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Young Workers and Forklifts are a Deadly Combination

The numbers of workers getting injured in forklift related accidents are mostly young workers. There are a disproportionate number of forklift accidents relating to young workers and that may be due to various reasons like lack of training, risk taking and inexperience. According to the OSHA’s Powered Industrial Truck standard, employers must see to it that the powered industrial trucks are operated by a person competent enough to operate the truck safely. They must have a successful completion of training and evaluation. Workers under 18 are prohibited from using the forklifts at the non-agricultural industries and under 16 in agricultural industries. These rules have come up to protect young workers from dreadful injuries. Forklift related accidents with young workers happen partly as a matter of poor judgment, inexperience, lack of training and supervision. To curb this problem, it is very necessary to train employees before they undertake any forklift operations. The OSHA safety tr

Want to Become an OSHA Inspector? Here’s what you have to do

According to statistics, the number of injuries and illnesses witnessed in the general industry was 4.2 cases per 100 workers in 2007. The main aim of OSHA is to ensure that these work-related sicknesses, injuries and deaths are prevented. The agency was basically created to ensure that occupational deaths are reduced, and it has successfully achieved this. The agency has thousands of inspectors and there are several thousands of inspections that take place each year by these qualified inspectors. So, how does one become an OSHA inspector? Check whether the salary range suits your needs. The average salary of an OSHA inspector is anywhere from $46,625 to $73,329 per annum. Are you willing to relocate? The main headquarters of OSHA are located in Smyrna, Georgia. Obtain a degree in the health and safety field and learn about hazardous materials, industrial hygiene, safety, occupational health and medicine, unsafe environmental conditions, toxicology and many similar subjects. Get the ne

How Can the OSHA Safety Trainings help Construction Workers

In the past few years, people have woken up to the reality that workplace safety trainings are indeed very important. The various safety rules and regulations set down by OSHA cannot be avoided or overlooked, as it helps prevent fatalities and other accidents at the workplace. OSHA was first created to help implement these workplace health and safety standards so as to protect workers in the construction as well as general industry from possible injuries. Workers in the construction industry face a number of different hazards and dangers on a daily basis and it is extremely important to ensure that they are aware of these hazards in order to be productive at the workplace. The OSHA standards are not only about creating a safe work environment, they are also geared towards ensuring that employers comply with their standards. The Benefits of getting trained: It will help minimize the number of workplace injuries as all workers go through certified trainings. It helps familiarize employee

Personal Protective Equipments for Radiation Safety

There are different types of Personal Protective Equipments to help you work safely around radioactive substances. These equipments are worn to keep you shielded from radioactive dust present in the workplace. Lead Aprons: Normally, a dentist hands out a lead apron when dental X-rays have to be taken. The work of this apron is to protect the gonads and the chest from any X-ray procedure. Although dental X-rays do not cause any life threatening risks, they certainly add to the body's long term radiation. HAZMAT Suits: Radioactive dust is equally dangerous as compared to direct radiation. The ingested radiation caused due to inhaling it or getting it on your skin can cause cancer. It is mandatory for all those who work in radioactive environments to wear a hazardous material (also known as HAZMAT) suit. This suit is a kind of overall made out of plastic. It is equipped with either a filtered respirator or a self contained breathing apparatus. Goggles: There are some traces of Ultra V

Protect your Employees with 30 Hour OSHA training Course

The industrial revolution has changed a lot, and safer workplaces have been created for the workers, but the hazardous conditions still remain the same for most workplaces. The number of deaths and injuries of workers still keeps on rising. To tackle all these, OSHA has enforced certain industrial standards which all industries have to follow. Meeting regulatory requirements, improving work productivity, reducing absence and safeguarding the lives of employees is what every organization sets to achieve. A simple solution to all these is safety training. When you train your workers, not only will it help to meet OSHA’s regulations but it will also protect your employees, improve their productivity and keep your organization safe. The OSHA safety training program has been designed to train and educate workers on the different types of hazards that they might face while at work and how they can reduce those occupational hazards. The most common types of OSHA safety training courses are th

Scaffolding Training - Why It’s Important

Scaffolding incidents in the industry has been making news since last year. It had topped the most cited violation according to OSHA and even this year, it is still dominating the chart. Scaffolds are used in the commercial and industrial construction sites every day and painters, miners, bricklayers and electricians use the scaffolds to reach to higher levels. There are 65% of construction personnel working on scaffoldings every year. The scaffolding accidents often result due to the negligence of maintenance and construction. Annually, out of the 500,000 injuries occurring in the construction industry, 10,000 are related to scaffolding. The personal injuries while using scaffolds are caused by many ways. Some of the most common are listed below: Improper use of scaffolds for other unrelated tasks. Improper Installation. Defective components used while erecting the scaffolds. Unskilled personnel constructing the scaffolds. Some of the hazards associated with scaffold work are falling

