Cave-ins can suffocate or crush workers. Flammable gases or vapors can cause fires and explosions. There can be oxygen deficiency which can suffocate a worker. Workers can drown in water, sewage or chemicals if they have not been controlled by diverting them elsewhere or locking them out. Workers can face burns, electrocution or explosions when working around various underground utilities. OSHA requires a competent person be on-site when doing excavations and that person must be able to recognize hazards that exist and could occur. That person must have the authority to take action to correct those conditions. If trenches are deeper than 5 feet but less than 20 feet, it must be sloped or benched which involves cutting back the sides of the trench to a safe angle so it will not collapse or add a series of steps that also approximate the safe slope angle; have a trench box; or shoring. With shoring and shielding, workers are only protected as long as the stay within the confines of the system. If the excavation is more than 20 feet deep, a professional engineer must design the system to protect the workers. Enter or exit a trench or excavation only by using a ladder, stairway or properly designed ramp that is placed within the protected area of the trench. Most importantly, do not work outside of the confines of the protection system.

All sites have machinery that has moving parts that need repair or maintenance at some point. Injuries that range from fractures and amputations to death may result if machinery is not properly guarded or de-energized while doing repairs or maintenance. Workers can get their clothing or parts of their body caught in the machines or power tools when they are not properly guarded. Workers can be trapped and crushed under heavy equipment that tips, especially if they are thrown from the equipment. You should only use machinery that is safely guarded. Never remove a safety guard while the tool or machine is being used. Avoid wearing loose clothing or jewelry that can get caught in moving parts. You can be pinned between machinery and a solid object such as a wall or other piece of equipment. These hazards can cause multiple broken bones, asphyxiation, and/or death. At all times, you should be aware of where equipment is around you and stay a safe distance from it. Never put yourself between equipment and an unmovable structure. Make sure all loads carried by equipment are stable and secure. Wear a seatbelt, if available, to be thrown from a vehicle and then potentially being crushed by the vehicle if it tips over.

Employers are required to protect employees from caught-in or –between hazards by:

• Providing guards on power tools and other equipment with moving parts
• Support, secure or otherwise make safe equipment having parts that workers could be caught between by providing lockout/tagout program
• Take measures to prevent workers from being crushed by heavy equipment that tips over by not exceeding the load capacity or putting equipment on soft or ground that is not level
• Take measures to prevent workers from being pinned between equipment and a solid object such as during demolition, only allow workers absolutely necessary to do the work in the work area
• Provide protection for workers during trenching and excavation work
• Provide means to avoid the collapse of structures scaffolds
• Provide means to avoid workers’ being crushed by collapsing walls during demolition or other construction activities
• Designate a competent person to oversee trenching supports and other hazards
• Provide training for workers

Our company can help you with training so that you can help spot these hazards.

Below is a video of demolition that went wrong. Thankfully, no one was hurt but see if you can spot what they did wrong and what they did right.

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Flying object hazard exists when something has been thrown, hurled, or is being propelled across space. These can include materials that separate from tools, machines, or other equipment that strike someone and result in injury or fatality. Using compressed air is one cause for flying object hazards.

When something falls from an elevation to a lower level, it becomes a falling object hazard. These injuries occur often in construction when employees work at elevated levels and drop tools or other objects that hit someone below them. To prevent injuries or fatalities, you should wear personal protective gear such as hard hats. Equipment falling over also qualifies in this category.

Stuck-by swinging objects hazards are possible when materials are mechanically lifted and have the potential to swing and strike workers. Materials may swing, twist or turn as the load is lifted and can catch workers by surprise. Windy conditions are especially hazardous since it will cause loads to swing more. The severity of injuries will depend on where the worker is when he is hit by a load, such as if an employee is standing on another level and is knocked off to a lower level. Loads may also slip from their riggings and hit workers below it. Loads must be rigged properly to avoid slippage.

Struck-by rolling object is when an object which is rolling, moving, or sliding on the same level at which the worker is located. Instances of these are moving vehicles and equipment.

