All posts by Gary

Uncategorized

Common Welding Jobsite Hazards and How to Avoid Them

Written by Michael Tobias

Welding is the highest-risk occupation of any within the construction industry. OSHA study reports that 1 out of every 250 construction workers will die from a welding accident. That doesn’t account for other potential hazards that welders face daily, such as – electrical shock, burns, eye damage, cuts, exposure of chemicals. Although, most of these injuries or deaths can be prevented with enhanced construction site safety, proper training, engineering controls, and personal protective equipment (PPE).

The act of welding is a procedure of heating the surfaces of metal pieces or parts to join them together.  Even though welding has over 70 different welding procedures, the top three types are –

  • Submerged Arc Welding (SAW)
  • Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW)
  • Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW)

Most Common Welding Hazards

Every type of welding produces risks and hazards, not only for the welder but also for other construction workers or people in the vicinity. By understanding the risk and precautions to help prevent accidents and injuries, it will make your project site safer.

 

FUMES AND GASES

Welding exposes the welder and other personnel to toxic fumes like carbon monoxide, aluminum, arsenic, nitrogen just to name a few. The damage caused by being exposed to welding fumes varies in degree depending on the specific gas or fume and how long the exposure lasted and range from an irritated throat or eyes to pneumonia, or cancer.

Recommended safety precautions –

  • Use appropriate ventilation and exhaust
  • Keep heat out of fume plume
  • When ventilation is insufficient, use approved respiratory devices
  • Keep contaminate levels monitored for safe air quality
  • Take part in targeted safety training to understand the potential dangers

ELECTRICAL SHOCK

Electrocution is a serious potential hazard during arc welding because live electrical circuits are used to melt metals creating risk of electric shock by touching two metal objects with a voltage between them. The electrical shock may severely injure or be fatal to the welder. Even though arc welding is a high risk occupation, it is safe when proper precautions and safety measures are taken. Such as –

  • Be sure all equipment is dry and in good working condition
  • Proper insulation – such as rubber mats
  • Welder wear good condition dry gloves
  • Welding equipment routinely inspected for safety
  • In humid work areas, take extra safety measures

FIRE

Since welding generates sparks that can be sprayed over 30 feet from the source, fire is a genuine concern. When an occurrence happens, other workers are at a high risk of getting burned, especially one with grease on their clothes or around flammable materials.

Fire prevention measures include –

  • Keep all flammable chemicals, combustible substances and materials stored away from welding spaces
  • Minimize any clutter or dust as a high concentration of fine particles can oxidize and may cause an explosion or fire without warning
  • If flammable materials can’t be moved, use fire-resistant shields
  • Always keep a fire extinguisher handy

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

When welders wear PPE, it drastically reduces the risk of physical hazards. Recommended PPE for welders are –

  • Boots and gloves: Rubber-soled hard toe boots and insulated flame-resistant gloves help provide protection from electric shock and falling objects.
  • Respirators: Reduce the gases and fumes the welder breaths in protecting lungs and respiratory systems.
  • Welding helmets with side-shields: Helmets protect against UV rays that could cause blindness, plus debris and chemical burns.
  • Fire resistant clothing: Provides protection against risks of burns caused by heat, fire and radiation.
  • Ear protection: Protects the ears against loud noises and vibrations within the work environment.

CONCLUSION

One way to assure your construction site is as safe as possible is to use a professional construction management service. They can help educate workers by making them aware of all potential hazards and proper precautions to take to prevent work site accidents.

AUTHOR’S BIO

Michael Tobias, PE, is the principal and founder of Chicago Engineers. He leads a team of over 30 mechanical, electrical, and fire protection engineers. Although Chicago Engineers main headquarters are in NYC and Chicago the business has led over 1,000 engineering projects in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Florida, Maryland, and California, as well as Malaysia and Singapore. Michael is an advocate for green technology and energy efficiency.

General Safety Issues

6 Ways Employers Can Reduce the Risk of Musculoskeletal Disorders in the Workplace

In the workplace, many employers tend to overlook work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). But according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, MSDs are the most common form of workplace injuries and they account for up to 30% of all workers’ compensation claims.

So as an employer, it’s your duty to provide your workers with a safe and healthy workplace. This means that you should improve their work environment to mitigate their risk of developing musculoskeletal disorders. In this post, I’ll highlight 9 ways that can help you accomplish this goal.

What are Musculoskeletal Disorders?

The World Health Organization defines musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) as conditions that affect an individual’s locomotor system, which comprises of the muscles, bones, joints and related tissues like tendons and ligaments.

