Avoid unnecessary stress

It’s not healthy to avoid a stressful situation that needs to be addressed, but you may be surprised by the number of stressors in your life that you can eliminate.

Learn how to say "no." Know your limits and stick to them. Whether in your personal or professional life, taking on more than you can handle is a surefire recipe for stress. Distinguish between the "shoulds" and the "musts" and, when possible, say "no" to taking on too much.

Avoid people who stress you out. If someone consistently causes stress in your life, limit the amount of time you spend with that person, or end the relationship.

Take control of your environment. If the evening news makes you anxious, turn off the TV. If traffic makes you tense, take a longer but less-traveled route. If going to the market is an unpleasant chore do your grocery shopping online.

 Pare down your to-do list. Analyze your schedule, responsibilities, and daily tasks. If you have too much on your plate, drop tasks that aren’t necessary, to the bottom of the list, or eliminate them entirely

Stress Free is the Way to Be!

Working in Confined Spaces

 

Working in a confined space is a unique and serious hazard. There is no halfway problem: Either there is or isn’t a problem. By one definition, a confined space is one that is large enough and arranged so that an employee can fully enter and work, has limited or restricted entry or exit and which is not primarily designed for human occupancy. 

Primary Hazards: 

• Oxygen deficiency
• Exposure to toxic substances
• Combustible or Explosive

Safety Procedures: 

• Test for oxygen deficiency
• Sample for combustible gases (Most combustible gas meters will not work in oxygen deficient atmospheres.) 
• Continually monitor for toxic substances (i.e., gases) as work progresses

Making a Confined Space Workable:

• If space is unable to be vented, be use to provide proper respiration equipment
• If space can be vented, continually flush out the space with fresh air
• Be aware that spark producing equipment should never be used to flush out confined spaces

Basic Rescue Procedures: 

• Never rush to the aid of a fellow employee in a confined space
• Always be sure that someone watches work in a confined space outside of the space
• All workers in a confined space must work with a lifeline attached outside of the space
• All rescuers must be competent in the use of rescue equipment and self-contained breathing units

Remember: Confined spaces need not be dangerous places to work if the basic precautions are routinely followed. Remember that it is a rare circumstance that a single fatality occurs in a confined space; usually there are multiple fatalities

safety first

Watch your Feet

 

Your feet are subject to many types of skin diseases, cuts, punctures, burns, sprains, and fractures.  However, sharp or heavy objects falling on the foot are the primary source of foot injuries in the workplace.  In one study, more than 75% of foot injuries suffered were of workers not wearing safety shoes or boots at the time of the incident.

Foot protection should not be used as a substitute for engineering, work practices, and/or administrative controls.  Foot protection should be used in conjunction with these controls to provide for personal safety and health in the workplace.  

Safety shoes come in many varieties to suit very specific industrial applications.

• Safety shoes – have toe guards that meet testing requirements found in the American Society of Testing Material (ASTM) F2413-05 consensus standard on protective footwear.  Steel, reinforced plastic and hard rubber are used for safety toes, depending on their intended use.

• Electrical hazard shoes – offer protection against shock hazards from contact with exposed circuits.  These shoes are most effective when they are dry and in good repair.

• Puncture resistant shoes – protect against hazards of stepping on sharp objects that can penetrate standard shoe soles.  They are used primarily in construction work.

This list describes only a few of the many types of safety shoes available for a wide range of applications.

  

When selecting safety footwear, it is important that they meet OSHA requirements 1926.96.  These standards set the requirements for safety shoes in the areas of impact, compression, conductivity, and puncture resistance performance.  You always want to match the footwear to the job and its hazards.    

 

Communicate Hazards

 

Report and replace damaged gear. If your Personal Protective Equipment has been damaged, it's time to replace it. Gear such as safety glasses or hardhats should be turned in for replacement when they have received an impact, because they may have received damage you cannot see. Retire these items because they have already done their job by protecting you. 

Emergency equipment is useless unless it is ready to use instantly. If you know of a fire extinguisher which has not been serviced on schedule, report it to your supervisor. If you discharge an extinguisher, it must be filled and serviced before you hang it up again.

A temporary hazard such as a wet floor needs a temporary warning until it can be cleaned up. Barricade the spot, put up a sign to warn others and report the hazard so it can be taken care of promptly.

