safetybriefs.org

Photo by NIOSH

One workplace safety hazard I never considered until recently was the weather, specifically cold weather. I live in frick’n cold Wisconsin. A good friend (who lives in frick’n cold Minnesota) shared about his new job where he works outside installing satellite dishes. I asked if work was ever canceled because of the weather conditions – he said never. I found that concerning. Working on a slippery roof, below freezing weather, and installing stuff… sounds like a recipe for disaster.

I asked around one of the safety groups I belong to and one of the NIOSH guys sent me a great link that discussed the dangers of cold weather:  http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/coldstress/

If you read through the whole article there are recommendations for employers and workers. I am sorry to say that my friend’s employer does very little to protect the workers. Seems like it takes an injury or death for something to change.

“Employers should take the following steps to protect workers from cold stress:

• Schedule maintenance and repair jobs in cold areas for warmer months.
• Schedule cold jobs for the warmer part of the day.
• Reduce the physical demands of workers.
• Use relief workers or assign extra workers for long, demanding jobs.
• Provide warm liquids to workers.
• Provide warm areas for use during break periods.
• Monitor workers who are at risk of cold stress.

Provide cold stress training that includes information about:

• Worker risk
• Prevention
• Symptoms
• The importance of monitoring yourself and coworkers for symptoms
• Treatment
• Personal protective equipment”

Stay warm and stay safe.

Technorati Tags: cold weather work, workplace safety

Posted in Safety Articles by Sassy Safety Glasses Queen. The Sassy Safety Glasses Queen is our resident safety glasses expert. She specializes in the news, trends, and fashions of the Safety Glasses industry while dabbling in the world of fall protection.

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Choosing lead-free traction tapes:

Think about what goes into our landfills. At the end of a product’s life cycle it’s going to end up in the garbage and then a landfill. Lead-free products won’t contaminate a landfill which is a win-win for green-conscious businesses and individuals. Choosing products, like True Grip Traction tapes, that are Lead Free and RoHS Compliant is a great idea. To be considered RoHS Compliant, products must follow the regulations of RoHS which looks at equipment/products containing lead, cadmium, mercury, hexavalent chromium, PBB, & PBDE flame retardants.

Technorati Tags: safety tapes, safety tips

Posted in Safety Articles by Sassy Safety Glasses Queen. The Sassy Safety Glasses Queen is our resident safety glasses expert. She specializes in the news, trends, and fashions of the Safety Glasses industry while dabbling in the world of fall protection.

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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: Acrylic adhesives vs 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.

Technorati Tags: safety tapes, safety tips

Posted in Safety Articles by Sassy Safety Glasses Queen. The Sassy Safety Glasses Queen is our resident safety glasses expert. She specializes in the news, trends, and fashions of the Safety Glasses industry while dabbling in the world of fall protection.

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For the month of December we are giving away TWO pairs of Harley Davidson safety glasses, courtesy of Safety Glasses Inc. All you need to do to get your name in the monthly drawing is subscribe to this blog. Yes it’s that simple.

This months winners are:

*Brian, Florida (He picked the Harley Davidson 500 series silver mirror safety glasses. Looking good!)

*Still waiting to hear back from our second winner. If I haven’t heard back by the end of the week I will pick someone new.

Technorati Tags: freebies, safefy glasses

Posted in Safety Glasses by Sassy Safety Glasses Queen. The Sassy Safety Glasses Queen is our resident safety glasses expert. She specializes in the news, trends, and fashions of the Safety Glasses industry while dabbling in the world of fall protection.

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Every week Google sends me updates of the latest OSHA fines and workplace safety stories so it was awesome to read this week about amazing companies who are making their company the “safest.”

The America’s Safest Companies Award was founded in 2002. It honors companies that achieve specific criterias in safety. This year the criteria got even harder, where the selection team picked companies that demonstrated “Visionary thinking… were practically perfect…and over the top” in safety.

EHS Today, sponsors of this award, wrote that these companies, “provide a safe working environment for tens of thousands of employees, protect the environment and act as advocates for health and safety.”
The criteria:

• Support from management and employee involvement.
• Innovative solutions to safety challenges.
• Injury and illness rates lower than average for their industries.
• Comprehensive training programs.
• Evidence that prevention of incidents is the cornerstone of the safety process.
• Good communication about the value of safety.
• Way to substantiate the benefits of the safety process.

This years winners:

AMEC Earth & Environmental Inc.,The Concrete Pipe Div. of CEMEX, Medtronic Inc., Morin Actuator, RQ Construction Inc., Trendmaker Homes, Trihydro Corp., and Wood Group Power Plant Services.

