SAFETY BLOG

HEROIC SAFETY NOW OFFERS CPR/FIRST AID/AED TRAININGS

Heroic Safety Solutions, in cooperation with Community and Professional Resuscitation (C.P.R.) Solutions are proud to offer American Heart Association certified CPR/First Aid/AED trainings for the workplace. 

Are your employees prepared for a medical emergency?  When the pressure is on, can you initiate life-saving intervention to save a co-workers life?  If not, then learn from the best!  As in true Heroic fashion, all of our trainers are professional firefighters and paramedics.  Our training team has accumulated years of experience applying these life-saving techniques in our communities.  We want to pass this information on to you.  You will find our trainings engaging, challenging, and entertaining; but best of all, we will come to you.  Contact us for more information by following the CPR/First Aid/AED link.

Training Packages Include:

• CPR/AED for the workplace
• First Aid for the workplace
• CPR/AED/First Aid workplace combo
• CPR/AED for the Healthcare Provider

Heroic Safety in cooperation with Sheakley Health and Safety Services is offering a regional N.E. Ohio OSHA 30 Construction training.

We understand your schedules are very busy.  If you have been wanting to get an OSHA 30 Construction card, but cannot afford to dedicate a whole week of your time, then this training is for you.  Starting on October 5, we will have an OSHA 30 Construction Outreach class one day per week for four weeks.  We only want you for one day per week thus freeing up the rest of your week to take care of business.

The training will take place in Medina, Ohio.  The course dates are as follows:  Oct. 5, 13, 19, and 26.  Each training will take place from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm on the listed dates.  The cost of the training is $329.00 per person and is open to anyone who would like to be certified.  Attendance is mandatory on each of the training dates.

Please click on the following OSHA 30 linkfor more details.  You can call Heroic at 330-794-7931 or Sheakley's Jenny Gossett at 800-877-5055 ext. 1193 to register by phone or obtain more details.

Thank you.  We look forward to seeing you there!

President Obama's Labor Department unveiled additional funding for OSHA.  The stimulus will give OSHA an additional $51 million and will include the hiring of 160 new safety inspectors nation wide.  The increase in funding is meant to motivate OSHA to tackle issues that according to the current administration, were stalled under the previous administration.  American firms and industries should prepare themselves for a more "hands-on" regulating agency.  More money means more resources and more inspections.

On May 11, 2009, OSHA published its agenda for issues and regulations that are going to be developed and reviewed over the next year.  Some of the regulations and issues being reveiwed and developed are as follows:

Pre-Rule Stage

• Protection of workers exposed to crystalline silica and the economic impact of implementing protection standards for employers.
• Proposed rule for workers exposed to beryllium (a light metal that can cause lung damage).
• Occupational exposure to diacetyl (a butter-flavoring additive linked to "popcorn lung").

Proposed Rule Stage

• Closing of the proposed rule for cranes and derricks in construction.
• Adding additional information on minimum approach distances for its electrical protective equipment.
• New rules associated with working in confined spaces in construction, shipyards, and other industries.

 Long-Term Actions

• Review of the current bloodborne pathogen standard as to how it relates to other standards and current technologies.

In January, the Obama Administration announced the withdrawal of the advance notice practice for rule-making.  This practice, which was set in place by President Bush at the end of his presidency, has been criticized by opponents who say that it delays the rule-making process by as much as two years.  The current president wants to make a statement in the workplace.  All American companies need to stay up-to-date on OSHA standards, and ensure their company safety programs are developed and in compliance.

 

Heat Emergencies in the Workplace

It is almost time for summer.  Whether working indoors or outdoors, summer means longer days and increased temperatures in the workplace.  Now is a good time for employers and employees to review heat related emergencies and become fluent in ways to decrease the chances of heat-related accidents and injuries.

