Tag Archives: penalties

General Safety Issues

Why Is Drunk Driving On the Rise? (Guest Post)

Drunk driving awareness campaigns in the UK are like the Coca-Cola truck commercial, the movie Home Alone, and pigs in blankets; They are at their most prominent over the Christmas period. The dangers of drunk driving clearly don’t need advertising to be obvious. So why are drunk driving-related deaths and incidents on an upward curve in the UK?

With yearly increases in drunk driving-related deaths since 2011, the statistics show that driving whilst intoxicated is on the rise and more and more motorists are admitting to have driven under the influence of drink and/or drugs at some point in their lives.

A recent survey of around 2,000 adults carried out by car insurance comparison giant Confused.com found that 19% of adults confessed to having driven under the influence. That equates to around seven million of Britain’s drivers. So why would so many people make this potentially fatal choice? There are a few possible explanations. 

The morning after the night before

An apparent lack of education and awareness regarding the longevity of the effects of drinking could have contributed to the recent hike in DD deaths.

So many crashes are occurring in the morning, suggesting that people think a few hours sleep is enough to shake off the effects of a heavy session the night before. The simple truth is, you can be over the limit and susceptible to consequential substandard driving skills for a long time after the drinking has ceased.

Authorities and police have backed this theory up and expressed a need for further education. The notion that a bacon sandwich and a night of broken sleep will suffice are way off the mark. 

Education

2011 saw the lowest drunk driving deaths since 1979, so the increase since has been viewed by many as an anomaly, a fluke. But if we dig a little deeper we may find that the increase has come due to a relaxation in the standard of drunk driving education and marketing in the wake of the previously successful years.

In the UK, the alcohol limit for drivers is 80 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood, 35 micrograms per 100 millilitres of breath or 107 milligrams per 100 millilitres of urine. This is across the board, irrespective of your height, weight, gender, metabolism or current mental situation. In other words, you can give two individuals the same amount of alcohol and they could react completely differently.

There should perhaps be a shift in the marketing and education of drunk driving awareness so that people become aware of what is safe for them. The general consumption statistic is broad and people think they can handle the maximum amount without any issues, and perhaps handle even more. The legal limit in the UK is actually higher than in the majority of Europe, so this is also another blindingly obvious possible reason. Should we head towards a zero-tolerance policy on drunk driving? I can see no logical counter-argument to suggest otherwise. 

Consequences

Amongst the young and perceived naïve exists a school of thought that a first offence will lead to minor retribution. They may consider themselves unlikely to get caught, and if they do get caught they consider the risk worthy of the possible consequences. All roads here point to a lack of fear amongst drivers. It seems to be the case that not enough people are scared of the consequences of drinking and driving.

Each accident, each death, has a devastating effect on the victim and his/her family and friends. The temptation to drink and drive would be greatly reduced if the possible consequences were rammed home with vigour at every available juncture.

Bio: This article was written by Suzanne Roberts, who works for YourParkingSpace.

Thanks, Suzanne, this is a very serious problem in the U.S., as well. pb

General Safety Issues

COUNT THE VIOLATIONS!

For the past few weeks, we have been covering the Top Ten OSHA violations and penalties assessed for fiscal year 2010.  Violation of (29 CFR 1910.272), Grain Handling Facilities, was listed as #9 on the top ten highest penalties assessed list.  The following is an article released by OSHA, March 16, 2011, regarding the death of a young worker who lost his life working in a grain bin.  Please note the numerous other violations (in italics) the company received.  These are many of the violations that have been mentioned as we have counted down the list. 

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited a grain company in Morral, Ohio, following the September 2010 death of a 20-year-old worker who was caught in a discharge auger while cleaning out a grain bin.  “This tragic death could have been prevented had the grain bin owner and operators followed occupational safety standards and learned from the tragedies that have occurred at other grain bins,” said Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Dr. David Michaels. “Grain elevator owners and operators must implement well-known safety practices to prevent workers from being hurt or killed in a grain bin.”   At least 25 U.S. workers were killed in grain entrapments last year, and the numbers of entrapments are increasing, according to researchers at Purdue University. There were more grain entrapments in 2010 than in any year since the university started collecting data on entrapments in 1978.

