold Weather Disaster Prep (Guest Post)

Ideas to keep you and your family safe this year

By Patricia Shuler

Major storms come every year, and particularly during this season, severe storms cause all kinds of havoc. Keeping your family safe is your number one priority, so it’s important to be informed not only on what severe weather is common to your area and where you might be traveling, but what you can do about it as well. Take a couple of minutes and read this list to ensure you’re ready for whatever might happen this winter season.

1. Know Terminology

You also need to be aware of what specific weather warnings are likely to occur in your area. For example, make sure you know the difference between a Winter Storm Watch and a Winter Storm Warning, and how to prepare appropriately for Wind Chill versus Freezing Rain or Sleet. Once you know what each means, make a plan for each contingency, and be sure your family knows what to do in each case.

2. Winterize Your Home

This is a step that should have been completed during the middle and latter end of the fall months, but it’s not too late to start now. Winterizing allows you to keep your home heated more effectively during severe weather, particularly if there is a power loss and you can only keep the heat you’ve got. Also make sure you’ve insulated your pipes should the weather drop well below freezing, and that you’ve also done a good job at insulating your walls, basement, and attic. You should have your HVAC system inspected by a professional annually, to ensure it’s working at its most efficient, and so to prevent failures that can be expensive and inconvenient at best, and dangerous at worst.

3. Power Outages

Power outages are some of the most common effects of weather disasters around the country, so make sure you’re ready. Keep flashlights and spare batteries where you can find them in the dark. Also, keep a stash of candles, matches, lamps, etc. somewhere easily accessible. The power might be out for days, so invest in portable power solutions to keep phones and other necessary electronics charged.

You might not think of your laptop or smartphone as a survival tool, but they can be invaluable sources of information when the power goes out. Older computers will not run for long, and can actually be damaged by the low output of hand-crank generators; but high-quality ultrabooks or tablet can charge on 20 watts or less, meaning you use less fuel (or elbow grease).

4. Emergency Kits

This is really one of the easiest things you can get ready in case of a weather emergency. FEMA has put together a great list on what to put into your kits. This should include enough water for every member of your family for at least 3 days, blankets, a firstaid kit, canned food and can opener, and other tools. You should also include medicines your family might need, particularly prescriptions you might not be able to fill if a disaster occurs. Most of these things you already have or have access to, so start compiling your emergency kit immediately.

5. Travel Safely

This is the time of year when people are on the road the most, traveling to see family and friends for the holidays, and it comes during the most hazardous weather season. Make sure before you leave you have a good plan in case of severe weather or accidents. If it looks like the weather will be adverse, you really should just not travel. If the weather forecast is good, you should still prepare in case of an emergency. Keep a car emergency kit with you at all times. This includes water and blankets, but also tools, maps, jumper cables and road flares for road-specific hazards. If you’re planning on counting on your GPS, don’t, as bad weather often causes signal loss, so make sure you have appropriate maps for where you’ll be traveling. Get a car charger for your phone as well so you’ll have the ability to keep it charged should you become stranded for an extended period of time. 

Patricia Shuler is a BBGeeks.com staff writer from Oakland, California. She’s an admitted tech-junkie who’s quick to share her honest opinion on all things consumer electronic—including up-to-date news, user reviews, and “no holds barred” opinions on a variety of social media, tech, computer, and mobile accessories topics.

 

 

General Safety Issues

NEARLY ONE-FIFTH OF OCCUPATIONAL INJURY RESULTS FROM WORKPLACE VIOLENCE (GUEST POST)

by Michael Pines

There’s no doubt that our work can contribute to a great degree of satisfaction – or dissatisfaction – in our lives. The people we work with a large part of our world, whether we like it or not. So when work life is disrupted, our tolerance is tested – and, at times, broken. But sometimes the job itself is bad and can present opportunities for violence if the job is high-risk for robbery, theft, or other crimes. 

A new report issued by the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) says that nearly 17 percent of occupational injury in 2011 resulted from violence accounted by persons in the workplace. Included in the findings are fatalities based on homicides or suicides due to the individual’s working environment. 

