Monthly Archives: February 2018

Eye Protection, Fall Safety, Head Protection, Protective Clothing

Safety Precautions to Take Before Working on Your Roof

Most of us are fortunate enough to live in areas where a variety of contractors are available for most home maintenance needs, including roof repair. But, for those who prefer to maintain a home on their own, working on the roof can be one of the more daunting maintenance challenges.

 

Before heading up that ladder, some very important precautions should be taken to avoid becoming one of the 15,500 Americans every year injured by falls. Consider incorporating the following recommendations before you head up on the roof.

Ensuring Your Ladder Is Safe

Several steps can be taken to make your ladder more secure during roof work. Ensure your ladder’s feet are on stable, level ground. If you’re working on a patio or other hard surface that may be slippery, inspect the feet of your ladder for grip. Your ladder should have serrated rubber boots on the feet that give it the grip will need.

Make sure your ladder is three rungs, or three feet, above the point at which it touches the roof. This will give you an extra bit of ladder to hold onto while you’re starting your descent. You can also tie the top of your ladder off to a roof bracket. You can purchase roof brackets that can adjust according your roof’s pitch. These brackets are easy to install into a secure point such as a rafter, and will give you a bit of added security, not to mention peace of mind.

Keep The Working Area Clear

Never climb up the ladder with tools or materials in your hand. Instead, put your materials in a five gallon bucket attached to a rope to hoist up once you are on the roof. You can continue to use the bucket to keep tools and materials contained while you are working on the roof.

Larger tools and power tools should be kept free of your immediate working space. Similar to the ladder, tying off power tools to anchor points would ensure they aren’t going anywhere. Or, by resting a 2×4 along two roof anchors you can create a ledge on which to rest your materials and power tools, avoiding the chance they’ll take a tumble.

Personal Safety

Your personal safety should be your top priority while working on the roof. Spending a little money for proper safety gear is well worth the investment. The best piece of equipment you can buy is a safety harness. Wearing a safety harness attached to a secure point of the roof will prevent you from completely falling off the roof. Though a near fall will give you a considerable scare, the safety harness will make sure you don’t fall further. Other personal safety equipment to consider is a hard hat, goggles or safety glasses, and boots with thick rubber tread for grip.

While you’re up on the roof, focus on the task at hand. Don’t let your mind wander, and don’t spend any time looking at the view. If you feel the view calling you, take a break and sit down, or wait until you are done with your work to look around at the scenery. Also, take the weather forecast into mind. You never want to work on a roof that’s wet from rain, or when a forecast for rain or wind is forecasted.

Make sure you are not working alone. You should always have a partner on the ground keeping an eye on you, anticipating any safety issues, and providing you anything you may need, so that you spend less time going up and down the ladder.

 Author’s short bio:

Frazier Roofing and Guttering is the second oldest roofing company in Grand Prairie Texas,we have over 18 years of experience in roofing and have been happily serving all of Tarrant County and surrounding cities with their gutter and roofing demands. Founded by Rich & Sheila Frazier in 1977, the year that Elvis “The King” left us. Over the years, we have built up our team of Arlington roofing contractors and have become one of the most distinguished roofing companies in the area.

Back Safety, Ergonomics, Eye Protection, Hand Protection, Head Protection, Hearing Protection, High Visibility Safety, Protective Clothing, Respiratory Issues, Respiratory Safety

Recommended Gear for Best Workplace Safety

Why is protective equipment important in a workplace? What kind of gear does it include? There are certain jobs where safety gear is not only recommended but also required. Here is all you need to know to stay as safe as possible.

Why Is Protective Equipment Important at a Workplace?

When it comes to workplaces and job sites, safety should always come first. Personal safety should never be compromised or dismissed in favor of some other aspects of the job, such as the financial, for example. Safety or protective gear keeps the entire project running more smoothly, and allows everything to be done more efficiently and without the unnecessary hazards. Workplace injuries happen often, but can be prevented and decreased in number if proper precautions are taken.

