Practical EHS Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
Safety is a process, and as such, needs to be managed. This section offers resources to create a viable safety program, sell it to senior management, train supervisors and employees in using it, and then track and report your progress. Look also for ways to advance your own skills in these areas, both for your current job, and those that follow.
OSHA’s Control of Hazardous Energy Standard (29 CFR 1910.147) designates lockout/tagout as the main safeguard to prevent injuries caused by the unexpected release of hazardous energy. OSHA requires lockout/tagout whenever workers perform tasks that involve: • Removing or bypassing a guard or other safety device • Placing a body part into a point of operation […]
Yesterday, we looked at the first 6 of 12 suggestions for promoting safety during National Safety Month and all year long. Today, we pick up with steps 6 through 12, and we invite you to try a money-saving resource for meeting all your safety training needs. (Here are the first six suggestions for promoting and […]
The National Safety Council, which sponsors National Safety Month, says that this month is a time to promote round-the-clock safety and health. This year’s event focuses on four themes, each with its own week—teen driving (June 1-7), falls prevention (June 8-14), overexertion (June 15-21), and distracted driving (June 22-28). While the themes of National Safety […]
Noise isn’t just loud and annoying on the job. It can be a safety and health problem as well—a problem OSHA requires you to do something about. Understanding and applying OSHA standards is at the heart of any safety and health program. When the safety issue is hearing conservation, the standard you need to understand […]
OSHA’s Powered Industrial Truck standard (29 CFR 1910.178) establishes safety requirements relating to the design, maintenance, and use of forklifts as well as the training and evaluation of forklift operators. Compliance with the regulations, however, often raises important questions. Here are some that have been fielded by BLR’s safety experts. Does OSHA require a specific […]
Even the most common substances can be hazardous if they’re used without taking commonsense precautions. While paint is not a particularly high-risk substance, it does contain ingredients that can cause health and safety problems. And certain types of paints, such as those containing polyisocyanates, are even more hazardous. Although OSHA doesn’t single out paint as […]
Road rage has become an epidemic on highways and byways across the nation. Angry, stressed-out drivers taking out their aggressions behind the wheel may be one of the most dangerous highway hazards any driver has to handle. Do you know of anyone, including yourself, who hasn’t been ticked off by a tailgater, a lane hog, […]
Yesterday we talked about the importance of accident reporting—not only in assisting with safety compliance but also in preventing future accidents. Today we look at key policy considerations. Without an effective policy, your accident reporting procedures might fail to meet requirements. BLR’s Essential Safety Policies identifies the following elements as indispensable to an effective accident […]
There are many good reasons for keeping thorough and up-to-date records of accidents and injuries that occur on the job. The primary reason, of course, is compliance with the law. But a thorough reporting and recordkeeping system can also provide you with valuable information concerning accident patterns and prevention. OSHA requires every covered employer to […]
At one time or another, virtually all your workers will engage in the manual handling of various materials. But when that material handling involves sophisticated material movers like conveyors, powered industrial trucks, and cranes, hoists, or derricks, the dangers tend to be more severe. Working with heavy-duty material movers includes the possibility of being struck […]