The study further explained that the occupations themselves were a large contributing factor in whether the job was at risk for workplace violence. Sales positions were mostly cited with first-line supervisors and retail employees including cashiers as the most common type of occupation to experience workplace violence. 

Occupations such as law enforcement and management were also cited as common industries where workplace violence is sustained. 

How does workplace violence occur? 

The most common reason workplace injury occurs is because of robbery, theft, or other crimes that can put the employee at risk. Convenience stores, banks, and gas stations are most commonly at risk for workplace violence or injury. 

But those are not the only kinds of occupations that can put employees at risk. Bad working conditions, altercations with coworkers, or just being someone’s boss can contribute to workplace violence. 

Creating a pleasant and safe working environment. 

Finding a good job in all aspects is the first and most obvious step in creating a pleasant work environment. But, if for whatever reason you are unable to find another job right now, consider the following ideas to help make the most of your work situation. 

Keep to yourself. The Golden Rule applies in this instance, and if you have nothing nice to say, don’t say anything at all. Office gossip can lead to a difficult working environment not only for you, but especially for the recipient. Show up to work, do your job, and do your best to keep away from the “juicy stuff.” 

Speak up to your supervisor. If your working environment is causing stress or presents a danger, it’s important to speak up to your supervisor. Physical dangers like cutting corners or not following safety protocols should immediately be brought to the attention of your supervisor. If no action is taken, you can escalate your concerns to the Occupation Health and Safety Administration (OSHA). 

Follow safety procedures. Safety protocols for cash deposits or closing out a register are created with your safety in mind. Employees with high-risk jobs like convenience store cashiers or gas station clerks should always follow safety protocols. Minimize the cash available after dark and post notices. Maintain adequate lighting throughout your surroundings including the parking lot. Know your escape route if a robbery should occur. Safety measures like these are designed to keep you safe and to ultimately save your life. 

About Michael Pines

Michael Pines founded the Law Offices of Michael Pines, APC, in San Diego in 1992. He is an accident and injury prevention expert in San Diego, and on a campaign to end senseless injury one blog at a time.

 

General Safety Issues, Health Issues

MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH (GUEST POST)

By Jack Rubinger www.DuraLabel.com

403-469-3024 – jarubinger@graphicproducts.com 

Mine Safety & Health – New DVD from Graphic Products 

Portland, OR – Graphic Products, the world’s leading industrial label printer and supplier, has released “Mine Safety & Health”— a mining safety DVD created to generate increased awareness about the dangers of mining and to offer safety sign and label solutions. Mining disasters are dramatic and extremely dangerous. Know what to expect and how to lead workers to safety with this free DVD, which is available to those who fill out a form located at http://duralabel.com/free-gifts/free-msha-mining-dvd.php. 

Fires, cave-ins, explosions and other disasters hit miners and their families hard and safety signs and labels must perform 24/7/365 under some of the harshest conditions imaginable – deep underground, covered by soot and dust and in the dark and frigid cold. 

Clocking in at more than one hour, this value-packed DVD, viewable in both Spanish and English, educates viewers about chemical hazards, the dangers of dust and introduces the  DuraLabel Toro, the first 4-inch, battery-powered, fully network-independent printer that can go anywhere — making it ideal for miners. 

Compared to traditional vinyl cutters, which are slow and cumbersome, DuraLabel printers produce a wide range of labels in just minutes. 

“Mine equipment operators, mill operators and maintenance personnel face dangers every day, but traditional safety sign ordering methods are costly and too slow to make an immediate impact on safety,” explained Steve Stevenson, Chief Marketing Officer, Graphic Products, Inc. “Many Environmental Health & Safety (EHS) managers still dig through thick catalogs in search of just the right sign with the correct dimensions, colors and MSHA compliant language. Requisitions slow the process further. Ordering custom signs from sign shops is expensive and slow — especially for delivery to remote locations. Ordering signs from catalogs hinders getting signs up quickly.”  

The good news? Thermal transfer printers from Graphic Products, Inc. may be ordered directly and delivered overnight to remote sites. Almost immediately, users can create all the signs and labels needed and they’ll perform anywhere in and around the mine. Thermal transfer printers use heat to literally “bake” on graphics and text to vinyl and other supplies which have been tested to perform under the most demanding conditions. 