Safe Storage and Handling Options for Inflammable Liquids

There are certain special containers fabricated essentially for combustible liquids. Organizations like OSHA, ANSI have developed and laid down some specifications against which these containers are matched and approved. Most manufacturers of flammable liquids use these approved containers for storage purposes. A variety of different storage cans are designed. These types depend upon the quantities and classes of combustible and flammable liquids. For instance, a safety has a capacity of no more than 5 gallons. It has been approved and comes equipped with a spring closing lid and a spout cover. These cans are basically used for relieving internal pressure when exposed to fire conditions. Another example is that of a closed container. These containers are sealed tightly by a lid to prevent liquid or vapors from escaping at room temperatures. A special cabinet is designed for storing combustible liquids. OSHA 30 hour general industry courses instruct to use these approved cabinets to pro

The Importance of taking the 30 Hour OSHA Training Course for the General Industry

Every single organization, employer and employee wants the working environment to be safe and hazard free. To cater to these specific needs, the 30 Hour OSHA Training Courses have been designed to meet the safety needs of the workers in the general industry. It helps by empowering employees with the skills and knowledge that is required to enforce safety and health at the workplace. A lot of people are under the impression that such safety training courses are meant for those employees who work strictly in the construction industry. However, this is not true. Here are some of the benefits that employees in the general industry will get from the 30 Hour OSHA Training Course: One of the benefits that an employer in the general industry will get is that once your employees are finished with the OSHA 30 Hour trainings, they will receive a certificate of completion. This will reflect your concern and commitment towards the safety of the employees and the overall well-being of the company.

Why Donning Protective Clothing Is Important In Some Work Places

One important topic that is discussed in most OSHA safety training programs is donning protective clothing. Workers often have to wear goggles, gloves, hats and so on. These clothing can be heavy and quite uncomfortable but it is a life saver. It happens that workers dread to wear these clothing as it can hinder their work a bit. This is a bad and dangerous decision but they need to know that protective clothing must be worn if they are needed. Most workers are insisted upon to wear protective clothing for a number of reason. First of all it is for their safety. Even small objects are enough to hurt you while on work and there are lots of hazards embedded in most workplaces. Protective clothing can protect workers from any job hazards. Another important reason why you need protective clothing is productivity. From an employer’s point of view, when an employee is safe, few injuries will occur and with that a steady production is possible. Avoid being cited from OSHA fine. Injuries of wo

Legal Measures taken by OSHA for Construction Accidents

Construction accidents have been a sensitive issue that OSHA wants to reduce, and eliminate for the sake of the safety and the health of the workers. OSHA has been working hard and implementing new standards to stop workplace hazards. They offer courses that suggest the most effective ways to react and counter construction site accidents so that they can take proper legal measures and help the victim. According to OSHA regulations, in a construction site accident , the worker should first seek medical attention and give a written record with doctor's evidence that explains the severity of the accident. The next step is to inform the employer about it. It is better to note down the names of the witnesses to the accident. This can help when testifying later. Finally, the worker who gets injured should have physical evidence of the accident like photographs of the worker, the site where the injury occurred, or the tool that caused injury. On the basis of the complaint of the worker, O

OSHA Measures To Curb Accident

OSHA has assisted numerous workers by continuing OSHA safety training to curb the rate of workplace accidents, deaths and severe injuries since its existence. The fact is that health is the main property. In a good health, good thoughts can arise and also if you have good health, you can earn as much as you want. Same things happen in the case of a company also. If employees of a company stay safe and healthy, the employer will have better productivity from them and more over, workers’ compensation insurance costs and medical expenses will also reduce. Statistics reveals that since 1970, occupational deaths have been reduced more than 60 percent and work related injuries and illnesses have declined to 40 percent. Till now, OSHA has completed conducting almost 39,000 inspections and also has issued over 85,000 citations for safety violations. OSHA has taken and regulated many rules and regulations that exactly meet all the requirements of the workers and their employers also. There are

North Carolina and Georgia contractors cited by OSHA

Following a fatal worker fall from Epping, NH, water tower, OSHA has cited North Carolina and Georgia contractors for the incident. The two contractors were responsible for the rehabilitation and painting of the municipal water tower. Following the death of a worker in 7th Aug, 2009, who fell 90ft from the water tower, these two contractors have come under the scanner of OSHA for alleged violations of safety standard. When OSHA conducted the inspection, it was found that the deceased man’s employer, Bullins Painting Inc, failed to provide any fall protection. Both the company and the project’s general contractor, Utility Services Inc. of Perry, Ga., failed to protect vertical lifelines against cuts and abrasions, to inspect fall protection equipment before each use, and provide a ladder cage or comparable safeguard for tower access ladders. It was cleared that the worker’s life would have been spared if protective measures had been provided and used by him. There were additional safet

Informal Public Hearing on Hazard Communication Rule Announced By OSHA

OSHA recently has given notice of three informal public hearings to accept testimony and comments on the proposed rule to align the agency’s HCS (Hazard Communication Standard with the United Nations’ Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS). The first hearing will be start on March 2 at 9:30 a.m. in the auditorium of the U.S. Department of Labor. Other additional hearings are scheduled for March31 in Pittsburgh and April 13 in Los Angeles. OSHA will be providing the location for Los Angeles and Pittsburg hearings in future notice. Including United States, a number of countries and international organizations participated in developing the GHS to address inconsistencies in hazard classification and communications. The system offers a single, harmonized system to classify labels, chemicals and safety data sheets with the major benefit of increasing the quality and information consistency provided to employers, workers and chemical users. Those who are