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This week I was researching recent (this month) deaths and injuries that occurred because of falls. These falls ranged from 25- 100 ft with both inexperienced and experienced workers. OSHA posted the following release this month and I thought I would post a portion of it:

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WASHINGTON, Pa. - The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has fined the C.A. Franc construction company $539,000 following the investigation of a roofing worker who fell 40 feet to his death at a Washington worksite. The Valencia, Pa.-based roof installer - whose owner is Christopher A. Franc - was cited for 10 per instance willful citations for failing to protect workers from falls.

“Mr. Franc knowingly and willfully failed to protect his workers from falling to their death,” said Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Dr. David Michaels. “We will not tolerate this type of blatant and egregious disregard for the health and safety of workers.”

OSHA began its investigation immediately following the worker’s death on Aug. 15, 2009, and found the C.A. Franc company had failed to provide any fall protection to its employees working on a pitched roof 40 feet off the ground. In addition, Mr. Franc failed to train a newly hired college student in hazards and the necessary safety measures for roofing work. As a result of the investigation, the company has been cited for 10 alleged per-instance willful violations, one for each employee working unprotected on the roof, with a proposed penalty of $490,000, and one additional alleged willful violation for failing to train the new employee, with a penalty of $49,000.

General contractor Hospitality Builders Inc. also has been cited with one willful violation and a proposed penalty of $70,000 for failing to ensure that C.A. Franc workers had fall protection.

“This fall fatality was one of five that occurred during a 15-day span in the Pittsburgh area,” said John M. Hermanson, OSHA’s regional administrator in Philadelphia, Pa. “Falls are the leading cause of fatalities in the construction industry. Failure to provide employees with fall protection is unconscionable. We urge construction companies to take the necessary action to ensure their workers are protected.”

http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=

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The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) released data earlier this month showing that mine fatalities last year fell to an all time low.

I think it is interesting to note that December 30th, 1969 was when the Coal Act was signed. Below is an excerpt from MSHA’s Assistant Secretary, Joe Main.

“…I want to note a very important anniversary in mine safety and health. This year we will celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act of 1969, known as the Coal Act. Signed on December 30, 1969, this law represents a watershed moment in the improvement of occupational health and safety in the United States. It was the precursor to the Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977, which created MSHA, and it was the basis of the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH Act) of 1970. The Coal Act forever transformed occupational safety and health in the United States.”

Laws can make a difference. You can make a difference.

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It’s that time of year where we make resolutions & choose to make better decisions.

One change we are making here at Safety Briefs is taking more mailbag questions for Luke, one of our fall protection experts. Feel free to email us your safety questions. If we don’t know the answers, we can find someone who does!

Those of us from Safety Briefs wish you a Safe and Healthy 2010!

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After researching safety tapes the past couple weeks I know more than I thought possible about safety tapes.

This weeks tip:  Chose acrylic adhesives instead of rubber adhesives for anti-slip tape.

If you have the choice, go with the acrylic adhesives. It’s going to save you time and money in the long run when you eventually go to remove the safety tape. (The tape has to be replaced sometime!) When pulled up, the acrylic adhesives leaves behind no residue (yeah!) but if it’s a rubber based safety tape you’re going to need some acetate and some good old fashion elbow grease to rub away the residue. From a maintenance standpoint, the choice is clear -save your knees and time.

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Did you know that the 14th of April was the anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic?  Well it was.  It was supposed to be an unsinkable ship.   We all know how that turned out, when the massive ship sunk in the Atlantic Ocean on its maiden voyage.

The sinking of the Titanic reminds me of two things in regard to safety…

One. The ship sank.  Which could be a pretty blatant metaphor about businesses today.  People are panicking that they’re ship will sink, so they decide to throw all of the “dead weight” overboard to stay afloat a little bit longer.  Your safety program is not dead weight!

