Overexertion injuries among healthcare workers is consistently two to five times greater than the rate of the general workforce. The single greatest cause for these injuries is manual patient handling such as manual lifting, moving and repositioning of hospitalized patients, home-health care patients, and nursing home residents.

Overexertion injuries can cause musculoskeletal injuries such as herniated discs, joint and tendon inflammation and ligament or muscle strains.  Many healthcare workers sustain reoccurring, short-term and long-term issues including arthritis and chronic back pain.

Manually handling any heavy item is risky, but humans are often an awkward shape, move independently and can be unpredictable patient’s sudden movements can cause even the best planned maneuver to go wrong, resulting in staff and patient injury.

PREVENTION

1. Avoid manual patient handling whenever possible.

2. Plan patient maneuvers.

3. Train and update

Your employer must provide safe patient handling training sessions covering the mechanics and risks of lifting and moving patients:

• How to use any equipment or aids
• How to help the patient to do as much as possible for themselves. For example,
  • Explain the procedure;
  • Don’t rush them;
  • Assist them into position (without lifting); and
  • Provide aids or equipment for them to use.
• Safe manual handling techniques such as:
  • Stand close to the patient to reduce the risk of overreaching and the patient falling; and
  • Check the patient is well positioned to be moved with minimal effort.

You should also be given time to practice and receive regular training updates.

4. Use lifting aids

• Lifting aids help the patient move themselves more easily and include:
• A raised toilet seat;
• Shower chairs; and the use of a

• Make sure the patient knows how to use them; and
• Prompt, guide and reassure them as needed.

5. Use lifting equipment

• Equipment can be by healthcare workers to help move patients; and
• Patients are often taught to use the equipment, so they can be independent.
• Equipment includes:
• Mechanical lifting equipment.
• Height adjustable beds.
• Wheelchairs;
• Pivot, sliding, or lateral slide boards.
• Each piece of equipment or moving aid should only be used by trained people.

6. Report it

• Fill out an accident report if you suffer pain or injury while carrying out care for a patient.
• Report any defective equipment, especially mechanical hoist slings and sliding sheets.
• Discuss with your supervisor if you feel a patient’s handling plan is no longer safe.

Chemicals wash dishes, strip or buff floors, disinfect furniture and sterilize instruments.

It is hard to imagine our modern society without the use and benefit of chemical cleaners. But there is considerable risk. Caution and knowledge in the use of chemical cleaners is mandatory.

The following are just a few examples where one can find chemical use.

Cleaning carts:
Are a source of coughing, wheezing, headaches or dizziness for healthcare workers. Breathing respiratory irritants in Cleaning, Sterilizing and Disinfecting Products make you sensitive to them. Cleaning products can burn skin and eyes which is found in solvents, detergents, acids and alkalis and also known to cause allergic reactions, poisoning and death.

Prevention
How do we protect and prevent harmful and deadly consequences in the use of chemicals in our workplace?

Answer: Safety Datasheets in the Globally Harmonized System.

The Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS) was created by the United Nations to help bring uniformity to hazardous materials labeling around the world.

The HazCom “MSDSs” (Material Safety Data Sheets) are being replaced by GHS-compliant “SDSs” (Safety Data Sheets). The general information required on the safety data sheet (SDS) will remain essentially the same as that in the current standard MSDS.

When SDSs Are Used
An SDS must be used for substances and mixtures that meet the criteria for physical, health, or environmental hazards under the GHS.  Safety Data Sheets are required for all mixtures which contain toxic or carcinogenic ingredients in concentrations exceeding the cut-off limits.

Sometimes SDSs are required for mixtures which do not meet the criteria, but do contain hazardous ingredients in certain concentrations. An MSDS/SDS is usually created by the company that manufactures or imports and distributes the product. The MSDS/SDS created by the company is then passed along to downstream employers who use it in their workplace.

SDS Content
The SDS should provide a clear and easily understandable description of the data used to identify hazards.

At a minimum, the SDSs cover 16 different data sections. These sections include: Identification of the substance and the supplier, the hazard identification with the appropriate GHS pictogram, cautionary phrase and other information, a composition of ingredients, first aid and firefighting measures, handling and storage, and physical and chemical properties, such as odor, pH and appearance.

Workers need to know what Structural Differences exist between the old Material Safety Data Sheets and the new GHS compliant Safety Data Sheets.

Failure to understand the differences puts the workplace in peril.

In the past, HazCom classification was mostly a “yes” or “no” activity. A chemical was a carcinogen or it was not a carcinogen. Under GHS, classification of chemicals includes the dividing of hazards into sub-categories. So, using the carcinogen example, a chemical classified as a carcinogen will be further categorized as a category 1A, category 1B, or category 2 carcinogen. (1A is for “known carcinogens,” 1B is for “probable carcinogens,” and 2 is for “suspected carcinogens.”)

Additionally, GHS classification brings substantive differences to some hazard classes, such as combustible liquids, which are now called flammable liquids.

OSHA created three new OSHA-defined hazards that must be addressed on labels and SDSs: pyrophoric gas, simple asphyxiants and combustible dust.

DID YOU KNOW?

Employee exposure to unguarded or inadequately guarded machines is prevalent in many workplaces. Consequently, workers who operate and maintain machinery suffer approximately 18,000 amputations, lacerations, crushing injuries, abrasions, and over 800 deaths per year.

Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) nominated OSHA’s top ten cited violations in 2017. Machine guarding was NO.8 on this not so famous list with 1.933 violations. In 2018, machine guarding was NO.9.

A lack of machine safeguarding also held the dubious distinction of making the list of OSHA’s ten largest monetary penalties for the year — not once but four times. In fact, the largest proposed monetary penalty, a staggering $2.6 million (USD), arose from an incident where a worker was crushed to death while clearing a sensor fault in a robotic conveyor belt.

According to the most recent Bureau of Labor Statistics data, manufacturing plants reported approximately 2,000 accidents that led to workers suffering crushed fingers or hands, or had a limb amputated in machine-related accidents. The rate of amputations in manufacturing was more than twice as much (1.7 per 10,000 full-time employees) as that of all private industry (0.7).

KEEP IN MIND

Ways in which workers suffer machine-related injuries.

• Being hit by the part of the machine that presses, punches, cuts, shapes, etc.
• Getting trapped between moving parts.
• Limbs, hair, clothes or jewelry entangled in a chain, belt, shaft, gear, blade, etc.
• Being burned or electrocuted after accidental startup.
• Being hit by material thrown from the machine.

How do we prevent this?

Assess the Risk

• Do the hazard assessment:
• When the machine is first installed.
• At least monthly or more often if the manufacturer recommends it.
• After injuries, near misses and other incidents.
• After the machine malfunctions or is moved.
• Cover the four areas where machine injuries are most likely to occur:
• The point of operation, or machine part where the cutting, shaping, boring, forming or other operation is done on the material.
• Moving parts, including flywheels, pulleys, belts, couplings, chains, gears, conveyors, feed mechanisms, etc.
• In-running nip points, or spaces between rotating and/or slowly-moving parts.
• Primary power source, including engines, turbines and other equipment used to power the machine.

Select Guards

The challenge is to decide which guards to use to control risks you identify in your hazard assessment.

There are four basic types of machine guarding methods you can use alone or in combination, including:

• Interlocked guards – automatically stop the machine when a tripping mechanism is activated until the guard is back in place.
• Self-adjusting guards – here the size of the opening in the barrier adjusts to accommodate the stock/material.
• Automatic stopping devices – such as presence sensing devices and pullback devices.
• Automatic or robotic feeding and ejection so that materials don’t have to be manually fed into and taken out of the machine.
• Location/Distance guarding – placing machines away from work areas and/or in locations that are impossible or difficult for workers to get to.

