Practical EHS Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
Although many workers swear by back belts, claiming these devices help prevent lower back injury and pain, neither OSHA nor NIOSH tout the use of back belts. They say there are no good data showing that back belts prevent injury. While OSHA does not prohibit the use of back belts, it doesn’t encourage their use, […]
Hundreds of deaths occur every year as a direct result of electrical accidents at work. What is even more tragic is that most of these fatalities could be easily avoided. Simple training can teach employees how to work safely with electricity. Your employees must understand that: Normal workplace or household current can be lethal. Electrocutions […]
Some employees work directly with electricity and face the greatest risk of shocks, burns, and electrocution. Others may be exposed only indirectly, but they, too, can be injured or killed. That’s why all employees should be trained to understand electrical hazards and take proper precautions. OSHA ranks electrical hazards as among the most dangerous and […]
There are hazards even in the safest workplaces. And one of the best ways to eliminate these dangers is through effective housekeeping. There’s a double payoff for emphasizing housekeeping and general maintenance—they make your workplace safer and more efficient. There are hidden hazards in even the safest-looking workplace. And most of them can be eliminated […]
In some workplaces, good housekeeping tends to fall at the end of the priority list for both management and employees. But that’s a problem because there is a direct correlation between a clean, neat, well-organized workplace and a safe healthy one. Good, safe housekeeping doesn’t just happen. Nor is it something you can do once […]
The holidays provide a great reason to get together with friends, family, and co-workers, which means there are lots of parties and food everywhere. Our Safety Training Tips editor warns that the weight you gain may not come off. It’s so easy to gain weight at this time of year, but even though the gain […]
OSHA requires authorized and affected employees to be properly trained in lockout/tagout requirements and procedures. Do your employees have the knowledge they need to prevent deadly accidents? Here’s a true story excerpted from BLR’s Interactive CD: Lockout/Tagout that dramatically illustrates to employees why lockout/tagout is so important. Laundry Worker Fatally Injured A laundry worker propped […]
Whenever machine maintenance or repairs are performed by a group of employees, you must develop and implement a group energy control procedure that provides the same level of protection as a personal lockout or tagout device. Machine maintenance and repair operations performed by a group of employees are often more complex than similar operations performed […]
Cold weather hazards are nothing to fool around with. Workers can be seriously injured or killed by the cold. Make sure your workers know how to cope with cold conditions and how to recognize danger when working outdoors. As we said in yesterday’s Advisor, the two main health hazards of working in cold weather are […]
Winter is here—well, technically not until December 21, but the cold weather has already arrived. For the next few months, many workers will be required to work briefly or for sustained periods in cold weather conditions and will face the special hazards that such work entails. The two main health hazards of overexposure to cold […]