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We’ve all heard the horror stories and read the headlines.
“X Company kills employee” or “Y company is being sued for $10,000,000 for OSHA violation”. It seems outrageous and almost like clickbait.
Traveling throughout an industrial area, such as a distribution, warehouse, or manufacturing center, can be risky. Over the years, material handling technology has improved to increase efficiency and put less ergonomic strain on the employees with conveyor systems.
Conveyor belts are large...
Installing rooftop smoke vents is a great way to reduce the dangers of a fire in a building.
However, one of the biggest concerns of safety professionals is to ensure that the solution to one hazard doesn’t create a new, unaccounted-for hazard.
Any time we cut a hole in a walking surface...
The idea of needing to walk a roof “safely” probably doesn’t seem odd or out of place to anyone. Walking a roof seems straightforward, just stay away from the edge and be careful.
Well, there are a whole slew of issues which could cause injuries that need to be taken into consideration...
John F Kennedy identified himself as a donut, Thomas Edison invented the first lightbulb, fortune cookies are a Chinese dessert, and cockroaches will survive a nuclear attack.
What do all 4 of these things have in common?
It’s easy to think that every type of roof can be treated the same. This simply isn’t the case. Your EPDM roof safety plan will not be a one-to-one transfer to a metal roof.
This may be common sense to you, and I hope that it is. However, too often safety plans are just copy pasted and...
It’s easy to read the title above and think that you’re going to find a yes or no answer to the question. But the fact that there is a whole article indicates what you were probably afraid of.
The answer isn’t that simple.
The confusion comes from a few places. First, OSHA...
Trains, Planes, and Automobiles… what do they all have in common? Someone has to work on top of them for a living.
This means that someone is working at height, is exposed to risk, and needs to be protected.
No one should have to worry about falling from height when fleeing a hazardous situation. This could happen in an emergency if your rooftop is your secondary exit route and you don't have fall protection.
According to OSHA, an exit route is a continuous and unobstructed path of exit travel...
Picture this: you and your guests savoring the ambiance of a rooftop deck and enjoying refreshing drinks while taking in the stunning views of the city or surrounding nature. Now imagine how that picture would change if someone were to fall off the deck...or off of the whole roof.
Dramatic, I...
There is no lack of rooftop guardrail options today. This is even true when it comes to non-penetrating guardrail systems. This was not true ten years ago.
For a while, there was a concern that non-penetrating guardrail was not actually safe, which it is. When you got past that, then you had...
What sort of safety preparations does your company take to get ready for winter? In some cases, that might include restocking on winter salt, or checking that your generator is in working condition.
Have you ever considered that your rooftop might require preparation to be safe in the colder...
They say that you're most likely to get into a car accident when you’re 2 miles from home. This is because you feel the most at ease when you’re almost there or just getting started.
Your fixed ladders are very much like those 2 miles from home. When you first start the job, you’re...
“Parkour!” is not what we should be yelling on rooftops while we work.
That’s why you need to consider exactly how you and your team will safely move from one roof surface to another. A stumble or loss of balance can result in a fall.
A worker can still be injured even if the fall is...
Solar panel installations are growing in popularity for commercial buildings. Whether you want to increase energy efficiency, decrease your carbon footprint, or line up with green initiatives, you may be pursuing a solar panel installation.
Most solar arrays get installed on commercial...
In any business, like injection molding, efficiency, safety, and compliance are paramount. One crucial element you might overlook is using safety platforms to achieve these objectives.
In this context, platforms refer to elevated structures or work platforms that provide safe and convenient...
Whether strapping down steel pipe or a 200-pound tarp on a flatbed trailer, you’ll most likely need to stand on the flatbed.
Since the standard flatbed deck is 60 inches tall, you are working at height, are exposed to a fall hazard, and need fall protection.
Loading and unloading flatbed...
Fall protection was the number one cited standard by OSHA in the 2022 fiscal year. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 850 reported cases of fatal workplace injuries in 2021 due to falls, slips, and trips. In 2020, over 56,000 injuries were reported related to falls to...
Choosing the right fall protection is like choosing the right smoker for a barbecue. Sure, you could get that tiny electric smoke box that’s cheap and comfortable. But why settle for a subpar smoking experience when you can use charcoal and wood?
Just like with a smoker, there are cheap...
Efficiency and safety are key factors for a productive workplace. One pivotal component is having safe and secure access to work through industrial safety platforms.
But can you just slap some plywood and 2x4s together to make a safe and compliant platform?
Maybe...
In this article, I’m...
In the world of workplace safety, fall protection gets a lot of attention and for good reason.
Slips, trips, and falls are consistently a leading cause of workplace injuries. OSHA has established specific regulations and practices to protect against these hazards.
You could be using the wrong guardrail.
I’ve heard the word temporary used in several ways for guardrail, and not all of them correct. The definition of temporary is “lasting for a limited period of time”.
I hate ladders.
As someone who frequently visits facilities for rooftop audits, I can safely say that ladders are more difficult to use than rooftop stairs. They make a day of inspecting facilities feel that much longer.
The #1 cited OSHA violation in 2023 was fall protection. 13 years running. The count of violations is more than double second place, which was hazard communication.
This means people are at risk while working because falls aren’t properly addressed and those hazards aren’t properly...
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