Tag: #safety

Safe + Sound Week: August 9–15

Posted on by McCraren Compliance

First published by NIOSH

Once again, NIOSH, OSHA, and their partners are sponsoring Safe + Sound Week. Safe + Sound Week is a nationwide event to celebrate the successes of businesses that have implemented safety and health programs in the workplace. Every August, these businesses are invited to celebrate their safety successes and efforts to be #SafeAndSoundAtWork. Registration opens July 7!

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.

Who Participates?
All organizations looking for an opportunity to recognize their commitment to safety are welcome to participate. Last year, more than 3,400 businesses helped to raise awareness about workers’ health and safety!

Check out our event archive for information on previous years’ engagement.

McCraren Compliance assists employers in protecting their workers, starting with a comprehensive Work-site Analysis, Hazard Prevention, Controls, and Safety & Health Training.

Please contact us today at 888-758-4757 to learn how we can provide mine safety training and consulting for your business

 

NSC to drivers: Be safe over July Fourth weekend

Posted on by McCraren Compliance

First published by Safety+Health an NSC publication.

Be safe over 4th of July Weekend

Itasca, IL — The National Safety Council is urging roadway users to be extra cautious during the July Fourth weekend – one of the most dangerous driving periods of the year.

“According to our estimates, 400-580 people may die on U.S. roads during the holiday weekend,” Mark Chung, NSC vice president, roadway practice, said. “The National Safety Council calls on everyone planning to travel for the holiday to follow our safe driving tips to ensure you get to where you want to go as safely as possible. Your life and those you love may depend on it.”

NSC offers six tips for safer driving:
Drive distraction-free. Thousands of people have died in motor vehicle-related crashes involving cellphone use. Put your phones away and #JustDrive.
Slow down. Speeding is a factor in more than a quarter of all traffic fatalities. Don’t drive faster than the posted speed limit, and pay attention to people walking and biking.
Designate a sober driver. Alcohol is only one cause of impaired driving. Drugs, including opioids, cannabis and some over-the-counter medicines, can impair drivers by causing drowsiness, altering visual functions, and affecting mental judgement and motor skills. Arrange alternative transportation if you plan to drink or do drugs.
Buckle up. Seat belts save lives. If kids will be in the car, make sure you have the appropriate car seats installed correctly.
Look before you lock. Last year, 25 children died in hot cars. With temperatures rising across the country, make it a priority to ensure you don’t leave the car without your child passengers.
Take an alternate path. For shorter trips, consider leaving the car at home and finding a safe biking or walking route to get where you’re headed.

For more tips, visit nsc.org/saferoads.

McCraren Compliance offers many opportunities in safety training to help circumvent accidents. Please take a moment to visit our calendar of classes to see what we can do to help your safety measures from training to consulting.

Equipment Hazard Alerts

Posted on by McCraren Compliance

First published by MSHA

Recalled Klein Tools Non-contact Voltager Testers NCVT-1

Equipment Alert: – Manufacturer Notice – Non-Contact Voltage Testers Recalled by Klein Tools Due to Shock Hazard– Added 6/10/2021

Klein Tools is recalling non-contact voltage testers with model number NCVT1 and date codes ending in H7. The product was also sold in variations and kits listed with the following model numbers NCVT1A, NCVT1E, NCVT1SEN, NCVT1EP. The on/off button of the NCVT-1 is intended to be pressed down and released. If the button remains depressed during the power on off cycle, the tip of the tool remains illuminated in green, indicating the tool is “ready to detect voltage,” when it is not. This tester could fail to warn the user of the presence of live voltage if the tester is not properly operating, posing a shock hazard. Below is a link to the CPSC’s website page regarding this recall.

Please use the following with websites to create prepaid labels to return product to Klein tools for replacement.

English:  https://www.kleintools.com/recall/ncvt1
Spanish:  https://www.kleintools.com/recall/ncvt1-sp
French Canadian:  https://www.kleintools.com/recall/ncvt1-frc

McCraren Compliance assists employers in protecting their workers, starting with a comprehensive Work-site Analysis, Hazard Prevention, Controls, and Safety & Health Training.

Please contact us today at 888-758-4757 to learn how we can provide mine safety training and consulting for your business.

FMCSA Road Safety Art Contest

Posted on by McCraren Compliance
First published by Safety+Health an NSC publication.