To put it simply, these are health problems that compromise your mobility, flexibility and dexterity. As the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work explains, these disorders mainly affect the back, neck, upper limbs, and occasionally, the lower limbs. The most common musculoskeletal disorders in the workplace are:

  • Carpal tunnel syndrome
  • Ligament sprain
  • Tendonitis
  • muscle  or tendon strain
  • Tension neck syndrome
  • Rotator cuff tendonitis
  • Epicondylitis
  • Degenerative disc disease
  • Herniated disc

Reducing the Risk of Musculoskeletal Disorders in the Workplace

1. Identify the Causes

Recognizing the specific causes of musculoskeletal disorders affecting your workers can help you tailor the solutions. In other words, you can implement policies that address the specific risk factors causing MSDs.

As an example, a common risk factor in the workplace that leads to MSD is the frequent application of excessive force, such as when lifting heavy equipment.

Most cases of muscle strain and overexertion occur when the force needed is greater than what a worker’s body can handle. The higher the amount of force required, the higher the risk of injury.

If you’ve identified this as the cause, look for equipment that eases the task of lifting bulky machines. Items like wheeled vehicles, dollies and trollies take the hard work out of lifting and moving office equipment.

 

2. Scheduling Breaks

Another solution for reducing the incidences of musculoskeletal disorders is to schedule breaks for your workers.

The benefit of doing this is that it interrupts the extensive periods of repetitive or monotonous workloads and periods, which increase risk of MSDs. When scheduling breaks for your staff, pay attention to:

  1. Frequency of breaks: In a recent study, it was found that workers who took more frequent work breaks experienced less fatigue and stress resulting from work.
  2. Duration of breaks: The length of the work break is vital to the recovery of tissues and muscles. A study was done to investigate the impact of micro-breaks (lasting between 1.5 and 2 minutes) amongst surgeons. Researchers discovered that these small breaks helped to reduce musculoskeletal pain significantly.

3. Education and Training

Training is one of the most effective ways of preventing MSDs in the workplace. Essentially, by providing your staff with the necessary knowledge, they’ll be able to better exercise caution and avoid work-related risks on their own.

The best way to impart this knowledge is to offer practical training on the job. This entails training workers how to:

  • Understand the risk factors associated with common MSD in the office, such as carpal tunnel syndrome, back and neck pain etc.
  • How to reduce the risk of injury when interacting with office equipment
  • Follow best practices when it comes to sitting, standing, and computing.

4.Provide an Active Environment

A practical way to minimize the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders among office workers is to provide an active environment. An investigation was done to determine the effectiveness of exercise in reducing work-related musculoskeletal disorders.

The study focused on specific physical activities such as resistance training, Pilates, postural orientation among others. It revealed that taking part in 20-minute resistance training sessions 3 times per week led to a reduction of  musculoskeletal pain felt in the shoulders, wrists, cervical, dorsal and lumbar spine.

You can encourage your staff to exercise by:

  • Conducting standing or walking meetings
  • Hire a trainer to come in weekly to conduct short fitness classes
  • Incorporating inexpensive mini-stepper devices in areas like conference rooms
  • Positioning trash cans and printers farther away to help your employees walk more steps

5. Advocate for Early Reporting

Employers should also encourage their workers to report cases of musculoskeletal disorders early.

According to the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety, the most common symptoms of MSDs are:

  • Joint stiffness
  • Muscle tightness
  • Redness and inflammation of the affected area
  • Numbness
  • Decreased sweating of the hand

If an employee starts to experience any of these signs, they should report it immediately. Early intervention is necessary because it enables the victim to receive the necessary treatment  before the muscle tightness and numbness becomes a full-blown musculoskeletal disorder.

An important point to note is that MSDs develop over a period of time. This then means that it’s possible to nip the health problem in the bud before it gets worse.

6.Implement Organizational Changes to Eliminate Repetitive Tasks

As we mentioned earlier, one of the things that increases the risk of musculoskeletal disorders is engaging in repetitive tasks.

During the course of work, most staff have very minimal influence on their speed, sequence of tasks and break schedules. For instance, for assembly line workers, retail cashiers, and those who deal in loading and unloading equipment, they cannot abandon their stations without being replaced by another individual.

This forces them into a cycle of repetitive work, which causes muscle fatigue. With insufficient recovery periods, the muscle fatigue often causes irreversible damages to musculature.

To prevent risk of MSDs resulting from repetitive jobs, introduce these organizational changes:

  • Shortened Job rotation- this is a structured approach of alternating workers between tasks. This means that the workers rotate between workstations or duties at shorter intervals, hence reducing exposure to the repetitive nature of the job.
  • Job diversification – this entails training your employees to perform an array of tasks that may be related or unrelated to their specific skill sets. Job diversification gives your workers opportunities to take part in non-repetitive tasks, which don’t carry any risk of MSDs.

Final Word

The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons estimates that one in every two Americans suffers from a musculoskeletal disorder. This goes to show just how rampant the health problem is.

Luckily, employers can take several measures to protect their workers from the risk of MSDs. Practical solutions include assessing the risk factors, providing breaks, fostering an active work environment and implementing an ergonomics program.

About the Author: George Chiang

George is the senior editor and ergonomist at Ergonomic Trends. You can find him hitting the gym or the yoga studio when he’s not working hard at a café as a digital nomad.

