Tag Archives: Work Safety

Paying attention to health and safety can protect a business’ bottom-line. In the newspapers, there are regularly stories about “Health and Safety Gone Mad,” but in many cases it turns out is not health and safety to blame for the problem in the article, but is due to other factors, such as insurance policies, or overzealous ‘jobsworths’, or workers lying about safety regulations due to laziness or incompetence.

In reality, health and safety should be a benefit for businesses, and not just because it prevents accident at work compensation claims. Occupational cancer costs the UK’s economy £30 billion every year, and workplace accident claims or industrial disease claims are responsible for a huge number of missed working days.

Prosecutions or enforcement notices can cost businesses a fortune, but investing in health and safety counts for more than just avoiding these expenses. The Health and Safety Executive estimates businesses have to pay out between eight and thirty-six times as much money as insurers following accident at work compensation claims.

Major workplace accident claims can easily spell the end of a business – fires, explosions or the death of workers can be impossible for firms to fully recover from. Employers who lose a member of staff in fatal workplace accidents caused by negligence will undoubtedly experience emotional difficulties, including guilt and anxiety, and this can be very hard to cope with.

Businesses can spend years building up worker morale, only to have their efforts ruined because of a personal injury leading to an accident at work compensation claim. If workers feel like they are not safe in their employment, they will be unhappy, and if they regularly take time off because of avoidable injuries, or have to continue working while injured, they could become irritated by the negligence they are subjected to.

Strong leadership and positive business management prevents accidents at work

Providing strong leadership on health and safety issues, and integrating them into the rest of a management system, can inspire workers and help to maintain a positive safety culture. Personal injury claims can also be avoided by developing good communication, supporting employees when whistleblowing and enabling people to discuss workplace safety confidently.

Not all businesses are supportive of whisletleblowing – the large-scale construction industry in particular has been found to blacklist whisleblowers, although many medical negligence claims could be somewhat due to a ‘culture of silence’ within the NHS.

However, maintaining strong management and handling whistleblowers in a supportive manner can make all the difference to workplace health and safety and help to avoid accident at work compensation claims.

Health and safety should be a part of every aspect of a company, from human resources, to environment, to management, to personnel development. It is worth considering health and safety throughout a business’ operations – it is not just good for business, it is essential.

Most companies should be able to implement effective health and safety in-house; those that cannot could consider hiring consultancy services to help them.

Hellen Geek has worked alongside professional indemnity insurance firms when deciding the total value of clinical negligence claims and http://www.clearwatersolicitors.co.uk/personal-injury/accidents-at-work/accident at work compensation. She is passionate about raising standards in hospitals and other healthcare settings, and supporting doctors as well as patients. She lives in Somerset and loves the beautiful fields and farms around her small cottage.

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

PROTECTING YOURSELF WHILE WORKING (GUEST POST)

June 16, 2013 pat brownlee

There are many kinds of jobs today that require safety. These kinds of jobs are usually the ones that are involved in commercial as well as industrial and construction sites. If you are working on a construction site then there are some certain things you should do in order to protect yourself from getting harmed or injured. Through this short article, you will read some safety tips that will help you through.

Tip #1: Wear protective clothing and gear

It is very imperative that you wear the right kind of protective gear and clothing in order to protect yourself from those injuries. This is very important especially if you are going to work on a construction site. There are many falling debris and such that would actually cause you harm as well as injuries. There are different kinds of protective clothing and gear which you should wear like hardhats, thick gloves, and boots as well as clothing. These should be provided by the company you are working for. Make sure that your company will provide you such kind of protection.

Tip #2: Insurance

It is very essential that your company will provide you full insurance coverage in case of accidents. You never know just when an accident might occur. There are various kinds of insurance which your company must provide such as life insurance, accident coverage, as well as medical protection. With these, you are sure that you will get the protection as well as services you need in case something happened to you. Your family will also be safe and protected.

Tip #3: Hazardous documents and license

If you are going to work on a power plant company or construction site, it is important that the company has all the important documents and papers showing that they have all the rights and authorization to hire such people to work for them. This is very important to ensure that you will be protected in case an accident occurs.

It also must have proper ways of handling those hazardous waste materials. Without this, then you are only putting yourself on the edge of an accident, health issues or worse, even death.

It is very essential that you get to know more about the job you will take. The company must provide all the training and protection you need. This way, you will not only be able to stay productive for them but will also get the protection you need for yourself and for your family.

Lance Rand is a freelance writer who writes various topics for different online clients. He also currently blogs for spicnspanplumbing.com.au – a company that provides innovative emergency plumbing Sydney solutions.