Following inspections at the company’s three bin facilities, 46 safety and health violations have been cited, with penalties totaling $465,500.  One location was issued a total of eight safety citations with proposed penalties of $175,000, including two willful citations for failing to lock out the discharge and sweep auger, and to provide an appropriate grain bin entry permit to perform work. A willful violation is one committed with intentional knowing or voluntary disregard for the law’s requirements, or with plain indifference to worker safety and health.

Five serious citations were issued for failing to train employees in safety precautions and bin entry procedures, not having an observer during bin entry, failing to have rescue equipment, failing to test the atmosphere in the space to be entered and failing to have deflagration controls for combustible dust. A serious violation occurs when there is substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result from a hazard about which the employer knew or should have known.  One other-than-serious citation (one that has a direct relationship to job safety and health, but probably wouldn’t cause death or serious harm) was issued for not having combustible dust warning signs in place.

As a result of violations discovered at the first facility, OSHA initiated inspections at the company’s two other facilities.  One facility was fined $171,000 and cited with a total of 22 health and safety violations, including two repeat safety violations for allowing employees to walk working surfaces without proper guarding in place and failing to safeguard employees from electrical hazards such as broken electrical conduits. A repeat violation exists when an employer previously has been cited for the same or a similar violation of a standard, regulation, rule or order at any other facility in federal enforcement states within the last five years.

Thirteen serious safety citations were issued for allowing employees to walk working surfaces without ladderway gates and mid-rails, and exposing workers to electrical and machine guarding hazards. Four serious health citations were issued for a lack of safe grain handling and electrical procedures. Three other-than-serious health citations were issued for lack of signage and hazard communication procedures.

The company’s third facility was fined $119,500 and cited with a total of 16 safety violations, including one willful violation for failing to evaluate work spaces to determine if any required confined space entry permits. Fourteen serious citations were issued for failing to implement a confined space program, not having a non-entry retrieval system, a lack of personal protective equipment for employees, a lack of electrical training, a lack of combustible dust controls and failing to train employees in combustible grain dust hazards. One other-than-serious citation was issued for a lack of combustible dust warning signs.

Since 2009, OSHA has fined grain operators in Illinois, Colorado, South Dakota and Wisconsin following similar preventable fatalities and injuries.  In addition to enforcement actions and training, OSHA sent a notification letter in August, 2010 to grain elevator operators warning them not to allow workers to enter grain storage facilities without proper equipment.    OSHA’s Region V, which includes Illinois, Ohio and Wisconsin, initiated a Grain Safety Local Emphasis Program in August 2010, and has since conducted 61 inspections and issued 163 citations to grain operators/facilities. The violations cover hazards associated with grain engulfment, machine guarding, lockout/tagout of dangerous equipment to prevent accidental energization start-up, electricity, falls, employee training and combustible dust hazards.

OSHA’s Severe Violators Enforcement Program began in the spring of 2010, and is meant to focus on employers that endanger workers by committing willful, repeat, or failure-to-abate violations in one or more of the following circumstances: a fatality or catastrophe; industry operations or processes that expose workers to severe occupational hazards; exposure to hazards related to the potential releases of highly hazardous chemicals; and all per-instance citation enforcement actions. 

If companies do not mind paying fines, it seems they would be disturbed by the loss of life of an employee, and the fact that they are not providing for the safety of their workers.  This is an example of the various violations we have been describing.

Source: OSHA

Fall Safety, General Safety Issues

WE’RE NOT THROUGH COUNTING OSHA VIOLATIONS!

It seems that the Top Ten List of Violations on OSHA’s Top Ten for 2009, were still on their Top Ten List for 2010, many of them just in different places.  The third highest on the penalties assessed list for 2010 was violation of (29CFR 1910.21), Safety Training and Education, Construction, Walking and Working Surfaces.  Serious, willful, or repeat violations can result in harm or death from hazards, and it seems that employers would do everything in their power to protect their employees from such hazards, rather than pay stiff penalties. 

