OSHA Issues Compliance Directive to Address Workplace Violence
     OSHA issued a new directive, Enforcement Procedures for Investigating or Inspecting Incidents of Workplace Violence, that establishes uniform procedures for OSHA field staff for responding to incidents and complaints of workplace violence and conducting inspections in industries considered vulnerable to workplace violence, such as healthcare and social service settings, and late-night retail establishments. Workplace violence is a serious recognized occupational hazard, ranking among the top four causes of death in workplaces during the past 15 years. More than 3,000 people died from workplace homicide between 2006 and 2010, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

For more information.

Effects of Skin Contact with Chemicals - New Publications for Workers and for Occupational Health Professionals and Employers
     Chemical exposure in the workplace is a significant problem in the United States. More than 13 million workers in the United States are potentially exposed to chemicals via the skin. Skin disorders are among the most frequently reported occupational illnesses, resulting in an estimated annual cost in the United States of over $1 billion. While the rates of most other occupational diseases are decreasing, skin disease rates are actually increasing.  New NIOSH publications offer guidance in addressing this problem.

Download Effects of Skin Contact with Chemicals: Guidance for Occupational Health Professionals and Employers

Download Effects of Skin Contact with Chemicals: What a Worker Should Know

Summary of the Making Green Jobs Safe Workshop
     Green jobs - good for the environment, good for the economy. But how do we assure that green jobs are also good for workers? The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), through the Prevention through Design Program, launched the Going Green: Safe and Healthy Jobs initiative to make sure that green jobs are good for workers by integrating worker safety and health sustainability. Green jobs, which have been defined broadly as jobs that help improve the environment and enhance sustainability, offer opportunities as well as challenges for workers. Examples of green jobs include manufacture, installation, and maintenance of solar panels and generators; construction and maintenance of wind energy turbines; jobs related to recycling; jobs related to the manufacture of green products; and jobs where green products are used in traditional fields such as agriculture, healthcare, and the service sector. In some instances, the hazards to workers may be similar to those in established industries. However, some green and sustainable practices may pose new health concerns for workers.

For more information.
 

Nail Gun Safety: A Guide for Construction Contractors
     Nail guns are widely used on many construction jobs, especially in residential construction. While they boost productivity they may also cause tens of thousands of painful injuries each year. A new NIOSH publication is intended to provide a resource for residential home builders and construction contractors, subcontractors, and supervisors to prevent these kinds of injuries.
     The guidance was developed in response to a unanimous motion by industry, state, and labor stakeholders on OSHA’s Advisory Committee for Construction Safety and Health (ACCSH) on the need to develop awareness and materials about nail gun risks. OSHA and NIOSH worked together to make sure the guidance reflects the most current information available. The guidance highlights what is known about nail gun injuries, including the parts of the body most often injured and the types of severe injuries that have been reported. It describes the common causes of nail gun injuries and provides six practical steps that contractors can take to prevent these injuries. The guidance includes actual workplace cases along with a short section on other types of nail gun hazards and sources of additional information.

For more information.
 

OSHA Issues Annual Inspection Plan for Protecting Workers in High-Hazard Workplaces
     OSHA issued its annual inspection plan under the Site-Specific Targeting 2011* (SST-11) program to help the agency direct enforcement resources to high-hazard workplaces where the highest rates of injuries and illnesses occur. The SST program is OSHA's main programmed inspection plan for non-construction workplaces that have 20 or more workers. High-hazard workplaces identified in the SST program reported above-average work-related injury and illness rates, based on data collected from a 2010 OSHA Data Initiative survey of 80,000 larger establishments in selected high-hazard industries. Establishments are randomly selected for inspection from a primary list of 3,700 manufacturing, non-manufacturing, and nursing and personal care facilities. Two changes have been made to this year's SST program. In 2010, only those establishments in the selected industries with 40 or more employees were subject to inspections under the SST plan; this year, that number has been reduced to 20 or more. An evaluation study measuring the program's impact on future compliance with OSHA standards has also been introduced for the 2011 program.

For more information.
 

Do You Know A Teen Worker?
     They earn their own money. They make new friends. They learn new things and become independent. Work can be a fun, rewarding, and an exciting part of their life. But do they know that their job could harm them?  Every 9 minutes, a U.S. teen gets hurt on the job. These teens are young people like Emily, who was working alone at a sandwich shop when a robber with a gun attacked her. And they’re like Joe, a construction helper who was electrocuted on his job.  This guide provides the facts needed to stay safe and healthy at work. It also shows what jobs teens can (and can’t do), and it teaches them about their rights and responsibilities as a young worker.

