Electric Power Tools Electric power tools come in all shapes and sizes and are designed to do almost anything. However, there are some things that they all have in common, rules for safe and proper use. Guide for Discussion The following rules should be remembered when discussing the use of electrical power tools: Select the right tool. Know how to use it. Be sure it is properly grounded or double insulated (i.e., a plastic body and two pronged plug). Inspect for the following: Broken or defective cords Defective terminal connections Defective plugs Defective or loose switches Brushes that spark excessively Never use a...

Unsafe Acts General Safety -  Most of us know that accidents are caused by only two things - unsafe acts or practices, and unsafe conditions. Some of us even know that 9 out of 10 accidents are the result of unsafe acts, or things we do when we know better. This is kind of strange if you think about it. We have more to fear from our own actions than from any other job hazards around us. Why do we deliberately expose ourselves to injury every day? It Won't Happen To Me Basically, most of us are just thinking about getting the job done...

Care For The Injured The following points should be covered on how to care for the injured after a careful review of your Emergency Response Plan. Guide for Discussion Determine the seriousness of the injury: If Serious: Contact Emergency Response Team(s). Do not move the injured person. Get First Aid trained personnel assistance; ask them to help. Keep the injured person from standing. In case of bleeding—apply pressure to the wound. Do not use a tourniquet except in cases of excessive bleeding. If the injured person has stopped breathing, get someone who has been trained in CPR o help restore the breathing. Try to...

Want A Drug User On Your Work Team? More and more companies require drug testing these days. Chances are your company schedules pre-employment or random drug tests for its employees. Some people don't like the procedure very much. So what's the best possible attitude to have about this matter? You can joke about it, that's okay. You can grumble about it, that's natural. But do you want your employer to change the company policy and stop the testing? Here is what that would probably mean: Firms that do not test these days tend to end up with a greater percentage of...

Knee Pads Construction workers (and especially roofers) are prone to have knee problems. We bend our knees almost as much as we bend our backs and then at the end of the day, complain about our aching bodies. Just as we must be careful in lifting, we must be careful in bending. To assist in saving our bodies, think about using kneepads as an important part of personal protection equipment. Guide for Discussion Do we have exposure to knee injuries? Is there a way to “engineer out” the constant knee bending situations on this job? What are the appropriate times and places to...

Warning: Read The Signs! When is it that people pay the most attention to signs? It seems to be while driving a car! Have you ever wondered why that is? Most likely it's because signs are the simplest way to direct, instruct, and warn people. During your commute to the job site today did you happen to notice all the signs along the way? "You'll need to detour on this road," one tells you. "Slow down, you're driving too fast!" another advises. "Watch out for that bump," you are warned… Road and travel indicators are not the only signs that direct, instruct...

Was It An Accident Or Was It An Error? What is an accident? Briefly, it is a sudden and unforeseen event. Given that definition, can we say that the Apollo fire that killed three astronauts on the launch pad, and the Challenger disaster, were accidents? The first Apollo fatalities were due to a fire that occurred when the spacecraft cabin was charged with pure oxygen during a test. Unfortunately, there was an electrical short under the seat of one of the astronauts. Oxygen fed the resulting fire. The men could not escape because of a poorly designed escape hatch that took too...

Table Saws We all recognize how important our hands are to our employability. However, every year hundreds of fingers and hands are lost to table saws. Table saws are the surest and cleanest way to lose a finger or a hand. Much of this is a result of getting used to operating a table saw and then losing respect for it. That is why it is so important that we review the common safety rules pertaining to the operation of a table saw. Guide for Discussion Two common types of saws:  Table saw; radial arm saw. General Operating Rules: Never operate without all guards...

What You Need To Know About Welding & Cutting Protecting yourself when performing welding operations depends on your understanding of the hazards involved and the proper way to control them. Control of welding hazards includes avoiding eye injury, respiratory protection, ventilation of the work area, protective clothing and having safe equipment to use. Eye hazards include exposure to ultraviolet and infrared light. Welders and their helpers should wear filter glasses with shades ranging from 2 to 14, depending on the type of welding being done, to protect their eyes. Unless a welding arc is behind a screen, not only the welder, but...

Working Safely With Lead It used to be thought that only children were exposed to lead poisoning hazards which occurred mostly from eating lead based paint chips from doors or windows in the home. This is no longer the case. Studies conducted over the past few years now suggest many adults are exposed to lead in the work place and suffer from varying degrees of lead poisoning. These studies have also shown that eating lead based paint chips is not the only or even the primary way for lead to enter the body. Workers that use lead based paints, or work with...