According to OSHA §1910.335(b),employers are required to use safety signs, labels and tags to warn and protect employees from hazards that could cause injury due to arc flashes, electrical shock, burns or failure of electrical equipment.  This is one example of how to utilize labels in your workplace.  Seton provides labeling solutions to meet all your business needs.  We offer 1,000’s of labels ranging from standard OSHA and shipping labels to custom bar code and promotional labels made to your specifications.

Whatever your labeling needs, Seton is here to safeguard your assets, facility, equipment and property.

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Employers are required to protect employees from workplace hazards that can cause injury; including sharp edges, falling objects, flying sparks, chemicals, noise and a variety of other potentially dangerous situations. To learn more about OSHA’s requirements for PPE use in the workplace visit: OSHA.gov

Some general guidelines for introducing PPE:
- Know the different types of PPE
- Selecting appropriate PPE products for a variety of workplace situations
- Understanding the proper use and care of PPE

Seton offers a full selection of PPE to meet all your needs – welding and protective clothing, safety eyewear, headwear, hearing protection, gloves, fall protection and respirators from the brands you have come to trust. Check it out today!

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Construction sites are very busy places. Have you ever noticed all the workers, all the equipment and all the commotion? Construction sites have many comers and goers  that bring a variety of noises and commotion inside and out.

Each of the workers, depending on their specialty/trade, comes equipped with different pieces of machinery and tools, creating a variety of noises at different points throughout the construction project.

The Importance of Hearing Protection

While OSHA’s limit of 90 dBA requires the use of hearing protection devices (HPDs), many construction sites often can exceed this and many  construction employees do not always wear hearing protection.

Some of their most common complaints are that hearing protectors are uncomfortable, hot and create a situation where they cannot hear warning signals or fellow workers. In addition to employees finding it a nuisance to wear the appropriate hearing protection, other common issues that prevent workers from wearing their HPDs are that they are not trained properly, do not have access to the appropriate HPDs or simply are unaware of the need for hearing protection.

While this may be the point of view of the worker, the use of proper hearing protection must be reinforced by the contractor or project manager to protect the worker themselves and to also reduce the risk of OSHA fines against the construction company responsible for the project. There are many types of hearing protection available to meet employee needs in terms of both compliance and comfort.

How to Choose Proper Hearing Protection

• The noise level and even the frequency of the predominant noises may need to be considered. This may require the assistance of a health and safety professional.
• Next, maintenance of the hearing protectors must be considered. Construction sites often can be very dirty, and therefore, employees may want a product that is easy to maintain or requires little or no maintenance, such as earplugs or hearing bands.
• Finally, a very important factor is how the hearing protector interacts with other personal protective equipment such as hard hats, eye protection and welding hoods. The hearing protector should not interfere in any way with other safety devices. If it does interfere with other safety devices, an overall assessment of personal protective equipment might be needed.

Employers are advised to refer to OSHA’s noise in construction standard, 29 CFR1926.52. If feasible, though not required, the construction employer may wish to consider OSHA’s general industry noise standard — 29CFR1910.95 — which is a more in-depth program and provides more guidance in protecting workers.

No matter what type of construction you perform, Seton has the hearing protection and other personal protective equipment supplies to keep you safe and compliant.

Safety tips were provided by Jeff Birkner, a Certified Industrial Hygienist, courtesy of EHS Today Visit their the EHS Today site for more information.

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Is your air conditioner working overtime right now? Well we all know that answer! Yes…the humidity levels have been at a high for a couple weeks now.  Besides your higher than average electric bill you need to worry about – what about the safety of your home?  Here are some surprising statistics regarding the use of cooling appliances in your home.

• According to the CPSC, 15% of consumer-product related electrocutions are attributed to large appliances. These electrocutions occur most commonly while someone is attempting to service or repair the appliance.
• In 2006, an estimated 33,500 injuries were reported to hospital emergency rooms as involving air conditioners, fans, humidifiers, dehumidifiers, air purifiers, and heat pumps. The leading types of injuries were laceration (14,890), contusion or abrasion (6,110), and strain or sprain (4,430).
• In 2003-2006, the 7,000 reported home structure fires per year involving air conditioning and related equipment included 2,400 per year involving central and room air conditioners specifically and 3,700 per year involving fans.

Source: http://esfi.org/

Safety Tips from Seton!

1) Always keep in mind safety when researching and purchasing new appliances for your home. Read consumer and manufacturer recommendations and reviews.

2) Inspect the equipment when its delivered to your home. Make sure nothing looks broken or out of the ordinary.

3) Consult a qualified professional if you have any doubts when buying a new expensive appliance to determine  the right fit for your home.