All businesses and business owners in the sectors that require it, such as construction, for example, should adhere to the rules and safety regulations and provide their workers with the corresponding personal protective equipment (PPE). This way, the workers are protected, a possibility of injuries and illnesses is significantly decreased, and the businesses and companies can avoid potential disputes, liability issues, or even lawsuits.

The recommended gear that ensures best workplace safety includes equipment such as hard hats or protective helmets, safety glasses or goggles, work gloves, safety footwear, face mask, respirator, earmuffs or earplugs, coveralls, vest, etc. Depending on the nature of the job and workplace, workers should wear some or most of them.

Protective Gear for the Head, Eyes and Face

When it comes to a head, it is the most important part of your body that should be protected. It also includes some of the most critical and delicate parts such as eyes and ears, what is also a priority when it comes to safety and protecting them properly. The safety gear includes head protection, hearing protection, eye and face protection, and respiratory protection. Here are some of the basic pieces of equipment.

Hard Hats/Protective Helmets

Protective helmets keep workers safe from any possible head injury at a workplace, such as any kind of impact, and flying or falling objects, as well as from burns and electrical shock.

Earplugs/Earmuffs

Whenever there is a possibility of some hearing damage, when the noise levels or the duration of exposure to that noise cannot be reduced, the workers are required to have some kind of protection for their ears, such as earplugs.

Safety Glasses and Face Masks

These pieces of PPE are required whenever there is a risk of exposure to some dangerous chemicals, flying particles, gases, vapors, and any dangerous liquids that could cause damage to the eyes or other parts of the face and skin.

Protective Gear for Feet and Legs

Safety equipment for your feet and legs is also of great importance, especially if your workplace involves walking on unstable objects, hazardous surfaces, or working at heights. Protective footwear is designed to prevent major injuries such as falling and slipping, electrical hazards, sharp objects, heavy objects falling on the foot, etc.

Working at heights, for example, should involve slip-resistant shoes, i.e., shoes with slip-resistant soles, hard materials that protect the foot from falling objects and metal protection for the toes. And on top of it all, they should also be comfortable enough for whole day work.

When it comes to the health of workers, the shoes have to be comfortable and also made in the way that they offer enough support for your feet. Standing on your feet all day and working can be hard for your feet as well as for your back and posture. Quality of the soles is also very important. They should be strong and flexible, but also shock-absorbent. The entire shoe should be made out of natural, breathable material to keep the foot fresh and repel the water.

Best workplace safety is achieved by using a proper, recommended gear. Safety regulations are there to prevent accidents and injuries, or at least to make sure their number is significantly decreased. They protect both the workers and their employers and also ensure maximum safety and project efficiency. Some of the basic and best pieces of protective equipment any workplace should include are hard hats, earplugs, goggles, safety shoes, face masks and others, depending on the nature of the job site.

General Safety Issues, Uncategorized

Workplace Safety New Year Resolutions to Stick to in 2018

Workplace Safety New Year Resolutions to Stick to in 2018

With a new year comes new hopes. Are you looking to change your ways in 2018 when it comes to workplace safety? Well there are numerous steps you can take. It is always an admirable approach to make your business and workplace safer as a resolution. There are many steps you can take to achieve such a goal. Prioritizing safety principles, fostering teamwork, and implementing modernized strategies toward material handling are just a few of several ways any organization can promote continuous improvement in their daily operations. For those that know where to begin, here is a comprehensive guide on how you can meet and exceed those new year resolutions in 2018:

  1. Enhance Safety – Driving safety is virtually synonymous with continuous improvement, which is the simple act of recognizing and introducing better and safer ways to do the same job. We are vehement in this principle because quite frankly it works. These improvements bolster employee morale and reduce levels of incident. These are two positive results of reinforcing, prioritizing, and enhancing safety practices. In many cases, the changes most enterprises seek simply begin with this. Managers and administrators should take the appropriate measures to encourage employees to innovate new and safer ways to handle all the challenges and rigors that accompany performance of their daily functions. This should also be taken into consideration when quality managers are authoring a set of standardized-operating procedures

