5. Unexpected movement hazards

We need to start, perhaps, by explaining what an unexpected movement hazard is. Unexpected movements are essentially the opposite of expected movements. When we hear a back-up alarm we expect the vehicle to start backing up; when we see brake lights coming on, we expect the vehicle in front of us to stop or at least slow down. When back up alarms don't work, brake lights fail to come on, accidents happen.

The same thing applies in the workplace,…

4. Poor housekeeping

There was a book that hit the best seller list a number of years ago entitled "All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten" by Robert Fulghum. Today's unsafe condition falls into this category. Remember what your mother used to tell you about cleaning up after yourself, about putting your toys away after you'd finished playing with them, about keeping your room clean? Apparently some of us never did properly learn these lessons. Poor housekeeping is a…

3. Fire and explosion hazards

A quick scan in Wikipedia of the worst industrial accidents of the past few years make obvious how serious today's unsafe condition is; fires and explosions make up a huge percentage of the accidents. Just this past year, sugar dust at Imperial Sugar caused an explosion that was labeled "the deadliest industrial explosion in the United States in decades" (See the…

2. Lack of a proper warning system

My wife, bless her, talks to the people in the movie that she is watching. Maybe you do to. She can't help herself. She wants to warn whoever is about to walk into a dangerous situation about the imminent danger. Needless to say, they never listen to her. J

Unfortunately this same frustration can exists in the workplace when a proper warning system isn't in place. In the workplace, unlike when…

Having just finished the "Unsafe Actions – The Deadly Dozen" series, we are now going to turn to the "unsafe conditions", listing the top 12 unsafe conditions that contribute to injuries and fatalities in the workplace.

1. Lack of proper guards.

We looked at this issue in part under #6 of the unsafe actions under "Removing Guards".

Not all missing…

Today we round out our unsafe actions deadly dozen.

To recap 1-11

1. Unauthorized use or operation of equipment.

2. Failure to secure or tie down materials to prevent unexpected movement.

3.…

11. Horseplay

Today's unsafe action is closely related to yesterdays' which was "riding equipment not designed for passengers".

Horseplay is defined as goofing around, joking, rough play and/or playing pranks on fellow employees. It is essentially the opposite of what employees should be doing in the workplace.

This does not mean that work can't be fun or that workers should walk around with somber faces and never laugh. Horseplay, however, ignores safety and/or the…

10. Riding equipment not designed for passengers.

This may sound like a no-brainer but the problem is often that people often don't use their brains, especially when it comes to safety. What we are talking about here is riding on the forks of the forklift, riding or "surfing" the conveyor belts, "scootering" with the pallet jack (have a look at this YouTube video to see what I mean and what can happen when you…

9. Servicing moving equipment

This unsafe action simply falls in the category of "too lazy or in too big a hurry to do it right"! Almost all of the injuries in today's unsafe action are caused by a worker trying to "quickly" fix something without stopping operations. A worker notices that something is in the way, something is stuck to a moving part or a moving part isn't functioning as it should. Rather than shut the machine off, the worker figures he can just reach in and fix the…

8. Standing in an unsafe place or assuming an improper posture (as in lifting).

Our unsafe action for today is actually two different unsafe actions.

1. Standing in an unsafe place
   
   All workplaces have "unsafe zones". An unsafe zone is any spot or location where the probability of injury is higher than other areas. This could be high traffic areas, areas that are in the path of moving parts or equipment, loading and unloading areas, areas where…

7. Improperly using tools or equipment.

The above photo is a perfect illustration of the deadly dozen # 7 of today. Bobcats are not intended to be the base for a scaffold. There's a big accident just waiting to happen here! One can only hope that someone had the sense to lockout the bobcat but again, the kind of people who would do or allow this kind of thing probably aren't known for their smarts or concern for safety.

While this photo is maybe somewhat…

So far, we have looked at the first 5 of the deadly dozen. These include:

1. Unauthorized use or operation of equipment.

2. Failure to secure or tie down materials to prevent unexpected movement.

3.…

Today's deadly dozen unsafe actions is…

5. Using defective tools or equipment.

One of my hobbies, one I haven't done in a couple years now, used to be rock climbing. Contrary to what a lot of people think, rock climbing, if done properly, is extremely safe. One of the basic rules of rock climbing is that any metallic piece of equipment that takes a fall of over 4 feet onto a hard surface, is retired immediately. Why? Because a visual inspection is not enough. The carabiner…

Today we continue to examine the unsafe actions deadly dozen. We've already seen 1, 2 and 3. Today is…

4. Failure to warn or signal as required.

You know the guy who suddenly pulls into your lane with no warning when you're driving down the road? Annoying isn't he? In the workplace it goes beyond annoying; failure to signal or warn can be extremely dangerous and even fatal. It's why we have backup alarms on vehicles.

Failure to warn can be as simple as the…

Today we continue our series on the deadly dozen.

3. Working or operating equipment too fast.

There's a good reason why there are posted speed limits. There's also a good reason why your mom told you to "slow down and concentrate!"

Unfortunately, when productivity is the issue, speed is often of the essence. Pick up a copy of "The Jungle" by Upton Sinclair, a book detailing the working conditions in the…

Today we continue our series on the deadly dozen unsafe actions.

2. Failure to secure or tie down materials to prevent unexpected movement.

We have talked before, under forklift safety about the need to secure loads. Uneven ground, sudden braking, uneven loads, etc… can all cause the load to shift and fall.

Forklift loads, however, aren't the only things…

The list of the 12 most unsafe actions can be found in various publications, websites and safety talk sheets. We are going to look at each one of them, one by one, over the next few days.

1. Unauthorized use or operation of equipment.

Most equipment and machinery requires training before an employee is allowed to use it, operate it or drive it. There is a very good reason for this. I'm remembering the episode of "The Office" where Michael gets on the…