Most electricians will tell you that safety is always their #1 priority. When considering electrical hazards on the job, arc flash is perhaps the most lethal threat with temperatures exceeding 35,000 degrees.
There is a statistic, that is commonly quoted, that says there are ten arc flash incidents per day resulting in one to two deaths per day. This statistic is identified as coming from a report compiled by Capelli-Schellpfeffer, Inc. In a paragraph titled "Two Deaths Per Day" Fire Engineeringmagazine states:"An arc flash is an electrical release of energy hotter than the surface of the sun and capable of exploding with the strength of eight sticks of dynamite.
The passage of electric current causes deep injuries to the anatomical structures, leading to serious consequences for the patients. The most common sites for such accidents due to electricity are power stations, which are often unsupervised and thus allow people free access, thus making it possible for them to come into contact with high-voltage cables.
Toxic release sends workers to hospital, Black Friday jitters
November 23, 2013
A company president heads to federal prison for occupational safety crimes, sharps injuries among health care workers benchmarked and an asbestos claim transparency victim that has victims’ rights advocates calling “foul” are among this week’s top EHS-related stories as featured on ISHN.com:
A new survey estimates that 320,000 U.S. health care workers sustain sharps injuries (SI) in hospital and non-hospital settings. The survey by the Association of Occupational Health Professionals in Healthcare (AOHP) found an SI rate of 24 per 100 occupied beds, or 1.9 per 100 full-time equivalents (FTE.)
Strategic Partnership Program to help with safety goals
November 12, 2013
W.S. Bellows Construction Corp. will tackle its biggest project to date in partnership with OSHA, under a plan designed to reduce occupational fatalities, injuries and illnesses.
Nearly 3.0 million nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses were reported by private industry employers in 2012, resulting in an incidence rate of 3.4 cases per 100 equivalent full-time workers, according to estimates from the Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII) conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Workers at risk for ergo injuries, infectious diseases
November 7, 2013
With more than two million workers in the U.S. employed in the cleaning and custodial services, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NOSH) has posted a new topic page that provides informational resources for protecting workers from the hazards commonly found in this occupation.
In a press tele-conference last week, OSHA chief Dr. David Michaels once again took the opportunity to promote the much-ballyhooed and controversial Injury and Illness Prevention Plan (I2P2). “Certainly, we encourage employers to adopt and embrace I2P2,” he said. “In the VPP (Voluntary Protection Program) thousand of companies have adopted the principles of I2P2. So we know it works."
OSHA has cited a Long Island health care facility for exposing its workers to bloodborne pathogens from a variety of sources. The Avalon Gardens Rehabilitation & Health Care Center Inc. in Smithtown earned 11 serious violations of workplace health and safety standards, with $41,000 in proposed penalties, following an inspection that was prompted by a complaint.