Gianna.jpg

Second grader Gianna Liu, from Hillsborough, NJ, won a top honor for her artwork in 2020. Photo: Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

Washington — The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is accepting entries until June 4 for its annual Road Safety Art Contest for students.

As part of FMCSA’s Our Roads, Our Safety campaign, designed to remind motorists to drive safely when sharing the road with commercial motor vehicles, the contest is open to students in kindergarten up to 12th grade. This year’s contest features new creative submission categories.

“Everyone on our roads has a responsibility to help keep each other safe,” the agency says on the contest webpage. “The annual FMCSA Road Safety Art Contest invites students to use their creativity to raise awareness of how to stay safe on the road, particularly when driving, biking or walking around large trucks and buses.”

Grand prize and honorable mention winners will be awarded in four categories: kindergarten-fifth grade, sixth-eighth grades, ninth-10th grades and 11th-12th grades. Winners will receive a framed copy of their artwork and an award certificate. The winning artwork will be featured in the contest’s winner announcement video, on FMCSA’s Kid Zone and Teen Zone websites, and in the 2022 Road Safety Art Contest Calendar.

McCraren Compliance can help you understand and comply with FMCSA, DOT and ADOT and ensure your drivers and your vehicles operate safely and efficiently.

Call us Today at 888-758-4757 or email us at info@mccrarencompliance.com to schedule your free FMCSA Compliance Assessment.

Parking lot safety

Posted on by McCraren Compliance
parking-lot.jpg
First published by Safety+Health an NSC publication.

Parking lots can be a safety risk for workers, especially with the sun setting earlier during the winter months.

When you’re returning to your vehicle, always try to walk with a co-worker or security officer, the Canadian Center for Occupational Health and Safety recommends. Then, give your escort a ride back to the building. Other tips:

  • Park in a highly visible and well-lit area near your building.
  • If you park in a garage, look for a spot near the parking attendant, if there is one, or near the stairs or a well-lit exit.
  • Use the main building entrance – avoid rear or secluded exits.
  • Have your keys out and ready as you approach your vehicle.
  • Don’t approach anyone loitering near your vehicle. Walk to a safe place or go back inside your workplace, and then call the police.
  • Lock the doors and keep the windows rolled up once you’re in the vehicle.

If you have to walk alone, follow these five tips:

  • Have a co-worker watch you from a window.
  • Wave to them on the way to your vehicle.
  • Wave even if no one is watching to give the illusion that someone is watching you return to your vehicle.
  • Always be alert to your surroundings. Keep your head up and look around.
  • Don’t wear headphones or talk on the phone. These devices can create distractions.

McCraren Compliance offers many opportunities in safety training to help circumvent accidents. Please take a moment to visit our calendar of classes to see what we can do to help your safety measures from training to consulting.

Work safely in the heat: What you need to know

Posted on by McCraren Compliance
heat-illness.jpg
Photo: safetyandhealthmagazine.
Heat-related illnesses accounted for 783 worker deaths and nearly 70,000 serious injuries in the United States from 1992 to 2016. And in 2018 alone, 3,950 workers experienced days away from work as a result of nonfatal injuries and illnesses from on-the-job heat exposure.

“Millions of U.S. workers are exposed to heat in the workplace, and although heat-related illness is preventable, each year thousands of workers are getting sick from their exposure to heat, and … some cases are fatal,” Stephen Boyd, deputy regional administrator for OSHA Region 6, said May 19 during an OSHA webinar on preventing heat-related illnesses and injuries.

Working in a hot environment can trigger ailments that include heat rash, heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heatstroke – considered a medical emergency. Symptoms of heat exhaustion include feeling faint or dizzy; excessive sweating; cool, pale, clammy skin; nausea or vomiting; rapid, weak pulse; and muscle cramps. Workers who are experiencing heat exhaustion need to get to a cool, air-conditioned place. If fully conscious, they should drink water, take a cool shower and use a cold compress.

Workers with heatstroke may experience a headache but no sweating, and have a body temperature above 103° F. Other symptoms are red, hot, dry skin; nausea or vomiting; and loss of consciousness. Call 911 if a case of heatstroke is suspected, then take action to cool the worker until help arrives.

Other tips from OSHA to help prevent heat-related illnesses include:

  • Drink water every 15 minutes.
  • If working outside, take rest breaks in the shade to cool down.
  • Wear a hat and light-colored clothing when working outdoors.
  • Monitor co-workers for symptoms of heat-related 
illnesses.

