Hand Protection – Handle with Care Your hands are involved in almost everything you do at work, which also places them close to many workplace hazards. Cuts, punctures, burns, crushing injuries, chemical exposure, and repetitive-motion injuries can cause temporary or permanent loss of hand function. Your hands go where you put them....

Wastewater Treatment Workers Wastewater treatment workers operate and maintain systems that treat sewage, stormwater, and other wastewater before it is discharged or reused. Treatment facilities contain tanks, pumps, piping, mechanical equipment, chemicals, and biological contaminants that can expose workers to numerous hazards. Recognizing these hazards and following established procedures are essential...

Machine Guarding Safety Machine guarding safety protects workers from moving machine parts that can cause cuts, crushing injuries, amputations, entanglement, or death. Before operating machinery, employees must understand its hazards, know how the guards and safety devices work, and never operate equipment when required safeguards are missing, damaged, or bypassed. Common Machine...

Electric Tools – Grounds for Concern Electrical tools make many jobs easier, but damaged equipment, improper grounding, wet conditions, or unsafe work practices can expose workers to electrical shock, burns, fires, and electrocution. A common misconception is that only high voltage is dangerous. The severity of an electrical shock depends on several...

Construction Site Hygiene Good hygiene and housekeeping practices help prevent illness, contamination, slips and falls, and other workplace hazards. Construction sites must provide employees with adequate potable drinking water, toilet facilities, and washing facilities appropriate for the work being performed. Housekeeping A clean and orderly jobsite is essential to maintaining safe and sanitary...

Carpet Layer Safety Carpet installation involves physically demanding work, sharp tools and materials, adhesives, heat-producing equipment, and prolonged kneeling. Proper tools, personal protective equipment (PPE), ergonomic work practices, and good housekeeping can help prevent common carpet installation injuries. Ergonomic and Material-Handling Hazards Carpet layers frequently move furniture, remove existing flooring, carry rolls of...

Cart Safety Carts are used in many workplaces to move tools, materials, supplies, and equipment. Although carts reduce manual carrying and lifting, improper selection, loading, operation, or maintenance can result in strains and sprains, crushed hands or feet, struck-by injuries, falls, and collisions with pedestrians or equipment. Selecting the Right Cart Use a...

Wood Dust – It’s Not Just a Nuisance Wood dust created by cutting, sawing, shaping, drilling, routing, and sanding wood is more than a housekeeping nuisance. Repeated or excessive exposure can create respiratory, skin, eye, fire, and explosion hazards. Workers should understand these hazards and take appropriate precautions whenever wood dust...

Handyman Safety Handymen and maintenance workers perform many different tasks, including carpentry, plumbing, electrical work, painting, roofing, concrete work, and general repairs. Because the work changes frequently, so do the hazards. Before beginning any task, evaluate the work, identify the hazards, and make sure you have the proper tools, training, and...