OSHA will have a busy year ahead of it. As rules passed in 2015 begin to settle in, and 2016 rules become finalized, will we see any movement in the top violations? Will we see a decrease in workplace injuries? What do you think the workplace safety landscape will look like a year from now?
It’s only a matter of time before we begin unrolling the year ahead. Here’s to making 2016 the safest year yet!
It’s the last line of defense between you and a life altering injury, do you know the proper products and how they should be used in order to make sure you are protecting yourself? Do you know the importance of the products that are being provided to keep you safe? Are you guilty of not bothering to wear the correct protections because you think it could “never be you”? For starters: STOP THAT! Second, follow these simple tips to keep yourself safe! Let’s be smart about this in 2016, shall we?
Protect your head from traumatic brain injuries, they make up 22% of all work related fatalities. Hard hats are broken down into 2 types and 3 classes, provide a hat that best fits the falling your hazard.
Measurement standards should be appropriate for the noise levels and spectral content specific to the environment being regulated. Meeting requirements is not enough. An 85dBA/8 hour low frequency tonal noise dominant setting can still be harmful. Additional protections such as active ear defenders should be considered in the cases for true protection of workers.
When working around airborne particles or debris, be sure to wear the proper respirator for the hazard and change filters frequently. The life of these filters will vary depending on the concentration of the hazard, the storage conditions and age of the filter.
1 in 5 workplace injuries are back related and 33% of injuries can be reduced with strength testing for appropriate tasks and proper lifting technique training. Avoid the common causes of force, repetition, and posture.
72% of hand injuries were a result of hands not wearing gloves. Hazards associated with machinery and cutting are at the top of the list when it comes to workplace hand injuries, when reviewing and selecting gloves make note of flexibility, grip, cut and puncture resistance, chemical resistance and degradation.
Crushed, punctured, burned, shocked, sprained or broken. While often forgotten about, foot protection is just as important as the protection of the rest of your body, your footwear should provide both comfort and protection to ward off the hazards lurking around your facility.
Training is mandatory but man oh man is it difficult to get your workers to remember anything. In one ear and out the other, back to daydreaming about this weekend’s football lineup, am I right? So how is it that we can make our workers want to listen, after all safety training is for THEIR own protection?
While training is for their own benefit, it is difficult to pay attention and retain information when you’re being talked at for long periods of time about dry topics like OSHA standards and the different types of fall protection.
Get Creative and Make Things Interesting! If you’re bored with the things that are coming out of your mouth chances are your audience is also. Make your trainings interactive, encourage audience participation, heck make your trainings into a game show or a scavenger hunt if that will help. This may take some prep work up front but once you have a good system in place, this might just make your workers look forward to training’s.
Make Most Important Information Retainable! How do you remember things? Does it have anything to do with longwinded speeches? I’m going to go out on a limb and say no and your trainings shouldn’t either. Most people retain information provided in small chunks with memorable over arching themes. Take the top 10 takeaways from your training and make up an acronym for them and most importantly if you have a multicultural workforce make sure you are providing information in a way that all of your workers will understand.
Tackle the “It Could Never Be Me” Mindset! If your workers are like most people, they see tragedy on t.v. on a daily basis and have become desensitized to the possibility that anything bad could ever actually happen to them. Take that thinking away from them. Show them examples of real tragedy, if you have accidents or near misses that have occurred in your facility even better. Instead of telling your workers about the consequences show them!
You’ve Trained Them, Now What? Training is only the first step in your workers actually retaining what they have learned. Make sure to follow up with them after the fact. Visit them in the actual environment they are working in and hold a refresher course. Reiterating the main takeaways of your teachings, on the job while your workers are performing the actual activities that you had spoken about will help them to remember the safety processes better and how they fit into their work flow.
Facility wide, site to site, across the country and beyond. Creating and maintaining lockout procedures can be a daunting task when trying to sort through all of the OSHA compliance components to create a cohesive plan that workers can easily follow.
As a safety leader you understand the importance of safety and productivity goals and the role that set procedures play in a successful plan.
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Wild animals, objects falling out of the sky, blenders and oncoming trains. Not the usual suspects when it comes to everyday workplace hazards but they have caught headlines for those unfortunate enough to meet their untimely acquaintance. While these hazards are a little outside of the ordinary, there aren’t any hazards that you can anticipate. All hazards should be expected and prepared for.
Here are a few examples that prove why “expect the unexpected” isn’t just a tired cliché, but rather a poignant warning to be taken seriously.
Employer of bear mauling victim could face $15K in fines
An Idaho company is facing more than $15,000 in fines after one of its employees was killed in a bear mauling last year while he was conducting research alone and without bear spray or other personal defense tools in a wilderness area known to have grizzly bears.
Tape measure falls 50 stories, killing worker
A worker fiddling with his tape measure on the 50th floor of a high-rise condo under construction accidentally dropped it and it landed on a man below, killing him.