General Safety Issues

BLOG4SAFETY THIRD WEEK IN A ROW! TOP 25 SAFETY ARTICLES, WEEK OF MARCH 8TH (GUEST POST)

March 10, 2013 pat brownlee

Top 25 Safety Articles of the Week: March 8

Posted by Erin Raub in Weekly Roundups

Something this simple can save your family’s lives.

It’s the little things in life, right? And while the phrase usually refers to life’s simple pleasures, “little things” can really be a lot of things. Like an inexpensive, compact fire ladder that saves a man’s life as he flees from a burning building.

Yes, it is the little things in life – little things that allow us to continue enjoying life. Safety measures are so important, not as a way to incite paranoia or fear but as prevention. We’ve all heard the maxim, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. So this week, we’re focusing on not just the latest safety news but also on the latest ways to prevent data fraud, childhood illness, and more. Be safe!

Home Safety

Lauren of Safety Source, the blog for the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), shares with us a new tip sheet on outdoor electrical safety.
If I haven’t yet convinced you of the importance of a fire safety plan, then you have to read this week’s story from John of the Culture of Safety on how a fire ladder saved a man’s life.

Family & Child Safety

The Kids With Food Allergies Foundation shares evidence that certain airborne chemicals have been linked to immunoglobulin E (IgE) and asthma.
The Huff Post and Moms Rising question the presence of questionably effective, possibly dangerous chemical flame retardants in kids’ products, like nap mats and pajamas.
If you worry about your young driver acting irresponsibly in the car, KidSafe this week featured a new invention that stops teens from texting while driving. (I wish I could install in on every adult I ever pass while driving!)
Tim from uKnowKids does it again, this time offering up some valuable info that is also heartwarming: check out his roundup of current anti-bullying and anti-cyberbullying movements around the U.S.
Alison the SafetyMom hits the nail on the head with this week’s post, titled with the self-explanatory With Parenting Styles, One Size Does Not Fit All. You got that right!
Free Range Mom Lenore always brings us the latest on all things preventing kids from being kids, and this week she has some uplifting news: a public call to ditch the “misguided security blanket” afforded by helicopter parenting policies, and focus on the real problem: red tape and lawsuits.
Pets are important members of the family, but we don’t always apply the same precautions to our furry friends as we do to our kids. Jim Tedford, Director of Animal Welfare Initiatives and Alliances, gives us all the details on pet-proofing to prevent poisoning.
And speaking of your four-legged family members, Natalie Lester, a PetSafe Brand Communications Specialist, shows us how one door + one containment system can = independence for your pup.

Mobile & Cyber Safety

Last Watchdog Byron reminds us that being on a smartphone or tablet does not make us invulnerable to data stealing, especially with the latest scams that have you clicking on links you never intended.
Brian of Krebs on Security warns that suspicious activity this week prompted a password reset for all Evernote users, while Oracle’s Java also issued its third critical security update in a month.
If you’ve ever been interested in the online dating scene, don’t miss this article from Safe Kids (they care about parents’ safety, too!) on online dating safety tips.
Tim, of uKnowKids, clues us in to the latest sex trafficking scheme – using Facebook to find victims – and how you can protect your kids.
If you’ve ever lost or had your smartphone stolen, Scott from A Silver Lining reminds us that these little touch-screens are actually mini-computers – and need to be treated as serious security risks.
David of We Live Security has some excellent points on how hundreds of thousands of Facebook likes can be deceptive (and completely wrong). The article reminds me of what my mom always asked: If all your friends jumped off a bridge, would you do it too?
Lisa, of Sophos Naked Security, peels apart the onion layers (it’ll certainly make you cry) of the latest debit-card fraud – scammers pretending to protect your from scammers.

Senior Safety

Ryan of Inside Elder Care reminds us to really dig into the policies of our parents’ or other loved ones’ assisted living or nursing care communities. What will happen in an emergency? Will community staff perform CPR?
Susan at Help! Aging Parents gives us some pointers on helping our parents make the best decisions for their health, like whether they should get life-changing surgeries.
The Aging Wisely blog develops a debate about the work-family balance, and how it applies to work-at-homers and eldercare.
Safety Mom Alison features a really cool infographic on the “communication lifeline” – the relationship between caregiver and seniors. Alison is also hosting a Twitter party on March 13 to discuss signs your aging parents need help.

Work Safety

In the U.S., construction mishaps account for 17 percent of all work-related accidents. Carl at Blog4Safety provides 5 tips for a safer construction workplace.
Blog4Safety gives us another good one on how to identify the dangers of asbestos.
And speaking of creating a safer workplace, Kevin from the Safety at Work Blog discusses the lack of a “safety culture” for employers and employees.
If you’re in the U.S., your time is going to change this weekend. Roy at The Society for Human Resource Management reminds us all to be careful that sleep deprivation doesn’t lead to workplace accidents next week.