Signs and labels impact every inch of every mine. While no two mines are alike, most will benefit from traffic signs, facility signs, no smoking/cell phone signs, mine permit boundary signs and identification tags for exploration as well as pipe markers, valve tags and high voltage and Arc Flash NFPA70E signs. 

Graphic Products, Inc. manufactures mobile and wide-format labeling systems used by mining operations, manufacturers, international shipping lines, distribution centers, and oil refineries worldwide. Customers include Amazon.com, Boeing, Intel and Toyota. 

To underscore its commitment to visual communications, Graphic Products provides a growing selection of free published articles, best practice guides, handbooks, webinars, blogs, and informational videos. 

Graphic Products offers more than 50 unique labeling supplies for virtually any industrial demand, as well as advanced labeling systems for any size job. DuraLabel and Graphic Products have solved problems in the industrial safety arena for more than 40 years. For more information, visit www.DuraLabel.com, call 800-788-5572 or email Jack Rubinger at jarubinger@graphicproducts.com.

General Safety Issues, Health Issues

TRUCKING INTO A HEALTHIER FUTURE (GUEST POST)

Author Introduction

Hank Barton is a second generation trucker-philosopher with a penchant for the written word. He enjoys blogging about long haul trucking, safe driving practices and life on the open road. He writes for E-Gears, an online CDL Practice Test authority that specializes in a variety of study guides. 

For those going into the trucking industry, planning ahead in terms of health and fitness may be the key to a long and fruitful career. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is implementing rules that will require that truck drivers get a physical to identify health problems that can be a safety concern. Unfortunately, there are a number of health concerns truckers face which are inherent to the trucker lifestyle. 

A 2007 study by the Journal of the American Dietetic Association showed that 86 percent of truck drivers were overweight and the majority of those were obese.  Aside from the more obvious safety issues stemming from being overweight or obese, such as heart attacks or diabetic shock, many truck drivers suffer from sleep apnea, which may disrupt sleep such that a driver ends up tired or falling asleep on the road. Additionally, studies suggest that a majority of truck drivers are smokers, compounding the health concerns. 

Current truck drivers suffering these health conditions may be in jeopardy of being unable to renew their trucking license and potential truck drivers are wise now to plan on avoiding these pitfalls. According to FMCSA Administrator Anne Ferro, “Better health means safer drivers behind the wheel.” A safer driver is a more marketable driver and now, the health regulations make a certain degree of physical fitness essentially part of the job. Not to mention, healthy truckers also spend much less on health insurance. 

Sadly, until recently, truckers have hardly been catered to in regard to providing healthy options. However, the recent focus on the safety issues presented by this lack have shifted some focus toward providing help for truck drivers who want to stay healthy and keep on trucking. 

While it may be easy for a person in great or even moderate physical condition to think that they can maintain their health while on long hauls, there are a number of things to consider. 

The Eating Healthy Conundrum 

We are not using many calories when we are on the road, so the main goal here is to consume fewer calories. The lion’s share of truck stop food may taste great as well as save time, but is fat and calorie heavy. Fast food and buffets are not kind to the waist line. Fortunately, some truck stops are now offering healthier menu options. Still, the best option is having a small refrigerator and microwave on board. This can keep your healthy options much more varied and appealing. Also, as we are all too aware, eating truck stop food is quite expensive so packing store bought food can save a good deal of money in addition to the health benefit. 

A good multivitamin is also advisable. We put the right fuel into our rig, but we often forget our body is a machine that needs the right fuel too. On the same hand, beware of diet pills or extreme diets. Many of these pills are largely untested and have side effects that could be catastrophic for someone driving a large truck. Extreme diets also often a side effect of fatigue that can be dangerous on the road. 

Working Out with Sedentary Work 

Exercise is a difficult issue for many truck drivers. It is also a critical part of staying healthy. In a job where the bulk of the work is done seated, creativity is the key. Walking and stretching at truck stops is always a good idea. Some truckers have even taking to packing a fold-up bicycle they can ride at stops, which is a great idea since cardio is going to be the best weapon against an excess of calories. There are also a number of stationary cardio exercises every trucker would do well to add to their repertoire, such as jumping jacks, mountain climbers, crunches, flutter kicks, etc. 

