NOTW for 8-31-10

This week's NOTW photo was courtesy of your safety friends in the US Navy. If you have followed NOTW for some time, you may remember several references to "Bucket Man." Well the Naval Safety Guys refer to this guy as "Gutter Perch," and suggest that the Gutter Perch should become extinct.

You might also notice the inadequate scaffold - where's the guardrail (and the lack of any other type of fall protection). Or the lack of a hard hat - remember that hard hats are required on all scaffolds. And, who knows what other hazards we might find if we could see the whole picture. I'm betting that these guys climbed the crossbraces rather than using a ladder too.

Have a safe week.

Free Crane Standard Webinar

The new OSHA crane standard for cranes being used in construction takes effect on 8 November 2010. The OTI at UTA is offering a free webinar to help you understand the new law. It's on 21 September 2010 from 9 am to 11 am (presumably in the Central Time Zone). I don’t know how detailed this will be, but it is free. Click the link below to sign-up:
https://www.uta.edu/wconnect/CourseStatus.awp1?~~oshawebcrane

NOTW

Well, I'm looking for a safety position again so I've some free time to revise the blog. A good place to restart is to visit the NOTW postings that have been so popular over the past several years.

Here's one from April of this year. Once I get my routine down, I'll post some new ones and you are all encouraged to send some "nitwit" photos for the blog.

Unfortunately, this situation is all too common on construction sites. “Hot-Punch” is a term to describe the process by which recently installed circuits are tested before the electric meters have been installed. In this case, our electrician found the nearest power source (see inset) which was the temporary electrical panel outside, opened the junction box cover and installed a temporary wire leaving the junction box open and available for accidental contact by passers-by. He then proceeded to connect his newly energized cord to an open panel inside the building. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?

Admittedly, the likelihood of a passer-by contacting the energized wiring at the junction box may be slight, but the open, energized panel presents a significant hazard. The really sad thing is that this operation can be accomplished safely by utilizing one of the many knock-outs on the panel while leaving the cover in place. But, that might take a couple of extra minutes.

By now you know that lack of adequate training contributes to many hazards on construction sites. This, however, is not one of those situations. Assuming that the electrician is licensed (which he should be), he was tested on his knowledge of the National Electric Code and should know better.