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PPE: The Personal Barrier Against Workplace Hazards

The basic objective of any PPE program is to protect employees from safety and health hazards that can’t be engineered out. To pick the right PPE for your employees, you must assess the potential hazards. Personal protective equipment (PPE) in one form or another has been around for centuries. There’s evidence, for example, that early […]

Your Forklift Operators: Adequately Trained?

Forklifts are the workhorses of industry. They’re essential to efficient material-handling operations. But forklifts are also big, dangerous, and potentially deadly pieces of equipment. To protect employees, you need strict rules and a comprehensive training and evaluation program. Preventing forklift accidents is within the reach of any forklift safety program. What you need is: A […]

Fatal Mix—Forklifts and Young Workers

Young workers are involved in a disproportionate number of forklift accidents. Lack of training, inexperience, and risk taking are all culprits in these accidents. But they are no excuse. Federal laws and regulations require you to protect your young workers and prevent forklift-related incidents. OSHA’s Powered Industrial Truck standard (29 CFR 1910.178) requires you to […]

Safe Handling of Flammable and Combustible Liquids

Many operations use flammable and combustible liquids, such as gasoline, kerosene, solvents, strippers, alcohol, and benzene. These liquids are so common that the biggest risk is taking them for granted. But our Safety Training Tips editor reminds you that even small amounts may cause fires or explosions when their vapors mix with air and are […]

Natural or Man-Made—Be Ready for Emergencies

Yesterday, we focused on hurricanes, a type of workplace emergency for which employers in many states must be prepared. But hurricanes don’t affect everyone and they aren’t the only potential workplace disaster you need to anticipate. Whether a workplace emergency is natural or man-made, OSHA makes you responsible for ensuring employee safety in the workplace. […]

Preparing Your Workplace for a Hurricane

Hurricane season is here. These monster storms can strike with tremendous, destructive force. And when they do, winds, water, and flying debris can threaten your business and your employees. Preparation is the key to survival and recovery. Preparation for hurricane season should begin long before the first hurricane warning is announced, says the American Society […]

First Rule of Safety: Know Your Job

Yesterday, we talked about safety orientation for new hires. Today, we continue the theme, focusing on job-specific information new employees need to learn ASAP. Knowing how to perform a job properly includes knowing how to do it safely. To protect themselves and their co-workers, new employees have to get to know their jobs inside out. […]

Best Practices in Safety Orientation

New employees lack familiarity with your workplace, processes, chemicals, safety hazards, and safety practices—all of which puts them at greater risk than your seasoned veterans. That’s why your safety orientation program has to be efficient, hard-hitting, and packed with information. Too often, orientation is considered a necessary evil. It’s not given sufficient attention by some […]

Home, Safe Home

With National Safe at Home Week slated for August 24–30, 2009, our Safety Training Tips editor says that now is a good time to share home safety advice with your workers. According to the Home Safety Council, the top five causes of nonfatal, unintentional injuries are: Falls Struck by/against Cut/pierce Overexertion Poisoning These five causes […]

Defensive Driving: The Hands-Off Approach

Defensive driving awareness training can prevent highway tragedies involving your employees, whether they’re driving on the job or simply commuting to and from work. Roadway accidents not only kill employees such as truck drivers, who spend most of their time on the road, but also employees who simply are using their own or a company […]