 

  1.       Cultivate A Transformative Work Culture – Promoting synergy in the work environment is another easy way to boost safety. Taking such an approach wields a wide range of benefits. Safety is found in teamwork as cohesion is essential for all team-oriented tasks to begin with. There are many ways to cultivate a positive and transformative work environment. In the realm of safety awareness, incentive-based reward programs have been known to be impactful. This is because these programs are often associated with communication enhancement which is essential in hazard identification and conveyance of possible perils. Exciting staff and personnel to do so only makes the workplace that much safer and progressive.

 

  1.      Integrate Best Business Practices – There are several philosophies and ideologies that comprise what is regarded as “best business practices”.  This is none other than Kaizen, LEAN, Six Sigma, and Agile Methodologies. Whichever school of thought you subscribe to, all champion safety optimization amongst matrix-driven increases toward efficiency and productivity. According the AFSI, many of these programs call for the integration of supply chain management technologies that isolate and eliminate deficiencies in several material handling operations.  In addition to diminishing liabilities and identifying exposures, these devices also improve inventory accuracy and reduce costs. Moreover, these applications work hand-in-hand with automation which allows you to invest your human capital in safer landmark tests. Introducing and implementing a set of these best business practices is a great long-term goal that goes well beyond the new year. These philosophies can revitalize, revamp, and catalyze any business to new heights.

 

Bio: Tom Reddon is a forklift specialist and blog manager for the National Forklift Exchange. He also sits on the Material Handling Equipment Distributors Association (MHEDA) Executive Dialogue team. Follow him on Twitter at @TomReddon.

 

Eye Protection, General Safety Issues

How to Ensure Safety in These 6 Different Work Scenarios

How to Ensure Safety in These 6 Different Work Scenarios

Workplace accidents can take place even in the most organised settings and on the other hand, they may never occur in areas where safety arrangements are below the mark – that’s just a matter of chance. However, considering real situations, workplace accidents are on the rise across the globe. Accidents happen either due to negligence or lack of safety arrangements. Either way, it can be fatal at worst and can result in absenteeism at best. Further, the problem gets worse with the intervention of lawsuits and insurance claims.

This article will educate you on safety aspects in 6 different work scenarios so that you never risk the safety of yourself and people around you. Read on to learn more.

Pressure Cleaning

Pressure cleaning is a fast, effective way to clean driveways and outdoor furniture, but on the flip side, there are safety concerns that must never be overlooked. While using a pressure cleaning equipment, make sure to wear safety gloves, boots and eyewear to protect yourself from the high-pressure jet of water. The jet is so powerful that it can cut through flesh and cause fatal injuries. In case of an electric pressure washer, electricity and water work in close liaison; therefore, it is important to ensure proper insulation between them to avoid electrocution.

Working at Construction Sites

Precarious ladders, slippery surface, loose electrical wires and poor fall-protection arrangements are a few of the major reasons behind accidents at construction sites. Working at construction sites sometimes also means working at heights. Therefore, individuals working at heights must use a safety harness to prevent a hard fall, and  those working at the ground level must wear safety helmets to protect themselves from a free-falling brick or a piece of concrete.

Working Around Industrial Machinery

Industrial machinery can be tricky. If you are not careful enough while working around it, chances are you might get roped in an accident. More than any safety gear, it’s your alertness that plays a vital role in ensuring your safety. If your industrial machinery or equipment is installed outdoors, and when not in use, make it a point to cover it with heavy-duty tarpaulin to prevent any potential hazards. If you happen to be an industrial technician, don’t forget to carry your eyewear, gloves, kneepads and a handy pouch to work.

Working in Confined Spaces

Working in confined spaces is a big challenge because of a high degree of risk attached to it. While limited oxygen supply is one issue, limited body movement is another. If you work in confined spaces, make sure you are equipped with powered air respirators to ensure adequate oxygen supply to keep you functional and efficient and prevent panic attacks.

