Tag: workers

Jobsite Heating Devices

Posted on by admin_ici
Originally published 12/2/2015

We commonly use temporary heaters on construction jobsites during winter months. When we use them correctly, heaters make our work environment more comfortable and safe. However, when we use them incorrectly, they can add a significant level of risk to an already dangerous environment, as they can to start fires and lead to explosions.

You should always inspect heaters prior to operating them. We use them seasonally and often store them for long periods of time. When we move a heater from one location to another, we may damage it, so look closely for telltale signs before and during initial use.

Before using any space heater or other temporary heating device, make sure the manufacturer approves it for the environment in which you intend to use it. Manufacturers make portable heating devices specifically for construction sites. The manufacturer’s specifications should explain how and where you may safely use the heater.

Make sure there is adequate ventilation in the room where you place the heater, and provide mechanical ventilation when there’s an inadequate natural fresh air supply.

Ask these questions when you’re selecting a heater:

  • Is the unit approved for direct contact with the floor/surface on which you plan to use it?
  • Does the unit consume oxygen?
  • Does it radiate heat and/or force heated air across the room?

Things to keep in mind when you’re using a heater:

  • Although the heater might not look hot, it could severely burn you if you touch it.
  • If a manufacturer hasn’t approved a heater’s use on wood (or other combustible material) surfaces, don’t use it there. You must place this type of heater on suitable heat-insulating material, such as one-inch concrete masonry blocks. Establish a safe perimeter that extends beyond the heater in all directions.
  • Place temporary heaters a safe distance from all combustible materials, such as tarpaulins, trash, wood or similar materials. Secure the materials to prevent wind from moving them closer to the heater.
  • Manufacturers intend for you to use most temporary heating devices in a horizontal position. Unless the manufacturer permits it, don’t attempt to use them otherwise.
  • Keep a fire extinguisher nearby, so it will be available immediately in the event of a fire.

Prevent accidents and injuries from occurring, plan for heater use and ensure you have sound safety procedures in place. Consider the jobsite’s conditions and requirements before selecting a temporary heater. Make sure all workers are aware of the heaters, and instruct them on how to use heaters safely. Always follow the manufacturer’s specifications.

Download the recording form here.

Accidents: Identifying Root Causes

Posted on by admin_ici
Originally published 11/18/2015

Accidents and injuries create stress, and people react differently to stress. When accidents occur, a supervisor should take charge, and make sure everyone involved receives medical attention, if needed. They should also evaluate the area, identify potential problems that need to be addressed and limit access to the area to prevent further damage or injury. Once the situation is under control, the supervisor should begin the process of evaluating what happened and why it happened. The goal is to prevent a similar incident from happening again. To do that, you must understand the root cause of the accident.

Root-cause analysis is the process used to determine the cause of an incident, and come up with steps to prevent it from recurring. The process includes collecting information, charting or describing what happened over a fixed timeline, determining the root cause and finally, determining and implementing steps to prevent a similar incident.

Defining root causes:

  1. Root causes are underlying causes. The more specific an investigator is about why an event occurred, the easier it will be to arrive at a recommendation for prevention.
  2. Root causes can reasonably be identified. Occurrence investigations must be cost beneficial. It is not practical to keep valuable manpower occupied indefinitely searching for the root cause. Structured root-cause analysis will allow you to get the most out of the time invested in the investigation.
  3. Root causes can be influenced or controlled by management. Investigators should avoid listing general error classifications, such as operator error, equipment failure or external factors. These are not specific enough to allow management to make effective changes. Instead, identify specifics such as the following: Did this incident involve a new employee? Did he have sufficient training? Was the equipment faulty? Had it been tagged? Was it reported? Had it been regularly inspected and maintained? Were employees fatigued? Stressed?
  4. Root causes are those for which we can generate effective recommendations. If the investigator suggests a vague recommendation such as, “improve adherence to written policies and procedures,” he probably has not found the root cause of the incident, and needs to expend more effort in the analysis process.

Safety is everyone’s responsibility. Find and understand the root cause of an accident or injury, outline the steps necessary to prevent similar incidents in the future and communicate that information to everyone on the worksite. Give everyone the tools necessary to create and maintain a safe work environment.

Download the recording form here.

