Safety at Work – Page 11 – Risk Management 365

Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Human Error

The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, the largest accidental marine oil spill in history, was most likely caused by human error, cost cutting and an insufficient safety system.

BP’s head of safety admits human error over oil spill. A pressure test which would have revealed problems in the drill “was incorrectly deemed a success by BP and Transocean rig personnel”, he said. And on three occasions, real-time monitoring data from the rig indicated that pipe pressure had increased, when it should have dropped. These indicators went “unobserved or unrecognized” for about 40 minutes, which “significantly shortened” the workers’ emergency response time.

via BP’s head of safety admits human error over oil spill – environment – 27 September 2010 – New Scientist.

What is the Purpose of a Safety Committee?

The purpose of a safety committee is to bring workers and management together in a non-adversarial, cooperative effort to promote safety and health in each workplace. A safety committee assists the employer and makes recommendations for change.

via Safety Committee Development — Occupational Health & Safety.

What can you do to avoid falling at work?

You can reduce the risk of slipping on wet flooring by:

taking your time and paying attention to where you are going
adjusting your stride to a pace that is suitable for the walking surface and the tasks you are doing
walking with the feet pointed slightly outward
making wide turns at corners

You can reduce the risk of tripping by:

keeping walking areas clear from clutter or obstructions
keeping flooring in good conditon
always using installed light sources that provide sufficient light for your tasks
using a flashlight if you enter a dark room where there is no light
ensuring that things you are carrying or pushing do not prevent you from seeing any obstructions, spills, etc.

via Prevention of Slips, Trips and Falls : OSH Answers.

Major Hazard Communication Changes

Major changes to the Hazard Communication Standard

Hazard classification: Provides specific criteria for classification of health and physical hazards, as well as classification of mixtures.
Labels: Chemical manufacturers and importers will be required to provide a label that includes a harmonized signal word, pictogram, and hazard statement for each hazard class and category. Precautionary statements must also be provided.
Safety Data Sheets: Will now have a specified 16-section format.
Information and training: Employers are required to train workers by December 1, 2013 on the new labels elements and safety data sheets format to facilitate recognition and understanding.

via Hazard Communication.

Health Care Workers – Hazards on the Job

Healthcare is the fastest-growing sector of the U.S. economy, employing over 18 million workers. Women represent nearly 80% of the healthcare work force. Health care workers face a wide range of hazards on the job, including needlestick injuries, back injuries, latex allergy, violence, and stress. Although it is possible to prevent or reduce healthcare worker exposure to these hazards, healthcare workers continue to experience injuries and illnesses in the workplace. Cases of nonfatal occupational injury and illness among to healthcare workers are among the highest of any industry sector. By contrast, two of the most hazardous industries, agriculture and construction, are safer today than they were a decade ago.

via CDC – Health Care Workers – NIOSH Workplace Safety and Health Topic.

Is it safe to work with power tools?

According to one estimate, over 400,000 people go to the emergency room annually as a result of injuries caused by workshop equipment and power tools. Approximately 70 percent of the people who wind up in the emergency room as a result of injuries caused by power tools are amateur craftsmen.

There are several common power tool-related injuries to be aware of, including saw amputations, lacerations, eye injuries, and puncture wounds. While there are many different ways to get injured while using power tools, there are a number of safety tips you can incorporate into your work no matter what tools you’re using.

Be familiar with how your tool operates before you start using it. If you’re a beginner, take the time to read the owner’s manual or speak to knowledgeable experts. Only use power tools for the specific functions they were designed for.
Thoroughly inspect your power tool to ensure that it’s in working order. Don’t forget to look over any safety equipment that comes with your power tools.
Before actually commencing work is to take a minute to make sure that you’re physically able to undertake a task that involves using power tools. If you’ve been drinking, or if you’re rushed or fatigued, put off working with power tools until you’ve had time to recharge your batteries.

As far as precautions to take while you work, you should always wear standard safety equipment, such as a face shield, gloves and goggles. If you’re using a power tool that runs on gasoline, there are some extra safety precautions that you should incorporate into your work, including working only in well-ventilated areas and filling up the gas tank only after the power tool’s engine has cooled.

via HowStuffWorks “Is it safe to work with power tools?”.

