Monthly Archives: November 2013

Thanksgiving Safety Tips

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Happy Thanksgiving from PF Safety. It is important to remember on Thanksgiving Day that accidents do not take holidays, and you need to remain cautious. One of the biggest hazards on Thanksgiving is house fires. Here are a few safety tips to help prevent a house fire, and to ensure your holiday is safe.

A new trend which has taken hold over the last few years is deep frying the turkey. If you plan to deep fry your turkey this year, do it outside, away from your house. When you fry the bird, make sure it is dry, and no grease can spill out. These hazards can cause a grease fire, which is extremely difficult to put out.

Another major fire hazard is found in the kitchen. You should never leave any cooking appliances unattended. On Thanksgiving Day, there are twice as many house fires as any other day during the year, and these fires are often caused in the kitchen from food left cooking unattended.

In order to help in the event a small fire starts, you should always keep a large lid in the kitchen, ready to smother the fire. This lid can prevent a Thanksgiving Day tragedy. If a fire starts that the lid can’t handle, or if a fire starts outside, it is also important to have a working fire extinguisher present.

Have a happy and safe holiday. If you should have any questions about workplace safety, please contact us. We will be here to help you all holiday season long.

Training Deadline for the Revised Hazard Communication Standard Nearing

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IN 2012, OSHA updated the standard on Hazard Communication. New guidelines were put in place requiring, among other things, more rigorous training surrounding the communication of hazardous materials, with a training deadline of December 1st. That deadline is soon approaching, and a failure to properly train employees will be a serious problem for employers.

The update to the standard aligned it with the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals. This creates an easier system for employees when trying to understand what chemicals they are working with, and should create a safer workplace.

The full update is coming in phases, and one of the most important phases, the training phase, is required to be completed by Saturday. If you have not finished, or even started, to prepare for this update, it is time to take a hard look at your safety plan to ensure you will be ready by December 1st.

Employers must train their employees on the type of information which might be found on the new required labels. Employees must also be trained on how the various warnings on a label work together, and how to most effectively utilize the labels at work. Additionally, employees must be trained on the new 16-section format and the new Safety Data Sheets.

If you have any questions about the updates to the hazard communication standard, about the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals, or about the December 1st training deadline, please contact us. And if you have anything to add about these topics, please leave a comment.

Maintaining Lockout Tagout (LOTO) Procedures

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Here are PF Safety, we specialize in occupational health and safety. Our team of auditors study OSHA’s Standards, track OSHA citations, and constantly strive to share their knowledge with our clients to create the safest work environment possible. And when our clients and auditors sit down to talk, the one topic which always poses a problem is lockout tagout. Establishing lockout tagout procedures is extremely difficult unless you are an expert in the field, and maintaining those procedures can become a safety nightmare.

Because of these difficulties, many business owners hire outside firms to manage their lockout tagout procedures. Unfortunately, this can be very expensive, and if the firm you hire does not do its job, the business can be on the hook for some pretty hefty fines. But this is the only option for many companies which do not have the requisite staff available to properly maintain lockout tagout procedures.

So as an answer to this problem, we created Factory Solutions software. This software allows you to survey and audit your facility for compliance, management control, and record-keeping. This software is fully customizable and fully scalable, and can be accessed anywhere the internet is available. Our Factory Solutions software allows business owners to take control of their lockout tagout procedures back, while still helping them to ensure compliance.

If you have any questions about lockout tagout procedures or our Factory Solutions software, please contact us. If you have anything to add about maintaining lockout tagout procedures, please leave a comment.

Preventive Maintenance Program

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The purpose of a preventive maintenance program is to help stop equipment from breaking down and malfunctioning before it begins to show signs of wear. A good preventive maintenance program includes multiple checks of  the equipment over multiple time periods. So, there should be daily checks, weekly checks, monthly checks, and so forth. Manufacturer instructions and recommendations should be a consideration when establishing a preventive maintenance program, as well.

