Construction & Safety Acronyms

The newly revised 2010 edition of "Construction & Safety Acronyms" is now available for purchase. For details, visit www.lulu.com/product/paperback/construction-safety-acronyms/13052749

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

Little Things Make a Difference

Believe it or not, my entire life does not revolve around occupational safety - probably only about 95% of my life revolves around occupational safety. I do think of other things, and this post is simply the musings of a guy who wonders about why we do things and what a simple change can make.

Over the past few months, the construction market has taken a nose dive. Yes, it's mostly the result of the huge financial problems that we are all experiencing, but some of it has to do with the natural winter slowdown. I expect to have more projects to visit soon, but in the meantime, I'm keeping busy at work by helping out with records management. Currently, our relatively small company spends about $1200/month to store construction project records just in case... . It seems to be a large amount of money, but if a problem occurs or if there is even the perception that the general contractor was "at fault" when a problem occurs (like a leaky roof, mold, etc.), the record storage could prove to be a very tiny "drop in the bucket."

So the boss said, let's see if we can "get rid of some of that paper" and reduce the number of storage units that we rent. I suggested that we scan as many of the files as possible and discard the paper (believe it or not, there are a lot of records that must be kept for 3 years, 5 years, 7 years, or even permanently). So to facilitate this records management program, I helped out with moving the approximately 20 cardboard file storage boxes per project (not including the "blueprints") to the office for evaluation and scanning.

Okay, so this is getting to be a long story. But, keep reading, there is a point to be made.

Those boxes are heavy, and after lifting each box multiple times, I started to wonder at the weight of paper that we keep. As I prepared a box of records for scanning (making sure that there weren't a lot of duplicates (there weren't), taking out staples, paper clips, etc. I began to wonder at the weight of the seemingly inconsequential materials in each box. One box contained 267 paperclips - that's a lot of paper clips - and at least that number of staples. Normally, if you were to discard the box of papers, the paperclips, etc. would be discarded too. But, I recovered the paperclips and "recycled" them. I wonder how much we spend each year on paperclips that are simply discarded.

This reminded my of something that I read on a box of Celestial Seasonings Herb Tea. On one flap of the box of tea they posed the question, "Ever wonder why no string and tag?" The answer (although I suspect it has a lot to do with cost) was "Our unique pillow-style tea bag is the result of our commitment to doing what's best for the environment. Because these natural fiber tea bags don't need strings, tags, staples or individual wrappers, we're able to save more than 3.5 million pounds of waste from entering landfills every year!" That's a huge amount of waste just from one company. I wonder how much we could save by limiting the use of staples, and recovering paper clips before discarding a file. To say nothing about saving paper by not printing, or saving storage space by saving records in electronic format.

And by the way, all of the paper that gets scanned goes to a local shredding company. They shred for free because they have a market for shredded paper - yep, it gets reused! But wouldn't it be better if it never had to be used in the first place? I try not to keep paper records. I communicate, whenever possible, only via e-mail. And to keep from storing paper for future reference, when someone sends me paperwork that I find necessary to keep, I scan it and toss the paper.

If we do things right, it will also prevent injuries at work too. Lifting all that paper certainly exposed me to potential soft tissue injury.

Arc Flash Calculation Software & Short Circuit Analysis

If you have to deal with arc flash hazards, you may want to check out the free Arc Flash Calculation Software (Beta Version) at http://arcadvisor.blogspot.com/

According to that site, this new software features:

• Estimate Incident Energy Exposures for Live Line Work on Overhead Open Air Systems 1kV to 800kV
• Determine Limited, Restricted, Prohibited Shock Protection Boundaries and Risk Category
• Calculator-style interface makes complex calculations easy to understand
• Perform analysis using metric (mm, Joules ) or imperial units (inches, calories )
• Save results in generic text format for future reference or printing

Unloading a Backhoe

Okay, so I've been away for awhile. My work life got pretty crazy beginning around Thanksgiving so I was distracted. But, I'm back now.

An old friend sent me the following video. Although my first reaction is to applaud the talent of the backhoe operator - he might want to go on "America's Got Talent" - but if he pulled a stunt like that on a jobsite, he should receive direction from Donald Trump - You're Fired!

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.

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.

OSHA Activity Intensifying

ISHN posted an editorial about recent activity by OSHA. According to the article, "the past month or two has seen more activity from OSHA than was seen in several previous years combined."

Having spent the past several years in Florida's construction industry, I'm not sure how much more "aggressive" they could be. Florida saw several years of "blitzes" or "enhanced enforcement" in the construction industry. And now, that same approach is occurring in Texas.

Anyway, ISHN's editorial indicates that OSHA is just getting started and that we can expect OSHA to continue to accelerate until it reaches "cruising speed" in a year or two.

