Tag: OSHA

7 Steps for Effective Safety Signage

In order to use safety signs and tags effectively in your facility and remain in compliance with the OSHA regulations, be sure to take these 7 basic steps. Identify all hazards. The first step, of course, is to identify all the potential hazards in all parts of your facility. This includes office and industrial areas […]

‘Sign Up’ for Workplace Safety

Safety signage in the workplace prevents accidents and injuries. Make sure your signs and tags do the job. You’ve seen the signs—the ones that say important things like “Bridge Out” or “Wrong Way”—but somehow the cartoon and movie characters miss them because the signs are overgrown with brush, blown over by the wind, or otherwise […]

3 Requirements for OSHA-Compliant Confined Spaces Training

OSHA has many requirements for confined spaces training, but compliance doesn’t have to be difficult. Permit-required confined space training must include three key issues: Nature of the hazards Actions to take when exposed to hazards How to arrange for a rescue So says Michael Lawrence, principal of Summit Safety Technologies (Long Beach, CA), accomplished safety […]

Key Issues in Confined Space Rescue

Because of the many hazards associated with confined spaces and the potential for fatal accidents, OSHA requires employers to have a confined-space rescue procedure. Whether the rescue team is internal or external, members of the team must understand how to help victims inside the space during emergencies and get them out safely. Once the rescue […]

Turn Your Supervisors into Safety Role Models

In the safest workplaces, supervisors aren’t just safety rule enforcers, they’re also safety role models. Employees’ behavior on the job is significantly influenced by the way their supervisors think and act about workplace safety. Studies show that supervisors’ effectiveness in accident prevention is dependent on the behavior they model for employees. If workers believe that […]

Pitfalls of Noncompliance: Part 2

Yesterday, we reviewed some recent OSHA enforcement cases that resulted in multiple citations and six-figure penalties. Today, we wind up with some additional reports on the cost of failing to comply with OSHA standards. Workers Exposed to Anhydrous Ammonia OSHA inspected a Region 7 food storage facility under its national emphasis program for process safety […]

Pitfalls of Noncompliance

Avoid violations and penalties like these—and even more important the potential for accidents and injuries—by ensuring that you are in compliance with OSHA standards that apply to your workplace. Illinois Employer Placed in SVEP Following Fatal Accident A worker at a metal fabrication plant was fatally crushed by an automated laser-cutting machine. OSHA’s investigation of […]

Take Steps to Remove Invisible But Dangerous Indoor Air Hazards

Yesterday, we talked about the problems caused by poor indoor air quality in the workplace. Today, we focus on solutions. OSHA recommends a systematic approach to indoor air quality problems of the type you use to address other health and safety problems. "Management needs to be receptive to potential concerns and complaints, and train workers […]

How Clean Is the Air Your Employees Breathe?

Some experts believe that more people may suffer from indoor air pollution than outdoor air pollution. How about your employees? Most Americans spend about 90 percent of their time indoors. Poor indoor air quality can cause all kinds of ailments and discomforts, including many that can mimic symptoms of allergies, stress, colds, and flu. Indoor […]