Quite a few Piggers were in on an email conversation last week regarding static-dissipative absorbent mats. I was asked to post some of my information from that.

A little background: Static-dissipative absorbents help reduce the risk of electrostatic discharge. This increases worker safety in fueling area cleanups and applications near flammable vapors. Static-dissipative mats are specially treated to meet NFPA 99 standards for static decay, which basically means that static charge is safely dissipated within half a second.

The material in our PIG® Stat-Mat® Absorbent Mats performs better than others we’ve tested. A particular competitor’s mat barely passes the .5 second static-dissipation cut-off, while ours does it in 0.01 seconds and has done so consistently for years. Another competitor’s mat isn’t bad, in a range between .25 and .35 seconds, but that’s still not close to our .01 seconds.

The big difference is in how the static-dissipative treatment is applied. We use a topical application while some folks out there use a polymer blend. Counter-intuitively, the topical application is better. The polymer blended material tends to “bloom off” the anti-static agent, as the agent isn’t compatible with the polymer, in as little as 6-12 months.

On the other hand, the topical solution doesn’t bloom off or lose effectiveness. We’ve taken mat from a seven-year-old PIG® Oil-Only Spill Kit at a local marina and sent it out for testing. The results came back like brand-new material.

Here’s a worthwhile page from OSHA aimed at the cleaning industry, including both front-line workers in cleaning and maintenance and suppliers of cleaning products and services.

It includes links to info on health and safety standards, common hazards and related solutions, implementing a health and safety program and more.

Image © Roman Milert - Fotolia.com

Summer hiring season is coming (though the recent weather in our parts has made that hard to believe), and OSHA has a new web page for you if:

• Your business hires teen workers during summer
• You’re the teacher of a teen worker
• You’re the parent of a teen worker
• You’re a teen worker

On the page, you’ll find:

• Frequently asked questions for small businesses hiring young workers
• Links to information about common work hazards that teens face
• Guidance on filing complaints with OSHA
• Training tools from previous Teen Summer Job Safety campaigns
• Video clips of teens demonstrating safe work practices in construction and landscaping

This might be a good time to mention that we have many choices for workers who prefer cooler models of safety glasses:

Cyclone Safety Glasses

Klondike® Safety Glasses

Frostbite2® Safety Glasses

Harley-Davidson® 100 Series Safety Eyewear

Ventilator™ Eyewear

Fuel™ Eye Protection

Image © Lisa F. Young - Fotolia.com

With all due respect to our own fledgling Map-A-Spill, here’s an informative incidents map showing all sorts of North American hazardous materials spills and the like.

We’re proud to supply emergency responders at many of these incidents with equipment such as:

PIG® HAZ-MAT Mat Pads & Rolls
PIG® HAZ-MAT Socks, Dikes, Pillows, & Loose
PIG® Spill Kits
Level A protective suits
Boots, overboots & overshoes
Disposable footwear
Chemical-resistant gloves
Safety goggles
Reusable respirators
Decon shower stations
Decon accessories

Stay safe, guys and gals. Thank you for protecting us.

Here’s a helpful one-page document courtesy of our friends up north at the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety—good advice that can also be applied here south of the border.

When a new chemical or other material and its Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) arrives at your work site, the checklist helps frame up basic questions that can be boiled down along these lines:

• Is this MSDS current?
• Does it actually go with the product received?
• How can I stay safe around this material?
• Can I recognize any short- or long-term health effects it might have?
• Does my doctor know I’m working around it?
• Can I take any necessary precautions?
• Can I prevent or react to a fire, explosion, leak or spill of this material?