Practical EHS Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
At a storage system manufacturing facility in Georgia, two workers suffered finger amputations in two separate incidents within a 3-month period beginning in November 2014. Yesterday, we looked at the first incident; today, we’ll look at the second incident, in which a worker was standing up a fabricated metal rack. The 353-pound rack tipped over […]
At a storage system manufacturing facility in Georgia, two workers suffered finger amputations in two separate incidents within a three-month period. The first worker was using a power press to stamp small parts for metal racks in November 2014. The employer had not ensured that the press was guarded, and the worker’s hands entered the […]
June 24, 2015, was a muggy Wednesday night in north Alabama. At the Federal Mogul manufacturing facility in Athens, 25-year-old Allen Michael Brown was outside the plant, trying to secure an empty barrel when he walked in front of a forklift. Brown was run over and killed by the forklift. Any time you have heavy […]
One of the persistent problems of fleet safety and fleet management is that so much of it is driver-dependent. Putting away cell phones and slowing down are proven ways to reduce the risk of crashes—but once a worker is operating the vehicle, the employer has no direct control over whether the worker actually does these […]
They’re called “leaf blowers,” but you’ll see them in use all summer long. They can be used to blow the grass off your mower, to blow cut grass off sidewalks and paths—they have, essentially, replaced brooms and rakes for many tasks. They may be time-savers, but leaf blowers also pose hazards. Make sure workers are […]
Fireworks injuries are on the rise, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). In 2013, injuries hit a 10-year high, with eight deaths and an estimated 11,400 consumers who sustained injuries related to fireworks. Most of the injuries were caused by device malfunction and improper use. Warn your workers this Fourth of July […]
It seemed like a good idea at the time: Reward workers for working safely by providing cash and goods that they could earn as incentives. Even better, put peer pressure to good use by rewarding workers in groups; workers, wanting their premiums, would encourage one another not to cut safety corners and to stay safe. […]
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, musculoskeletal injuries, also called overexertion injuries, account for approximately 30% of lost-time injuries. Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers experience the highest number of overexertion injuries. These injuries often involve strains and sprains to the lower back, shoulders, and upper limbs. A new publication from the National […]
Slips, trips, and falls on the same level are a leading cause of sprains, strains, tears, and more serious injuries to workers. NIOSH spent 10 years following slip, trip, and fall interventions in three hospitals to determine what caused workers to fall and how falls could best be prevented. Their findings can help all employers […]
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 22,000 people die annually from overdoses of prescription painkillers, which now contribute to more deaths than all illegal drugs such as heroin and cocaine. Workers who use prescription painkillers—particularly those in safety-sensitive positions such as operating machinery—may be at increased risk for incidents, […]