Weather Protection

How HGV drivers can stay safe on the roads during bad weather

Written by Peter Scully

Driving an HGV in bad weather can make for great TV, but in real life it can make a difficult job even more challenging. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to keep yourself safe on the roads even in bad weather.

Remember engines don’t like cold

Engines depend on fluids running through them (e.g. oil and petrol). The colder it gets, the more these liquids solidify and the more they solidify, the longer it takes to warm them up to the point where they run freely.

This means that as temperatures begin to drop you want to start allowing extra time for your engine to warm up before you start driving. In early winter 5 minutes might do it, but when temperatures are at their lowest, you might need to allow as much as 15. It’s important to do this because it will keep your engine, literally, running smoothly, which keeps you safer and reduces the chances of it being damaged.

You need to be able to see where you’re going

One of the liquids in your engine will be windscreen wiper and you need to make sure that this is fully topped-up and also that it has antifreeze in it, for when temperatures drop below zero.

Visibility is always an issue in bad weather, especially in the colder months when there is minimal daylight, so you will need to make a particular effort to make sure that your windscreen is always kept clean (and hence clear) along with your mirrors and lights. You can take care of all this while your engine is warming.

Salt is good for tires but bad for metalwork

Salt or grit may help your tires to grip but it does not replace good treads so keep a particularly close eye on how your tires are wearing. Salt is horrendous for bodywork (and the abrasiveness of grit isn’t good news for it either). You’ll therefore have to make a point of cleaning the metalwork regularly; otherwise you will wind up with rust issues.

Wind speed means wind strength

The faster a wind is blowing the stronger it is. This probably won’t be too much of an issue if an HGV has a decent load in it, although you will have to drive with extra care. It can, however, be a serious safety threat to empty HGVs which, while heavy vehicles, are light enough to be tipped over in strong gales.

Ideally, you should avoid driving at all in this kind of weather, however, if you absolutely must, go slowly and keep as far to the curb side of the road/motorway lane as you possibly can. That way if the wind starts pushing you to the side you have a bit more time to respond before being pushed across the road into another lane.

Standard driving rules apply even more than usual

Driving an HGV is an exercise in thinking ahead to anticipate and avoid difficult situations. The problem in bad weather is that the limited visibility restricts your ability to see the road and hence limits the information available to you. Because of this you need to slow your speed as much as you can and be extra-aware that you are maintaining safe distances.

NDS are a certified HGV driver training school based in Nottingham, UK. 

Uncategorized

How to Stay Safe When Working With Chemicals

Written by Liam Smith

Laboratory work can be dangerous and even potentially life-threatening. This is why safety is paramount in any environment that includes work with harmful chemicals. A great majority of laboratories experience spills every single week, despite safety protocol. The reason for this is that neither personnel nor management is completely familiar with the way they should handle dangerous substances. To increase safety in the workplace, you need to adhere to a set of common-sense safety procedures that will help keep chemicals in their containers and workers safe from harm.

  • Follow procedures to the letter.

While employees are never enthusiastic about having to deal with complicated protocol, it’s an essential part of safety in the workplace. It’s especially important when it comes to dealing with dangerous substances and caustic chemicals.

Always read through the instructions that come with any new chemical that enters your lab. This will give you a good idea of what you’re up against. If it’s something particularly toxic, you’re going to be notified and you’ll know to handle it with care. Countless accidents and injuries occur due to personnel not taking new chemical shipments seriously. This is easily remedied with a little light reading. Once you’re familiar with the chemical, you can follow protocol for this type of hazardous substance.

  • Wear protective equipment

Before you even come close to being in contact with any chemical agent, you need to make sure you have adequate gear that will protect you from any potential damage. If you’re familiar with the chemical in question, you should know the exact gear you have to use to handle it. If it’s a new addition to the lab, reading the instructions will often tell you what kind of protective equipment you’ll want to use.

Personnel sometimes disregard safety gear, whether it’s because there isn’t enough gear for everyone on a given day or the substance isn’t too dangerous. However, there are protective pieces you must wear when handling specific kinds of chemicals. Safety goggles are absolutely essential when working with flammable agents like acids and bases. There’s no telling when they might react with an unexpected substance in the environment.

Spills aren’t at all uncommon in laboratories and industrial settings, which is why having a protective coat is also crucial. Without one, you constantly at risk of exposing your skin to a chemical spill.

  • Keep it clean and tidy

A clean workspace is a safe workspace. Accidents and spills don’t just happen out of the blue. There are factors that influence the likelihood that a chemical will be mismanaged. The state of the work floor is one of them. A cluttered and dirty workspace can very easily cause employees to trip and fall while handling delicate chemical containers. When this is allowed to occur, spillages become more frequent.

