Author Archive: for Mr. Safety

Electrical Safety Tips for The National Electric Code

Posted by Mr. Safety on Tuesday, January 24th, 2012 | Comments (0)

The National Electric Code, known as NFPA 70, is a large volume and many don’t appreciate the proper way to approach the regulation. As with any electrical safety topic, it’s the strategic approach that matters most. An interesting article about this was published over at safety.blr.com entitled, “3 Steps to NFPA-70E Compliance,” and it’s highly recommended along with the other topic areas there. Basically, the article breaks the approach down into three important considerations, which are summarized here, but it’s recommended you read the entirety of the original article.

Review – Review your electrical safety program and the hazards present for the category of hazard present. This determines the precautions that must be taken and the type of electrical safety equipment you will need to provide electrical safety protection.

Purchase PPE – Purchase the correct level of personal protective equipment and make it available to workers in hazardous situations.

Train – Educate employees about the proper way to in the basics of electricity safety and how to use and fit equipment such as FR clothing, arc gloves, safety glasses and face protection gear.  Read More→

Comments (0)
Categories : Electrical Safety Topics, National Fire Protection Association, NFPA 70, OSHA Safety Topics

Flame Resistant Coat May Have Saved LA Researcher

Posted by Mr. Safety on Monday, January 23rd, 2012 | Comments (0)

When felony charges were filed against the University of California and Professor Patrick Harran in the death of 23-year-old researcher Sheharbano (Sheri) Sangji last month from a chemical fire that took place in 2008, the three-year old case also reignited a controversy about the fact that Sangji wasn’t wearing a fire resistant lab coat. Some say that fact is overemphasized, but we at American Work Safety disagree.

It’s not only a blatant disregard for worker safety to not follow proper safety procedures for chemical handling, it was equally clear that the young woman was unfamiliar with procedure regarding a chemical fire. The 23-year-old ran about the lab frantically which only fed the flames that eventually burned nearly half her body, according to the LA Times. The injuries claimed her life 18 days later.

While there were other factors involved in the incident, clearly an inexpensive fire resistant coat would have slowed the flames and perhaps saved the young woman from a painful death. Moreover, proper training in the use of personal protective equipment and proper emergency procedure would have further protected a bright prospect. The cost? A couple hundred dollars maybe, but what is the loss to our society and the economic strength of our economy when someone of this caliber dies an unnecessary death? Far more. Read More→

Comments (0)
Categories : Flame Resistant, Lab Safety, Safety at the Workplace, Workplace Injuries Statistics

New Airborne Pathogen Risk for Workers?

Posted by Mr. Safety on Tuesday, January 17th, 2012 | Comments (0)

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has uncovered a new workplace safety topic that has important implications for everyone from road workers to gravel pit workers. Erionite, a silicate mineral classified as a zeolite, was once believed to be a minimal work hazard in America. But when the material becomes airborne it can be a cause of mesothelioma that is normally attributed to asbestos exposure. Evidence is mounting that exposure to erionite has been documented in states such as Nevada, California, New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, Oregon, Wyoming, Montana and the Dakotas.

Respiratory protection programs have mandated breathing masks whenever asbestos and other materdials are present. Recent studies have proven that airborne erionite exposure is present whenever soil containing the material is present and causes pulmonary disease. Breathing masks such as our popular 3M respirators have been a staple at our store ever since, but the origin of the threat is better known than erionite.

Any occupation that involves the disruption of the ground in western states may put their workers at risk. However the level of respiratory protection is unknown at this time and may involve more study to determine whether a simple breathing mask or a full face respirator mask is sufficient worker protection. The findings of NIOSH may eventually affect industries ranging from home construction to oil exploration workers.

Risk managers will in western states will want to follow NIOSH recommendations for reducing risk of erionite exposure.

