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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.
Heavy clothing, zero fall protection and working over water could prove to be a losing proposition for this worker.
Look closely and you can see the top of the ladder at the bottom left of this picture.
Just one little misstep is all it would take for this worker's day to come crashing down in a painful, even deadly way.
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.
What would you tell a worker using a ladder in this way?
Does this graphic ACTUALLY depict a man washing his hands in a urinal? What is going on?
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.
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.
Tragedies from the past carry important safety lessons, but unfortunately, those lessons aren't always heeded. Locked emergency exit doors continue to be a problem in the modern workplace, 102 years after 146 workers locked inside a New York clothing manufacturing plant perished in a fire.
Winter weather means snow and ice, which can cause slips-and-falls.
“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!
Trenches and excavations pose various safety hazards to the workers who must work in and around them.
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)
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.
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.
This makeshift scaffold, made from ladders lashed together, screams trouble even before anyone sets foot on it.
Better hope there's not a fire or precious time could be lost trying to free this fire extinguisher from its awkward position.
Some things you have to see to believe
Leaving this telescopic boom on the flat deck is easier than unloading it and placing it on firm ground. But think about the all the things that could go wrong....
Chainsaw kickbacks are often deadly, but a Pennsylvania tree trimmer survived in spite of having a chainsaw's chain embed itself in his neck. The horrifying incident hasn't put James Valentine, 21, off returning to that job. Here's a photograph showing an X-ray of the chain inside his body.
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.
Hot weather, high humidity, a lack of water and insufficient rest breaks can quickly lead to life-threatening heat illness.
How many workers does it take to safely change a light bulb? Apparently more than these three guys.
Here's an example of how not to inspect a roof. This unsafe practice provides no fall prevention nor protection against what would likely be a fatal fall.
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