Make sure that the work floor is given a thorough cleaning on a regular basis. Laboratories shouldn’t be too cluttered and overcrowded, as this only further increases the risk of an accident. Have adequate storage for paperwork and materials so that they aren’t kept in inopportune places. Bio-friendly detergents are recommended for cleaning, as frequent scrubs will increase the amount of harmful fumes in the air.

  • React swiftly

Working with chemicals always entails a certain level of risk. Even when every safety precaution is taken and protective gear is applied, it’s still possible for some exposure to chemicals to occur. In these scenarios, you have to utilize your training to prevent any serious damage from occurring.

Should a chemical find its way outside of its container and near personnel, make sure that employees can quickly find their way to a safety shower. Clearing the chemical spill should be your second priority. Utilize emergency spill kits to take care of most of the hazardous spillage and clean up the remainder of the substance that is left over. It’s crucial that the spill isn’t able to cause additional harm to personnel.

  • Label items properly
  • One of the first mistakes personnel make when dealing with hazardous chemicals is to delay labelling them. A lot of times, you’ll receive a shipment of chemicals that need to be transported, but they will have scarce labels or their next container won’t have any. This is something that is very easily remedied with something as simple as a sticky note.

Optimally, proper labels should be applied, which contain a handy message or symbol that will let other personnel know what they are handling. Delaying this process will only endanger the next person that has to transport the chemical.

Conclusion

Dealing with harmful chemicals is a dangerous, but necessary job. To prevent dangerous situations from occurring, management and cleaning crews need to make sure that personnel are given ideal working conditions where they aren’t likely to be injured. Even in the unlikely case of spillage and exposure to hazardous materials, there should be precautions in place that prevent things from getting out of control and causing significant injuries.

General Safety Issues

What Risks Are Associated With Lone Working?

It is generally accepted the lone working raised the risk profile of an employee, but what are the risks associated with lone working, and why is this the case?

According to the Health and Safety Executive, a lone worker is classed as anyone working without direct supervision of their supervisor or line manager.

Many people believe that just because a lone worker is paired up with a colleague, or surrounded by clients, they are not, in fact, lone working. However, this is not correct.

It is true that there is safety in numbers, and so a lone worker who is working with another lone worker is less vulnerable than those who are truly alone. Nonetheless, they are still without direct and immediate guidance or support from a senior colleague should they run into difficulty.

So, let’s have a look at what the risks of lone working are and who each one affects.

1) Abuse Or Assault

One of the risks of working alone that most people know of is being subjected to abuse or assault from the public, customers, service users, or sometimes even colleagues.

Lone workers, particularly those who deal with the public regularly are at risk of being verbally or physically assaulted. This is especially true if they are doing a job that involves people with complex or specific needs, or jobs that involve carrying out tasks that make people emotional.

Examples of job roles at risk of abuse or assault:

  • Professionals doing home visits, such as midwives, meter readers, or maintenance people
  • Probation and prison workers
  • Social housing staff
  • Hospital staff
  • Bus, train, or taxi drivers
  • Shop assistants
  • Teachers and nursery assistants
  • Bailiffs

What Are The Consequences Of Abuse Or Assault Against Lone Workers?

Abuse can take many forms and is a difficult risk to define. What one person finds threatening and upsetting, another may shrug off.

The way the ‘abuse’ is perceived will also be determined by the setting it happens in. For example, a jokey, off the cuff remark from a colleague will be perceived entirely differently from the same words said by an ex-offender on probation.

But whether the abuse was genuine or perceived, a lone worker on the receiving end will still feel the consequences, such as:

  • Physical injury
  • Anxiety
  • Depression
  • Difficulty sleeping
  • Not enjoying their job

Lone workers are more vulnerable and susceptible to abuse and assault because if it did happen, they might find it difficult to remove themselves from the situation without ‘back-up’.

2) Ill Health

A lone worker isn’t more likely to injure themselves or be ill, but they are more at risk of the consequences of suddenly being taken ill or injuring themselves than anyone else.

This is true especially if the lone worker is truly alone for long periods such as:

  • Remote and home workers
  • Sales staff off-site
  • Field scientists or engineers
  • Farmhands
  • Warehouse staff
  • Haulage drivers
  • Security staff

Imagine that one of your team trips and bangs their head hard enough to knock them unconscious in a remote corner of the warehouse or farm. How long might they lie unattended before someone notices they haven’t returned?

Or they fall and sprain their ankle and don’t have a signal on their mobile phone. Unable to summon help, it could be hours before they are found. This leaves your colleague vulnerable to secondary risks.

Or, the worst-case scenario that I have known happen, a colleague has a heart attack and is unable to summon assistance.

Obviously, we all want to hope that nothing this serious ever would happen. But working alone does mean that if it did happen, help might just be too late.

3) The Environment

Some specific environmental hazards might come from:

  • Bad weather
  • Road accidents
  • Machinery
  • Remoteness (for example, getting lost or stranded)
  • Lack of phone signal

Why Are Lone Worker At Risk From Their Environment?