Slips, trips, and falls constitute the majority of general industry accidents; fifteen per cent of all accidental deaths are caused by slips, trips, or falls – second only to motor vehicles as a cause of fatalities.  OSHA standards for walking/working surfaces apply to all permanent places of employment, except where only domestic, mining, or agricultural work is performed.  Annually, about 20 workplace fatalities happen, with another 3,700 injuries resulting  in lost workdays.   

As in any job, on-the-job training is first and foremost, with the accent on safety.  Employees who could be exposed to specific hazards related to walking and working surfaces, scaffolding, mobile elevated work platforms, and portable and fixed ladders, should have full knowledge of the safeguards and precautions to prevent injuries.  Retraining is imperative for affected employees whenever there is a change in the appropriate area, or when an employee is seen deviating from the prescribed safe work practices.  Training should be done by experienced and qualified persons.  Training should be certified with written training records, and actual work observations should verify the effectiveness of such training. 

  • Proper guarding should be provided for open pits, ditches, floor openings, and other open areas by covering or guarding with a standard railing.  If not guarded or covered, it must be protected by a temporary barrier on all exposed sides or attended by an assigned person.
  • Appropriate railings for stairways that are 30” – 34” to tread should be provided. 
  • A standard railing on all open sides should guard all open-sided platforms that measure four feet or more above the adjacent floor of ground level.
  • Six foot controlled access zones along pits, floors, and flat roof edges where fall protection is not feasible should be set up.  A controlled access zone must use control lines or other barriers to restrict employee access to fall hazards.  Warning signs must be posted at controlled access zones.
  • Employees working on steep slope roofs (greater than four inches of run per twelve inches of rise) that are four feet or more above a lower level must be protected from falls by a guard rail system, personal fall arrest system, or safety net system; and
  • Employees working on low slope roofs (less than or equal to four inches of run per twelve inches of rise) with unprotected sides and edges that are four feet or more above a lower level are protected by one of the following methods:

(1) A guard railing system; (2) personal fall arrest system; (3) safety net system; (4) combination of a “warning line” and any other of the above; or  (5) a combination of a “warning line” and a safety monitor. 

Walking and working surfaces should have the strength and integrity to support employees safely.  Floors should not be overloaded with materials and/or equipment over the approved load limits.  Elevated storage and other platforms should be marked with the load bearing weight.  Aisles and passageways should be clearly visible and allow space for both moving equipment and employees.  There should also be safe clearance room at all turns, doors, and passageways, and the areas should not be obstructed by physical barriers or stored materials.  Work environments should be kept neat and orderly, waste properly discarded, and floors kept clean.  Mats and grating could be used when appropriate. 

Hopefully, this year will bring fewer violations of this standard, as well as many others.  Training employees, protecting them from workplace injuries by better planning and housekeeping, and giving them the right PPE for each particular job will pay dividends for companies, along with the reward of a safe workday every day for each person.  That would be the best reward for everyone involved!

Eye Protection, General Safety Issues, Hand Protection, Head Protection, Protective Clothing

SOME “SHOCKING” FACTS ABOUT OSHA VIOLATIONS

We all understand that working with electricity can be dangerous, and only persons that have been trained in this field should attempt tasks that deal with it.  Engineers, electricians, and other professionals work with electricity directly, including overhead lines, cable harnesses, and circuit assemblies.  Others, such as office workers and sales people, work indirectly with electricity and may also be exposed to electrical hazards.  Therefore, it is surprising that there were so many violations and citations leveled against companies that ignored electrical standards, risking injury or even death to their employees. 

Because electricity has long been recognized as a serious workplace hazard, OSHA’s electrical standards are designed to protect those employees exposed to dangers such as electric shock, electrocution, fires, and explosions.  Two of the Top Ten Most Frequently Cited OSHA Standards violations for 2010 were #7 – Electric, Wiring Methods (CFR 1910.305), and #9 – Electric, General (CFR 1910.303).  On the Top Ten Highest Penalties assessed by OSHA for 2010, was another standard, Electric, General Requirements (CFR 1926.403), which was listed as #2 on that list. 