Inspect Guards

Once machine guards are in place, they must be properly and regularly inspected. Inspection details and schedules will depend on the specific machines and guards used. But there are also general things to check, including verifying that guards are:

• Effective in keeping the worker’s body, hair and clothing from contacting moving parts.
• Firmly secured so that workers can’t easily remove them.
• Free of jagged edges, shear points, unfinished surfaces and other hazards.
• Allowing workers to do their job quickly and comfortably—if they don’t, workers may try to remove them.

Finally, make sure your inspection covers:

• Guards used at the point of operation.
• Guards at the power source.
• Each continuous line of shafting.
• Pulleys, ropes, belts, chains and chain drivers, sprockets and gears.

Provide Training

Ensure workers understand:

• The hazards posed by the machines at your workplace.
• How machine injuries can happen.
• The guards in place to control the hazards.
• The reason to never, ever remove or tamper with machine guards.
• The kind of clothing to wear—and not wear—to avoid machine injury.
• The PPE to use when working near machines.
• Any other steps they must take to protect themselves.

Workers who operate machinery also need technical safety training for each machine they use. This training must be delivered by somebody who is qualified to operate and understands the hazards associated with the machine. So, while being a supervisor qualifies you to provide general safety training, it may not be adequate for providing technical training.

Crane accidents are one of the leading causes of construction workers’ deaths. Causes of these accidents include:

1. Cranes buckling or collapsing. Cranes have weight limits to ensure they do not tip over. Cranes also use counterweight and out-rigging systems to counterbalance the weight. If the weight limits are exceeded, the crane can tip over or the boom could collapse.

2. Improper crane assembly. A major reason booms collapse is improper assembly of the crane. In addition, if the crane does not have the proper wood or metal blocking supports to stabilize the load the crane is carrying, the load could move and cause the crane to collapse.

3. Improper employee training. Crane workers must be properly trained in the use of cranes and proper operation of cranes. Employers also need to ensure that workers are warned of crane dangers and maintain a safe distance between the crane operation and work performed by other workers.

4. Mechanical failures. Cranes need to be maintained regularly to prevent accidents caused by mechanical failures. Crane components should be kept oiled, and any problems should be repaired promptly.

5. Contact with electrical lines. Electrocution from overhead power lines is a common cause of accidents. The crane operator and workers in the basket must be aware of where live wires are. In addition, the power to electrical lines should be shut off before work begins near live wires.

6. Inspections. Employers rushing to get a construction project completed may encourage quick, sloppy inspections of their cranes. However, thorough inspections are critical to prevent crane accidents. Inspectors must ensure the crane is really safe before clearing it to be used.

https://www.kansascityaccidentinjuryattorneys.com/library/6-common-causes-of-deadly-crane-accidents.cfm

DID YOU KNOW?

Q: What are bloodborne pathogens?

A: Infectious microorganisms in human blood that can cause diseases in humans.

There is a staggering statistic about injuries with bloodborne pathogens. Roughly 3 million occupational injuries occur every year.

The major blood pathogens are:

• Hepatitis B (HBV)
• Incubation period is 45 to 160 days.
• Hepatitis C (HCV)
• Incubation period is 14 to 180 days.
• Human Immunodeficiency Virus
• Incubation period ranges from a few months to 10 years or more.

KEEP IN MIND

Bloodborne pathogens can be transmitted through blood and other bodily fluids through:

• Ingestion
• Sexual contact
• Use of dirty needles
• Direct blood to blood contact
• Contact with mucous membranes
• Open cuts and sores

Prevention of Bloodborne Pathogens

• Take Universal Precautions and treat all blood, bodily fluids, and any other objects as if they are infected.

Engineering Controls:

• Sharps containers for disposing of used needles
• Mechanical devices to pick up contaminated items
• Self-capping syringes

Administrative Controls:

• Proper housekeeping, sanitation, and disposal procedures
• Clearly labeling sharps container
• Not eating, drinking, or applying makeup in work areas

PPE (Last Line of Defense)

• Disposable gloves
• Safety glasses and face shields
• Protective coverings (i.e mask)
• Ventilation barriers

REPORT EXPOSURE IMMEDIATELY

DID YOU KNOW?

When working outdoors in cold weather or working in artificially cold environments, such as refrigerated areas, serious cold-related injuries and illnesses may occur. Cold related hazards can cause permanent tissue damage or even death.

When the body is unable to warm itself, cold related stress may result.

Four contributing factors:

• Cold Air Temperatures
• High Velocity Air Movement
• Dampness of the Air
• Contact with Cold Water or Surfaces

Wind chill is the combination of air temperature and wind speed. For example, when the air temperature is 40º F. and the wind speed is 35 mph, your exposed skin receives conditions equivalent to the air temperature being 11º F. While it is obvious that below freezing conditions combined with inadequate clothing could bring about cold stress, it is also important to understand that it can also be brought about by temperatures in the 50’s coupled with some rain and wind.

What are the most common cold induced problems?

Hypothermia

Hypothermia occurs when body heat is lost faster than it can be replaced. When the core body temperature drops below the normal 98.6ºF to around 95ºF, workers experience an onset of symptoms.

The following sets out the stages of hypothermia in people as their temperatures drop from normal.

Mild

98º – 86º F

• Shivering
• Lack of coordination
• Stumbling
• Fumbling
• Fumbling hands
• Slurred speech
• Pale, cold skin

Moderate

90º – 86º F

• Shivering
• Reduce breathing
• Unable to walk/stand
• Confusion
• Irrationality

Severe

86º – 78º F

• Muscle stiffness
• Very sleepy
• Unconscious
• Extremely cold skin
• Irregular pulse
• Difficult to find pulse

KEEP IN MIND

Hypothermia is the most severe cold injury. The excessive loss of body heat could be fatal. Warning signs can include nausea, fatigue, dizziness, irritability or euphoria, pain in the extremities and severe shivering.

The toes, fingers, ears and nose are at greatest risk because the do not have major muscles to produce heat. Mental alertness is also reduced.

• Chilblain – redness, swelling, tingling and pain.
• Frostnip – caused when top layers of skin freeze, turning white, numb and hard, but deeper tissue feels normal.
• Frostbite – occurs when tissue temperature falls below the freezing point or when blood flow is obstructed; symptoms include inflammation of the skin in patches and slight pain.
• Immersion foot/Trench foot – caused by prolonged wet or cold feet; symptoms include tingling, numbness, itching, pain, swelling, and blisters.

Workers need to maintain a core body temperature of +37 ºC (+98.6 ºF) for normal body functioning as well as to provide energy for activity.

Employers should:

• Choose equipment with thermal insulating materials and tools that can be operated with gloves.
• Survey and monitor the temperature.
• Train managers, supervisors and workers on symptoms, safe work practices, re-warming procedures, proper clothing practices, and what to do in case of cold injury.
• Clearly outline emergency procedures, with at least one trained person available at all times.
• Use a buddy system to watch for symptoms in others.
• Adjust the pace or rate of work (not to low that a person becomes cold, nor to high and cause heavy sweating or wet clothing).
• Allow time for new workers to become accustomed to the conditions.
• Provide or make sure that protective clothing is worn at or below 4ºC, including layers of warm clothing, with an outer layer that is wind-resistant, a hat, mittens or insulated gloves, a scarf, neck tube or face mask, and insulated, waterproof footwear.

