first-aid first’-aid’ (fûrst’ād’) adj.
n.
Emergency treatment administered to an injured or sick person before professional medical care is available.

First Aid Kits and Supplies include everything from Storage Cabinets and First Aid Kits to Refills on Pain Medications and Bandages. First Aid Kits and Supplies are necessary in every facility or warehouse, regardless of the type of product being produced. First Aid Signs, Labels and Tags are also available to remind employees of First Aid locations and procedures.

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Did you know that March is Workplace Eye Wellness Month? The Prevent Blindness America website reports that “more than 2,000 people injure their eyes at work each day”. Those are some scary statistics and what is even scarier is that “of the total amount of [eye] work-related injuries, 10-20 % will cause temporary or permanent vision loss”. We at Seton want to remind you about the importance of wearing proper eye protection and posting eye protection signs in your workplace. We want to help keep you and your employees safe and offer many safety signs to suits your individual facility needs. We have a large selection of OSHA Safety Signs to post in work areas, where eye wear is required. We also have various signs for posting near eyewash stations and first aid stations so employees can locate them quickly. Remember, work safe and stay safe not only in March, but all year long.

For more info on Workplace Eye Wellness Month please visit the Blindness America website for tips on how to prevent eye injuries the type of safety eye protection you should wear.

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1. Wear seat belts – They help protect you not only from traveling at high rate of speeds to the site, but also in the equipment, protecting you inside from rollovers.

2. Avoid slips and falls – Proper housekeeping is the way to avoid these mishaps. Be sure to pick up any loose materials and put smaller equipment, such as shovels or tampers back in their storage areas.

3. Properly enter and exit machinery – This is a 3 step process:

1. Face the equipment and use the access system provided by the manufacturer
2. Make sure contact areas are clear, steps and handrails are secured and that landing areas are properly lit
3. Maintain 3 points of contact when mounting or dismounting – tow hands and one foot or one hand and two feet

4. Dress for protection – Proper footwear can prevent slipping and protect you from falling objects, shirt sleeves of a minimum of 4″ in length are recommend as well as gloves and long pants for extra coverage that can protect you from the sun, cuts and abrasions. Hard hats and safety glasses provide extra protection when you think you might not need it, error on the side of caution. As for hi-visibilty clothing, when working in a  high traffic area or in tight spaces, this may be appropriate to let other crew members as well as passers by know exactly where you are located.

5. Establish a safety procedure on your work site – Regular training and weekly safety updates make a good practice for a safer work site.

6. Make safe attachment changes – As these vary by the tool being used, it is imperative to understand each tool’s limit as far as weight capacity, warning label indicators and  lift restrictions.

7. Conduct walk-around inspections – Taking only a few minutes of your time, this can prove to be invaluable. Carefully inspect all machinery before operation (most machines come with a Operations and Maintenance Manual or OMM which should always be kept with the machine itself) and if something seems wrong or slightly off, don’t hesitate – shut it down. Be very diligent in looking for cuts, leaks, rubbings, cracks or signs of wear.

8. Keep machinery clean – Clean and clear steps, windows and controls allow for a safer use of the machine and can reduce the potential for accidents.

9. Make a commitment to operator training – Train new operators before setting them in place. “Practice makes perfect,” right? So practice it.

10. Secure loads properly – Once again, the OMM will provide you with proper lifting, transporting and load capacities. Do not over-exceed these limits as these are what the manufacture states the machine is capable of handling.

No matter what type of landscaping or construction you perform, Seton has the supplies to keep you safe and compliant.

Safety tips were provided by Greg Sitek, courtesy of Caterpillar Inc. Visit their site for more information.

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The best time to prepare for a storm is before it hits.  The key to weathering any storm is preparation. Here are some suggestions to be prepared.

Image courtesy of chaseday.com

• If you lose electricity, unplug any sensitive items that might be damaged when the power suddenly comes back on.
• Put your refrigerator and freezer at the coldest settings in case you lose power. The colder food will last a little longer.
• Set aside water for drinking and washing.
• Fill up your vehicle gas tank in case you need to evacuate.
• Keep a battery powered radio handy. Make sure you have lots of extra batteries.
• Make sure you have flashlights and fresh batteries.
• Stock up on easy-to-prepare foods and be ready to cook outside if needed.

Seton offers a variety of products that will help you prepare for a storm at home or in the workplace including  flashlight stations, batteries and emergency survival kits.

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No, it’s not New York. New York is actually one of the most pedestrian-friendly cities in the US. The four most pedestrian-unfriendly cities are all in Florida -  Orlando, Tampa, Miami and Jacksonville.