Thanks, Erin, for including us in your top twenty-five list of safety articles. You offer a whole range of reading for our supporters, and we are honored to be part of it. Pat

General Safety Issues

ENSURING THAT EVERYONE UNDERSTANDS SAFETY

March 9, 2010 Gary

Safety Meetings and Safety Training are conducted to keep you safe while you earn your pay. But what if these meetings were presented in a language that you didn’t know? America has always been known as a Melting Pot, with immigrant workers coming from all over the world. Many of them are from disadvantaged countries, and work in seasonal jobs such as agriculture. Others work in construction, mining, and industries with high mortality rates. Some are machine operators, assemblers, cleaners, and helpers. Limited English proficiency may be a direct contributor to workplace injuries or fatalities.

OSHA has a history of requiring employers to train their employees in a manner that they understand. If they don’t speak English, then preparation for their job tasks, as well as safety and health training, is to be conveyed in the language that they understand. If the employee’s vocabulary is limited, training must account for that limitation. Simply telling them to read training materials will not satisfy the employer’s obligation. OSHA also requires employers to verify that employees have acquired the knowledge and skills for which they have been trained; i.e., lockout/tagout, respiratory protection, bloodborne pathogens, etc.

Having worked for an oilfield construction company in West Texas several years ago, I know there were many of our employees that didn’t understand or speak English, and were dependent on their Spanish-speaking supervisors to instruct them. They worked hard for minimum wage, and did a good job. But there were injuries, as well.

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health shares these examples of how they are working to improve problems that immigrant workers face:

§ The NIOSH Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) program identifies and studies work-related injury deaths, with the goal of identifying effective prevention measures.
§ Through on-site investigations, NIOSH and cooperating states collect detailed circumstances for select incident types, including deaths of Hispanic workers since 2002.
§ Targeted research programs focused on the construction and agricultural sectors, both of which employ a disproportionate share of immigrant workers.
§ An occupational health disparities program, which is conducting research on the causes and prevention of occupational health disparities including those experienced by immigrant workers.
§ A Spanish language website and translation of several NIOSH publications into Spanish.
§ An innovative information and communication effort with the Spanish-language television network Telemundo and other partners, in which construction safety messages were incorporated dramatically into a widely watched prime-time series, and supplemented with a public service announcement and a special website.

Companies and their supervisors are responsible for the safety of all workers, must understand the hazards of their job, as well as the importance of wearing Personal Protective Equipment, and how to take care of it. If employees see a co-worker that is at risk, regardless of a language barrier, or any other reason, they need to reach out and help. That way, everyone stays safe!

Eye Protection, General Safety Issues

TWO THINGS YOU MUST PROTECT

January 29, 2010 Doug 2 Comments

Your eyes are two very important parts of your body that must always be protected. We may take our senses of vision, smell, taste, hearing and feeling for granted, but if you lose your eyesight, your whole world can be changed in an instant. Since January is National Eye Care Month, we think it’s a good idea to focus on this subject.

Workplace eye-related injuries account for approximately 94,500 people being treated in U.S. hospitals, according to Prevent Blindness America. Employers and employees must be educated about hazards that workers face on a daily basis. Prevent Blindness America has categorized the top causes of eye injuries at work, and we want to pass that on to you:

Product Categories Est’d Injuries Per Year
Tools (power,portable,manual, other)   19,458
Welding Equipment    15,338
Adhesives      5,733
Bleaches (non-cosmetic)      5,580
House Repair/Construction      4,476
Lawn Mowers   4,388
Paints, Varnishes,Shellacs,Removers   3,434
Chemicals      3,350

In an article we presented last year, “Focusing on Occupational Eye Injuries”, welding equipment led the number of work-related eye injuries last year, and tools came in second. We can see by the statistics there is still much work to do regarding training and proper use of Work Safety Products. After assessing the particular hazards by management/safety personnel at your workplace, the determination should be made regarding what type of eye/face protection is needed. There are all types of safety glasses: wraparound, side-shields that fit on temples of glasses, goggles, and faceshields. Our wonderful gift of vision could be lost in a split second by not taking that few seconds to put on eye safety gear.

OSHA states that thousands of workers are blinded annually in work-related eye injuries that could have been prevented with selection and use of proper eye protection. Costs to employers are more than $300 million annually in lost production time, medical expenses, and worker compensation.