So how do you protect yourself from these hazards? Here are some tips:

• Stay away from heavy equipment when it’s operating.
• Stay clear of lifted lads and never work under a suspended load.
• Beware of unbalanced loads.
• Workers should confirm and receive acknowledgement that they are visible from the heavy equipment operator.
• Be aware of the wing radius of cranes and backhoes and do not enter that zone.
• Drive equipment on grades or roadways that are safely constructed and maintained.
• Make sure that all workers and other personnel are in the clear before using dumping or lifting devices.
• Lower or block bulldozer and scraper blades, end-loader buckets, dump bodies, etc., when not in use and leave all controls in neutral position.
• Haulage vehicles that are loaded by cranes, power shovels, loaders etc., must have a cab shield or canopy that protects the driver from falling materials.
• Do not exceed a vehicle’s rate load or lift capacity.
• Workers should wear seat belts when provided.
• Check vehicles before each shift to assure that all parts and accessories are in safe operating condition.
• Do not drive a vehicle in reverse gear with an obstructed rear view unless another worker signals that it is safe.
• Set parking brakes when vehicles and equipment are parked, and chock the wheels if they are on an incline.
• All vehicles must have adequate braking systems and other safety devices.
• Use traffic signs, barricades or flaggers when construction takes place near public roadways.
• Workers must be highly visible in all levels of light at all times.
• When working on a construction zone, wear high visibility reflective clothing.
• Do not put yourself at risk of being struck by a vehicle and do not get caught in a situation where there’s no escape route.
• Do not direct traffic unless you are the flagger.
• Check that necessary warning signs are posted
• Never cross the path of a backing vehicle
• Follow “exit” and “entry” worksite traffic plans.
• When working with compressed air, reduce air pressure to 30 psi if used for cleaning, and use only with appropriate guarding and proper protective equipment.
• When working with hand tools, do not use tools with loose, cracked or splintered handles; and do not use impact tools with mushroomed heads.
• When working with machines, be sure to be trained on safe operation of machinery and inspect machinery. Ensure all guards are in place and protect feet, eyes, ears, and hands.
• When working with powder-actuated tools, be sure to be trained and licensed to operate these tools if required.
• When working with power tools, be sure to be trained on how to safely use them and operate according to manufacturer’s instructions. Inspect tools before each use and wear safety googles.
• When pushing or pulling objects that may become airborne, stack and secure materials to prevent sliding, falling, or collapse and secure material against wind gusts.

Employers should provide assessment of heavy equipment and motor vehicles to make sure they are safe to use, make sure the tools their employees use are safe, and provide personal protection equipment and training for their employees. Some businesses are too small to hire a full time safety officer and that is where our company comes in. we can come to smaller companies and provide the training their employees need for less than the cost of hiring someone full time to do the training. If you believe your business would benefit from our services, do not hesitate to call.

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Here is a list of things to keep in mind when working around electrical hazards:

• Assume all overhead wires are energized at lethal voltages and never assume a wire is safe to touch even if it looks insulated or is down.
• Never touch a fallen overhead power line.
• Stay at least 10 feet away from overhead wires when doing cleanup or other activities.
• When working at certain heights or handling long objects, survey the area for overhead wires.
• If an overhead wire falls across your vehicle while you are driving, stay inside and continue to drive away from it. If the engine stalls, stay inside and warn people not to touch the wire or the vehicle. Call the local electric utility company and emergency services.
• Never operate electrical equipment while standing in water.
• Never repair electrical cords or equipment unless qualified and authorized.
• Have a qualified electrician inspect electrical equipment that has gotten wet before energizing it.
• If working in damp locations, inspect electric cords and equipment to ensure that they are in good condition and free of defects, and use a ground-fault circuit interrupter.
• Always use caution when working near electricity.

It does not take many volts to be fatal. 120 volts can be very fatal in the right conditions. Our company would be glad to do electrical safety training for any size business. Awareness can bring the number of people who die from electrocution down.

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Employees should wear respirators when they are working in environments with insufficient oxygen or where harmful dusts, smokes, fogs, vapors, gases, fumes or sprays are present. These hazards can cause cancer, lung impairment, other diseases or death. Employees should wear respirators whenever engineering and work practice control measures are not adequate to prevent atmospheric contamination at the worksite. Respirators have limitations and are not a substitute for effective engineering and workplace controls. Respirators are for when controls to reduce airborne contaminants below their occupational exposure levels, such as during maintenance and repair, emergencies or when engineering controls are being installed. In cases where engineering controls and work practices cannot reduce exposure levels, respirator use is essential.