It might be difficult to do, but reporting a co-worker who is drunk or drugged on the job could save a life. Someone who is under the influence of alcohol or drugs could make a mistake with tragic consequences. Talk to your supervisor if you observe someone working while high or intoxicated.

Your safety responsibility extends outside the workplace to the environment and community. Immediately report any chemical release or hazardous waste so it can be cleaned up before it causes environmental damage.

Drums and other chemical containers must be labeled properly. One reason is in case of a leak or spill, emergency crews will know how to clean up the material and what precautions to use. Chemical containers must be handled with care and stored under the proper conditions. Report any damaged containers and missing labels.

Protect Your Hearing

 

What is at Stake

Noise (Encarta Dictionary definition:  A loud, surprising, irritating, or unwanted sound) can cause permanent damage to your hearing.  Therefore, it is important to protect yourself against noise hazards.  

What is the Danger

Noise-induced hearing loss, either partial or full, that hearing aids, medicine, or surgery cannot reverse nor wholly restore.  

Examples

A sudden single loud sound of an explosion, jet engine or air tool can damage hearing.  However, hearing loss usually occurs from lower doses of noise over time, with damage building up.

How to protect yourself

Your employer is responsible for figuring out the right hearing protection equipment for you to use, and keeping the workplace as free as possible from noise hazards.  If you have suggestions, pass them to your supervisor. 

Protect your Hearing

• Reduce the noise reaching your ears.  Nothing can totally block sound, but some hearing protection devices can block out part of the noise.

• Electronic hearing protection devices permit conversations and warnings to reach the ear, but prevent harmful sound-pressure levels.  Other electronic hearing protectors pick up and amplify desirable sounds.  Some earmuffs or earplugs combine with communication systems for use in noisy areas.

• Earmuffs – filled with liquid or foam – come in various styles for function and comfort.  Earmuffs are fitted with a headband made of metal or plastic.  Some headbands can be folded or put around the front or back of the neck in various positions.  Cooling pads are even available for earmuffs worn in hot work environments.

• Earplugs can be pre-molded to fit all wearers, or custom molded to fit exactly.  They can be made expandable or non-expandable, and may be either reusable or disposable.  Earplugs are available on cords you can wear around your neck so you can use them easily.

• Cooperate with your workplace’s hearing protection program.  Wear recommended personal protective equipment and take good care of it by cleaning it according to the manufacturer’s recommendation and placing it as needed.  

HEARING DAMAGE/LOSS CAN BE PREVENTED.  

TAKE HEARING PRECAUTION SERIOUSLY!

Are You Safe or Just Lucky?

 

How many times in the past, both on the job and or at home have you said to yourself, "Wow! That was a close one!"

A “close call” incident is referred to as a near miss. Can you think of an example of when you or a coworker had a near miss? Did you feel as if you had “luck” on your side?

OSHA defines a near miss as an “unplanned event that did not result in injury, illness, or damage – but had the potential to do so.” The difference between a near miss and an accident is often a matter of inches or seconds.

Discussion Points:

• An incident where you had “luck” on your side
• The difference between a near miss and an accident
• Be aware of your surroundings
• Accidents happen every day in the workplace
• Safety is not a matter of luck

Discussion:

When a coworker experiences an accident but escapes serious injury, others will often say, “That guy was lucky! Just a couple of seconds later and he could have been seriously injured.” 

In an incident that involved a forklift, the operator felt extreme pressure to complete the job before the end of the shift. As he continued to work at a steady pace, driving, and concentrating on finishing the task, he failed to pay attention to his surroundings and didn't see the person walking in the path of travel.

We all make mistakes and errors in judgment; having a near miss incident could be a matter of losing focus. Sometimes, all it takes is pausing and refocusing before taking the next step to avoid an accident.

Many people can give an example of how they were involved in a near miss incident while on the job, and they will state that “they had luck on their side.”

It's important to understand that accidents happen every day in the workplace. They can happen at any time and in any department. Safety is not a matter of luck. Having a good Safety Program and providing a safe work environment is vital. When employees are properly trained, equipment is inspected and properly maintained, personal protective equipment is properly used, and all employees work together, then everyone should stay safe. It’s better to rely on safety than to hope for luck.

