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Inside the hot and sweaty world of safety

Jan-6-2011

Is there such a thing as a good-looking Safety Goggle?

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We may have found the best-looking safety goggle so far.  Popularity is over flowing.  The hottest selling safety goggle looks more like a pair of safety glasses. They are the Elvex Go Specs.  Check out the safety glasses Hybrid! Go-Specs™ provide an extra measure of protection in dusty and dirty environments. Wind blown particles such as dust, sand, cement, and chemicals can cause serious eye irritation and damage. Also beneficial for contact wearers and suffers of dry eye syndrome.

These safety goggles are lined with a layer of durable resistant foam on the inside.  The foam has periodic air spaces to prevent fogging and moisture build up.  They are very popular especially in the lab environment.  They also come with impact resistant molded lens with SuperCoat™ anti-fog coating.  The Elvex Go Specs can be viewed here: http://www.safetyglassesinc.com/Elvex/Safety-Goggles/Elvex-Go-Specs-Clear-Anti-Fog-Safety-Goggles/.

Elvex Go Specs

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Apr-27-2010

Top Choices for Affordable Safety Glasses

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Sassy Safety Queen's Tri Training Favorite

My fruit basket is full of safety glasses. Really. It makes sense when you know that my writing station is located close to the double decker fruit basket where I hang safety glasses after trying them out. I decided to go through and share my favorites.

I have a couple of favorites I use for biking or if I have to do yard work. I go for fit, style and comfort. My husband, aka Mellon head, also has some favorites but basically, if they fit his mellon head, he’s happy.

Top Safety Glasses Choices at a Low Cost:
-Cute, comfy and cheap. What can be better than that? Elvex’s Chica is perfect for females or males with narrow faces. They’re snug without being too tight.
-I’m a big fan of indoor/outdoor safety glasses and that’s why the Avion and Fuel are perfect. I love that they’re multi-purpose.
-Got the mellon head thing going on? Finding safety glasses that have flexible temples is a must for you. Try the Elvex’s Trix and you’ll notice you can’t beat the price.


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Apr-24-2010

Safety Don’t: Strapping Yourself to a Tree You’re Chainsawing

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Do you ever have those moments when you wonder, “What are they thinking?” When you you hold your breath and just hope nothing happens as you hold your cell phone wondering if you’ll have to call 911? And about perfectly normal, seemingly sensible people? Those thoughts went through my head last week when my neighbor strapped himself to a tree and ladder while chainsawing. He did have his safety glasses on … after his wife made him.

The top three causes of death for tree trimmers is electrocution, falls and being hit by parts of the tree.

Some important safety equipment when cutting down trees: safety glasses, ear protection, gloves, boots and chainsaw chaps. Also the appropriate ropes and harnesses if applicable. Remember to be prepared for the unexpected and properly educate yourself before attempting any DIY tree projects. OHSA has some great etool resources that are very helpful in better understanding hazards & solutions to them.

Safety Don'ts

Person Tied to Tree

Person Tied to Tree

Thanks to my neighbors for allowing me take and post these photos.

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Apr-22-2010

More Free Harley Davidson Safety Glasses

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Let me explain why we’re a little behind on giving away some awesome Harley Davidson safety glasses.

We’ve been sending out emails to our winners but we don’t always hear back from them. So we are going back over the past couple months and will be picking out new winners for that past 4 months. Check your spam folders for our emails & be prepared to pick our your new pair.

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Apr-15-2010

Relax… National Stress Awareness Day is here!

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The purpose of Stress Awareness Day is “to focus public awareness on one of the leading health problems in the world today. Health-related organizations throughout the country are encouraged to sponsor stress education programs and events. Annually, the first day after income taxes due.”

How is stress effecting you? Stress can lead to health problems and a decline in worker productivity. It’s in everyone’s interest to address stress in the workplace
Here’s some interesting numbers from workers surveyed:
-40% of workers report their job is “very or extremely stressful.”
-26% of workers report they are “often or very often burned out or stressed by their work.”
-3/4th of workers believe the worker has more on-the-job stress than a generation ago.
-Workers who report high levels of stress have health care expenditures nearly 50% greater than their counterparts. Yikes!

We know it exists and some of us have faced the more serious side of stress. NIOSH recommends Stress Management and Organizational Change as two actions reduce job stress. The following are suggestions from American Psychologist are on how to change organizations to prevent job stress:

  • Ensure that the workload is in line with workers’ capabilities and resources.
  • Design jobs to provide meaning, stimulation, and opportunities for workers to use their skills.
  • Clearly define workers’ roles and responsibilities.
  • Give workers opportunities to participate in decisions and actions affecting their jobs.
  • Improve communications-reduce uncertainty about career development and future employment prospects.
  • Provide opportunities for social interaction among workers.
  • Establish work schedules that are compatible with demands and responsibilities outside the job.

Enjoy the day!

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Apr-12-2010

‘Tis the Season for Chainsaw Chaps & Safety

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Here’s a great story that emphasizes the need for chainsaw chaps.

“Chaps actually saved my life once (I’m convinced, anyway). I was working for a builder in Michigan, clearing out some of his land for new houses. The lots were heavily wooded and his method was to push the trees over with the backhoe and we would buck them up on the ground, and sometimes this resulted in fairly large piles of trees.

I was working on one of the piles, cutting upwards from underneath the bottom of a limb that was lying more or less horizontally, when the balance of the pile shifted and the upper tip of the blade hit something where I couldn’t see it, and the whole blade kicked back across my upper leg. The chainsaw was running at full speed but the threads in the chainsaw chaps stopped the thing cold.

