July 2011 Blog Posts (31)

You've been put in charge of the evacuation drill at your place of business? Don't even know where to start? Need a spill report form?

http://ooshew.com has a list of some of the most basic forms available for download in MS Word or PDF format. The list of forms which can be found at http://ooshew.com/about/hse-templates/ is as follows:

• Confined Space Entry Assessment Form:…

The tragic deaths of three people this past week at Yosemite National Park has a strange connection with workplace safety and that is namely "How much protection and warning is enough?"

In case you missed the news story… three hikers climbed over the railing, ignoring signs that warned of the danger of doing so as well as ignoring the advice of others present, died when they were swept over the falls. One of the three slipped and started to slide, the other two, in an effort to save…

By Jack Cameron

I will be honest. I have never been crazy about climbing on ladders. I cannot really trace it back to any particularly traumatizing event or anything. I suppose it is just that bit of me that knows I have fallen before and if I fell from a ladder, it could be very bad. If I deconstruct it, I know that I do not actually mind being on the ladder and once I have gotten to…

Thunder and lightning storms are such a common weather conditions during the summer months that people often ignore the risks. But according to the National Weather Service, lighting is nothing to fool around with. It kills over 50 people in the United States every year, and starts countless wildfires, which often threaten lives and property. Lightning also injures many people and causes power outages and other damage.

The National Weather Service says that there are…

WASHINGTON – Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis today issued the following statement regarding continued record temperatures:



"Four weeks into the summer, the nation continues to experience record heat. For outdoor workers, this means being at risk for heat-related illnesses, including heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Employers must take the precautions needed to protect outdoor…

Skin Cancer Awareness and Prevention

Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States. The two most common types of skin cancer—basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas—are highly curable. However, melanoma, the third most common skin cancer, is more dangerous. About 65%–90% of melanomas are caused…

I've posted a few of these "Fails" as related to safety over the years on this blog (a list of some of them came be found on this page, another list on this page) and, because there are still quite a few people who are either too stupid to realize or just don't…

I just joined several groups on safetycommunity.com and I don't see any fresh material, why? These sections should serve as great resources and nobody seems to be taking advantage of a good thing,

What's it take to get some action?

Regards,

Jerry Culbert CSM, CEM, CBCP

ARS & Associates, LLC

978 790-5677

Convergence Training just came out with another 5 training DVDs. They are as follows:

Safety & Health Basic - This DVD covers basic guidelines and best practices for safety in a variety of industrial workplaces. From identifying and avoiding common workplace hazards to housekeeping and incident…

Here's an interesting article from the Los Angeles Times. In spite of what you might think about the way old people drive when they're in front of you, apparently it's safer to let them drive your kids around than it is to entrust them to your spouse (or yourself for that matter). Here's the catch though, Grandparents are more likely to get in an accident…

Prepatellar bursitis, a painful swelling of the fluid sack over the kneecap, is a common work-related injury, especially among those who spend prolonged periods kneeling, squatting, crouching, or working on hands and knees. Often known as miner's knee—or the old "housemaid's knee"—general symptoms of these knee injuries include pain, swelling, warmth in the knee joint, and difficulty bending the knee.

PREVENTION

Here are some suggestions from a NIOSH…

1. Any fatality
2. Any accident that required the hospitalization of even one employee
3. Any amputation

Skylights are not new nor are the dangers associated with them. Skylights were first conceived by the VELUX founder, Mr. Villum Kann Rasmussen and became increasingly popular in the wake of WWII. (TheBestSkylights.com)  With Europe in ruins, and struggling with shortages in viable commercial and residential space, Mr. Rasmussen's 1942 patented skylights became the perfect…

SUMMERTIME SAFETY FROM A TO Z

Clear skies, softball games, cool water and a family vacation, all images of summer at its best. Summer also presents many safety hazards, making it a good time review.

A – ABC's of safety, Always Be Careful with Safety Awareness, safety is in everything we do,24 hours a day, building good safety habits and awareness will help save lives, prevent…

I remember well the 6.9 earthquake we experienced here in Seattle a few years back.

I also remember that it took me 3 hours to get home (a distance of 13 miles) and that cell phones were overtaxed so that there was no way to call anyone. The whole way home, all I could do as I sat in traffic that wasn't moving was to listen to the radio reports and pray that my loved ones were okay. As it turns out, there were no fatalities except for a man who suffered a heart attack. This was a…

If you're using laundered shop towels in your facility, you might be exposing yourself to elevated levels of heavy metals, levels that exceed what's allowed in drinking water. Apparently the problem is getting worse and worse. The latest study, commissioned by Kimberly-Clark, found "that 'clean' shop towels sampled from 26 different industrial sites were significantly more contaminated with heavy metals than in 2003."

Because the supposedly "clean" towels contain heavy metals…

Imagine that you are an employee scheduled for a safety training class. You walk into the room and grab a seat towards the back. The safety instructor begins to drone on about the importance of safety procedures. The guys behind you are talking and you can’t hear what the instructor is saying. You start to wonder,…

Got Arc Flash issue? FR issues? Log on and register for this Webinar by National Safety Apparel, one of the top FR clothing manufacturers.

NIOSH, which has studied shiftwork safety issues for years, suggests these seven practical strategies to improve the safety, health, and productivity of shiftworkers.

1. Keep the schedule regular and predictable. Shiftworkers should know their schedules well ahead of time so that they can plan their sleep and rest periods. Past studies of train accidents show a correlation between irregular schedules and accidents.

2. Keep consecutive…

Got ladders? Got workers who use those ladders? The www.Laddersafetytraining.com is the website for you. Here's what they have to say about what they offer:

"This free training site is intended to provide you the proper techniques to select, inspect, set-up, use and care for the various ladder styles." "These training modules were developed by the American Ladder Institute to promote safe practices in…