Safety Meeting Topics
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Articles by Jerome E. Spear, CSP, CIH
Pursuant to a court order, OSHA issued a final rule on February 28, 2006 that addresses occupational exposure to hexavalent chromium (Cr[VI]). OSHA determined that the Cr(VI) rule is necessary to reduce significant health risks due to Cr(VI) exposure.
OSHA issued separate standards for general industry, construction, and shipyard sectors. This paper summarizes the major provisions of OSHA's final rule for Cr(VI). [read]
The use of lift trucks powered by internal combustion engines inside buildings and enclosed spaces creates the potential buildup of carbon monoxide (CO). Propane-powered (LPG) lift trucks represent 60% of all material handling vehicles and 80% of all internal combustion lift trucks. Although LPG lift trucks emit considerably less CO than gasoline-powered lift trucks, LPG lift trucks have the potential of emitting excessive CO levels when the trucks are not properly maintained and/or when used in areas with inadequate ventilation.
This paper summarizes the health effects of CO exposure and methods to control CO exposure associated with operating internal combustion lift trucks. [read]
The effects of heat stress range from simple discomfort to life threatening illnesses such as heat stroke. Aside from the environmental factors (such as temperature, humidity, air movement, and radiant heat), the person’s work regimen and clothing requirements are also factors that determine the risk of heat strain. This paper describes three steps to managing heat stress in your workplace. [read]
As with other health hazards, chemicals or agents should be eliminated or controlled at its source, where feasible. In welding, such point source control methods can be categorized as either technology-based fume control or point source fume extraction systems. Technology-based fume exposure controls include the type of welding operation performed, use of process enclosures, and use of automatic or mechanized equipment. Local exhaust ventilation designed specifically for fume control is often referred to as fume extraction systems and may include fixed welding booths/tables with backdraft or downdraft fume extraction systems, portable fume extraction systems, and fume extraction guns. Welding technology, types of ventilation systems, and their role in fume exposure and control is discussed below. [read]
Contractors are often hired for their technical competency and skill to construct a project that has been conceptualized by the project owner and designed by the owner’s architect(s) and engineer(s). However, since the construction project occurs on the owner’s site, the owner is potentially exposed to additional liability (i.e., OSHA fines and tort liability) that must be considered. In general, there are two approaches to address such potential liabilities – a “hands-off” approach or a “hands-on” approach. [read]
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), mold has affected approximately 10 to 25 million workers and 800,000 to 1.1 million buildings. Mold spores are all around us and have been since the beginning of time. Actually, there are some beneficial uses of mold (including cheese, beer making, etc.). However, mold growing inside of buildings can create indoor air quality issues; therefore, steps should be taking to minimize the potential of indoor mold growth. [read]
The exact number of occupational diseases that occur in the United States is unknown; however, most occupational disease cases are litigated that involve multiple defendants. By implementing a systematic exposure assessment and control process, you can help protect your company from such litigation and also protect the health of your employees. The basic steps include the following:
- Gather information and data to characterize the project site (or facility), process, operations, work force, and environmental agents.
- Define similar exposure groups (SEGs) by process, task, environmental agents, and engineering controls.
- Make your best “judgment” on the exposure profile for each SEG based on available information.
- Determine the acceptability of exposure and/or need for additional exposure monitoring.
- Collect additional data and re-assess the exposure profiles as needed. [read]
Confined Space Entry: Standards Applicable to Contractors
When Sally kissed her husband, Bruce, goodbye on Tuesday morning, little did she know it would be the last time she would see him alive. Later that day, Bruce, a construction worker, was pronounced dead after he was removed from a sewer line that was in the process of being constructed. The cause of death was determined to be carbon monoxide poisoning due to a gasoline-powered pump that was placed inside the new sewer line used to remove seepage from an adjacent line. Another worker also died as he attempted to rescue Bruce. [read]
Mobile Crane Lift Planning
Mobile crane incidents can cause devastating results in terms of production, property damage, and loss of human life. In addition, crane-related incidents tend to be high profile events that receive a lot of publicity as indicated by the following recent news article headlines:
“Man injured in crane accident” - KMOV (St. Louis, MO)
“Crcidenane act closes rail line” - BBC News
“Crane driver escapes injury in accident” - The Courier
“Crane collapses” - The Advertiser (Lafayette, LA)
“Four workers dead in crane collapse” - McGraw Hill Construction
A study involving a review of 158 crane-related incidents from 1997 to 1999 identified the most frequent causes of mobile crane incidents to be instability (e.g., unsecured load, load capacity exceeded, ground not level or too soft, etc.), lack of communication, and electrical contract. However, “people do not plan to fail, they fail to plan.” As a result, less-than-adequate mobile crane lift planning encompasses most, if not all, of the above causal factor categories. Therefore, establishing criteria for “critical lifts,” preparing formal lift plans, and utilizing lift planning checklists are important components in preventing mobile crane failures. [read]
On December 8, 1985, I was in college studying for my final exams when an event occurred that changed my life forever. The next morning at the early hour of 2:00 a.m., I was abruptly awakened by a knock on my apartment door to discover that my older brother, “Jake,” was killed in a car accident. As you can imagine, I was devastated by this shocking news because Jake was not only my big brother; he was my mentor, my coach, and my closest friend. It was even more shocking to learn that the other party failed to stop after the crash who was later discovered to be a ranch employee operating heavy equipment on a public road while under the influence of alcohol.