DID YOU KNOW?

About 2.1 million workers enter permit confined spaces annually. According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), approximately 60 percent of confined space fatalities are rescuers. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration reported that when multiple deaths occur during a rescue, the majority of the victims are “would-be” rescuers.

NOSH reports:

• Out of 100 deaths that were investigated, the main reasons the workers entered the confined space were to perform their work functions of routine maintenance, repairs, and inspections of the confined space.
• Out of 670 confined space deaths, the most common types of hazards were atmospheric hazards and loose materials.
• Out of 217 confined spaces deaths that were investigated, the two most common types of gases in confined were spaces, hydrogen sulfide and carbon monoxide.

KEEP IN MIND

A confined space can be a street manhole, or, a country silo. If you are not positive that you can exit safely from a confined space, your safety is in peril if you enter.

You should never enter a confined space without training. Written procedures and an entry permit system are essential.

• Take atmospheric precautions. The atmosphere should be tested before you enter – by trained people. The confined space should be ventilated until it tests safe. If this is not possible, the right respiratory protection should be worn.
• Lock out energy sources. Lines carrying gases, liquids or solids should be disconnected or blocked off before you enter. Valves and electrical circuits should be locked out and tagged.
• Remove possible sources of ignition. Use non-sparking tools and lighting devices in a potentially flammable atmosphere.
• Be fully prepared before entry. Make sure you are wearing the required personal protective equipment (PPE) including a hardhat, safety-toed footwear, gloves and your breathing apparatus.
• Wear a lifeline. The lifeline should be connected from your body hamess to a winch outside the confined entrance so you can be pulled out in case of emergency.
• Have trained and equipped personnel standing by outside the confined space, for communication and rescue if necessary.

DID YOU KNOW?

Distracted driving deaths

Roughly, nine people are killed and more than 1,000 injured daily in accidents in which at least one driver was distracted.

• Nearly 4,000 people were killed in crashes involving distracted drivers in 2015.
• Distracted driving was the reported cause of death of 3,450 people in 2016.
• An estimated 391,000 drivers were injured in distracted driving crashes in 2017.
• For comparison, there were 39,773-gun deaths in the United States in 2017.
• In 2019, distracted driving was a reported factor in 8.5% of fatal motor vehicle crashes.

In March 2019, The Zebra conducted a survey of the driving behaviors and attitudes of 2,000 Americans.

• 37% of respondents aged 18 to 34 said they felt a high degree of pressure to respond to work-related messages while driving, compared to 25% of the national average among all age groups.
• Parents with young children were more likely to be distracted while driving (87%) than were adults with no small children (74%).
• One in three female drivers admitted to taking photos while driving.

The variations in distracted driving behavior based on the operating system of the cell phone the driver used.

• 16% of iPhone users said they never get distracted while driving (vs. 23% of Android users and 38% of users of other mobile operating systems).
• iPhone and Apple Car play users are more than twice as likely than Android users to video-chat, use Instagram, stream shows on Netflix or Hulu, and take photos and videos while driving.
• 10% of iPhone users admitted watching videos on YouTube while driving, while 4% of Android users admitted to doing the same.

KEEP IN MIND

The phrases “driving while texting” and “driving while distracted” may seem interchangeable, but “distracted driving” encompasses much more than checking your cell phone at a stop light. Distracted driving has major ramifications related to traffic safety, violations, and insurance rates.

If you aren’t giving your full attention to the road, the cars around you, and the speed limit, you are driving distracted.
 The Canadian and American Automobile Associations (CAA and AAA) have identified the following deadly driving distractors:

• Cell phones
• Objects, people and events outside of the vehicle
• Adjusting radio and vehicle controls
• Vehicle occupants
• Something moving in the car
• Using another object or device
• Eating and drinking

Cell phone usage ranks at the top of the list for distracting behaviors that increase your chances of being involved in a crash or near crash event.

• Text messaging (or texting) on a cell phone – 23 times more likely
• Talking on a cell phone – 4 to 5 times more likely
• Reading – 3 times more likely
• Applying makeup – 3 times more likely
• Reaching for a moving object – 9 times more likely
• Dialing on a hand-held device – 3 times more likely
• Talking or listening on a hand-held device – 1.3 times more likely

Preventing Driving Distractors

Before the Trip:

• Give yourself plenty of travel time and make sure you’re well rested and alert.
• Review all maps and directions and pre-program your route on your vehicle’s global positioning system (GPS).
• Stow and secure loose objects.
• Prepare children and other passengers with everything they need. Don’t forget to secure pets too.
• Lastly, preset the controls on your vehicle’s climate control system and audio system.

During the trip:

While you are driving:

• Let calls go to voicemail and don’t read or return texts. Do not surf the Internet or read emails. If you think you’ll be tempted to check your phone, turn it off or place it in your vehicle’s glove compartment.
• Do not eat, drink, smoke, apply makeup or engage in any other grooming activities.
• Stop at safe locations such as rest stops or a commuter lot, to make and receive calls or take care of the needs of children, passengers or pets.
• Keep your eyes and mind on the road.
• Stop periodically to help you stay alert. If you are fighting the urge to sleep, consuming caffeine, opening the windows to let in fresh air and blasting music won’t keep you safe and alert. You need to find a safe place to pull over and take a nap.
• Finally, maintain at least a two-second following distance between your vehicle and the vehicle in front of you. Using the two-second rule significantly reduces your chances of being involved in a motor vehicle accident. Increase your following distance beyond two seconds in inclement weather, heavy traffic and while passing through highway work zones.

DID YOU KNOW?

Drug and alcohol abuse lead to workplace accidents. According to OSHA, “Of the 17.2 million illicit drug users aged 18 or older in 2005, 12.9 million (74.8 percent) were employed either full or part time. “In addition, they found that 10-20 percent of work-related fatalities test positive for drugs or alcohol.

Despite the numerous safety protocols at the workplace, 40% of all industrial workplace fatalities are caused by substance abusers. And individual who is inebriated or hungover has decreased productivity and alertness. This means workplace accidents are more likely to happen. Workplace accidents caused by inebriation or a hangover is five times more likely to injure someone. Substance abusers are ten times more likely to miss work, negatively impacting themselves and others by jeopardizing their jobs, their health and safety as well as co-workers.

The rate of positive drug tests rose by double digits in five of 16 major U.S. workforce industry sectors from 2015 to 2017, according to a recent analysis done by researchers at Quest Diagnostics.

Quest Researchers found that from an examination of data from more than 10 million urine drug tests conducted over the three-year period showed that transportation and Warehousing had the largest increase, at 21.4 percent, followed by other services except Public Administration (15.4 percent), Finance and Insurance (13), tail trade (12.8), and Wholesale Trade (11.8).

Quest found that the highest positivity rates in 2017 were in consumer-facing industries, led by Retail trade (5.3 percent), Health Care and Social assistance (4.7), and Real State Rental and Leasing (4.6). Overall, the lowest rates were among the Utilities (2.8 percent) and Finance and Insurance (2.6) sectors.