Two. The Titanic was billed as the “Unsinkable Ship.”  Unfortunately, I think that’s how a lot of workers feel on the job site.  That they are impervious to pain and that accidents don’t happen to them.  After all they’re unsinkable!  No one is unsinkable.  Don’t let pride and ego cost you your life.

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DeWalt has been making safety glasses for several years now, but I’m always surprised to find out how many loyal DeWalt users and carpentry workers don’t know they exist.  So here’s a brief look at some awesome glasses backed by a top notch brand.

The glasses are manufactured by Radians, and have a nice range of price.  It’s also important to point out that the quality is very respectable.  Trust me, I have no qualms about throwing a manufacturer under the bus, and I don’t like getting close enough to people’s asses to blow smoke up them.  So here are three of the styles I like…

The DeWalt Protector is you low end safety glasses, but they are extremely well made.  I was really impressed by the quality for a basic style like this.  You can get cheaper glasses, but the quality won’t match this specimen.

The DeWalt Reinforcer RX is a very stylish pair of bifocal safety glasses.  For a long time the word style and bifocal never went together.  This is one of the first styles to bridge the gap.  It still holds up nicely and has good number of comfort features.

The DeWalt Ventilator is the high end pair of safety glasses from DeWalt.  It borrows a bit from the AO Safety Fuel (as far as style is concerned), but the price is way better.  Take a look at this style if your having compliance issues.  It might help out.

So there you go.

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Did you know that you can’t just keep oily rags and flammable liquids just laying round your shop?  I’m not going to go into a whole bunch of detail here, but very briefly… THEY COULD CATCH ON FIRE!

So what’s a boy to do?  Flammable safety cabinets are the answer.  Plain and simple.  There are safety cabinets for paints, inks, corrosives, pesticides.  You name it.  They’ve got a big metal box you can put it in.  I know it’s all very confusing, because there are sizes, regulations, and insurance crap to work about.  So you could head over to a place like Safety Plus and look around…

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I wanted to take this post to let you know about brand of safety glasses you may not have known existed… Drumroll… O. C. C….

Yep, Safety Glasses Inc.  stocks Orange County Choppers Safety Glasses and they are sharp.  They’re manufactured by AO Safety, so they’ve got that going for them.  Secondly, most of them have slick metal frames and are as sturdy as Aunt Mildred’s 3-point stance.

These babies are full of fashion, and are a fraction of the cost of other designer safety glasses.  Did I mention that they look stupendous? They do.  So check them out.  And as a little bonus here’s a little introductory video we put together a year or so ago.

Technorati Tags: occ safety glasses, orange county choppers

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April 23, was  officially take a chance day.  However here is a list of 10 things I would not take a chance on today.

1. Not wearing your safety glasses for an entire day
2. That new duct tape harness you created to save a few bucks
3. Telling your boss you slept with his wife
4. Leaving flammable materials sitting by the burn pile
5. Seeing how close you can get your face to your machine without wearing safety glasses
6. Testing the theory that legs can grow back by not wearing chainsaw chaps
7. Lifting anything with your groin
8. Trying to determine how bad an anvil to the head would hurt without head protection.
9. Letting co-workers yell in your ear all day without ear plugs to see if  you’ll lose your hearing.
10. Using your dog’s leash as a fall protection lanyard because you forgot yours at home.

Technorati Tags: chainsaw chaps, fall protection, Safety Glasses

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Are we in a Recession?  Apparently.  Oh well.  Here’s the thing though.  In tough times, individuals and companies are looking for any way to save a buck.  They start cutting things.  Unfortunately, in our haste and panic we often cut the wrong things.  Safety is not an area to cut out.

It is possible to save money, and still provide your employees with safety gear to keep them out of harm’s way.

Look, I love the Wiley X safety glasses as much as the next guy. They look awesome, and I’m pretty damn sure they improve compliance.  However, there are less expensive models available that keep your eyes just as safe.  Hell, you can get a ton of safety glasses for under $4 a pair.

Remember you can save money by changing the style, but don’t cut out safety all together.  You’ll regret it for the rest of your life if something happens.

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