Saf-T-Gardian Newsletter - Your #1 Safety Resource

November 2018

The time for better safety is now!

Click here to request a FREE copy of our current, full-line, Saf-T-Gard International, Inc. catalog today, and learn how to better GARD yourself with Saf-T-Gard.

Featuring more than 3,900 different line items from more than 100 different brands and 14 different product categories, this catalog is an excellent resource and provides a wealth of information to keep you safe and productive for even the most rigorous applications!

Saf-T-Gard is making it easier than ever to save big on your favorite safety items with the “Closeout Corner” featured monthly in the Saf-T-Gardian newsletter.

Click here to view the reduced pricing on all of your must-have items to take advantage of this limited-time pricing and inventory.

Be sure to check back next month for even more products and savings!

1. DON'T BE SHOCKED - Electrical protective equipment must be used when working on or near potentially energized circuits of 50 volts or more

2. DON'T BE SHOCKED - Protective safety caps and hats meeting ANSI Z89.1 Class E are tested at 20,000 volts for 3 minutes and are considered dielectric

3. DON'T BE SHOCKED - Rubber insulating blankets are the most flexible and versatile form of temporary cover-up protection for energized circuits and equipment

4. DON'T BE SHOCKED - A complete lockout/tagout program includes locks, hasps, tags, signs, and key stations - available individually or as complete kits

5. DON'T BE SHOCKED - Dielectric switchboard matting provides additional protection in front of switchgear, motor control centers and other high voltage apparatus

Q&A

Question - Are adhesive stickers or paints allowed on protective helmets?

Answer - OSHA's general requirements for PPE are set forth in 29 CFR 1910.132. The specific requirements for head protection (protective helmets) are outlined in 29 CFR 1910.135, which incorporates by reference American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Z89.1-2009. Both 29 CFR 1910.132 and 1910.135 do not contain provisions that explicitly prohibit painting or the placement of adhesive stickers on helmet shells. However, the employer's ability to comply with the existing requirements of these standards may be adversely affected by the painting or placement of adhesive stickers on the helmet's shell.  

For instance, OSHA standard 29 CFR 1910.132(a) requires that PPE be "...maintained in a sanitary and reliable condition..." [Emphasis added.] To ensure a helmet is and remains in a "reliable" condition, the helmet must be inspected prior to use for signs of dents, cracks, penetration and any damage due to impact, rough treatment or wear that might reduce the degree of protection originally provided and used and maintained in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions. Paints and stickers may eliminate electrical resistance and – depending on the location and quantity – conceal defects, cracks, penetration and any damage that would be otherwise readily identifiable during the employee's inspection to ensure reliability. Another concern is that paints, thinners and solvents, as discussed in Appendix A of ANSI Z89.1-2003 and the appendices of the 1986 and 1997 versions, can also attack or damage the shell of a helmet and reduce protection. For these reasons, painting or applying stickers must be performed in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions, unless the employer can demonstrate that the altered protective helmet is equally as effective and protective as those meeting the requirements of Z89.1. Protective helmet manufacturers usually provide very specific instructions regarding paints, stickers or decals that will not negatively affect the performance of a protective helmet. OSHA would consider painting or placing adhesive stickers acceptable if the manufacturer authorizes the alteration, or the employer can demonstrate that the reliability of the helmet is not affected by the paint or the adhesive on the stickers; and the paint or placement of stickers would not reduce the ability to identify defects (i.e., use of see-through stickers) or other conditions that would indicate a reduced reliability.

Claudia Welnicki is a member of the Saf-T-Gard Sales Team and joined Saf-T-Gard about 8 years ago.

What Claudia likes about Saf-T-Gard:

"I like being part of a team of knowledgeable people in the safety industry who support one another on a daily basis."

What makes Claudia's day:

"When I can provide our customers with the products and services that enable their workers to go home safe at the end of a work day."

Claudia's outside interests are:

"Scrapbooking, card making, reading and gardening."

Anything Else:

"I have been blessed with a wonderful husband, 3 great daughters and son-in-laws, and 3 awesome grandchildren and many supportive friends, all of whom I love spending time with."

Does OSHA's Control of Hazardous Energy (lockout/tagout or LOTO) standard, 29 CFR 1910.147 permit maintenance personnel in a metal fabrication punch press operation to stand inside the guard across the back of the machine to observe and troubleshoot malfunctions of the dies? 

If the employee is observing whether the equipment is operating properly, this activity would be considered inspecting the equipment and, therefore, would be considered Servicing and/or Maintenance as defined at §1910.147(b). Although LOTO applies to servicing and maintenance, minor adjustments which occur during normal production operations may be exempt from the LOTO under the minor servicing exception. The minor servicing exception provides that minor tool changes and adjustments and other minor servicing activities which take place during normal production operations may be exempt from the LOTO standard if the activity is routine, repetitive and integral to the use of the equipment for production purposes, provided that the work is performed using alternative measures which provide effective employee protection. An employer bears the burden of demonstrating, on a case-by-case basis, that the minor servicing exception applies in accordance with the note found at §1910.147(a)(2)(ii). If the minor servicing exception were to apply, the employer would need to employ alternative safeguarding measures. Such alternative safeguarding measures may include devices such as, but not limited to, two-hand trip or control devices, restraint devices that prevent the employee from entering the zone of danger, video cameras that would allow remote observation of the dies and plexiglass barriers that allow for close inspection of the operation, yet prevent introduction of the employee's body into the machine hazard area. It must be emphasized that every employee performing these inspection tasks must be protected from exposure to hazardous energy.

If the inspection/troubleshooting activity described does not constitute minor servicing during normal production operations, the LOTO standard also recognizes that there are circumstances under which it is absolutely necessary to test and position the machine while energized during servicing and maintenance. The provisions found in §1910.147(f)(1) allow for the testing or positioning of machines while energized, however, the provisions also require that employees be removed from the area when the energization and testing and/or positioning occurs. In the event that it is impossible to remove employees from the machine area and still conduct the type of inspection that must be performed, the employer must provide alternative employee protection through the use of the safeguarding measures previously discussed (e.g., two-hand trip or control devices, employee restraints, cameras and plexiglass barriers) to be in compliance with the standard.

It is November 2018. The National Safety Show was just a couple of weeks ago in Houston Texas and, like a lot of things in Texas, it was B-I-G. There are a lot of other words that could describe such an exhibition: Interesting, exciting, informative and most certainly overwhelming. As a major safety show for the North American (and global) market, there were suppliers showing so many different products and services. And wrap that around all of the trade advertising in safety-related publications, and one could become numb just trying to absorb it all. That’s where we can help – and it’s what we are really good at. As a global supplier of industrial safety products and personal protective equipment with more than 82 years of experience and expertise, we can help sort through the fluff and hype and take a customer-oriented focus on available products and services to address YOUR (i.e. the end-using customer) needs. Every industrial facility is different in minor or major ways, just as every hazard has nuances that need to be addressed. Every exhibitor at every trade show is there to introduce and promote their products, and we clearly understand that. But we also understand that part of our position in the value equation is to help YOU (the end-using customer) understand the features, benefits and applicability of the new products offered. Let us help you, because we are Saf-T-Gard International - Bringing Workers Home Safely Since 1936.