As always, stay safe out there!

No matter what department you work in; the Trades, Materials, MHE, Fuels, etc. or even in an office environment, accidents can happen! That's why we ALL need to be reminded from time to time to keep SAFETY FIRST.

We are committed to preventing accidents through safe work practices and safety education, not luck.

THINK SAFETY in EVERYTHING you do!

Safety is Common Sense

 

According to safety professionals, four of five serious injuries are the result of workers not being sensible on the job and taking unnecessary chances. Common sense on the job is irreplaceable. 

Most of us have worked around people that are accident prone. They aren’t jinxed; they aren’t very common sense smart. Today we want to talk about using common sense to avoid accidents in the workplace.

Guide for Discussion

Common Sense “Smarts”

• Always wear the proper personal protective equipment.
• Don’t over exert yourself – get help with heavy tasks.
• Don’t over extend yourself when on ladders – and risk losing your balance.
• Always use the proper tool for the job.
• Concentrate on your work.
• Look for unsafe acts or unsafe working conditions – and then report them.
• Watch out for others – remember you are part of a team.
• Ask the following questions before you begin to work
• Are the conditions safe to do the work?
• Are the methods we are going to use safe?
• Does everyone know what to do?
• Does everyone know how to do it?
• Can I fall, get struck by, get caught between or under, or get electrocuted on this job?

Additional Discussion Notes:

Remember: 

By remembering and following common sense rules and by asking yourself about the conditions, methods, job site hazards and knowing what to do, you should be able to decrease your chances of being injured. Be “common sense smart” and prevent accidents, not cause them

Machine Safety

 

Requirements for Safeguards

Placing and keeping guards on exposed machinery is a major step in preventing lacerations and amputations of body parts. It is also a requirement of State or federal OSHA Safety and Health 

Standards. In general, these standards explain guarding requirements in the following terms:

• Machines which have a grinding, shearing, punching, pressing, squeezing, drawing, cutting, rolling, mixing or similar action, including pinch points and shear points, whereas an employee comes within the danger zone, shall be guarded at the point of operation in a manner that provides protection for the employee.

• Keys, set screws, projections or recesses which create a hazard not guarded by the frame of the machine or by location shall be removed, made flush or guarded.

Some people consider such guards a nuisance. Others consider them as a necessary evil. But how evil can they be if they help save precious fingers, hands and arms from injury or serious mutilation? 

In general, guards should have the following characteristics:

1. They Should Prevent Contact: The safeguard must prevent hands, arms, or any other part of a worker's body from making contact with dangerous moving parts. A guard should not only prevent accidental contact but should prevent workers from intentionally going around or bypassing the guard.

1. They Should Be Secure: If the guard is easily removable, this means it will be ineffective. The guards should be of durable material and most should be bolted or screwed on so that they require tools for removal.

1. They Should Create No New Hazards: The guard itself should not create a new hazard. For example, sharp or jagged edges could cause lacerations. The guards should be affixed in a manner that eliminates sharp edges.

1. They Should Create No Interference: A good guard should allow the employee to work comfortably and efficiently--since otherwise it may be removed.

1. They Should Allow Safe Maintenance: If possible, guards should be designed so as to allow minor maintenance on the machines without either removing the safeguards or being exposed to the hazard. If the guard must be removed or deactivated, then lock-out procedures should be followed before any maintenance is performed.

Don't be another OSHA statistic--an employee who lost a finger, hand or an arm. Remember to always maintain the guards on the machines and to replace them if they must be removed for maintenance.

Have You Checked All The Guards On Your Machinery and Equipment Lately?

Stop Work Authority

 

What is Stop Work Authority?

Executing your Stop Work Authority to right safety wrongs and catch potential unsafe action before it actually happens is not only responsible, it's also effective.

It is the expectation and a requirement of Company that:

• All employees and its contractors have the authority and obligation to stop any task or operation  where concerns or questions regarding the control of HSE risk exist,

• No work will resume until all Stop Work Authority concerns have been adequately addressed,

•  Supervisors respond in a positive way to let employees know that it is OK to stop work, 

• Any form of retribution or intimidation directed at any individual or company for exercising their authority as outlined in this program will not be tolerated.