Electrical wiring in general refers to insulated conductors used to carry electricity, and associated devices.  This is in reference to providing power in buildings and structures.  Wiring safety codes are intended to protect people and buildings from electrical shock and fire hazards.  Regulations may be established by city, county, provincial/state or national legislation, sometimes by adopting in amended form a model code produced by a technical standards-setting organization (OSHA), or by a national standard electrical code. 

Companies should do their utmost to be in compliance with federal safety regulations.  There should be a safety program with defined responsibilities and training for workers.  Equipment should be marked with electrical safety labels.  Workers should realize what happens when there is an arc flash.  This is a short circuit through the air that can happen when conductors can’t support the voltage.  An arc flash can be as hot as 5,000 degrees Farenheit, and creates a brilliant flash of light and loud noise.  As radiant energy explodes out of the electrical equipment, hot gases and melted metal can endanger human life.  This is why there are four separate industry standards or electrical safety requirements in place to protect workers against arc flashes and electrical accidents. 

When working around electricity, the biggest hazard is always electric shock.  Although disconnecting the equipment from power sources and using non-conductive tools is important, there is still one last defense against shock: protective clothing.  Listed below are types of personal protective equipment (PPE),that should be worn:

  • Long, flame-resistant pants;
  • Safety goggles with side shields, or wraparound goggles;
  • Long sleeve, flame resistant shirt (synthetic materials can be flammable or melt into skin), or;
  • Hardhat with flame-resistant liner;
  • Hair fasteners (for those with long hair);
  • Leather work boots;
  • Leather work gloves. 

Everyone should treat electricity with respect, at home or work.  It’s important to follow manufacturers’ instructions (read them thoroughly),  read labels, and never overload circuits.  For those in the workplace, check and double-check safety regulations.

Fall Safety

COUNTING DOWN FOR SAFETY!

Yesterday, we began a series about OSHA’s Top Ten List for violations and citations for fiscal year October 1, 2009 through September 30, 2010.  Number One on the violations list was Scaffolding, Construction (29 CFR 1926.451).  Topping the list for citations and coming in second for violations is Fall Protection, Construction (29 CFR 1926.501).  Because construction is often done at elevated heights, the risk of injury and death from falling is greater than almost any industry in the United States.  The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that in a 7-year period, more than 4,500 American workers died as a result of falls.  Many workers  fall through existing openings in roofs, floors, skylights, temporary staircases, and off edges of roofs.

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There are many examples of persons losing their lives because they were not using the proper safety equipment.  One man was thrown from the bucket of a cherry picker when it was hit by a delivery truck.  Two other men were in the bucket with him, but were wearing harnesses.  Witnesses said he wasn’t even wearing a hardhat, let alone a harness.  Another worker fell from the 10th floor of a hotel that was under construction.  He was not wearing a harness, and climbed on the outside of a rail, despite being warned not to do so.

Contractors must identify all potential fall hazards in the workplace before work is to begin.  Any time a worker is at a height of six feet or more, he is at risk and needs protection from falling.  Some of the precautions to be taken are:

  • Proper training of employees in the use of the safety system.
  • Proper supervision of workers.
  • Compliance with safe work procedures at all times.
  • Selection of proper fall protection systems appropriate for each building site.
  • Proper construction and installation of safety system.
  • Being sure that everyone understands.  Language barriers have been known to be at the root of many accidents.

As with any job, each worker is responsible for his own safety.  Set an example by taking a few extra minutes to be sure that your safety equipment is going to work correctly.  Wear your harnesses or other fall protection equipment!  Others will follow suit, when they see that you are serious about safety.

Many persons are hurt by falling off ladders.  It is important to choose the right ladder for the job.  The ladder should extend three feet above the surface, and for every four feet in height of the ladder, the base should be one foot away from the wall.  There are three types of ladders:

1)      Type 1, which supports 250 lbs.