Lone workers are more vulnerable to their working environment than others because, again, they are less likely to able to call for help. More than this though, it could be a long time before anyone really notices they are not where they planned to be.

You might only check in with your lone worker each morning. If they became lost or stranded with no phone signal, it could be 24 hours before you realise, or at least 8 hours when they fail to return home.

If they did fail to return home, would you know where they had been specifically? Specifically enough to tell the police?

How To Protect Lone Workers?

Lone working is a health and safety issue and, as such, should be risk assessed and the risks controlled.

There is a guide and template to a specific lone worker risk assessment here.

This is the minimum you should do. You could also consider a lone worker policy, a buddy system, or even a lone worker device.

About Alicia:

Alicia has worked in the lone worker sector for over 10 years, helping organisations find the right solution to protect their staff from these types of hazards.

She is the Sales and Operations Director of First2HelpYou, a lone worker solutions provider in the UK.

Uncategorized

Top 10 Reasons Why Workplace Safety Is Important

Workplace Safety in the workplace is something that needs to be taken seriously by employers as any indiscretion might lead to dire consequences. At the end of each year is an opportunity to review past practices and implement ways to prevent accidents and minimize injuries.

A company’s safety strategy is very important and offers employees the chance to work in a clean and safe environment without getting injured. You can make your company office safer by applying these simple steps. Safety in the workplace is an important aspect to always improve upon and pay attention to in terms of monitoring how employees comply with the laid standards.

  1. Set goals, and plan

Once you have had time to reflect on the previous year’s challenges and achievements, you will be able to develop a clear vision. A clear and realistic vision allows you to break your vision into smaller realistic goals that are measurable and inform the improvement or introduction of policies.

The process is highly strategic and involved the input of various departments. However, employees on the ground are most likely to have an advanced understanding of how to improve operations on the ground.

  1. Establish a rapport with leadership

Once your company has established a safety model, they would usually appoint a manager or two to deal with safety in the workplace. It is important for your team to remain focused on implementing the culture. If some of your workers are studying, during high-pressure times like strategic reviews, they can use essay writing reviews to get assistance with their studies.

Leadership should be encouraged to take more initiative and ownership of tasks. The leadership team should be able to provide a clear implementation strategy once you develop new goals.

  1. Take everything into consideration

A good safety culture encompasses attention to detail and not missing a single beat in any loopholes that may occur. This means that all hands to be on deck to establish a benchmark of optimal safety.

To create a conducive safety culture in the workplace, you need to ensure that employees are open and honest about the challenges they face on the ground. This can also assist essay writers in developing case studies and draft policies. One way to measure safety culture is by conducting surveys with employees to gain honest insights.

  1. Be innovative

Innovation is a great way to get everyone out of their comfort zone, and you can do that by setting an example. In as much as there is room for change, there is room for a complete turnaround in policy development and implementation.

Finding a clear strategy on how you are going to engage your employees is important on matters of safety. However, once your employees understand the value of innovation in the workplace, they are able to ensure that they implement strategies carefully and correctly.

  1. Involve as many people as possible

Involving everyone in the company gives them a sense of purpose beyond sitting in their office, cubicle, or work station. By involving the workforce, you will learn a lot and understand what needs to be done on the ground to ensure optimal safety in the workplace.

An engaged team tends to operate with more vision and collective focus. Besides, the improvements are aimed at their own wellbeing as employees and showing that you care creates a more engaged workforce.

  1. Planning the changes

If your safety policy requires an entire overhaul, then it might be difficult to initially introduce new ideas to staff. Certain behaviors may have to be changed to accommodate the new setting. Through clear communication, you can assist the staff in implementing new procedures and following protocols.

The values need to be something that clients can relate to and are inspired by. When your organization is going through immense changes, planning helps you to keep your head above water as it allows you time to be supportive toward employees.

  1. Get your timing right

In the world of business, timing is everything. You need to plan all your steps clearly with goals and calculations in mind that are accurate for both long and short term goals. By ensuring consistency in planning, there is a clear picture of your organization’s vision.

By planning your implementation step by step, you are able to determine appropriate dates for induction, workshops, and opportunities. You might also find it useful to develop a policy with the help of dissertation services.

  1. Be accurate

The safety of your employees should not rely on guesswork. Rather, take time to formulate a strategy that is well-informed by the relevant calculations. For instance, understanding where you failed in the previous year gives you plenty of room for valuable engagement with employees.

When working with interns, you might want to encourage them to use assignment writing services for their UK dissertation to keep up with the demands of the job. You can think of measuring and driving change by way of rewarding and motivating positive behavior and adherence to policies.

  1. Be vigilant

It is important to remain focused and clear throughout the year on problems that may arise. This allows you to be highly preemptive in dealing with looking danger and even complacency. It is a well-known fact that complacency leads to failure. Always ask the right questions and seek answers that offer sustainable solutions.

