May 2011 Blog Posts (32)

Hoeganaes Corp. in Gallatin Tennessee is apparently a dangerous place to work. On Friday of last week five more people were injured, three critically burned, victims of another explosion at the plant. It's the third explosion or flash fire this year. A similar explosion in January killed two people; another explosion in March injured one person.

The plant which manufactures iron powder is now being investigated by the Chemical Safety Board (CSB). A previous investigation found 2" to…

The US Department of Transportation is planning on proposing mandatory Black Boxes in all passenger vehicles this year. (Highlight added)

While some may see it as an overstepping of the federal government and a new way for The Man to track us, it is hard to…

The National Council on Skin Cancer Prevention has designated that today, the Friday before Memorial Day as “Don’t Fry Day”. The goal of this campaign is to encourage sun safety awareness by reminding everyone to use sun protection while enjoying the outdoors. Start this Memorial weekend off by taking the pledge to not fry today or any day. Millions of Americans will be enjoying the unofficial start to summer this weekend and with all the excitement it is easy to forget to pack the…

This Old House, the TV show that has been on the air for many years now is, of course, on the web as well. www.thisoldhouse.com has a lot of great information for home owner who want to fix up their homes.

It also has an interesting collection of "Home Inspection Nightmares", many of which are serious safety issues as well. Here's a small sampling:

(Can you say "electrical shock"!)

(Another…

It's that time of year. Spring seems to bring out the gardener in all of us. At the first trace of sunshine and warmer weather we start to think about tending to the garden. This means, of course, that this is landscapers busiest season.

Landscapers and gardeners have safety issues that differ significantly from many of the safety issues in other industries. Because they are working outdoors they have to deal with environmental hazards (sunburn, heat stress, hypothermia, severe…

In an effort to deliver the latest in web-based tools to our PPE audience, Honeywell Safety Products has launched a new YouTube channel showcasing safety-related video content. Our videos focus on improving comfort, protection and safety compliance through instructional aids, product demonstrations and informative case studies. This channel was created to provide you with easy access to PPE solutions and encourage safety management.…

If you’re preparing to certify or recertify in Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) certification online, mastering a few simple study skills can bolster your chances of ACLS exam success.

Health Education Solutions, the leading online provider of Advanced Cardiac Life Support certification, offers these tips to help you make the most out of your…

Fire Departments, Police, Forensics, Forestry, SWAT, etc… all have their own specific and distinct jobs and functions. Most of the time they don't work together. There are times, however, when various agencies and departments have to join forces. These are the times when it's important that everyone know who's in charge and who answers to whom. This interdepartmental chain of command must be worked out ahead of time. The scene of an incident is not the time to be trying to figure it all…

One of the elements that is missing in many safety programs is the "why" behind the rule. The safety program may outline the need for Personal Protective Equipment as well as procedures for safety in the workplace but in order to get employees to buy into the safety culture necessary around the job site, it is important to let them know why it is important as well.

It is one thing to know that they are required to wear a hard hat in select areas but unless the employees clearly…

Click here for Poll on  LinkedIn

Just recently it was noted in a combustible dust rulemaking discussion that stakeholders do not believe Fire Marshals and Fire Chiefs have subject matter expertise on combustible dust related fires that occur in manufacturing facilities. This is an interesting train of thought. Especially since the professional fire service responds to…

Okay… this one is just too weird for words. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) website has a whole section dedicated to surviving and being prepared in case of a "Zombie Apocalypse".

No, I'm not kidding! Check it out for yourself!

(Click on the above photo to go to the CDC "Preparedness 101 – Zombie Apocalypse")

It's actually a cute…

Today we'll learn how to ground power lines safely. We are learning this in

order to perform more cellular site work on powerline transmission towers.The

tower on the left below is actually home to a cell site, in this case a

"Cricket" cell site.The antennas are on the very top. These antennas are what

makes…

Three Dog Night used to sing "Open up the window let some air into this room"! With spring in full swing (depending on where you are reading this from) I know that for our family getting air circulation going again is paramount. According to the EPA, indoor air quality ranks in the top 5 most urgent environmental risks. Studies have found that indoor air pollution can be anywhere from 2 to 100 times higher than the air outside your home or place of work.

The first and most obvious…

With the record floods and tornadoes sweeping through the nation, it's a good time to stop and consider how to keep workers safe during cleanup and recovery.

OSHA provides an extremely comprehensive database of documents specific to cleanup and recovery. They've got fact sheets and Quickcards on just about anything you can think of.

Here's a partial list with the links to download them:

Fact…

OSHA is stepping up its initiative for awareness and prevention of workplace illness and injury. Part of that initiative is a new section on their website.

The Injury and Illness Prevention Programs webpage covers "related OSHA documents", "Effective…

A couple of days ago we talked about the different kinds of materials and which material was best for which chemical when dealing with safety cans. When these cans need to be stored, however, there is another consideration that presents itself.

While there is no regulation that requires you to store different types of chemicals in different color cabinets, it has become, not only common practice but also simple good sense. The truth is that fire departments and emergency responders…

Have a look at the box of disposable gloves that you use. Does it claim to be "100%" latex, nitrile or natural rubber? While perhaps unintentionally, that statement, is actually misleading. In the case of nitrile gloves, what they probably mean to communicate is that it contains no latex at all as one of the main reasons that people switch to nitrile has to do with latex allergies. The fact of the matter is that all of these materials require some type of plasticizer and/or activation agent…

Rising gas prices isn’t the only thing that is causing panic on the road. Distracted driving is an epidemic that is sweeping the highways and roadways, causing many injuries and fatalities.  DOT reports that in 2009, more than 5.400 people died in crashes linked to distraction and thousands more were injured. Text messaging is often the cause of distracted drivers which has led thirty states to ban the practice for all drivers.  Employers who allow or encourage texting while driving are in…