safety – Page 5 – Risk Management 365

Workplace Injury Reports to Go Online

For many workers, their jobs may be the most dangerous activities they engage in on a regular basis. On average, twelve people died each day last year from workplace incidents—amounting to over 4,300 deaths. Moreover, nearly 3 million workers suffered injuries or became ill at work last year.

These statistics actually represent some of the lowest workplace mortality and injury rates in decades, but Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez has urged that the government “can and must do better.” To Perez, the statistics “aren’t just numbers and data – they are fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters, who will never come home again.”

In an effort to reduce workplace hazards and prevent injuries, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently proposed a new rule that would add requirements for the electronic submission of workplace injury and illness information. In announcing the agency’s proposal, David Michaels, Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health, indicated that the new requirements should provide “better access to data that will encourage earlier abatements of hazards and result in improved programs to reduce workplace hazards and prevent injuries, illnesses and fatalities.”

via Workplace Injury Reports to Go Online | RegBlog.

A Comprehensive Fall Protection Program Can Reduce Risk and Insurance Costs!

The National Safety Council estimates that falls in the workplace account for over 100,000 injuries annually, and that falls are one of the leading causes of workplace fatalities. The Centers for Disease Control reports that workers’ compensation and medical costs associated with occupational fall incidents are approximately $70 billion annually in the United States (Source: http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/falls/).

Statistics like these make the benefits of implementing a comprehensive fall protection plan in your workplace easy to see. Not only do such programs provide the obvious benefit of protecting workers from injury, they can substantially reduce workers’ compensation claims, reduce your insurance premiums, increase productivity, reduce OSHA fines, and boost worker morale.

via A Comprehensive Fall Protection Program Can Reduce Your Risk and Your Insurance Costs! | Rigid Lifelines.

One Child’s Death is One Too Many: Preventing Backovers in America’s Driveways

Safety Tips for Parents

Keeping your children out of harm’s way requires ongoing education, supervision, and vigilance: there simply is no single fail-safe solution. However, safety experts advise employing the following strategies to help reduce the risk of a backover tragedy occurring:

Ensure your children are properly supervised at all times, especially wherever motor vehicles might be present.
Teach children not to play in, under, or around vehicles — ever.
Always assume children could be present and carefully check the street, driveway, and area around your vehicle before backing out.
Avoid making your driveway a “playground.” If you do allow children in this area, make sure that it’s only when there are no vehicles present. To further protect children who may be outside playing, separate the driveway from the roadway with a physical barrier to prevent any cars from entering.
To prevent curious children from ever putting a vehicle in gear, never leave vehicles running, and keep all vehicles, even those in driveways and garages, locked up tight.
When backing up, always know where all children are and have them stay in your full view and well away from your vehicle.
Look behind you as you back out S-L-O-W-L-Y with your windows rolled down to listen for children who may have dashed behind your vehicle suddenly — and be prepared to stop!
If you’re driving an SUV or truck, remember that the blind spot behind your vehicle can be especially large: use extreme care whenever you back up.

Finally, talk with neighborhood parents about backover incidents and ask them to teach their children not to play in or around any vehicle or driveway. By working together to promote awareness and protective home and neighborhood environments, we can help to keep all our children safe.

via One Child’s Death is One Too Many: Preventing Backovers in America’s Driveways | National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

Emergency: Active Shooter/ Workplace Violence

An active shooter/ hostile intruder is an individual actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a confined and populated area by any means including but not limited to firearms (most frequently used), bladed weapons, vehicles, or any tool that in the circumstance in which it is used constitutes deadly physical force. In most cases, there is no pattern or method to their selection of victims. Most active shooter situations are unpredictable, evolve quickly, and are over within minutes.