OSHA requires employers to establish and maintain an effective respiratory protection program when employees must wear respirators to protect against workplace hazards. Different hazards require different respirators, and employees are responsible for wearing the appropriate respirator and complying with the program. The standard contains requirements for program administration, worksite-specific procedures, respirator selection, employee training, fit testing, medical evaluation and respirator use, cleaning, maintenance, and repair. Employers must train employees in all aspects of the respiratory protection program. A program administrator must be responsible for the program and should know enough about respirators to supervise the program properly. Any respirator program should stress thorough training of all respirator users. Respirators do not eliminate the hazard and employees must be aware of this. If the respirator fails, the user will be overexposed to dangerous substances. To reduce failure, the respirator must fit properly and be maintained in a clean and serviceable condition. Employers and employees must understand the respirator’s purpose and limitations. Users must not alter or remove the respirator even if it is uncomfortable even for a short time. Whenever OSHA standards or employers require respirator use, there must be a complete respiratory protection program. Employers must have written operating procedures to ensure that employees use the respirators safely and properly. Employers must evaluate the effectiveness of a company’s respirator program regularly and modify the written operating procedure as necessary to reflect the evaluation results.

Choosing the right equipment involves: determining what the hazard is and its extent, considering user factors that affect respirator performance and reliability, and selecting an appropriate National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health-certified respirator. When selecting respirators, employers must consider the chemical and physical properties of the contaminant, as well as the toxicity and concentration of the hazardous material and the amount of oxygen present. Other factors are nature and extent of the hazard, work rate, area to be covered, mobility, work requirements and conditions, as well as the limitations and characteristics of the available respirators. Air-purifying respirators use filters to remove harmful substances from the air. They do not supply oxygen and must not be used in oxygen-deficient atmospheres or in other atmospheres that are immediately dangerous to life or health. Atmosphere-supplying respirators are designed to provide breathable air from a clean air source other than the surrounding contaminated work atmosphere. They include supplied-air respirators and self-contained breathing apparatus units. The time needed to perform a given task, including the time necessary to enter and leave a contaminated area, is an important factor in determining the type of respiratory protection needed. Self-contained breathing apparatus units, gas masks, or air-purifying chemical-cartridge respirators provide protection for respiratory protection for relatively short periods. An atmosphere-supplying respirator that supplies breathable air from an air compressor through an airline can provide protection for extended periods. Respirators must not impair the worker’s ability to see, hear, communicate, and move as necessary to perform the job safely. You should also consider when using respirators is the air-supply rate. The wearer’s work rate determines the volume of air breathed per minute and it is very important to know how much air needs to be supplied. The peak airflow rate also is important in the use of a constant-flow supplied air respirator. The air-supply rate should always be greater than the maximum amount of air being inhaled in order to maintain the respiratory enclosure under positive pressure.

In situations that are immediately dangerous to life or health usually need full-facepiece pressure demand self-contained breathing apparatus units. These include oxygen deficiency and contaminated atmospheres. In situations that are not immediately dangerous to life or health can usually be covered by positive-pressure supplied air respirators. These include gas and vapor contaminants and particulate contaminants.

Training is essential for correct respirator use. All employees required to use respirators must receive instruction in the proper use of equipment and its limitations. Employers should develop training programs based on the employee’s education level and language. Training must include an explanation of why respirator use is necessary; the nature of the respiratory hazard and consequences of not fitting,, using, and maintaining the respirator properly; reasons for selecting a particular type of respirator; capabilities and limitations of the selected respirator; how to inspect, put on and remover, and check the seals of the respirator; respirator maintenance and storage requirements; how to use the respirator effectively in emergency situations, including when the respirator malfunctions; and how to recognize medical signs and symptoms that may limit or prevent the effective use of the respirator. Continued use of poorly fitted and maintained respirators can cause chronic disease or death from overexposure to air contaminants.

Employers should provide a sufficient number of respirator models and sizes because no one respirator fits everyone and every employee must be able to select an acceptable respirator that fits properly. It is also important to inspect all respirators for wear and tear before and after each use. Corrective eyeglasses, facial hair, facial deformities or jewelry can all affect the fit of a facepiece. You should give special attention to rubber or plastic parts that can deteriorate or lose pliability. All pieces of the respirator must be in good condition. Users should replace chemical cartridges and gas mask canisters as necessary to provide complete protection, following the manufacturer’s recommendations. You should also replace mechanical filters as necessary to avoid high resistance to breathing. You should also check the facepiece each time you wear the respirator to ensure proper respiratory protection. You should do this by performing either a positive-pressure or negative-pressure user seal check. Only experienced people should make repairs based on the manufacturer’s recommendations and parts.

Fit testing is required for tight-fitting facepiece respirators. One way to test is qualitatively. This involves the introduction of a harmless odoriferous or irritating substance into the breathing zone around the respirator being worn. If no odor or irritation is detected by the wearer, then there is a proper fit. Another way is quantitatively. This offers a more accurate, detailed information on respirator fit. While the wearer performs exercises that could induce facepiece leakage, a fit testing instrument numerically measures the amount of leakage into the respirator.

