Safe Workplace and Safety News

The Department of Energy publishes a "Project Hanford Lessons Learned" web site that provides information about safety incidents and the lessons learned from them. These can serve as a source of information to help you identify safety problems before there is an incident. You can take advantage of the lessons learned by the DOE and apply their experience to your facility.

Here are links to two examples:

Use of Approval Designators for Transportation and Packaging Activities

In preparing procedures and work packages involving packaging and transportation (T&P) activities, FH Projects and Facilities are not assigning technical reviewer designations in accordance with HNF-PRO-8635 “Review and Approval of Technical Documents” and/or complying with the USQ T process detailed in HNF-PRO-15438
"Unreviewed Safety Question Process for Transportation".

Deficient Supplied Air Respirator Check Valves Identified

An employee at the Advanced Mixed Waste Treatment Project in Idaho identified deficient check valves when preparing to install replacement valves on a PremAire® supplied air respirator unit. The units were being configured to allow a dual-air supply for a new application. The deficient check valves had stamped arrows on them indicating improper air-flow direction/alignment used for installation.

Labels: Safety Training

OSHA has a program called the "Resource Center Loan Program". Their web site describes it this way:

"The Resource Center is a collection of over 600 training video titles. Videos cover more than 100 occupational safety and health subjects from accident investigation to workplace violence. These training videos are made available to help broaden employer and employee safety and health knowledge and reduce injuries and illnesses in the workplace. A limited number of books are also available for loan upon request."

The videos are primarily available to OSHA Outreach Trainers, however OSHA Voluntary Protection Program Site employees are also eligible to become borrowers. This is an excellent resource for VPP sites.

Many of the videos are available in both English and Spanish. Here are some of the subjects covered:

Accident Investigation Accident Prevention Aerial Lifts Agricultural Machinery Agricultural Operations Asbestos Automobile Repair and Servicing Back Safety Backhoes Bloodborne Pathogens Bridge Construction Cold Stress Compressed Gases Concrete Construction Confined Spaces Construction Equipment Construction Safety Construction Trades Corrosives Cranes, Hoists, and Conveyors Demolition Driving Safety Egress Electrical Safety Emergency Action Plans Ergonomics Excavation Explosives and Blasting Eye Protection Fall Protection Fire Extinguishers Fire Prevention First Aid Flammable Materials Food Service Foot Protection Forklift Trucks Foundries Grain Elevators Grinding Wheels Groundskeeping Hand Protection Hazard Communication Hazard Communication-Construction Hazardous Substances Hazardous Substances-Construction Hazardous Waste Operations

Head Protection Healthcare Hearing Protection Heat Stress Housekeeping Indoor Air Quality Industrial Safety Job Safety Analysis Job Stress Laboratory Safety Ladders and Stairways Lasers Lead Lockout/Tagout Logging Operations Machine Guarding Material Safety Data Sheets Materials Handling Painting Personal Protective Equipment Power Presses Process Safety Residential Construction Respiratory Protection Rigging Rim Wheels Road Construction Roofing Work Rubber Industry-Mills and Calendars Sawmills Scaffolding Signs, Signals and Barricades Silica Solvents Tools Tree Trimming Tunneling Valves Ventilation Walking and Working Surfaces Warehouses Welding and Cutting Wholesale and Retail Trades Workplace Violence

Labels: Safety Training, safety videos

AgSafe has made a set of Agricultural Safety Training Materials available. They include a series of "slides" (graphics) and a script for the trainer. Although designed for agricultural workers, many of these classes are suitable for other industries.

The following courses are available in English and Spanish:

• Protective Clothing


• Safely Handling Pesticides


• Basic First Aid


• Working Safely With and Around Electricity


• Working Safely in the Farm/Ranch Shop


• Back Injury Prevention


• Defensive Driving


• Preventing Slips and Trips


• Safely Working With and Around Farm/Ranch Animals


• Safely Working Around Tractors


• Proper Use of a Respirator

The training materials are available free online. Use this link: Safety Training Materials

Labels: Safety Training

I decided to post the following OSHA press release because cave-in injuries and deaths are commom, yet easy to prevent. Even after being cited twice in the past this contractor continued to put workers in dangerous trenches. I don't know their reasons, although my feeling is they are economic... in any case there is no excuse for risking your employees' lives this way. Your comments are welcome.

Portsmouth, R.I., contractor faces maximum allowed fine of $70,000 from U.S. Labor Department's OSHA for cave-in hazard at Newport, R.I., site

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- A Portsmouth, R.I., contractor with a history of trenching safety violations faces $70,000 in proposed fines – the maximum allowed – from the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for an unguarded trench at a Newport, R.I., worksite.

