OSHA lockout tagout standards are crucial protections for workers who use heavy machinery. According to one OSHA fact sheet, compliance with federal safety rules on “control of hazardous energy” stop 50,000 injuries from taking place every year. Even more importantly, they save an estimated 10 lives per month. Forklift battery rooms are a prime example of areas where lockout/tagout procedures… Continue Reading
Advanced, ergonomic warehouse equipment is designed to do two things: Make work safer and boost productivity. The best material handling solutions accomplish both of these goals simultaneously, year-round. However, as the snow, sleet, and ice pile up on our docks and in our yards, there’s even greater reason to rely on mechanical assistance for warehouse workers. Extreme weather has all… Continue Reading
It’s exceedingly common for construction crews to move materials, tools, and equipment to upper floors, both in new constructions and rehab projects. Between January and June 2017, for instance, the average number of floors in a U.S. residential home was 2.12. Meanwhile, the floor space in commercial buildings has grown by 70 percent since 1979, and much of that extra… Continue Reading
Electrical contractors may have been working in the field for decades, remaining injury-free the whole time. They might go on to train their staff in the common-sense protections that have kept them safe through countless installations. But despite this admirable preparation, employees can still be injured on the job. In 2016, for instance, workers sustained more than 1,600 electrical injuries… Continue Reading
How effective is your existing workplace safety program? According to statistics from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, U.S. businesses are headed in the right direction. The incidence rate of workplace injuries and illnesses was 10.9 per 100 in 1972; by 2017, it had plummeted to 2.8 per 100 workers. In 1970, 38 workers lost their lives to occupational hazards… Continue Reading
In a 2001 standard interpretation letter, Russell Swanson, then-director of OSHA’s Directorate of Construction, made it clear that self-employed workers are not subject to OSHA’s construction safety standards. “If a construction worker is truly self-employed — is not an employee — and has no employees working for him or her, OSHA has no authority to require that individual to abide by OSHA construction requirements,” Swanson wrote. That seems simple enough. After all, the construction safety standards devised and enforced by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration were built to protect employees. Independent contractors aren’t employees, as any tax professional will tell you. But what about subcontractors working under a general contractor? What about equal partners on the same job site?… Continue Reading
June 11, 2019 is the sixth annual National Forklift Safety Day. The Industrial Truck Association, the top trade organization for lift truck manufacturers, organizes this yearly industry event. The stated goal is to bring together forklift manufacturers, dealers, end users, and government regulators to raise awareness of crucial safety issues surrounding the use of forklifts. After all, everyone involved in… Continue Reading
The unique power demands of forklift battery rooms create singular electrical hazards. Electricians can’t simply cut power to the system and proceed without caution; batteries remain energized even when separated from charging systems. Additionally, unless the battery room was designed with working clearance and guarding around all live components, it can be a particularly dangerous place for workers to enter…. Continue Reading
We spend a lot of time discussing electrical safety at the jobsite, in the home, and even in schools. But what about safety programs for the workers who make electrical systems possible? Long before electricians begin to observe their strict lockout/tagout protocols or double-check the NEC, the electrical-material supply chain is hard at work, manufacturing, storing, shipping, and distributing the… Continue Reading
Most employers in the U.S. are familiar with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or, as it’s better known, OSHA. They must adhere to OSHA regulations to avoid costly fines and other penalties. But what exactly is an OSHA regulation? How do standards differ from laws? Every citizen must obey the law, but are there occasions or circumstances that make… Continue Reading
