New OSHA Video Provides Proper Respirator Fit and Use Guidance
     OSHA has produced a new video that feature training and guidance on respirator safety. The "Respirator Safety" video shows healthcare workers how to correctly put on and take off respirators, such as N95s.

Click here to watch the video.
 

National Action Summit for Latino Worker Health and Safety
     In an effort to reduce injuries and illnesses among Latino workers, Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis will kick off the National Action Summit for Latino Worker Health and Safety April 14-15, 2010, in Houston. The event will also feature Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA David Michaels and Dr. John Howard, director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. The summit will include workers and representatives from employer associations, labor unions, faith community, consulates and non-traditional partners and is sponsored by OSHA and NIOSH and in partnership with the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. The Secretary's goal is to reduce injuries and illnesses among Latino workers by enhancing knowledge of their workplace rights and improving their ability to exercise those rights.

Click here for more information.

OSHA Informal Stakeholder Meetings on Combustible Dust Hazards
     OSHA has scheduled two informal stakeholder meetings Feb. 17, at 9 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., at the Marriott Perimeter Center in Atlanta to solicit comments and suggestions on combustible dust hazards in the workplace. According to David Michaels, Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA, the agency will use comments from these meetings in developing a proposed standard for combustible dust. Since 1980, more than 130 workers have been killed and more than 780 injured in combustible dust explosions. A Feb. 7, 2008, explosion at an Imperial Sugar Co. plant in Port Wentworth, Ga., killed 14 people and resulted in OSHA issuing nearly $8.8 million in penalties. OSHA is holding the meeting in Atlanta to make it easy for victims' families and others with relevant information about this deadly incident to attend. "Information gathered from these meetings will help OSHA move ahead on this urgently needed standard and prevent more deaths from combustible dust explosions," said Michaels.

Click here for more information.
 

NIOSH Offers Spanish-Language Guide for Preventing Musculoskeletal Injuries in the Construction Industry
     Soluciones Simples - Soluciones ergonómicas para trabajadores de la construcción (NIOSH Pub. 2007-122/SP 2009), a Spanish-language guide to help employers and workers find and use effective ways to prevent job-related musculoskeletal injuries in the construction industry, is available from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). The booklet includes background information regarding ergonomics and musculoskeletal disorders from a construction industry perspective, and 20 two-page tip sheets that describe currently available tools and equipment that may help reduce physical stresses to the body that can lead to job-related musculoskeletal injuries. It is the Spanish language translation of the NIOSH English-language publication, Simple Solutions – Ergonomics for Construction Workers (NIOSH Pub. 2007-122).
     "Soluciones Simples responds to employers’ and workers’ needs for practical guidance written for construction workers whose first and perhaps only language is Spanish," said NIOSH Director John Howard, M.D. "Preventing painful and sometimes disabling injuries from stressful or repetitive job tasks is a wise investment for the wellbeing of workers, their families, and businesses alike."

Click here to download.

OSHA eTool: Work Hazards and Safety Practices in the Electric Power Industry
     Workers in the electric power industry are potentially exposed to a variety of serious hazards, such as arc flashes (which include arc flash burn and blast hazards), electric shock, falls, and thermal burn hazards that can cause injury and death. This eTool seeks to inform employers of their obligations to develop the appropriate hazard prevention and control methodologies designed to prevent workplace injuries and illnesses. Employers are required to implement the safe work practices and worker training requirements of OSHA's Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution Standard, 29 CFR 1910.269. The eTool also serves to empower workers engaged in the generation, transmission and distribution of electric power to understand the steps their employers must implement in order to provide them with a safe and healthful work environment.

Click here to access the eTool.
 

NIOSH Update: Needs, Challenges in Addressing Occupational Health Disparities are Described in New Issue of Journal
     Low-wage, low-skilled, and immigrant workers face disproportionately high risks for work-related injuries and illnesses in comparison with the U.S. workforce in general.  They also encounter significant barriers in accessing training and education programs, health care systems, and legal protections that are critical for mitigating those risks.
     Researchers from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and partners from other agencies and organizations address the needs, challenges, and opportunities for improving workplace safety and health for underserved worker populations in a special February 2010 issue of the American Journal of Industrial Medicine, “Occupational Health Disparities.”  The issue is posted online at www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/34471/home.
 

Posters are ideal for:

• Training
• Communication/Announcements
• Procedures
• Campaigns and Promotions
• Boosting Employee Morale

Large size (24 x 18 inches) - made with durable double laminate and designed specifically for tough industrial-type environments, yet made to work nicely in a variety of locations from the front office to the production floor.

News You Can Use

6 Common-Sense Reminders for HazMat Transportation Compliance
     The Hazardous Materials Regulations specify requirements for the safe transportation of hazardous materials in commerce by rail car, aircraft, vessel, and motor vehicle. Make sure you stay in compliance with this free article! You'll learn about the basic requirements you need to fulfill and get 6 common-sense reminders for keeping up with regulations.

Click here for the full report.

Source: Health & Safety in Manufacturing

RSI - A Pain in the Neck, Back, Arm and …
     February 29th. It's the one day on the calendar that does not repeat, which is why it was chosen for International Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) Awareness Day. In non-leap years, it is observed on February 28th. On this day, workers, health and safety professionals, health care practitioners and others take the opportunity to help raise awareness about RSIs and the need for action aimed at prevention, rehabilitation and compensation.

