There are several unsafe conditions in this image that could be harmful to any worker, but especially for a lone worker. Use the Picture This to spark discussion about the hazards of working alone and the precautions and procedures your organization has in place to protect lone workers.
An Injury and Illness Prevention Program can help you save lives, save money, and comply with regulations.
Working alone means working where you cannot be seen or heard by another person and where you cannot expect a visit from another person. While not an ideal situation, sometimes it is necessary. In occupations as diverse as a home care nurse, security guard, property manager, plant attendant, taxi driver, custodian, logger, ranch hand, retail clerk and oil field mechanic, sometimes must work alone.
The freedom of working alone sounds like a dream job for many, but the downside is there’s nobody around to help you if something goes wrong. Social workers, home care nurses, custodians, security guards and late-night convenience store clerks all face hazards from working solo. People might not be able to hear your calls for help and come to your rescue when you work alone.
This video is the perfect way to introduce new employees to general occupational hazards to which they may be exposed and to re-train experienced workers. Program includes basic safety rules, electrical hazards, powered equipment and machinery, back injury prevention, fire protection and more.
You should be evaluating your safety program on a regular basis - at least annually – to determine what is working and what’s not and whether the program is on track to meet its goals. Tracking and analyzing leading and lagging indicators are one effective way to monitor the performance and progress of your safety program.
During a shutdown, process industries such as oil and gas slow or stop work and inspect, maintain, repair and replace equipment. If you are working through a plant slowdown or shutdown, you need to be aware of the new hazards created during this time.
It can be tricky dealing with the various personality types, levels of experience, and differing backgrounds of meeting participants. You can’t always predict what their reaction will be, and you may not have advance knowledge of who will be in attendance, but you can still prepare. One way is by understanding the four general types of meeting participants you’re likely to encounter and how best to interact with them. You may also encounter entire groups that have these characteristics – the response is the same.
In a 2013 webinar former, OSHA administrator David Michaels said, “We have known for decades that new workers, when they first start at a new job, are at greatly increased risk of injury – and we know why: New workers are often not adequately trained in the potential hazards at the new jobsite and the measures they can take to protect themselves.” And yet, according to the Toronto-based Institute for Work & Health, only 1 out of 5 new workers receives safety training.
Slips, trips and falls are among the leading causes of workplace injuries. They occur when housekeeping procedures aren’t followed and enforced, when you rush or fail to pay attention to what you’re doing and where you’re walking, when you don’t wear the right kind of footwear, and when stairways, parking lots, and other walking and working surfaces aren’t well-maintained.
Lifting, pushing, pulling and carrying heavy objects remains a fundamental job task in just about all industries and work settings. Performing these tasks – typically referred to as “manual materials handling” – puts workers at risk of musculoskeletal disorders (aka, “MSDs”), or serious and painful injuries to the back, limbs, joints and muscles. This Workplan outlines four steps you can implement over a 30-day period to prevent MSDs along with the insurance, citations, productivity, and other liabilities that can result.
17-year-old warehouse worker was fatally injured when the sit-down type forklift he was tipped over on its side and crushed him. The victim was employed under a work-based learning program and had been working for three months when the incident occurred.
Manually moving materials is one of the quickest and the most prevalent way to injure your back. Back injuries are painful for the worker and costly for the employer. To reduce back injuries at work, it is important to find and avoid risk factors that increase the chance of injury.
Fork lift accidents are a leading source of fatal and serious work injuries; failure to ensure proper use of fork lifts is also perennially among the Top 10 most frequent causes of OSHA and OHS citations. Here’s a 12-step compliance plan to help you avoid both things.
Warehouse racks and material stacks are nothing to take lightly. A damaged rack can lead to hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost and damaged inventory. Then there are the injuries and fatalities caused if the racks and materials fall. Your co-workers, delivery drivers, and even customers can be injured and killed if a rack or material falls.
There are over 10,000 warehouses in the United States and Canada, employing over 200,000 workers, and countless ways to be injured or killed.
Materials handling work is part of many jobs. Think about the different things you lift, move, and store as part of your job – frequently or infrequently.
You need to perform evaluations of your materials handling procedures, equipment and operations annually or sooner after major changes occur in the workplace. This tool will help you keep up-to-date. Use this Checklist to conduct a general review of materials handling compliance and ensure you’re free from incidents and citations. Any “no” answers should be investigated and corrected
A 40-year-old experienced warehouse supervisor died when he was struck by a pallet stacking machine and crushed against a storage rack support.
Chemicals can cause burns to eyes, skin, and internally if swallowed or inhaled. Chemical burns can be deceiving with some chemicals causing damage deep within body tissue. The amount of damage a chemical can cause depends on many factors including the chemical, its strength, whether it was inhaled or swallowed and the time it was in contact with body tissues.
Did you know your mental, physical, and emotional fitness is part of a safe work environment? If you are fit and healthy, you are likely to have more energy and stamina.
Near misses make up more than half of the incidents that occur in workplaces. A near miss is an unplanned event that did not result in injury, illness, or damage but had the potential to do so. A near miss needs attention, as they are a warning that conditions are right for a possible accident.
Some of the worst hazards in any work area are the ones you don’t see - because they’re above you. What’s at stake is your life, and there are two basic ways you could lose it: electrocution or falling objects.
Electricity is the movement of electrons between atoms. In their normal state, electrons in a conductor such as copper, freely and randomly move from atom to atom.
Most workplaces are required to establish and implement an Emergency Action Plan. Use this Checklist to determine if your EAP includes all required elements – or to help create a new EAP.
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