Name of Company OSHA Top Ten FY 2017 As it does each year, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently released their list of the Top Ten most frequent safety violations. A new entry emerged in the Top 10 list of OSHA s most frequently cited violations for fiscal year 2017, joining the ranks of a rarely altered field - #9 Fall Protection Training Requirements. Falls are still one of the leading causes of workplace injuries (2 nd behind Overexertion) and deaths (3 rd behind Transportation Incidents, and Violence by Person or Animals). That is reflected with 4 out of the top 10 cited violations being related to fall hazards and protection. 10. Electrical-wiring methods - 1910.305 (1,530 violations down from 2017). Violations of this standard were found in most general industry sectors, including food and beverage, retail, and manufacturing. 9. Fall Protection Training Requirements - 1926.503 (1,724 violations new to the Top 10 list from 2016). Common violations include failure to train workers in identifying fall hazards and proper use of fall protection equipment All employees who are at risk for exposure to a fall hazard MUST be trained for those hazards in an established Fall Protection training program. 8. Machine Guarding - 1910.212 (2,109 violations down from 2017). Exposure to points of operation topped these violations. 7. Powered Industrial Trucks - 1910.178 (2,349 violations down from 2017). 3 of the 5 most frequently cited sections relate to operator training and evaluation. 6. Ladders - 1926.1053 (2,567 violations down from 2017). Frequent violations include improper use of ladders, damaged ladders, and using the top step. 5. Lockout/Tagout - 1910.147 (3,131 violations UP from 2017). Frequent violations were inadequate worker training and inspections not completed. 4. Respiratory protection - 1910.134 (3,381 violations down from 2017). Failure to establish a respiratory protection program topped these violations, followed by failure to provide medical evaluations. 3. Scaffolding - 1926.451 (3,697 violations down from 2016). Frequent violations include improper access to surfaces and lack of guardrail. 2. Hazard communication - 1910.1200 (4,652 violations down from 2016). Not having a hazard communication program topped the violations, followed by not having or not providing access to safety data sheets. 1. Fall Protection General Requirements - 1926.501 (6,887 violations down from 2016). This is STILL the leading cause of workplace deaths in the Construction sector. Use the fall protection! Did you contribute to the Top 10 violations statistics this year? Take advantage of training offered, and be sure to understand your safety program.
Name of Company Safety Leader By Example How many times have you heard a child (of any age) exclaim "it's not my fault!" or "it wasn't me!"? Whether or not these statements are true is beside the point, what we are talking about is how we conduct ourselves and what image we project to those around us. A responsible, conscientious person will say "it's not my fault, but it's my problem." These individuals identify themselves by their actions; they pickup that piece of garbage on the ground, they're quick to lend a co-worker a hand or show them a better, safer way. They step up and take the high road any chance they get. Why? Because to these people, they see an opportunity every time a situation presents itself: An opportunity to eliminate a trip hazard, an opportunity to lighten the load for a co-worker or to help them keep out of harm s way. They may not be a supervisor or a lead, but they lead by example, they answer to themselves. When you hear "Ah...somebody's bound to get that", they are that somebody, for them there's always something to do, always an opportunity. They project an image of accountability and carry a reputation for getting things done and asking "what else can we help you with". When you get enough of these people working together (there's never enough, always looking for new members) you get a company of people that do the right things, follow safe work procedures, help and look out for each other and co-workers throughout the site. In a strong safety culture, everyone feels responsible for safety and pursues it on a daily basis. In this type of environment, employees go beyond the call of duty to identify unsafe conditions and behaviors and intervene to correct them. For instance, in a strong safety culture, any worker would feel comfortable walking up to the plant manager or CEO and reminding him or her to wear safety glasses. This type of behavior would not be viewed as forward or overzealous, but rather would be valued and rewarded. Every worker needs to understand that safety must be the first focus of his or her job. The final responsibility for safety is not the responsibility of the safety person, but of each employee doing the work. After all, at the end of every day, the workers are the ones safely returning home or not. Influencing safety culture is more about leadership than management be a Safety Leader.