Other findings:

• The Construction Industry experienced the greatest methamphetamine positivity rate in each year of the study, and had a 15 percent increase overall.
• Cocaine positivity rose in most sector in 2017. Those that saw the biggest jumps over the course of the study were Retail trade (42.9 percent); Administrative support, Waste Management and Remediation Services (35.3); and Transportation and Warehousing (22.7)
• Amphetamine positivity in the information sector rose more than 20 percent during the study period. However, the sector was the only one to show a drop in marijuana positivity (more than 8 percent) over the same time frame.
• Health care and Social Assistance (nearly 16 percent) and Educational Services (nearly 14 percent) also saw double-digit rises in amphetamine positivity from 2015 to 2017
• Marijuana was the most commonly detected substance, with the highest positivity rate (3.5 percent) found in accommodation and food services. That rate is nearly 35 percent than national average (2.6)

KEEP IN MIND

Drugged driving is on the rise – nearly matching drunk driving in the number of fatal crashes – according to a 2015 from the Governors Highway Safety Association and the Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibility.

The study revealed that 40 percent of drivers killed in crashed in 2013 tested positive for illegal, prescription or over-the-counter drugs. The figure was nearly the same as the percentage of drivers killed in crashes the same year who tested positive for alcohol in their bloodstreams.

Researchers unearthed some revealing facts the majority of drugs which include prescription medication:

• Impairs driving related cognitive functions as reaction time, distance perception, motor skills.
• Drug use combined with alcohol increases the risk of a crash.

DID YOU KNOW?

According to the Center for construction re-search and training (CPWR) in a 33yr period from 1982 to 2015, falls accounted for nearly half of all construction workers deaths. More than half of the workers killed lacked access to fall protection.

NIOSH Fatality and Control Evaluation program researches found fatality reports for 768 construction industry fatalities.
Researchers after analyzing the incidents concluded that between 1982 and 2015 that:

• 42 percent (325) of the fatalities involved falls.
• 54 percent of the workers killed had no access to a personal fall arrest system and 23 percent had access to a PFAS but did not use it.
• Most of the workers with no access to PFAS worked for residential building contractors and contractors in the roofing, siding and sheet metal sectors.
• 107 of the 325 falls were from 30 feet or higher.
• 20 percent of the 768 deaths occurred in the victims first two months on the job.

KEEP IN MIND

Personal Fall Arrest System (PFAS) are designed to protect workers from falling off communication towers, scaffolds at hi-rise construction sites, or the roof of a house.

But unfortunately, many workers receive little or no fall protection training, use the wrong fall protection equipment, or, use the equipment improperly, and, sometimes do not use fall protection at all.

OSHA requires employers to provide employees for fall protection according to the fall hazards that exist on the job.

All hazards are to be addressed by using the following hierarchy of controls:

• Eliminate the hazard
• Substitutions
• Engineering Controls
• Administration controls, and
• Personal Protective Equipment

This, if the first (1) to (4) controls are not adequate to protect against the fall hazard, then PEAS must be used.

If it has been determined that the employee must wear a harness and lanyard, the must first be trained in the hazards present when working at heights and at what heights fall protection is required. Then the employee must be trained to use and inspect this critical piece of personal safety equipment.

DID YOU KNOW?

The following are facts that should be enough to make very employer stop and consider their environments and workplace incident investigations techniques:

• According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics multiple workers die every day in American workplaces.
• 4 million serious injuries occur annually, not to mention all the sickness and disease cases resulting from stress and toxins.

Is there a difference between the term “accident” and “incident” in the context of the workplace? The term “accident” has been used often in the past referring to an unplanned, unwanted event. Some people suggest that “accident” was a random event that could not have been prevented!!! OSHA suggest that nearly all worksite fatalities, injuries, illness are preventable.

The term “incident” is the appropriate term when referring to these events.

Incident reporting of all injuries including close calls is critical to the integrity of the workplace.

• It is impossible to create improved processes that protect workers if management is not aware of what kinds of problems are occurring in the workplace that may cause injury or property damage.
• The workplace is even at greater risk for a more serious incident to occur in the future if a minor incident or near miss is ignored or not reported.
• Failure for incident reporting will negate a process in which situations can be corrected to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.
• Employee participation in workplace safety improvement strategies will not be encouraged if incidents are not reported.

KEEP IN MIND

Once the incident has happened the investigation must commerce immediately.

Firstly, follow a written plan.

Secondly, establish the investigative team.

Thirdly, investigative procedure must be implemented.

• Preserve and Document the Scene
• Collect information
  Collect information leading up to the incident, the incident itself, and other important information is necessary to establish a timeline, identify victims and witnesses, and begin to uncover the initial and root causes of the incident.

• Interview process
  • witnesses and victims.
  • Review all Company Manuals, policies and records touching the issues in question

• Determine the Root Cause
  The root causes are the underlying reasons why the incident occurred. Root causes generally reflect management, design, planning, organizational and/or operational failings (e.g., employees were not trained adequately; a damaged guard had not been repaired.
  If you truly want to prevent a repeat of an accident, you must go beyond the easy surface causes – “worker was careless” or “employee didn’t follow SOP.”

•  Implement Corrective Actions
  The investigation isn’t done until all the underlying causes of the incident have been identified and corrective actions are in place.

According to the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics from harassment, data breaches, healthy and safety issues, near misses, employers reported 2.8 million non-fatal workplace incidents in 2017.

DID YOU KNOW?

The Injuries, Illnesses, and Fatalities (IIF) program produces a wide range of information about workplace injuries and illnesses. These data are collected and reported annually through the Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII) and the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI).

The latest numbers show the follows:

Groupings:

Nonfatal Injuries and Illness, Private Industry.

Total recordable cases:

2,834,500 in 2018

Cases involving days away from work:

900,400 in 2018

Median days away from work:

8 in 2018

Cases involving sprains, strains, tears:

308,630 in 2018

Cases involving injuries to the back:

142,230 in 2018

Cases involving falls, slips, trips:

240,160 in 2018

Total fatal injuries (all sectors):

5,250 in 2018

Roadway incidents (all sectors):

1,276 in 2018

Falls, slips, trips (all sectors):

791 in 2018

Homicides (all sectors):

453 in 2018

A total of 5,250 workers died from a work-related injury in the U.S. in 2018, up 2 percent from the 2017 total of 5,147. The fatal injury rate was unchanged in 2018 at 3.5 per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers.

Employer-reported injury and illness rate unchanged in 2018 at 2.8 cases per 100 workers

The rate of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses among private industry employees was unchanged for the first time since 2012 at 2.8 cases per 100 full-time equivalent workers in 2018. Workers in private industry incurred 2.8 million injuries or illnesses in 2018.

KEEP IN MIND

The term “accident” has been used often in the past referring to an unplanned, unwanted event. Some people suggest that “accident” was a random event that could not have been prevented!!! But OSHA suggests that nearly all worksite fatalities, injuries, illness are preventable. “Incident” is the appropriated term when referring to these events.

Incident reporting of all injuries including close calls is critical to the integrity of the workplace.

• It is impossible to create improved processes that protect workers if management is not aware of what kinds of problems are occurring in the workplace that may cause injury or property damage.
• The workplace is even at greater risk for a more serious incident to occur in the future if a minor incident or near miss is ignored or not reported.
• Failure for incident reporting will negate a process in which situations can be corrected to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.
• A strong safety culture will not be fostered if incident reporting is relegated to the trash bin.

Prevention

INCIDENT REPORTING

• All incidents, near-misses and injuries should be reported immediately. The employee should not have to make a guess as to whether “their issue or incident” is worthy of an incident report. When in doubt, file an incident report.

INCIDENT REPORTING TRAINING

• All employees should be trained on the incident reporting process for their company. Ideally, this training is included as part of the on-boarding process for every employee. Throughout the year, holding periodic safety meetings on the hazard, near-miss, and incident reporting processes is essential.