One promising prospect is that gyms have begun to look toward a trucker clientele. Snap Fitness is a 24-7 gym that recently opened its first truck stop location and there are plans to open five more around the country this year. While this may not be an option for many right now, it does mean that the future of fitness on the road does not look so bleak. 

Whatever road you choose to take in taking care of your health, remember that your body can break down just as easily as your truck. Give it the necessary maintenance to keep it running for yourself, for the people who love you, and to be a better truck driver.

General Safety Issues

THE IMPORTANCE OF UNDERSTANDING CARS (GUEST POST)

By Don Elfrink
The Importance of Understanding Cars

Whether you bought a new car or a used car, that vehicle represents a significant
investment. However, unlike other investments (stocks, bonds, time-shares, etc.),
most people don’t understand much more than the basics about their cars. You know
that it needs oil to run, that there’s antifreeze somewhere under the hood and that you
have to keep gas in the tank to stay on the road. When you consider that the average
investment in an automobile is about five years (and that’s just to pay off the loan, not to
actually get your money’s worth out of the car), it makes sense to know as much about
your vehicle as you can.

Gain an Understanding of How Things Work

The number of people who understand almost nothing about their cars is actually rather
surprising. While you’d think they’d know at least the basics, a considerable number of
drivers know nothing more than that they need to take their car to the mechanic every
few thousand miles for an oil change. This is the most basic type of maintenance, and
your automobile needs more TLC than that, especially if you want to make it actually
last you. The most basic things that you should know include the main components
under the hood, how to check oil, transmission fluid, antifreeze, tire pressure and
change the air filter in your car. Each of these is simple but important for overall
automotive health.

Go Beyond The Basics

While learning the basics is vital, it’s important that you go a bit beyond the basics if
you really want to ensure that you make the most out of your investment. For instance,
you’d never buy into an investment without knowing what kind of interest rate you’d get
on your money and how that interest was calculated. The same thing applies to your
vehicle – you need to know as much about how every system works as possible. That
doesn’t mean you need to get your ASE certification, but it does mean that you need a
working knowledge of most systems and components on your car.

For instance, you need to know which radiator hoses are which (in and out, for
instance). You need to know where your oil pan is, and how to check for a leaking
gasket. You need to know how to check your brake pads and how to ensure that brake
lines aren’t leaking. If this sounds like a lot, don’t let it dissuade you from learning and
then putting your knowledge to work. There are plenty of resources where you can find
information about your car and how it works, including the following:•

How Stuff Works – This is a great website for learning how almost anything
works, including your vehicle. The automotive section is comprehensive and
easy to understand. http://auto.howstuffworks.com/•

Jiffy Lube – One of the leading “quick oil change” chains in the country, Jiffy
Lube also offers a good resource for learning more about your car. http://

Edmunds.com – Edmunds.com is one of the leading websites for anything
automotive, though it’s really geared more for buying or selling a car. However,
they do have a good bit of information about how vehicles work and getting the
most use out of them. http://www.edmunds.com/cars/•

Chilton – If you want something a bit more in-depth, then a repair manual from
Chilton might just do the trick. You’ll find a broad range of information in these
manuals, as well as their online resources. http://www.chilton.cengage.com/

Haynes – When it comes to repair and service information, few resources
compete with Haynes. You can buy a book that details pretty much every
part of your vehicle, or use their online resources. http://www.haynes.com/
repairmanuals
 
 
Don Elfrink is the owner and operator of AutoMatStore, an auto flooring company based
out Columbia, Missouri. Before AutoMatStore, Elfrink was the operator of an automotive
production site. AutoMatStore floor mats come for most makes in models with plenty of styles to choose from.
General Safety Issues

SAFETY AND THE DIY RENOVATION PROJECT (GUEST POST)

Five quick & easy water heater replacement safety steps –
By Tina Jacobs

December means one thing to home owners—frigid temperatures and high energy bills—which relates to longer, hotter showers and baths. It’s true; in the winter months the temptation to lie in a hot bath or languish under in a hot shower is too much! That’s why it’s important that the water heaters in our homes are working efficiently.

