Tag: #safetytips

Stay safe when using portable light strings

Posted on by McCraren Compliance
Stay safe when using portable light strings

Photo: mokee81/iStockphoto

OSHA requires employers to ensure work areas have sufficient lighting. Sometimes that means extra help is needed. “When adequate illumination is not obtainable by permanent lighting sources,” OSHA states in standard 1915.82(a)(4), “temporary lighting may be used as supplementation.”

One solution is portable light strings. These are electric lights connected along a cable, wire or string. The Wyoming Department of Workforce Services has tips on how to use them safely:

  • Before stringing the lights, inspect the wiring and fixtures for damage.
  • Ensure the plug has a ground prong – the third prong on the plug – and test it frequently.
  • Don’t string lights near combustible items. The bulbs can get hot. Even if they’re not in direct contact with the combustible items, “heat can build up slowly until the ignition temperature is reached.”
  • All bulbs should have guards installed. “Not only will this help prevent the bulb from coming in direct contact with a combustible, it can also protect you (or someone else) from coming in contact with the bulb and getting burned.”
  • Need to replace a broken bulb on the string? Put on gloves to protect against cuts, and then disconnect the power from the light string before replacing the bulb.
  • Don’t use an ordinary light string in an area that may contain flammable vapors. “When used within an enclosed or confined space, the space must be certified as ‘Safe for Hot Work’ if a conventional string is used. If the atmosphere is not ‘Safe for Hot Work,’ then ‘explosion-proof’ lights must be used.”

McCraren Compliance offers a full range of safety and health training and consulting services. Plus we can help you incorporate well-being into your traditional systems in order to support the Total Worker Health of your workforce.

Call 888-758-4757, email info@mccrarencompliance.com or visit our website www.mccrarencompliance.com

Original article published by Safety+Health an NSC publication

FACE Report: Two workers killed in boom lift rollover

Posted on by McCraren Compliance
19OR001-3.jpg

FACE photo: NIOSH

Case report: #2019OR01
Issued by: Oregon Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation Program
Date of report: June 29, 2023

Two workers were operating a boom lift on uneven farmland where a music festival had taken place. The lift was being used to remove cables suspending fabric sails that had provided shade. It was on a hillside with its wheels parallel to the slope. The first-stage boom arm was extended about 40 feet uphill, while the counterweight was oriented on the downhill side of the slope. Two safety alarms – a tilt hazard alarm and a crush hazard alarm – had been disabled. The workers were moving the lift perpendicular to the hill slope with the boom arm extended when it tipped over in the downhill direction, catapulting the basket to the ground. The workers received blunt force trauma injuries. Other workers called 911 and attempted to give first aid. Emergency responders arrived within 10 minutes and pronounced the workers dead at the scene. Investigator interviews with sail-installation company employees, former employees and volunteers indicated that the practice of disabling the tilt alarm on lifts had been going on for years – and that management was aware of the practice. A former employee stated that she left the company because of issues with employees disabling alarms. An equipment rental company used in previous years reported that it stopped renting equipment for the event because it found an alarm disabled and an illegal substance on returned equipment.

To help prevent similar occurrences, employers should:

  • Ensure, through adequate supervision, that manufacturer instructions regarding equipment operation are followed.
  • Provide training and supervision to ensure boom lift operators know not to move the boom lift with the boom extended.
  • Maintain and regularly inspect equipment for operational safety.
  • Implement pre-task planning for jobs that include varying conditions or environments.
  • Train employees to operate equipment safely, verify training completion, and check knowledge and skill level.

McCraren Compliance offers a full range of safety and health training and consulting services. Plus we can help you incorporate well-being into your traditional systems in order to support the Total Worker Health of your workforce.

Call 888-758-4757, email info@mccrarencompliance.com or visit our website www.mccrarencompliance.com

Original article published by Safety+Health an NSC publication

Workplace fire safety: What’s your plan?

Posted on by McCraren Compliance
evacuation-plan.jpg

Photo: s-c-s/iStockphoto

If a fire broke out at your workplace, would workers know what to do? Do they know what procedures to follow?

