Construction Safety - Floor Openings Unprotected holes in the floor, deck or roof have been responsible for a number of very serious injuries. Yet, through planning and personal attention, falls through openings under foot are easy to prevent. If you make a hole, guard it. Before cutting the hole, barricade the work area to keep people out. If the hole must be open, install permanent barricades around the perimeter. Like railings around the edge of a building or stairwell, these should be a minimum of forty-two inches high, have a mid-rail and be capable of withstanding a 200-pound load. Toe boards are...

Housekeeping Is An Important Part Of Your Job Housekeeping is everyone's job! Your employer is not your mother! What do I mean by that, you ask? I mean, just like when you were young, your mother had to remind you to pick up after yourself. Now that you are on your own, you still need to be told sometimes. Housekeeping is a very important part of your job. Not only does it improve the overall appearance of your shop or work area, it shows that you take pride in where you work. The best way that you can help keep your...

Preventing Slips, Trips and Falls Did you know that slips, trips and falls are second only to automobile accidents in causing personal injury? On stairways alone, falls result in almost two million disabling injuries yearly. There are thousands more minor injuries caused by slips, trips, and falls each year. Most alarming of all is the fact that industrial falls cause over 1,000 deaths each year. Slips occur when there is too little friction between a person’s feet and the walking surface. Many factors can cause a slip. Ice, oil, water, cleaning fluids, and other slippery substances are probably the most obvious causes....

Personal Fall Arrest and Fall Restraint Systems It is important for you to understand the difference between a fall arrest system and fall restraint system. These are most commonly used in the construction industry, but may apply to many other situations where employees must work at heights. FALL RESTRAINT: A fall restraint system consists of the equipment used to keep an employee from reaching a fall point, such as the edge of a roof or the edge of an elevated working surface. The most commonly utilized fall restraint system is a standard guardrail. A tie off system that "restrains" the employee from...

Watch Your Step!! Don't Slip & Fall Slips and falls are one of the most frequent causes of accidents, both on and off the job. Each year in the United States, more than 300,000 people suffer disabling injuries from falls. Slips and falls can be fatal as well; they rank second only to automobile accidents, causing nearly 12,000 deaths a year. To avoid getting hurt from falls, avoid rushing and remember the following: WATCH WHERE YOU WALK Be aware of where you are walking. Look down continuously for spilled liquids, materials, equipment, changing surface levels, etc. Make sure the area is well-lit or...

Housekeeping Lack of proper housekeeping on the job is one safety hazard common to all construction projects until after final cleanup. Good housekeeping is one item that can help improve not only the safety on the job, but also the morale and productivity of the job. Guide for Discussion The following “General Rules” should be covered in any discussion on housekeeping: Keep scrap lumber with protruding nails separate from other debris; Bend nails over or remove from lumber. Keep all waste debris in neat piles and away from the immediate work area. Remove debris from the job on a regular basis. Keep aisles,...

Don't Gamble With Personal Fall Arrest Equipment  Unsafe fall arrest equipment contributed to the fatal 150-foot fall of an Oregon construction worker recently. Burn holes in the worker's fall arrest straps and a faulty self-retracting lanyard were blamed for the failure. These could have been discovered if adequate equipment inspections had been conducted. Would you gamble with your life? A lot of people do just that when they fail to inspect their personal fall arrest equipment daily. They gamble that the equipment will save their life if they fall. Wearing fall arrest equipment without inspecting it, provides a false sense of security. This...

Office Safety Many workers think that the office environment is the safest workplace. But, a safe office workplace requires hazard control, good housekeeping, and safe work practices. Arrange your office to allow clear walkways and aisles throughout the rooms and near exits. Attach tall and heavy office furniture to the wall to avoid tipovers in an earthquake. Do not store heavy items or hang pictures over your head in your office or cube. Close file cabinet drawers, file doors, and pull-out work tables when not in use. To avoid jamming your fingers or hands, make sure that cabinet and desk drawers do...

Falls Wily Coyote always seems to fall into a deep canyon and not be injured at all. People can’t. Then why do we seem to have trouble getting workers to pay attention to the fall hazards around them? Guide for Discussion The following items represent the bulk of the exposure to falls on a construction site. Ladders: Always use the right ladder. Set them on level ground and tie them off at the top (for security). Do not over reach. Do not over extend yourself on the ladder. Always face the ladder and try to use both hands when climbing. Floor Openings: Floor openings should...

Fall Causes Death, Ladder's are Killers A Tool Box Talk Case Study: Why Take Ladders Seriously Introduction: This is a true story only the first name of the victim has been changed. One of our friends wrote: “I lost a good friend September 15, 1997 from a fall from a roof. It seems that my friend Leroy went to help a neighbor with a leaking roof problem.” Guide for Discussion It was on a low pitched single story home (a 3/12 or 4/12 pitched roof), about eight foot ground to eaves's height. From family reports, Leroy borrowed a ladder from the neighbor to go...