Fall Protection It may seem that a job can be performed more efficiently without spending the time to protect against falls.  Lack of fall protection remains one of the top causes of fatalities in construction.  Workers have fallen off edges of every description, especially floors and roofs, and through openings in floors, roofs, and walls.  Fall protection is required whenever a worker faces serious risk of injury, including: on structures where a worker could fall more than 7 feet; on thrust outs, trusses, beams, purlins, and plates at heights over 15 feet; on a sloped roof. To prevent accidental falls at worksites, guardrails...

Working Safely Around Electricity Industry runs on electricity. It’s safe to use when you know what you’re doing and take proper precautions. When precautions are not taken, electricity can be a killer. How you are affected by electric shock depends on the following factors: The rate the current flows through your body. This depends on how good your body conducts electricity. If you have dry hands and are standing on a non-conductive surface such as a rubber mat, you may not even feel a shock. If you are perspiring and are standing in water, you could be killed. The length of time...

Don’t Take Back Problems Sitting Down! Why do so many of us have back problems today?  In part, it’s the way our work and lifestyle has evolved.  As people grow more sedentary in an increasingly automated world, we’re doing more sitting and adding extra pounds.  As a result, our backs are becoming more vulnerable to injury. Sitting, especially slouching, is one of the most common positions during our waking hours.  It also happens to be one of the worst positions for our backs, by putting continuous pressure on the lower back muscles and disks. Low back pain is a warning that something is...

Africanized Honey Bee - Be Informed About the Africanized Honey Bee In 1956, a breed of African honey bee was brought to Brazil in an effort to increase honey production. When these bees interbred with European honey bees, they produced a new variety of bee called the "Africanized honey bee." These bees are sometimes referred to as "killer bees" because of their aggressively defensive behavior around their nests. Although bee keeping and bee transportation are regulated by the government, the Africanized honey bee has now become part of California's environment and can be found in areas along with the European honey...

Ladder Safety Normally when I come across pictures like this,  assume it's a joke of some sort. Either the setting was staged, or the picture was Photoshopped. This photo - not so much. A very good friend of mine was at work while he was having his house painted. When he came home that evening, imagine his shock when he noticed how the ladder was being supported. The painter's explanation? He simply explained to my friend that he'd been painting for over 20 years. Please, I remind everyone: Ladders must be maintained free of oil, grease, and other slipping hazards. Ladders must...

Summer Alert - Heat Stress The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has announced the launch of its annual Campaign to Prevent Heat Stress in Outdoor Workers. For the fourth consecutive year, OSHA’s campaign aims to raise awareness and educate workers and employers about the dangers of working in hot weather and provide resources and guidance to address these hazards. Workers at particular risk are those in outdoor industries, such as agriculture, construction, landscaping and transportation. “Heat-related illnesses can be fatal, and employers are responsible for keeping workers safe,” says U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez. “Employers...

GHS - Classification and Labeling of Chemicals If you currently work in a workplace that uses hazardous chemicals governed by a Hazard Communication (HAZCOM) Program, there are changes to the standard you need to be aware of. In March 2012, the Occupational Safety and Hazard Administration updated its HAZCOM standard (29 CFR 1910.1200) to align with the GHS - Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals. The major changes to the standard are: - Hazard classification: Provides specific criteria for the classification of health and physical hazards, as well as classification of mixtures. - Labels: Chemical manufacturers and importers will be required...

Transitioning to Safer Chemicals American workers use tens of thousands of chemicals every day. While many of these chemicals are suspected of being harmful, only a small number are regulated in the workplace. As a result, workers suffer more than 190,000 illnesses and 50,000 deaths annually related to chemical exposures. Workplace chemical exposures have been linked to cancers, and other lung, kidney, skin, heart, stomach, brain, nerve, and reproductive diseases. Establishing a chemical management system that goes beyond simply complying with OSHA standards and strives to reduce or eliminate chemical hazards at the source through informed substitution best protects workers. Transitioning to safer alternatives...