Hurry: A Barrier to Safety and Productivity

Posted on by admin_ici
Originally published 11/25/2015

There are many times during a typical work year when workers face the “Hurry-Up Syndrome.” As the deadline looms, workers sometimes ignore good practices for the sake of saving time. But all too often, hurrying to complete a job results in poor work quality or worker injury.

What happens when you rush to finish a job?

  1. Planning suffers. We place too much emphasis on action, rather than planning and thought. Instead of planning ahead and obtaining the proper tools and equipment to do a job correctly and safely, there is a tendency to make do with what you have. Using the wrong tool for a task can injure people and damage equipment. Without proper planning, we often stage materials far from where we will use them. This results in more movement, which increases the opportunity for an accident or injury to occur.
  1. Attention to task suffers. Workers don’t focus on the task at hand. Instead, they are thinking about what still needs to be done and the time deadline. This lack of focus can cause accidents and injuries. Distraction is often the root cause of injury.
  1. Breaking the rules. Looming deadlines can prod workers with the best of intentions, to break the rules in order to complete a task. They respect the procedures for quality work and the safety rules, but in the stress of the moment, they decide cutting corners just this once won’t hurt. An example would be when a worker fails to use the appropriate fall protection equipment because he only intends to be at a certain height for a few minutes. If there is no immediate negative consequence, then he has the tendency to repeat the action. Sooner or later there will be a negative consequence, which could result in damage to or loss of equipment, or cause injury to himself or others.

We cannot totally avoid the “Hurry-Up Syndrome;” however, we can acknowledge the stress for what it is and resolve to do what we know is best for both timely work completion and safety for our co-workers and ourselves.

Download the recording form here.

Rigging Safety

Posted on by admin_ici
Originally published 11/04/2015

Failure to properly secure static loads for transport causes injury to people and damage to property. When securing a load against unwanted movement during hauling, employees should use the same rigging techniques for tie-down as for lifting. The consequences of rigging failure during transport can be just as disastrous as dropping a load during a high crane lift.

The quality of the rigging equipment is important. Rigging materials such as chains, straps, hooks, eye bolts and clamps are not required to meet the same standards as similar gear used for lifting. However, when using come-alongs, strap winches and other tightening devices, the strain on rigging materials can begin to approximate lift strain. When the strain on equipment caused by tightening is combined with the strain of a truck when turning quickly, climbing a steep grade or making sudden stops, the strain on equipment can equal that of lifting, and cause rigging to fail.

Most chains used for hold-in-place rigging are grade 70. While these chains are very strong, they do not meet OSHA standards and are not safe for overhead lifting. Chains that are rated for lifting are typically SGG grade 100 chains. It stands to reason that a 70-grade chain is more susceptible to wear and tear than a heavier grade chain.

To ensure safety, inspect all tie-down equipment before use as follows:

  • Test chain links for stretch and breakage.
  • Inspect hooks for deflection at the throat and twist.
  • Inspect eye bolts and other terminating attachment points for wear and deflection.
  • Test tie-down points on the truck or load surface for wear and damage.

The same procedure should be used for straps and other tie-down equipment. If the equipment shows extreme wear, don’t use it.

Additional tips for load management include:

  • Place lighter items at the bottom of the load so that heavier items can help hold them down.
  • Block items against each other, or bundle them together, to minimize shifting and movement.
  • Lay tall items flat in the truck bed or trailer, when possible.
  • Block the wheels of equipment to prevent rolling. Wrap straps around and through wheeled equipment to further secure it.
  • Cover items with a solid, waterproof tarp to prevent damage from rain and airborne debris.
  • Tag all load corners with red flags if the load extends four feet beyond the bed of the truck or trailer.

Well-secured loads provide safety for your employees as well as the motoring public.

Download the recording form here.

Pinch, Shear, Wrap and Crush Points

Posted on by admin_ici
Originally published 10/18/2016

Heavy construction equipment uses a lot of power. Even with all the safeguards that manufacturers install, without proper precautions you could find yourself suddenly caught in a pinch, shear, wrap or crush point and be fighting for your life. You could be cut, crushed, pulled in or struck by an object when working around construction equipment.

Pinch Points – A pinch point is any point where it is possible for a person (or part of a person’s body) to be caught between moving parts of a machine, or between the moving and stationary parts of a machine. Belt drives and chain drives are good examples.