An OSHA inspection of a water main installation project located at the intersection of Parker and Bellevue Avenues found an East Coast Construction employee working in a straight-walled, six-foot deep trench that lacked any protection against a cave-in of its sidewalls.

"All excavations five feet or deeper must be protected against collapse, a requirement this employer knows well, having been cited three times previously for lack of cave-in protection" said Patrick Griffin, OSHA's area director in Rhode Island. "This safeguard is essential since the sidewalls of a trench can collapse and bury workers within seconds. There's no real margin of error and no good excuse for allowing an employee to work in an unprotected trench."

As a result, East Coast Construction was cited for one alleged willful violation of safety standards. OSHA has proposed the maximum allowed fine since the company was cited by OSHA in 2005 and 2006 for similar hazards at worksites in Portsmouth, R.I. OSHA defines a willful violation as one committed with plain indifference to or intentional disregard for employee safety and health.

Excavation safety is a top priority for OSHA and the agency's inspectors will stop and open an inspection on the spot if they observe an apparently unprotected trench. Detailed information on excavation safety, including a trenching "Quick Card" and an interactive eTool, is available on OSHA's Web site at www.osha.gov/SLTC/constructiontrenching/index.html.

Labels: Construction / Installation, OSHA Citations

The following is a press release from OSHA:

BRAINTREE, Mass. -- The U.S. Labor Department's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Carlos Seafood Inc., a New Bedford, Mass., seafood processor, for allegedly failing to protect its employees against carbon monoxide and confined space hazards.

The enforcement action follows an OSHA inspection prompted by the November 2006 death of an employee who was fatally overcome by carbon monoxide fumes while using a gasoline-powered pressure washer to clean the inside of a water tank in a fishing boat docked at Leonard's Wharf in New Bedford.

OSHA found that the deceased and two other employees were exposed to excess levels of carbon monoxide while working in the tank and that the company failed to implement controls to reduce those exposure levels.

The company also lacked procedures and equipment for employees to work safely in confined spaces, did not train employees on working in confined spaces, and did not identify and post danger signs for the tank and other confined spaces in the workplace. There also was no program in place covering employees' proper training and use of respirators.

"Working in confined spaces is extremely hazardous, which makes it imperative that all required safeguards be effectively in place and in use before employees enter one of these potentially deadly work areas," said Robert Hooper, OSHA's acting area director for southeastern Massachusetts. "These requirements are thorough and stringent because their purpose is to prevent accidents like this one from happening in the first place."

As a result of its inspection, OSHA issued Carlos Seafood Inc. eleven serious citations carrying a total of $46,900 in proposed penalties. OSHA issues a serious citation when death or serious physical harm is likely to result from a hazard about which the employer knew or should have known.

Labels: OSHA Citations

The Sunday edition of the Courier News in Russellville, AR had an article about the safety record at Arkansas Nuclear One (ANO). ANO was the first site in the nuclear energy industry to join the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s Voluntary Protection Program. Over the past seven years (since May 18, 2000) they have worked 13,000,000 manhours without a lost-time incident.

You can read the article, which focuses on industrial safety, at: http://www.couriernews.com/story.php?ID=14766

The opening paragraph summarizes the article this way:

"Safety is serious business at Arkansas Nuclear One. Site managers focus on three kinds of safety — nuclear, industrial and radiological. Nuclear safety was highlighted last Sunday. Industrial safety refers to protecting plant workers from occupational injury while radiological safety emphasizes minimizing radiation exposure for plant personnel. Also learn how the cooling tower actually works and what it releases."

Labels: Industrial Safety

OSHA Press Release:

U.S. Labor Department's OSHA issues multiple safety citations against two Milwaukee companies for blast that took three lives

MILWAUKEE -- The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has proposed $56,000 in fines against industrial gear manufacturer Rexnord Industries and $16,800 against J.M. Brennan Inc., both based in Milwaukee, for alleged serious violations of federal workplace safety standards following a gas explosion last year that claimed three lives.

A large explosion and fire occurred Dec. 6, 2006, at the Rexnord plant at 3001 W. Canal St. in Milwaukee during an operational test of a back-up propane gas system. An underground leak allowed gas to escape and ignite. OSHA's investigation resulted in eight serious violations of safety standards issued to Rexnord pertaining to employee and emergency training and response, failing to protect underground liquid propane piping from corrosion, and failure to conduct a site analysis to identify hazardous conditions and minimize employee exposure to explosion hazards.

OSHA also issued three serious violations to J.M. Brennan Inc. for its improper installation of underground liquid propane piping at the facility, as well as training and emergency response deficiencies.

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The above press release shows the importance of emergency planning.

In many cases an emphasis is placed on workplace safety and preventative measures. This is good, but there is more to safety. Should a major accident or natural disaster happen, a sound contingency or emergency plan will greatly reduce damage and injuries.