What are RSIs?
Repetitive strain injuries, also known as work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs), is an umbrella term to describe a family of painful disorders affecting tendons, muscles, nerves and joints in the neck, upper and lower back, chest, shoulders, arms and hands. WMSDs are a serious occupational health concern across the world and are recognized as leading causes of significant human suffering, loss of productivity, and economic burdens on society.

Cause
WMSDs can be caused by work activities that are frequent and repetitive, or activities with awkward postures, including:

• fixed or constrained body positions
• continual repetition of movements
• force concentrated on small parts of the body, such as the hand or wrist
• a pace of work that does not allow enough rest between movements

Heat, cold and vibration may also contribute to the development of WMSDs. These disorders are generally caused by a combination of these factors - rather than one individual factor.

Prevention
The best way to eliminate a hazard is to eliminate the source. With WMSDs, the main source of the hazard is the repetitiveness of work. Prevention efforts should focus on avoiding the repetitiveness patterns of work through proper job design. Where this is not possible, preventive strategies involving workplace layout, tool and equipment design, and work practices should be considered. It is important to recognize these disorders early because medical treatments become less effective the longer these injuries go on. Preventive and control measures, in order to be truly effective, require involvement of workers, their representatives, and management.

Source: Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety

The Importance of Fit Testing
     Did you know that according to the Journal of International Society for Respiratory Protection, only 57.3% of organizations conduct fit testing?

Why Fit Testing is important?
     Each day millions of workers use respirators on the job for protection from respiratory inhalation hazards, such as toxic vapors, gases and particulate substances found in the air.

• Fit testing is vital to your employees to ensure they are wearing a properly fitted respirator.
• Research has found that a high percentage of respiratory users are wearing the incorrect size respirator which can lead to respiratory health issues.

Who needs to be fit tested?

• SHA Regulations (Standard 29 CFR part 1910.134) require employers to provide appropriate respiratory protection equipment when engineering control measures are not feasible or do not completely control the identified hazards.
• OSHA requires fit testing prior to initial use and at least annually for all employees who are required to wear respirators with a tight-fitting facepiece.
• Passing a fit-test does not guarantee that every time a wearer dons a facepiece that an adequate fit will be achieved. It merely confirms that a particular facepiece has the potential to provide a sufficient fit.
• The wearer must always fit the mask correctly and perform the appropriate fit check procedure provided in the manufacturer's user instructions prior to each donning.
• A change in dental or face altering procedures, weight changes or changes in facial hair would require a new fit test to be performed.

Click here for more information.

Source: Sperian Protection
 

One Type A Characteristic -- Leadership -- Lowers Work Stress, Study Finds
     Most characteristics of the “Type A” personality are linked to increased work stress. But there's one important exception, according to a study in the January Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, official publication of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM). Leadership is the Type A characteristic associated with reduced job stress – a finding that may be useful in designing stress-reduction programs, according to Taina Hintsa, PhD, and colleagues of University of Helsinki.
     The researchers analyzed the relationship between Type A behavior and work stress in 752 Finnish workers. In contrast to previous studies, they broke Type A behavior into four dimensions: leadership, aggression, being “hard-driving,” and eagerness-energy.

Click here for the full report.

Source: American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
 

1. GOT THE HEAT?  -  Zetex Plus ® treated fiberglass gloves and mittens with wool linings withstand temperatures up to 2000 ° F.
2. GOT THE TOUCH? - Polyurethane-coated nylon gloves such as Versa-Gard Flex P provide maximum tactile sensitivity, particularly when handling small parts such as in the electronics industry.
3. GOT THE SMELL? - Not if you are using a properly fitted air-purifying respirator.  All users of negative-pressure air-purifying respirators must be fit-tested.
4. GOT THE VIEW? - New wide-angle goggles combine superior peripheral vision with impact and splash protection.  Styles available to fit over prescription eyewear.
5. GOT THE SOUND? - Dangerously high noise above 105 dB requires the dual hearing protection combination of ear muffs and earplugs.

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
• Five Habits of Highly Safe Electricians
• Full, practical understanding of the NFPA 70E and great ideas from trainers who have implemented it!

 
We Must Be Crazy - Gatorade in the Middle of Winter! And at a 70% Discount!

Our sales department thinks customers will buy Gatorade in the winter if the price is right, so how about 70% off!  We have some Gatorade from last season that we need to clear out now.  According to Gatorade, last season's drink mix is perfectly safe and effective.  "Shelf stable beverages beyond their recommended shelf life are safe to consume but may experience slight changes in flavor or color. However, there is no change to ingredients or efficacy."  We guarantee your satisfaction.  Limited quantities available in a variety of flavors and packing.

Click here to order for immediate delivery.
 

Linda Wood is a member of our customer service and support team and joined Saf-T-Gard in 2008 (although she has many more years of experience in the safety industry)

• What Linda likes about Saf-T-Gard: "That we provide quality products that prevent injuries andsafe lives - that everyone who works here pulls together as a team - that management encourages and provides opportunities for growth & learning new skills"

• What makes Linda's' day: "When customers take a minute to let me know that their rush order arrived on time and in good condition and to say 'Thanks' or when they send cookies!"

• Linda's outside interests are: "I recently sold my condo & purchased a town home so home repairs, remodeling & redecorating have been top on the list. I enjoy gardening, a good book, country/western music & dance, a quiet evening with good friends."

• Anything else? "A special thanks to Elizabeth and Ray, my co-workers in customer service, for their training, coaching, support & good humor."