Name of Company Near Misses There are a number of common reasons why people don t report near misses. One is that we don't want to get into trouble with a supervisor or fellow worker. Another reason might be embarrassment. Nobody likes to admit to being part of an accident or close call. Or we might find it is too much trouble to report it - forms to fill out, questions to answer. Of course, none of these reasons amount to much when you consider that reporting a close call might save a co-worker from serious injury or death. Imagine what it would be like to watch a buddy die because of a hazard which you knew about but did not report. Let s say you receive an electric shock on a piece of equipment you re using. You weren t really injured, so you didn t report the incident. A few days later your coworker also received a shock from the same defective equipment, but also did not report the problem. Within days a third employee also received an electrical shock which killed him. This illustrates what can happen when we ignore close calls in the work place. A close call is a chance to identify a hazard and correct it before someone is seriously injured or killed. We have all had many experiences with close calls or near misses in our everyday lives. The best thing we can do is to pay attention to them and learn from them. For example, most of us have slipped while rushing down a stairway. We may have caught ourselves before falling, and resolved to slow down in the future. Another example is pulling out to pass when driving and being faced with an on-coming car. We quickly pull back into our own lane, and tell ourselves next time we will make sure it is safe before we try to pass. In both instances, there was the potential for a serious accident but we were lucky. Likely we learned something by the close call, and will hopefully be more aware in the future. Close calls in the workplace serve the same function. They give us an opportunity to recognize that something is wrong and to do something about it before someone gets hurt. When an accident occurs and someone is injured or killed, chances are someone else knew that the hazards existed. Think about that. Someone else probably had a hunch that the brakes were worn out, or the emergency exit was blocked, or the chemical container was in a position to be knocked over or whatever... How do you think that person OR YOU - will feel after an accident occurs? Chances are you ll wish that the hazard had been reported. Near misses are warnings. If we heed these warnings and look for causes, we may be able to prevent incidents before they happen. Don't let your inaction cause someone else's injury
Name of Company Why Do We Need Safety Meetings? Safety meetings are an opportunity for management and your safety department to communicate to employees how they can do their jobs safer and better. Topics discussed in safety meetings may be topics that you are familiar with, or topics that you have limited knowledge about. If the topic is something that you are familiar with, it may be easy to tune-out and not listen to the safety information presented. Do yourself a big favor and listen to the information as if you have never heard before. You may just learn something new, about the newest protective equipment, or a smarter way to do your job. Information passed on in a safety meeting has a purpose - to stop you or your co-worker from being injured. Safety meetings also allow employees an opportunity to relay safety concerns or improvement ideas to their supervisors. Accidents result from unsafe acts or unsafe conditions. According to some experts, for a variety of reasons, unsafe acts typically account for 90% of all accidents. Safety meetings serve as a preventative measure against unsafe acts by educating employees on how they can do their job safely. If you're still not sold, let's look at the potential cost of accidents. More specifically, how can accidents directly affect you? DEATH - The ultimate unwanted result. Where does this leave your loved ones? FINANCIAL COST - Lost pay or reduction in pay. Who pays the bills? Are you the sole income producer in your household? PAIN & SUFFERING - An obvious detriment that no one desires. DISABILITY - A life changing experience. Now you're not able to do what you use to do. Maybe now you can't cast that fishing rod? Ride that bike, hug your spouse, lift your child, or simply see? Or perhaps you're confined to a wheelchair. Good bye career. COMPETITIVENESS ON BIDDING JOBS - Other than payroll and benefits, worker' compensation insurance and accident costs may represent the bulk of a company's operating expense. When a company's operating expense increases, they are then less competitive to bid jobs. If your company is not awarded jobs, where does that leave you? CO-WORKER SAFETY - Perhaps you and your co-worker have been working together for some time now. Chances are you may spend as much time with your co-workers as you do your own family. Thus, you obviously do not want something bad to happen to them. Watch out for their safety too. Safety meetings are a perfect opportunity for you to communicate any safety ideas or concerns that you may have. Participate in your safety meetings. If you don't participate, then your ideas will not be heard. Who knows the idea that you have may very well save your co-worker's life or even your own. Your safety is your personal responsibility. Use the safety meeting as an opportunity to live up to that responsibility.
Name of Company Cell Phones on the Job Cell phones are extremely popular on worksites because of their very fast, almost instant connection time. The need to communicate quickly and efficiently is necessary. However, users must adhere to the cell phone safety procedures set forth by their company. Cell phone use at inappropriate times and inappropriate places can certainly be risky. Researchers have compared the level of distraction by your phone to a blood alcohol level of 0.08. With that level of distraction, it is easy to see how accidents can happen. Distracted operation of construction machinery: Operators of heavy equipment, tower cranes and other construction machinery can be distracted by cell phone use. OSHA regulations forbid the use of cell phones in construction regulations pertaining to cranes and derricks (29 CFR 1926.1417(d)), but the hazard exists across any dangerous equipment. Accordingly, active operation during the use of construction equipment should be strictly prohibited. Distracted employees on site: Distractions from cell phones imperil employees' ability to recognize and react to hazards, such as passing machinery, which can hit pedestrian employees. Employees may already be prone to tripping on uneven terrain, may be exposed to trap hazards working in a confined space or may regularly work with hazardous chemicals. If not actively managed by the employer, phone distractions can exacerbate these hazards and expose employees to a greater chance of injury, illness or death. Dangers of Improper Cell Phone Usage Cell phone usage can cause inattention on the job site Co-workers can be distracted by others cell phone usage Inattention and distraction may result in property damage or personal injury Avoid Distractions Never use a cell phone while operating equipment Never use a cell phone to send or receive text messages while operating equipment Store your cell phone in a location that will prevent its ring from startling you or anyone in the area Let calls go straight to voicemail to be retrieved at a later time Be Aware of Hazards Do not operate a cell phone near flammable liquid Turn off cell phones within 100 feet of any blasting area Know site-specific hazard areas associated with cell phone usage. As OSHA's enforcement relating to employee cell phone use gains more notoriety, it is expected to have a significant collateral impact on law enforcement at all levels to address this hazard.