OHS December 2016

December 2016

  • IH/GAS DETECTION: Avoid Toxic Gas Exposures
  • HAZMAT: Keep Hazmats in Their Containers
  • PROTECTIVE APPAREL: Five Important Features of PPE for Chemical and Biological Hazard Protection
  • PROTECTIVE APPAREL: Not All Momentary Thermal Hazards Are Equal
  • VISION PROTECTION: A Common-Sense Approach to Your Protective Eyewear Selection
  • VISION PROTECTION: Look Beyond Basic Protection: Vital Considerations in Safety Eyewear
  • MACHINE GUARDING: Protecting Workers from Automated Machine Operations
  • MACHINE GUARDING: Combining Job Safety Hazard Analysis & Lean Six Sigma to Improve Machine Guarding
  • CONSTRUCTION SAFETY: Managing Risk in Construction
  • NEW PRODUCT OF THE YEAR: 2016 NPOY Contest Winners Honored
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Cover Story

Always make sure your selection of eyewear meets the ANSI Z87.1+ Standard. (Radians photo)

A Common-Sense Approach to Your Protective Eyewear Selection

By Michael Bolden

Doing your homework on the manufacturer you choose is of paramount importance.


Features

Assess your workplace environment and identify which momentary thermal hazards exist. Remember, it is very possible to have multiple thermal hazards. (Justin FR photo)

Not All Momentary Thermal Hazards Are Equal

By Bill Rieth

One of the biggest mistakes made in the workplace is in believing that, because a garment is flame resistant, it must be safe for all hazards. This simply is not the case.


2016 NPOY Contest Winners Honored

By Matt Holden

OH&S congratulated winners of the eighth annual contest during the 2016 National Safety Congress & Expo.


By offering eyewear that is best suited to workers

Look Beyond Basic Protection: Vital Considerations in Safety Eyewear

By Daniel Birch

By offering eyewear that is best suited to workers' safety needs first, followed closely by style, employers support a stronger culture of acceptance and compliance.


Protective garments should be made from materials that are flexible enough for the wearer to move and work in the safest ways possible. (Lakeland Industries photo)

Five Important Features of PPE for Chemical and Biological Hazard Protection

By Kyle Kerbow

What challenges have you faced when selecting the best chemical protective clothing for your work environment?


Safety methodologies similar to those used with other robotic applications need to be devised and implemented, referencing the new RIA and EN ISO standards while adopting a more sophisticated approach. (Rite-Hite Machine Guarding photo)

Protecting Workers from Automated Machine Operations

By Eric Esson

Plan ahead by providing proper machine guarding equipment sooner rather than later; if not to prepare for future regulations, do it to keep employees safe.


Similar to the Toyota Production System, we must all strive to eliminate waste (in our case, lost productivity from job hazard injuries) from our organizations.

Combining Safety Job Hazard Analysis & Lean Six Sigma to Improve Machine Guarding

By Joseph P. Gasparino Jr.

Similar to the Toyota Production System, we must all strive to eliminate waste (in our case, lost productivity from job hazard injuries) from our organizations.


Avoid Toxic Gas Exposures

By Fred Elliott

Two 2016 OSHA enforcement cases are object lessons in the importance of using the latest gas monitoring technology to protect workers.


The key then is to go beyond simply finding hazards or spotting at-risk behaviors or conditions. A process must be in place to determine whether the findings are systemic or simply one-time occurrences.

Managing Risk in Construction

By Cary Usrey

A safety professional must consider the levels of understanding to risk when working with sites or individuals. We are walking lessons learned, and that is our advantage.


Each time hazardous materials must be moved from one container to another, it increases the likelihood for employees to be exposed, especially if the materials can spill, leak, or drip.

Keep Hazmats in Their Containers

By Karen D. Hamel

Stocking spill response supplies such as squeegees, absorbents and wipes in areas where hazardous materials are used, handled, and stored allows employees to immediately respond to incidental spills.


Departments

Warding Off Cyber Threats to Health Care

By Jerry Laws

Security breaches and cyber attacks on the health care system are increasing, and such breaches now average $3.8 million in cost per attack, HHS reported.


Early Vision Leadership

By Robert Pater

Focus on earliest indicators of momentum. Actions taken usually don’t blossom into statistical changes for a period of time.


Artificial Intelligence