Stop Work Authority Protocol

Stop Work Authority establishes the responsibility and authority of any individual to stop work when an unsafe condition or act could result in an undesired event. Guidelines for executing a Stop Work Authority intervention must be communicated to facilitate where SStop Work Authority is freely exercised.

When should it be used?

Many employees believe that Stop Work Authority is only to be used when there is imminent danger to a person or persons; however, we believes there are other situations where the use of stop work authority is appropriate. Examples of situations when individuals should use their Stop

Work Authority include, but are not limited to:

1. Employees do not know or understand their tasks or responsibilities
2. A new hazard is identified that was not expected or anticipated
3. Level of risk associated with hazard is not known or understood
4. A hazard is not appropriately controlled
5. A change in conditions is noticed
6. An employee does not feel safe with task conditions

Horseplay – Don’t Do It!

 

A Carpenter was injured during a horseplay incident that occurred when employees were returning from their lunch break. He exited his vehicle to approach employees who were engaged in a water fight, and neglected to turn off the ignition and place the vehicle in park.

When the truck started to roll forward, he attempted to enter the vehicle from the passenger side door which was locked. He then ran around the front of the vehicle to the driver’s door.

As he reached the door the vehicle pinned him against a large water tank, breaking his arm. Another employee stopped the vehicle by breaking the passenger window with a rock and turning off the ignition. The vehicle was then pushed back into a position that allowed the pinned employee to be freed.

Our working environment is potentially dangerous and anything that unnecessarily increases the chance of an injury must be eliminated.

Horseplay includes;

• Scaring someone.
• Air hosing someone.
• Wrestling with someone.
•  Boxing.
• Goosing, pinching, grabbing, back slapping
• Dropping objects next to someone to startle.
• Throwing water on someone.
• Throwing objects or tools at someone.
• Discharging a fire extinguisher.

Imagine horseplay, which you are involved in, resulting in an injury to a co-worker. It’s easy enough to get hurt on the job under normal conditions. 

Don’t increase the chance of injury by unnecessary distractions; horseplay is a hazard to all fellow employees who are trying to mind their own business and do their jobs well.

Worksite foolishness should not be tolerated. Such acts as tripping, pushing, throwing tools or other objects and water fights, have no place on the job. 

Don’t Slip Up

 

 

Slips and falls are a leading cause of workplace injuries. What do experts recommend as the single most important step to take in preventing slips and falls? Simple...keep floors clean, dry, and free of obstruction. When it comes to safeguards against slips and falls, nothing is more important than good housekeeping.
 

When you walk through a work area, look for spills, grease spots or dust (flour and machine byproducts can be highly slippery). Water spilled by drinking fountains or tracked in on wet or snowy days can create a major hazard. Look around and be aware of wet areas or objects on the floor. Then take the time to do something about it. Clean up the hazard or place cones or hazard signs nearby, warning of the danger. People can walk on extremely slippery surfaces by modifying their speed and stride, provided they know about the dangerous condition. It’s the lack of warning that can cause problems. An unexpected shift from a smooth to a slick surface heightens the likelihood of a slip or fall.
 

A Slip…A Trip…A Hospital Trip

Slips, trips and falls are a serious safety concern in the workplace, taking over 700 lives and inflicting over 300,000 serious injuries every year.
Don’t become a statistic…The most common kinds of accidents at work are slips, trips and falls. Be safe and look before you leap.
 

Look for signs of flooring change. Changes in lighting and floor color can conceal a change in friction or angle between adjacent surfaces. Wherever possible, waxes and polishes should cover an entire area, extending to natural breaks in flooring. Choose footwear according to floor surface.
 

Consider slips and falls when you’re doing a job. Some tasks, such as pushing loads, may require special attention to slip-resistant floor surfaces or carefully selected sole material and treads. For some jobs, better lighting or a stable brace is helpful. Carefully placed and mounted hand rails, poles or hip bars may help operators brace themselves. This reduces reliance on foot/floor friction, which thereby reduces the potential for slipping.
 

Slips can occur because of how you walk on a surface. Some simple things you can do to minimize your chance of slipping and falling would be to wear appropriate footwear; watch where you’re going; take slow, short steps where slip potential is high; and use hand holds where possible. 

