Picture This nearly always focuses on unsafe work practices, but this week we have a photograph showing workers doing the right thing. In this case, a worker is shown using a bucket and rope to hoist tools to an elevated work area. This arrangement allows workers to maintain three points of contact when ascending or descending ladders. (eLCOSH)
If a picture is worth 1,000 words, this guy could start by paying a little attention to the three little words staring him in the face. One slip and he could be staring at a more dazzling kind of stars than the ones on this banner.
In a busy restaurant, workers probably have their minds on issues other than where they are walking. But situational awareness is necessary to avoid collisions with other workers or customers.
It's unfortunate that in spite of having ready access to a ladder, many retail workers will choose to climb racking to access stock on shelves, as this photograph illustrates. Australia's WorkSafe Victoria notes that one in five injuries in the retail sector involve slips, trips or falls.
A fall from even a short height can be fatal. We're willing to bet that this worker would be looking at a hospital stay at minimum if he lost his footing on this roof.
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.
What good is a sparklingly clean window if the person who attended to it is lying severely injured or dead on the ground below?
A well-placed safety sign is a good reminder for your workers and visitors, but this photograph shows a dizzying array of "watch your step" warning signs that could actually distract workers and lead to a fall on this stairway.
Clutter and an excavation could create considerable risk for anyone needing to access a first-aid kit or fire extinguisher.
This skinny plank, which barely spans its supports at both ends, provides workers with a potentially exciting, yet unsafe, means of getting to and from their worksite. It could easily snap or shift, or a worker could simply lose his balance and fall from it.
This unbelievable photograph was snapped more than 30 floors above Sydney, Australia.
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.
Just one little misstep is all it would take for this worker's day to come crashing down in a painful, even deadly way.
Practice makes perfect, or so it is said. But workers who perfect unsafe practices and think nothing bad will ever happen to them are often sadly proven wrong.
“Watch your step please” read this sign found outside an Illinois business. Given the condition of the steps leading up to it, that's pretty sound advice!
A safety inspector visited a church roofing project site after receiving a complaint about unsafe conditions and observed safety ropes running over sharp metal roofing surfaces. Here's a photo of what the inspector saw before issuing a stop- work order.
This rickety looking set-up is enough to raise the hair on your neck.
We often get away with multitasking as we walk, but not if the floor we're walking on is missing a few key components, such as planks.
This photograph illustrates a recipe for disaster. A worker toils high above the ground while standing on a stack of pallets hoisted by an aerial lift. To make matters worse, he has no form of fall protection and isn't even wearing a hardhat.
This photo illustrates a very dangerous way to use a boom as a work platform, above traffic no less.
The majority of the citations allege deficiencies in the plant’s [...]
This photograph of bricks tumbling from a scaffold shows how vital it is for workers to secure tools and materials against movement when working from scaffolds or other elevated areas. Anyone working or walking below could easily have been killed by the falling materials.
This photo was snapped in Australia, so it was probably a nice day to be working outside, but this guy is more than a little light on fall protection equipment and other safety gear. One slip and he could face some heavy personal consequences.
OSHA inspected an ice manufacturer and issued citations for 20 [...]
Most people hate the task of removing leaves and needles from rain gutters, so they try to get the job done as quickly as possible. This photograph shows a worker breaking two cardinal ladder safety rules while clearing a gutter of leaves.
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