A little proactive planning can really make a difference when it comes to protecting your water heater from breaking down mid-winter. That’s why last winter, I was taken completely by surprise when the heating element in my water heater broke and I was left without hot water for days. Luckily, a water heater is a safe and easy DIY repair. If you notice that your electric hot water heater is slow to heat, runs out of hot water faster than it should, or doesn’t deliver any hot water at all, that’s your first sign that one or both of the heating elements might need to be replaced. The fix is fairly easy and safe, with replacement parts costing between $10 and $20 per element at your local home center or hardware store.

So do yourself a favor. If your water heater needs some maintenance, follow these five quick and easy do-it-yourself steps to help you replace a broken water heater and keep it running safely and effectively all winter long.

1. Check to see if the electrical source is tripped

Before you test the heating elements in your water heater, ensure the circuit breaker is on and not tripped. A tripped breaker can indicate an electrical problem or even burn out the elements. Just be sure to monitor your unit to see if it trips again.

2. Reset the circuit breaker and high-temperature cut-off

It’s also wise for safety sake to push the reset button on circuit breaker as well as the high-temperature cutoff (you’ll see it right above the upper thermostat). This reset by itself could be enough to solve the problem.

3. Test the heating elements with these safety measures

First and foremost, turn off the power at the circuit breaker and remove the metal covers to expose the thermostats and elements. You can ensure the power is off by touching the electrical connections with a non-contact voltage detector before you start any work. If the tester doesn’t light up, it’s safe to go ahead and test the heating elements.

4. Replacing your hot water tank elements

To replace an element, ensure the power is still off and drain the tank by opening the hot water faucet in the kitchen. You can drain faster by connecting a garden hose to the drain valve and opening the drain the empty the tank. Next, unscrew the bad element and install the new element with a wrench. Finally, reconnect the wires on the new element, turn on the drain valve and fill the tank. Now you’re ready to switch on the circuit breaker and test your new elements for working order.

5. Ensure the thermostat is working

If the circuit breaker isn’t tripped and the reset doesn’t work, the elements are fine. This may indicate that your thermostat is broken and require a replacement.

About The Author

Tina is a registered nurse and DIY home improvement maven who has written and blogger for DIY Mother as well as numerous print and online publications ranging in topics from education to health and from home renovations to interior decorating.

 

General Safety Issues

DON’T LEAVE HOME WITHOUT SECURITY (GUEST POST)

By John Anderson 

Getting away for the holidays is both hard work and a rewarding experience.  After finalizing on what you should bring and where you should go, look at the security of the house you’ll leave behind.  Crime against property is at a high of 400,000 from November through December according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. 

You probably have a checklist for what to bring, here’s a practical list of what to do to secure your home. 

1.       Visibility:  Leave a  good number of lights on, it‘s a double edged advantage.  The burglars will think twice whether you’re at home or not. It would be better if you could have a timer attached to the lightswitch.  It’s best to keep a good visual from the outside looking in making it easy to spot trouble.  So leave a few curtains open. 

2.       Social Network Updates after the fact:  You don’t need to announce to the world that you’ll be going to someplace exquisite for the holidays.  For robbers, it just translates to “Nobody’s home and nobody can get home quickly”.  Show your pictures when you get home.  You’ll enjoy the travel more. 

3.       Arrange upkeep:  Have a friend pick up your mail and water the plants from time to time.  An unkempt house is an obvious signal that no one is looking after the house.

 4.       Unplug: it’s been proven that appliances do consume electricity even if they’re turned off.  A power surge may also destroy your appliances. 

5.       Modern-day Security:  The burglars get smarter too.  They learn from the latest technology and some actively profile their victims on the web.  Equip yourself with a good alarm system and/or have the house insured. 

The steps should be taken to ensure the safety of the home especially when there’s nobody home. Enjoying the holidays will only happen if you know that the home you have left behind temporarily remains safe and secure. 

Author Bio: 

John Anderson has been a freelance writer since 2008. His work is almost exclusively on web content about home improvement, home security, technology, green and simple living, and business.   John Anderson, a Southeastern American, specializes in home improvement and occasionally writes about alarm systems. He graduated from Tennessee State University. He’s a blogger and a freelance writer. His Twitter account is @johnanderson090.

