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Recently, one of our subscribers asked the following question: I am looking for guidance on developing a lockout program where I can protect my employees from disassembled equipment while transferring the locks without having a physical hand off. Our second shift must leave equipment disassembled and locked out at midnight when they go home. We […]
Recently, we received the following question from a subscriber: I need to install a 30-foot fixed ladder as a secondary egress point for an underground pump station. There are two intermediary levels where a step-off will be required. What type of fall protection would be required if I enclose the ladder in a cage?
Forklift Safety When used properly, forklifts can help workers accomplish tasks more efficiently and safely, but when unsafely operated, potentially catastrophic incidents can outweigh their benefits. Safety managers have an additional hurdle to overcome to ensure forklift safety: forklift operators and nearby pedestrians may be distracted by their cell phones or other mobile devices, and […]
A worker at a Wisconsin cheese factory lost two fingers in an amputation incident in January 2013. The worker was operating an unguarded cheese packing and labeling machine. When OSHA investigated the incident, it discovered that a similar amputation had occurred a year earlier. According to OSHA, the amputations could have been prevented by the […]
Yesterday, we looked at OSHA’s answers to some employers’ questions about training certification and LOTO verification. Today, we’ll look at what OSHA has to say about workers performing maintenance on plug-and-cord-connected equipment covered under an exception in the LOTO rules. Employers often write to OSHA asking for clarifications of its requirements. Sometimes, OSHA writes back. […]
Here’s a question: Your employees carry identification badges that identify the individual employee when it is swiped on an electronic reader. The badges are used for workplace security, documenting time on the clock, and recording attendance in training classes. The badge-swiping system identifies individual employees, but is not equivalent to an “electronic signature.” Is it […]
All forklift operators must be certified through a process of classroom and hands-on training in order to operate a forklift. Once they’re certified, they should be expected to operate the forklift safely at all times. If they don’t, they should be retrained before being permitted to operate a forklift again. What sorts of behaviors would […]
An unqualified forklift operator is a hazard to himself, to coworkers, and to your bottom line. The answer to the question “What makes a forklift operator qualified?” might seem straightforward—“a certified forklift operator,” right? But what goes into that qualification? What does a certified forklift operator know? Here are the basic ingredients that identify a […]
A 48-year-old shipyard welder was welding on a barge that was undergoing renovation, working from an elevating work platform. A pinhole leak developed in the hydraulic lines on the lift, and the escaping hydraulic oil was ignited by sparks from the welding operation. The worker was taken to a burn unit, but later died.