Recommended Article: Glass From Goldman Sachs Tower Falls on West Street

The following recommended article from The Tribeca Trib "Glass From Goldman Sachs Tower Falls on West Street" discusses the current construction project of Goldman Sachs Tower Falls on West Street. The $2.4 billion project, aimed to be completed by early next year, has experienced a series of construction accidents. It's most current being its fourth incident of falling debris or equipment since construction on the building began.

Accidents on the project include: an architect being paralyzed after a crane dropped several tons of steel onto his office trailer, a 30-inch steel panel flew of the tower landing in a field during a Little League game, and a hammer flying off the tower and landing on a taxi while parents were walking their kids to school.

“We want every safety issue to be addressed, we want to be perfect as best we can—it’s just difficult to do that,” Tishman Construction president John Livingston said following that incident. “We are terribly sorry, we try as hard as we can and we continue to.”

For the full article click here: http://bit.ly/4wxTpR

Great Video: "Fields of Vision: Pedestrian Safety around Forklifts"

This is a great video titled "Fields of Vision: Pedestrian Safety around Forklifts." WorkSafeBC did a great job illustrating the great dangers that come with forklifts. "This video, in dramatic style, puts you into the driver's seat and shows you how difficult it is for the lift truck operators to see pedestrians. The video then outlines simple ways pedestrians can help lift truck drivers see them - and avoid a serious or fatal accident."



Sources:
www.worksafebc.com - Twitter username: WorkSafeBC

OSHA issues new directions aimed at health care for H1N1

It seems that under new leadership, OSHA is stepping into new territory. We recently put up a post discussing OSHA monitoring retailers on Black Friday (http://bit.ly/1AJ8AA). This is new territory where OSHA normally doesn't interfere. It seems that OSHA is doing it again- although OSHA has in investigated medical facilities, it is now taking a new approach with them. In their new compliance document, OSHA is issuing a directive aimed squarely at health care facility compliance in regards to H1N1 procedures.

The two primary requirements are:
•Hospitals must follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) guidelines on protecting health care workers from H1N1 exposures
•There must be a good-faith effort to provide workers with N95 respirators, and if there is a legitimate shortage of these respirators, there should be evidence of ongoing monitoring of N95 supplies

"OSHA has a responsibility to ensure that the more than 9 million front line health care workers in the United States are protected to the extent possible against exposure to the virus," acting Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Jordan Barab said in a statement. "OSHA will ensure health care employers use proper controls to protect all workers, particularly those who are at high or very high risk of exposure."

Procedure for the hospital OSHA investigations will follow the traditional format that OSHA normally follows with all investigations. The various citations that OSHA will be issuing for H1N1 exposure will fall under a variety of OSHA standards- including requirements to report occupational illnesses, ensure workers wear personal protective equipment, and provide proper respiratory protection for employees.

As mentioned in our previous post, “OSHA is truly hitting every industry, and moving beyond the traditional OSHA issues like asbestos or lead.”

Source:
Wallask, Scott. "New OSHA Directive: Tread Carefully with Respirator Shortages." Media Health Leaders. 23 Nov. 2009. Web. 24 Nov. 2009.

Involving employees in your Safety Program: It can make a difference!

An effective safety program requires commitment, leadership and involvement from all employees in a company. A company's safety programs should not only motivate employees but also involve them in the program. Thomas Krause, Ph.D., CEO of Behavioral Science Technology Inc., Ojai, Calif. says "Safety motivation for employees comes when they are connected with the work they are doing on an intellectual, emotional, creative and physical level. It has to have meaning for them in order to motivate them."

The more that employees are involved, the more that they will appreciate the potential hazards that exist at the work site. This will in turn, encourage workers to avoid unsafe behaviors, ultimately leading to strengthening the overall safety culture of the company (Professional Safety). Workers are often more willing to follow safety rules that they have helped create. Employees who are encouraged to offer their ideas and whose contributions are taken seriously are more satisfied and productive on the job (osha.gov).

The OSH Act states that workers have a vital role to play in identifying and correcting problems in their workplaces, working with their employers whenever possible. The OSHA Process Safety Management regulation (29 CFR 1910.119(c) states "Employers shall consult with employee on the conduct and development of process hazard analyses and on the development of other elements of process safety management." Worker input and involvement can result from common activities such as joint employer/ worker safety committee including hazard assessments, workplace inspections, accident investigations, record review, audits of chemicals and PPE use, and safety training.

