Tag: weather

Summer Heat Safety Campaign Begins

Posted on by Andria Hine
Credit: OSHA June 1 QuickTakes

OSHA has kicked off its summer campaign to inform employers and employees about the dangers of working in the heat. The campaign will continue its annual outreach to highlight how heat-related worker fatalities are entirely preventable. In 2014 alone, 2,630 workers suffered from heat illness and 18 died from heat stroke and related causes on the job.

On May 26, Kelly Schnapp, who directs OSHA’s Office of Science and Technology Assessment, joined four other experts on a White House webinar highlighting the risks of extreme heat to four vulnerable populations: the elderly, athletes, emergency responders, and outdoor workers. Schnapp noted that a majority of recent heat-related deaths investigated by OSHA involved workers on the job for three days or less – highlighting the need for employers to ensure that new workers become acclimated to the heat when starting or returning to work.

OSHA also provided heat safety tips for workers in a blog, Twitter posts, and an updated heat campaign webpage that now includes illustrations of heat exhaustion and heat stroke, an animated video, training resources, and links to an updated heat safety phone app. #WaterRestShade is the official hashtag of the campaign, encouraging employers to provide their workers with drinking water, ample breaks, and a shaded area while working outdoors. OSHA also continues to partner with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to raise awareness on the dangers of working in the heat through its Weather-Ready Nation campaign.

New Season/New Jobsite – Keep it Safe

Posted on by admin_ici

Safety is one of the key factors to consider as we begin planning for a new construction season. It’s important to have a plan to minimize the possibility of dangerous situations. Remember, it’s everyone’s responsibility to follow company rules and immediately report dangerous situations to the appropriate supervisor.

As we move into a new construction season, consider these sugestions to ensure jobsite safety:

  • Consider creating and using a jobsite inspection checklist.
  • Identify jobsite hazards such as overhead power lines, trenches, traffic bottlenecks, material and chemical storage areas.
  • Review the location of first aid kits, fire extinguishers and nearby medical facilities to use in case of an emergency.
  • Review the emergency contact plan, update it as necessary and identify the location of emergency telephone numbers.
  • Make sure everyone understands how internal traffic should flow through the jobsite, including those on foot.
  • Identify and communicate where employees, subcontractors and suppliers should park their vehicles.
  • Review the Hazard Communication Program, clearly identify the location of Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS), and ensure containers are clearly marked.
  • Document that you have provided proper training to all employees prior to, or as they arrive, on the job.
  • Inform employees that the company will not tolerate safety infractions, and supervisors will follow the company’s safety policy, with progressive disciplinary action for safety violations.
  • Notify suppliers and subcontractors that the company will hold them accountable for safety infractions.

Planning ahead for safety will help avoid unnecessary delays and work stoppages. It’s more difficult to adjust or add safety guidelines once a job has begun.

Safety should be a vital component of each aspect of the construction process. A job is off to a good start when safety is a priority from the beginning.

Download a recording form here.

Weather: Prepare for the Worst

Posted on by admin_ici

There’s a lot of talk these days about global warming, melting glaciers and the rising levels of the oceans, and almost every scientist has a different opinion about climate change and its effects. One thing we know for certain: at some point during almost every construction project, you’ll have to deal with severe weather. Because you could experience torrential rainfalls, hail storms, high winds or even a tornado, OSHA requires every company to have an emergency action plan on all jobsites where it schedules work for more than a few days.

Here are the elements that you should include in your emergency action plan, as required by OSHA specification 29 CFR 1926.35.

Emergency evacuation plan

Routinely explain your plan to everyone on the construction site, and clearly state the conditions that require evacuation. Employees should know their escape route assignments before an emergency occurs.

Critical operations

Do not simply abandon exposed electrical circuits or running machines. Account for these operations in your plan; give instructions on what to do; and provide the time you need to shut down safely.

Account for every employee

Appoint one or more individuals to make sure that every worker has left the jobsite if you need to evacuate. Appoint someone at the designated meeting place to account for everyone.

Rescue and medical duties

Make sure site supervisors know the location of medical supplies and the emergency numbers. Train supervisors to know what to do in situations requiring rescue services.

Reporting emergency situations

Communication is critical in an emergency. Your emergency action plan should outline procedures for communicating with employees about what’s happening and the actions they need to take.

Company representative(s) responsible for the plan

Clearly state in your plan who is responsible for each aspect of the plan, and train those individuals to carry out their jobs efficiently.

We cannot control the weather or predict every unsafe condition, but having an emergency action plan in place will help us respond to these conditions safely.

Cold Weather Machine Safety

Posted on by admin_ici

Cold weather affects motorized equipment — not only the engine, but the hydraulic systems as well. Equipment that does not operate smoothly or predictably is a safety hazard to operators and other workers near it.

You should apply engine coolants and hydraulic hose lubricants in the fall before cold weather actually sets in. Throughout the winter, it is important to plan extra time to let the machine warm up. When you park a machine for 16 or more hours, both the engine and all of the operating systems will be at ambient temperature, which in winter can be 20° or lower on many mornings, well below normal operating temperature for the equipment. Failing to warm the engine could result in material damage, accidents and injury to workers due to engine stalls and jerky, uncontrollable actions of the hydraulic systems.

If you don’t allow the engine to warm completely, the cold can damage engine valve components. When an engine runs below normal operating temperature, it doesn’t completely burn the fuel and oil in the combustion chambers. The result is soft carbon deposits, which will interfere with valve operation, and can cause burned valves, bent pushrods and other damage to valve mechanism components. To avoid valve damage, always run the engine until the coolant temperature is at least 82° Celsius (180° Fahrenheit).

One major equipment manufacturer suggests that you begin the warmup with the hydraulics. They recommend that the operator run the engine at less than one-third throttle and slowly move the control lever in order to lift the attachment, then lower the attachment slowly. Continue the sequence: raising, lowering, extending and retracting, extending the travel during each cycle. We refer to this as exercising the equipment. Exercising the equipment will bring the machine and its operating components up to the appropriate operating temperature, which will ensure smooth and safe operation of the equipment.

Remember, keep machines in good running condition and plan that extra time for warmup.

Download the recording form here.