Heat Related Stressors:

• Direct sunlight
• Poor physical condition of employee
• Lack of ventilation or air movement inside structures
• High-heat operations or processes
• Lack of hydration
• Heavy work clothing or PPE
• Some medicines increase risks
• Lack of experience or tolerance to increased temperatures

Heat Related Emergencies

1. Heat Rashes
• Most common symptom experienced by employees in hot work environments.
• Occurs as a result of skin that stays wet from unevaporated sweat.
• areas commonly affected is the neck, groin, upper chest and back, under breasts, knees and elbows
• Mitigation
• continually seek rest and shelter in a cooler, less humid environment
• keep all affected areas dry
• use dusting powders to decrease wetness and increase comfort, but avoid creams and ointments
2. Heat Cramps
• An early indicator that the employee's core temperature is rising and not compensating properly.
• Symptoms include muscle aches and soreness throughout the body.
• Caused by electrolyte imbalances from perfuse sweating and lack of hydration to replenish nutrients.
• Associated with hard physical labor in hot environments.
• Mitigation
• drink one cup of cool water every 15 to 20 minutes
• consume electrolyte/carbohydrate based sports drinks at regular intervals throughout the day
• implement regular rest breaks in cool shaded environments
3. Heat Exhaustion
• A progressed indicator of more serious heat related injuries.
• Caused by a combination of excessive heat and prolonged dehydration.
• Signs and symptoms are weakness, dizziness, nausea and severe headaches.
• fainting and collapse are severe symptoms that can pose serious injury risks to employees
• Mitigation
• shelter in cool shaded areas
• provide fluid hydration
• apply cold packs to back of neck, groin and armpits
• employees exhibiting symptoms of heat exhaustion should be removed from service and must rest for the remainder of the day
4. Heat Stroke
• A life-threatening disorder!
• Occurs as a result of the body's inability to continually regulate temperature and the body temperature rising to critical levels.
• Early symptoms
• irrational behavior, lack of sweating, extreme confusion, hot and dry skin
• Late symptoms
• seizures or convulsions, loss of consciousness
• death
• Mitigation
• call paramedics immediately
• shelter employee in cool shaded environment
• remove clothing
• wet employee's body with cool water
• apply cold packs to neck, groin, and armpits
• hydrate conscious employee with cool water
• employee must be seen by medical professionals

Best Work Practices

• Provide cool beverages to employees and encourage employees to hydrate every 15 to 20 minutes.
• In extreme temperatures, work in shifts that alternate one group resting in the shade while another group works in the heat.  Continue to alternate at tolerable working levels.
• Expose workers to higher temperatures gradually.  Steadily acclimate employees to higher and higher temperatures and at longer periods of time.  This will increase their tolerance to working conditions.
• Encourage employees to wear light fabrics that wick moisture away from skin and ventilate well.
• Provide rest and recovery in cool shaded areas that may contain fans, misting devices, and hydration services.
• Always monitor employees with chronic and acute health conditions.  Consider reassignment for higher risk employees.
• Reschedule hot work for days when lower atmospheric temperatures will compliment high heat processes and operations.
• Have employees trained in first aid and CPR assigned to every job site or workplace.

 

Stay cool and be safe out there!

-Heroic Safety

 

Safety Huddle - PPE

The following safety huddle topic is an overview of OSHA personal protective equipment for the construction industry.  All information has been extracted from OSHA 29 CFR Part 1926, Subpart E.  This information is for informational purposes only.  Employers should always create a written policy that supports a comprehensive PPE program and conduct regular trainings specific to the safety equipment used in their workplaces.

The key to selecting the appropriate PPE is the proper identification of all hazards in a workplace that may cause harm or injury to an employee.  All PPE is listed to protect employees from very specific hazards.  Research the differences between classes of PPE and make a selection based on their rated capacities.  As an example; an employee works near a furnace operation.  You would not want to just buy shaded safety glasses.  By consulting Table E-1, you will find that the employee needs safety glasses with class 7, 8, or 9 protectors.  Always research all forms of PPE before purchasing and employing for service.

Criteria for personal protective equipment:

• Application- protective equipment including eyes, face, head, extremities, protective clothing, respiratory devices, and protective shields and barriers shall be provided, used, and maintained in a sanitary and reliable condition wherever it is necessary by reasons of hazards of processes or environment, chemical hazards, radiological hazards, or mechanical irritants encountered in a manner capable of causing injury or impairment in the function of any part of the body through absorption, inhalation, or physical contact.
• Employee-owned equipment- where employees provide their own equipment, the employer shall be responsible to assure its adequacy, including maintenance, and sanitation.
• Payment for PPE- PPE shall be provided by the employer at no cost to the employee, except:
• non-specialty safety-toe equipment and non-specialty prescription safety eyewear
• when an employee provides their own adequate equipment that the employer permits the employee to use
• when an employee loses or intentionally damages the equipment

Occupational Foot Protection:

• Safety-toe footwear for employees shall meet the requirements and specifications in ANSI (American National Standards Institute) Z41.1-1967.

