Category: Safety at Work

Safety and Health Program Assessment

safetyThere are three basic methods for assessing safety and health program effectiveness:

  1. Checking documentation of activity.
  2. Interviewing employees at all levels for knowledge, awareness, and perceptions.
  3. Reviewing site conditions and, where hazards are found, finding the weaknesses in management systems that allowed the hazards to occur or to be “uncontrolled.”

Some elements of the safety and health program are best assessed using one of these methods. Others lend themselves to assessment by two or all three methods.

via Tools for a Safety and Health Program Assessment.

Hazardous Drug Exposures in Health Care

HazardousDrugs_072711ayfHealth care workers who prepare or administer hazardous drugs (e.g., those used for cancer therapy, and some antiviral drugs, hormone agents, and bioengineered drugs) or who work in areas where these drugs are used may be exposed to these agents in the workplace. About 8 million U.S. healthcare workers are potentially exposed to hazardous drugs, including pharmacy and nursing personnel, physicians, operating room personnel, environmental services workers, workers in research laboratories, veterinary care workers, and shipping and receiving personnel.

via CDC – Hazardous Drug Exposures in Health Care – NIOSH Workplace Safety and Health Topic.

Stay Safe at Work

How-to-protect-your-back-at-work-300x214If work isn’t performed safely, it can put a lot of wear and tear on your body. Back injuries are the most common type of workplace injury.

Make simple changes to prevent injuries and stay healthy:

  • Lift things safely.
  • Arrange your equipment to fit your body.
  • Take short breaks and stretch your muscles.
  • Eat a healthy diet and stay active.
  • Watch your weight.
  • Get enough sleep.

via Workplace Safety.

Enforcement of Workplace Safety and Health

police_badge_for_web_Three Department of Labor (DOL) agencies have responsibility for the administration and enforcement of the laws enacted to protect the safety and health of workers in America.

Occupational Safety and Health Administration

  • OSHA administers the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Act.
  • Safety and health conditions in most private industries are regulated by OSHA or OSHA-approved state systems.
  • Nearly every employee in the nation comes under OSHA’s jurisdiction with some exceptions such as miners, some transportation workers, many public employees, and the self-employed.
  • Employers subject to the OSH Act also have a general duty to provide work and a workplace free from recognized, serious hazards.

Mine Safety and Health Administration

  • DOL’s MSHA has responsibility for administration and enforcement of the Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977, which protects the safety and health of workers employed in the nation’s mines.
  • The Act applies to all mining and mineral processing operations in the United States, regardless of size, number of employees, or method of extraction.

The Fair Labor Standards Act

  • FLSA contains rules concerning the employment of young workers, those under the age of 18, and is administered and enforced by DOL’s Wage and Hour Division. Intended to protect the health and well-being of youth in America, the FLSA contains minimum age restrictions for employment, restrictions on the times of day youth may work, and the jobs they may perform.

via U.S. Department of Labor — Find It By Topic — Workplace Safety & Health.

Tips to Safety at Work

safe-at-workHere are a few tips to stay safe at work.

  • Safety is a team effort. Ensure that every member of the crew knows the safety requirements before the job is started.
  • Safety is your responsibility.
  • Always communicate with co-workers during a job in order to maintain safety.
  • Don’t create unnecessary hazards. Notify others of both new and old ones.
  • Never take shortcuts. Always follow correct procedures.
  • Wear metal mesh gloves to protect your hands when using sharp knives regularly.
  • Keep your work area clean and orderly.
  • If you make a mess, clean it up. Never let safety be someone else’s job.
  • Keep access clear to emergency exits, equipment, and equipment shutoffs.
  • Prevent accidents by clearly identifying any hazards that cannot be removed.

via 80 Work Safety Tips to Remind Employees to Work Safe.

Machine Safety is Critical

Danger_Keep_Hands_Clear_JY41_ANSIMachine safety is critical for worker safety, because machines have many ways to injure workers: Many machines have moving parts, sharp edges, and hot surfaces with the potential to cause severe workplace injuries such as crushed fingers or hands, amputations, burns, or blindness. Safeguards are essential for protecting workers from these preventable injuries. Any machine part, function, or process that might cause injury must be safeguarded. When the operation of a machine may result in a contact injury to the operator or others in the vicinity, the hazards must be eliminated or controlled.

via CDC – Machine Safety – NIOSH Workplace Safety and Health Topic.

Nonfatal Injury and Illness in Construction

construction122There were 3.3 million nonfatal injuries and illnesses reported across all industries in 2009, of which almost 95 per cent were injuries and just over 5 per cent were illnesses. More than 9 per cent of the nonfatal illnesses and injuries requiring days away from work were experienced by construction workers (92,540).  Construction workers reported 4.3 nonfatal injuries and illnesses per 100 full-time workers.

Falls accounted for more than one in every five of these injuries and illnesses (22%). Construction laborers experienced the seventh-highest rate of nonfatal injury and illness requiring days away from work of all occupations (382 per 10,000 full-time workers). Hispanic/Latino workers experienced nonfatal injuries and illnesses disproportionately, with almost one-fifth of cases (19%).

via CDC – Construction Safety and Health – NIOSH Workplace Safety and Health Topic.

What is Behavior-based Safety?

page3photoBehavior-based Safety is a method to use positive reinforcement to change unsafe behavior.

The system:

  • Is employee-based for continuous improvement;
  • Analyzes tasks and hazards to identify critical safety behaviors;
  • Analyzes behavior based on job observation;
  • Uses feedback about safety performance as reinforcement;
  • Behavior-based Safety Principles;
  • Behavior is the cause of accidents;
  • Consequences motivate behavior;
  • What gets measured gets done;
  • Feedback is essential to improvement;
  • Quality is built-in early in the process;
  • Conversations change organizations;
  • Behavior-based Safety and Integrated Safety Management.

via Safety Training – Safety Guidance Specialists: What is Behavior-based Safety?.

Eye Safety: Tips

md_Eye Protection1. Create a safe work environment

  • Minimize hazards from falling or unstable debris.
  • Make sure that tools work and safety features (machine guards) are in place.
  • Make sure that workers (particularly volunteers) know how to use tools properly.
  • Keep bystanders out of the hazard area.

2. Evaluate safety hazards.

  • Identify the primary hazards at the site.
  • Identify hazards posed by nearby workers, large machinery, and falling/shifting debris.

3. Wear the proper eye and face protection.

  • Select the appropriate Z87 eye protection for the hazard.
  • Make sure the eye protection is in good condition.
  • Make sure the eye protection fits properly and will stay in place.

4. Use good work practices.

  • Caution—Brush, shake, or vacuum dust and debris from hardhats, hair, forehead, or the top of the eye protection before removing the protection.
  • Do not rub eyes with dirty hands or clothing.
  • Clean eyewear regularly.
  • Prepare for eye injuries and first aid needs.

5. Have an eye wash or sterile solution on hand.

via CDC – Eye Safety: Checklist – NIOSH Workplace Safety and Health Topic.