Mark Stromme is a workplace safety editor with J. J. Keller & Associates, Inc., 3003 Breezewood Ln., Neenah, WI 54957; (920) 722-2848; Email: mstromme@jjkeller.com; Internet: jjkeller.com.
Of all areas of the body, the eyes are among the most exposed to hazards on a daily basis. It takes only a single speck of flying debris to cause serious damage to an eye.
OSHA requires that in any workplace where respirators are necessary to protect the health of the employee or whenever respirators are required by the employer, a written respiratory protection program must be established and implemented.
Falling to a lower level may be a hazard employees are exposed to during their shift. However, taking the right precautions can keep employees from suffering injury or even death.
Workplaces can sometimes be dangerous and that’s why OSHA requires employers to alert employees to hazards that they could encounter. A proactive way to provide this protection is to use the necessary signage, alarms, and signals to alert workers to these hazards.
Material handling consists of the moving, handling, and storing of materials in a facility using manual force, employee-operated equipment (forklifts), and automated equipment (conveyors). The handling and storing of materials inside a facility includes activities like:
When employees are performing construction work six feet or more above a lower level, you need to provide them with some type of fall protection. There is an exception for working on scaffolding — the threshold height for fall protection is ten feet. OSHA regulates falls at 1926 Subpart M.
Crystalline silica is one of the most common elements on the planet, just behind oxygen. About 2.3 million workers are exposed to it in their workplace. It’s about 100 times smaller than sand and can be found on construction sites in building materials such as concrete, block, stone, sand, and mortar.
