Warning: Welding May Be Hazardous to Your Health Welding can expose workers to hazardous fumes and gases that may cause both immediate and long-term health effects. Welding fumes are made up of extremely small particles generated from base metals, filler metals, coatings, fluxes, and other materials involved in the welding process....

Warehouse Safety Warehouses present a variety of hazards involving loading docks, material-handling equipment, conveyors, storage systems, and pedestrian traffic. Following established warehouse safety procedures can help prevent falls, struck-by and caught-between injuries, equipment incidents, and material-handling injuries. Guide for Discussion Loading Docks Loading docks are high-activity areas where trucks, forklifts, pallet jacks, and pedestrians...

Horseplay Horseplay, practical jokes, and other inappropriate behavior have no place in the workplace. Construction and other work environments already contain hazards involving tools, equipment, vehicles, electricity, elevated work, and moving materials. Horseplay introduces an unnecessary and unpredictable hazard that can result in serious injury or death. What begins as harmless fun...

Afterthoughts And Regrets How often have you finished a task—or seen an accident happen—and thought, “I knew I should have done that differently”? After an injury, the hazard often seems obvious. The missing PPE, shortcut, damaged tool, poor housekeeping, or unsafe condition suddenly becomes something we wish we had addressed before the...

Controlling Stress Stress is a normal response to demands, changes, and challenges in our lives. While some stress can help us stay focused, excessive or prolonged stress can affect concentration, judgment, communication, and job performance. When stress causes distraction or fatigue at work, it can also contribute to mistakes and injuries. Recognize...

Floors and Other Openings Holes and openings in walking and working surfaces are common on construction sites and can result in serious injuries from trips, falls to lower levels, or falling objects. Openings may be created during construction for utilities, plumbing, ventilation, stairways, skylights, access points, and other work. Employees who create...

Barricades & Warning Devices Barricades, signs, cones, drums, and other warning devices are essential for protecting employees, motorists, pedestrians, visitors, and the public from construction hazards. They are especially important where work changes normal traffic or pedestrian patterns or creates hazards such as excavations, equipment movement, or restricted access. Common Hazards Improperly controlled construction...

Site Safety Inspections Site safety inspections help identify and correct workplace hazards before they result in injuries, property damage, or regulatory violations. Inspections should be conducted regularly, documented, and followed through until identified deficiencies have been corrected. Guide for Discussion Inspection Frequency and Documentation The frequency and scope of inspections should be based on...