A huge benefit from an active employee involvement safety program is the presence of a broad knowledge base, from both management and workers. This ensures that important facts, such as the true operation of work processes, are not omitted(Professional Safety). Individuals who are the most exposed to the hazards have the highest level of interest in reducing those hazards. This ensures that risk assesments are completed by the most-concerned workers. It is also important that senior managements respond promptly to concerns and suggestions raised by workers and to keep workers informed about the status of corrective action. If senior management fails to do this, employees may become discouraged and no longer trust management; this will defeat the purpose of the program to begin with. Employees must know that their concerns and suggestions will be taken seriously and that their suggestions won't be subject to reprisals. Once employees feel involved, their attitudes towards safety tend to improve. In the long run, this will benefit everyone in the company ranging from senior management to workers in the field.

Sources:
osha.gov
Sutcliffe, Virginia. "Motivating Employees for Safety Success." EHS Today. Oct. 2000. Web. 23 Nov. 2009.
Welborn, Cliff, and Carol Boraiko. "Proactive Safety." Professional Safety Oct. 2009: 37-39. Print.

OSHA Tells Retailers to Control Black Friday Crowds- Guidelines are Set

OSHA is tackling a new industry that it normally leaves alone- the retail industry. Retailers are being told by the government to take greater precautions with their Black Friday shopping events to avoid a repeat of last year, when a Wal-Mart worker was trampled by customers, in New York. Jdimytai Damour, a temporary worker, was trampled to death on November 28 when shoppers stormed the entrance of the store.

Brad Hammock, a lawyer at Jackson Lewis LLP in Reston, Va., who advises companies on how to comply with the OSHA law states “OSHA is truly hitting every industry, and moving beyond the traditional OSHA issues like asbestos or lead.” “It's a new world. They are reaching retail shopping.”

Black Friday, the Friday after Thanksgiving, generally accounts for at least a third of U.S. retailers’ annual profits. One would think that shopping on this year's Black Friday would be down compared to other years due to the rescission but the National Retail Federation thinks otherwise. Crowds are predicated to be larger this year due to rising unemployment rates making consumers more desperate for bargains. In return retailers are expected to offer more aggressive markdowns to spur sales. The National Retail Federation has also issued its own guidelines for its members. OSHA's guidelines are “similar, though less comprehensive” than the steps the National Retail Federation recommended to its members, said Joseph LaRocca, a senior adviser on security issues for the association. The trade group's recommendations include placing stanchions or barriers inside and outside the store to manage traffic flow, announcing the availability and locations of products over the store intercom, handing out vouchers for limited supplies of merchandise to the first customers in line, handing out a map of the store, spreading out sale items throughout the store and giving store managers authority to make decisions as events unfold.

Guidance from OSHA includes using a bullhorn to manage crowds, setting up barricades or rope lines and clearing the entrances of shopping carts and other dangerous obstacles, according to a statement released by the agency Tuesday. Other guidelines include OSHA's guidelines also include using an Internet lottery for “hot” sales items, staffing entrances with uniformed guards and providing public toilets.

“We’re always trying to keep workers safe,” said Diana Petterson, an OSHA spokeswoman.

Sources:
Rosenkrantz, Holly. "Retailers Told by OSHA to Control Black Friday Crowds (Update2)." Bloomberg.com. Web. 19 Nov. 2009.

Crane splits house in half

A crane weighing more than 100,000 pounds toppled backward and sliced a Santa Rosa home nearly in half as workers attempted to remove a 150-year-old tree. This was the second accident for the family; that same day Michelle McCarthy, the wife, had gotten in a car accident. “I kept telling my husband, ‘Tell me I'm having a really bad, vivid dream,” Michelle McCarthy said. The couple was strongly recommended to cut down the aging and sick tree by an arborist. Workers were finishing up cutting down the tree when the accident happened. “It was a freak situation,” said Rich Kingsborough, owner of Atlas Tree Surgery in Santa Rosa.

Pressdemocrat.com states that "A large section of the tree, which had been connected to the crane, suddenly broke loose from the base of the oak and yanked down hard on the rig. One of the workers was on the tree, cutting the large section loose when it snapped off, catching and yanking down the crane." “It shockloaded the crane,” Kingsborough said. “The boom came crashing down and missed everybody.” The 131-foot-long boom missed the man in the tree by only four feet. Fortunately no one was hurt. OSHA is now investigating the incident.

