February 2005


Cover Story

Master Jugglers

By Linda F. Johnson, MS, CSP

NOISY, dusty, confusing traffic patterns, flaring tempers, constantly changing weather conditions, temporary workers and/or bilingual workers, subcontractors milling around like worker bees, traffic--did I mention stress? There are few worksites as continuously challenging as a construction site.


Features

Refining Subcontractor Safety Requirements

By Randy Hancock

ENSURING subcontractor safety requirements are adequately defined is often an arduous task. Procurement specifications are used as a complement to the design package and provide additional information to the bidders that defines special conditions associated with the work site, how scrap materials are to be handled, quality provisions and, of course, safety requirements.


Are Our Buildings Safe?

By Donald P. Bliss

THE federal government finally has involved itself seriously in fire protection--a decidedly local responsibility from the days when Ben Franklin organized the first volunteer fire department. In the days since September 11, 2001


Instant Awareness

By Casey Hayes

IN any large-scale industrial environment, the coordination between providing immediate assistance to injury victims and concurrent dispatch of follow-on assistance is extremely critical.


Hazards in California Dairy Waste Structures

By Dan M. Hair, MSS, CSP, David R. Strong, MPH, CIH

CALIFORNIA leads the nation in milk production. Its approximately 1,200 dairies produced more than 32 billion pounds of milk in 2000.


Understanding Static Electricity in Entry Ventilation

By Dave Angelico


Passing a Safety CAT Scan

By Larry Hansen, CSP, ARM, Dan Zahlis

IN our work with companies striving to become safety excellence organizations, we've learned the biggest impediment to achieving improved performance is an inability to overcome the conventional "wiz-dumbs" of safety (wrongheaded thinking that impedes progress in the right direction) that inhibit organizational change.


Casting Light on a Critical Tool

By Fred Fischer

A common misconception: All flashlights are created equal.


Systems for Today's Threats

By Jerry Laws

Editor's note: Notifying employees and/or the public in an emergency situation is a tougher challenge in the post-9/11 world. Many facilities face an expanded threat profile that cannot be adequately addressed by a siren or some other general alarm signal. MadahCom Inc.


Matters of Interpretation

By Gary M. Hutter

JUST about every industrial facility and parking lot with a manhole has the potential to contain an Occupational Safety and Health Administration-defined "confined space."


Effective Interaction

By Judy Mieding

WORKER'S compensation fraud is difficult to pull off without factoring in the decisions made by a medical provider.


Task Planning for Dredging with Clamshell

By William Johnston

IN the construction industry, we often deal with new or unique situations. Because they are unusual or new, we tend to plan more intently to ensure the work goes safely.


Departments

Plants: Elementary Answer to a Larger Problem

By Pamela Kelly

ALL of us have known since grade school that plants clean the air we breathe. And yet, the Environmental Protection Agency rates indoor air pollution among the world's top environmental health risks.


Time for a New Approach

By Jerry Laws

IN the end, the biggest root causes for injuries may be inattention and fatigue. This realization is monumental: It means behavior-based safety is truly valuable, hours of service rules are warranted for many industries (not just transportation), and safety in America will not be solved unless it is addressed holistically.


Hands-On Technology

By Ronnie Rittenberry

IF you happen to be eating--especially at your desk--you might want to set the sandwich down. Research has been done, and the results are not appetizing.


Artificial Intelligence

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