OSHA has advice for creating a workplace fire safety plan:

  • Describe the escape routes workers will use. If you have employees with a disability, clearly state the procedures to follow so they can evacuate safely.
  • Address how employees who stay behind to shut down critical equipment will evacuate.
  • Explain the preferred methods for alerting employees of a fire emergency.
  • Ensure workers receive emergency training.
  • Provide for an employee alarm system throughout the workplace.
  • Require employer review of the plan with new employees, as well as with all employees when the plan changes.

Want more tips on designing and implementing fire drills? check out Workplace fire drills: Regular practice keeps workers prepared for emergencies.

McCraren Compliance offers a full range of safety and health training and consulting services. Plus we can help you incorporate well-being into your traditional systems in order to support the Total Worker Health of your workforce.

Call 888-758-4757, email info@mccrarencompliance.com or visit our website www.mccrarencompliance.com

Original article published by Safety+Health an NSC publication

Cut-off saws: Safety do’s and don’ts

Posted on by McCraren Compliance
Cut-off saws: Safety do’s and don’ts

Photo: Missouri Department of Transportation

Commonly used by construction workers, cut-off saws “can be extremely dangerous because unguarded blades operate at very high speeds,” the Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations cautions. The agency has created a list of do’s and don’ts.

DO:

  • Wear safety shoes, fitted clothing, safety glasses, hearing protection and a hard hat while operating the saw.
  • Follow the manufacturer’s recommended blade specifications for materials to be cut.
  • Inspect the cutting blade for warping and damage before startup and clean the air filter.
  • Test newly mounted blades at normal operating speed for 30 seconds, with the guard in place, before beginning use.
  • Keep all parts of your body away from the blade while it’s running.
  • Maintain good balance and footing, using both hands and a firm grip on the handles.
  • Run the saw at full throttle and use the bottom of the blade while cutting.
  • Keep water continuously running on the blade while cutting concrete or asphalt to keep dust concentration below established exposure limits.
  • Ensure the blade doesn’t become pinched in the cut.
  • Run the saw for 30 seconds after finishing a cut to allow water to be thrown off the blade.
  • Use caution when handling fuel. Never add fuel while the saw is running or near an ignition source.

DON’T:

  • Allow bystanders in the work area while you’re using the saw.
  • Cut in the vicinity of anything flammable – most cutting procedures produce sparks.
  • Use the saw without the blade guard in place.
  • Exceed the maximum operating speed marked on the blade.
  • Jam or wedge the blade into a cut.
  • Grind on the side of the blade or cut with the top or front of the blade.
  • Cut dry, except with a blade specifically designated for dry cutting by the manufacturer.
  • Operate a damaged, improperly adjusted or improperly balanced saw.

“Only personnel who have been trained on proper use and handling should be allowed to operate this specialized piece of equipment,” DOLIR says.

McCraren Compliance offers a full range of safety and health training and consulting services. Plus we can help you incorporate well-being into your traditional systems in order to support the Total Worker Health of your workforce.

Call 888-758-4757, email info@mccrarencompliance.com or visit our website www.mccrarencompliance.com

Original article published by Safety+Health an NSC publication

Steel strapping safety

Posted on by McCraren Compliance
rolled-sheet-steel.jpg

Photo: Hiko Photos/iStockphoto

Is steel strapping used at your worksite? The Wyoming Department of Workforce Services calls the straps “a useful way to keep rolls of sheet metal from unwinding while it is being transported, and for binding or reinforcing wooden crates and other boxes that contain heavy objects.”

Still, when transported items reach their destination, the straps “can become dangerous weapons that will lash out when the bands are cut.”

DWS has tips for staying safe:

  • Wear personal protective equipment, including safety glasses, a hard hat, safety shoes, long pants, long-sleeved shirts and gloves.
  • Make sure other workers are well clear of the area.
  • Duck-billed shears with long handles are usually the best tool for this job. Make cuts squarely to avoid forming sharp pointed ends. Don’t use crowbars or claw hammers to break the straps.
  • Before cutting the straps, take a moment to decide the safest way to do it. If several straps have been used, cut the one farthest away from you first. Stay out of the danger zone created when the strap springs back after being cut.
  • Before you cut the strapping and open the box, consider what may be inside. For example, some manufacturers of springs and mattresses compress them in the shipping container and then band it to save space. These products could produce a violent recoil action when the straps are cut. Special training is required before opening containers of this nature.