‘Midnight Rider’ Production Company Cited for Willful, Serious Safety Violation
A worker was killed and several others were injured by a moving train that came barreling through them while they were installing equipment on active railroad tracks for a movie they were working on.
Electricity travels in closed circuits, normally through a conductor. But sometimes a person’s body — an efficient conductor of electricity — mistakenly becomes part of the electric circuit. This can cause an electrical shock. Burns are the most common shock-related injury. An electrical accident can result in an electrical burn, arc burn, thermal contact burn or a combination of burns.
Electrical burns are among the most serious injuries and require immediate medical attention. They occur when electric current flows through tissues or bone, generating heat that causes tissue damage. It is important to keep in mind when treating a person for electrical burns to first make sure that they are no longer in contact with the electrical source that caused them harm because touching them may then pass the current through to you. Turn off the source of electricity and then after securing your own safety, check for signs of circulation, pulse, coughing, breathing, or movement, if none can be found begin to perform CPR. If the person is breathing, cover any burned areas with a sterile gauze bandage, if available, or a clean cloth. Don’t use a blanket or towel, because loose fibers can stick to the burns.
Arc or flash burns result from high temperatures caused by an electric arc or explosion near the body. These burns should be promptly treated. Once an arc flash injury has occurred de-energize the electricity source. If the victim is on fire smother or douse the flames to extinguish them. Tell the victim not to move as this could make injuries worse. If person is unconscious perform CPR. Run cool, not cold water over the burns. Do not apply creams, ointments or ice. After the burn has been cooled, cover it with a clean dry cloth. Keep the victim warm. Do not give the victim any food or water and ALWAYS have them see a doctor even if they seem fine, they may have suffered from internal injuries that wont be apparent until later.
Thermal contact burns are caused when the skin touches hot surfaces of overheated electric conductors, conduits or other energized equipment. Thermal burns can also be caused when clothing catches on fire, as can occur when an electric arc is produced. The treatment for this type of burn will depend on the severity of it. In most cases it is important to cool the burn area by running it under cool not cold water, then protect the burn by covering it loosely with sterile non-adhesive bandage. For those who have suffered more severe burns monitor them for shock by covering them with a coat or blanket and elevating the burn area above the heart until emergency responders arrive.
In addition to shock and burn hazards, electricity poses other dangers. For example, arcs that result from short circuits can cause injury or start a fire. Extremely high-energy arcs can damage equipment, causing fragmented metal to fly in all directions. Even low-energy arcs can cause violent explosions in atmospheres that contain flammable gases, vapors or combustible dusts.
As always it is important to note to only help in treating a victim if you have been properly trained. Always call 911 when an accident occurs and follow their directions.
The ‘Freezing’ Effect
When a person receives an electrical shock, sometimes the electrical stimulation causes the muscles to contract. This “freezing” effect makes the person unable to pull free of the circuit. This is extremely dangerous because it increases the length of exposure to electricity and the current can cause blisters, which reduces the body’s resistance and increases the current. The longer the exposure, the greater the risk of serious injury. Longer exposures at even relatively low voltages can be just as dangerous as short exposures at higher voltages. Low voltage does not imply low hazard. In addition to muscle contractions that cause freezing, electrical shocks can also cause involuntary muscle reactions. These reactions can result in a wide range of injuries such as collisions, falls, bruises, bone fractures and even death.
The manufacturing industry has many hazards both obvious and unique to each facility. Managing an operation with a broad range of responsibilities is daunting if you aren’t well versed in what you should be paying close attention to. While each environment is different there are areas of the job that have safety managers worried across the board.
Restricted Access:
With so many people circling in and out of a large facility on a daily basis it is hard to keep track of who is in the building, what they are doing there, and if they are following the correct protocol required throughout different areas of the building. Restricting access to those who do not need to be in all areas of your facility will go a long way instantaneously in curbing workplace injury. Those who are not aware of the hazards they are walking into are more often than not ill prepare in protecting themselves or unaware in how to properly do so. If employees require training before they start their job, restrict access to all of those who do not have proper training as much as possible.
Mechanical Hazards:
Machines that have many moving parts such as gears, pulleys, sprockets, rotating shafts etc. pose an immediate threat to employees. Any machines that have sharp edges put workers in harm’s way when it comes to cuts, punctures or severe decapitation. The potential for trip and fall accidents is also present around cables and hoses. To reduce the risks always have proper machine guarding in place in addition to proper signage to alert workers of the hazard and proper procedures to be adhered to.
Chemical Exposures:
Depending on the chemical and the amount of exposure, breathing in toxic fumes can lead to many long lasting illnesses and diseases including respiratory problems, reproductive problems, physical disabilities, seizures, cancer, coma or even death. While chemical exposure limits are getting a lot of attention from OSHA and changes are being debated to the current regulations, make it a priority to make sure that you are properly protecting your employees from both known and potentially toxic fumes. In some cases just because it is compliant doesn’t mean it is enough.
