Posts
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Safety at the Rodeo
I went to a rodeo in Mesquite, Texas last night and had a good time. I enjoyed the beef brisket, sausage and fixins' too. I also found it interesting that some of the riders took safety precautions, while others did not. Bull riding is a very dangerous sport. I watched as rider after rider was thrown from a wildly kicking bull. The fall was always hazardous, but I also watched as some riders were bounced about by the bull while still on board. One in particular took a nasty bouncing and fall resulting in unconsciousness. He walked away, but at what cost.
Anyway, some of these brave men have taken to wearing PPE. That's right, not just a cowboy hat to stave off head injury. I saw some of them wear protective helmets similar to those worn by motorcycle riders. I also saw some of them wearing kevlar vests - you know, like bullet-proof vests. They said that it won't protect from broken ribs, but does prevent punctures and softens - at least a little - the blows.
I wonder when PPE will become necessary for this hazardous sport.
Anyway, some of these brave men have taken to wearing PPE. That's right, not just a cowboy hat to stave off head injury. I saw some of them wear protective helmets similar to those worn by motorcycle riders. I also saw some of them wearing kevlar vests - you know, like bullet-proof vests. They said that it won't protect from broken ribs, but does prevent punctures and softens - at least a little - the blows.
I wonder when PPE will become necessary for this hazardous sport.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Training, Training, Training
Every day that I spend on a construction jobsite I am more convinced that the lack of adequate training on the part of contractors is the key element in construction accidents. I see workers everyday who try to do their jobs safely, but have no real idea of how to do things the safe way.
When, for example, I see a roofer wearing his safety harness backwards (with the d-ring in front), I see a worker who knows that he is supposed to be tied-off, but nobody showed him how. That is just wrong!
Training workers is not that difficult, if you know how. It doesn't take a long time or a classroom. It doesn't even take a group. Training can be accomplished very easily by taking one or two workers aside and teaching them the right way to tie-off, or the correct way to set up a ladder, etc. Documentation? That's easy too. Simply make a note in your daily log that you trained John Doe on the safe way to erect a step ladder.
For years, I have offered OSHA 10-hour classes for employees of my company (usually only 10 or 12 at a time), then offered to fill the rest of room with employees of subcontractors - free of charge. Very rarely do the subs take advantage of this offer.
There are also many free programs available for training too. Over the past several years, the AGC of America has been the recipient of an OSHA Susan Harwood Grant. Under that grant they developed a program called "Focus 4 for Construction" and taught that course free of charge all over the country. Currently, there is a push for combustible dust training and there are programs developed using Susan Harwood Grant money available for your use. If you are a trainer with your company, some of these can be found on YouTube - take a look! Actually, there are quite a few videos on YouTube that you might be able to use at your next training session.
When, for example, I see a roofer wearing his safety harness backwards (with the d-ring in front), I see a worker who knows that he is supposed to be tied-off, but nobody showed him how. That is just wrong!
Training workers is not that difficult, if you know how. It doesn't take a long time or a classroom. It doesn't even take a group. Training can be accomplished very easily by taking one or two workers aside and teaching them the right way to tie-off, or the correct way to set up a ladder, etc. Documentation? That's easy too. Simply make a note in your daily log that you trained John Doe on the safe way to erect a step ladder.
For years, I have offered OSHA 10-hour classes for employees of my company (usually only 10 or 12 at a time), then offered to fill the rest of room with employees of subcontractors - free of charge. Very rarely do the subs take advantage of this offer.
There are also many free programs available for training too. Over the past several years, the AGC of America has been the recipient of an OSHA Susan Harwood Grant. Under that grant they developed a program called "Focus 4 for Construction" and taught that course free of charge all over the country. Currently, there is a push for combustible dust training and there are programs developed using Susan Harwood Grant money available for your use. If you are a trainer with your company, some of these can be found on YouTube - take a look! Actually, there are quite a few videos on YouTube that you might be able to use at your next training session.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Silica Hazards
OSHA has proposed a total of $38,100 in fines against Sealcoating Inc. of Hingham, Mass., chiefly for silica-related hazards identified during restoration work on bridge M-12-28 on the southbound side of I-93 in Melrose, Mass.
The contractor was cited for 11 alleged repeat and serious violations of workplace health and safety standards following a nighttime inspection conducted in July of this year as part of OSHA's Boston North Area Office's efforts to target inspections to construction worksites - such as road resurfacing and bridge repair - where silica is generated.
"Employers should not assume that OSHA will not conduct inspections because much of this work is done at night," said Paul Mangiafico, OSHA's area director for Middlesex and Essex counties. "We will conduct inspections where and when we must to ensure that employers implement and maintain effective controls to minimize this hazard to their workers."
Crystalline silica, a basic component of soil, sand, granite and many other minerals, can be inhaled when workers chip, cut, drill or grind objects that contain the substance. It has been classified as a human lung carcinogen, and breathing crystalline silica dust can cause silicosis, a disabling or even fatal lung condition.