The reason for Florida’s poor ranking? The nonprofit group Transportation America cites the state’s urban sprawl and road design. In the past, Florida’s roads were designed to move lots of traffic as quickly as possible without much thought of pedestrian safety.

Fortunately, Florida’s city planners have begun to add sidewalks, crosswalk signs and speed bumps to their roads in an effort to lower the number of pedestrian deaths on Florida roads.

Seton sells a variety of products to increase pedestrian safety including crosswalk signs, speed bumps and pavement marking products.

Source: National Geographic, July 2010.

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It’s June 1^st, Memorial Day has passed, and to many the start of summer has officially begun, but did you know it is also the start of National Safety Month? That’s right, it is an annual observance run by the The National Safety Council. June is a month dedicated to increasing education about the top causes of preventable injuries and deaths and to encourage safe behaviors at work, at home, on the road and in our communities.

In June the National Safety Council (NSC) encourages businesses and communities from coast to coast to get involved and participate in National Safety Month. Each week is dedicated to a specific theme to help bring attention to a critical safety issue.

Here is the line up for June 2010:

Week 1 – June 1-6: Prescription Drug Overdose Prevention

Week 2 – June 7-13: Teen Driving Safety

Week 3 – June 14-20: Preventing Overexertion at Work and at Home

Week 4 – June 21-27: Dangers of Cell Phone Use While Driving

Week 5 – June 28-30: Summer Safety

To learn more about National Safety Month visit www.nsc.org

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The warmer weather has arrived and with summer vacation upon us many will be heading out to theme parks both locally and around the country. This got me to thinking about workplace safety, in these kinds of venues, and I’ve found some interesting info on the subject.

It appears that injury and fatality rates of workers at amusement and theme parks are one of the highest in the industry. Many workers have been run over, dragged and struck by different theme park rides causing them serious injuries and many have lost their lives. To help prevent these accidents from occurring it is important to provide workers with the proper training on the hazards and safe work practices for each piece of equipment they operate, as well as on the mechanical hazards associated with rides and the lockout/tagout procedures.

Seton offers many lockout/tagout products as well as numerous safety signs. Visit www.seton.com to view our wide selection and remember to work smart at the park this summer.

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Do you work in construction or own a construction company? Then look no further.

OSHA has developed a site specific to the construction industry. By visiting www.osha.gov you can find resources, training, hot topics and even compliance issues that affect the construction industry.

“Every day in this country, more than 14 workers lose their lives in preventable workplace tragedies — close to 100 deaths every week.”
- David Michaels, OSHA Assistant Secretary

Don’t be another statistic! Use the resources that are available to you now.

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Alarming cancer statistics have been making waves with scientists and environmentalists to re-examine chemical safety. According to the National Cancer Institute, about 41 percent of Americans will be diagnosed with cancer during their lifetime, and approximately 21 percent will die from it. In 2009 alone, about 1.5 million new cancer cases were diagnosed in the U.S.  With over 700 new chemicals introduced each year, its hard to  believe there is no law requiring companies to demonstrate that the new chemicals are safe to the public.  However, there is an related Act called the Toxics Substances Control Act of 1976, which many believe to be  ineffective.  Last month, three different state representatives got together to propose new legislation that would keep harmful chemicals out of our air, food, water and consumer products.

The Safe Chemicals Act of 2010 would update the Toxics Substances Control Act of 1976.   Since 1976, the toxic substances act has resulted in only 200 chemicals (out of 80,000) in circulation being assessed for safety. Out of that 80,000  only five chemicals are currently being restricted for use.  This legislation could phase out some of the most dangerous chemicals such as lead,  PBTs such as mercury (present in light bulbs and power plant emissions) and formaldehyde should be phased out of commerce except for critical uses.  We will keep you updated if this legislation goes through! For more information..The Baltimore Sun has a complete story.

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More than 80 workers lose their lives each year in crane-related fatalities. There are significant safety issues to be considered for the operators of the “lifting” devices, as well as for the workers in proximity to them. Employees of specialty trade contractors (foundation, structure, and building exterior contractors; building equipment contractors) usually experience the largest share of crane-related fatalities in the private construction industry.

Crane accidents are usually the result of failure to:

• Maintain the crane in a safe condition
• Properly inspect the crane
• Properly calculate the load
• Rig the load properly
• Manually compute the load as a check-and-control measure against the crane computer
• Understand the physics involved in crane operations and concepts of making a safe lift

Source: ConstructionBusinessOwner.com

One way to help prevent possible crane related injuries and fatalities in the future, is to start by posting clear and direct crane safety signs.

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