Major workplace accidents that result in serious injuries (including deaths) are stressful, confusing, and chaotic emergencies. Fortunately, these catastrophic events are rare and most of us have little (or no) experience with them. But should one happen on your watch, what would you do? To help you cope with one of these rare traumatic events, I’ve listed the following fourteen tips designed […]
In today’s economy, some employees may feel compelled to turn in fraudulent workers compensation claims. In some cases there may exist an economic incentive for employees to try to get their non-work injury covered by workers compensation insurance. For example, if an employer does not offer health insurance benefits, the employee may feel that the only […]
Early in my safety career, if an employer needed to provide hearing protection to their employees they would buy just one type of ear plug and make everyone wear them. Back in those days, industry was fond of hiring executives and managers who had a military background. Because of that, in the 1960′ and 1970’s […]
There are three things that an employer should never “force” an employee to do… “Work at heights” – Some employees are afraid of heights . This is called acrophobia. An employee with this disorder may fear being on a ladder, scaffold or even working near the edge of a mezzanine. Symptoms include shaking, sweating, and freezing […]
Workplace Violence . Our friends at Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) have done it again! They’ve produced a free, downloadable infographic on violence in the workplace. It covers both the cause and prevention of this growing cause of work related injuries and death. Below is a small reproduction of this excellent poster. Click here to access a […]
I’ve worked at factories that had extremely hot operations! Under normal operating conditions, the temperatures on the work floor would exceed 100 degrees. You add to that a mid-summer heat wave, and you have a dangerous combination. Here are 14 proven methods you might want to use to help your workers stay cool and comfortable […]
While working in extreme temperatures, a buddy system should be used. Look out for one another and be alert for the symptoms of heat stress. Inexperienced workers may need special attention as they may continue to work beyond the point at which signs of heat strain appear. People are generally unable to notice their own […]
An effective method of cooling workers is to use a fan to increase air movement on, and around, the worker. Fans increase the evaporative cooling effect on workers’ skin, and they help to remove the heat produced by production processes and machinery. Some employers allow employees to bring in their own little, consumer type fans from home. These […]
Heat Stress Resources Below are links to our favorite free on-line heat stress resources (posters, bulletins, videos, alerts, Power Points, apps). You may want to incorporate some of these valuable heat stress resources into your employee heat stress prevention program. It’s HOT out there! OSHA’s heat safety app (Android, Blackberry, iPhone) […]
A special study conducted by CPSC staff found that 65 percent of all fireworks injuries in 2012 were sustained during the 30 days surrounding the Independence Day holiday. More than half of these injuries were the result of unexpected ignition of the device or consumers not using fireworks as intended. Fireworks injuries most often resulted in burns […]