Download the full guide

Industrial Strength Disposable Gloves

Now available - new Industrial Strength Ambi-Gard nitrile disposable gloves for superior hand protection, including chemical splash, without sacrificing comfort. 

Key features

• reversible to fit either hand 
• textured finger-tip grip 
• totally powder-free 
• inherently static-dissipative 
• black color  
• no natural rubber latex  

Ideal for auto service, law enforcement and public safety, janitorial and maintenance work, and anywhere that superior, disposable hand protection is needed,

For more information and prompt shipment.

News You Can Use

From the NIOSH Science Blog - Bed Bugs!
     Bed Bugs! "Just try to sleep tight. The bed bugs are back," a New York Times headline proclaimed in 2005. The article reported on a resurgence of reports about infestations of tiny Cimex lectularius in New York City. These "stealthy and fast-moving nocturnal creatures that were all but eradicated by DDT after World War II, have recently been found in hospital maternity wards, private schools and even a plastic surgeon's waiting room," the article stated.  The New York experience is not unique. Around the world, pest control specialists have reported "10-fold, 100-fold, even 1,000-fold increases in bed bug jobs over the past five or ten years," according to pest control consultants Lawrence J. Pinto, Richard Cooper, and Sandy Kraft.
     Bed bugs have been a nuisance to humans at least as far back as ancient Greece. Although largely eradicated in the Western countries in the 1940s with the aggressive use of pesticides, notably DDT, they began to re-emerge in the mid-1990s. Entomologists and pest control specialists believe that several factors may contribute to this trend. These factors include the discontinuance of DDT in the U.S. following a 1972 ban, increased resistance to various insecticides, and an increase in international travel, which raises the chances that the tiny pests will be unknowingly packed into luggage.

For the complete report.

Now Available - 2012 Edition of NFPA 70E: Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace
     Workplace safety in the United States is evolving due to better awareness and implementation of NFPA 70E: Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace®. Yet hundreds of deaths and thousands of disabling injuries still occur each year due to shock, electrocution, arc flash, and arc blast -- and most could be prevented through NFPA 70E compliance. The 2012 NFPA 70E responds to the challenges, making it easier to ensure an electrically safe working area and comply with OSHA 1910 Subpart S and OSHA 1926 Subpart K. Originally developed at OSHA's request, NFPA 70E responds to new information about the effects of arc flash, arc blast, and direct current (dc) hazards, and recent developments in electrical design and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

For more information and to order

HazMat Safety Education and Training Programs Available
     The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) Worker Education and Training Program (WETP) supports the training and education of workers engaged in activities related to hazardous materials and waste generation, removal, containment, transportation and emergency response in the following five areas:

• Hazardous Waste Worker Training Program (HWWTP)
• Minority Worker Training Program (MWTP)
• NIEHS/DOE Nuclear Worker Training Program (DOE)
• Hazmat Disaster Preparedness Training Program (HDPTP)
• Advanced Training Technology Program (ATT)

     During the past eighteen years, the NIEHS WETP in conjunction with 20 awardees has supported the development of curricula and initiation of training programs throughout the country to help employers meet Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requirements under CFR 1910.120, Hazardous Waste Operations & Emergency Response. This model program encourages innovation for training difficult-to-reach populations by addressing issues such as literacy, appropriate adult education techniques, training quality improvement, and other areas un-addressed directly by the private sector. The program enhances rather than replaces private sector training responsibility by demonstrating new and cost-effective training techniques and materials.

For more information.
 

ASSE Announces Approval of Ground-Breaking Z590.3 Standard for Prevention Through Design
     The American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) recently announced the approval of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI)/ASSE Z590.3 standard, ‘Prevention through Design: Guidelines for Addressing Occupational Risks in Design and Redesign Processes.’ This new standard provides guidance on including prevention through design concepts within an occupational safety and health management system, and can be applied in any occupational setting.
     The Z590.3 standard focuses specifically on the avoidance, elimination, reduction and control of occupational safety and health hazards and risks in the design and redesign process. Through the application of the concepts presented in the standard, decisions about occupational hazards and risks can be incorporated into the process of design and redesign of work areas, tools, equipment, machinery, substances and work processes. Design and redesign also includes construction, manufacture, use, maintenance and disposal of reuse of equipment used on-the-job. One of the key elements of this standard is that it provides guidance for “life-cycle” assessments and a design model that balances environmental and occupational safety and health goals over the life span of a facility, process or product. The Z590.3 focuses on the four key stages of occupational risk management. The pre-operational, operational, post incident and post operational stages are all addressed within.