 Head Protection:

• Protective helmets shall be required in areas where employees are in danger of head injury from impacts, falling or flying objects, or from electrical shock or burns.
• Helmets shall meet requirements set forth in ANSI Z89.1-1969.
• Helmets for employees exposed to high voltage electrical shock and shock shall meet ANSI Z89.2-1971.

Hearing Protection:

• Use table D-2 in OSHA 29 CFR 1926, Subpart D for defining permissible occupational noise levels.
• Always eliminate or mitigate noise hazards and limit duration of exposure to noise hazards when possible.
• Wherever it is not feasible to reduce the noise levels or duration of exposures to those specified in Table D-2, ear protective devices shall be provided and used.
• Ear protective devices inserted in the ear shall be fitted or determined individually by competent persons.
• Plain cotton is not an acceptable protective device.

Eye and Face Protections:

• Employees shall be provided with eye and face protection equipment when machines or operations present potential eye or face injury from physical, chemical, or radiation agents.
• Eye and face protection shall meet ANSI Z87.1-1968.
• Employees whose vision requires the use of corrective lenses in spectacles shall be protected by goggles or spectacles of the following types:
• Spectacles whose protective lenses provide optical correction
• Goggles that can be worn over spectacles
• Goggles that incorporate corrective lenses mounted behind the protective lenses
• Face and eye protection shall be kept clean and in good repair.
• Use Table E-1 in Subpart E as a guide in the selection of face and eye protection for the hazards and operations noted.
• Protectors shall be comfortable, fit snugly, be durable, be capable of being disinfected, and easily cleanable.

Protection Against Radiant Energy:

• Use Table E-2 for selection of shade numbers for welding operations.
• Use Table E-3 for selecting safety glass for laser operations.

Working Over or Near Water:

• Employees working over or near water, where the danger of drowning exists, shall be provided with U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jackets or buoyant work vests.
• Prior to and after each use these protective devices will be inspected for defects.
• Ring buoys with at least 90 feet of line shall be provided and readily available for emergency rescue operations.
• Distance between ring bouys shall not exceed 200 feet.
• At least one lifesaving skiff shall be available for employees working near or over water.

 Refer to Subpart M for all standards pertaining to fall protection equipment.

Respirators is an extensive subject that will be addressed in a future Safety Huddle article.

All Tables and standards can be accessed at:

• WWW.OSHA.GOV
• WWW.ANSI.ORG

 

The word "pandemic" seems to be terrifying everyone at the moment.  We would like to remind everyone to not panic in the wake of the media coverage.  About 36,000 Americans die of typical influenza strains each year.  We currently have less than 60 confirmed cases in the U.S., and only one reported fatality.  Nevertheless, that does not mean that we do not need to think workplace safety.  Heroic Safety would like to stress personal hygiene, personal protective equipment, and thinking safety in the workplace.  The following link is the government information site for swine flu information.  Take every precaution to protect yourselves, but conduct business as usual.  Stay safe out there!

Pandemic Flu Information

Walking and Working Surfaces

The following information is a general overview of major points and standards developed from OSHA 29 CFR Part 1910, Subpart D.  Walking and Working Surfaces for General Industry.

Key Terms:

• Floor Hole: opening less than 12 inches but more than 1 inch
• Floor Opening: an opening greater than 12 inches where a person may fall
• Toeboard: barrier to prevent the falling of materials
• Standard Railing: barrier to prevent persons from falling
• Wall Hole: an opening less than 30 inches but more than 1 inch high of unrestricted width, in any wall or partition
• Wall Opening: an opening greater than 30 inches high and 18 inches wide

General Requirements:

• All places of employment, passageways, storerooms, and service rooms shall be kept clean and orderly and in a sanitary condition
• Aisles and passageways shall be kept clear and in good repairs, with no obstruction across or in aisles that could create a hazard
• Covers and/or guardrails provided to protect personnel from the hazards of open pits, tanks, vats, ditches, etc.
• Load rating limits shall be posted on all cover plates

