10 Steps to Reduce On-the-Job Hand Injuries Today

“Safety culture” is a popular buzz phrase going around. But developing a safety culture takes time. This Zero Excuses article details 10 quick-win safety strategies to start reducing on-the-job injuries today.

If you’ve read a lot about workplace safety culture lately, you’re not alone. It’s a popular topic and a critical component of any workplace safety program.
Creating a culture of workplace safety is a long-term strategy to reduce workplace injuries. And I’d most certainly encourage you to work toward one at your company. But there are also ways to get “quick wins” in safety. In this article we’ll cover 10 quick wins for hand safety in the workplace.

1. Create policies.
You may think this sounds obvious, but you’d be surprised how many safety leaders overlook this critical step. You want your employees to be safe? Be clear about the steps they need to take every day in order to do so. For hand safety, policies should include when gloves are to be worn, how to perform certain high-risk tasks, how to care for personal protective equipment (PPE) at the end of the day, etc.
And don’t just tell employees about procedures: write them down; demonstrate them; test your employees’ knowledge of them. Before you can implement any of the other nine quick wins in this article, you must first have established safety policies and procedures, and your employees must be aware of them.

2. Offer safety training.
Safety training is the ultimate quick win. It brings safety back into focus for your employees and demonstrates your commitment to employee safety, as a leader and as a company.
A recent article I read discussed tips for making safety training more engaging—and therefore more memorable—with some unexpected techniques including humor, self-disclosure, and storytelling. Read more on how to make your safety training more engaging here.

3. Keep safety top-of-mind.

Click here to read the full article.

Expect To See More Women Managers On Construction Jobs

According to this CT Post article, the future is bright for women in the construction industry. Although a traditionally male-dominated industry, construction businesses are not only seeing an increase of women working on job sites but women in management roles, as well.

CT Post

As women are being urged to "lean in" to corporate jobs, there's another challenge for management-minded ladies: breaking the proverbial glass ceiling -- with a hammer.

Working out in the field as a construction manager, Dianna Barrella likes to be the first one on the job site every morning. She likes the ever-changing nature of the work, the variety of people she meets on each project, the opportunity to work with different teams of consultants, architects or engineers. Over the past 16 years she's spent at Turner Construction in Shelton -- almost her entire career -- Barrella has relished her roles, which have included overseeing jobs like in-house building projects at UBS in Stamford. But it took time to get there.

"When I started at Turner, I think I may have been a little intimidated, being the only girl out in the field," Barrella said. "But in the industry, that has changed. There's many more women now. The challenges are pretty much the same for men and women."

Construction has traditionally been a male-dominated business, with the small percentage of women who do join -- just 8.9 percent of the industry nationwide, according to the U.S. Dept. of Labor -- often relegated to doing clerical or support jobs. In Connecticut, based on the state's demographics, it's likely the numbers are even lower, said Jacob Kovel, associate professor and chair of the department of construction management at Central Connecticut State University.

Click here to continue reading this article. 

Optrel Weldcap Reinvents the Welding Helmet with Radical, Casual New Design

A new take on the traditional welding cap has been featured in this ISHN article. With its revolutionary wear comfort, extensive field of view and lightweight design, it's no wonder why the Optrel Weldcap(R) is achieving high marks in comfort and design. 

ISHN.com

Optrel Inc., the global innovator of auto-darkening filter technology for welding helmets, has reinvented the welding helmet with a radical, casual new design: weldcap®. The new optrel weldcap combines the lightweight wear comfort of a baseball cap with the full protection of an autodarkening welding helmet. weldcap is soft where it needs to be comfortable, rigid where it needs to be tough — combined with an extensive field of view that expands a welder's line of sight by 2.7 times.

“We know that welders rank field of view and comfort as essential features in a welding helmet. The more comfortable the helmet, the more productive a welder can be. The wider the viewing area, the safer the welder can be,” said Renee S. Bessette, Vice President of Marketing and Operations. “weldcap raises the bar for the ultimate in wear comfort and protection. In our conversations with weldcap users, they are continually amazed by the field of vison they get in such a lightweight helmet.”

Weldcap takes an innovative approach in its design to achieve this revolution in comfort and vision.

Revolutionary Wear Comfort – weldcap’s lightweight, flame-retardant textile is soft where it must be comfortable and its robust plastic is rigid where it must be tough, while meeting the ANSI Z87.1+ standard for impact resistance. Its sleek, flexible design enables users to access confined spaces without hindrance.

To read more on this new welding cap, click here. 

3D Printer Constructs 10 Buildings In One Day From Recycled Materials

Would you believe it if someone said, "3D printers could someday be used to build skyscrapers from the recycled materials of other building?" Well that day is near! With the capabilities to build the shell of a 2,000 sq. ft. house in under 20 hours, this new technology could provide a tremendous breakthrough in the future.

