Three Points of Contact, or How to Defeat Gravity. Everyone knows about gravity. At an early age, many of us fell from climbing up a tree. And we all learned that falling is not much fun. In the workplace, falls are a known workplace hazard. Any time you climb a ladder, enter a piece of [...]
2022 If it doesn’t appear or feel safe, don’t do it. While we all have our own definition of “common sense”, I think there is a basic understanding of what this means. There is an innate threshold for most folks about something that appears to be unsafe or you have a “feeling” that something is [...]
Mine safety training. It’s mandatory. If you are a small mine operator you know or should know you are required to comply with the Mine Safety Health Act (MSHA). MSHA will visit your mine site to conduct inspections at least 2 times a year. This is mandatory. The MSH Act lists the mandatory safety regulations [...]
Actual Safety Training. It’s not optional. You no doubt have heard that safety training of employees is a good idea. And safety training is a good idea. But did you know there are certain topics that the Occupational Safety Health Act (OSHA) requires? Its true. OSHA requires training if your employees operate forklifts, or work [...]
If you dig long enough you can find Mine fall protection and anchor point safety guidance. (Yes, pun intended!) You know that avoiding falls is critical since work place fall injuries are known to be serious and long-term recovery. You no doubt are familiar with the Occupational Health Safety Act (OSHA) fall protection regulations. They [...]
What you can’t see (or smell) can hurt you. We're talking about workplaces with hazardous and toxic gases which are known to be present or may be present. The operative words here are “known to be present or may be present”. Here’s why. There are gases which are odorless and are not toxic in and [...]
Gravity. One of the most powerful forces in the universe. Ask any astrophysicist. Hey, I work in construction, building things. What do I care of gravity? Anytime a work task need be carried out above a lower surface the potential for a fall exists. Falls can occur, you guessed it, due to gravity. You have [...]
Stop work authority What is stop work authority? Will this stop my production? Does this mean my project schedules are delayed hours? Days? Nope. In fact, stop work authority can save you, the employer, potentially 10’s or 100’s of hours of time and man hours spent handling the aftermath of a seriously injured employee. Think [...]
Recordkeeping, or boring paperwork. Employers are required to keep certain records. These records comply with federal/state safety regulations. Examples of some records the Occupational Safety and Health Act requires: include injury and lost work time, job transfer/modified duty, etc. Some other records employers should keep include safety program training courses presented to employees. Or simple [...]
Repurposing your safety manual. Safety manuals establish sound safety practices for your business. But did you know you can also use them as a source of safety toolbox talks? Yup. All the toolbox safety talks you need are right there on your desk (or in your truck). All you need is a sign-up sheet and [...]