INCIDENT REPORTING PROCESS

Some companies may require employees to report directly to HR or their immediate supervisor to file a report. Others may have a very convenient online reporting system that employees can access through their company’s internet. Typically, and at minimum, a company should provide a standard incident report form that every employee knows how to locate and any employee can complete and submit.

PAST INCIDENT REPORTING

There should never be any punitive damages associated with any employee filing an incident report. Following the company’s incident reporting process, there should be an interview with the employee to ensure all the facts have been collected, the form is complete, and the nature of the incident is fully understood. The incident reporting follow-up process should include an investigation into the incident, medical care provided to the employee (if needed), corrective actions implemented immediately and preventive actions implemented as deemed necessary to prevent future incidents of the same nature.

DID YOU KNOW?

Near misses make up more than half of the incidents that occur in the workplace.

OSHA defines a near miss as an incident in which no property was damaged and no personal injury was sustained, but where, given a slight shift in time or position, damage or injury easily could have occurred. Near misses also may be referred to as close calls, near accidents, accident precursors, injury-free events and, in the case of moving objects, near collisions.

Near Miss reporting is a mine-field. Employees need options, as many as them. The key to the problem is not to look at it as “who is to blame but correct the problem” very few people are going to report a near miss if there is going to be a negative consequence to them.”

People should not be punished for reporting near-miss incidents; instead, supervisors need to encourage their employees to feel comfortable coming forward to achieve a workforce that anticipates and identifies hazards before anyone gets hurt.

Research

Research exists that supports the claim that the safety climate of a workplace has a direct impact on the reporting of near misses. Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison presented a study on near-miss reporting systems in March 2011.

Survey

The Researchers surveyed 108 employees at three chemical plants in the United States, examining the relationships among employees’ perceptions of various factors that are part of the safety climate of the plants and their near-miss reporting behavior.

Results

Subjects who perceived a more positive management culture towards safety were more willing to report near misses. A correlation between employees’ willingness to report and their perception of organizational factors, such as their perception of top management commitment, support of peers and their comfort in reporting issues to their supervisors.”

KEEP IN MIND

If an unsafe act or condition causes a near miss and it isn’t corrected, the likelihood of a serious injury or incident occurring goes up. The danger is not from the near miss itself, but from:

• Not acting in the incident by not recognizing it as a near miss.
• Not following the correct reporting procedure.
• The relevant people not taking appropriate and timely action to remove the risk.

Hazards

• Staff not understanding what a near miss is.
• Inadequate reporting processes.
• Accepting the near miss was a lucky escape and taking no action.

Near Miss Program

Environmental, health and safety departments at five Fortune 500 companies, created the following steps for setting up a successful Near-Miss Program:

• Create a clear definition of a near miss.
• Make a written disclosure and report the identified near miss.
• Prioritize reports and classify information for future actions.
• Distribute information to the people involved in the near miss.
• Analyze the causes of the problem.
• Identify solutions to the problem.
• Disseminate the solutions to the people impacted.
• Resolve all actions and check any changes.

Other Steps:

• A bulletin board reporting from is one way to increase awareness of near misses.
• Workers fill out a simple form which gets posted on the bulletin board for all to see.
• Bring close call reports to your regular safety meetings. Have workers talk about how to prevent future incidents.
• Explain to your workers that the terms “close call” and “near miss” are used interchangeably. Ask them for their definitions of these terms and make sure everyone understands what they mean. Likewise, explain what is meant by “safety incident” which covers injuries and close calls.
• This is a good topic for a video. Get some volunteers together and stage a close call incident in your work area.

DID YOU KNOW?

Revealing statistics

Eye injuries in the workplace are very common. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) reports that every day about 2,000 U.S. workers sustain job-related eye injuries that require medical treatment. However, safety experts and eye doctors believe the current eye protection can lessen the severity or even prevent 90 percent of these eye injuries.

A Bureau of Labor Statistics survey of workers who suffered eye injuries revealed that nearly three out of five were not wearing eye protection at the time of the accident. These workers most often reported that they believed protection was not required for the situation.

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) estimates each day 1,000 employees receive injuries to their eyes.

• Nearly three out of five were not wearing eye protection.
• Flying objects or sparks caused 70 percent of incidents. Three-fifths of the objects were smaller than a pinhead.
• Chemicals caused one-fifth of the eye injuries.
• Other injuries include objects swinging from a fixed position or tools hitting the worker’s eye.

Computer Vision Syndrome, also referred to as Digital Eye Strain, describes a group of eye and vision-related problems that result from prolonged computer, tablet, e-reader and cell phone use. The average American worker spends seven hours a day on the computer either in the office or working from home.

KEEP IN MIND

Workplace eye protection is needed when the following potential eye hazards are present:

• Projectiles (dust, concrete, metal, wood and other particles)
• Chemicals (splashes and fumes)
• Radiation (especially visible light, ultraviolet radiation, heat or infrared radiation, and lasers)
• Bloodborne pathogens (hepatitis or HIV) from blood and body fluids

Workers experience eye injuries on the job for two major reasons:

• They were not wearing eye protection.
• They were wearing the wrong kind of protection for the job.

There are four things you can do to protect your eyes from injury:

• Know the eye safety dangers at your work.
• Eliminate hazards before starting work by using machine guards, work screens or other engineering controls.
• Use proper eye protection.
• Keep your safety eyewear in good condition and have it replaced if it becomes damaged.

Selection of protective eyewear appropriate for a given task should be made based on a hazard assessment of each activity.

Types of eye protection include:

• Nonprescription and prescription safety glasses. Although safety glasses may look like normal dress eyewear, they are designed to provide significantly more eye protection. The lenses and frames are much stronger than regular eyeglasses. Safety glasses must meet standards of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). Look for the Z87 mark on the lens or frame.Safety glasses provide eye protection for general working conditions where there may be dust, chips or flying particles. Side shields and wraparound-style safety glasses can provide additional side protection.

  Safety lenses are available in plastic, polycarbonate and Trivex™ materials. While all four types must meet or exceed the minimum requirements for protecting your eyes, polycarbonate lenses provide the highest level of protection from impact.

• Goggles. Goggles provide protection from impact, dust and chemical splash. Like safety glasses, safety goggles are highly impact-resistant. In addition, they provide a secure shield around the entire eye and protect against hazards coming from any direction. Goggles can be worn over prescription glasses and contact lenses.
• Face shields and helmets. Full face shields protect workers exposed to chemicals, heat or blood-borne pathogens. Helmets are used for welding or working with molten materials. Face shields and helmets should not be the only protective eyewear. They need to be used in conjunction with safety glasses or goggles, so the eyes are protected when the shield is lifted.
• Special protection. Helmets or goggles with special filters to protect the eyes from optical radiation exposure should be used for welding or working with lasers.

DID YOU KNOW?

Awareness of Sexual Harassment in the Workplace

• 72% of women register a high level of awareness of sexual awareness compared to 55% of men.

Overall men are less aware of the different form of sexual harassment than women, with more men recording no level of awareness.

Experience of Sexual Harassment in the Workplace

• 54% of people have experienced some form of workplace sexual harassment.
• 27% of people have experienced harassment by their colleague, while 17% were harassed by their supervisor.
• 79% of the victims are women; 21% were men.
• 12% have received threats of the termination if they did not comply with the requests of the sexual harassers.

The most common forms of Sexual Harassment of those that have experienced sexual harassment.

