This safety trainer blogs that he’s seen workers take weeks or months to replace gloves designed to resist particular chemicals for hours.

Yikes.

Read the technical information carefully for any chemical-resistant gloves that you buy and as they say in commercials: Use only as directed.

Don’t read this if you don’t want to think about what happens to dead animals.

I missed some good TV on Tuesday. No, not American Idol. I missed that on purpose.

I missed Mike Rowe grinding up cows on Dirty Jobs.

He worked in a rendering plant where dead animals and waste meat from farms, slaughterhouses, supermarkets and other sources is processed into fat and protein meal for use in various industries.

That’s recycling, people. A kind that many don’t want to think about. Dirty job? Yep.

There are many ways to come down on this subject. I’m neither applauding nor condemning rendering itself, I’m applauding Mike Rowe and the others involved in raising a topic worth thinking about. I agree with his comments on his blog:

These stories must be told. And the people who do the work need to be shown. Especially today, when people measure environmental stewardship by the presence of a green garbage container. Recycling - real recycling - is not about paper and plastic. It’s about flesh and bone, blood and guts, and long strands of newly reorganized DNA.

The green containers are where we come in. Actually, most of ours are blue.

Mike Rowe isn’t dismissing conventional recycling. He’s putting it in perspective. I know that from seeing the Dirty Jobs episode highlighting recycling that’s brown and not just green. Some types of recycling are less visible, less pretty, harder to do and harder to accept than what might first come to mind. It’s good to know that.

This is a shout-out to my fellow Piggers to analyze the response to a spill that occured at the University of Florida.

Important: Show respect for the workers involved as you share your constructive thoughts.

THE EQUIPMENT
A street sweeper

THE SPILL
Several gallons of oil. Call it seven gallons—I’ll change that if anyone has inside information on street sweepers. It may actually have been hydraulic fluid, because a hydraulic leak is mentioned.

THE LOCATION
A public road and sidewalk

THE EXTENT
It didn’t reach grass or sewer drains

TIME ELAPSED BEFORE RESPONSE
3 hours

THE RESPONSE MATERIALS
Two dumptruck loads of sand. Call it 2500 pounds.

TIME INVOLVED IN CLEANUP
7 am through the afternoon. Call it eight hours.

THE RESIDUAL MATERIAL
The oil-and-sand mixture was gathered in four 55-gallon drums. Call it 200 gallons of material (in case the last drum wasn’t filled).

Say that the responders had this to do all over again. Or say that they want to prepare for the same kind of spill. What do you recommend?

Thanks.

The main theme of this facility maintenance article is: When possible, repair rather than replace.

Among the many good points are:

• You can realize significant savings both in increased efficiency and in avoiding the cost of parts (one example: a $5,000 repair vs. an $18,000 replacement)
• There are also environmental dividends: Efficient production lines use less energy, and a repair means avoiding the waste generation and resource consumption involved in manufacturing a replacement part
• If you lack in-house capabilites, consider contracting an repair firm; some even place reps on site to monitor needs, troubleshoot larger problems and coordinate warranties

So watch for opportunities to repair. Put down some PIG® Absorbent Mat while you’re at it to avoid slip hazards such as drips and spills of oil or coolant.

Image © ioannis kounadeas - Fotolia.com

Best Buy will offer electronics recycling at all of its U.S. stores starting February 15. Reduce, reuse, recycle, baby.

OSHA and the Massachusetts AFL-CIO are teaming up to teach high schoolers work safety. Take care on the job whether you’re a rookie or veteran.

Check out a new online hazmat training program for truckers. Of course, video hazmat training may suit you better.

KC Professional just received an innovation award for developing stretchy nitrile gloves—a nice new option if you’re allergic to latex. Plus, the thinner gloves mean more in each box (environmental benefit). Possible addition to our glove line?

This may be more of a home safety reminder than a workplace safety reminder.

Then again, if an animal or a child officially or unofficially hangs around your vehicle shop, this is for you.

This article includes important reminders of the dangers of common liquids:

• Windshield cleaner fluid typically contains methanol. Ingesting even small amounts can cause blindness or death.
• Antifreeze contains ethylene glycol, which has a sweet taste and therefore may attract animals or children. Ingestion may cause intoxication, vomiting and kidney failure.

Spills of these liquids demand quick, thorough cleaning—exactly what PIG® Universal Mat is designed for, I might add.

Image © Aloysius Patrimonio - Fotolia.com

My kind is referred to as “the perfect love-making machine” in this article.

I’m not flattered. What it actually means is that pigs multiply like rabbits. Two pigs on the loose in Alabama in 1997 may have become tens of thousands. They’re wrecking fields, roads, lawns …

On behalf of my people: Sorry, Alabama.

Image © Andy Dean - Fotolia.com

OSHA has proposed changes to requirements for tests that make sure respirators fit their users. This news release invites public comment.

Current standards specify certain sniff tests or machine-based tests. The new proposals would speed up some machine-based tests but require a higher score.

There are three ways to comments (refer to Docket OSHA-2007-0007):

• Go to the docket area of Regulations.gov
• Fax (202) 693-1648
• Mail OSHA Docket Office, Technical Data Center, Room N-2625, OSHA, Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20210

Address technical questions to: John E. Steelnack, OSHA Directorate of Standards and Guidance, at (202) 693-2289.