  1. Establish a monitoring and evaluation system

Upon establishing new policies and strategies to ensure optimal safety in the workplace, it is important to establish guidelines to evaluate new systems and improve upon them. A system of evaluation allows a company to consistently comply with mandatory compliance at authority level and also as per organizational requirements. In most cases, M&E ensures that processes are always improved.

The bottom line

These tools will ensure that you guide your workforce in a positive direction and have the patience to resolve safety issues in the future. By strategically aligning your company with national/industrial requirements, you are able to adequately measure your success.

Safety in the workplace should not be a complex matter to approach, nor should it be approached once a year or when an accident occurs. It is important to establish a company culture that revolves around optimal safety in the workplace.

Author Bio

Sharon is a Manchester, UK based marketing specialist and a essay writer. Currently, she is working as a marketer at an essay writing service. She’s also working as a resume writer and an essay writing expert for online writing services. When she’s not at work, she loves to share her ideas on marketing through her blog and podcasts.

 

 

Uncategorized

Safety Tips to Know Before Undergoing the Asbestos Removal Process

Written by Eada Hudes

It is crucial to take certain safety and precautionary measures while removing and handling asbestos. As per recent research studies, asbestos has been associated with serious health hazards such as cancers, mesothelioma, and conditions like asbestosis. However, asbestos has been used in the construction of all kinds of buildings, right from schools and residential houses.

When asbestos becomes worn out due to prolonged usage, it becomes airborne and is subject to various health risks. Thanks to the advanced science and technology, we can overcome all these nasty possibilities with sufficient care and attention. Now, we have qualified asbestos professionals who can detect the asbestos toxicity at your home or workplace and take necessary action to curb it out.

However, as a homeowner or a business professional, you need to understand certain safety tips for asbestos removal and to handle as well. So, we have simplified the technical concepts and presented the information in the form of short, crispy tips.

Understand the Concept of Damage and Toxicity

If you are living in a long-standing house for years, it does not mean that the asbestos is completely hazardous. Undamaged asbestos and which in intact does not cause any health risks. Hence, do not jump to the assumption that your house contains toxic asbestos material.

Go for periodic asbestos inspection

The way our bodies age, our homes also undergo ageing, and we cannot ignore this fact. So, you need to hire an asbestos inspector for complete check-up your home. We recommend you to conduct these evaluations before starting a renovation project in your home. Let us explain why this is needed.

During the renovation, there might be a need to examine particular areas such as crumbling of home areas or wall cracks. Such projects can lead to damage to your asbestos and ultimately results in health risks for the workers and your family members. Hence, appoint a certified asbestos inspector for the same.

Know what the job profile of an asbestos inspector is

You ought to know what an asbestos inspector does while examining your house so that you can ask doubts or seek clarity. An inspector (provided he is the best one) will examine your house visually, extract samples of some surfaces for further checking, and will furnish you with complete details of asbestos present in your house or office.

This written report contains the intensity of the asbestos present, suggestions to rectify the materials, and other details. After the asbestos work is done, the inspector ought to conduct another thorough examination to ensure the work is done as per the set standards and guidelines.

Respect the laws by studying them

Asbestos removal is not similar to de-cluttering your home or office space. It requires adherence to stringent federal as well as state laws. Moreover, the asbestos removal process is evaluated by the environmental health department of the concerned state. Hence, you cannot avoid any entity and have to follow the exact process given.

Make sure the asbestos removal agency is a certified one

The asbestos professionals that you are hiring need to be properly trained for the said process as per state and federal regulations. You can also check on specific portals whether they have violated any safety measures in the past. The professionals also need to attend the refresher training courses so that they are updated with the recent amendments and changes in the asbestos removal procedure. So, we will recommend you to invest considerable time and energy in finding the right asbestos removal in melbourne western suburbs.

Understand the asbestos removal process

Yes, it is about your home or office, and you have to comply with a number of laws. So, you ought to know the asbestos removal process in complete detail without fail. You cannot be ignorant about any aspects or steps in the process. So, consider it as a responsibility to research the ideal process of asbestos removal.

In a nutshell, you can do a bit of research and study before the asbestos removal process to ensure the safety of your family or colleagues, and the workers involved in the process. Proper protection will ensure safe health of people and the environment as well.

Uncategorized

Best Tips to Maintain and Extend Life of Industrial Cables and Wires

As compared to house wires such as Polycab that are used for household or commercial purposes, industrial cables and wires are different, in that these carry heavy loads and have thicker conductors. Industrial cables cost more and require more maintenance to avoid replacement or collateral damage. Made of aluminium, industrial electrical cables can be armoured or unarmoured single core or multi-core, and single insulated or double insulated.

In order to protect these electrical wires against damage such as that from fire, you must take some preventive steps.

Here are the best industrial cable and wire maintenance tips that help increase their performance to their full potential:

  • Take preventive measures before installation

The first step should be to take safe measures such as protecting cable covering from losing its durability by preventing any kind of crushing. Don’t bend the cable more than the recommended radius of bend. Avoid tension and twisting when installing the cable.  