OSHA found employees at the jobsite exposed to excess silica levels while jack hammering concrete, no controls to lower exposure levels, failure to evaluate employees' exposure levels, an inadequate respiratory protection program and training, and no fit-testing of respirators. These conditions resulted in the issuance of seven serious citations, with $20,100 in proposed fines. Serious citations are issued when death or serious physical harm is likely to result from hazards about which the employer knew or should have known.
In addition, four repeat citations, with $18,000 in fines, were issued for conditions similar to those cited by OSHA following an April 2009 inspection of a Sealcoating Inc. jobsite in Springfield, Mass. These include lack of a site-specific respiratory protection program, employees wearing respirators without having first obtained medical clearance, ineffective hazard communication training and lack of an effective hearing conservation program.
Most construction sites have a silica exposure, but on many of them it is usually small, in well ventilated areas, and probably presents only a small, brief exposure to the workers. However, for many others, there is the potential for significant exposure when grinding concrete, cutting/sawing masonry products, etc. If you have silica exposures on your site, this is a good time to review your company's response to that exposure. If you need to know more, take a look at "A Guide to Working Safely with Silica."
Did you know that there is an OSHA National Emphasis Program (NEP) on silica exposure?
The contractor was cited for 11 alleged repeat and serious violations of workplace health and safety standards following a nighttime inspection conducted in July of this year as part of OSHA's Boston North Area Office's efforts to target inspections to construction worksites - such as road resurfacing and bridge repair - where silica is generated.
"Employers should not assume that OSHA will not conduct inspections because much of this work is done at night," said Paul Mangiafico, OSHA's area director for Middlesex and Essex counties. "We will conduct inspections where and when we must to ensure that employers implement and maintain effective controls to minimize this hazard to their workers."
Crystalline silica, a basic component of soil, sand, granite and many other minerals, can be inhaled when workers chip, cut, drill or grind objects that contain the substance. It has been classified as a human lung carcinogen, and breathing crystalline silica dust can cause silicosis, a disabling or even fatal lung condition.
OSHA found employees at the jobsite exposed to excess silica levels while jack hammering concrete, no controls to lower exposure levels, failure to evaluate employees' exposure levels, an inadequate respiratory protection program and training, and no fit-testing of respirators. These conditions resulted in the issuance of seven serious citations, with $20,100 in proposed fines. Serious citations are issued when death or serious physical harm is likely to result from hazards about which the employer knew or should have known.
In addition, four repeat citations, with $18,000 in fines, were issued for conditions similar to those cited by OSHA following an April 2009 inspection of a Sealcoating Inc. jobsite in Springfield, Mass. These include lack of a site-specific respiratory protection program, employees wearing respirators without having first obtained medical clearance, ineffective hazard communication training and lack of an effective hearing conservation program.
Most construction sites have a silica exposure, but on many of them it is usually small, in well ventilated areas, and probably presents only a small, brief exposure to the workers. However, for many others, there is the potential for significant exposure when grinding concrete, cutting/sawing masonry products, etc. If you have silica exposures on your site, this is a good time to review your company's response to that exposure. If you need to know more, take a look at "A Guide to Working Safely with Silica."
Did you know that there is an OSHA National Emphasis Program (NEP) on silica exposure?
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Emergency Contact Information!
On December 7, 2005, the life of Christine Olson was changed forever. Christine's daughter Tiffiany Olson was involved in a traffic crash on U.S. 19 in Manatee County, Florida. Tiffiany received fatal injuries when the motorcycle she was a passenger on collided with another vehicle.Ms. Olson was not notified of Tiffiany’s passing for several hours and was not able to say her last goodbyes. Ms. Olson was heartbroken. She then found the silver lining to an otherwise dark cloud. Ms. Olson, with the assistance of State Representative Bill Galvano from Bradenton District 68, began pushing for emergency information to be added to a person's driver's license or identification card.
Since the information could not be printed directly on a license, Ms. Olson and Rep. Galvano contacted the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (DHSMV) and took the next best route-to have the information included in the D.A.V.I.D. (Driver And Vehicle Information Database) system which is a secured database used by most law enforcement agencies in the State of Florida.
Ms. Olson and her family and DHSMV are urging all licensed drivers in the State of Florida to input their information so families can be contacted more quickly when a family member is seriously injured or killed in a traffic crash.
Ms. Olson and her family have struggled to make emergency information readily available for law enforcement and her efforts have paid off so far. There have been thousands of hits to the website in the short period of time it has been active. To inform families first - Our mission is to improve notification of loved ones by law enforcement. When tragedy strikes . . . family and loved ones need to know.
What a great idea! I encourage everyone with a Florida Driver's License to take advantage of this tremendous opportunity - one that I hope you will never have to use. To add your emergency contact information to the Driver And Vehicle Information database, go to https://www8.hsmv.state.fl.us/eci/
I hope other states follow this lead. If anyone knows of other states that do this, please leave a comment so that we can let people know.
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