So, it benefits both the employer and employee to be aware of the hazards their workplace may contain. And, as you can see in the list, there are many items listed above that we use at our homes, as well. The next time you mow your lawn, why not put on a pair of safety glasses? What could it hurt?

General Safety Issues, Head Protection

USE YOUR HEAD – WEAR THAT HARDHAT!

November 2, 2009 Doug 1 Comment

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.

General Safety Issues, Uncategorized

A VERY HAZORDOUS JOB…REFUSE COLLECTORS

October 21, 2009 Doug

In our series about dangerous jobs in America, one particular job keeps popping up on several “top ten” lists: refuse collectors. Also known as garbage collectors, these folks are waste management professionals. Their job not only includes collecting refuse for disposal, but also for recycling, which has become a very important plan in keeping our planet green.
This occupation is probably one that we take for granted: we know they are going to make their stop by our house regularly. One thing for sure – they face many hazards in their job performance. Statistics from the Bureau of Labor show that for every 100,000 workers, 43 in this occupation die annually.

Some of the dangers they face are:

Getting hit by passing cars;

Falling off trucks;

Getting compressed in equipment;

Handling chemicals, toxic materials, or contaminated needles that haven’t been disposed of properly;

Working in all kinds of weather;

Getting cut by glass.

Experiencing strains and sprains, and overexertion from jumping off and on trucks.

Recycling is the secondary smelting and refining of nonferrous metals and used scrap. Workers in recycling also risk being struck by objects, getting caught in equipment, and being exposed to hazardous materials.

When a little boy I knew was about 9 years old, we asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up. His answer was very sincere: he either wanted to be an airplane pilot or a garbage man. While being a garbage man or refuse collector may not be as glamorous as a pilot, the person doing the job is a very important part of the waste management community.

Eye Protection, First Aid Safety, General Safety Issues, Hand Protection, Protective Clothing

DO YOU WORK WITH CHEMICALS?

October 16, 2009 Doug

More than 32 million workers are potentially exposed to one or more chemical hazards; there are over 650,000 existing chemical hazards in more than 3 million workplaces, and new ones being developed annually. OSHA’s Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) requires chemical manufacturers to evaluate hazards and furnish information through labels and more detailed Material Safety Data Sheets, which are to be included with shipments of their products. Failure to do so is a serious violation of the standard.

Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) are also available at the workplace, and should be readily accessible to each work shift, as they are designed to instruct workers and emergency personnel on procedures for handling/working with certain substances in a safe way. This system catalogues information on chemicals, chemical compounds and chemical mixtures that contain potential hazardous materials. Labels, MSDS, and proper training are to be utilized to identify and prevent occupational injuries or health problems of workers. Because more comprehensive information is contained in the MSDS, it is important that each employee understands how to use them. Continuous training is also important, as there will be new employees, different chemicals, or different methods in use. MSDS binders should be kept up-to-date.

Employers and workers should determine the correct PPE to be furnished, such as foot protection, medical protective clothing, etc., depending on the type of work environment. Employees have the right to know what they are going to be exposed to, and the best way to avoid health or safety risks that apply.

At home, one should read labels on cleaning products or sprays, as they contain harmful chemicals, as well. Carcinogens, volatile organic compounds and phosphates are three types of such chemicals. They are contained in items such as oven cleaners, floor wax, laundry detergent, and air fresheners. Each type of chemical is related to different health risks and environmental damage.

Work Safety Blog

Tag Archives: Work Safety

HEALTH & SAFETY REDUCES WORKPLACE ACCIDENTS – AND IS GOOD FOR BUSINESS! (GUEST POST)

PROTECTING YOURSELF WHILE WORKING (GUEST POST)

TOP TWENTY-FIVE SAFETY ARTICLES FOR WEEK MARCH 22 (GUEST POST)

Home Safety

Family & Child Safety

Food Safety

Mobile & Cyber Safety

Senior Safety

Work Safety

BLOG4SAFETY THIRD WEEK IN A ROW! TOP 25 SAFETY ARTICLES, WEEK OF MARCH 8TH (GUEST POST)

Home Safety

Family & Child Safety

Mobile & Cyber Safety

Senior Safety

Work Safety

TOP TWENTY-FIVE SAFETY ARTICLES OF THE WEEK: FEB. 22, 2013 (GUEST POST)

Home Safety

Family & Child Safety

Online Safety

Work Safety

ENSURING THAT EVERYONE UNDERSTANDS SAFETY

TWO THINGS YOU MUST PROTECT

USE YOUR HEAD – WEAR THAT HARDHAT!

A VERY HAZORDOUS JOB…REFUSE COLLECTORS

DO YOU WORK WITH CHEMICALS?

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