At first I didn’t even realize what had happened – I thought the saw had bound in the branches or something, and even gave the trigger a few kicks to try and loosen it again. That was when I felt it trying to tug at my pants and realized what had happened. We were miles away from nowhere; I am sure I would have bled to death in minutes if that thing had gone through my leg. So yeah, I’m a big believer in chaps.”

Thanks Joel for your story. The photo used is from another person’s chain saw injury (ugh – blood).  Joel’s leg is just fine.

Be safe working on your Spring Projects outside!

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Apr-5-2010

Workplace Safety & Our Youth

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Every year in the U.S. youth are either injured or die from work related injuries. Approximately 70,000 youth end up in the ER with work related injuries while another 70 die every year. It is most common for these injuries to occur in the first 6 months of the job. Many injuries are due to job duties that are illegal for them to do or from inadequate training.

Age Restrictions (Laws that protect teens from doing dangerous work)

No Worker Under 18 May:
-Drive a motor vehicle as a regular part of the job or operate a forklift at anytime.
-Operate many types of powered equipment (like meat slicer, circular saw, bakery machine)
-Work in wrecking, demolition, excavation or roofing.
-Work in mining, logging or a sawmill.
-Work in meat packing or slaughtering.
-Work where there is exposure to radiation.
-Work where explosives are manufactured or stored.

No Worker 14 or 15 Years May:
-Bake or cook on the job (except at a serving counter)
-Operate power-driven machinery, except certain types which pose little hazard such those used in offices.
-Work on a ladder or scaffold.
-Work in warehouses.
-Work in construction, building or manufacturing.
-Load or unload a truck, railroad car or conveyor.

Resources: NIOSH & OSHA

http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/adoldoc.html

http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/teenworkers/teenworkers.html

http://www2.worksafebc.com/Topics/YoungWorker/Home.asp

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Mar-30-2010

Scratched Safety Glasses- Damn!

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The number one complaint we hear about safety glasses?  Scratches.  What can one do about it?  Research shows not much. There are many different products that claim to remove scratches, but most reviews are negative.  Just search “Liquid Scratch Removal Kit” if you want to get an earful.  Brusso, Armor etch, and Glass Etching Cream are just a few of the suggestions out there.  Many of these are actually removing the anti-reflective coating where the scratches were located, not removing the scratches from the plastic.

Here are some things you CAN do:

  1. Use a carrying case when not in use.
  2. Buy scratch resistant lenses (NOT the same as scratch proof!) We have noticed a difference in the coating helping decrease the amount of scratching, but it’s not a perfect world.
  3. We’ve noticed that mid-to-higher end safety glasses are less likely to get scratched- the $2 pair is more likely to get scratched.
  4. Don’t clean them with paper towels! Use a clothe instead.

I wish I had better news for you. Here, let me make you feel better. You could have bought the $15 Liquid Scratch Removal kit that is worthless to get rid of the scratches in your $7 safety glasses.

If you have some kind of miracle solution, we would love to hear about it. Send us a note.

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Mar-29-2010

Workplace “Safety” Around the World

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It’s interesting the type of photos we see from around the world denoting workplace “safety.”  There’s always an abundance of pictures from China. Always.

The Safety Guru group on Flickr has an interesting collection of safety photos from different contributors in locations around the world. I visit occasionally to see what’s new. Unfortunately I only post photos with direct permission from the photographer so I can’t use the 3rd party photos from that group. But you still can check it out and laugh… or groan.

Today’s photo was provide by P. Adkin which he shot when he was in China.  Thanks so much for allowing us to use your photo.

Stay safe!

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Mar-22-2010

“OSHA Listens”

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Earlier this month OSHA held a public meeting “OSHA Listens”, asking for public feedback on key issues the agency faces. The following nine questions were the different topics discussed:

  • What can the agency do to enhance and encourage the efforts of employers, workers and unions to identify and address workplace hazards?
  • What are the most important emerging or unaddressed health and safety issues in the workplace, and what can OSHA do to address these?
  • How can the agency improve its efforts to engage stakeholders in programs and initiatives?
  • What specific actions can the agency take to enhance the voice of workers in the workplace, particularly workers who are hard to reach, do not have ready access to information about hazards or their rights, or are afraid to exercise their rights?
  • Are there additional measures to improve the effectiveness of the agency’s current compliance assistance efforts and the on site consultation program, to ensure that small businesses have the information needed to provide safe workplaces?
  • Given the length and difficulty of the current OSHA rule making process, and given the need for new standards that will protect workers from unaddressed, inadequately addressed and emerging hazards, are there policies and procedures that will decrease the time to issue final standards so that OSHA may implement needed protections in a timely manner?
  • As we continue to progress through a new information age vastly different from the environment in which OSHA was created, what new mechanisms or tools can the agency use to more effectively reach high risk employees and employers with training, education and outreach? What is OSHA doing now that may no longer be necessary?
  • Are there indicators, other than work site injuries and illness logs, that OSHA can use to enhance resource targeting?
  • In the late 1980s, OSHA and its stakeholders worked together to update the Permissible Exposure Limits (PELs) (exposure limits for hazardous substances; most adopted in 1971), but the effort was unsuccessful. Should updating the PELs be a priority for the agency? Are there suggestions for ways to update the PELs, or other ways to control workplace chemical exposures?

There was some great discussions out in the blog & twitter world in response. You still can watch the different panels via webcast or get a written transcript and comments of the meeting here. What would your advice to OSHA be?

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      * Snug Harness assumes no liability as to the information contained on this website. You should check the policies of your employer, and refer to state and federal regulations pertaining to the proper use of fall equipment.
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