2)      Type 1A, which supports 300 lbs.

3)      Type 1AA, which supports 375 lbs.

Be sure to tie the ladder to fixed points – this will take about 5 minutes total for you to do at the beginning and end of the day, and could keep you safe.  One other thing, when working on a ladder, don’t carry materials or tools while climbing the ladder.  Use a tool belt, or install a rope and pulley system, or tie a rope around materials and pull them up when you reach the work surface.

Anyone who works in high places has my greatest admiration – I can’t even climb three feet off the ground!  It is obvious that when the same violations occur year after year, it’s an indication that employers and employees are making the same mistakes every year about compliance with OSHA standards.  This is a very serious threat to the safety and lives of thousands of construction workers.   So, we are repeating for all those who are involved in working in high places: Fall Protection, Construction, (29CFR 1926.501) was #1 in highest penalties assessed by OSHA for fiscal year 2010, and #2 in Top Ten Violations, fiscal year 2010.

Source: OSHA, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

General Safety Issues, Health Issues

“SUPER” TIPS FOR A SAFE SUPERBOWL PARTY

Chances are, whether you are a football fan or not, you may be planning to host or attend a party during Sunday’s Super Bowl.  Some folks could care less about the ballgame; however, it’s the commercials that grab their attention.  Either way, it’s a good excuse for a party, and being with friends and family.  Cheer on, and munch on, but do it safely!  No one wants to wind up “off-sides”  in the emergency room during or after the game! 

First, if you are the host: do not commit  this personal foul:  you do not want to penalize your guests by failing to follow these basic rules of food safety from the USDA:

  • Clean – Wash hands and surfaces often. Don’t commit “illegal use of hands!”
  • Separate – Don’t cross-contaminate.  Keep raw meat and poultry separate from cooked foods.
  • Cook – Use a food thermometer to ensure meat and poultry are safely cooked.
  • Chill – Refrigerate or freeze promptly.

We all understand the “two-minute” warning in football, but food safety has the “two-hour” rule.  Perishable food items that sit out for too long may not be safe to eat.  By using serving cold dishes nestled in bowls of ice, or warm items left in a heating source (slow cooker), foods will be safer.   Partially and undercooked foods are threats to food safety.  Using a food thermometer will ensure that meats are adequately cooked to the proper  temperatures.

Don’t get a false start.  Snack on some healthy items before the party to avoid overindulging.  Healthy snacks such as fruits, carrots, celery, and low-fat dips should be included in the menu.  Non-alcoholic beverages should be offered, as well.  Never chop block!  This happens when you chop raw veggies on the same cutting board that was used to cut up chicken or other raw meats.  Harmful bacteria can cross contaminate with other foods.  Clean the cutting board with hot soapy water after dicing one type of food and before starting on another. 

Help your guests avoid penalties!  If they plan to drink alcoholic beverages at your party, be sure they have a designated driver.   An accident would put a damper on everyone who attended the party, and no one ever wants an “instant replay” of a mishap because of drinking and driving. 

If you are attending a tailgate party, wear loose fitting, layered clothes, with the top layer being water repellent.  Drink warm liquids without caffeine or alcohol.  Alcohol causes the body to lose heat more quickly.  Stay active during the game – toss a football during breaks – you might even make a first down!  

This week is full of Super Bowl activities, leading up to the Big Game.  The Dallas-Fort Worth –Arlington area is going all out to welcome the Packers and Steelers teams, coaches, and fans.  Even Mother Nature is doing her part to make them feel right at home, with the coldest weather the area has seen in several years!  We know that won’t slow down the fans, and it’s our desire to see lots of them wearing their Packers and Steelers hardhats, to show their team support! 

If you are going to the game, allow plenty of time to reach your destination, and have a blast!  For those who are  giving a party, score big points by planning a safe one.   Some fans may get carried away while yelling for their team.  Stay far enough away from them that there’s no “roughing the viewer” flag!

Sources: USDA, CDC