McCraren Compliance offers a full range of safety and health training and consulting services. Plus we can help you incorporate well-being into your traditional systems in order to support the Total Worker Health of your workforce.

Call 888-758-4757, email info@mccrarencompliance.com or visit our website www.mccrarencompliance.com

Original article published by Safety+Health an NSC publication

FACE Report: Roofer falls while constructing leading edge of metal roof

Posted on by McCraren Compliance
71_237_2023s_RooferFallFromLeadingEdgeSlideshow-11.jpg

Photo: NIOSH

Case report: #71-237-2023
Issued by: Washington State Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation Program
Date of report: April 10, 2023

A 35-year-old roofer was part of a nine-member crew constructing the leading edge of a metal roof on a warehouse. When the crew began the job about a week before, it installed anchors and nine lifelines on the low-pitch roof. On the day of the incident, the crew used a boom-supported elevating work platform to reach the rooftop. Each member wore a full-body harness. Shortly after work started, rain began to fall, making the roof slippery. The workers used the platform to get down but left their lifelines on the roof, about 20 feet from where they got off. When the rain stopped, they used the platform to get back onto the roof. The roofer was walking toward his lifeline and about 8 feet away from it when he fell from the unprotected edge. A witness said the roofer grabbed the steel framing as he fell but lost his hold and dropped 33 feet to the gravel warehouse floor. The foreman performed CPR, but the roofer died at the scene. Investigators found that fall protection roof anchors were installed with unapproved screws as well as fewer screws than specified by the manufacturer. In addition, multiple lifelines were attached to a single anchor, and lifelines were connected together and wrapped around beams. The employer didn’t have a required fall protection plan onsite, and a walkaround safety inspection hadn’t been documented.

To help prevent similar occurrences, employers should:

  • Develop policies that require workers to always remain attached to lifelines and place them so workers are able to reattach and maintain 100% tie-off when they move between platforms and other surfaces.
  • Provide and frequently reinforce training on proper use of fall protection equipment, with emphasis on always attaching before detaching when switching lifelines so workers maintain 100% tie-off.

McCraren Compliance offers a full range of safety and health training and consulting services. Plus we can help you incorporate well-being into your traditional systems in order to support the Total Worker Health of your workforce.

Call 888-758-4757, email info@mccrarencompliance.com or visit our website www.mccrarencompliance.com

Original article published by Safety+Health an NSC publication

Check self-retracting lifelines in cold or wet conditions

Posted on by McCraren Compliance

Designed for working at height, self-retracting lifelines “extend and retract automatically, which keeps the lifeline in consistent tension while allowing the wearer to move around within a work area,” says the Ontario Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development.

self-retracting lifelines

“If functioning properly, when the SRL detects a sudden increase in speed (such as from a fall), a locking mechanism in the housing immediately activates and stops the fall.”

However, cold and wet environmental conditions may cause the locking mechanism to seize, resulting in the cable continuing to spool out. If this happens, the fall won’t be arrested. To prevent this, do the following:

  • Ensure the locking mechanism hasn’t seized by rapidly pulling the cable to verify the components of the locking mechanism are functioning properly. Perform this action before the SRL is used for any task and then throughout the day.
  • Briskly pull out the cable to make sure the locking mechanism inside the housing responds to a sudden jerk on the cable. It should lock up similarly to how a seat belt does when a car comes to a sudden halt.
  • If the SRL gets wet, store it vertically to dry.

If the locking mechanism isn’t working, don’t use the SRL! Tell a supervisor immediately.

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.

Original article published by Safety+Health

Safe use of liquid nitrogen

Posted on by McCraren Compliance

Original article published by Safety+Health

Liquid nitrogen is the colorless, odorless, clear liquefied form of nitrogen.

