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...

Accident Prevention is Painless & Profitable! Accident Prevention - Why are you working? The most obvious answer is that you need to earn money. Your employer is in business for the very same reason--to make money. If the people you work for don't operate at a profit, they may not be able to keep you on the job. It may be surprising to hear that most companies do not make money hand over fist. Expenses take a big chunk of the income, and competition limits how much your firm can charge for the goods or services it provides. What's more, competition...

Why Take A Chance? Are you willing to risk losing your ability to see? Thousands of people take that chance every day by not wearing needed eye protection. In fact, 3 out of 5 workers who have experienced an eye injury were not wearing their eye protection. A survey by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) found that nearly 70% of the injuries were the result of flying or falling objects. Most of the material striking the eye was reportedly moving at speeds faster than something being thrown by hand. What can you do so you are not added to these statistics? Easy...

The True Danger Of Confined Spaces Just how dangerous are confined spaces? Aren't all the warnings and procedural checks simply overkill? Hardly. Think about this: According to a study performed by Safety Sciences, the following types of confined space incidents resulted in injuries and/or fatalities: Type of Event Number of Events Number of Injuries Only Number of Fatalities Atmospheric Conditions (lack of oxygen) 80 72 78 Explosion or Fire 15 49 15 Explosion or Fire at Point of Entry 23 20 32 Electric Shock 11 2 9 Trapped in Unstable Material (cave in) 16 0 16 Struck by Falling Objects 15 1 14 These numbers should tell you something: Fifty-four % of the people exposed to oxygen deficient conditions died. For every fire within a confined space, one person...

Respirators Instructor Note: Prior to making a safety presentation, obtain and review your company respirator protection program. Our company has developed a separate respirator protection program. It is an important program because of the exposure we face in the workplace. We want to protect your body and lungs. Guide for Discussion Generally: No respiratory program is required when filtering-facepiece respirators are the only respirator used and they are used voluntarily. Respirators will be worn when the employee is exposed to hazards such as fumes, gases, mists, vapors and sprays Fit testing shall occur prior to allowing an employee to wear the Employees should...

Make The Best Use Of Your First-Aid Kit Are only Band-Aids® and aspirin taken from the first-aid kit most of the time-because you or your coworkers aren't sure how to use the other supplies? First-aid kits can be stocked with a variety of items, but most kits have a common assortment of supplies. As with any tool, you must know how to use these products to get the best results. In this safety meeting, typical supplies and their uses will be described, to help make this helpful "tool kit" most effective for you. Absorbent Gauze: Use these to clean a wound...

Understanding Electricity And Breaker Panels The process of forcing electrons to move through a material creates electricity. A standard generator performs this process. The best material for carrying electricity is a "conductor." Most metals are excellent conductors and the most common material used for electrical wiring is copper. In order to provide protection from direct contact with the conductor, an "insulator" is used as a cover around the conductor. Electrons will not move easily through insulators such as most plastics and rubber. Insulators and proper grounding help to prevent electrical shocks. Typically, electricity is provided to your building or facility by way...

Using Portable Fire Extinguishers In the event of a fire, the correct use of a portable fire extinguisher could mean the difference between suffering a minor loss or a major one. Portable fire extinguishers, if used properly, can make that difference. But there are several things to consider in using fire extinguishers. For instance, you must know the class of fire involved and the correct type of fire extinguisher to use. CLASSES OF FIRES AND FIRE EXTINGUISHERS: Class A Involves ordinary combustibles such as paper, wood, cloth, rubber or plastics. The common extinguishing media is water or dry chemical. Class B Flammable liquids, grease...

Ventilation Work activity or the presence of harmful substances in industrial environments frequently produces airborne contaminants. These contaminants can be controlled by isolating them from the breathing zone, substitution of a less hazardous substance or process, or by providing adequate ventilation. Ventilation is one of the most common engineering control methods and can be defined as the movement of fresh air into a space in order to replace contaminated air and/or control the temperature in a space. Natural ventilation usually does not provide a sufficient volume of airflow to ventilate enclosed spaces or to promptly remove highly toxic airborne contaminants from breathing...

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...