Unfortunately, preventable tragedies such as this personal story occur too frequently affecting many families. Over 42,000 motor vehicle fatalities occur each year in the U.S. (according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics), making motor vehicle accidents the leading cause of death from unintentional injury in the general population and also the leading cause of occupational fatalities. During 2000, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) (Blincoe et. al.) estimated that the total cost of motor vehicle crashes (including both occupational and non-occupational incidents) was $230.6 billion, which is approximately 2.4% of the gross domestic product. As a result, in addition to humanitarian reasons, there are also significant savings opportunities for firms who own and/or operate fleets by establishing and developing a proactive fleet safety culture.
[read]
An industrial hygiene exposure assessment is the process used to evaluate a person’s exposure to a chemical or physical agent. Since it is usually impossible (or not practical) to measure the person’s actual exposure to the chemical or physical agent, judgments regarding the acceptability of exposure are usually made based on an estimate of the person’s dose via representative sampling. However, the exposure assessment strategy that is employed depends on the purpose and goal of the monitoring and what the sample(s) should represent. The two types of sampling strategies to consider when planning an exposure assessment study are worst-case sampling and random sampling. The broad difference is that worst-case sampling involves more subjectivity than a random sampling approach. [read]
A recent $1 million award by an Illinois jury to a welder was the first plaintiff victory in a welding rod failure-to-warn suit and many similar cases are expected to follow. In the case of Elam v. AO Smith et. al., the jury concluded that the manganese in welding fumes caused a 65-year old worker to develop a neurological disorder similar to Parkinson's disease (i.e., Manganism). Since there are more than 500,000 workers employed in welding and related occupations in the U.S. and another 200,000 welders or more who are retired, there is a potential pool of more than 700,000 who are (or previously have) been exposed to welding fumes on a daily basis. [read]
"Is Your Office Killing You?" (Business Week)
"Beware: Toxic Mold" (Time)
"Attack of the Killer Mold?" (KARK, Channel 4, Little Rock, AR)
Media headlines such as these have contributed to public awareness and fear about mold contamination in buildings. Although some fungal species produce potent mycotoxins, most mold varieties can not cause toxic effects or disease unless the exposed person is severely immunodeficient. However, nearly all types of mold can cause allergenic effects in sensitized individuals and some types (although a relatively small number) may produce mycotoxins. [read]
Incidents are events that have the potential to cause injury or damage; they are caused by unsafe acts and/or unsafe conditions. However, unsafe acts and conditions are symptomatic of an overall organizational problem. Companies can significantly reduce injuries and losses by implementing a continuous incident investigation process that involves the reporting of incidents without fear of being blamed. Such a process uses structured problem-solving techniques to identify and track root causes and follow-up on corrective actions. [read]
Case 1: In 2000, a contractor contacted a 440-volt temporary power line located approximately 12 feet above grade at a job site in North Carolina. The power line severed in two. Fortunately, this incident resulted in no injuries but did incur some property damage.
Case 2: In 1999, a piping superintendent was not so lucky while off-loading material from a flatbed trailer at a job site in Houston. The operator of a 28-ton rough terrain mobile crane was "walking the load" to a place underneath overhead power lines (with a voltage rating less than 50,000 volts) when contact was made. The superintendent was guiding the load with his hands. The operator survived this incident; however, the superintendent was pronounced dead at the site. [read]
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