  • Carefully select the wire

Choosing the right cable is important, which is why you must consult an expert before making a purchase. Cables used in industries come with unique requirements. So you must learn about different types of wire and select the one that meets the size in your industry. 

  • Look for any potential damage

Cables for industrial use must be protected from any kind of damage. Therefore, make sure the cables do not catch fire or touch any element that may cause its failure. In case it still gets damaged, you can look for the visible harms, remove and replace the damaged cables with spare ones. 

  • Adjust the cable wherever necessary

Make sure that one end of the cable is not constantly being exposed to rough environments. Reverse the cable ends, if required. Check for any voltage drop, which can impact operating machines. 

  • Examine the cable from time to time

It is essential to check from time to time if a cable is damaged or broken. Using an infrared thermometer at fixed intervals, you can assess whether an overhead cable is heating up beyond atmospheric temperature. In case it is heating up beyond 60 degree celsius, you need to look at load and cables. Also, you may need to replace the overheating cable with a thicker cable.

Industrial cables must be protected with paint or sheath as their exposure to sunlight may lead to UV degradation. Besides, cables should be checked for any rat cuts, which may put employees‘ life at risk. There should be no signs of sparks or blackening.

 

  • Maintain detailed records

Maintaining proper records such as date of purchase of the cable and its installation, type of cable used, and reason for a cable’s failure, is important. You must know about load carrying capacity of different lines to identify the type of wire used for a particular load point.

Conclusion

Regular maintenance of industrial cables and wires is vital to keeping them undamaged and saving on steep outages. The aforementioned tips will help you take the necessary actions and prevent your wires and cables from possible failure.

Author Bio:

Jeson Pitt works with the marketing department of D & F Liquidators in Hayward, CA and regularly writes to share his knowledge while enlightening people about electrical products and solving their electrical dilemmas. He’s got the industry insights that you can count on along with years of experience in the field. Jeson lives in Hayward, CA and loves to explore different cuisines that the food trucks in the Bay area have to offer.

Uncategorized

5 Ways To Make Your Company Office Safer

Regardless of the scale of commercial activity, an office is the control center, brain, and heart of any company. Various factors influence the efficiency of work, but one of them is the safety of office workers and their activities. Confidence in their security allows staff to work productively, and the leader – not to worry about the safety of their values, both material and informational. In this article, we tell how to make your office as safe and comfortable as possible.

Two Key Criteria for a Safe Office

Safety is a very comprehensive concept, but it is possible to emphasize two main indicators according to which the office can be considered a safe place to work.

  • Comfortable and healthy conditions for employees inside office premises, minimizing risks;
  • Reducing the negative impact on the environment through the rational use of material and energy resources.

Based on these two indicators, we suggest that you consider ways to make your office safer, more comfortable and environmentally friendly.

Prevent Germs and Infections from Circulating the Office

Office staff due to work in a stuffy room and a sedentary lifestyle can get sick up to 6 times a year. At the same time, about 70% of sick workers continue to go to work. Almost half of them do nothing to warn others about their illness.

Often offices are organized in the form of “open space” when a large number of employees work in the same room. This approach has its advantages (the convenience of organizing work and exchanging information, saving space), but also many drawbacks: increased noise level, difficulties in providing comfortable conditions for all employees, as well as an increased risk of infection during seasonal colds.

To minimize these risks in “open space” it is recommended to install devices for disinfection of the room from germs and viruses. It is also a good idea to implement the practice of wet cleaning in the workplace after the end of the working day. If finances allow, then it is possible to hire a cleaner on an ongoing basis.

Or, you can come up with a reward system for employees if they do it themselves. Motivate them to wipe the table and keyboard with a damp cloth – daily at the end of the working day. Regularly ventilate the room, arranging a strong, but the short-lived draft in the office – with it, the bacteria disappear as quickly as possible. Do this with colleagues after each visitor leaves or, if the source of the virus is in the office, at least five times per business day.

Add indoor plants

The biophilia hypothesis states: visual contact with elements of wildlife affects the increase in productivity and labor efficiency. Employees sitting surrounded by white dull walls will work worse than those who have the opportunity to see growing fresh flowers in the office or beautiful views of nature from the windows.

This will help them suppress the stress associated with working moments and continue to work in high spirits. Some companies even have cats in their offices, because as you know, talking with furry pets improves your moral well-being.

Cats are of course an optional idea, but fresh and clean air is necessary for the active work of the brain and keeping the body in good shape. Plants absorb chemical elements and microorganisms that are harmful to humans while producing oxygen. Studies by scientists from Cardiff University have shown that having plants in the office increases productivity by 15% and also reduces stress and tension. This means that your employees will be able to at least partially protect themselves from burnout syndrome, and this is an even more common office disease than acute respiratory infections.