OSHA provides employer and worker resources for working in hot weather via its “Water. Rest. Shade.” campaign at osha.gov/heat.

McCraren Compliance sees the solution in our people. We are developing each person into a safety leader by recognizing and valuing them as humans and teaching them to do the same with their co-workers. We are creating workplaces where we all watch out for each other.

Please contact us today at 888-758-4757 to learn how we can provide mine safety training and consulting for your business.

Recognize Safe + Sound Week, August 10-16, 2020

Posted on by McCraren Compliance

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.

Who Participates?
All organizations looking for an opportunity to recognize their commitment to safety are welcome to participate. Last year, more than 3,300 businesses helped to raise awareness about workers’ health and safety!

Safe + Sound Week August 10-16, 2020 - Management Leadership - Worker Participation - Find and Fix Hazards

Seven Steps to Correctly Wear a Respirator at Work Poster

Posted on by McCraren Compliance

 

OSHA’s poster that shows employers and workers how to properly wear and remove a respirator is now available in 16 languages.

Seven Steps to Correctly Wear a Respirator at Work Poster

OSHA 4015 – 2020) English: PDF

(OSHA 4016 – 2020) Spanish: PDF

(OSHA 4036 – 2020) Arabic: PDF

(OSHA 4037 – 2020) Brazilian Portuguese: PDF

(OSHA 4032 – 2020) Chinese Simplified: PDF

(OSHA 4031 – 2020) Chinese Traditional: PDF

(OSHA 4034 – 2020) French Creole: PDF

(OSHA 4041 – 2020) Hmong: PDF

(OSHA 4039 – 2020) Korean: PDF

(OSHA 4043 – 2020) Kunama: PDF

(OSHA 4038 – 2020) Polish: PDF

(OSHA 4040 – 2020) Russian: PDF

(OSHA 4044 – 2020) Somali: PDF

(OSHA 4033 – 2020) Tagalog: PDF

(OSHA 4042 – 2020) Thai: PDF

(OSHA 4035 – 2020) Vietnamese: PDF

 

 

 

 

 

Osha has a new webpage with guidance specifically for keeping construction workers safe during the pandemic

Posted on by McCraren Compliance

Construction worker with PPE | Photo Credit: Courtesy of Turner Construction

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Turner Construction

This section provides guidance for construction employers and workers, such as those engaged in carpentry, ironworking, plumbing, electrical, heating/ ventilation/air conditioning/ventilation, masonry and concrete work, utility construction work, and earthmoving activities.

Click here to visit the new webpage. 

 

Advocacy group releases guidelines for safe return to work

Posted on by McCraren Compliance
safe-return-to-work.jpg

Photo: National COSH

Los Angeles — To help ensure the safety of people returning to work – as well as those already on the job – during the COVID-pandemic, the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health has released guidelines for workplace safety; worker participation; and fair compensation for sick, injured and at-risk workers.

In a report released May 14, National COSH states that essential businesses should have critical safety measures in place that are enforced and monitored. Contributing to the report – A Safe and Just Return to Work – were physicians, certified industrial hygienists, attorneys, academics, and leaders of nonprofit and nongovernmental organizations.

“The United States is far from being ready to open for business without putting not only workers but entire communities at grave risk of illness and death,” the report states. “Only the most essential businesses should be open, and even those must only be allowed to operate if critical safety measures are in place.”

The guidelines emphasize that protections must follow NIOSH’s Hierarchy of Controls, which places personal protective equipment as the final line of defense.

According to National COSH, a safe return-to-work strategy requires, at a minimum:

  • Effective and stringent health and safety protections informed by science; backed by robust enforcement; and designed with input from workers, employers and unions, among others.
  • A planned, detailed and meaningful system for testing, screening, contact tracing, isolation and epidemiological surveillance.
  • Guaranteed job protection and just compensation for workers, as well as individuals who can’t work.
  • Respect and inclusion of meaningful worker and union involvement in decision-making, return-to-work plans and workplace safety.
  • Measures to ensure equity, inclusion and a path to end health and economic disparities.

“Employers who adopt a ‘business-as-usual’ approach could cause workers and their family members to become sick or even die,” Sherry Baron, a professor of public health at Queens College in New York City and a contributor to the report, said in the release. “The right way to reduce risk and limit harm is to include workers in making the plan and implementing effective safety programs, based on the best available scientific evidence.