For more information.

National Safety Council Answers Distracted Driving FAQ in New Video Series
     The 2- to 3-minute videos in the “Understanding Distracted Driving” series feature NSC Senior Director of Transportation Initiatives David Teater, who explains the science behind cognitive distraction, why cell phones are a dangerous distraction to drivers, how companies can implement workplace policies for distracted driving and more. He calls the use of cell phones while driving “a dangerous, and oftentimes deadly, combination.”
     Teater has a personal tie to distracted driving’s potential for tragedy: In 2004, his 12-year-old son, Joe, was killed in a crash caused by a driver using a cell phone. Today, Teater is a frequent speaker on the topic of distracted driving, has testified before Congress and has appeared before several state legislatures to advocate for restrictions on cell phone use while driving.  “You lose a child and it changes your life forever,” Teater said of his son in one of the videos. “The hardest thing to reconcile is that he died because of a phone call. There was no other reason.”

The videos are available on YouTube.

Source: EHS Today and National Safety Council
 

1. CUTS AND PUNCTURES- Many glove materials offer different degrees of protection from cuts and punctures, ranging from stainless steel ring mesh to natural and synthetic rubber.
2. CUTS AND SCRATCHES - Modern protective eyewear has scratch-resistant coatings, but they are not permanently scratch-proof.  Inspect eyewear before use and replace when scratched or pitted.
3. CUTS, SCRATCHES AND SCRAPES - Protective headwear can't protect if it is damaged.  Cuts, scratches and scrapes reduce the level of protection from your safety helmet.
4. CUTS, PUNCTURES,  SCRATCHES, SCRAPES, AND CHEMICALS - Electrical rubber insulating gloves must be inspected before each use (and more often if necessary) to check for any physical damage that might impact dielectric properties.  At a minimum, inflate the glove with air and look for signs of damage.
5. CUTS, PUNCTURES, SCRATCHES, SCRAPES, CHEMICALS, AND MORE - Be sure your first aid cabinet or kit is fully stocked with antibiotic ointments, antiseptic wipes, gauze pads and adhesive bandages and a wide range of sizes.

Want more information on any of this month's Saf-T-Tips?  E-mail us for a prompt reply.

• Safety directors
• Electrical contractors
• Maintenance electricians
• Linemen
• Owners
• Managers
• Supervisors who work directly with 480V or greater voltage equipment or oversee those who do

• One NFPA 70E page cuts your PPE training by 75%. This one concept can fool-proof and simplify your PPE approach
• Two Common places for an Arc Flash
• Three misunderstood NFPA 70E concepts
• Four fixable things you don’t know about your electrical system that could wreck your plant
• Seven Habits of Highly Safe Electricians
• Full, practical understanding of the NFPA 70E and great ideas from trainers who have implemented it!

Tuition - One day Seminar tuition is $350/person, with a $50 discount for companies sending 5 or more attendees.

Includes:  

• Expert instruction
• NFPA 70E-2012 Standard ($49.50 value)
• e-Hazard student manual ($40 value)
• Certificate of Completion - 8 hour*
• Demonstrations and samples of PPE from the industry's leading manufacturers
• Lunch and snacks

 * Credits are certified for electricians
in DE, FL, ID, KY, LA, MT, NC, NE, NJ, NM,
OH, OR, SD, TX, UT, WA, WI and WY, and are accepted by most states for PDH’s for electrical engineers’ CSP’s.

Ergonomics on the Cutting Edge

Safety knives designed and developed in response to the direct feedback from safety professionals. The S4 features a shorter, slimmer, more ergonomic handle than previous models. Other features include a see-thru body for quick inspection of blade levels, an easier blade change release lever, and a new shorter, single-notch blade that eliminates any possibility of misalignment when loading replacement blades. Blade positions: Top (box) cut and two tray (window) cut positions.  Color coded - left hand model is red, right hand model is green.

To order for immediate shipment