IN 1941, the people of the United States believed they were safe behind a two-ocean barrier. They were proved wrong by the attack on Pearl Harbor. That attack was conducted by the armed forces of a hostile nation. In 2001, the people of the United States believed that, as the world's only superpower, they were safe from attack. Again, they were wrong.
KNOWING who your employees are begins at the time when you hire them. Many do's and don'ts must be considered, but in the final analysis, we must take our employees as we find them--with all their physical limitations, disabilities, job skills, etc.--and assign them.
STATIONARY standing is a posture often taken by workers when performing their job duties. There are a number of applications where standing is the recommend working posture, as opposed to sitting. Standing work, compared to sitting when working, is recommended when the task cannot be performed with the employees keeping their arms comfortably at their sides.
PERHAPS before discussing first aid kits, we should consider the question, "What is first aid?" Does it refer to treatment delivered prior to more definitive medical care available at a clinic or hospital? Is it simply the placing an adhesive bandage over a small cut?
DRUGS in the workplace: The mere thought is enough to send bosses searching for the nearest brown paper bag. Drug users mean violence, theft, and accidents. Illicit substances, dangerous as they may be, are only one part of an employer's worry.
PRIOR to the early 1980s and the introduction of AIDS into our society, infection control practices were designed almost exclusively to protect the patient from developing a nosocomial infection--an infection acquired after admission to the hospital.
THIS is the fourth in the series of articles on welding safety. The central theme of these articles has been to emphasize that welding, if mastered and performed safely, is a rewarding profession, and that safety is an integral part of producing professional results.
FIRST responders have the perilous task of stepping straight into hell--whether it's a burning building, toxic chemical spill, radiological disaster, or other hazardous materials situation. In these environments, first responders can take steps to protect themselves against known compounds, but the most dangerous threat is always the unknown.
IMPLEMENTING lockout/tagout on a machine is relatively simple: Just identify all of the energy sources, isolate the energy sources by turning off and or blocking or bleeding them, lock and tag the energy sources, verify it is locked out, and then do the work that needs to be done.
AFTER a long period of dormancy, federal OSHA has picked up activity in the area of hearing loss prevention rulemaking. Activity is focused in the areas of recordkeeping and hearing conservation in construction.
EVEN though the OSHA flammable and combustible storage regulations at 29 CFR 1910.106 have been around for 30 years, there is still confusion about exactly how to comply with the requirements.
SEX sells products, but when it comes to moving merchandise, nothing beats fear. It's a painful reality of modern marketing: If you can create an atmosphere of fear, the product that takes away the immediate anxiety sells. This principle applies to everything from underarm deodorant to floor care products.
GIVEN the exposure to the marine environment and the motions of a vessel, slips and falls are a significant source of personal injuries among employees on floating equipment, probably substantially greater than for most industry groups.
WHEN terrorists attack, the President of the United States is sent to an "undisclosed location" for protection. The Vice President of the United States is sent to a different "undisclosed location." In England, the Queen has ordered a high-tech "panic room" to be built inside Buckingham Palace.
EVERY day, workers in many locales are injured--including quite a few who are left with permanent disabilities--because they did not wear adequate eye and face protection. Or because they wore inadequate protection, the result of being poorly trained or not trained at all.
I was surprisingly comfortable with my legs dangling relaxed beneath me, and my arms outstretched in a posture that must have resembled a crucifixion. I had no feeling of stress and mused as to why this was considered dangerous.