OSHA regulations regarding contingency plans can be read at: http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_id=9726&p_table=STANDARDS

Every employee should be trained on and be familiar with the emergency response plans for a facility. When there is an emergency plan, in many cases a fire is the only emergency scenario considered. However, other emergency situations can arise that include communication shut downs, power outages and chemical leaks. Different types of emergencies may require different emergency responses.

Equipment used during emergencies should also be tested regularly. This may include smoke detectors, backup power systems and PA systems. Failure of emergency equipment such as a simple flashlight could result in catastrophic consequences.

Organizations change over time. The number of employees may increase or decrease, office furniture may be rearranged, new equipment is installed, and additions may be added to a building. This means emergency plans must change also. An outdated emergency plan may not only be ineffective, it could result in additional injuries or damage. For example, something as simple as rearranging cubicles in an office may result in the relocation of fire extinguishers and changes to escape routes. This means, for example, that informational signs and labels must also be updated.

Labels: Emergency Planning, OSHA Citations

The Hawaii Occupational and Health Department (HIOSH) offers several safety training videos that are available free online. Employers in Hawaii also have the option of obtaining DVD copies of the videos. The videos are available at: http://www.hawaii.gov/labor/hiosh/videos.shtml

Currently three videos are available, Construction Safety, Fall Protection Safety, and Small Business Safety.

Construction Safety: This video gives a basic overview of construction safety standards including the eight important safety areas related to construction: Fall Arrest, Scaffolding, Heavy Machinery, Electricity, Excavations, Chemicals, Ladders and Personal Protection.

Fall Protection Safety: This video focuses on fall protection in the construction industry. It educates workers about fall protection and the potentially devastating consequences of not adhering to it.

Small Business Safety: This video explains the Five-Point Workplace Program, Starting a Company's Voluntary Activity, Conducting a Self-Inspection and Available Assistance and Resources. This safety video is targeted for small business owners, employers and employees.

Labels: Construction / Installation, Free Safety Guides

When thinking about safety we need to keep in mind that all aspects of our business need to be safe.

Work In An Office?

You still need to be aware of electrical hazards and take practical measures to avoid them. Here are a couple of issues that require particular attention:

• Overloaded electrical circuits pose both an electrocution and fire hazard. While we can’t always control the number of outlets in our offices, the Electrical Safety Foundation International recommends some steps to stay safe from electrical hazards:

• If you must use a power strip, use a name-brand product from a reputable retailer. Low-quality or counterfeit power strips may contain wiring that isn’t adequate to carry the load.
• Place power strips where there is plenty of air circulation to disperse heat.
• Do not attempt to plug grounded (three-prong) cords into ungrounded (two-slot) outlets.
• Do not bind, kink or knot electrical cords.
• Never run power cords under rugs or where chairs can roll over them.
• Keep cords close to a wall to avoid trip hazards.
• Keep all non-critical electrical items unplugged until you need to use them.
• Consider charging battery-operated devices in another area.

• If your computer screen flickers or fades, or you detect a burning smell, power down and immediately contact the building engineer. If you work from home, have a licensed electrician conduct an electrical inspection.

Labels: Electrical Hazards, workplace safety

The following is a press release from OSHA. It highlights the importantance of having created and implemented lockout/tagout proceedures.

OSHA Press Release FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has proposed penalties of $73,700 against Arch Aluminum and Glass Co. Inc. for one repeat and 10 serious safety violations found at its manufacturing plant in Fort Pierce, Fla., between November 2006 and March 2007.

Inspectors visited the plant as part of OSHA's Site-Specific Targeting Program, which targets the nation's most hazardous workplaces for inspection based on their histories of having high numbers of injury and illness cases.

OSHA proposed one repeat citation, with a proposed penalty of $50,000, for the company's failure to develop and implement lockout/tagout procedures, which are used to prevent machinery from accidental operation while employees are making repairs. The employer already had agreed to implement lockout/tagout procedures at all of its locations during previous OSHA inspections of other company facilities.

"Our inspection of the Fort Pierce plant determined that the employer never implemented its lockout/tagout program at this facility, in spite of earlier agreements with OSHA," said Darlene Fossum, OSHA's area director in Fort Lauderdale. "It is important that companies pursue safety proactively and not wait for OSHA inspectors to discover problems."

The Construction Safety Council has produced a lead safety training program that is available free on their web site. The program is described as:

"Occupational exposure to lead in continues to be one of OSHA’s most frequently cited occupational health standard in construction. The lead safety-training courses developed by CSC have been proven to increase awareness of worker exposures to lead and help supervisors develop lead safety programs. The purpose of the Lead Hazards Awareness program is to inform the employee about the history of lead, hazards of lead and measures to eliminate or reduce exposure. At the end of the program, the employee will be knowledgeable about the history and sources of exposure to lead in the workplace, understand the hazards and health effects of lead, be knowledgeable about the exposure monitoring and medical surveillance process, understand engineering work practice controls and be knowledgeable about respirator protection in conjunction with other forms of personal protective equipment."

