Emergency Preparedness Are you mentally prepared for an emergency? Emergency Preparedness is not only the physical steps to take. How would you mentally handle an emergency? Would you know what to do if an emergency occurred while you were on the job? Do you know what actions to take if a co-worker was seriously injured, a fire ignited, or a structure collapsed? Are you mentally prepared to react to an emergency? Emergencies and disasters are a reality of everyday life. Local and international news programs document such occurrences every day throughout the world. Too many lives are lost and property is damaged because...

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...

Cold Water Treatment Of Thermal Burns When you burn yourself not all the damage happens at once. Cold water treatment may help for thermal burns. Because the body holds heat, the burning process can last for several minutes on up to several days or even longer in the case of serious burns. Immediate application of cold water or a cold compress is a treatment that has been found to decrease the degree and depth of a burn. This is not to say its advised for all burns. Speed is the most important single factor in burn treatment. The more quickly you cool...

Demolition Safety Planning Planning for a demolition project is just as important as actually doing the work. According to OSHA, a qualified person experienced in all phases of the demolition should conduct the demolition planning. Consider the following when planning any demolition project: The planning methods that will be used to bring the structure down The necessary equipment to do the job Proper permits and public utility notifications Prior to the Start of a Demolition Project The engineer must complete a written survey to determine if there are any hazardous substances in the structure, and asses the condition of the floors, walls, and framing to...

Emergency Preparedness Emergency Preparedness - Emergencies in the workplace cannot be eliminated, but if you have an emergency action plan in place and have trained workers to respond quickly and appropriately you can optimize efficiency, relieve anxiety, and in some cases, save lives. Management commitment and worker involvement are essential to an effective emergency action plan.  The action plan should be explained to workers and reviewed whenever the plan or responsibilities change.  How good is your emergency action plan?  Find out by asking yourself and your workers the following questions: General Is there a means of reporting emergencies and accounting for personnel before...

Working Safely with Chemicals Chemicals come in various forms and can affect those exposed in different ways. A chemical can take the form of a mist, vapor, liquid, dust, fume or gas. The type of chemical, the way it is used, and the form that it takes determine its effect and what should be done to avoid harmful exposure. Some basic safety precautions should be understood and followed including: Know what to do in an emergency. If there is a leak or spill, keep away from the area, unless you know what the chemical is and how to safely clean it up....