Working in Dynamic Warehouses

Gone are the days when a warehouse used to be an enclosed space to store commodities on static racks and shelves. Modern industrial warehouses are more dynamic than ever. They are equipped with conveyor belts and a wide range of material handling equipment, such as forklifts, to expedite the process and make warehousing operations less tiresome. Amidst all this, human safety remains one of the prime concerns. When working in the vicinity of conveyor belts, always maintain a safe distance and avoid wearing full-sleeve shirts with loose cuffs. If you are a forklift operator, do not exceed the recommended speed limit while doing maneuvers.

Working in Gardens

If you are a professional gardener, you would have come across a diverse species of creepies and crawlies than anyone else in your circle, unless of course, he is a gardener, too. Stings and bites are not only painful but can also cost you your life if not treated in time. As they say, “prevention is better than cure.”, wear gumboots and leather gloves to protect yourself from insect-bites or any allergy-causing herbs. If the weather is cool and pleasant, prefer wearing full-sleeve shirts and pants to keep mosquitoes at bay.

Workplace accidents can happen anywhere, anytime. One must be fully aware of the potential hazards in one’s vicinity so that any mishap can be prevented before it’s too late.

General Safety Issues

Basic rules and measures, which provide for safety at the construction site

Safety at the construction site and its role in the modern construction industry

To date, any modern construction site, regardless of the scale of a project, is always a place of a great danger for both passersby and workers. On such constructions site, you can see various mechanisms and equipment that have been put into operation, systems and units, as well as many other devices that require strict adherence to safety rules by the workers and all other people that even walk near them. Therefore, the tasks of a specialist who deals with safety measures at the construction site include the proper organization of the construction process, including the provision of safe working conditions that can prevent industrial injuries, as well as any other accident that might happen on the constructions site. In order to keep all the stuff save, such people plan and schedule briefings, training and systematic inspections at the facilities to make sure that all the safety measures are met.

If the correct labor organization at construction sites is necessary, safety rules and measures must necessarily provide for the elaboration of one of the most important documents that can provide trouble-free work at the construction sites. It necessarily takes into account all activities related to safety engineering, pointing to the means of mechanization, which allow providing heavy and labor-consuming work at a construction site, for example, like the horizontal and vertical transportation of construction materials. Also, this document describes all the types of building materials used, the possibility of their placement at a construction site.

Major safety rules and measures to meet at a construction site

To date, safety engineering at the construction site provides the following safety engineering events:

  1. Organization of the construction process and production of planned capacity of a product;
  2. Correct organization of warehousing of building materials, components, and parts;
  3. Arrangement of the construction site and convenient walkways for workers;
  4. Provision of light facilities on the territory of a construction site in order to inform workers and other stuff about emergency situations and other events;
  5. Professional technical supervision of the condition of the equipment and machines in use including cranes, transport facilities etc.;
  6. Training of all the stuff including working and maintenance personnel;
  7. Obligatory fencing of all the territory of a construction site includes the area where cranes operate;
  8. Constant and qualitative control over the serviceability of the mechanisms used and all the tools and equipment connected with the cranes;
  9. Strict observance of the operating rules of the crane in accordance with the instruction containing the rules for the installation and operation of the lifting device;
  10. Utilization of the alarm system only in accordance with the regulations and rules in force;
  11. Measures aimed at the electrical safety of maintenance personnel.

As a rule, all these events and measures are provided by the director or engineers in charge and they bear all the responsibility for the safety of all the stuff and maintenance personnel.

What are additional measures carried out to provide safety at the construction site?

In most cases, safety at the construction site provides a number of measures that are additional conditions for the safe operation of employees of the organization or a factory in addition to obligatory ones. These measures should also provide safety both for personnel and for all the people that can possibly be around the construction site or those who are forced to stay on the territory of a factory. In order to attain this goal, a construction site should be well-fenced in order to prevent any intruders on the territory of a site.

