The National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH) is recommending use of hearing protection devices while participating in noisy activities this summer. REMEMBER: At Home Turn down your speaker volume of the TV Monitor, radio, or music, and take breaks from listening to reduce your exposure; Use power tools, toys, recreational...
Employers must provide a workplace free of recognized hazards that may cause serious injury or death. But unfortunately, every month workers are killed in trench collapses. An excavation is any man-made cut, cavity, trench, or depression in an earth surface formed by earth removal. A trench (Trench excavation) means a...
What is the most common electrical shock hazard? Answer: Ground Faults Ground Faults Ground faults can cause severe electrical shock or electrocution. During normal conditions, electricity runs in a closed circuit. Electricity flows out on the “hot” wire and returns on the “neutral” wire, completing the circuit. Ground faults occur...
Summer is coming soon and the temperatures are beginning to rise. So too does the risk of heat illness. Heat-related deaths and illness are preventable, yet every year many people will succumb to the effects of heat. Heat-related illness is also an underlying cause of a high percentage of non-fatal...
When you operate, clean, service, adjust, or repair machinery and powered equipment, be aware of the hazards that could expose you to danger, danger that can be prevented through lockout/tagout/tryout procedures. REMEMBER, before working on or near any energized equipment, you should perform an inspection of the work area to...
It is important to understand how occupational hearing loss can occur and how it can be prevented. Occupational hearing loss can occur when you are exposed to loud noise or ototoxic chemicals while at work. Noise is considered loud (hazardous) when it reaches 85 A-weighted decibels (dBA) or higher. A-weighted...
Every day, we expose our eyes to increasing amounts of artificial blue light while using our technology. Technology such as tablets, smartphones, laptops, flat screen TVs, and other digital devices all expose us to blue light. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and several other medical reviews, blue...
Arc Flash is a phenomenon in which a flashover of electric current leaves its intended path and travels through the air from one conductor to another or to ground. This often results in a very violent release of energy. When a person is unfortunate enough to be near this arc...
Cell phones can be a dangerous distraction in the workplace. Just like other workplace distractions such as horseplay and chattering unnecessarily with co-workers, cell phones can cause us to lose focus on the task at hand. When used inappropriately these devices can get employees in trouble at work as well...
Many workplaces contain spaces that are “confined” because their configurations hinder the activities of entry into, working in, or exit from them. In many instances, those who work in confined spaces also face increased risk of exposure to serious physical injury from hazards such as entrapment, engulfment, and hazardous atmospheric...