Working Safely with Corrosives Corrosive materials are present in almost any workplace, either by themselves or contained in other products, such as cleaning agents. Common acid corrosives include hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, acetic acid, and nitric acid. Common alkaline/bases include ammonium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, and sodium hydroxide (caustic soda). Cement...
Portable Grinder Safety Portable grinding wheels are designed to operate at very high speeds. If a grinding wheel shatters while in use, the fragments can travel over 300 miles per hour. The potential for serious injury, material damage, and other losses from these shooting fragments is great. To ensure that...
Accident Investigation Accidents are unplanned and unexpected events that cause injury, property damage, and/or financial loss in the workplace. Incidents or “near misses” don’t result in loss, but have the potential to do so. Ideally, safety programs focus on preventing accidents and incidents, but if one occurs, have an accident...
Asbestos in Construction ‘Asbestos’ is the name given to a group of a naturally-occurring minerals used for fireproofing and many other applications. These minerals are mined from rock in the form of a fiber that can be spun or woven into fabric and other products. Its many qualities led to...
Using Hand Tools Safely Your tools enable you to perform your job. When they aren’t in proper working order, or when you don’t handle them properly, you can’t perform your job. That means that you might be endangering yourself or others. Before handling any tool, whether it was furnished by...
Toxic Materials If you look up the word ‘toxic’ in most any dictionary, you’ll find that it means “poisonous.” Most people want nothing to do with poisonous materials, but many people work with them every day. In fact, toxic materials have thousands of uses in industry. Many of the benefits...
Cold Weather Safety Employees who work outdoors during the winter months must deal with the hazard of exposure to the cold. Prolonged exposure to freezing temperatures can result in health problems as serious as trench foot, frostbite, and hypothermia. There are several ways of preventing employee exposure to cold weather...
Lockout/Tagout Safety If you operate, clean, service, adjust, or repair machinery and equipment, be aware of the hazards to which you’re exposing yourself. Any powered equipment that could put you in danger is a hazard that can be prevented when lockout/tagout/tryout procedures are followed. Before working on or near energized...
Noise Safety Noise is unwanted sound that can affect job performance, safety, and your health. Psychological effects of noise include annoyance and disruption of concentration. Physical effects include loss of hearing, pain, nausea, and interference with communications when the exposure is severe. Most workers take good hearing for granted. Hearing...
Spill Prevention and Response Spills in the workplace cause hazards from slips and falls, exposure to the spilled material, and accidental release into the environment. Know the proper storage, handling, use, and spill response for the materials in your workplace. Read the safety data sheets (SDSs) that explain correct spill...