 

Comments (0)
Categories : NIOSH News, NIOSH Safety Topics, Respiratory Protection
Tags : , , ,

Chemical Safety and Boots

Posted by Mr. Safety on Monday, January 16th, 2012 | Comments (1)

The Chemical Safety Blog has and interesting article about chemical safety and work boots. As a safety shoe distributor of some of the best safety work boots found anywhere, we recommend their buying guide and will soon expand upon it.

Among the most important features the article recommends you to consider:

 

  1. Right Fit – Any piece of personal protection equipment must be fitted properly to properly guard against industrial hazards, and it’s particularly important for chemical plant safety.
  2. Proper Construction – The materials of the boot must be appropriate for the chemical exposure. Although leather boots are appropriate for most chemical plant hazard exposures, they aren’t good for chemical splash protection which requires rubber.
  3. Reputable Manufacture – It doesn’t pay to buy knock off boots when your safety on the job is at stake. That’s why we carry only the best work boots at our store such as Dickie boots.

Most people think of chemical suits when considering PPE equipment for a chemical plant, but if you’re looking for safety topics to discuss with your staff, start with the boots. It’s often the overlooked items that can present the biggest dangers, and that applies as much for chemical plants as it does for chemistry lab safety. Read the original safety shoe article here.

Comments (1)
Categories : Chemical Plant Safety, NIOSH Safety Topics, Safety at the Workplace
Tags : , ,

Top 10 OSHA Violations in 2011

Posted by Mr. Safety on Wednesday, January 4th, 2012 | Comments (1)

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration published their Top 10 list for safety citations during fiscal year 2011 (October 1, 2010 through September 30, 2011). The agency says they publish this list to encourage employers to take action prior to an OSHA inspection. It’s interesting to note that many of the same violations appear in the top 10 nearly every year.

The top 10 list for 2011 includes:

  1. Scaffolding, general requirements, construction (29 CFR 1926.451) [related OSHA Safety and Health Topics page]
  2. Fall protection, construction (29 CFR 1926.501) [related OSHA Safety and Health Topics page]
  3. Hazard communication standard, general industry (29 CFR 1910.1200) [related OSHA Safety and Health Topics page]
  4. Respiratory protection, general industry (29 CFR 1910.134) [related OSHA Safety and Health Topics page]
  5. Control of hazardous energy (lockout/tagout), general industry (29 CFR 1910.147) [related OSHA Safety and Health Topics page] Read More→
Comments (1)
Categories : OSHA Safety Topics, Safety Topics for Work
Tags : , ,

Employers Pay Heavy Price for Workplace Injuries

Posted by Mr. Safety on Monday, January 2nd, 2012 | Comments (1)

Liberty Mutual Insurance company report showed that the most disabling injuries (those involving six or more days away from work) cost American employers more than $53 billion a year – over $1 billion a week – in workers’ compensation costs alone.

That statistic was quoted by Assistant Secretary of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Dr. David Michaels in testimony before Congress on April 14, 2011. He cited the data in support of his administration’s 40 year history of protecting workers from injury on the job. Read More→

Comments (1)
Categories : Cost of Workplace Injuries, Safety at the Workplace, Workplace Injuries Statistics
Tags : ,

NFPA 2112 Standard 2012 Edition Now In Effect

Posted by Mr. Safety on Thursday, December 22nd, 2011 | Comments (0)

The 2012 edition of NFPA 2112, Standard on Flame-Resistant Garments for Protection of Industrial Personnel against Flash Fire, 2012 Edition became effective August 31, 2011. These revisions mostly consisted of updates to specific standard requirements, and clarifications of existing wording. Specific changes are as follows:

Garment label wording now highlights the requirement for garments to provide upper and lower body protection in order to be fully compliant with the standard. Specifically, this emphasizes that NFPA 2112 compliant shirts or pants worn alone does not provide adequate protection. The standard now also acknowledges that garment ignition and resultant wearer injury from flammable clothing can result from any type of fire (jet flames, liquid pool fires, solid fires, etc) and not just from flash fires. Read More→

Comments (0)
Categories : Flame Resistant, NFPA 2112

At the Store