In the retail food and food service industries, the U.S. Department of Agriculture says, liquid nitrogen has been used as a freezing agent in food preparation and preservation in the rapid freezing of foods (such as ice cream), to process dry herbs and spices, and to rapidly chill beverages.

However, it can be extremely dangerous to work around. “Anyone who handles it should be aware of its unique properties and hazards,” the Compressed Gas Association says.

liquid nitrogen
Image credit: U.S. Department of Agriculture via

Here are some tips for working with liquid nitrogen from CGA:
Wear proper personal protective equipment. This includes a faceshield, insulated gloves, eye protection, and protective clothing that covers your skin and doesn’t have cuffs or folds that can potentially trap spilled cryogenic liquid.
Never consume. It can freeze human tissue on contact because it’s -321° F. Swallowing it can result in serious injury or death.
Use only containers and equipment specifically developed for cryogenic liquids. “Materials that are not designed for cryogenic service, such as glass or plastic, can shatter when exposed to liquid nitrogen.” And make sure you’re pouring it slowly to minimize thermal shock and splashing.
Don’t trap in a container, tubing or piping. “As the liquid warms up and converts to gas, the pressure rises.” Containers not designed to adequately vent it can rupture.
Handle liquid nitrogen in well-ventilated areas. Because of its ability to turn into a gas, liquid nitrogen can “quickly displace the air in the room and create a risk of oxygen deficiency and asphyxiation.” CGA recommends air monitoring.

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.

Original article published by Safety+Health

FACE Report: Operator crushed between backhoe boom and stabilizer

Posted on by McCraren Compliance
Original article published by Safety+Health
71_238_2023s_BackhoeOperatorCrushedByBoomSlideshow-8.jpg

FACE photo: NIOSH

Case report: 71-238-2023
Issued by: Washington State Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation Program
Date of report: May 15, 2023

A 54-year-old worker died when the raised boom of a backhoe loader swung and crushed him against one of the machine’s retracted stabilizers. He had worked for his employer, a new housing construction contractor and subcontractor at the site, for two years. On the day of the incident, the worker was at a jobsite where new single-family homes were being built. He first used the backhoe to excavate around an electrical junction box. After doing this, he used the backhoe’s loader to place gravel around the box. He then moved the backhoe to the street where he parked it, leaving the engine running and the backhoe boom elevated. He exited the cab and walked to the rear of the backhoe. Although no one saw what happened next, investigators determined that as the operator was standing at the rear of the cab where the backhoe boom attached, he reached into the cab to retrieve a metal tool called a post pounder. As he was doing this, he apparently dropped the post pounder on one of the two foot pedals that controlled the backhoe boom swing. This caused the boom to swing sideways toward him, pinning and crushing him between the boom and one of the machine’s two retracted stabilizers.

To prevent similar occurrences:

  • Lower the boom to a safe position with the bucket on the ground and turn off the machine before stepping off for any reason.
  • Never place tools, parts or other objects in the cab that have the potential to activate the foot pedals or other controls.
  • Never stand in the pinch point of the boom of a running or operating backhoe.

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.

Learn to ‘see’ hazards

Posted on by McCraren Compliance

Original article published by Safety+Health

Although you might not consider your workplace to be hazardous, the potential for injury always exists. You may have just become accustomed to the hazards and aren’t seeing them.

However, once you train yourself to spot hazards, you’ll notice them all around you. They may not always be obvious or immediate concerns, but they can still pose a risk to you and your co-workers. The sooner they’re fixed, the better.

Here are some tips you can use to “see” the hazards:

  • Spotting hazards is all about anticipation. Ask yourself, “If I take this action, what might happen?” This applies to everything from working with dangerous chemicals and manufacturing machines to simply walking through your worksite.
  • Picture yourself walking around a corner with your hands full. When you ask, “What might happen?” you can anticipate risks such as a co-worker turning the corner at the same time. Then you can take simple steps – like taking a wider turn – to avoid the risk.

Plenty of hazards may be more serious, but this way of thinking can help you spot and avoid them. And remember to speak up when you see them to help keep your co-workers safe.

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.