The topics covered include:

Lead: Sources and Exposure
Hazards and Health Effects
Lead: Exposure Assessment and Monitoring
Engineering and Work Practice Controls
Respirators and Other Forms of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

This lead safety training is available at: http://www.buildsafe.org/resource/Lead/lead.htm

Labels: Safety Training

Press release from the Nuclear Energy Institute:

WASHINGTON, D.C., April 30, 2007 —America’s nuclear power plants continued to operate at high levels of efficiency and safety in 2006, according to industry performance indicators compiled by the World Association of Nuclear Operators.

For the seventh consecutive year, the U.S. nuclear energy industry’s unit capability factor topped 90 percent. The median capability factor for 103 reactors of 91.5 percent, when measured on an operating cycle basis, was within four-tenths of a percentage point of the 91.9 percent record set in 2005. Unit capability factor is the percentage of electricity actually produced compared to the maximum electricity a plant could supply to the electrical grid.

These sector-leading levels of efficiency at nuclear power plants produced 787.2 billion kilowatt-hours (kwh) of electricity last year, second only to the record-high of 788.5 billion kwh of electricity produced in 2004.

The nuclear energy industry similarly sustained excellent levels of safety and operating performance in areas including safety system performance, industrial safety, unplanned automatic reactor shutdowns, and programs to protect workers from radiation exposure.

"The 2006 performance indicators are another indicator of the nuclear industry’s commitment to safety and efficient operations," said Frank L. “Skip” Bowman, the Nuclear Energy Institute’s president and chief executive officer. "As our industry prepares to build new state-of-the-art nuclear plants, it’s noteworthy that we move forward from a solid foundation of operating excellence at our existing plants."

The performance data compiled by WANO is analyzed by the Atlanta-based Institute of Nuclear Power Operations, which promotes excellence in U.S. nuclear power plant safety and operations. INPO uses the data to help set challenging benchmarks of excellence against which safety and plant operation can be measured. New performance indicator goals for 2010 also are shown in the results report for 2006 (link to report provided below), since last year marked the beginning of INPO’s new five-year goal period.

In previous years, results for the performance indicators were based on a calendar year. Beginning in 2006, performance indicators and goals are based on nuclear plants’ lengthier operating cycles between refuelings to more consistently reflect performance.

Results from previous years have been reconfigured to conform to the new methodology. Other highlights of the nuclear energy industry’s performance in 2006 include:

Unplanned Automatic Reactor Shutdowns.

The 2006 median industry value of 0.42 unplanned automatic shutdowns per plant equaled the historic low value first established in 2002. The 2006 cycle value also was better than the 2010 median goal of 0.5 unplanned shutdowns per 7,000 hours of reactor operation.

Safety System Performance.

For the 12^th straight year, 94 percent or more of key safety systems met industry goals for availability. In 2006, 97 percent of the key safety systems met their availability goals. Nuclear power plants are built with redundant safety systems and backup power supplies so these systems are available, if needed, even when maintenance is being performed on a similar system or component. The three key standby safety systems are two main cooling systems and back-up power supplies used to respond in the event of unusual situations.

Forced Capability Loss Rate.

The 2006 cycle median value of 1.2 percent capability loss reflects significant progress in the operation of nuclear plants. Ten years ago, the median value exceeded five percent; it has been under two percent each year since 2000. Forced capability loss rate measures a plant’s outage time and power reductions that result from unplanned equipment failures, human errors or other conditions when the plant is expected to be generating electricity. The industry’s 2010 goal for this indicator is a median value of one percent.

Industrial Safety.

The nuclear industry is acknowledged as one of the nation’s safest working environments; U.S. nuclear plants continue to post a very low industrial accident rate. In 2006, the industry median plant had only 0.12 industrial accidents per 200,000 worker-hours, a record low. Statistics from other industries through 2005, as compiled by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, show that it is safer to work at a nuclear power plant than in the manufacturing sector and even the real estate and finance industries.

Collective Radiation Exposure.

The industry’s collective radiation performance at both pressurized-water reactors (PWRs) and boiling-water reactors (BWRs) improved from 2005. Employees at BWRs recorded a 9.6 percent decrease in collective exposure (measured as person-rem per reactor), while employees at PWRs recorded a 2.9 percent decrease from the prior year. Low exposure indicates strong management attention to radiation protection.

To view charts of the WANO performance indicators for U.S. nuclear power plants on NEI’s Web site, go to: http://www.nei.org/index.asp?catnum=2&catid=353

Labels: Nuclear Power Safety