One of the most significant health hazards in the welding process is the generation of fumes and gases. Do you weld on galvanized metals? Zinc is the coating used on galvanized metals and, when you heat the metal, it produces vaporized metal droplets, which are called “fumes.” This is the...
Unplanned release of a chemical can have devastating effects. Skin and eye burns, damage to the lungs, fire and explosion, corrosive damage to materials, pollution of air, soil, and water, and danger to the public are just some of the possible consequences of a chemical spill. Chemical spills can be...
Driving conditions in the winter months can be full of treacherous hazards including winter ice, poor visibility, strong winds, snow, rain, and more, especially in northern regions. Additional preparations can help make a trip safer and help motorists deal with an emergency. Perhaps the deadliest danger of all is “black...
During winter, many of us will continue to work outdoors, exposed to inclement weather. Just as heatstroke is serious problem in the summer, frostbite can cause serious injury in the winter. It is important to be able to recognize frostbite symptoms and protect yourself from this serious condition. Low temperatures,...
Many of us go to work each day and just try to get our jobs done as well as we have been instructed to do. Perhaps as good as it can be done if no one is watching. That has to be “alright” because that gets the job done! “Its...
Good housekeeping is a very important safety concern. This should not be a surprise, especially when we consider all the many articles normally necessary in a productive work area. Even materials lying around could easily be ready to present troubling conditions. Items that are not normally considered hazardous can become...
From 2004 to 2014, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) investigated 209 loading dock injuries. Nearly half were fatalities. Loading docks are a hub of activity in manufacturing plants, warehouses, industrial buildings, and distribution centers. In most companies, they are the primary location of movement of product in and...
It often seems that attention is focused on unusual hazards with the most severe outcomes, not the more common hazards found in the workplace. A good example of a common hazard that can be overlooked is trip hazards. It is important to give attention to trip hazards in your work...
Consider this statistic: 80 out of every 100 accidents are the fault of the person involved in the incident. Unsafe acts cause four times as many incidents and injuries as unsafe conditions. Accidents occur for many reasons. In most industries people tend to look for “things” to blame when an...
The holidays are one of the most festive, and therefore, most decorated times of year. It is during this brief period of time that we literally deck the halls with as many lights and decorations as we can stand. Unfortunately, the holiday season is also one of the busiest for...