Crane Safety Cited in Collapse At Refinery
Crane safety again came into question again at a California refinery. On Monday, June 20th, a 300-ton crane collapsed at a Torrance, CA Exxon-Mobil refinery. The cause of the incident has been identified as human error, on the part of the crane operator. In its collapse, the crane struck nearby equipment and injured three employees. The event triggered a release of flammable vapors, which were promptly eliminated.
This collapse is just the latest in a series of accidents involving a breach of crane safety, including a February 2015 explosion, which shut down production of gasoline at the refinery, for over a year. The refinery is currently in a transition of ownership to New Jersey-based, PBF Energy, which agreed to purchase… Continue reading
OSHA New Accident Rule is Stirring the Pot
A new accident rule issued by the United States Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which will go into effect on Aug. 10, will change the way that manufacturers and businesses log their injuries and illnesses.
OSHA directives state that all businesses inform their employees of their respective rights to file any injury or illness, without fear of retaliation. According to OSHA’s new accident rule, it “clarifies the existing implicit requirement that an employer’s procedure for reporting work-related injuries and illnesses must be reasonable and not deter or discourage employees from reporting; and incorporates the existing statutory prohibition on retaliating against employees for reporting work-related injuries or illnesses,” according to OSHA representatives.
While the current OSHA… Continue reading
Rail Equipment Manufacturer Cited In Chemical Exposure Violation
A Steuben County-based rail manufacturing and repair facility in Hornell, NY, Alstom Transportation Inc., was recently cited with seventeen violations totaling $105,000, following an inspection by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Among those seventeen citations were four chemical exposure violations which left those employees at the facility, involved in sandblasting and welding, exposed to unsafe levels of chromium, copper fume, iron oxide, and silica. Other violations included a failure to provide cleaning areas for those employees who worked with cadmium, improper housekeeping leading to the dining area being contaminated with lead and silica residue, several noise violations, and citations related to respiratory combustible materials and blood-borne pathogen hazards.
Syracuse OSHA Area Director, Chris… Continue reading
Benefits of Using Digital Signage for Safety Communication
Digital Signage in the workplace is becoming more and more important and popular in today’s working environment. Digital signs have taken the place of unsightly posters and other wall hangings that tend to detract from areas where employees expect a visually enticing environment.
Predictions for the growth of these in the coming year include the continued proliferation of devices, especially since the cost to deploy has drastically gone down. Connection of company data to digital signage has become commonplace to boost morale. KPIs, financial data and the like are popular displays, but the emphasis goes much deeper. Work schedules, price lists, safety metrics, production goals and even cafeteria menus are being published in companies.
Digital signage… Continue reading
OSHA Safety Topic: Nightmare in Ohio Foundry – Noise Exposure Plus Silica Dust
Falls, confined spaces, and electrical hazards aren’t the only dangers affecting workers. Noise exposure is an often overlooked safety topic, especially in industrial workplaces where noise is constant. Each year in the United States, thousands of workers suffer permanent, avoidable hearing loss, with 21,000 cases in 2009 alone. Another often missed danger is crystalline silica dust, which can cause the sometimes fatal lung disease, silicosis. Businesses should ensure that all workers be protected and receive comprehensive training in OSHA safety topics to help prevent exposure to these and other workplace hazards.
Double Safety Hazard at MCM Precision Castings
During an eight-hour shift, an Ohio worker at MCM Precision Castings Inc. was bombarded by sustained noise levels of nearly 100… Continue reading
Do you need OSHA10 or OSHA30 General Safety Course? [Infographic]
OSHA safety training is an important part of any workplace environment. All workers can benefit from being aware of basic safety issues on the job. But many workers encounter a number of different hazards on the job, and may supervise or collaborate with others who work with still more and different potential safety or health hazards. So what kind of OSHA training is right for these situations? How much do you really need?
In general the first determination is your actual job responsibilities. If you work in a non-supervisor role, then typically the OSHA 10 Hour Course is best for you. If, however, you have line management, resource management, safety director responsibilities or executive level supervision, the OSHA 30… Continue reading
Avoid the OSHA Focus Four Hazards [infographic]
Recognizing and knowing how to avoid the OSHA Focus Four Hazards may be the most important thing you learn in your OSHA training courses. These “Fatal Four” are the four most common causes of fatalities in the workplace.To help highlight the importance of recognizing these dangers and having clear workplace safety procedures to avoid them, we’ve put this information into an easy-to-use Infographic. If you find it useful, be sure to share it with your team and coworkers.
Electrical Hazard Safety Training Tips Infographic
Electrical safety hazards are one of the most common sources of injury on the job. Osha identifies the five primary electrical hazards as power lines, improper use of extension and flexible cords, path to ground missing or discontinuous, lack of ground fault protection, and equipment not used in manner prescribed. Proper safety training can help workers avoid these dangers. Use and share our easy-to-follow instructional infographic for reminders on how to protect yourself and your workforce from these hazards.
Do You Need OSHA 10, or OSHA 30 for Your Construction Job?
(Note: Due to a typographical error in production, this chart had some errors that were corrected on 2/13/2015 – Please make sure you have the latest version)
Whether it’s the OSHA 10 Hour Construction course or the OSHA 30 hour course, OSHA training for the construction industry is a core component of compliance and on-the-job safety. If you work in the construction industry, do you know what kind of OSHA construction safety training you need? We’ve prepared this infographic to help you understand the differences between the OSHA construction industry training 10 hour course and the 30 hour course so you can decide for yourself.
Recording OSHA Incidents – When do You Have to Report?
What do you do after an employee is injured on the job, receives medical attention and reports back to you? A worker’s comp claim and the threat of an OSHA inspection are enough to send a shiver down any manager’s spine. Employees become distracted, productivity slows to a crawl, and general workplace safety becomes even more of an issue.
While OSHA may seem like the bane of many companies’ existence, the risks of avoiding them can be just as bad as a visit from their inspectors. If a workplace injury is recordable by OSHA Standards, it’s often better to take your medicine and report an injury or illness, rather than face the hefty fines and punitive action that can result… Continue reading