If you want to read the entire article, click here.

142 Citations? $576,00 in penalties? Holy.....!

OSHA hit this company hard! It's almost hard to believe that one company could perform this poorly. Admittedly, it involves 4 plants in 3 states, but WOW!

According to OSHA's Region 4 office, one plant in Alabama received 20 citations ($94,400); another plant in Alabama received 59 citations ($260,900); a plant in Georgia received 49 citations ($142,350); and a plant in Mississippi received 14 violations ($79,100). Some citations were willful and some were serious.

Citations were for caught ins, struck bys, falls, lack of training, electrical hazards, noise, and there was even an other-than-serious for recordkeeping violations.

If you don't think OSHA is "back in the enforcement business" as stated by Jordan Barab in San Antonio, think again. 142 citations! It seems that a half-million in fines can't be enough. It's almost hard to believe that any company could be that bad without trying to be bad. Either that or they really pissed someone off.

Want more info? Click Here.

Zombies at Work

Yep! Even ASSE has gotten into the Zombie act! According to the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE), many teens get hurt or killed on the job. To help with teen awareness in the workplace, ASSE has launched an interactive computer game entitled "Don't Be A Zombie At Work."

"Located at http://www.dontbeazombieatwork.org, the new ASSE game is free and features the imaginary evil “BodgeDab” industries. Players find themselves helping their co-workers avoid becoming a “zombie” by finding tools and information from embedded SH&E professionals to stay safe on the job. The game involves a mysterious corporation that has just moved into a large city, led by reputed evil boss Damballa Bokor, and opening businesses all over town. At the same time, the people working at these establishments are becoming “unnatural” -- zombie like. And the “virus” is quickly spreading among all workers. The player’s job is to move through these establishments - a restaurant (Club BodgeDab), a warehouse and an office to save the workers by undoing the workplace hazards. This will save the zombiefied employees and create a safe work environment. If done successfully, the player moves to the final challenge - BodgeDab headquarters and a showdown with Damballa Bokor.

Throughout the game Elle, an ASSE member and SH&E professional, is working undercover to help stop BodgeDab industries and inform the player of the dangerous and underlying dangers of BodgeDab industries. Just a call away, Elle and a team of safety professionals provide the player with clues on how to prevent workplace hazards, save the zombies and stop the dreaded BodgeDab industries.

In addition to Elle and the safety professionals, the player has several tools that can be moved to a tool box/inventory to fix the hazardous situations in each level. Instructions are provided throughout the game as are quizzes."

You may find it fun, even if you are not a teen worker!

Safety = Competive Edge

BLR reports that Michael Coleman, leader of the ASSE Manufacturer's Practice Specialty group and Safety Manager for Rockline Industries, "noted in a recent address that sustained competitive edge is tied to not cutting safety and health programs during a down economy."

"Coleman told fellow safety professionals that if companies believe they will save money by reducing or ignoring safety, they are mistaken. "Not only does their bottom line benefit positively," he said, "but their company reputation stays intact, employees stay safe and healthy…." The results include savings on health care, workers' compensation, training, and turnover costs."

How many of us know a fellow safety professional who has lost his job at one time or another because times got tough and poorly advised employers cut the safety guy first. Or maybe you have been on the receiving end of that scenario.

I listened to a group of top CEO's address the ASSE PDC last week and each of them echoed Coleman's thoughts.

To read the entire article from BLR, click here.

New OSHA Focus on Enforcement

I was privileged to attend Safety 2009 - this year's ASSE PDC - in San Antonio. As always, a great event. In a previous blog entry, you may have watched a portion of the new Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis' speech delivered at that event. I was there. What you didn't hear was Solis tell us that Texas has taken the lead from Florida in construction workplace fatalities. What you didn't hear was Solis tell the crowded room of safety professionals her intention to send OSHA "SWAT Teams" into Texas beginning this month to correct the problem.

I spent twelve years dealing with the construction workplace safety issues in Florida when OSHA denied the use of "Blitz teams" in that state - they called it "saturation" then. But, they were "Blitz teams." Groups of OSHA compliance officers from outside the state descended upon a county with the charge of driving by as many construction sites as possible and stopping to inspect should they find something that was not safe. If your site was easily visible (like on a major roadway, or with a tower crane high in the air), your site was at risk of a visit. One year, a "saturation" team hit five of my projects in five days.

The interesting thing about those visits, is that the teams drove by many small projects with many more uncorrected hazards, to get to our larger sites. I know about the smaller projects because I drove by them too. Interestingly, we received only one citation in those five visits, and that was vacated. The "Blitz teams" left a very bad taste in our mouths. The OSHA compliance officers from our area office were not allowed to visit our "touristy" area during the season because accomodations were too expensive. But a five person "blitz team" could spend a week there during the season.