General Safety Issues, Head Protection

IN DEFENSE OF WORKPLACE SAFETY THROUGH BETTER TRAINING (GUEST POST)

3 Comments

By Kyle O’Brien

 Workplace safety is a paramount issue with any business.  Whether you’re a meat-packing business or a coffee shop, safety concerns abound.  Thus, having your entire staff up to speed with sufficient training on ways to prevent accidents, as trivial as one tutorial may seem, is something that should go beyond the basic written words inside the employee handbook.  That’s not to say a handbook is useless.  Far from it.  It’s how management discerns workplace safety, with how certain equipment is to be handled, what protective layers should be issued and worn at all times…the list should, and does go on.   

From obtaining better training videos to ensuring each and every employee has a firm grasp of what’s been shown, there are numerous points to follow through with regards to safety training.  

Understanding The Costs of Improper Training 

Before you begin to assess your company’s workplace safety policies and training, I’ll share one example of how some oversights in the electrical industry – specifically towards improper maintenance of electrical systems – can cost businesses in more ways than fines.  A Siemens report back in 2010 uncovered a list of violations of electrical maintenance with certain buildings.  Spanning 25 facilities, OSHA handed out more than $5 million in fines to employers who failed to train their employees on servicing electrical systems in the building.  Some of the violations were a result of not having the right tools.  More major violations were given to not putting up proper warning signs for specific areas, thus potentially endangering employees to shock, electrocution and arc flash. 

Putting aside the monetary issues, the heart of the matter is the safety of employees and all who would walk around the “hazard zones”.  The report stated that every workday, arc-flash incidents had hospitalized five to seven workers at those buildings in the U.S.  Around 30,000 arc-flash incidents in total, with around 7,000 of those incidents involving burn injuries.  And that’s just with regards to a specific industry.  Employers who don’t first research the risks/dangers of prior incidents are setting themselves up to repeat them.   

Creating Easier Ways To Engage Employees 

Safety training, computer training, compliance training — there’s more than enough areas for a business to cover with their employees.  Some choose to spend half a day, maybe less than that, sequestering entire departments for a training seminar.  There will be packets, referendums, company policies on what to do in an event.  And not to say that employees are prone to be disinterested throughout, well, there’s a good chance streamlined, succinct methods will fare better with how each employee digests the information. 

It’s why better-developed training videos can command more eyes and ears.  Many older training videos of the 1980’s were attempts to add humor and a storyline to someone operating the grill at a fast food restaurant.  The sad reality was that it was grainy, had cacophonous background music and took too long to define instructions and safety measures.  If that same effort was applied to a training video on how to operate a crane on a job site, you’d most likely have confused employees who’d just rather settle for a succinct video displaying the key statistics of operating with caution. 

Creating a video that has a clear and direct narrator displaying stats like the number of injuries reported on common job sites and whether they’ve worsened or gotten better, how certain “hot spots” of the site should be littered with warning signs, Safety hardhat requirements and ways to be better aware of one’s surroundings and other key points, your training segments would go much further to making safety measures more tangible to employees. 

Have Q & A Sessions After Each Video 

Once you’ve wrapped up the safety training video or session, the best way to make every safety measure mentioned stick is to have an immediate Q & A.  While it might be hard to get employees to chat after sitting through a lengthy training video (which is why you should cap your videos to shorter time limits, or break up meatier safety lessons into segments), it’s still important to at least entertain questions.  Doesn’t matter how obscure a question could be, no stone should be left unturned when it comes to workplace precautions.   

And Q & A’s should be a continual process, because you can’t expect every employee to reach expert levels once they leave the room.  Maybe it means having managers around the first time a chef starts to work with a new grill, or have someone supervising employees first go-around with heavy machinery types such as the Knuckleboom Loader, Feller Bunchers, Pipelayers and other rather complex and powerful equipment?   

Final Thoughts 

The main thing is your initiative to stay on top of important safety concerns with the workplace and that you and your entire organization understand that accidents happen every day, in every workplace across the country.  But it’s how you lessen the numbers through awareness, through training videos and whether they’ll be a continual process in education, through warning signs being posted in key spots around the workplace or job site, and most important, through a passion to stay on top of creating as safe an environment as possible. 

