When workers see a familiar container, they fully expect it to contain what's on the label. But if that food or drink container has been re-purposed as a chemical container, the results can be devastating for anyone who consumes some of the contents.
Amateur "handy persons" often produce shoddy work by failing to realize their limitations. But here's an example of someone crossing the line from shoddy to potentially deadly by performing electrical work they had no business tackling.
Whoever set this ladder up must have been so focused on getting the job done that he or she forgot to follow basic safety procedures.
The message on the bright yellow caution sign shown here, warning that the area in front of this electrical panel must be kept clear for 36 inches, seems to have been lost on the person who parked a bicycle right in front of it.
The workers in this photograph could serve as poster boys for how not to lift heavy objects.
This photo illustrates a very dangerous way to use a boom as a work platform, above traffic no less.
Climbing a ladder requires concentration on one's placement of hands and feet, which means this worker may be oblivious to a sharp piece of metal protruding into the area just above his body.
Picture This! Vertical Vertigo Holding an extended extension ladder upright [...]
This scenario, involving a worker climbing on the upper rungs of a stepladder and lifting heavy objects from a shelf, plays out countless times across the world every day. Sadly, the consequences of this unsafe behavior can be life-altering or life-ending.
Many workers, especially young workers out to make a good impression, won't speak up when they have a question, for fear of appearing naive or stupid. They need to know it's always better to ask a question--any question--than to risk injury by trying to figure out a procedure on their own.
Will this flimsy makeshift car hoist hold out? Who knows, but we wouldn't want to be the guy under it attempting to find out.
Making do with what you have is good advice in many situations, but in the world of workplace safety, making do often translates into taking dangerous shortcuts. Here we have a situation where someone has shoved bare electrical wires into a power outlet and then taped the makeshift wiring to hold it in place. (WorkSafeVictoria, Australia)
Working without fall protection on any roof is dangerous, but taking life or death risks on a crematorium roof is both hazardous and ironic.
One of our subscribers snapped this photograph of a makeshift scaffold/ladder combination set up in the box of a pickup truck. It would have been a whole lot easier and safer to rent the appropriate equipment for the job.
Standing on the top rung of a ladder isn't safe. And neither is this.
When your eyes are burning from contact with a splashed chemical and you desperately need an emergency eyewash station
Here's an example oaf having an object designed to save lives that may be useless because it isn't easily accessible. The object in this case is a rescue ring that can't be used without a knife to cut it free.
Unprotected excavations and unguarded floor openings result in countless preventable injuries and fatalities around the world every year. Here's a picture illustrating this type of hazard.
We assume this is important information, so it shouldn't be scrawled on a piece of paper towel that could blow away in a draft or get wet and quickly become illegible.
What would you tell a worker using a ladder in this way?
You can't always believe what you read, especially when a sign points the way to an emergency telephone that doesn't exist.
Here's an eye-popping photograph showing workers perched on makeshift scaffolding that could shift or snap without warning.
Whatever part of this safety footwear which was considered to be “safe” by the wearer is something that only he would know.
Here we have a photograph of two workers working at a significant height without any form of fall protection. They did take the time to place safety cones on the ground, which lends a sad irony to this scenario.
When people don't have the right equipment or are too lazy to go get it, they tend to improvise in ways that are anything but wise. Here's a photo of a man holding a worker upside down outside an elevated window. The strain is plainly evident on his face.
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