Machine Guards If a machine has a part, function or process, which can cause injury, it needs a safeguard. Guards are installed on machinery to protect you and others from injury. This means that when a machine is in operation, its guards must be in place. A guard must never be bypassed or removed during use. If a guard is removed for machine cleaning or repairing, it must be put back into place before reuse or storage. Before beginning any work on a machine, check its moving parts to make sure that all guards are properly functioning and securely in place. Checking...

Office Safety - Avoid Common Office Injuries It is generally accepted that in heavy industry, you'll find dangerous work environments that expose employees to potential injury. But fewer companies recognize the potential risks found in everyday office environments. Office work, too, can lead to injuries if appropriate safe work practices are not followed. Learn to avoid these common hazards: Musculoskeletal strains and sprains associated with material handling: If you must walk and carry an object, make sure the object is carried in a way that avoids blocking your vision. Never lift objects that are too heavy to handle comfortably. Get help,...

PPE - Picking The Proper Gloves Your hands are one of your most valuable assets. Without them, you wouldn't be able to touch, hold, feel write or gesture. In fact, you couldn't do much of anything. Too often, however, we take them for granted. We don't pay attention to how we treat or mistreat them! Just a few examples of when your hands should be protected is whenever you are cutting, painting, welding, or handling sharp metal, chemicals, needles, or blood samples. And it is very important to wear the right gloves for each specific task since no one glove protects...

Foundation Construction Foundation construction can involve power and cutting tools, excavations, the use of concrete and mortar, and other techniques that require training and proper safety equipment. First, wear personal protective equipment suitable for the job.  Safety shoes protect your feet from crushing injuries and punctures.  Long pants and sleeves protect your skin from cuts, scratches, and exposure to chemicals and concrete.  A hard hat protects your head from falling items and bumps.  Wear leather gloves when moving equipment and materials, wear chemical resistant gloves if you work with chemicals and concrete.  Consider hearing protection and a respirator for specific job sites...

Die Setting Safety Die setting safety - Die setters set up, maintain, and operate presses and cutting machines used to form and cut metal, plastic and other materials into shapes for manufacturing. The die plate sets can be casting shapes, cutting implements, or press plates. Die plates are usually manually inserted into machinery and adjusted so the tooling will function properly and safely. Die setters require proper training and awareness of the hazards involved with this work. Most importantly, die setters must be familiar with the process and safety features of the machinery that they operate. When performing setup and maintenance on...

Cemetery Worker Safety A cemetery worker operates year round and in all weather. Tasked with job duties including grounds keeping, excavating, and equipment moving and setup, cemetery workers should use good work practices and get training on job hazards such as field safety, ergonomics, and excavation. Grave digging at a cemetery may be done by hand or with excavating equipment. Before you dig, ensure that there are no underground hazards such as pipes or utilities; don’t assume the area is clear. Get training on the use and maintenance of excavating equipment and inspect it before each use. If you use manual digging...

The Hazards Of Silica Dust Crystalline silica is a common mineral in the earth's crust and is found in many types of rock including sand, quartz, and granite. Silica is present in both work and non-work environments, and exposure to crystalline silica dust has long been known to cause a disease called silicosis. When you inhale crystalline silica the lung tissue reacts by developing fibrous tissue around trapped silica particles. This condition of the lung is called silicosis. Due to the extensive use of concrete and masonry products in buildings today, construction workers have a potential exposure to crystalline silica. Operations such...

What To Do About Near Misses? Unlike a western gunfight "shoot out" at the corral on television, serious accidents can cause real anguish and suffering so real and vivid that persons involved or nearby bystanders rarely forget the flow of blood, broken limbs, crushed bodies, or screams of pain. An accident without injury though is more like the bloodless, painless fakery of television "violence"-perhaps without a real purpose in the drama, and therefore easy to forget. In real life, there is a danger in brushing off accidents that do not hurt, harm, or damage. When these accidents, or perhaps we should refer...

Watch Your Step!! Don't Slip & Fall Slips and falls are one of the most frequent causes of accidents, both on and off the job. Each year in the United States, more than 300,000 people suffer disabling injuries from falls. Slips and falls can be fatal as well; they rank second only to automobile accidents, causing nearly 12,000 deaths a year. To avoid getting hurt from falls, avoid rushing and remember the following: WATCH WHERE YOU WALK Be aware of where you are walking. Look down continuously for spilled liquids, materials, equipment, changing surface levels, etc. Make sure the area is well-lit or...

What's This In Our Tool Box?! All right, now that we are gathered around for our weekly Tool Box Safety Meeting, lets actually take a look inside the tool box to see what we might find. Is there a box of horrors waiting for us when we reach in? Field shop boxes, mechanics' chests in shops, the boxes on the backs of our pickup trucks, or the bucket we carry with saddle bags for our personal tools...