Sources:
"Crane smashes through Santa Rosa house." Pressdemocrat.com. 16 Nov. 2009. Web. 17 Nov. 2009.
See the full article: http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20091116/ARTICLES/911169936/1349?&tc=autorefresh

Two Guys Jumped Off the Burj Dubai and Lived to Tell About It

Wow! Imagine working on the construction for this building without fall protection.

Powerful Video: 16 Deaths per Day

David Dayn states the following in a blog post: "The video makes the point that employers who provide an unsafe work environment are almost never prosecuted in the event of a death of an employee. Even if they were, the crime of contributing to an employee's death is only a misdemeanor, with a maximum prison sentence of six months and a maximum fine of $70,000."Every day in America, 16 people die at work from employer negligence.



Source:
Dayen, David. "16 Deaths Per Day - The Crisis Of Unsafe Workplaces." Huffington Post. Brave New Films. Web. 11 Nov. 2009.

"Electric Shock Sign FAIL"

"This sign was in response to customers complaining about possible dangers from electrocution. They responded by putting up a more friendly looking electric shock warning sign."



Sources:
http://failads.com/electric-shock-sign-fail/

Making Worker Safety a Priority During Construction of the Golden Gate Bridge

The following video describes the installation of a safety net during the construction of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge. The bridge engineer, Joseph Strauss, strived to keep his workers safe during the construction project. The video suggests that the safety net – despite its cost – was a good investment as a morale booster, apart from the lives saved. Although some lives were still lost during the construction of the Golden Gate Bridge, there could have been a lot more if it wasn't for the determination of Joseph Strauss to make safety a priority. It would be great if every company had this same determination. Imagine what a difference it would make in worker's safety...



Sources:
"Worker Safety During Construction of the Golden Gate Bridge." Good Investment. Web. 10 Nov. 2009.

Fall Protection System Offers Versatile Solution For Free Standing Crane

When conducting an assessment for fall protection, it's important to evaluate the entire project. Some projects might require versatile fall protection solutions such as the combination of both vertical and horizontal lifelines. Such was the case, when Hy-Safe was asked to install an engineered system, with various heights on an outside free standing crane. This particualar projected required us to implement both vertical and horizontal fall protection solutions.

An integrated fall protection system was needed to provide maintenance access to two free standing crane rails. Hy-Safe Technology designed a solution to offer complete fall protection in order to protect the workers that needed access to the crane rail.

Our solution to the problem was installing three (45 feet) vertical systems which were designed to extend to a position where the worker was able to switch to the horizontal lifeline system - without any risk of falling. The horizontal system was attached to custom designed vertical steel posts, traveling lengths of 900 and 300 feet respectively.

Installation of the system was done with complete flexibility with regard to the company’s scheduling, so that the customer’s normal work schedule was not interrupted during the installation phase. Once installation of the system was complete, a training session was held for workers who would be accessing the system. The goal was to provide them with the necesary education on proper use and maintenance of the fall protection system in place.

Former employee comes forward to admit falling metal, that killed child, was loosely secured

On October 12, we posted "The danger of falling debris in the construction industry" ( http://www.bit.ly/GOEEd). In our post we discussed the death of Michelle Krsek. Little Michelle, age three, died when she was struck by a piece of corrugated metal more than three metres long that strong winds blew from the top of an 18-storey building under construction in the City of Calgary in Canada.

A former employee of the construction company has now come forward and admitted that a pile of building material was only loosely secured at the time. "It was always on my mind thinking about it," Paul Majcan told Global News in Calgary. "I feel everybody should know why this little girl died." Paul Majcan who is no longer an employee of the company also said ""Nothing was to be left on the roof unattended. . . . It was not supposed to be on the deck because it's dangerous," Majcan said. "Any little bit of wind — especially up there — it's so much stronger than on the ground. It would just rip it off."

Along with his statement, the former employee also admitted to something else. Paul admitted to the drug use of some of the employees while on the job. "It's probably not the smartest and safest things to do on a job site," he said. "We blazed weed all the time on the roof."

The case of little Michelle has been scheduled for December 16. Paul's statment might become crucial in the case. The companies, Flynn Canada, which, along with Le Germain Residences and general contractor Grenville-Germain, all face charges under the Alberta Safety Code.

