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!

Tweet This Post

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.

Tweet This Post

May is tomorrow and that means Summer is knocking on the door. With warmer, nicer weather, it only means more construction workers will be spending more of their time outdoors. The costs associated for preparing for sun and heat exposure is far less than those expenses paid for injuries or illness, even absences that occur due to the heat.

According to Construction Business Owner Magazine:

“The Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) has no specific regulations addressing employer responsibility for heat- and sun-related hazards.  However, the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) rule does state that employers must provide both protective equipment and employee training to workers if they work under certain conditions.  Sunlight and heat-common enemies in the construction industry-are included in these environmental hazards. at least one OSHA Standard Interpretation of PPE specifically requires employers to protect their employees from overexposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun.”

Working outdoors is not completely unavoidable, but there are a few steps you can take to minimize exposure and risk:

• Schedule shifts to maximize the hours worked before or after the peak sun times of the day

• Provide and require employees to wear PPE; UV-resistant sunglasses and hats with wide brims are recommended and a good start
• Educate your employees on prevention and early detection of heat exhaustion, dehydration and skin cancer

To  read more of this article and to better educate yourself on the summer risks, check out the full article here.

Tweet This Post

The roadside is a dangerous place to work. Ask any emergency responder or construction worker. Drivers speed by like they don’t even see them. Add in factors of poor lighting, bad weather and distracted drivers and the potential for accidents climbs.

That’s why it’s important for roadway workers to do everything they can to make sure that drivers see them. Making roadside workers more visible allows drivers time to slow down and take caution.

An excellent way to add to roadside worker safety is with ANSI compliant reflective safety vests.

In an effort to improve worker safety, ANSI (American National Standards Institute) has developed a standard to help you choose which type of safety vest is appropriate for the type of work you perform. The standard is based on the type and amount of background material in combination with the amount of reflective material and its location on the vest. ANSI compliant vests are tagged with class numbers to reference. Here’s what to look for on the tag.

ANSI/ISEA 107-2010 - There have been previous standards. ANSI/ISEA 107-2010 is the most recent.

Class 3 – Class 3 vests give the highest level of visibility for workers performing high risk work. Use when traffic speeds exceed 50 mph and the worker must put all of their attention on their work. Ideal for utility workers, roadway construction workers and flagging crews and emergency responders.

Class 2 – Class 2 vests are best for workers when traffic is moving at 25 mph or more, in bad weather or when a worker must divert their attention away from traffic. Ideal for crossing guards, airport ground workers and parking lot or toll operators.

Class 1 – Class 1 vests are for use when traffic speeds are lower than 25 mph or where workers can focus all their attention on traffic. Ideal for delivery truck drivers, warehouse workers and shopping cart retrievers.

Seton offers ANSI compliant safety vests in all 3 class ratings to ensure that you can keep yourself and your work crews safe from potential accidents.

Tweet This Post

This image was found at http://www.honda-tech.com/showthread.php?p=38236901 and originally posted by Jasper_db1

Did you know that 5,071 workers died on the job in 2008?

“With every one of these fatalities, the lives of a worker’s family members were shattered and forever changed. We can’t forget that fact.”
-Hilda Solis, Secretary of Labor

Maintaining a safe work environment for your employees should be a top priority. Common sense by all involved is the best prevention, but as a reminder I have listed my top five safety tips of the day. I have a feeling that by following them they will also help you comply with OSHA Safety Standards and help prevent occupational injuries. =)

My Top Five Workplace Safety Tips:

1. Maintain a clean work environment by keeping aisles clear and work areas neat.
2. Be sure you understand the work your employees do and the machines they work on.
3. Include safety instructions in procedures you write and focus on preventing the most common mistakes by thinking about situations that are most likely to occur.
4. Update safety instructions with new info should a new incident occur.
5. Perform routine maintenance on machines and should a machine become unsafe, shut it down before someone gets hurt.

Tweet This Post

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) protects employees from injuries occurring in the workplace.  

Staying safe on the job is not only a worker’s responsibility, but also an employer’s. According to OSHA, employers are to review job sites and understand the hazards associated with working on them. They should provide the necessary PPE to all employees working in these hazardous conditions and continually hold trainings to ensure employees know how to use the PPE. As an employee, you will be required to use the PPE to keep you safe on the job.

What types of products fall under PPE? The most common are Safety Earpieces and Eyewear, Head Protection, Clothing, Respirators, Gloves and Body Harnesses. However, there are products out there that not all employees may think of when it comes to classifying PPE. Some of these include: Visors, Rainwear, Protective Sleeves, Back Supports and Wrist Wraps.

At Seton.com we offer a comprehensive product assortment from the industry leaders. And don’t forget to check out our PPE signs, a great way to remind employees about PPE requirements throughout the workplace.

Tweet This Post

BRANFORD, CT, January 12, 2010 – Seton, the leading provider of safety, labeling and signage solutions, today announced the launch of a new line of OSHA-approved Personal Protective Equipment, more commonly known as PPE.

According to Rebecca Gounaris, Seton Product Manager, “Seton’s extensive line of new PPE showcases a wide variety of industry-leading brands. We are excited to add this new line of equipment to our already substantial offering of safety solutions.”

The Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) states that employers are required to “purchase and use personal protective equipment (PPE) to reduce employee exposure to hazards when engineering and administrative controls are not feasible or effective in reducing these exposures to acceptable levels.”

PPE is designed to protect employees from serious workplace injuries or illness resulting from contact with chemical, radiological, physical, electrical, mechanical or other workplace hazards. In addition to commonly known PPE, such as safety glasses and hard hats , Seton will offer its customers a wide variety of new safety equipment and clothing, including an array of  faceshields, goggles, coveralls, gloves, vests, earplugs, respirators and much more.

Included in Seton’s new PPE line are many top brands, including 3M™, Moldex®, EAR, Harley Davidson®, Smith & Wesson®, Peltor™, Sperian, Bullard®, MSA and Dupont™.

“As a result of this product line addition, our customers will now have the opportunity to protect their workers from head to toe with our comprehensive line of PPE,” said Gounaris.

Tweet This Post