Most companies have concrete floors in their production areas. Standing all day on a bare concrete floor is stressful on a workers’ feet, legs, knees, and hips. I’ve known of serious cases of varicose veins and knee injuries that occurred because of prolonged standing on a hard floor. Some employers provide employees with thin inexpensive mats to stand on. They quickly wear out creating […]
PubMed.gov is a website that is maintained by the U.S. National Library of Medicine. This one-of-a-kind database has more than 20 million searchable medical and health references! It is clearly a treasure trove of occupational health and toxicological information. PubMed is a complex website that is difficult to navigate. The simplest way to use it is […]
0 An employers’ occupational safety and health program can get stale without the periodic infusion of new ideas. One way to learn what’s working at other employers in your area is to participate in your local safety organizations. There are is one large national safety organization that likely has a local chapter in your area. The National Safety […]
Placing any part of your body outside of the running lines of a moving fork truck is extremely dangerous. In this photo, the driver could severely crush his foot if the truck should brush up against a rack in this warehouse. At one company I worked with an employee was killed when he stuck his head out and […]
Years ago, in a warehouse in South Dakota USA, I was struck by a backing fork truck! I was not hurt badly, but during my career, I have personally investigated three horrible accidents that involved a backing fork truck striking a pedestrian. This article will review three proven methods of preventing vehicle/pedestrian accidents associated with backing […]
Do you know what the difference is between organizations with outstanding accident records and those with poor records? Hank Sarkis (above) knows. Hank is the president of The Reliability Group, and has spent a lifetime studying operating reliability and safety. He has helped numerous employers find out what really differentiates their top performers from their poor performers. […]
Over time, heavy fork truck traffic can loosen and even bend the cover plates over floor drains and raceways. Even if they are not bend, they can work loose and either slip or tip-up when stepped on. Floors in restaurants and grocery stores that are usually wet often have those little round drains in the […]
The Insurance Information Institute has published an interesting table at the bottom of this page that shows 2009/2010 U.S. workplace deaths by cause. Some of you may be surprised by the results! The top two causes accounted for 57% of all work related fatalities! They are vehicle accidents (39%) and assaults/violence/homicides (18%). If you have drivers at […]
Dan Petersen (1932 – 2007) is considered by many to be one of the fathers of modern safety. He has received just about every honor and award there is in occupational safety and health including being named a “Fellow” of the ASSE, and being voted national president of the ASSE. In the 1950’s and before, occupational safety […]
D. A. Weaver (on the left) was one of the leaders of the safety management movement during the 1960’s, 70’s and 80’s. D .A., and his close friend Dan Petersen, were at least partially responsible for the occupational safety profession moving from the old and outdated “3E” era of safety (engineering, enforcement, and education) […]