Safety Equipment

Operator of the Year Contest Promotes Workplace Safety

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A contest that recognizes safe and productive workplace practices has resulted in fewer accidents and an overall improvement in workplace safety, according to the contest’s sponsor, Toyota Material Handling UK. Since 2008, the company has been motivating employers and training organizations to improve the safety and efficiency of the workplace by sponsoring the RTITB Operator … Read more

What to Look for in a Pair of Work Gloves

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Work gloves are one of those things that many people take for granted, but when it comes time to buy a new pair, what sort of qualities differentiate a good, durable pair from a bad pair of work gloves?

various types of work glovesPrice is not always the best indicator of quality. There are many expensive work gloves that offer poor protection, aren’t made of the best quality materials, and won’t last as long as many more affordable work gloves. So don’t expect to get the best just because you paid the most.

How Will the Work Gloves Be Used?

When considering which work gloves to buy, it’s important to think about how you will be using them:

  • What sort of substances will you be handling?
  • Are there any specialized hazards you may be facing (such as open wiring, wet conditions, etc.)
  • What will be the contact duration and how will it occur?
  • Are there any physical details of the wearer that need to be considered (such as hand size, allergies, deformities and so on)?

Work gloves, such as those offered by Bahrns, are available in both natural and synthetic materials. While some work gloves are designed to prevent the wearer from coming into contact with harmful substances, in some cases the gloves themselves may be harmful to the wearer, such as when they are the incorrect size or are made of a material to which the wearer is allergic.

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Avoiding Back Injuries in the Workplace, Part 3

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Editor’s Note: This is the third and final installment of a special report on avoiding back injuries, the most common workplace injury.

Avoiding workplace injuriesThe best way to avoid injuring your back while lifting is to avoid lifting whenever possible. Using carts and dollies, rather than your legs and back, is the best way to transport heavy objects without lifting them. Pushing a cart is always easier than pulling it. And using cranes, hoists and lift tables to get the heavy objects onto the transport vehicles will also reduce excess back stress.

Proper Lifting Procedures Explained

While you probably can’t always avoid any lifting in the workplace, you can improve your chances of avoiding a back injury if you follow the proper lifting procedures in order to minimize the amount of pressure you place on your lower back.

The first thing to remember is to always bend at the knees. This allows your spine to maintain its natural “S” shape, so you essentially eliminate the fulcrum/lever principle that occurs when your back acts as a crane, rather than allowing your legs to do the work.

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Avoiding Back Injuries in the Workplace, Part 2

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How to Avoid Back InjuriesEditor’s Note: This is the second of three special reports on avoiding back injuries, the most common workplace injury.

Improperly lifting a heavy object or accidentally twisting while carrying a heavy load aren’t the only ways to suffer a back injury while at work. Painful back injuries also can be caused by slips and falls, tripping over obstacles, and improperly using moving equipment such as manual jacks and dollies.

Besides the physical environment of the workplace, there are other factors that also can contribute to back injuries, including:

  • Being Out of Shape — Back muscles require strong stomach muscles to provide proper support. If your stomach muscles are weak or flabby, you may be more likely to suffer a back injury.
  • Poor Posture — Your spine has a natural “S” shape that is optimal for support weight while lifting. When you lean forward when you sit, hunch over when you  are standing or otherwise have poor posture, this can weaken the spine over time.
  • Being Overweight — Carrying additional weight on your body can add to the weight-to-force fulcrum proportion when you lift heavy objects because your body weight is also being supported by your back.
  • Stress and Anxiety — Being stressed out causes muscle tension, making them more susceptible to injury.

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Avoiding Back Injuries in the Workplace, Part 1

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Avoiding back injuries in the workplaceEditor’s Note: This is the first of a special three-part special report on avoiding back injuries, the most common workplace injury.

Anyone who has suffered back injury can tell you how painful and debilitating they can be. They tend to take a long time to heal and often can lead to further back problems months or even years later.

They also account for one out of every five workplace injury, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Back injuries can cause an employee to miss work and lose wages, but they also can cost an employer in lost productivity and in workman’s compensation claims. In fact, approximately 20% of all workmen’s comp claims are due to workers suffering back injuries.

So there is a benefit to both employees and management to avoiding back injuries whenever possible.

Under Pressure

Most people know that you should always lift with your legs, bending your knees when picking up a heavy object, but have you ever considered why this is the case? The amount of force you put on your back when you don’t bend your knees can be tremendous.

Think of your back as a fulcrum in a lever system. Because it isn’t centered, bending at the waist causes you to have a 10:1 weight-to-force ratio. In other words, lifting an object that weighs only 10 lbs. actually puts about 100 lbs. of pressure on your lower back. So any type of repetitive lifting and bending from the waist can quickly result in a back injury.

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Do Workers Really Need to Wear Safety Glasses?

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protective eye gearDo workers really need to wear safety glasses? According to organization Prevent Blindness America, the answer is a resounding, “Yes!” The organization estimates that more than 700,000 workplace accidents in the US every year result in employees injuring their eyes, while another 125,000 eye-related accidents occur in the home. Yet another 40,000 US children injure their eyes playing sports, and those are only the accidents that are reported.

The saddest part about it is that many, if not most, of these injuries could have been prevented had the injured person been wearing safety glasses. Unlike prescription eyeglasses or sunglasses, safety glasses or safety goggles must adhere to a higher standard of impact resistance. This standard applies to both the lenses and the frames of the glasses.

An Easy Solution to Reduce Injuries

In most cases, safety glasses have non-prescription lenses and can be used by anybody regardless of the quality of their vision. Their purpose is to protect the eye from injury caused by impact with objects or liquids. Specialized safety eye gear can also be used to protect eyes from intense light — such as the sun’s rays or laser or the glare from an arc weld — or from caustic chemicals.

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Proper Use of Safety Cans

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Safety cans are used to store dangerous and flammable chemicals, such as gasoline, kerosene and diesel fuel. They are specifically designed to ensure that these materials are kept safe and handled property to reduce the risk of fire or explosion. Safety cans include a number of features that make them the preferred choice of Underwriters Laboratories … Read more

Aerial Lift Safety

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Operating an aerial lift , whether it is a scissors lift, articulating boom lift, telescopic boom lift or another type,  presents actual a variety of dangers to both workers using the lifts and others in the area. Most lifts are powered by hydraulics, so there is always the risk of a crushing injury whenever the lift … Read more

Industrial Floor Sanitation and Safety

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When it comes to the cleanliness and safety of floor space in industrial production facilities and warehouses, operators could learn a lot from their local fast food restaurant. In most corner hamburger joints, if there is a spill of any kind, workers are trained to clean it up immediately and make sure the surface is completely clear … Read more

Fall Protection Equipment

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We can never really predict life especially if we are working in a danger-prone work places.  Which is why, fall protection equipments are very crucial for jobs in constructions, factories, warehouses and the likes. Fall protection equipment is typically used whenever workers need to work on high places such as roofs, decks, above large vehicles … Read more