Last year OSHA received reports of more than 2,600 amputations nationwide. Machine guarding landed in the eighth spot on the agency’s most cited violations, something the agency says contributes directly to most amputation causes. Lockout/tagout citations were in the number five spots. Mechanical components present amputation hazards: Point of operation—the...
Labor-intense activities in hot weather can raise body temperatures beyond the level that normally can be cooled by sweating. Heat illness initially may manifest itself as heat rash or heat cramps but can quickly escalate to heat exhaustion and then heat stroke if simple preventative measures are not followed. Should...
Did you know that over 2/3 of all accidents involve housekeeping in some way, shape, or form? Approximately 2.5 million disabling injuries happen in the service industry every year with a cost of over 100 billion dollars. Housekeeping rules to remember are: Plan your work. Clean up after yourself. Pick...
Every year nearly 100 fatalities and 10,000 injuries occur on scaffolding across the country, despite numerous safety regulations aimed to prevent such incidents. The good news is, proper training can prevent almost all scaffold accidents. Scaffold hazards: Falls from elevation, due to lack of fall protection; Collapse of the scaffold,...
Static electricity is generated by friction or by the quick separation of materials. Walking across a carpet generates static electricity. You can feel the charge as you touch a door handle. The spark produced from this discharge usually contains enough energy to ignite flammable vapors if those vapors are in...
Many small things influence our lives; and not paying attention to them can sometimes have disastrous consequences, especially when it comes to safety. Fortunately, most of us have been trained to keep an eye out for the “big hazards” that could cause injury. But, sometimes, it’s the little or unnoticed...
Compressed air is a valuable utility and a safe power source when used properly. As with any other energy- carrying power source, compressed air should be regarded with caution and handled with care to avoid accidents and user injury. General safety requirements for compressed air: All pipes, hoses, and fittings...
Excavations pose a serious and sometimes fatal threat to the safety of our workers. An excavation accident is 15 times more likely to result in death than any other construction accident. It is important to understand the risks associated with excavations. Between 100-400 people are killed per year in excavations....
Every day an estimated 1,000 eye injuries occur in American workplaces. No matter where we work, flying particles, dusts, splashes, or flying objects are apt to expose us to potential eye injury. Causes of Eye and Face Injuries: Splashes from harmful liquid chemicals such as acids or cleaning solutions; Flying...
Let’s hope you never need one, but if you do let’s hope it’s clean and accessible. If you get foreign particles in your eyes, an emergency eyewash station is the most important initial step in first-aid treatment. Chemical burns to the eye are among the most urgent of emergencies. Eyewash...