Protect Your Hands, safety

What tools do you use the most often? 

 

Your hands are used every where you go, and are crucial to most of the work you do every day. Since they are in operation all the time, they could be injured in any of a number of ways:

• You could cut your hand with a sharp tool. A box opener could open your hand instead of the box. 
• A fall on an outstretched hand could break bones or sprain finger muscles or tendons. 
• Contact with chemicals or other products could cause a skin condition contact dermatitis. Its severe form can be disabling. 
• Dropping a heavy load on hands can crush them. 
• Exposing a hand to electricity from a source such as a damaged cord can give you a fatal shock. - Hitting knuckles on a door jam while moving boxes can bruise or sprain. 
• You could hammer your thumb while doing carpentry repairs. 

The main way to protect your hands is to be aware of what you are doing. Distractions lead to injuries. Hand injuries received on Project routinely can be prevented by paying greater attention. Learning safe work habits is also important for protecting your hands. Wear your Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). The proper type of gloves will protect your hands in the workplace. 

Your HSE Safety representative can tell you which type(s) of hand protection you need.

Find adequate protection for your hands

Eye Protection - Preserve Your Vision

This Safety Moment is going to require some effort on your part! I'm assigning everyone a homework task. But don't panic, this homework will be a piece of cake! What I'd like you to do on your way home today is spend the evening observing the many beautiful things in this world! For just one evening, stop taking your eyesight for granted! 

Let me suggest the following:

As you leave the workplace today, look up, down and all around, observing the beauty around you. See the blue sky, the many shades of leaves in the trees, and the different birds that occupy them. When you get home, watch your children playing in the yard and pay attention to how their eyes light up when Daddy or Mommy gets home. Have you ever stopped to think how wonderful your eyesight really is? Well, think about it. For about two minutes, close your eyes completely and contemplate how life would be if you lost your eyesight! That's it-your homework is complete! Did you come up with visions about how your life would change if you couldn't see? Did they include any of the following?

• When you and your family are on vacation, they will have to describe the scenery to you.
• You would have to be led wherever you want to go.
• Your spouse would have to describe the way your children's eyes light up when they open their presents at Christmas.
• No more driving the new truck you just bought.
• No more leisurely activities such as hunting or fishing, watching movies or TV.

Does this sound like something you want to go through? I didn't think so! Is there a way to prevent this from happening? You bet-wear your eye protection! A recent article in Safety & Health states that everyday approximately 1,000 eye injuries occur in the U.S. OSHA estimates that 90% of eye injuries are preventable through the proper use of safety eye wear. What does this tell us? Many people are not wearing proper eye protection! 

Let's examine a few operations that present eye hazards:

• Grinding, hammering, chiseling, wood working or any other activity that might cause large fragments or small particles to fly through the air and into the eyes;
• Painting, spraying, sanding, metal working, spot welding or any process that may cause dust, fumes or tiny particulate to become airborne;
• Work tasks such as electric welding and cutting with a torch, furnace tending or operations around radiant energy or intense heat;
• Operations such as handling acids and caustics, and hot metal casting and bab-bitting where gases, vapors, liquids or splashing metals are generated.

Your eyesight is a precious gift. Please do not wait until it's too late to come to your senses. If your work presents an exposure to eye hazards, wear your eye protection.

Don't take chances. Open your eyes and protect your vision! 

Let’s Talk about Seatbelts

Most of us have had to endure life experiences that are painful, but many learn lessons from those experiences that change our behavior and our lives for the better. Unfortunately, some of us never get that second chance, or even worse, we don’t learn from our mistakes and have to endure painful life experiences that can also be tragic. So it is with seatbelts. Consider this one person’s testimonial about seatbelt use.

When I first learned to drive, seatbelts had been installed in cars and trucks but I can honestly say that I can’t remember wearing my seatbelt very often. That is until a day back in May of 1991. I was driving alone and another driver, who was at fault, turned their car directly in front of me. Thankfully, both vehicles were not going fast. Nonetheless, I was thrown into the windshield because I was not wearing a seatbelt. After a hospital visit and crowns to replace the teeth that were smashed on the windshield, I had learned a very painful lesson.