• Being repeatedly addressed by terms that are unwelcome or offensive e.g. bimbo, darling (50%)
• Having someone “repeatedly stand very close to you/lean over you” (43%)
• Staring at body parts (39%)
• Comments on physical appearance (35%)
• Touched any part of the body (33%)

Sexual Harassment occurs more at the Supervisory and Executive levels.

• Women supervisors are 138% more likely to be sexually harassed at work when compared with women who did not hold supervisory roles.

Awareness of Mechanisms for Redress within the workplace

• 67% of people were not aware of any policies on sexual harassment.

Emotions Upon Experiencing Sexual Harassment

• 26.8% – afraid
• 55.1% – angry
• 24.6% – confused
• 8.1% – guilty
• 12.5% – resigned
• 15.1% – wish had someone to talk
• 28.3% – wish something could be done.
• 13 % – affected job performance
• 12.5% – afraid would lose job

KEEP IN MIND

Sexual harassment is any unwelcome sexual advance or conduct on the job that creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive working environment. Any conduct of a sexual nature that makes an employee uncomfortable has the potential to be sexual harassment.

An employer has a legal responsibility to maintain a workplace that is free of sexual harassment.

Sexual harassment can sometimes come in the form of threats if the person does not go along with sexual advances, or promise of job rewards if the person does. Another type of sexual harassment is the creation of an intimidating or offensive work environment. Sexual pictures and offensive language are examples.

Sexual harassment can be physical and involve unwanted touching or physical assault. It can be verbal in the form of off-color jokes or non-verbal in the form of gestures. A male harassing a female is the common scenario. But females do harass male, and same-sex harassment also occurs.

DID YOU KNOW?

The third leading cause of unintentional injury-related death is falls. In 2016, 34,673 people died in falls at home and at work, according to Injury Facts for working adults, depending on the industry, falls can be the leading cause of death.

In 2016, 697 workers died in falls to a lower level, and 48,060 were injured badly enough to require days off of work. A worker doesn’t have fall from a high level to suffer fatal injuries; 134 workers were killed in falls on the same level in 2016, according to Injury Facts. Construction workers are most at risk for fatal falls from height – more than seven times the rate of other industries – but falls can happen anywhere, even at a “desk job.”

NSC data for 2016 includes falls from height and falls on the same level, by industry:

• Construction: 24,700 injuries, 384 deaths
• Manufacturing: 22,040 injuries, 49 deaths
• Wholesale trade: 10,250 injuries, 21 deaths
• Retail trade: 29,830 injuries, 29 deaths
• Transportation and Warehousing: 23,490 injuries, 46 deaths
• Professional and business services: 22,090 injuries, 111 deaths
• Education and health services: 43,660 injuries, 18 deaths
• Government: 63,350 injuries, 44 deaths

KEEP IN MIND

Slips, Trips, and Falls are Preventable

Whether working from a ladder, roof or scaffolding, it’s important to plan ahead, assess the risk and use the right equipment.

• Discuss the task with coworkers and determine what safety equipment is needed.
• Make sure you are properly trained on how to use the equipment.
• Scan the work area for potential hazards before starting the job.
• Make sure you have level ground to set up the equipment.
• If working outside, check the weather forecast; never work in inclement weather.
• Use the correct tool for the job, and use it as intended.
• Ensure stepladders have a locking device to hold the front and back open.
• Always keep two hands and one foot, or two feet and one hand on the ladder.
• Place the ladder on a solid surface and never lean it against an unstable surface.
• A straight or extension ladder should be 1 foot away from the surface it rests on for every 4 feet of height and extend at least 3 feet over the top edge.
• Keep the work area clear of hazards and in immediately clean up spills
• Read all instructions and safety precautions on your equipment
• Don’t wear loose clothing that can get caught in equipment
• Securely fasten straight and extension ladders to an upper support.
• Wear slip-resistant shoes and don’t stand higher than the third rung from the top.
• Don’t lean or reach while on a ladder, and have someone support the bottom.
• Never use old or damaged equipment; check thoroughly before use.

DID YOU KNOW?

The lead role in the U.S. to regulate, and monitor workplace safety resides with OSHA, a federal agency. The following encapsulates OSHA’s resources and monitoring role.

Federal OSHA coverage

Federal OSHA is a small agency; with our state partners we have approximately 2,100 inspectors responsible for the health and safety of 130 million workers, employed at more than 8 million worksites around the nation — which translates to about one compliance officer for every 59,000 workers.

Federal OSHA has 10 regional offices and 85 local area offices.

OSHA BUDGET

FY 2017: $552,787,0003
FY 2018: $552,787,000
FY 2019: $557,787,000

OSHA INSPECTIONS

FY 2018 total federal inspections: 32,020
FY 2018 total State Plan inspections: 40,993

WORKER INJURIES, ILLNESSES, AND FATALITIES

5,147 workers died on the job in 2017 (3.5 per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers) — on average, more than 99 a week or more than 14 deaths every day.

CONSTRUCTION’S “FATAL FOUR”

Out of 4,674 worker fatalities in private industry in calendar year 2017, 971 or 20.7% were in construction — that is, one in five worker deaths last year were in construction. The leading causes of private sector worker deaths (excluding highway collisions) in the construction industry were falls, followed by struck by object, electrocution, and caught-in/between. These “Fatal Four” were responsible for more than half (59.9%) the construction worker deaths in 2017, BLS reports. Eliminating the Fatal Four would save 582 workers’ lives in America every year.

• Falls – 381 out of 971 total deaths in construction in CY 2017 (39.2%)
• Struck by Object – 80 (8.2%)
• Electrocutions – 71 (7.3%)
• Caught-in/between* – 50 (5.1%)

(*This category includes construction workers killed when caught-in or compressed by equipment or objects, and struck, caught, or crushed in collapsing structure, equipment, or material)

TAKE AWAY

OSHA is making a difference by making workplace safer despite lack of resources and money.

• In more than four decades, OSHA and our state partners, coupled with the efforts of employers, safety and health professionals, unions and advocates, have had a dramatic effect on workplace safety.
• Worker deaths in America are down-on average, from about 38 worker deaths a day in 1970 to 14 a day in 2017.
• Worker injuries and illnesses are down-from 10.9 incidents per 100 workers in 1972 to 2.8 per 100 in 2017

KEEP IN MIND

Workplace inspections help prevent accidents, injuries and illness. Workplace inspections are a basic necessity of any safety program. A critical examination of the workplace will identify and record hazards for corrective action.

Objects, equipment, people and even animals find their way into work areas – Hazards

Types of workplace Hazards

• Safety hazards such as those caused by inadequate machine guards, unsafe workplace conditions, unsafe work practices.
• Biological hazards caused by organisms such as viruses, bacteria, fungi and parasites.
• Chemical hazards caused by a solid, liquid, vapour, gas, dust, fume or mist.
• Ergonomic hazards caused by physiological and psychological demands on the worker, such as repetitive and forceful movements, awkward postures arising from improper work methods, and improperly designed workstations, tools, and equipment.
• Physical hazards caused by noise, vibration, energy, weather, heat, cold, electricity, radiation and pressure.
• Psychosocial hazards that can affect mental health or well-being such as overwork, stress, bullying, or violence.

Planning is essential for effective inspection

• Every inspection must examine who, what, where, when and how. Pay particular attention to items that are or are most likely to develop into unsafe or unhealthy conditions because of stress, wear, impact, vibration, heat, corrosion, chemical reaction or misuse.
• Look at all workplace elements – the people, the environment, the equipment and the process. The environment includes such hazards as noise, vibration, lighting, temperature, and ventilation. Equipment includes materials, tools and apparatus for producing a product or a service. The process involves how the worker interacts with the other elements in a series of tasks or operations.