Source: http://ehstoday.com/safety/asc/

Technorati Tags: Safety award, workplace safety

Posted in Safety Articles by Sassy Safety Glasses Queen. The Sassy Safety Glasses Queen is our resident safety glasses expert. She specializes in the news, trends, and fashions of the Safety Glasses industry while dabbling in the world of fall protection.

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Earlier this month OSHA released news about New Place Carpentry who is facing new fines in the amount of $308,500. In the past six years they have been cited eight times by OSHA for “willful and repeat fall hazards.” These hazards included lack of fall protection and unsafe work involving scaffolding. OSHA’s New England regional administrator, Marthe Kent, stated that the huge fines proposed were to “…reflect the gravity of these hazards and this employer’s ongoing refusal to comply with basic, commonsense, and legally required protections for its workers.”

There are costs (fines, injuries, lives) to not following rules. Interestingly, the blogger chat about this company was mostly about short cuts. Shorts cuts in building and short cuts in protecting employees. It will be interesting to see what happens.**

**All companies, after receiving a citation and proposed penalties, have 15 business days to either comply, meet with OSHA or contest the findings.

Technorati Tags: osha fines, osha violations

Posted in Fall Protection Articles, Safety Articles by Sassy Safety Glasses Queen. The Sassy Safety Glasses Queen is our resident safety glasses expert. She specializes in the news, trends, and fashions of the Safety Glasses industry while dabbling in the world of fall protection.

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OSHA has established a “Watch List” to help deal with fraudulent trainers and rebuild the strength of their Outreach Training Program. There has been plenty in the news about OSHA 10 (and other required courses) being taught fraudulently. Shortened classes, major class material left out and even completion cards handed out to people who never attended are all examples that have been in the news the past year.

OSHA is currently listing individuals who have had their status as a OSHA outreach trained suspend or revoked. Trainers who are falsifying information are subject to criminal prosecution. Complaints about training fraud and abuse? Complaints about program fraud abuse? The new outreach fraud hotline is (847)0297-4810.

Technorati Tags: osha, osha violations

Posted in Safety Articles by Sassy Safety Glasses Queen. The Sassy Safety Glasses Queen is our resident safety glasses expert. She specializes in the news, trends, and fashions of the Safety Glasses industry while dabbling in the world of fall protection.

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Whenever I hear about free safety items on the web I always take note.  A member of the Safety Community I belong to shared this site, called Tool Box Topics.  The site provides resources for safety talks. For ideas on how to use them, check out this page.

Let us know if it’s useful or about your favorite free resources. We like to pass them on.
Be Safe!

Technorati Tags: workplace safety, workplace safety resources, workplace training resources

Posted in Fall Protection Articles, Fall Protection News, Safety Articles by Sassy Safety Glasses Queen. The Sassy Safety Glasses Queen is our resident safety glasses expert. She specializes in the news, trends, and fashions of the Safety Glasses industry while dabbling in the world of fall protection.

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Chain saw injury. Logging can be dangerous!

Is your job on “The List”? Last month I noticed a flurry of “Ten Most Dangerous Jobs” lists floating around. From year to year when the list is reissued I notice the order changes a little but the same jobs are on the list.

For me, the list puts life into perspective when the most dangerous thing I face in my job is a sore butt from being at my computer too long or wanting to smash my laptop when I see the blue screen of death.

Here’s the most recent list I have seen. I wonder what kind of life insurance rates they get?

1. Logger

2. Pilot

3. Fishermen

4. Iron/Steel Worker

5. Garbage Collector

6. Farmer/Rancher

7. Roofer

8. Electrical Power Installer/Repairer

9. Sales, Delivery, and Other Truck Driver

10. Taxi Driver/Chauffeur

Technorati Tags: workplace safety

Posted in Safety Articles by Sassy Safety Glasses Queen. The Sassy Safety Glasses Queen is our resident safety glasses expert. She specializes in the news, trends, and fashions of the Safety Glasses industry while dabbling in the world of fall protection.

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Congrats to July’s winner!

Each month we pick someone who has signed up for our email subscription or RSS feed.  Safety Glasses Inc provides a pair of Harley Davidson safety glasses to each months winner (winner picks out their favorite pair).

This months winner:  Roger from Victoria, Australia

Technorati Tags: Safety Glasses

Posted in Safety Glasses by Sassy Safety Glasses Queen. The Sassy Safety Glasses Queen is our resident safety glasses expert. She specializes in the news, trends, and fashions of the Safety Glasses industry while dabbling in the world of fall protection.

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