Fertilizer Plant Explosion – What is Anhydrous Ammonia? –

“Our thoughts and prayers go out to those that were killed and injured in the fertilizer plant explosion in Texas. Some of those were firefighters. We must never take our firefighters and first responders for granted as they risk their lives everyday on our behalf. “ -Randy Boss

Firefighters at the scene of a massive fertilizer plant explosion in Texas were concerned Wednesday night about anhydrous ammonia. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, anhydrous ammonia is a pungent gas with suffocating fumes that is used as a fertilizer. When exposed to humans, it can cause various problems:

Anhydrous means without water
Anhydrous ammonia can rapidly cause dehydration and severe burns if it combines with water in the body
Symptoms can include breathing difficulty; irritation of the eyes, nose or throat; burns or blisters.
Exposure to high concentrations can lead to death.
Victims require treatment with large quantities of water for at least 15 minutes
It must be stored at high pressure, according to the University of Minnesota.
It is a low-cost, highly effective nitrogen-based fertilizer, the University of Arkansas said.
It is one part nitrogen and three parts hydrogen.
When released, the vapors initially move close to the ground, causing greater risk for exposure.

via What is anhydrous ammonia? – CNN.com.

Creating a Safety Culture

Why do you want a strong safety culture?

It has been observed at the OSHA VPP sites and confirmed by independent research that developing strong safety cultures have the single greatest impact on accident reduction of any process. It is for this single reason that developing these cultures should be top priority for all managers and supervisors.

What is a safety culture – how will it impact my company?

Safety cultures consist of shared beliefs, practices, and attitudes that exist at an establishment. Culture is the atmosphere created by those beliefs, attitudes, etc., which shape our behavior. An organizations safety culture is the result of a number of factors such as:

Management and employee norms, assumptions and beliefs;
Management and employee attitudes;
Values, myths, stories;
Policies and procedures;
Supervisor priorities, responsibilities and accountability;
Production and bottom line pressures vs. quality issues;
Actions or lack of action to correct unsafe behaviors;
Employee training and motivation; and
Employee involvement or “buy-in.”

via Safety and Health Management Systems eTool | Module 4: Creating Change – Safety and Health Program Management: Fact Sheets: Creating a Safety Culture.

Tornado Safety at Home, Work, or at Play

Have a Plan at Home, at Work, and When You’re Away

In a home or building, move to a pre-designated shelter, such as a basement, and get under a sturdy table or the stairs. A specially-constructed “safe room” within a building offers the best protection. Use an internet search engine and search for “safe room” for more information.

If a basement is not available, move to a small interior room or hallway on the lowest floor and cover yourself with anything close at hand: towels, blankets, pillows. If possible, get under a sturdy table, desk or counter. Put as many walls as possible between you and the storm. Stay away from windows.

If caught outdoors, seek shelter in a sturdy building. If you cannot quickly walk to shelter, get into a vehicle, buckle your seatbelt and drive to the closest sturdy shelter. If flying debris occurs while you are driving, pull over and park. Now you have two options as a last resort:

– Stay in the vehicle with the seatbelt on and place your head below the windows.

– If you can safely get noticeably lower than the roadway, exit the vehicle and lie in that area, covering your head with your hands. Do not seek shelter under an overpass.

Mobile homes, even if tied down, offer little protection from tornadoes. You should leave a mobile home and go to the designated storm shelter or the lowest floor of a sturdy nearby building.

When vacationing, always bring along a NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards and have a place of safety in mind in the event severe weather threatens.

via Tornado Safety at Home, Work, or at Play.

Danger – Confined Space

Many workplaces contain spaces that are considered “confined” because their configurations hinder the activities of employees who must enter, work in, and exit them. A confined space has limited or restricted means for entry or exit, and it is not designed for continuous employee occupancy. Confined spaces include, but are not limited to underground vaults, tanks, storage bins, manholes, pits, silos, process vessels, and pipelines. OSHA uses the term “permit-required confined space” (permit space) to describe a confined space that has one or more of the following characteristics: contains or has the potential to contain a hazardous atmosphere; contains a material that has the potential to engulf an entrant; has walls that converge inward or floors that slope downward and taper into a smaller area which could trap or asphyxiate an entrant; or contains any other recognized safety or health hazard, such as unguarded machinery, exposed live wires, or heat stress.

via Safety and Health Topics | Confined Spaces.