In addition, in the case of buildings under construction that are located along streets, motor roads or pedestrian public access routes should be equipped with fences. If there is a possible danger from the falling objects, these fences should also be equipped with protective peaks to prevent any accident.

In addition, the maintenance of workers must necessarily provide the construction of sanitary facilities at construction sites, which located in such a way to minimize the way workers should pass to reach sanitary facility and back. Such rooms include dressing rooms, dining rooms, showers, restrooms, etc. The number of such rooms, their space, and the intention must be indicated in a special document.

The main thing you need to remember being at the construction side both as a visitor and a worker, be attentive. Anything can happen in the course of the work and nobody is able to predict the horrible consequences that can cause falling projectiles or unfenced site. Follow all the ordered of the guide if you are a visitor and always refresh rules and requirements for all the workers in your mind if you actually work at the constructions site since consequences can be devastating.

About the author: The author’s name is Melisa Marzett is she is the one who cares about the safety at the constructions site because people’s carelessness can lead to even lethal consequences. Those who noticed her writing skills appeared to be right since she is a freelance writer working on writing papers like this one. However, her hobby is to do a research and find peculiar information that might be useful for almost any our reader.

Ergonomics, First Aid Safety, General Safety Issues, High Visibility Safety

Small Tips to Increase Safety at Work Nobody Thinks Of

Small Tips to Increase Safety at Work Nobody Thinks Of

Small business owners often put safety at the back of their minds and concentrate more on the actual work and finances. Some even believe that safety risks at their workplace are equal to nothing and that safety is the point where they could save money. However, it’s not true; any workplace has some safety risks, and even if they are minimal, you still have to eliminate even the smallest chance of injury. After all, your employees are your primary attribute, and without them, the company doesn’t exist.

To help you run your job easier and safer, we wrote a list of suggestions that should help you in your daily work.

Safety Tips for Your Company

 Clean Working Area

Keeping your working area clean is the number one thing you should do to ensure safe working conditions. As trivial as it sounds, keeping the mess away can have a massive influence on safety. A mess can cause injuries such as falls or slips. It would be best if you would keep the working area dry and free of objects that might cause the fall. Your workers will also keep the area clean if you warn them that it’s for their own safety!

Don’t Hire Anyone

If the business is going great, there is a chance you will probably need more workers. This might put you in the position to quickly hire someone. However, this decision might have significant consequences on the overall safety of your workplace. Hiring someone without necessary skills could increase a safety risk, not just for you and your workers, but for others as well. Instead, pick someone with enough experience and don’t have a hiring spree. By hiring a competent person, you will also increase the safety.

Invest in Education

It is very important to give proper instructions to your new workers. Even if they are skilled and have plenty of experience in that field of business, you should ensure that everything is clear, and warn them about the safety tips. Instead of just counting on their experience, it might be a good idea to teach them using proper techniques. Also, consider investing in educating your employees. Continual training won’t just improve their work, but it will also profoundly affect the overall safety of your workplace.

Provide High-Quality Tools and Equipment

It is not realistic to expect your employees to perform their best and practice safety without proper tools or equipment. Providing staff with the right equipment will make their job much easier, and at the same time allow them to work faster. For instance, shoes are essential safety equipment for roofers, since they assure them a bigger range of motion and more stability. Therefore, safety equipment can profoundly affect the efficiency of your employees.

Place Safety Signs

Even if you already explained all the safety tips and caution rules, your staff might simply forget something. This is where the sign system comes in and does wonders. Posting signs which remind of safety precautions can significantly help in making your workplace safer. Signs don’t have to ruin the aesthetics or transparency of your office or job site. These can be just some small signs, and they’ll still have a significant effect.

Ensure Correctly Maintained Tools and Equipment

Last but not least is maintaining your machines, tools, and equipment. This is one of many crucial steps to success. Ensure your working machines are well maintained and properly repaired. Poor devices decrease the productivity of your team, and handling an improper machine could also have fatal consequences for your workers.