Forklifts are excellent labor-saving devices. They save time and reduce the likelihood of injury associated with manual, material handling activities. However, forklifts can become very dangerous if operated by a reckless and untrained operator. All operators should receive safety training prior to being allowed to operate a forklift. Forklift accidents...
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) does not currently have a designated standard for the robotics industry. However, we do have direction from the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), American National Standard Institute (ANSI), the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), Canadian Standards Association (CSA), and American...
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website, over 3 million United States employees in approximately 1.3 million workplaces are required to wear respiratory protection. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration Standard (29 CFR 1910.134) requires an annual fit test to confirm the fit of any respirator that...
According to the Occupational Safety and Health Standard 1910.134 Appendix B-2, respiratory cleaning procedures are mandatory. These procedures are provided for your employer to use when cleaning respirators. These procedures are general in nature, and your employer, as an alternative, may use the cleaning recommendations provided by the manufacturer of...
The accumulation of oil or solvent soaked rags in the normal daily functioning of a shop, manufacturing, or construction environment can be a major safety issue. Oil-soaked rags are a spontaneous combustion hazard because as the oil oxidizes, heat is released. If the heat is not dissipated, it can build...
In many industrial workplaces, people must work in areas where different substances can be present, some hazardous to their health. There are facilities where the level of oxygen and the number of toxic substances in the air could change at any time. These substances could create health hazards that cause...
With the holidays upon us, we will probably be traveling a lot and, of course, traveling often includes sitting for periods of time waiting in addition to driving or flying to our destinations. This can increase our chances of developing a Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT). TVP is a type of...
Carbon monoxide (CO) is an odorless, colorless gas that can cause sudden illness and death if inhaled. When we experience power outages during emergencies such as hurricanes or winter storms, we often make use of alternative sources of fuel or electricity for heating, cooling, or cooking. Those alternative sources can...
According to a study from the National Institute of Safety and Health (NIOSH), in 2019 approximately 118,000 occupational injuries in and around the eye were seen in our nation’s emergency rooms. Statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that from 2011 through 2019 there were over...
One of our deadliest enemies can be fire. Fire has the capability to be devastating to us. It can mutilate our bodies and present catastrophic injuries that can kill us. Within just a few short moments a fire can destroy structures and materials that took years to accumulate or build....