ACTION GUIDELINES

EVACUATE – Run: If there is an accessible escape path, attempt to evacuate the premises. Be sure to:

Have an escape route and plan in mind.
Evacuate regardless of whether others agree to follow.
Leave your belongings behind.
Help others evacuate, if possible.
Call 911 when you are safe.
Prevent individuals from entering an area where the active shooter may be.
Keep your hands visible.
Follow the instructions of any police officers.
Do not attempt to move wounded people.

SHELTER-IN-PLACE – Hide: If evacuation is not possible, find a place to hide where the active shooter is less likely to find you. Your hiding place should:

Be out of the active shooter’s view.
Provide protection if shots are fired in your direction (i.e. an office with a closed and locked door).
Not trap you or restrict your options for movement.
To prevent an active shooter from entering your hiding place:
Lock the door.
Blockade the door with heavy furniture.
If the active shooter is nearby:
Lock the door.
Silence your cell phone and/or pager.
Turn off any source of noise (i.e. radio, television).
Hide behind large items (i.e. cabinets, desks).
Remain quiet.

PROTECT YOURSELF – Fight: As a last resort, and only when your life is in imminent danger, attempt to disrupt and/or incapacitate the active shooter by:

Acting as aggressively as possible against him/her.
Throwing items and improvising weapons.
Yelling.
Committing to your actions.

WHEN POLICE ARRIVE

Put down any items in your hands.
Keep hands visible.
Follow all instructions.
Avoid making quick movements towards officers.
Do not stop to ask officers for help or direction when evacuating, just proceed in the direction from which officers are entering the premises.

via Emergency: Active Shooter/ Workplace Violence | Emergencies – What to Do?! | Department of Security at Miller School of Medicine.

What are Bloodborne Pathogens?

Bloodborne pathogens are infectious microorganisms in human blood that can cause disease in humans. These pathogens include, but are not limited to, hepatitis B (HBV), hepatitis C (HCV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Needlesticks and other sharps-related injuries may expose workers to bloodborne pathogens. Workers in many occupations, including first aid team members, housekeeping personnel in some industries, nurses and other healthcare personnel may be at risk of exposure to bloodborne pathogens.

via Safety and Health Topics | Bloodborne Pathogens and Needlestick Prevention.

Basic Ladder Safety

Ladders are tools. Many of the basic safety rules that apply to most tools also apply to the safe use of a ladder:

If you feel tired or dizzy, or are prone to losing your balance, stay off the ladder.
Do not use ladders in high winds or storms.
Wear clean slip-resistant shoes. Shoes with leather soles are not appropriate for ladder use since they are not considered sufficiently slip-resistant.
Before using a ladder, inspect it to confirm it is in good working condition.
Ladders with loose or missing parts must be rejected.
Rickety ladders that sway or lean to the side must be rejected.
The ladder you select must be the right size for the job
The Duty Rating of the ladder must be greater that the total weight of the climber, tools, supplies, and other objects placed upon the ladder.
The length of the ladder must be sufficient so that the climber does not have to stand on the top rung or step.
When the ladder is set-up for use, it must be placed on firm level ground and without any type of slippery condition present at either the base or top support points.
Only one person at a time is permitted on a ladder unless the ladder is specifically designed for more than one climber (such as a Trestle Ladder).
Ladders must not be placed in front of closed doors that can open toward the ladder. The door must be blocked open, locked, or guarded.
Read the safety information labels on the ladder.
The on-product safety information is specific to the particular type of ladder on which it appears. The climber is not considered qualified or adequately trained to use the ladder until familiar with this information.
Never jump or slide down from a ladder or climb more than one rung/step at a time.

via basic ladder safety.

Trenching and Excavation Safety

Excavation and trenching are among the most hazardous construction operations. OSHA defines an excavation as any man-made cut, cavity, trench, or depression in the earth’s surface formed by earth removal. A trench is defined as a narrow underground excavation that is deeper than it is wide, and is no wider than 15 feet (4.5 meters).

