Safety is a big issue on construction sites. The ways in which serious accidents can occur are countless, thanks to the nature of construction. Federal OSHA’s statistics show that of the roughly 4,600 fatal work-related accidents in the U.S. in 2011, the most recent year for which data...

There is little doubt that safety is serious business. We hope this list will help you get a few laughs and think seriously about fixing some of the hazards that jeopardize the lives of the people you work with.

Take a look around the neighborhood you live in.  How many fences do you see?  Probably quite a few, right?  And, where you see fences, how many have no gates?  I would venture to guess that the answer is “very few if any.”  That’s because a fence is put up for a reason: to keep...

Warehouse and loading dock safety often requires the use of safety railing. Safety railing can be used for a number of different purposes in the loading dock and warehouse context. Safety railing can be used to protect people from walking off the end of the dock where the truck pulls up....

As if falling were not enough, falling onto exposed rebar can turn a survivable fall into a disaster.  Rebar caps protect the falling worker from impaling themselves on the concrete rebar that is protruding during the construction process. 

Rebar...

California OSHA code (Cal-OSHA) is notorious for being more stringent across the board on their requirements than federal OSHA. Their fall protection requirements are no different. Because of this, we here at Simplified are constantly asked, "This says it meets OSHA, but what about Cal-OSHA?"...

Some of the safest people on the job do some of the most foolish things at home.  It seems that safety takes on a whole new meaning when you’re at home because, well, nobody is making you pay attention to it.  OSHA has no jurisdiction over what you do in – or on –  your own...

The following safety huddle lists the OSHA standards that regulate and define the specifications for warning line systems in construction fall protection. Refer to 29 CFR 1926.502(f) for more details. Remember, workplace safety is everyeverybody's responsibility.

Definition: warning line...

It is common to see paths present on flat rooftops. They are visible by laying down pavers, rubber mats, or something similar, and they meander around the entirety of the roof. Once you have accessed the roof, ideally this path or walkway will lead you to the necessary areas.

Can you...

(FOREST GROVE, Ore.) Fire officials say one person died and a second was successfully rescued today, after they became trapped in the confined space of an underground manhole on NW Timmerman Road west of Forest Grove. This recent headline could have been taken from just about any newspaper...

Safety in the workplace is often an afterthought or thought of as a hindrance to getting real work done. Having a couple of dusty signs warning your workers of loud noises isn't necessarily a strong safety culture. Let's break down hot to get there.

When the conversation turns to fall protection, railings, skylight screens, horizontal lifelines, and mobile anchor points are often discussed , but what about vertical lifelines?  We tend to not hear as much about this solution, yet there are many situations in which a vertical lifeline...

Changes to OSHA's General Industry skylight screen requirements may have forced you out of compliance.

We have covered in great detail the changes and additions to the Working/Walking Surface rules posed by OSHA back in January of 2017. The focus, however, has been on the specific...

Perhaps you decided to read this because you thought, "Of course not!  Everyone knows that is a crazy dangerous, not to mention non-productive." However, studies show that walking and texting are pretty much akin to walking blindfolded.

Researchers at Stony...

If somebody was walking on a construction site and saw a large hole in the roof with nothing around it, they would immediately recognize this as unsafe. It is an opening that leads you to a 30’ drop onto a hard surface.

Skylights are less obvious. Where the drop still exists, there...

IBC is the law and should not be taken lightly.

International Building Code (IBC) is,

"…a model code that provides minimum requirements to safeguard the public health, safety and general welfare of the occupants of new and existing buildings and structures."

In short, IBC...

Sometimes when working on older buildings or on buildings where the architects kindly left out the fall protection anchors, a non-penetrating anchor system is needed. Weightanka is a non-penetrating roof anchor that uses weight and resistance to safety attach a worker to the roof. A standard

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...

When it comes to safety, it may seem like a no-brainer that those who have OSHA to guide them would not become complacent. However, for those who work in the construction or warehousing fields, it does not work like that.

Workers need regular reminders about safety so that accidents do...