Think of this simple, ecological, and inexpensive idea to make your office more secure and your employees more productive.

Pay Attention to Natural Lighting

It is worthwhile to carefully work with the natural insolation of the room and arrange the workplaces so that the employees receive a lot of sunlight. You may ask, what is the relationship with security? The relationship is completely direct.

Lack of lighting impairs vision, leads to a deficiency of vitamin D and a decrease in immunity. Incorrectly designed light will not only damage eyesight but also increase fatigue. It is all about the safety of your employees in terms of their health and work efficiency for the benefit of your business.

It is possible to control the level of insolation thanks to a special film that protects against ultraviolet radiation and allows indoor air not to heat up. If at some time of the day the sunlight is too active, you can use translucent blinds made from natural materials.

Lighting standards for offices are regulated by building codes. They indicate the necessary minimum illumination for the office. For some offices, this minimum of lighting is recommended to be increased – and sometimes at times (especially when there are few sources of daylight in the office). It is believed that the most favorable lighting environment for the office is soft daylight.

Protect Your Office from Fire

Many managers believe that fire safety measures in the office are needed only to comply with the law and to avoid problems during inspections of regulatory authorities. In this case, it is enough to install an inexpensive alarm system, which formally meets the legal requirements. It will cost 30–40% cheaper than a more technically sophisticated and informative alarm.

However, if you care about your office, employees and their safety within it, then, when choosing a security system, evaluate first of all its functionality. The system and fire safety measures in the office include burglar alarms, fire alarms, warning and evacuation systems for people in case of fire, video surveillance system, access control, and management system. From this set, the regulations oblige to install an automatic fire alarm, as well as a warning and evacuation control system for people in case of a fire in the office. However, we recommend that you not be greedy and choose the most innovative and smart systems. When it comes to the lives of people that a fire can take in a few seconds, money no longer matters.

Reduce the Environmental Impact

Everything that harms the environment harms people in the first place. And this, by the way, is also true concerning the reputation of your company and brand. Modern buyers want to know what environmental missions are implemented in the company whose goods or services they use. Therefore:

  • Do not use household chemicals in the office that contain chlorine and organochlorine compounds, as well as phosphates and phosphonates. Choose environmentally-friendly household chemicals that can be decomposed into safe components in the environment by at least 90% in a short time.
  • Do not buy stationery, home furnishings, and equipment made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) if there are alternative products on the market.
  • When replacing windows, choose modern wooden or metal double-glazed windows, instead of plastic windows made of PVC.
  • Discard disposable tableware in the office. If this is not possible for hygienic reasons, arrange the collection of all disposable tableware and hand it in for processing.
  • Organize the collection and recycling of used cartridges, batteries and office equipment, as well as the collection and safe storage of batteries. The same goes for prudent paper consumption. For example, if you received several options for translating documents from a specialized translation service like The Word Point, print only those copies that you need. Everything else can be emailed.

Conclusion

As you can see, it is not so difficult to make the office safer. It is enough to ensure a healthy and ecological atmosphere in the office, as well as protect yourself from emergencies.

Author Bio

Frank Hamilton has been working as a translator at translation service Frank Hamilton is a blogger and translator from Manchester. He is a professional writing expert in such topics as blogging, digital marketing and self-education. He also loves traveling and speaks Spanish, French, German and English.

Weather Protection

How to Keep Your Workplace and Employees Safe During Disasters

Hurricanes. Tornadoes. Fires. Floods. All of these are disasters that can wreak serious havoc on your business, especially if you’re not prepared. Maybe you’ve never experienced a disaster firsthand. But chances are you will experience one at some point, as they occur more frequently and inflict billions of dollars of damage on businesses across the country.

Before disaster strikes, it’s important to have a plan. That might seem like an obvious statement, but the fact is that 70% of small business owners say they don’t have a written plan in place. Not having a plan can cost your business dearly.

Check out these startling facts from the Federal Emergency Management Agency:

  • 40% to 60% of small businesses don’t reopen after a disaster.
  • 90% of small businesses close within a year of a disaster if they can’t reopen within five days.

That’s why you should think through any potential risks that could face your business, determine how you would respond to them, and communicate your plan with your employees.

Before a disaster, you should verify your Google My Business listing. That’s where you can update your hours of operation and communicate with customers in the event of a disaster. You should also back up all of your documents, including your list of important contacts, install smart devices to detect weather emergencies, and connect Wifi-enabled cameras to ensure that you have a visual record of what your business looks like before and after a disaster to make the small business insurance claim process easier.

During a disaster, your number one priority is your employees’ safety. Communicate with them using group chats. Switch to a remote work setup to steer them away from dangerous conditions. You should also stay in touch with your customers by redirecting business phone calls to a line that you are monitoring and editing your hours in Google My Business.

After a disaster, if everyone is safe, you can begin to rebuild your business and give back to your community.

Check out this infographic with tips to keep your workplace safe before, during, and after a disaster.