Three types of inspection reports

Ongoing

Supervisors and workers continually conduct ongoing inspections as part of their job responsibilities. Such inspections identify hazardous conditions and either correct them immediately or report them for corrective action. The frequency of these inspections varies with the amount and conditions of equipment use. Daily checks by users assure that the equipment meets minimum acceptable safety requirements.

Pre-operation

Pre-operation checks involve inspections of new or modified equipment or processes. Often these are done after workplace shutdowns.

Periodic

Periodic inspections are regular, planned inspections of the critical components of equipment or systems that have a high potential for causing serious injury or illness. The inspections are often part of preventive maintenance procedures or hazard control programs. Laws and regulations may specify that qualified or competent persons must inspect certain types of equipment, such as elevators, boilers, pressure vessels, scaffolding, and fire extinguishers at determined points in the work process and at regular intervals.

Lockout /tagout is an important safety measure to ensure that equipment does not become activated during repair or maintenance procedures. Here are seven statistics relating to lockout/tagout.

Lockout/tagout is a safety procedure performed by trained and authorized workers to ensure that machinery and energy sources capable of causing injury or death are properly shut down and rendered incapable of unexpectedly restarting until maintenance or repair work is completed and the lock and tag are removed by the person who placed them there. Here are seven statistics relating to lockout/tagout:

1. Lockout/tagout procedures apply in these four circumstances: When workers are servicing or maintaining equipment and unexpected startup of a machine or the release of stored energy could occur; when during normal production, workers must remove or bypass a guard or safety device; when during normal production, workers place any parts of their bodies into the danger zone or the machine’s point of operation; and during all set-up activities. (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH))
2. Up to 10 percent of industrial incidents are believed to be related to failure to properly lock out equipment. (Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
3. Lockout/tagout procedures prevent an estimated 120 worker fatalities and 50,000 injuries each year in the United States. (OSHA)
4. Lockout/tagout protects workers from serious or fatal physical hazards, including these six examples: shock/electrocution; amputations; pinching injuries; crushing injuries; cuts; and burns.
5. Seven forms of hazardous energy found in workplaces include: electrical; thermal; chemical; hydraulic; pneumatic; mechanical; and gravitational.
6. Six important lockout/tagout procedures include notifying all affected workers; machine shutdown and hazardous energy isolation; application of lockout/tagout; verification of isolation; lockout/tagout interruption for testing or repositioning; and release from lockout/tagout. (Health & Safety Ontario)
7. Three examples of energy-isolating devices are valves, circuit breakers and disconnect switches. During lockout, the main power source for the machinery or equipment must be disconnected and locked out at all times. (WorkSafeBC)

El bloqueo/etiquetado es una medida de seguridad importante para asegurar que el equipo no se active durante los procedimientos de reparación o mantenimiento. Aquí hay siete estadísticas relacionadas con el bloqueo/etiquetado.

El bloqueo/etiquetado es un procedimiento de seguridad realizado por trabajadores capacitados y autorizados para garantizar que la maquinaria y las fuentes de energía capaces de causar lesiones o la muerte se apaguen correctamente y se vuelvan incapaces de volver a encenderse de forma inesperada hasta que se completen los trabajos de mantenimiento o reparación y la persona que las colocó allí retire el bloqueo y la etiqueta. Aquí hay siete estadísticas relacionadas con el bloqueo/etiquetado:

1. Los procedimientos de bloqueo/etiquetado se aplican en estas cuatro circunstancias: Cuando los trabajadores están reparando o manteniendo el equipo y podría producirse una puesta en marcha inesperada de una máquina o la liberación de energía almacenada; cuando durante la producción normal, los trabajadores deben retirar o evitar una protección o un dispositivo de seguridad; cuando durante la producción normal, los trabajadores colocan cualquier parte de su cuerpo en la zona de peligro o en el punto de operación de la máquina; y durante todas las actividades de instalación. (Instituto Nacional de Seguridad y Salud Ocupacional.

2. Se cree que hasta un 10 por ciento de los incidentes industriales están relacionados con la falta de bloqueo adecuado de los equipos. (Administración de Seguridad y Salud Ocupacional (OSHA)

3. Los procedimientos de bloqueo/etiquetado previenen un estimado de 120 muertes de trabajadores y 50,000 lesiones cada año en los Estados Unidos. (OSHA)

4. El bloqueo/etiquetado protege a los trabajadores de peligros físicos graves o fatales, incluyendo estos seis ejemplos: choque/electrocución; amputaciones; lesiones por pellizco; lesiones por aplastamiento; cortes; y quemaduras.

5. Siete formas de energía peligrosa que se encuentran en los lugares de trabajo son: eléctrica, térmica, química, hidráulica, neumática, mecánica y gravitacional.

7. Seis procedimientos importantes de bloqueo/etiquetado incluyen la notificación a todos los trabajadores afectados; el apagado de la máquina y el aislamiento de energía peligrosa; la aplicación de bloqueo/etiquetado; la verificación del aislamiento; la interrupción del bloqueo/etiquetado para pruebas o reposicionamiento; y la liberación del bloqueo/etiquetado.
8. Tres ejemplos de dispositivos de aislamiento de energía son las válvulas, los disyuntores y los interruptores de desconexión. Durante el bloqueo, la fuente de alimentación principal de la máquina o equipo debe estar desconectada y bloqueada en todo momento.

Los accidentes de grúa son una de las principales causas de muerte de los trabajadores de la construcción. Las causas de estos accidentes incluyen:

1. Las grúas se doblan o colapsan. Las grúas tienen límites de peso para asegurar que no se vuelquen. Las grúas también utilizan sistemas de contrapeso y de manipulación para contrarrestar el peso. Si se superan los límites de peso, la grúa puede volcar o la pluma puede colapsar.

2. Montaje incorrecto de la grúa. Una de las principales razones del colapso de las plumas es el montaje incorrecto de la grúa. Además, si la grúa no tiene los soportes de bloqueo de madera o metal adecuados para estabilizar la carga que la grúa está transportando, la carga podría moverse y provocar el colapso de la grúa.

3. Formación inadecuada de los empleados. Los trabajadores de las grúas deben estar debidamente capacitados en el uso de las grúas y en la operación apropiada de las mismas. Los empleadores también deben asegurarse de que los trabajadores estén advertidos de los peligros de las grúas y mantener una distancia segura entre la operación de la grúa y el trabajo realizado por otros trabajadores.

4. Fallas mecánicas. Las grúas necesitan ser mantenidas regularmente para prevenir accidentes causados por fallas mecánicas. Los componentes de la grúa deben mantenerse engrasados, y cualquier problema debe ser reparado rápidamente.

5. Contacto con líneas eléctricas. La electrocución de las líneas eléctricas aéreas es una causa común de accidentes. El operador de la grúa y los trabajadores en la cesta deben saber dónde están los cables bajo tensión. Además, la energía a las líneas eléctricas debe ser cortada antes de que el trabajo comience cerca de los cables bajo tensión.

6. Inspecciones. Los empleadores que se apresuran a terminar un proyecto de construcción pueden fomentar inspecciones rápidas y descuidadas de sus grúas. Sin embargo, las inspecciones minuciosas son críticas para prevenir los accidentes de grúas. Los inspectores deben asegurarse de que la grúa es realmente segura antes de despejarla para su uso.

