Safety is not just a series of unrelated activities… it is a way of doing business, a mindset, a culture… a Safety Culture.

 ”To be successful, safety must be more than a program or a book or a procedure. It must be a company philosophy - an attitude that is unquestioned.”
Les McGraw, Fluor Corporation Chairman and CEO

Over the years, safety professionals have identified a number of characteristics that are coming in companies with a superior safety culture.  Specific behaviors, attitudes, procedures, expectations and systems that are part of a dynamic safety culture environment, both for normal operations and for emergencies, have been identified:   (more…)

Because of their enforcement role, sometimes, we are inclined to regard OSHA as “the enemy”.  It is important to remember, though, that they are also a great source of safety and health resource material and training guides.

 In particular, OSHA’s Salt Lake Technical Center (SLTC) has a wealth of good information.  The entry point to their “Safety and Health Topics Pages” is found here.  Use the pop down in the “Quick Links” box to see the available topics, or use the SEARCH feature.

    http://osha.gov/SLTC/index.html

Also be sure to see the OSHA Publications List, from which you can download OSHA forms and booklets and/or order printed copies of them

    http://osha.gov/pls/publications/pubindex.list

Summer is upon us, and is it HOT!  With warmer temperatures, employees working outdoors (or in a hot warehouse) should be especially careful of the sun, heat and other hazards brought on by the summer climate.

Who is most at risk?

• Infants, young children, elderly and pets
• Individuals with heart or circulatory problems or other long-term illness
• Employees working in the heat
• Athletes and people who like to exercise (especially beginners)
• Individuals taking certain medications that alter sweat production
• Alcoholics and drug abusers

To reduce the risk of heat stress, OSHA recommends that employees:

• Know symptoms, including headaches, dizziness, lightheadedness or fainting;
• Block out direct sun and other heat sources;
• Use cooling fans/air-conditioning; rest regularly;
• Wear a wide-brim hat, cap or bandana, and sunglasses that block UV rays; and
• Drink plenty of cool water, about a cup every 15 minutes.

It is especially important for you and your employees to know the difference between “heat exhaustion”, which requires prompt treatment, and “heat stroke”, which is a serious, call-911, medical emergency.  Read more about heat stroke and heat exhaustion in the National Safety Council’s “Surviving the Hot Weather” Fact Sheet.

http://www.nsc.org/news_resources/Resources/Documents/Surviving_the_Hot_Weather.pdf

OSHA has made available their printable Heat Stress QuickCard^® (English/Spanish) for employers and employees on preventing injury and illness while working in hot weather.  This is worth printing and distributing to your workers. 

There are safety meetings and then there are safety meetings. For instance, you might have a weekly safety meeting on a specific topic, providing new information to your rookies and a review for the experienced workers.

 Another kind of safety meeting is the quick get-together before a specific job when you review the hazards and outline the procedures and emergency measures. These are called tailboard or tailgate meetings, because they often take place around the back of a truck at a construction job site. However, Tailgate Meetings can be used in ANY work environment, from confined space entry to moving furniture in the office, and especially when something new or unusual is to be done. (more…)

In recognition of the increasing importance of giving safety training to Hispanic workers in today’s workplace, OSHA’s Directorate of Training and Education collaborated with the University of South Florida, an OSHA Training Institute Education Center, to author a series of safety and health PowerPoint presentations in Spanish. You can find these presentations on-line here:

http://www.consultationconnection.org/oti/

These new resources are designed to assist OSHA construction and general industry outreach trainers and others in conducting Spanish-language training for employees. There are also links on this page to other Spanish-language safety training materials.

Employers who use forklifts in their workplaces have a new resource to help keep their employees safe on the job. OSHA’s Powered Industrial Trucks (Forklift) eTool…

http://www.osha.gov/dcsp/products/etools/pit/index.html

…is the latest Web-based training tool unveiled by OSHA. This eTool, which identifies forklifts commonly used in general industry, provides a review of potential hazards and a summary of key OSHA requirements and industry-recommended practices for forklift operations. It includes four modules examining the types of forklifts, safe operating practices, workplace conditions affecting operation, and operator training. OSHA offers other eTools on occupational safety and health topics on its eTools web site at:

http://www.osha..gov/dts/osta/oshasoft/index.html