Dangers of Trenching and Excavation

Cave-ins pose the greatest risk and are much more likely than other excavation related accidents to result in worker fatalities. Other potential hazards include falls, falling loads, hazardous atmospheres, and incidents involving mobile equipment. Trench collapses cause dozens of fatalities and hundreds of injuries each year.

via Trenching and Excavation Safety.

What is Lockout/Tagout Safety Procedure?

Lockout-tagout (LOTO) or lock and tag is a safety procedure which is used in industry and research settings to ensure that dangerous machines are properly shut off and not started up again prior to the completion of maintenance or servicing work. It requires that hazardous power sources be “isolated and rendered inoperative” before any repair procedure is started. “Lock and tag” works in conjunction with a lockusually locking the device or the power source with the hasp, and placing it in such a position that no hazardous power sources can be turned on. The procedure requires that a tag be affixed to the locked device indicating that it should not be turned on.

A good Lockout/Tagout Procedure, at a minimum, should contain the following elements:

1. All maintenance personnel shall be provided with a good lock. The lock shall have the individual workers’ name and other identification on it. Each worker shall have the only key to the lock.

2. The worker shall check to be sure that no one is operating the machinery BEFORE turning -off the power. The machine operator shall be informed before the power is turned off. Sudden loss of power could cause an accident

3. Steam, air and hydraulic lines shall be bled, drained, and cleaned out. There shall be no pressure in these lines or in reservoir tanks.

4. Any mechanism under tension or pressure, such as springs, shall be released and blocked.

5. Each person who will be working on the machinery shall put a lock on the machine’s lockout device(s). Each lock shall remain on the machine until that worker’s work is complete.

6. All energy sources that could activate the machine shall be locked out (blocked/tagged).

7. The main valve or main electrical disconnect shall be tested to be sure that the power to the machine is off.

8. Electrical circuits shall be checked with proper and calibrated electrical testing equipment. An electrical failure could energize the equipment even if the switch is in the off position. Stored energy in electrical capacitors shall be safely discharged.

9. When working on machinery such as power presses and welding presses that have a ram that could fall, the ram shall be supported with safety blocks or pins. Fully interlocked safety blocks are the safest.

Nail Gun Safety

Nail guns have replaced hammers in wood frame construction. They are powerful, easy to operate and boost productivity for nailing tasks. Nail guns are a leading cause of injury among residential carpenters and responsible for an estimated 37,000 emergency room visits each year, of which 60% are occupationally-related. Puncture wounds to the hands and fingers are most common, but more serious injuries and deaths occur using nail guns.

All nail guns have the potential to cause serious injury. Using a nail gun with a bump or automatic trigger (also known as contact trip trigger) can result in unintended nail discharge. Other risks include lack of training, working fast and keeping the trigger squeezed when not nailing. Using a nail gun with a single shot or full sequential trigger reduces the risk of injury.

via CDC – Nail Gun Safety – NIOSH Workplace Safety and Health Topic.

Company President Sentenced to Prison for Safety Violations

A company president in the United States has been sentenced to serve up to 20 years in prison for his role in safety deficiencies that caused the death of two men. The prison sentence is in addition to a $ 1.2 million penalty levied against the company in 2010 and a personal penalty of $10,000 levied against the president and primary business owner, Craig Sanborn, as part of the criminal sentencing.

The penalties were issued in connection with the May 2010 explosion at the Black Mag LLC plant in New Hampshire, United States that killed two employees who were manufacturing a gunpowder substitute. An investigation conducted by the U.S. Occupational, Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) following the explosion resulted in issuance of 16 willful safety violations and more than 30 serious safety violation citations. The company was also forced to surrender its Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms explosives manufacturing permits, which put the company out of business.

Safety violations included:

failure to implement essential protective controls including remote starting procedures;
failure to isolate operating stations, establish safe distancing, and erect barriers or shielding;
failure to provide personal protective equipment and other safety measures required for safe work with hazardous materials; and
failure to provide sufficient training on workplace hazards.

via Company President Sentenced to Prison for Safety Violations – EHS Journal.