Author Bio:  Kyle is a frequent blogger covering the business industry on a range of topics from employee safety, business leadership, motivation practices and other themes.  He is a consultant for an eLearning company, ej4, which helps create informative and innovative training videos and business book summaries to help further increase employee knowledge of the workplace.

Eye Protection, Fall Safety, First Aid Safety, General Safety Issues, Hand Protection, Head Protection

HERE’S A NEW SPIN ON SAFETY: WATCH THIS VIDEO (GUEST POST)

In our everyday quest to bring safety to the forefront, we welcome guest authors from all over the world to present their take on safety.  It is amazing how many ways we all think about safety.  We recently heard about this video.  Based on the tune to “I’m Sexy and I Know It,” there’s a new version called “I’m Safety and I Know It”.  We think you will find it amusing, as well as presenting much of the safety equipment that is required to keep everyone SAFE!  Here is Dave Clare’s (General Manager of ATC) response to our request to share this video:

G’day Pat, 

We would be pleased if you would share about our video. As a non-profit organisation, we are hoping to reach out to as many people as we can about working safe. There are different regulations all around the world about safety, but the end game is all the  same, lets help people embrace safety as a part of what they do and how they do work and let everyone come home alive and in one piece. 

Safety is our No.1 core value at ATC and we wanted to find a fun way to make it relevant to a broad range of people. 

Sit back and enjoy this Australian video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=PGxKPf9eEhg

Apprentice & Traineeship Co. Midwest is a not for profit company that works with engaged partners to inspire the development of tomorrows leading workforce…today!

 

 

General Safety Issues

WHY YOU SHOULD USE RESIDUAL CURRENT DEVICE (GUEST POST)

This action ensures that there is no harm caused by improper current flow. The basic form of this device originated in South Africa, where there were a lot of deaths caused by electrocution in the mining industry. The technology has constantly been developed to give us more advanced versions.

 Main types of RCD 

A Residual Current Device is popularly known as a ‘safety switch’ or a ‘trip switch’. It is available in four main types. A plug RCD is the popular type where it replaces a regular fuse plug and is connected directly to the end of the power cord of electronic appliances. An adapter RCD is one that is connected to a wall socket. Regular plugs can be safely plugged in to the adapter as it protects the appliance. 

There is another type of RCD called the socket RCD, which looks almost like the regular plug sockets but has buttons for test and reset. This type of RCD is normally seen in garages and sheds. Whole Home RCDs are connected at the main meter of the house; they can protect every electronic appliance in your home. The Whole Home RCD is commonly used in household switchboards and factories, as it provides maximum protection and less hassle. 

Four reasons why you should opt for RCD installation 

The RCD ensures that the current flow to and from an electronic appliance is equal. When it senses that there is a difference in the flow, it switches the circuit off in less than a second. There could be current leakage from faulty equipments or damaged cables; an RCD prevents any harm that might result from this leakage, including lethal electrocution. 

A Residual Current Device should be used in every environment that has a high risk of irregular flow of current. This also includes your garage and your garden, as equipments like saws, drills, lawn–mowers and trimmers are used often. Regular use of these electronic tools can increase the chances of the electric cables getting damaged or cut by accident. Damp areas of the house like the bathroom and the kitchen also need RCD. 

It’s especially important to use RCD during the festive season, as there are many decorations that run on electricity. Some Christmas lights and decoration lights are not waterproof. If you intend to decorate your outdoors with Christmas lights, you need to use a Residual Current Device to prevent any short circuit or black–out. As these lights are used outdoors, they are exposed to rain, thunderstorms, and humidity, which can cause severe damage to electronic equipments and cables. 

Residual Circuit Devices are commonly used in big companies, factories, etc. With new regulations, the use of this device is now compulsory in every new installation in several countries. For people who have children and pets, it’s highly recommended to replace old switchboards with new ones that come with RCD protection. Remember not to try and install this device yourself, as it should be installed only by a certified professional. 

Grace Beckett is an expert associated with PASS Ltd. For more information on RCD, check out the courses by PASS Ltd and get yourself trained on how to use this electrical equipment.