Practice Good Housekeeping Good housekeeping is one of the surest ways to identify a safe workplace. You can tell how workers feel about safety just by looking at their housekeeping practices. Good housekeeping isn’t the result of cleaning up once a week or even once a day. It’s the result...
Ladder Safety There is absolutely no reason for anybody to get hurt, disabled, or killed while using a ladder. Yet it happens every single day. Somebody steps on the safety sticker that says “This is not a step!” and ends up with a broken leg. Another worker puts a...
Lockout/Tagout There are many examples of people being seriously injured or killed by machinery and electrical equipment. Often, these tragedies happen because people carelessly try to repair or maintain the equipment without making sure its energy source has been shut off. Many times the accident happens when a worker restarts...
Eye Protection 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...
Proper Fit Of Hearing Protection Hearing loss is the No. 1 sensory disability in the world. The World Health Organization estimates that 16 percent of hearing loss worldwide is attributable to occupational noise exposure. To minimize the risk of incurring hearing loss due to noise, it is important for...
Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters (GFCIs) Although most portable electric tools have an equipment-grounding conductor and many are double insulated, these methods are not foolproof. A grounding wire could break or a cord could become defective. Using a GFCI overcomes these insulation problems. The GFCI, as it is commonly called, is...
Choosing the Right Ladder Each year in the U.S more than twenty thousand people are rushed to the emergency room due to ladder related falls and accidents. Ladder accidents and falls can result in severe injury and in some cases even death. The proper precautions must always be taken. Everyone...
Pneumatic Tool Safety Pneumatic tools are powered by compressed air and include chippers, drills, hammers, sanders, spray guns, air ratchets, grinders, nibblers, needle scalers, and many more. There are several dangers associated with the use of pneumatic tools. First and foremost is the danger of getting hit by one of...
Pedestrians and Forklifts As an operator of a powered industrial truck, you must safeguard other employees at all times. This rule is no different than what is required of you as a safe driver when you are operating your own car. Pedestrians, whether they are walking down the aisle of...
Bonding and Grounding When transferring flammable liquids, it is important that the containers involved are bonded and grounded in order to prevent static electricity from igniting the vapors. Static electricity results from the interaction of dissimilar materials. This can occur when materials are rubbed together, such as walking across carpet...