Tag Archives: protection

Hand Protection

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT HAND PROTECTION

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If your need for gloves is for gardening or at-home jobs, there are specific types of gloves that fit the bill.  When your employment requires that you wear Personal Protective Equipment, including gloves, employers must conduct extensive hazard assessments to ensure that potential injury to hands of workers is avoided.  The employer should determine which type of protection is needed for the utmost safety, by selecting the proper glove, finger guards, or elbow-length glove that is appropriate for the task at hand.  There are numerous selections of work gloves, even gloves with a light on them for working under the hood of a car!  Whether you are an employer, employee, or performing jobs at home, it’s important to make the right choices.

Factors that should influence your decision in choosing gloves:

  • Types of chemicals you are exposed to.  Also the nature of contact (splash, total immersion.)
  • Duration of contact.  Area of body that requires protection.
  • Thermal Protection.
  • Abrasion/Resistance Required.
  • Mechanical hazards that you are around, such as rough, sharp objects, at home or work.
  • Proper fit to avoid dropping products in assembly.
  • Furnish good grip for wet/dry, hot/cold working conditions.
  • Styled for tasks that require delicate, intricate handling.
  • Gender specific.

Gloves generally fall into four groups:

It is important that employers are aware of any employees who are allergic to materials of gloves, such as latex, or those with powder.  Persons who are sensitized should have emergency identification specifying their allergy and carry a prescription for epinephrine from their allergist.  Workers must be prepared to recognize and treat a person who might go into anaphylactic shock.

Gloves serve a very important purpose for almost all walks of life: the medical field, military, law enforcement, and industrial environments.  They are necessary for certain jobs at home and many different sports.  Best of all, they help us stay warm!

Source: OSHA

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

FOR NASCAR FANS IN 2010

It’s just about time to rev up your engines!  NASCAR Series is about to kick off another season.  It’s fun to watch the races, but are you aware of how much planning for the safety of the drivers and crews has been put into this sport?  In the earlier days of racing, there was not as much emphasis put on safety, but following some high speed crashes that resulted in death, the industry has focused on everything from the construction of the cars to the gear the drivers and pit crews wear to ensure they are protected.

Here are some interesting facts regarding NASCAR safety of cars and drivers:

  • Roll cages – cages are built with steel tubing.  The middle section of the roll cage protects the driver because of its strong design.  The front clip on the cage will push the engine out of the bottom of the car in the event of a crash, rather than into the drivers’ compartment.
  • Seats – drivers are protected by seats that surround their rib cage and in some types, their shoulders as well.  Harnesses that restrain drivers are much stronger than seat belts in ordinary cars.
  • Wind nets – these keep drivers’ arms from flailing in case of being flipped, as well as keeping debris out of the drivers’ way.
  • Roof flaps – prevent cars from becoming airborne.  You’ll see these flaps if the cars are spinning; they slow down their speed and help the driver regain control of the car.
  • Fuel cells – 22-gallon tanks have built-in safety features to control the threat of explosion.  There is foam inside, which reduces slosh of fuel, and the amount of air in the cell.  In case of an ignition, the foam absorbs the explosion.
  • Restrictor plates – first installed for safety reasons, following a 1988 crash by driver Bobby Allison into a retaining fence racing at a speed of 210 mph, these plates are placed between the carburetor and intake manifold to slow the cars’ speed.  Some drivers now feel that the restrictor plates are the reason for many multi-car crashes.

Restrictor plates are used at two high-banked superspeedways, Talledega and Daytona.

  • Barriers – millions of dollars have been spent to construct barriers with materials that absorb crashes better than concrete.
  • HANS Device – a combination head and neck restraint that NASCAR requires drivers to wear.
  • Protective gear – drivers wear fire retardant suits made of Proban or Nomex material, which is also in the socks, gloves and shoes, as well as lining of their helmet.  Some drivers prefer to wear full-face helmets, while others say a full-face helmet restricts their peripheral vision and choose open-face with goggles.
  • Pit road safety – Pit members must wear helmets, firesuits, fire-retardant gloves, and it is recommended that tire changers wear safety glasses.  Also, race cars must enter the pit road at a safe speed, which is registered on their tachometer.