4) Do not install anything by yourself or without the proper equipment. The best way is to hire a professional for any appliances that need electrical work.

5) Always check and double check routinely on the safety of your existing appliances!

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The NFPA rating scale and bar code system supports the NFPA 704.  Defined by the NFPA, the objectives of the NFPA 704 System are:

• To provide an appropriate signal or alert for the protection of both public and private emergency response personnel
• To assist in planning for effective fire and emergency control operations, including clean-up
• To assist all designated personnel, engineers, plant, and safety personnel in evaluating hazards

The NFPA Rating scale is displayed as a diamond and consists of four segments including health hazard, fire hazard, specific hazard, and instability. They are also color-coded as follows: blue for health, red for flammability, white for specific hazard and yellow for instability.  The NFPA Color Bar consist of three of these same segments excluding the specific hazard.  These systems are widely used and will identify the hazards of a material by four principal categories:

Health Hazard – ranks the specific material’s probable severity to personal health

Fire Hazard – ranks the specific material’s susceptibility to burn

Instability – ranks the specific material’s ease, rate and quantity of energy released

Specific Hazard – identifies the specific material’s special hazard potential or any special protection which may be required

The Rating Explanation Guide below can be used to determine the specific rating to be used.  Seton carries many signs, charts and labels to meet your specifications for NFPA communication.

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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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Week 4 (May 23-29) Remembering Safety in the Field

Electrical hazards cause more than 300 deaths and 4,000 injuries in the workplace each year.  Electrical accidents rank sixth among all causes of work-related deaths in the United States.  ESFI released this list of  basic electrical safety practices:
• Be sure you are properly trained and qualified for the job.
• Plan every job and think about what could go wrong.
• Identify the electric shock and arc flash hazards, as well as others that may be present.
• Use the right tools for the job.
• Isolate equipment from energy sources.
• Test every circuit and every conductor every time before you touch it.
• Work on electrical equipment and conductors only when de-energized.
• Lockout/tagout and ground before working on equipment.
• Treat de-energized electrical equipment and conductors as energized until lockout/tagout,
test, and ground procedures are implemented.
• Wear protective clothing and equipment and use insulated tools in areas where there are
possible electrical hazards.

In week 4’s section, you will find:

• Safety Tips
• Facts & Statistics
• Guidelines to safe practices

Virtual Demonstrations

• AFCI Virtual Demonstration View l Download
• GFCI Virtual Demonstration View l Download
• TRR Virtual Demonstration View l Download

Source: http://esfi.org/

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The US Chemical Safety Board has been investigating an explosion that occurred on April 14,2010 which resulted in a death of a 21-year old man.  CSB investigators determined that a lit cigarette or lighter was the likely ignition source for the explosion. This happened when the man was peering down a tank full of crude oil.   The resulting explosion and fire engulfed the victim and caused a second explosion in an interconnected tank. The victim suffered third-degree burns over 85% of his body.  Another individual suffered second-degree burns. The investigation details are quite shocking.

“The catwalk leading to the top of the tank was unsecured and readily accessible,” said CSB Investigator Vidisha Parasram. “The tank hatches had no mechanism which would permit them to be secured or locked. No fire or explosion warning signs or other warning signage was visible anywhere on the site following the accident.” Ms. Parasram said the CSB would continue to study whether any signage could have been destroyed in the fire, but that even the undamaged portions of the facility and the entrance gates had no posted warnings. Eyewitnesses said they saw no signs on the night of the accident or during previous visits to the site.”

Further investigation show that explosive warning signs could have prevented this tragedy. The man was just interested to see what was inside the tank according to witnesses. If there had been correct signage it might have been a different ending.

Source : http://www.csb.gov/newsroom/detail.aspx?nid=315

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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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As the weather gets nicer, warmer and the daylight lasts longer, more outdoor construction projects will be picking up. With working outdoors, the potential to be exposed to heights increases.

Last week, a NJ contractor was sited by OSHA, for 3 repeat violations, totaling over $47,000 for exposing his workers to fall hazards as high as 24 feet while performing masonry work on the exterior of a building.

“Falls are the leading cause of fatalities in the construction industry,” said Patricia Jones, director of OSHA’s Avenel Area Office. “It is vital that employers protect their workers from these deadly hazards, and provide an overall safe and healthful workplace.”

Each year, on average, between 150 and 200 workers are killed and more than 100,000 are injured as a result of falls at construction sites. Source www.osha.gov.

For more information on OSHA’s Fall Protection standards and helpful tips, please click here.

For a wide variety of fall protection devices, visit Seton for all your lanyard and harness needs.

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