PPE
61 percent of eye injuries occur in the manufacturing, trade and construction industries. Machines can throw dust, metal, concrete and other particles that injure the eyes. Machines can also produce loud noise well over the allowable threshold of 80 decibels per 8 hours of work. Having the correct PPE program in place is only half of the battle. Making sure that your workers have protective gear that properly fits them, that is in useable condition and is being worn when it should be are all common areas where lapses can occur. Make sure that top managers are setting a proper example throughout the facility so that application becomes second nature.
Ergonomics:
Ergonomics is becoming a more talked about issue as of late. While effects might not be instant, over a prolonged period of time your workers will start to feel the lasting effects. If they are performing repetitive movements or those unusual to the regular body motion, the slightest workplace improvement or engineering fix could make the world of difference. These small changes can have significant impacts on the reduction of workplace injuries, increased workplace morale and even higher workplace productivity.
Training/Closing the Skills Gap
Manufacturing is highly technical and requires understanding and proficiency in a wide variety of competencies. The current demand for highly skilled workers comes at a time when the industry is facing the retirement of a large percentage of its workforce and an incoming generation of workers who lack the skills and technical knowledge needed for U.S. manufacturing. Make sure that your workers both new and old are all properly trained in the intricacies necessary to perform their tasks..
Some of these areas may be a quicker fix while others may require more time and outside resources. While a perfect safety culture doesn’t happen overnight you can start taking the necessary step for improvement today. One little change could make all the difference in your workplace.
Understanding the dynamic of your work environment is essential when applying best practice navigation and forklift safety throughout your facility.
Physical Conditions:
Consider the physical conditions of your facility
Pedestrian Traffic:
Pedestrian traffic should be a primary concern and should always have the right of way when using forklifts around your facility.
Enclosed and Hazardous Areas:
Know what type of truck you have and its designated areas for usage. OSHA has categorized forklifts into 11 specific types.
In many cases forklifts are an irreplaceable necessity to get products moved, loaded, and unloaded to its destination. Make sure you are taking the time to correctly navigate and reduce the risk of injury to yourself and others who are enroute.
Failure to establish program(1910.147(c)(1)), Failure to develop procedures for energy control(1910.147(c)(4)(i)), Failure to conduct employee training(1910.147(c)(7)(i)), Failure to conduct periodic inspections(1910.147(c)(6)(i)), and Failure to have adequate procedures(1910.147(c)(4)(ii)). Year over year lock out tag out has remained one of the most cited violations by OSHA, so why do you continue to make the same mistakes expecting a different outcome? Perhaps the root cause of the continued noncompliance is as simple as not knowing what exactly it takes to become compliant. Let’s break it down a litte further.
When creating a compliant lock out tag out program for your facility you should pay close attention to:
With such an intricate system it is easy to over look a step within the process. As a means of double checking your work, make sure that after you have created an effective plan for your facility that you seek out additional opinions from employees, an OSHA consultation, or other managers. Be sure to train your employees thoroughly on the protocol you have put into place and keep a regular routine of reviewing and updating your procedures to make sure you never fall behind with new updates to compliance regulations.
For more information on lock out tag out standards visit: https://1.usa.gov/1F3Inny
A lesson in chemicals workers breathe in the workplace and their lasting effects
OSHA devotes most of its budget and attention to responding to here-and-now dangers rather than preventing the silent, slow killers that, in the end, take far more lives. Over the past four decades, the agency has written new standards with exposure limits for 16 of the most deadly workplace hazards, including lead, asbestos and arsenic. But for the tens of thousands of other dangerous substances American workers handle each day, employers are largely left to decide what exposure level is safe. As a result, many workers have been put at risk and have suffered long lasting effects from their daily tasks reaching far beyond the workplace.
OSHA cites Company over LOTO and Confined Space violations leading to long time workers death
A 48-year-old supervisor was fatally injured when he was struck by a metal door while performing maintenance at a Miamisburg company. The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited the company for 10 serious violations, many involving OSHA’s confined space and lockout/tagout standards* for the control of machinery and moving parts.
OSHA continues outreach campaign to educate employers to reduce struck by vehicle incidents
In the past five years, 15 percent of all workplace fatalities investigated by the Kansas City Regional Office of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration have involved vehicle accidents that struck employees in the workplace. Struck-by injuries and fatalities are caused by conventional vehicles, forklifts, semi trucks and other moving industrial equipment, such as cranes and yard trucks. OSHA is continuing its Regional Emphasis Program in Missouri, Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska with the goal of educating employers and workers about the hazards associated with these vehicles and preventing tragic incidents.
Lack of Qualified workers, What can be done?
It may seem hard to believe but, despite national unemployment rates that often hover near double digits, many industries are experiencing worker shortages; workers who are well-trained and qualified. Some industries report that, despite an abundant labor pool, they still have positions for which they can’t find qualified candidates to fill.