Preventive maintenance programs save employers money over time by extending the life of the company equipment. Equipment which is properly maintained is less likely to break down. For this reason, preventive maintenance programs also lessen the likelihood a piece of equipment will need to be repaired. This creates another cost savings opportunity.

But perhaps most importantly, preventive maintenance programs save employers money by creating a safer work environment. They create a safer work environment by creating a system which ensures that safety mechanisms are in place and functional. Just like machines can break down over time, so too can safety mechanisms on these machines.

OSHA requires routine maintenance of a number of different types of equipment. If this maintenance is not performed and you receive a citation relating to one of these machines, additional citations could be coming.

If you have any questions about how to establish a preventive maintenance program, or if you would like help in establishing that plan, please contact us. And if you have anything to add about the importance of a preventive maintenance program, please leave a comment.

OSHA Fines Contractors for Roles in Philadelphia Building Collapse

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Last June, a center city building collapsed in Philadelphia. The collapse killed six and injured 19 employees and shoppers. The building fell on an adjacent Salvation Army Thrift Store. After an initial review, it was found that critical wall supports had been removed from the four story building three days prior to the collapse. Further, the contractor who was operating the heavy equipment when the building collapsed was cited for negligence.

All told, the fines for Griffin Campbell, the demolition contractor whose company was hired to knock down the old building, totaled $313,000. There were additional fines totaling $84,000 levied against Sean Benschop, the operator of the heavy equipment which was involved in the building collapse.

The citations for Campbellwere largely focused upon the “willful, egregious violations” of OSHA standards, according to David Michaels, theUS assistant secretary of labor. There were additional citations for a lack of hard hats, issues with adequate training, fall prevention, and fall protection.

If you are in the construction industry and have any questions regarding how your worksite is run and the processes you have in place, it is a good idea to get a full third party safety audit from a qualified OSHA compliance consulting firm.

If you would like more information about third party safety audits, please contact us. If you have anything  to add about OSHAs citations against Griffin Campbell and Sean Benschop, or if you would like to add something regarding the importance of a third party safety audit, please leave a message.

Establishing Your Lockout Tagout Procedures

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When establishing your lockout tagout procedures, you have several options. You can establish them in-house with the people you have in place. You can go hire a number of new employees to help with this process. Or you can hire a qualified third party to work with you, and to help you to create your lockout tagout procedures.

When making the decision between these options, you need to first consider the timeframe you have for the completion of your project, as well as what your expected budget is for the project. If you have no money available to hire additional staff, for instance, that will help you make your decision. Similarly, if you need the project completed within a set period of time, you need to determine whether or not you have the correct people in place to meet that goal, and how long it would take you to train new staff. These two questions are usually the easiest way to help determine the best option for you.

Next, you should contact a qualified firm which specializes in lockout tagout procedures. This firm can give you an idea of what the costs will be for your project, as well as the expected timeframe and the potential issues which could arise in your unique situation. With all of this information, you can make an informed decision on how to proceed.

Should you have any questions about establishing your lockout tagout procedures, please contact us. And if you have anything to add about establishing your lockout tagout procedures, please leave a comment.

Third Party Safety Audit

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A third party safety audit can help ensure your business remains safe and compliant, help you develop an elite safety program, or help you obtain VPP Star/Merit status. Whatever you are looking to do in the world of safety and compliance, a third party safety audit will probably be a requirement.

Qualified third party safety auditors will begin any safety audit with a full review of your current hazard assessments. The auditor will ensure the procedures in place for these hazards are OSHA compliant. Next, the auditor will review all accident investigation to identify any potential areas of concern. These areas will then be assessed and corrective action will be recommended. Finally, the auditor should perform a comprehensive “wall to wall” safety inspection of the facility. This should allow the auditor to uncover any unknown compliance issues. Once all of this data is collected, the auditor should present an action plan to correct these issues.