 Floor Openings, Wall Openings, and Holes:

• Railings to be provided on all exposed sides of a stairway except entrance
• Guardrails to be in place or attendant posted at all temporary floor openings
• Floor holes to have standard railing with toeboard or hole cover of standard strength and construction
• Every hatchway or chute opening to be guarded
• Platforms 4 feet or more above ground shall be guarded by standard railing on all open sides except entrance to ramp, stairway, or fixed ladder

 Railing, Toeboard, and Cover Specifications:

• Top rails shall have a vertical height of 42 inches nominal from upper surface of top rail to floor
• Protection between top rail and floor, platform, runway, ramp, or stair treads, equivalent at least to that afforded by a standard intermediate rail
• Height of handrails shall be not more than 34 inches nor less than 30 inches from upper surface of handrail to surface of tread
• Toeboard should be nominal 4 inches in vertical height and have no more than 1/4 inch clearance above floor level
• Roadway manhole covers to handle at least 20,000 pounds
• Skylight screens must be able to carry at least 200 pounds
• 200 pounds for wall opening covers

Stairways:

• Every flight of stairs with 4 or more risers shall have standard railings or hand rails
• Stairways less than 44 inches wide having both sides enclosed, must have at least one handrail that is affixed, preferably of right side descending
• Less than 44 inches wide with open side, one affixed handrail on open side
• Less than 44 inches wide with two open sides, two handrails to be provided on each side
• Fixed industrial stairs are to carry 5 times anticipated load
• Minimum moving concentrated load of 1000 pounds
• Minimum width of 22 inches
• Angle to horizontal between 30 and 50 degrees
• Vertical clearance from tread to overhead a minimum of 7 feet

 Ladders:

• Must extend at least 3 feet above point of support
• Never to be placed near electrical hazards
• Foot of ladder placed 1/4 height on lateral
• Never splice ladders to elongate
• Never use as platforms
• Secure footing, or lashed or held in position

Based on growing demand, Heroic Safety Solutions is now going to be publishing a weekly safety article that can be used for Monday morning safety huddles.  The article will be published on Thursday and will pertain to the following week.

The Safety Huddle article will be written on different safety topics covering a wide range of industries.  The articles will be brief overviews of major OSHA standards.  The Safety Huddle article will provide employers with a way to conduct trainings on OSHA regulated topics on a weekly basis.

Heroic recommends that employers should print off the article and distribute it to all managers who can then review the topic with the employees that they manage.  Provide a sign-in sheet so that these training sessions can be filed and attendance can be recorded.

If you would like to receive the Safety Huddle articles on a weekly basis, please subscribe to the Heroic Safety Blog.  Heroic makes every effort to promote safety in all forms of industry and construction.  However, if there are topics that you think we may have overlooked, or there is a topic you would like to train on, please email us at contactus@heroicsafety.com and give us your thoughts.  Many safety consulting firms provide safety training articles for a price.  Heroic Safety Solutions believes that it is our duty to promote workplace safety, so we are proud to offer this service for free.

Please remember, safety in the workplace is everyone's responsibility.  The Heroic Safety Huddle is not intended to replace workplace safety programs, protocols, certified trainings, etc.  The Safety Huddle is designed to provide a basis of safety topics that should be expanded upon by each employer.

We look forward to providing this service and hearing your comments.  Be safe out there!  Thank you.

Securing construction jobs in our current economy is becoming more and more difficult.  Not only is there less work available, but the new shift in bidding requirements is a strong reputation in safety.  Construction contractors are beginning to realize that being safety-minded will not only lower accidents and injuries in the workplace, but will also secure their business futures.  The low-bid does not always win the job anymore.  Liabilities have forced firms and companies to limit bidding prospects to construction companies that have impecable safety records.  Reducing liabilities and risks of accidents far outweighs the few dollars saved by awarding to the lowest bidder.  If you are a construction company that has a record of recorded accidents and injuries plus multiple OSHA violations, your chances of even bidding on future projects is greatly diminished.  Become proactive rather than reactive when it comes to safety in the construction industry.  Contact Heroic Safety Solutions to learn how to become a safety-minded construction company and start transforming your company's reputation for safety.