Join the Annual OSHA Stand Down for Falls in the Workplace this week. “Fatalities caused by falls from elevation continue to be a leading cause of death for construction employees, accounting for 320 of the 1,008 construction fatalities recorded in 2018 (BLS data). Those deaths were preventable. The National Safety Stand-Down raises fall hazard awareness across the country in an effort to stop fall fatalities and injuries.” [OSHA]
Get training materials and videos at OSHA’s site here.
There have been eight fatalities involving belt conveyors in the mining industry since January 26, 2017. Six involved miners working near moving conveyors, while two involved maintenance of an idle conveyor. All of these fatalities could have been prevented with proper lock-out/tag-out and blocking against motion before working. The most recent fatality, involving a miner coming in contact with a moving conveyor, is under investigation. [MSHA]
Download the Alert here (pdf).
September is National Preparedness Month. Time to review or create your plans for responding to emergencies big/small, business/personal, human-made/natural, and accident/illness. Were you prepared for the pandemic?
Check out OSHA’s Emergency Preparedness and Response site for resources and guides.
Safe + Sound Week is a nationwide event held each August that recognizes the successes of workplace health and safety programs and offers information and ideas on how to keep America’s workers safe.
Why Participate?
Successful safety and health programs can proactively identify and manage workplace hazards before they cause injury or illness, improving sustainability and the bottom line. Participating in Safe + Sound Week can help get your program started, energize an existing one, or provide a chance to recognize your safety successes.
Click on the graphic above to go to the Safe + Sound page or HERE to go directly to the resources available.
It’s that time of year. That time when we’ve already had lots of heat and there’s more to come. It’s time to take it seriously. Check out the National Integrated Heat Health Information System.
Information from 8 agencies in one location gives you what you need to anticipate and prepare for heat in your area. Take it seriously.
OSHA reminds us that “employers are responsible for providing workplaces free of known safety hazards. This includes protecting workers from extreme heat. An employer with workers exposed to high temperatures should establish a complete heat illness prevention program.”
Check out the NIHHIS site here.
MSHA issued 92 imminent danger orders for people working at heights without fall protection between January 2019 and June 2020. The most common violations were truck drivers climbing atop their vehicles, and maintenance and quarry personnel climbing to or working without fall protection in high places. Supervisors have been ordered down from dangerous locations.
Deaths from falls have increased from 8% to 19% of mining fatalities in the last two years.
Now, more than ever, safety is crucial both inside and outside the workplace, which is why the National Safety Council will still be recognizing National Safety Month® in June. Observed annually by NSC, the nation’s leading nonprofit safety advocate, National Safety Month focuses on saving lives and preventing injuries, from the workplace to anyplace. – National Safety Council.
Check out free materials for non-members or join and get more here.
Or take the pledge to do your part here.
One of the easiest things an equipment operator can do to stay safe is to fasten his or her seat belt. Wearing a seat belt protects against injury in the event of a serious accident. It can also help the operator maintain control during sudden extreme movement. Nevertheless, we continue to see serious injuries and fatalities resulting from lack of seat belt usage. MSHA engineers estimate that 3-4 miners’ lives could be saved each year if seat belts were used universally. MSHA regulations require the use of seat belts in most equipment and circumstances. Seat belt design is evolving in terms of operator comfort and responsiveness. For example, some will tighten when equipment reaches a critical tilt point. There are also a growing number of tools available to ensure that seat belts are used by operators and visible to supervisors. These range from standard reminder chimes to cab-top lights that change color when the seat belt is buckled. What’s important is that functioning seat belts are made available and are used by all equipment operators at all times. – MSHA
OSHA has been working on ways before the pandemic to get the Whistleblower Protection Program out to workers who don’t understand they have this important freedom. It’s even more critical now. Click on the image above for more or click HERE to see the MSHA version. Note that protecting one another’s health is the same as protection from other hazards.
There’s also good information on the Department of Labor site explaining what to do in just about any workplace to protect all involved from Corona virus here.
Washington — A new safety tip card created by the National Transportation Safety Board for commercial motor vehicle drivers and owners is intended to reinforce common lessons learned from agency crash investigations.
Designed to be stored above a truck’s visor, the card advises drivers to:
You can download a free pdf copy of it here.