Interestingly, Florida's fatality numbers in construction were largely due to the fact that a huge amount of construction work occurred in Florida. Since the bottom fell out of that market, Texas has a larger amount of work than Florida. Instead of looking at the raw numbers, OSHA should look at the numbers in comparison to the number of manhours worked. They might see that the death/injury rate is not that different in Texas (and in Florida before) than in many other parts of the country.

Anyway, in Texas, OSHA is not dancing around the issue this time and calls this new initiative "SWAT Teams." Fortunately for me (yeah, I'm now in Texas) my company has good superintendents who pay close attention to jobsite safety and are backed by management commitment to safety. For those who haven't yet found that safety is important - watch out! You're in for an education.

DOL Secretary Hilda Solis Speaks at ASSE PDC

Department of Labor Secretary Hilda Solis addressed the attendees at this year's American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) professional development conference in San Antonio. If you weren't able to attend, here is her address:

Dewalt Recalls Framing Nailers

The US Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with Dewalt Industrial Tool Co. announced a voluntary recall of the Dewalt D51825 and D51850 Framing Nailers.

Hazard: the bump action trigger on the framing nailers could have been incorrectly assembled during production, which would allow the nailer to eject a fastener unexpectedly or cause the trigger lock-off not to function. This can pose a serious injury hazard to the user or bystander.

Click here for details.

Al Hilbert Named Safety Professional of the Year

It's hard to believe it, but Al Hilbert was actually speechless when the Florida Suncoast Chapter of the American Society of Safety Engineers surprised him with this year's Safety Professional of the Year (SPY) trophy. Al is the Safety Manager for AT&T Environmental, Safety & Health and has been a very active member of the chapter. He is currently serving his second term as the chapter's treasurer.

That's Al on the right being presented with this year's award by Chapter President Brian Conners (left). Congratulations Al! We'll see you at the ASSE PDC in San Antonio on the 28th.

Atlantic Hurricane Season Begins Tomorrow

The official start of the Atlantic Hurricane Season begins tomorrow, June 1st. If you live along the Gulf or Atlantic coasts, this is a good time to dust off your Hurricane Preparedness Plans and review them so that you are prepared.

The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is predicting a 50% chance of a "near normal" hurricane season. According to NOAA, we should expect

• 9-14 named storms
• 4-7 hurricanes
• 1-3 major hurricanes

The 2009 season storm names will be: Ana, Bill, Claudette, Danny, Erika, Fred, Grace, Henri, Ida, Joaquin, Kate, Larry, Mindy, Nicholas, Odette, Peter, Rose, Sam, Teresa, Victor, and Wanda. Hopefully, we won't have to use them all.

Good Luck! Be Prepared!

Florida Suncoast Chapter ASSE a Chapter Shooting Star

A few short years ago, the Florida Suncoast Chapter of the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE)was nearing "extinction." Membership was dropping off, meetings were attended by only 4 or 5 members, and it was difficult to get members to step up to officer positions.

A few members did "step up" though, and the Chapter slowly began to heal. The Chapter started to grow again, membership increased, dedicated safety professionals with vision recruited new members, focused on improving programs, outreach, and the all important networking.

This year, at the ASSE Annual Professional Development Conference in San Antonio, the chapter will be recognized with a Shooting Star Award at the Chapter Recognition Luncheon. This is quite an accomplishment - in 4 years to go from nearly extinct to award winning chapter. I am proud to have been a part of that growth and offer my congratulations to all of those dedicated safety professionals in Southwest Florida who continue to contribute their time and talent to the Florida Suncoast Chapter ASSE.

BOCES forms Training Alliance with OSHA

Well, here's an OSHA alliance that I think is one of the best ideas in a long time. The BOCES in the Finger Lakes of New York and OSHA have formed an alliance designed to train high school students in occupational safety. This will help prepare them when they take their places in the workplace and help develop a critical safety culture. In case you don't know, BOCES stands for Board of Cooperative Educational Services and it is a high school vocational school. In my home town, students from two counties could attend their "home school" for half a day and attend BOCES for the other half to learn a trade.

BOCES taught such things as mechanical trades (electrical, plumbing, etc.), carpentry, masonry, and other non-construction trades like printing, cosmetology, auto mechanics, etc. My Dad taught masonry in a BOCES school for about 30 years. So, teaching safety in BOCES (high school) has great potential to develop the safety culture for future workers. That isn't to say that vocational teachers didn't stress safety, but offering formal OSHA 10 or 30 hour construction classes, etc. will prepare future workers for the jobsite making it easier for employers to get the cooperation they need.

Congratulations BOCES & OSHA on forming a partnership that shows great promise. To read more about this alliance, click here.

The Hero

This is worth the 7 minutes it takes to watch.