Workplace housekeeping has been an important part of job safety programs for many years. Whether you are working in a traditional factory or a 21st century work setting such as a wind energy tower, good housekeeping can be a life-saver.
Is there a manhole to a sewage system near your workplace, or an underground vault for an electrical system? Any boiler, tunnel, well, silo, shaft or poorly ventilated crawl space can be a potentially dangerous confined space.
Hazard communication describes the many ways information is passed along about any kind of workplace danger.
Many places where we live and work are in high risk earthquake zones.
In cold weather conditions, people are usually careful to put winter tires on the car and drive according to road conditions, but they don’t always exercise the same caution when walking across snowy, icy or wet surfaces.
WHAT'S AT STAKE Workers in almost every work environment are [...]
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It’s easy to get overly confident once you’ve mastered something. But even an experienced worker can become entangled in the conveyor, struck by a vehicle in a work zone or slip on a wet floor. No matter how long you have been on the job and no matter how skilled you are, you must remember the basic safety precautions. Don’t get complacent.
Unexpected emergencies occur in workplaces every day in factories, plants, offices and warehouses, as well as construction sites and on the road. It could be a fire, fatal injury, flood, earthquake, shooting, tornado, chemical spill or another kind of crisis. So it’s important that companies have an emergency response plan to cover all expected and unexpected disasters. For this plan to be effective, all employees must be trained in the roles they will play in an emergency.
Operating a vehicle in reverse puts you at a disadvantage. It's difficult to see all the obstacles in your way. And because the driver seating and controls are designed primarily for forward travel, it's hard to respond quickly enough to changing traffic situations. According to the National Safety Council, one in four motor vehicle accidents can be attributed to poor backing techniques.
Workplace fires account for many injuries and deaths, with approximately three percent of workplace fatalities being related to fire and explosions. Not only do workplace fires cause injuries and deaths, they also cause millions of dollars worth of property damage every year, leading to job losses. In fact, a great many of the workplaces destroyed by fire are never rebuilt.
It can be tempting to skip a lockout procedure just to make a quick adjustment on a machine. This kind of thinking is a mistake. In fact, it can be a fatal mistake. Many workers have been killed when they left a machine running or skipped the lockout just to do a quick clean-up or adjustment.
Every year, millions of workers are infected with a contagious respiratory illness: influenza, commonly known as the flu. Many workers who are sick with the flu refuse to let the illness prevent them from working, thinking they can “tough it out.” So they go to work with a reduced ability to work safely and productively, and they jeopardize the health of their co-workers.
Think back to the last time you came to work after a night spent tossing and turning – or with no sleep at all. Now imagine working that way day in and day out.
Electrical shock is a leading cause of workplace fatalities and almost every day approximately one electrocution, 10 disabling injuries and 100 electrical shocks are reported.
Welding is a routine job on many worksites. This common task has many health and safety risks that can result in serious injury, endangering more than 500,000 workers in a variety of industries. It’s not just those involved directly with welding who are at risk. Bystanders can also be affected. So it’s important for everyone to have a basic knowledge of welding hazards.
There’s hardly a workplace that doesn’t handle or store materials.
People who aren’t expecting to end up in water often are not prepared for that possibility and the results can be tragic. Every year in the United States and Canada, an estimated 3,800 people drown, with many of these victims being people who ended up in the water unintentionally.
Any workplace can be too hot for safety, both outdoors and in hot, humid conditions indoors. Whenever you’re exposed to heat, you’re at risk of developing heat illness.
Many workers use utility knives to open packaging. But one wrong move and these tools can do serious harm. In fact, nearly 40 percent of all injuries attributed to manual workshop tools in the US involve utility knives. And it’s not only utility knives that pose a risk. The straight hand knife is also a commonly used tool in many industries and the cause of many severe accidents.
What would you do if you encountered an emergency, either in the workplace or outside? Would you call for help? Would you know who to call and what to tell them?
One size does not fit all when it comes to work equipment.
Unless you’re fortunate enough to live in a climate of perpetual summer, or something close to it, cold winter weather is a chilling reality for millions of people across North America.
Since it's your first time, you may want to checkout some of the video tutorials.
800-ICW-SAFETY (800.429.7233)
SAFETYOnDemand@icwgroup.com