Portable Fire Extinguishers Using a portable fire extinguisher is an important safety skill. You never know when you might have to use it; but do not attempt to use one if you haven’t been trained to use it. You could make things much worse. Responding to fires: Sound the fire...
Frostbite Low temperatures, humidity, and wind velocity all are contributing factors to overexposure from the cold. Usually the victim is unaware of frostbite until someone else observes the pale, glossy skin. Frostbite results when crystals form, either superficially or deeply in the fluids and soft tissues of the skin. Frostbite...
Ground-Fault Circuit-Interrupters (GFCI) A ground fault occurs when the electrical current does not complete its circuit and unintentionally flows to the ground. Ground faults can cause fires and are dangerous when they flow through a person to the ground. The GFCI, as it is commonly called, is simply a fast-acting...
Care for Your Respirator Your respirator may be the most important tool of your job. It protects your most precious asset, your health. Yet, more often than not, respirators find their way to the bottom of tool bags where they become damaged and/or very dirty inside and out. Both of...
Machine Safety According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, over 1100 workers in the United States were killed last year by contact with equipment or by being caught up in running machinery. That’s 20% of all fatalities in the workplace. Over a thousand people killed in ways that could have...
Scaffolding Safety 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 that almost all scaffold accidents can be prevented by proper training. Scaffold hazards: • Falls from elevation due to lack of...
Utility Knife Safety There’s one hand tool that demands your respect over many others in the workplace, a tool that can cut you to the bone in an instant… the utility knife. In fact, nearly one-third of all injuries attributed to manual workshop tools in the US involve knives with...
Close Calls/Near Misses A close call, near miss, or accident without injury is easy to shrug off and forget. But there is a danger in brushing off accidents that don’t hurt, harm, or damage. Learn from close calls/near misses: In order to learn from close calls, the incidents must...
Powder-Actuated Hand Tools Whenever you operate a powder-actuated hand tool, safe work practices must always be followed. These tools are designed to drive nails or other fastening devices into material such as concrete, steel, and masonry, which are not easily penetrated. These devices use explosive charges similar to a firearm....
Hot Work Safety When you weld, cut, or grind, the potential for accidents is significant. Eyes and skin can be burned, hearing can be damaged, and an electric shock can kill you. Even the fumes and gases produced during the welding process can damage your respiratory system or cause asphyxiation....