In just the blink of an eye, an incident can injure or even blind a worker who is not wearing proper protective eyewear. The type of eye protection–safety glasses, goggles, face shields, or helmets must meet the requirements of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the American National...
Confined spaces present a special type of danger – a danger that you may not recognize until you’ve already entered a confined space and encountered the hazard. By then, it may be too late. Toxic gases, lack of oxygen, shifting materials inside, and other hazards can cause injury or death...
Job sites are not always at ground level. Sometimes workers need to use aerial platforms. All work has hazards and risks involved in it, but when you work at an elevated height, extra training and attention to safety procedures is a necessity. Aerial lifts are vehicle-mounted, boom-supported aerial platforms, such...
Concrete is easy to work with, versatile, durable, and economical. By taking a few basic precautions, it is also one of the safest building materials known. Relatively few people involved in mixing, handling, and finishing concrete have experienced injury. Concrete work is usually hard physical labor that presents many different...
There are approximately 400,000 back injuries each year. They are the leading source of lost time injuries and cost billions of dollars annually, not to mention the hours, days, or even months of disabling pain. In construction work, material is constantly being moved or lifted, and most often the lifter...
American National Standards Institute Z89.1 (ANSI Z89.1)-approved hard hats are designed to protect you from the impact of falling objects and, with some types, from accidental contact with electrical current. However, the way we take care for our hard hats can have a big impact on how well they do...
About 3,200 people nationwide received hospital treatment for workshop grinder, buffer, and polisher injuries during 2017. Injuries occurred to hands, fingers, and eyes and included lacerations, contusions, skin abrasions, corneal abrasions, and tissue damage caused by foreign objects becoming lodged in the eye. These are powerful, useful tools, but they...
It’s probably happened to you more than one once. You’re out in the field on a cloudy day when suddenly, cool gusts of wind blow your way. Before long, a biting cold creeps inside your body and you end up shivering on the job. Because you did not expect this...
Compressed gas cylinders contain a great deal of energy. If the cylinders are mishandled or treated roughly, that energy can burst into an explosion – especially if the shut-off valve isn’t covered. Some cylinders commonly found in the workplace are restraining up to two tons of pressure. If the cylinder...
Caffeine is commonly used in today’s society to get more energy or to feel more alert. While coffee has been around for hundreds of years and is still the most common caffeinated drink in the world, energy drinks have been gaining in popularity over the past few decades. Energy Drink...