Go back in time with me a few hours.

How many? As Dr. Evil might say: One mill-ion hours.

That will take us to sometime in early 1896. Recent events:

• Pencil patented
• First Nobel prizes
• X-rays discovered
• Utah becomes 45th state

Why are we doing this? To appreciate the accomplishment by a California company in a dangerous business—debris clearing and demolition. They’ve gone one million worker hours with no lost-time accidents.

And that’s the second time they’ve done it!

Let’s have one big sweeping doffing of the hard hats (once we’re clear of the danger zone, of course) to EEC Operating Services. Well done.

Now somebody find a safety scoreboard with room for lots of digits …

Some workers hate earplugs. They find them a constant irritation.

Now imagine wearing the despised earplugs and suffering hearing damage anyway—though the product is perfect. This article explains some reasons why this can happen:

• Sometimes actual work conditions are beyond the earplugs’ lab rating. Watch for new regulations expected soon that will make an NRR rating a range, rather than a single number, and be aware of the importance of on-site testing.
• Sometimes, earplugs don’t fit properly. The best way to ensure proper fit is qualified one-on-one training, rather than group training only.
• Sometimes, noise or hearing protection levels change without a worker’s realizing it. Newer monitoring technologies include in-ear dosimetry. That gives you continual real-time information on whether noise is being blocked adequately, so you can adjust as needed.

There you go—some tips on getting full benefit from your !@#$% hearing protection!

Image © Stephen Finn – Fotolia.com

This post’s headline sounds like Family Feud.

BZZZZT! The first family hits the buzzer and says … Chemical splash! That would have to be the top answer, right?

This article (written by one of our eyewash station suppliers, Sperian) names other workplace conditions that often require an eyewash station to be no more than 10 seconds away:

• Pollen
• Allergens
• Dust
• Sawdust
• Smoke

Smoke! Of course that gets in your eyes. Just ask Fred and Ginger.

Image © Christopher Waters – Fotolia.com

Here’s a nice, brief (1:40) video from OSHA Healthcare Advisor showing safe practices related to gloves used in medical settings, such as our nitrile, latex, vinyl, poly, and utility gloves.

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.

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.

If there’s a rule about it, that means someone did it. The reason your hairdryer says DO NOT USE IN THE BATHTUB is because someone did.

Case in point: This article shows why alcohol and fire don’t mix, ESPECIALLY while on the job! Alcohol and work don’t mix, either.

Alcohol, even at low doses, significantly impairs the judgment and coordination required to drive a car or operate machinery safely. Low to moderate doses of alcohol can also increase the incidence of aggressive acts.

Effects of moderate alcohol intake include dizziness and talkativeness. The immediate effects of a larger amount of alcohol include slurred speech, disturbed sleep, nausea, and vomiting. “Hangovers” are another effect after large amounts of alcohol are consumed — symptoms include headache, nausea, thirst, dizziness and fatigue.

You need your wits about you when working. Never have alcohol on the job. You could very well put yourself and others in danger.

Image © yobidaba – Fotolia.com

This article makes great points related to the recent Hudson River plane crash.

As fabulous a job as the captain did in landing the plane, the entire crew deserves credit. That includes the flight attendants who helped the passengers evacuate. They did what they were trained to do.

Nice quote from the President of the Association of Flight Attendants: “Flight attendants are often not viewed as the safety professionals that we are. I know that for at least the 150 people aboard Flight 1549 yesterday, flight attendants are now looked at in a new light and the world should be reminded that flight attendants are safety professionals whose primary purpose onboard an aircraft is to save lives.”

How many of us thought that about flight attendants before now?

Open wide for some alphabet soup: NIOSH has helped NFPA create new standards for certifying PPE for EMS use by EMTs and others.

Whew! Translation key:

NIOSH = National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
NFPA = National Fire Protection Association
PPE = Personal Protective Equipment
EMS = Emergency Medical Service
EMT = Emergency Medical Technician

Here’s the deal: Emergency responders can put maximum confidence in clothing and equipment that meets standards based on rigorous testing and user input. The accepted standard is NFPA 1999, which has just been updated and expanded. Additions include certain gloves, footwear covers, respiratory protection, eye/face wear and head protection not previously addressed.

At last count, 26 manufacturers were offering 82 products certified to NFPA 1999, 2008 edition, and more products are on the way. EMS responders, watch for this important certification when you choose PPE from newpig.com and other suppliers.

This article in The Safe Workplace has some simple, straightforward reminders for challenging economic times. The big points are:

• Never skimp on safety.
• Especially during a business downturn.
• You’re talking about people’s lives and your company’s reputation.
• And it doesn’t pay.

The American Society of Safety Engineers apparently has seen some recent cases of cost-cutting and was compelled to respond.

Some choice nuggets:

REMINDERS FOR EMPLOYERS DURING TOUGH TIMES

• Employee morale may be low
• Employees may be carrying additional workloads, such as working additional hours
• Employees may be doing unfamiliar tasks due to cutbacks

REMINDERS FOR EMPLOYEES OF WAYS TO HELP CUT SAFETY COSTS

• Follow safe working procedures
• Properly use, clean and care for protective equipment such as hardhats and respirators
• Reuse gloves whenever possible for as long as possible
• Keep track of safety glasses and reusable hearing protection

Not earth-shattering stuff, but timely.