By Jerome E. Spear, CIH, CSP, FAIHA and Alexander Ritchie The possibilities of damaging underground utilities exist at every drilling site.  Inadvertently severing an underground power line, rupturing a natural gas line, or damaging other underground utilities can result in significant consequences in terms of disrupting essential services, costly repairs, downtime, and potentially serious injuries…

OSHA’s Adoption of the Globally System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS) By Jerome E. Spear, CIH, CSP, FAIHA Laws and regulations throughout the world are different enough to require multiple labels and safety data sheets for the same product both within the U.S. and international trade. It is estimated that about 42 to…

Compressed gases pose a unique hazard. Depending on the particular  and mechanical hazards associated with high pressure as well as chemical hazards associated with the gas itself. As a result, gas cylinders require special storage and handling precautions. Compressed gas and equipment is addressed in specific OSHA standards for both general industry and the construction…

OSHA requires exposures to hexavalent chromium (Cr[VI]) above the permissible exposure limit (PEL) of 5 micrograms per cubic meter (μg/m³) to be reduced using feasible engineering controls, which is consistent with other substance-specific standards and good industrial hygiene practice. If feasible engineering controls do not sufficiently reduce exposures to below the PEL, exposures must be…

A Review of Commonly-UsedPerformance IndicatorsBy Jerome E. Spear, CSP, CIH, FAIHA How an organization measures performance undoubtedly influences organizational behavior. However, measuring safety is difficult because it is difficult to predict the impact that new safety metrics will have on individual behavior, attitudes, and the overall safety climate. Regardless of how difficult it is to…

After determining worker exposure to noise, intervention may be needed to reduce noise exposures to allowable levels. There are three general ways to reduce to noise exposure, which are as follows (in order of preference): • Engineering Controls • Administrative Controls • Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) When engineering controls are not feasible to reduce exposures,…

Case 1: A 28-year old construction worker was holding onto a steel ladder being moved by a telescoping boom crane. As the crane’s boom was swung in the direction of 7,200 volt power lines, the cable contacted the lines and the worker was electrocuted. Case 2: A co-owner of a steel erection company and three…

National estimates suggest that about 10 times as many fatal occupational illnesses occur compared with fatal occupational injuries.¹ Furthermore, one study concluded that the risk of developing an occupationally-related disease over a lifetime in a construction trade is two to six times greater than for non-construction workers.² For various reasons, awareness and efforts to manage…

Factors Affecting Rated Capacity The first step in creating a lift plan is to understand the factors affecting the strength and stability of mobile cranes. Some of these factors are described below. Machine configuration. Load chart ratings may only be applied if the machine is rigged according to the manufacturer’s specifications. Some questions to consider…

By Jerome E. Spear, CSP, CIH From 2011 to 2015, the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) reported 220 total crane-related deaths, an average of 44 per year over this five-year period (CFOI, 2017). A 2009 study by The Center to Protect Workers’ Rights examined the causes of crane-related deaths based on data obtained from…