Users must store respirators in a way that protects them from dust, heat, extreme cold, excessive moisture, and damaging chemicals. When stored, it should be done in such a way that it retains its natural configuration. Facepieces and exhalation valves should rest in a normal position to prevent the rubber or plastic from deforming. Employers must maintain surveillance of work area conditions and the degree of worker stress which is a combination of work rate, environmental conditions and physiological burdens of wearing a respirator. Changes in operating procedures, temperature, air movement, humidity, and work practices may influence the concentration of a substance in the work area atmosphere. In situations that are dangerous to life or health, employers must ensure that one or more employees are located outside the dangerous environment and these employees must maintain visual, voice, or signal line communication with employees in that dangerous environment.

Our company can help your company by providing the training for using respirators and helping to test those respirators that you have available to your employees.

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Plan ahead to get the job done safely.

When working from heights, employers should plan out how the job should be done safely. You need to decide how it will be done, what tasks will be involved, and what safety equipment will be needed to complete those tasks. Costs of a job should include the cost of safety equipment. When working on a roof, you must take into consideration the many dangers of holes, skylights, and leading edges and should have things such as personal fall arrest systems.

Provide the right equipment.

If workers are six feet or more above lower levels, risk for serious injury or death increases if they fall. Employers should provide fall protection and the right equipment for the job. Different ladders and scaffolds are appropriate for different jobs and employers should provide their employees with the kind they need to get the job done safely. If harnesses tied to an anchor are used, they should be regularly inspected to insure that it is in good condition and safe to use.

Train everyone to use the equipment safely.

When workers understand the set up and the proper use of the safety equipment falls can be prevented. They need proper training on the equipment they will use to complete the job. Employers must train employees on hazard recognition and the proper use of ladders, scaffolds, fall protection and any other equipment the will use.

For unprotected sides, wall openings, and floor holes, it is best to use guard rails then fall arrest systems such as safety nets and harnesses. You should cover and guard floor holes as soon as they a created. Floor hole covers should be able to hold twice the weight of employees and equipment that may be imposed on it at any given time.

Portable ladders should always be inspected before use. The side rails should extend three feet above the landing. It should be the type of ladder that can handle the weight of the employees and any equipment or materials used. You should make sure the weight does not make the ladder slip off its support. You should also only use ladders that meet OSHA standards.

Using these safety techniques can and will prevent deaths from falls. It is important to prevent these deaths because it so easy to die from a fall of any height.

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To prevent heat illness, employers should provide their employees with water, shade and rest breaks; they should also gradually increase the workload on their employees until their bodies can become tolerant to the heat and the work. Acclimatization is important to preventing heat illness. For workers who are new to the job or have been off of work for a while should take frequent breaks and drink lots of water while they gain tolerance.

Everyone who works in the heat should drink water every 15 minutes whether they are thirsty of not. They should also wear hats and light colored clothing that reflect the light. They should rest in the shade or in air conditioning, if possible, to cool down. Learn the signs of heat illness and keep an eye on fellow workers.

So, what are the signs of heat illness? The symptoms are confusion, dark colored urine, dizziness, fainting, fatigue, headaches, muscle or abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting or diarrhea, pale skin, profuse sweating, and rapid heartbeat.

You should treat heat illness is by getting out of the heat, drinking lots of water or other fluids but avoid caffeine and alcohol, remove any tight or unnecessary clothing, take a cool shower, bath or sponge bath and use other methods such as fans and ice towels. If these measures do not provide relief in 15 minutes, then emergency medical help should be called because a heat stroke could occur. Heat illness can be very deadly if you are not careful.

Extreme heat that affects workers is the heat index. The heat index is what the temperature feels like to the body when relative humidity is combined with the air temperature. When the humidity is high in hotter temperatures, the evaporation of sweat decreases and fails to cool the body down. There is also a concern when there is low humidity and high temperatures. When to sweat is evaporated too fast and you do not drink enough water; you can die of dehydration. There is a chart the OSHA uses to know when precautions need to be taken. It is here below:

Heat Index Risk Level Protective Measures
Less than 91°F Lower (Caution)
Basic heat safety and planning
91°F to 103°F Moderate (Caution)
Implement precautions and heighten awareness
103°F to 115°F High (Caution)
Additional precautions to protect workers
Greater than 115°F Very High to Extreme (Caution)
Triggers even more aggressive protective measures

Employers and employees both need to be proactive to help stop preventable heat illness deaths.

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