Tag: injuries

A Death in the Workplace: What’s Killing Workers?

Do you know what the leading causes of death are in American workplaces? Each year, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) tallies the statistics, releasing data from 1 to 2 years in arrears. Despite the delay in reporting, there is a certain consistency from one year to the next: Many of the same hazards remain […]

Take Action Against STFs with 5S

Slips, trips, and falls (STFs) are notorious workplace hazards that cause a lot of injuries and add to costs, productivity losses, and worker absences. Take action against STFs with these 5 strategies.

Protect workers from the 5 most common hazards of MIG welding

A 48-year-old shipyard welder was welding on a barge that was undergoing renovation, working from an elevating work platform. A pinhole leak developed in the hydraulic lines on the lift, and the escaping hydraulic oil was ignited by sparks from the welding operation. The worker was taken to a burn unit, but later died.

Deadly Lockout/Tagout Mistakes, Part 2: Where’s the Power?

A 26-year-old knitting machine operator needed to make an adjustment to the machine. The machine had interlocks that stopped it when its safety gate was opened—but the interlocks were easily disabled, and the worker simply stuck a needle in the “on” button so that he could open the gates and adjust the machine while it […]

Have Your Workers Take Safety Home for the Holidays

Off-the-job injuries and fatalities cost the country more than $500 billion, and cost employers more than 200 million lost workdays each year, according to the National Safety Council. And the holidays can be especially damaging, with the upswing in holiday travel and other holiday-related activities. Make sure that when the holidays are over, you get […]

Need a Hand with Identifying Hand Hazards?

Two tools are essential for almost any job you can think of—your hands. It’s natural, then, that preventing hand injuries should be high on any list of safety priorities. Here’s a handy checklist to help you identify hazards in your workplace that can cause injuries to workers’ hands.

Use Near Misses to Get Management Thinking About Safety

Production worries. Procurement worries. Personnel worries. Personal worries. With so much to worry about, it can be difficult sometimes to get management, supervisors, and workers to focus on your main concern: their safety. So when there’s a near miss in the workplace, don’t miss your chance—for a brief time, they’ll all be thinking about safety.