Whether attempting to develop a new safety program or ensure compliance, this data is extremely useful. And, generally, a safety audit should be the first step either way, as it gives you a firm starting point to build from. A third party safety audit benefits those attempting to obtain VPP Star/Merit status, as it is a recommendation of the program, and it also allows a third party professional to take an objective view of your safety programs.

If you have any questions about a third party safety audit, please contact us. If you have anything to add about a third party safety audit, please leave a comment.

OSHA Proposes Changes to Injury and Illness Reporting

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OSHA’s recent proposal would make it a requirement of all employers of more than 250 employees, and employers of more than 20 employees in specific industries which have been identified as having high injury and illness rates, to electronically file illness and injury reports online. These reports will be stripped of any personal information and then made available to the public.

OSHA claims this will create more transparency in workplace injury, while also providing easier access to information for the public. Currently, the OSHA website lists raw data about workplace injury, but does not specifically breakdown what the injury was or how the injury happened. The new proposal would allow the public to break down what types of injuries are most common in various industries, and thus could help to limit common injuries in certain industries.

Whatever your opinion on these new changes, they fall in line with President Barak Obama’s initiative to increase access to government data, and as such are likely to gain traction. And if they do, it could mean big changes are coming for over 475,000 companies. If you think your company could be one of those affected by the changes, it is important to contact a professional safety and OSHA consulting firm for more details.

If you are nervous about the new proposal and how it might affect your business, please contact us so that we can advise you. If you have anything to add about the new OSHA proposal regarding injury and illness reporting, please leave a comment.

Monitoring your Lockout Tagout Procedures

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If your company has a need to establish and monitor lockout tagout procedures, it is important you do so correctly. it is important first for employee safety; lockout tagout procedures save lives, and as such need to be accurate and effective. But it is also important as a requirement per OSHA through Standard 1910.147.

OSHA created Standard 1910.147 to help employers create a safer workplace in relation to lockout tagout hazards. These hazards are life threatening, and ever present. But establishing comprehensive and effective lockout tagout procedures is only the first half of effective lockout tagout safety. Properly monitoring and updating your procedures is equally important and, perhaps, more difficult.

If is for this reason that many business owners hire third party firms to monitor their lockout tagout procedures. Unfortunately, these firms can often be expensive and drain your bottom line. Conversely, if these employers attempt to monitor their lockout tagout procedures on their own and do not have a qualified employee with experience in lockout tagout, they could expose their employees to an unsafe work environment, and themselves to significant fines.

Fortunately, there is now an alternative. You can utilize safety software which allows you to monitor and update your lockout tagout procedures from anywhere an internet connection is available. This software also monitors your procedures, helping you to ensure compliance even when you aren’t looking.

If you have any questions about monitoring your lockout tagout procedures or our Factory Solutions Software, please contact us. If you would like to add anything about the importance of properly monitoring your lockout tagout procedures, please leave a message.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

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Personal protective equipment (PPE) is regulated by OSHA through Standard 1910.132. This standard covers a wide range of personal protective equipment, “including personal protective equipment for eyes, face, head, and extremities, protective clothing, respiratory devices, and protective shields and barriers.” (1910.132[a]) The standard explains who is responsible to maintain and replace the equipment, how the equipment must be maintained, and what the employer and employees roles are in personal protective equipment use.

To start, it is important to understand what hazards are present, and which personal protective equipment is required in which situations. There are some very general guidelines in this standard, but it is also important to review the standards relevant to the actions being performed, in order to properly identify the required personal protective equipment. To help you in this capacity, it might make sense to have your facility and procedures audited by a qualified third party auditing firm with a specialty in OSHA standards.

It is also important to note that most personal protective equipment is required to be purchased and maintained by the employer. Additionally, adequate training is required to be provided by the employer. For these reasons, it is important to implement and track training and maintenance policies.

If you have any questions about your personal protective equipment (PPE) policies or procedures, or if you would like your facility audited to ensure you have no hazards which are unaccounted for, please contact us. And if you have anything to add about personal protective equipment, please leave a comment.