Sources:
Croteau, Jill. "Falling metal killed child was loosely secured: Calgary construction worker." Ottawa Citizen. Global News, 4 Nov. 2009. Web. 5 Nov. 2009.

Ergonomics in the workplace is often ignored

Did you know that one third to one half of our field injuries are musculoskeletal disorders such as strains and sprains, rotator cuff syndrome, lower back disorders, and tendinitis (IP- Incident Prevention)? Also, workers' compensation costs for these injuries far exceed those for acute incidents such as burns, cuts, and even fractures (IP). Back pain is one of the most common injuries; it can result from lifting heavy items to sitting "wrong" in an office chair. People who sit in office chairs are at high risk for non-accidental back injury. Although this is true, back pain can result from various outlets. Spine Health states that back pain can result from a non accidental injury where pain arises from "normal" activities or from an accidental injury where an unexpected event triggers injury during a task. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reveals that MSDs accounted for 29 percent of all workplace injuries requiring time away from work in 2007, compared to 30 percent of total days-away-from-work cases in 2006.

Both employers and employees tend to attribute back pain to non-work related activities but the majority of the time there is a work-related component. Since both employers and employees tend to attribute back pain to everyday life or to old age, ergonomics is often overlooked. Ignoring ergonomics can lead to worker's compensation or increased health care premiums and reduced productivity.

Occupations that are physically demanding and require repetitive lifting are at greatest risks. Nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants had a musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) rate of 252 cases per 10,000 workers, a rate more than seven times the national MSD average for all occupations. Laborers and freight handlers had a MSD rate of 149 and light and delivery truck drivers had a MSD rate of 117.

Incident Prevention lists some of the following as ways to address the work-related stressors:
1. Contact vendors to trail new tools- ex: lighter, faster tools (take note that some of these tools might backfire by adding other problems to the task)
2. Train health and safety practitioners to identify ergonomic risk factors and suggest task, equipment, material and tool changes.
3. Adopt a strict business case methodology for H&S improvements so that ergonomics rises to the top.

Employers can also help by identifying ergonomic risk factors and apply ergonomic training to it. Educating your employees can go a long way. OSHA has developed a four-pronged ergonomics strategy that was designed to quickly and effectively address MSDs in the workplace. OSHA's strategy is a combination of industry-specific and task-specific guidelines, outreach, enforcement, and research. For more information on this visit osha.gov.

Sources:
osha.gov
bls.gov
Seeley, Patricia. "A Full Commitment." Incident Prevention Oct. 2009: 21-23. Print.
Triano, John J., and Nancy C. Selby. "Ergonomics of the Workplace: Overview." Spine-Health. Web. 3 Nov. 2009.

One Wrong Move

This fork lift operator backs up a bit too fast and bumps into the edge of large pallet rack and hits it just hard enough to start a domino effect bringing down the entire warehouse. (The accident starts at the 30 second mark.) It's unbelievable how one small accident can lead to a huge domino effect. If the driver would have been more careful, this accident could have been completely preventable.



Thanks to demolitionnews (Twitter user name) for the link!

Injury & illness rates are down among private industry employers: Secretary of Labor releases statement

On October 29,the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) announced that injury and illness rates among private industry employers are down from a total case rate of 4.2 in 2007 to 3.9 in 2008. BLS also reported a decline in non-fatal occupational injuries and illnesses from 4 million cases in 2007 to 3.7 million cases in 2008. Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis issued the following statement:

"Preventable workplace injuries and illnesses affect millions of American workers every year, many with lifelong effects. "While I am cautiously optimistic that these decreases in injury and illness rates represent change in the right direction, they do not lessen the need for strong enforcement to ensure that safety is a top priority in every workplace."To help verify the accuracy of injury and illness records, the department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has launched a National Emphasis Program on Recordkeeping that will help assure the accuracy of injury and illness data reported by employers."Today’s report prompts us to step up our vigilance on accurate recordkeeping, particularly as the economy regains momentum."

This is good news considering that just a couple of days ago, OSHA released the 2009 top ten violations with its numbers increasing almost 30% over the same time period in 2008 ( http://.bit.ly/3b2SA5 - 2009 Top Ten Violations- as Reported by OSHA). Although the decline in the report is a great step in the right direction, we couldn't agree more with Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis's statement- enforcement to ensure safety should not be lessen.

Source:
www.osha.gov