If you are lucky enough to make a NASCAR race, you may want to take along some sunscreen, noise blocking earplugs, and your own safety sunglasses!  Drive friendly!  Let’s hope for a super-safe 2010 racing season!

Fall Safety, General Safety Issues

FALL PREVENTION

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In the United States Construction industry, falls are the leading cause of worker fatalities.  An average of between 150-200 workers each year are killed and more than 100,000 injuries are the result of falls at construction sites.  Accidental falls are complex events resulting from either equipment-related or human issues.  Therefore, the standards for protection deal with both matters for success in preventing fall hazards.  Fall protection systems should be carefully designed for appropriate work situations.  Proper installation of safety systems, safe work procedures, training and supervision are necessary to ensure workers’ security, as well as the required Personal Protective Equipment.

Listed is a short glossary of fall prevention equipment that is appropriate for most endeavors:

  • Anchorage – Secure point of attachment for lanyards, lifelines or deceleration devices.
  • Body Harness – Straps secured about the person that distribute fall-arrest forces over thighs, pelvis, waist, chest and shoulders, which is attached to other parts of fall-arrest system.
  • Deceleration Device – Any mechanism: rope, grab, forms of lanyards, auto retracting lanyards that dissipate a substantial amount of energy during fall arrest.
  • Lanyard – Flexible line of rope or strap that has connectors to a deceleration device, lifeline, or anchorage.

Along with the proper use of fall-arrest devices, ladder safety is of prime importance.  Some tips from the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission include:

  • Always make sure weight does not exceed the maximum load, consider user weight plus material.
  • Be sure the ladder is the proper length: 3 feet minimum extending over working surface or roofline.
  • Use wooden or fiberglass ladders in the vicinity of power lines or electric equipment.
  • Don’t place ladder in front of door that is not guarded, blocked, or locked.
  • Follow instruction labels on ladders.
  • Don’t stand on the three top rungs of ladder.
  • Set the ladder up at a 75° angle.
  • Be sure locks on extension ladders are properly engaged.

Sources:
OSHA
CPSC

General Safety Issues, Head Protection

USE YOUR HEAD – WEAR THAT HARDHAT!

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The key to a successful safety program is to protect employees from head injuries.  The easiest and most important way is by wearing safety hard hats.

These protect workers from the shock of a blow to the head, and penetration.  The shell should be 1 to 1 ¼” away from the head to cushion impact, and the hardhat should have instructions for proper adjustment and replacement of suspension and headband.  Proper fit is of the utmost importance.

Most hard hats have slots to accommodate safety glasses, face shields, mounted lights, and/or earmuffs.

Three industrial classes of hardhats are:

  • Class A – Impact and penetration resistant and limited voltage protection – up to 2,200 volts.
  • Class B – Highest level of high-voltage shock and burn protection – up to 20,000 volts.  These protect from impact and penetration hazards such as falling/flying objects.
  • Class C – Lightweight comfort and important protection but not electrical hazard protected.

There are some important facts one should know about their hard hats:

  • Hard hats won’t last forever.
  • Hard hats should be replaced after no more than 5 years of use.
  • The suspension of a hard hat should be replaced after no more than 12 months of use.
  • Hard hats must meet ANSI Z89.1-2003 requirements.
  • Hard hat suspensions should not be interchanged with other manufacturers’ suspensions.
  • The service life of a hard hat starts when it is placed in use, not when it is manufactured.  This date should be placed inside the helmet.

Personal protective equipment such as hard hats, should be maintained in a sanitary and reliable condition.  It can only be effective if used properly and the user understands its care, maintenance, and limitations, according to OSHA 29 CFR 1910.132.

There was a time when hard hats were pretty “Plain Jane”, but no longer.  Workers can choose from NCAA/TEAM/NASCAR, World War II themes, Patriotic, Glow-In-The-Dark, customized ones with logos, and even Cowboy styles!  Different types of hard hats allow persons to reflect their personalities, as well as be safety compliant.