The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has published a set of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) on how N95 respirators effectively protect wearers from coronavirus exposure. OSHA is aware of incorrect claims stating that N95 respirator filters do not capture particles as small as the virus that causes the coronavirus. OSHA’s new FAQ explains why an N95 respirator is effective at protecting users from the virus. Click here to read more.

Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited 13 establishments for violations, resulting in proposed penalties totaling $490,575.00. Click here to read more.

CDC has published a new webpage on Optimizing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Supplies. This resource provides links for strategies to optimize the supply of various types of PPE, as well as general PPE information. Click here to read more.

The time for better safety is now!

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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 help 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 e-Newsletter.

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QUESTION? - Where is your nearest first aid kit, and is it full?

QUESTION? - When was the last time your respirator users were fit-tested and had the required medical examinations?

QUESTION? - Do your workers have a choice of suitable ear protection (earplugs or earmuffs)?

QUESTION? - How recently was your last hand protection audit to determine if you are using the gloves with the best combination of properties for your application?

QUESTION? - How are you handling hazardous material handling, storage and spill control?

Question - Bricks and masonry blocks are often stored on construction sites as originally shipped. They are shipped in a unit comprising of the following: The bricks or blocks, which are on a pallet, are interlocked, banded, shrink-wrapped, or similarly bound for shipment. Due to jobsite space constraints, these shipping units may be stored two or three pallets high. Does Section 1926.250(a)(1) [certain provisions of Subpart H – Materials Handling, Storage, Use, and Disposal as they relate to the stacking of brick and masonry] apply to the stacking of such shipping units?

Answer - Section 1926.250(a)(1) provides: All materials stored in tiers shall be stacked, racked, blocked, interlocked or otherwise secured to prevent sliding, falling, or collapse. Section 1926.250(a)(1) governs "[a]ll materials stored in tiers." Specifically, it sets forth the intent of the standard ("to prevent sliding, falling, or collapse" of all materials) and direction on how to meet its requirement ("stacked, racked, blocked, interlocked, or otherwise secured"). Since this requirement covers all materials that are tiered, the provision applies to the above-described shipping units of bricks and blocks. It should be noted, however, that while the standard lists several methods by which materials can be stored, the list is not exclusive. Thus, as long as the method of storing these materials in tiers is similarly effective for preventing sliding, falling, or collapse to the methods listed, the method would comply with this provision. Specifically, shrink-wrapping or banding the bricks or blocks and stacking the palleted units in a manner that is adequate for flatbed shipping typically would qualify as "otherwise secured to prevent sliding, falling, or collapse."

Bob Osborne is an ERP Administrator and joined Saf-T-Gard one year ago.

What Bob likes about Saf-T-Gard:

“The family atmosphere is second to none. I enjoy learning about new ways to get products out the door to customers as well.”

What makes Bob's day:

“Seeing people actually in the office during this pandemic.”

Bob's outside interests are:

“Spending time with my family, coaching fast pitch softball.”

Anything else:

“Be safe!! Have fun!!”

May gasoline be dispensed from a five-gallon UL- approved safety can into the fuel tank of a tool such as a target saw, weed-eater, or five-kw generator during a construction job? The general requirements for the handling and use of flammable and combustible liquids such as a gasoline are set forth in 29 CFR 1926.152(a): (1) Only approved containers and portable tanks shall be used for storage and handling of flammable and combustible liquids. Approved safety cans or Department of Transportation-approved containers shall be used for the handling and use of flammable liquids in quantities of five gallons or less...29 CFR 1926.155(l) defines a safety can as: An approved closed container, of not more than five-gallon capacity, having a flash arresting screen, spring-closing lid and spout cover and so designed that it will safely relieve internal pressure when subjected to fire exposure. 29 CFR 1926.155(a) defines "approved" as: (a) Approved, for the purpose of this subpart, means equipment that has been listed or approved by a nationally recognized testing laboratory such as Factory Mutual Engineering Corp., or Underwriters' Laboratories, Inc., or Federal agencies such as Bureau of Mines or U.S. Coast Guard, which issue approvals for such equipment. In the background to OSHA Instruction STD 3-4.1A (De Minimis for Absence of a Flame Arrestor Screen in a Safety Can), OSHA noted that while most safety cans approved by listed agencies or organizations have flame-arrestor screens in safety can spouts, Underwriters' Laboratories, Inc. does not require them for approval of safety cans. Instruction STD 3-4.1A provided: A. Purpose. This instruction establishes that the absence of a flame arrestor screen in the pouring or spout of a safety can is treated as de minimis. When handling or using flammable or combustible liquids, the use of an Underwriters' Laboratories, Inc. safety can without a flame-arrestor screen is treated as a de minimis violation.

It is October 2020, and I have some questions for you. There are no wrong answers as long as you find value in the questions and take action on your answers. (1) How many workers are there in your facility? (2) How many recordable injuries are listed on the OSHA Form 300 posted at your facility? (3) Do you know the total cost of a lost time injury? [Answer - OSHA has previously estimated the direct costs of a lost-time injury to be $28,000. Indirect costs are usually estimated to be 10 times the direct costs.] (4) When was the last time you invited your worker's comp insurer to explain the effect of the experience ratio on your insurance costs? (5) True/False - We buy the cheapest safety products we can get for our workers irrespective of quality. (6) Do you buy what you need from a safety specialist or a supply generalist who also sells light bulbs and copy paper? (7) Can your safety products supplier explain what these are and why they are important? OSHA, NIOSH, CDC, ANSI, ISEA, ASTM, NAIL4PET, NPPTL, NSC, FDA, USDA, ASSP, FM. (8) When was the last time, if ever, that your team evaluated safety products based on Total Cost of Ownership/Use rather than unit cost? (9) True/False - We use the same safety products we always did because we are doing the same work we always did. (10) When was the last time you asked your safety products supplier to help you make sense of all of this? For help with these and other industrial safety questions, call on the safety supplier trusted for eight decades, because we are Saf-T-Gard International - Bringing Workers Home Safely Since 1936.

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