Un leñador de 47 años de edad estaba trabajando para colocar los estranguladores en una operación de registro de cable. Trabajaba con un socio en un turno de troncos bajo un sistema de cable de alto plomo. Ellos estaban trabajando en lados opuestos del horizonte – el cable que corría hacia una torre central y arrastraba la madera hacia un lugar central para cargarla. Una vez que se fijó el giro, el registrador le indicó al ingeniero de patio que activara el cable y comenzara a tirar de los troncos. Un tronco de pequeño diámetro y largo de árbol se colgó de un tocón cercano y se soltó de la cadena, golpeando al maderero en la sección media. Fue hospitalizado con costillas rotas y graves daños internos. Al séptimo día, murió a causa de sus heridas.

De acuerdo con los reglamentos de OSHA de Oregon, todos los trabajadores deben permanecer en el claro, fuera de la línea de impacto potencial de los troncos a medida que se mueven. Los lugares seguros deben incluir la colocación de los trabajadores detrás, en lugar de antes, de los troncos que se están moviendo. Una persona competente debe estar a cargo de la seguridad de a tripulación en las operaciones de tala de árboles, para establecer los estándares de prácticas de trabajo para los demás. La OSHA de Oregon ha establecido normas de seguridad para las operaciones de tala que incluyen estos elementos: evaluación de accidentes, participación de los empleados, identificación y control de peligros, capacitación y evaluación anual del programa.
Source: Oregon Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) Program, Case Report 04OR052

Un trabajador estaba usando una motosierra para recortar los extremos de los espaciadores utilizados para separar capas de madera en preparaci6n para el secado en un horno. Trabajaba solo, aunque otros trabajadores estaban cerca. No llevaba ropa protectora y no habTa un protector de cadena ni un dispositivo antigolpes en la motosierra que estaba usando.

Uno de los espaciadores que estaba cortando estaba aparentemente suelto en la pila y la sierra le dio un golpe en el lado derecho del cuello. Una profunda laceraci6n en el cuello hasta la profundidad de la medula espinal le caus6 la muerte.

En el pasado, las motosierras eran una herramienta utilizada solo por los madereros profesionales, pero ahora se calcula que el 90% de las motosierras se venden fuera de la industria maderera.

jUna motosierra debe ser tratada como un arma cargada! Los transeuntes deben mantener siempre una distancia de seguridad con respecto al operador. jY el operador debe protegerse como si estuviera en guerra!

A pesar del hecho de que cualquier motosierra puede ser un asesino, demasiados usuarios ignoran este hecho y los operan de una manera descuidada.

Muchos propietarios ni siquiera  leen  los consejos  de seguridad  en los manuales  del  operador, y con demasiada frecuencia, cuando se revende una sierra, el manual nova con ella. La mayorTa de las sierras de hoy en dTa incorporan varias caracterTsticas de seguridad que, cuando funcionan correctamente, proporcionan una buena medida de seguridad para el operador.

Algunos propietarios de motosierras no usan equipo de protecci6n personal. lncluso se quitan los dispositivos de seguridad porque sienten que “se interponen en el camino”. Con demasiada frecuencia lo unico que se interpone en su camino es alguna parte de su cuerpo.

Todas las personas que usan motosierras, tanto dentro como fuera del trabajo, deben aprovechar los programas de capacitaci6n y los cursos de seguridad.

Un experimentado operador de motosierra murió cuando la sierra que estaba usando le golpeó en el cuello. Estaba cortando las ramas de un árbol muerto cuando la punta de la sierra se enganchó en una obstrucción. Retrocedió, golpeándolo en el cuello. Le corto una arteria del cuello y murió desangrado. La motosierra que utilizaba fue descrita como un modelo antiguo en excelentes condiciones.

El contragolpe es un peligro siempre presente cuando se opera una motosierra. Antes de operar una motosierra, usted debe estar completamente consciente de los peligros y estar completamente entrenado. Su sierra debe estar equipada con un dispositivo antideslizamiento. También debe usar ropa protectora que cubra sus piernas, cuello y pecho con material balístico pesado. Cuando compre una motosierra para uso personal, aproveche la capacitación en seguridad ofrecida por el concesionario.

El dueño de una empresa maderera fue golpeado y herido de muerte por la caída de un árbol minutos después de llegar al trabajo.

El accidente ocurrió en el bosque donde un trabajador estaba usando una motosierra para talar un árbol grande. El árbol no se cayó inmediatamente y fue durante el tiempo en que la persona que lo derribó solicitó ayuda al operador del skidder que el árbol se cayó y golpeó un obstáculo que se rompió y golpeó al propietario, que no llevaba casco.

No había teléfono en el lugar, por lo que el otro propietario de la empresa se vio obligado a conducir hasta una tienda cercana para llamar al 911. Su compañero fue trasladado en avión al hospital, donde fue declarado muerto.

Esta tragedia evitable ilustra lo importante que es implementar y seguir políticas y procedimientos de trabajo seguro. En este caso, el empleador tomó medidas inmediatas para evitar tragedias similares. La compañía introdujo nuevas políticas de seguridad, procedimientos y capacitación; actualizó sus suministros de primeros auxilios; y compró teléfonos celulares que ahora están disponibles en el sitio durante todas las operaciones de tala.

Los investigadores descubrieron que la empresa y sus trabajadores cometieron varios errores. Ellos recomendaron:

• Los árboles enganchados deben ser removidos antes de que comience la tala.
• Los caídos usan cuñas para talar árboles
• No dejar en pie ningún árbol cortado parcialmente
• Los trabajadores permanecen fuera de la zona de caída mientras se realiza el corte
• Los trabajadores dentro del área de caída llevan cascos

(Spanish Version)

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Un obrero que trabajaba para su segundo día en un proyecto de construcción de carreteras fue electrocutado cuando una grúa tocó una línea eléctrica aérea. La grúa estaba siendo utilizada para remover barreras de cemento de una tonelada del borde de la carretera para que ésta pudiera ser repavimentada.

El operador de la grúa y el obrero estaban al tanto de las líneas eléctricas aéreas y habían movido varias barreras sin incidentes. El trabajo de la víctima requería que estuviera al borde de la carretera para guiar la grúa y el conjunto de enganche. A medida que avanzaban los trabajos, la grúa se trasladó a un área que estaba congestionada por los equipos de pavimentación y el tráfico de la carretera. El operador de la grúa habló con su supervisor sobre las distracciones y el tráfico pesado, y el supervisor le sugirió que se tomara un descanso para almorzar. Sin embargo, el operador de la grúa y la víctima decidieron mover un par de barreras más antes de detenerse a almorzar. Las líneas eléctricas aéreas se olvidaron por un momento. Aparentemente, la víctima agarró el dispositivo de elevación para guiarlo a su lugar cuando el brazo tocó el cable de alimentación. La víctima se desmayó. El operador de la grúa, inconsciente del contacto con la línea eléctrica, saltó del camión al suelo. Allí vio el neumático delantero de la grúa explotar y pudo ver chispas y arcos entre el camión y el suelo. La máquina se envolvió en llamas antes de que el fusible de la línea de energía se quemara. Los rescatadores no pudieron revivir a la víctima.

Parece que el tipo de equipo y procedimientos utilizados para este trabajo ponen a los trabajadores en constante peligro de contacto con las líneas eléctricas. Los procedimientos escritos, la capacitación en seguridad, el equipo correcto y el equipo de protección personal adecuado son importantes para cualquier persona que trabaje cerca de líneas eléctricas. Recuerde acerca de este peligro fuera del trabajo también. Incluso el contacto entre una escalera doméstica y una línea eléctrica doméstica puede ser fatal.