In the nearly 20 years since that accident, my family has had to endure three other serious car accidents of note, all the fault of the other drivers, where seatbelts have literally kept our family healthy and alive. Each accident involved the other driver cutting in front of our vehicles. Each accident resulted in our vehicle being “totaled”, and most importantly, each one of my family members involved in those accidents walked away unhurt. They walked away unhurt from those accidents for just one reason – each was wearing a seatbelt. We got our second chance and used it again and again and it’s made a difference in our lives.

Yes, seatbelts are required to be worn by the company. They’re even required by law. Yet many of us still don’t wear them. Furthermore, insurance statistics state that the two groups “guilty” of not wearing their seatbelts most often are 

1. Drivers between the ages of 18 to 24, and 

2. Drivers of pick-up trucks; (And what kind of vehicle do many construction workers drive? 

You guessed it – pick-up trucks!)

We can never “choose” when a vehicle accident will occur, so you’ll never know when you’ll really need that seatbelt. If you’re one that still doesn’t wear your seatbelt, your second chance starts now. Wear your seatbelt each and every time you drive. Tell everyone in your family to wear their seatbelts. It can make all the difference in the world.

Why Take a Chance?

Are you willing to risk losing your ability to see? 

Thousands of people take that chance every day by not wearing needed eye protection. In fact 3 out of 5 workers who experienced an eye injury were not wearing their eye protection.

A survey by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) found that nearly 70% of the injuries were the result of flying or falling objects. Most of the material striking the eye was reportedly moving at speeds faster than something being thrown by hand.

What can you do so you are not added to these statistics?

• WEAR PROPER EYE PROTECTION AT ALL TIMES. It is estimated that 90% of eye injuries can be prevented through the use of proper protective eyewear. Manufacturers of eye and face protection have greatly improved their products to help encourage more willing and more consistent use. Considerable advancements have been made in the design of this protection to improve the comfort, durability and fashion.

• MAKE SURE THE EYE PROTECTION IS RIGHT FOR THE HAZARD and that it fits correctly. Also know when to wear goggles and/or a face shield especially when doing high hazard work such as grinding, chipping or working with corrosive compounds.

According to the University of Washington Ophthalmologists, Inc., most eye injuries are rated either mild or severe, with few being in between. Mild cases usually require only simple outpatient care such as irrigating and antibiotic treatment. Severe cases may require multiple surgeries and in most cases the eye sight will not be as it was before the accident… if vision can be saved at all.

Protecting your eyesight should be one of your greatest concerns whether you are on the job or not. Your company may provide you with eye protection and have a 100% eye protection policy; however, it is your individual responsibility to wear the eye protection. Without your commitment, you put yourself at risk of losing your eyesight.

Often people will think nothing of spending a hundred dollars or more for a pair of name brand fashion sunglasses. Some of the best safety glasses cost less than $10. Fashion eyewear looks great and protects your eyes from the sun. But they are typically not safety-rated, and not designed to protect your eyes from objects impacting the lenses.

Remember! There are no good excuses for not protecting your eyesight. 

Identifying and Fighting Fatigue

Fatigue is the condition of being physically or mentally tired or exhausted. Extreme fatigue can lead to uncontrolled and involuntary shutdown of the brain.

Here are some things to look for in your coworkers to help identify fatigue. Everyone needs your help, because in most cases, people who are under significant fatigue can’t identify it themselves. 

These include:

• Their job performance slows.
• Their job quality is reduced.
• They can’t recall their last thought, conversation, or what they did a moment ago.
• They have trouble solving problems.
• They make errors.
• They have a near-miss accident.
• They have trouble focusing.
• The head droops.
• They can’t stop yawning.

When you’re fatigued you will make errors in judgment. Your mind or eyes can be off task and you can make a critical error. Fortunately, there are ways to fight fatigue:

• Get eight hours of sleep before starting work.
• Sleep at the same time each day. If they rotate shifts, establish clockwise rotations (from day to evening to night). Clockwise rotating makes it easier to go to sleep when a worker goes to bed.
• Take all scheduled work breaks. A snack or exercise during the break will refresh them.
• When trying to sleep during the daytime, find a cool, dark, quiet location. Use earplugs, soft music, or a fan to block out noise.
• See their doctor about sleep disorders, medications for illness, and using bright light on the job or during waking hours.
• Eat a well-balanced diet beginning the “day” with high protein foods and ending with carbohydrates. Do not eat great quantities before bedtime; they may cause trouble sleeping.
• Avoid caffeine, alcohol, and cigarettes. These substances cause sleep disturbances.
• Walking, stretching, and aerobics can help a person stay awake. Exercise will give you stamina and help you to fall asleep later.
• Work carefully and very methodically, always following proper procedures.