Shear Points – The edges of two objects moving close enough together to cut relatively soft material create shear points. Hedge trimmers, grain augers and rotary mower blades are examples of tools that have shear points.

Wrap Points – Wrap points are found on rotating shafts or rods and can catch a sleeve, cuff or pant leg. You can quickly be pulled into a piece of equipment if you are caught in a wrap point. Motor shafts and axles are good examples of wrap points.

Safety precautions for pinch, shear or wrap points include:

  • Examine the equipment, looking for areas where pinch, shear or wrap points occur and avoid them.
  • Wear close-fitting clothing and remove jewelry.
  • Be aware that fatigue, carelessness and haste contribute to entanglement incidents.
  • Do not reach over, around or work on rotating parts.
  • Before working on equipment, turn it off. Make sure any moving parts have completely stopped. Lock it out and tag it.
  • Replace any shields that have been removed for maintenance.
  • Maintain manufacturer-installed warning labels and place highly-visible warnings on parts and equipment to identify pinch, shear or wrap points not previously labeled.

Crush Points – Crush points exist when two objects move toward each other, or one object moves toward a stationary object. Crush points can exist when connecting trailer hitches or backing up trucks to dump a load. Safety precautions for crush points include:

  • Identify machines that may have crush points.
  • Don’t allow anyone to stand or place any body parts in the space between two objects that form a crush point.
  • When hitching an implement, wait until the tractor has completely stopped before approaching the hitch point.
  • If possible, hitch a tractor and implement by backing the tractor into position without having a person positioned between the tractor and the implement.
  • As a backup in case of mechanical failure such as a jack slipping or an overhead support breaking, use blocks to secure any equipment before working under it.
  • Block the wheels of a piece of equipment to prevent it from rolling.

Look around. If you see potential pinch, shear, wrap or crush points on your jobsite, discuss them. Develop ways to prevent injuries that could be caused by these common jobsite hazards.

Download the recording form here.

Construction Noise – Protect Your Hearing

Posted on by admin_ici
Originally published 10/12/2016

According to a 2014 study conducted by Audicus (a hearing aid manufacturer), two out of three construction workers will experience some degree of hearing loss by the time they are 50. Most of it is due to the use of heavy equipment, jackhammers and heavy drills. This is alarming since the ability to hear well is essential to maintaining safety standards on the jobsite.

The World Health Organization says noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is the most common, permanent, and preventable occupational injury in the world. NIHL may happen suddenly from an explosive type of blast, or gradually over time as a worker is continuously exposed to noise levels of 85 decibels (dBA) or higher without wearing proper hearing protection. Noise-induced hearing loss is often overlooked because most of the time it happens gradually.

OSHA has rules about how long you can be exposed to a noise level before you must wear hearing protection:

  • 90 dBA Unprotected up to 8 hours
  • 95 dBA Unprotected up to 4 hours
  • 105 dBA Unprotected up to 1 hour

Cranes, bulldozers, concrete joint cutters, jack hammers and pneumatic chip hammers are just a few of the machines workers use that range from 90 – 113 dBAs.

If you have to shout for someone three feet away to hear you, the jobsite is probably too noisy and you need to talk with your manager about how to protect your hearing. OSHA suggest three steps to noise control:

  • Reduce it – Use the quietest equipment available. Keep the equipment in proper working condition and well lubricated.
  • Move it – Locate noisy equipment away from workers.
  • Block it – Erect temporary barriers to block noise from reaching workers.

You can also protect workers by cutting the time they spend around loud noises. Rotate workers out of a high-noise area to minimize excessive noise exposure.

When engineering and administrative controls are not successful in reducing noise exposure, hearing protection devices must be used. According to OSHA, employers must offer appropriate hearing protection devices to employees who regularly work in areas where noise exposure is high. There are many different types of hearing protection. Each type is designed for certain noise conditions. Your employer will provide the necessary devices and provide proper training on how to use them. But remember, they must be worn properly and all the time in order to be effective.

Have your hearing checked each year and wear the hearing protection provided by your employer. Many workers are afraid they won’t hear warning signals or coworkers if they wear their hearing protection. But, some new protectors can let in voices and block other noises.

Download the recording form here.