"Stay Safe : Stay Alert"

Safe Lifting Techniques

Can you think of even one job or occupation where you never have to lift an object? I can't. Lifting of objects can range from very light objects such as a piece of paper, a pin or a pen to very heavy objects like loads of boxes. Lifting is very much a part of our every day jobs. And, because it is something we do so often, we tend to do it without thinking, or at least we do until we strain a muscle, or worse, hurt our backs.

Lifting incorrectly can result in a variety of injuries. Back strain is a very common one. It results from over-stretching certain muscles, but it can be avoided by practicing safe lifting techniques. A hernia is another injury associated with lifting. A hernia does not generally result from a single lifting effort. It is usually the result of continued extreme exertion, especially done contrary to the structure of body.

Don't underestimate the importance of being in good physical condition. Years of poor posture, overeating, lack of exercise, stress and improper lifting can catch up with you. Learn how your back works and what you can do to keep it strong. Ask for your physician's recommended stretching, warm-up, and reconditioning exercises; then practice them regularly.
Safe lifting plays an important role in keeping your back healthy. Although there doesn't seem to be just one right method to lift an object, there are lifting techniques that take strain off the low back area.

These techniques have several steps in common. They recommend you "size up the load". That is, look it over. Decide if you can handle it alone or if you need help. When in doubt, ask for help. Moving a box or other object that is too heavy for one person is not worth strained and sore back muscles.

You should also "size up the area". Look over the area where you are carrying the object to, and make sure it is clear of obstacles before beginning to carry the object.
For that period of time spent lifting, the load becomes a part of your body. You support and propel the object while it is attached to you. This attachment should be firm and sure. Get a good grip.
Attaching yourself to a load will change your balance. To keep this change of balance to a minimum, keep the load close to your body, to your normal center of gravity between the legs, between the shoulders.

Good foot position allows you to keep your balance and bring into play the full power of your leg muscles. Leg muscles are more powerful and more durable than back muscles. Let your leg muscles do the work. Again, footwork is important once you avoid twisting your upper body. Use your feet to change direction. Don't twist your body. Twisting compounds the stress of the lift and affects your balance.

When you have someone helping you lift an object, teamwork becomes important. If you're going to be carrying the load to another point, both of you should decide in advance how it is to be handled. Check the route and clearance. One person should be the leader and be in a position to observe and direct the other. Lifting and lowering should be done in unison. Don't let the load drop suddenly without warning your partner.

Everyone has a way of lifting that seems most natural. Examine yours to see if you are using lifting techniques that reduce strain on your lower back. As the employee making the lift, you're being counted on to make lifts that are safe and comfortable for you based on the items we've discussed:

• Stay in shape
• Size up the load; ask for help, if needed
• Get a good grip
• Keep the load close
• Keep your balance with footwork
• Let your leg muscles do the work
• Don't twist your body 

Machine Guarding

Machine guarding is a very important safety control. Guarding can protect against:

• Debris, particulates and other projectiles from flying out of the machine

• Pinch-points caused by moving components

• People from entering energized work areas

• Machines or components within machines from inadvertently shifting or moving during operations

• Sparks, electrical arcs and internal fires from expanding beyond a controlled area within the machine

• Whipping from broken belts and other materials under high tension or stress

• Using ventilation systems and hoods to reduce or prevent inhalation of hazardous fumes

• Using retaining walls, enclosures and spill containment devices to prevent chemicals, objects and other materials from reaching undesirable areas

Guidelines for ensuring machine guarding are effective:

• Ensure the guarding is properly fastened or anchored and not loose.

• Verify the guarding is strong enough to withstand the expected forces.

• If the guarding is perforated (for example a fence) then the holes in the guarding should be smaller than the smallest object that could fly from the machine.

• Always inspect and verify the guarding is adequate before operating the machine.

Stay safe; Look, Assess, Decide, and Act.

Machine Guarding Handbook: A Practical Guide to OSHA Compliance and Injury Prevention

Machine Guarding Handbook is a must-have reading for safety engineers and managers in manufacturing and other industrial settings who need to incorporate an effective machine guarding safety program, meet OSHA requirements, and protect workers. It provides a basic overview of OSHA's requirements, making compliance easier to achieve, thus preventing the risk of worker injury or mutilation and reducing the occurrence of costly penalties and OSHA audits. 

This 106-page book explores and discusses the hazards of unguarded machines, common safeguarding methods, the safeguarding of machines and robots, the importance of guarding, the varying methods of machine guarding, training, inspection and maintenance, and safeguarding techniques. In addition, it provides both regulatory information and the material required to implement a viable machine guarding program. 

Special features include a sample lockout/tagout program, checklists, a machine-guarding case study, chapter summaries, and the complete OSHA Machine Guarding and Lockout/Tagout Standards.

Head Protection – Hard Hats

There are some practical reasons for wearing a hard hat. They help keep your head cooler in summer; dry during rain; and helps shield your ears from noise. But the main reason to wear a hard hat is that it protects the control center part of your body—your head. 

What a Hard Hat Does:

• Protects you from falling objects. 

• Protects your head in case of a fall or bump’s into machinery, ductwork and the like. 

• Protects you from electrical shocks and burns if it's a non-conductive hat. 

• It is a neat place to put stickers and decals, especially first aid trained or safety committee member. 

Proper Care: In order for your hard hat to take care of you, you need to care for your hat

• Always keep your hard hat properly adjusted. 

• Do not cut, bend or heat the hard hat. 

• When you see deep gouges or cracks in the shell, or the hat color turns dull, its time for a new one. 

Proper Wear: 

• Do not wear it backwards. 

• Don’t put anything inside your hard hat except your head. 

• Don’t try to substitute it for a “bump cap.” The bump cap will not provide adequate protection from falling objects; just isn’t strong enough. 

• It is not a stool or a step; doing so weakens the shell of the hard hat. 

Remember: The average hard hat weighs about 14 ounces. The average head weighs about 14 pounds. That’s about one ounce of protection for each pound of head. A small price to pay to protect the control center of your body. 

Hand Protection

Because the hand is such a highly evolved and constantly used instrument, it can be injured in a variety of ways. Nearly 20 percent of disabling occupational injuries involve fingers and hands—second in frequency only to back injuries.

• Wear gloves when you work with caustic chemicals, rough surfaces, harp instruments and other materials that might injure your hands. Keep the gloves clean and in good condition and replace them if they are worn out or damaged by chemicals.

• Never wear gloves when you work on machines such as drills, saws, grinders or other rotating equipment. These types of equipment can catch the glove and pull the hand into danger.

• Do not wear rings, watches, bracelets and even necklaces, when working on machinery or anything on which the jewelry might be caught.

• Use your machine to do the job for which it was intended. Do not try to squeeze an additional task out of it. It may squeeze your hand.

• Before you use a machine that is guarded, double-check to ensure the guard is in place and the machine itself is working correctly.

• Remember, machines are guarded for a very good reason — your protection. Never put your fingers or your hands through, under, over or around the guard.

• Watch what you grab. How can it hurt your hand?

• Keep your work area clean and well arranged so you do not place a hand in a miscellaneous pile and come away with a cut. Any time you have been working with sharp instruments, put them away in their cases, out of harm's way.

• Use your brain as well as your hands when performing housekeeping tasks in your area. For example, do not push trash down into a trashcan with your fingers; someone else may have thrown in broken glass, hardware or a solvent-soaked rag or towel.

• Keep your hands clean, washing them often with soap and warm water to help prevent dermatitis. Barrier hand creams applied before beginning a job can protect against skin irritants.

One careless moment can result in a hand injury that could change your life. 

Dewalt DPG20M All Purpose Synthetic Leather Palm Spandex Back Velcro Wrist Work Glove

Pearl Izumi Men's Select Gel Glove

Youngstown Glove 05-3080-70-L General Utility Lined with KEVLAR Glove Large, Gray

Consumer Survival: An Encyclopedia of Consumer Rights, Safety, and Protection