Computerworld.com

A Chinese company has become the first to construct multiple buildings using 3D printers that extrude recycled building materials at breakneck speed.

Using four huge 3D printers, Yingchuang New Materials Inc. was able to print the shells of 10 one-room structures in 24 hours and at a cost of only about $5,000 per building. The buildings had to harden at the factory and then be transported and assembled on site.

The 3D printed buildings will be used as offices at a Shanghai industrial park.

The printers, supplied by WinSun Decoration Design Engineering, are 20 feet tall, 33 feet wide and 132 feet long.

Like their desktop counterparts, the construction-grade WinSun 3D printers use a fused deposition modeling (FDM) technology to deposit materials one layer at a time in a process that's similar to squeezing frosting from a pastry bag.

To view the full article and brief video, click here. 

OSHA Launches Summer Campaign To Prevent Heat Illness

As the summer months arrive, OSHA is taking a stand to raise awareness against heat illnesses. This CleanLink article details how they are educating employers and employees on preventative measures and cautionary actions. 

Kirrus, Flickr.com

The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has announced the launch of its annual Campaign to Prevent Heat Illness in Outdoor Workers. For the fourth consecutive year, OSHA's campaign aims to raise awareness and educate workers and employers about the dangers of working in hot weather and provide resources and guidance to address these hazards.

Workers at particular risk are those in outdoor industries, such as agriculture, construction, landscaping and transportation.

However, cleaning professionals may also be at risk of overheating while performing regular cleaning tasks such as emptying trash, sweeping parking lots, or washing windows outdoors — or during duties in facilities with inadequate air cooling systems.

"Heat-related illnesses can be fatal, and employers are responsible for keeping workers safe," said U.S. Secretary of Labor, Thomas E. Perez. "Employers can take a few easy steps to save lives, including scheduling frequent water breaks, providing shade and allowing ample time to rest."

Thousands of employees become sick each year and many die from working in the heat. In 2012...

Click here to read the full article.

How To Keep Crews Safe from the Sun

June is upon us and the sun's strength is growing. As we see and feel the warm rays, be conscious of the dangers that can come from overexposure. This Total Landscape Care article not only informs on melanoma but also gives advice for preventative measures to help ensure the safety of you and your team during the summer months. 

Total Landscape Care

As the landscaping season rolls on, the workload isn’t the only thing that increases.
The amount of hours landscapers and crews put into a day extends throughout the hotter months, but with longer hours comes the inevitable exposure to UV rays.

Time and time again the topic of sun exposure is addressed in landscaping businesses nationwide, but the question is, how much of that discussion is put into practice out in the field?

The Breakdown
According to a recent article from the Skin Cancer Foundation, in the past two decades, there has been a 20 percent increase in the number Hispanics with an incidence of melanoma.

The Department of Labor states that Latinos account for almost one in four workers in the construction industry. Additionally, there are more than 500,000 Hispanic workers in the landscape industry in the United States, according to the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

In 2014 alone, the American Cancer Society estimates approximately 76,100 individual will be diagnosed with melanoma (43,980 in men and 32,210 in women). The organization estimates approximately 9,710 people are expected to die of melanoma (6,470 men and 3,240 women). The Skin Care Foundation reports one person dies of melanoma every hour.

“Overall, the lifetime risk of getting melanoma is about 2 percent (1 in 50) for whites, 0.1 percent (1 in 1,000) for blacks, and 0.5 percent (1 in 200) for Hispanics,” the American Cancer Society states.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has provided a way for individuals to learn about specific skin cancer statistics for every state in the U.S.

What is melanoma?
There are different varieties of skin cancer, and not all of them are as dangerous as the infamous melanoma.

For instance, basal and squamous cell skin cancers are called non-melanomas, which are found on the outer layer of the skin.

To read the full article, follow this link. 

Respirator Trusted-Source Information

Are you part of the 1.3 million establishments that employ workers who wear respirators? If so, take a look at this Center for Disease Control and Prevention article to learn details regarding approved respirators and how to use them properly.

USDA, Flickr.com

 

Welcome to the NIOSH Trusted-Source page. This provides information to understand the types of respirators, how to identify approved models and outlets for purchase, a listing of all NIOSH-approved and FDA-cleared surgical N95 respirators, a listing of recently revoked respirator approvals and relevant User Notices. It also contains information on how to implement the use of respirators in the workplace and use them appropriately, and includes commonly asked questions and answers (fact sheets), respirator myths, the science of respirator function and performance, and respiratory protective devices not approved by NIOSH.

NOTE: This web page is continually being developed. We hope that you will visit regularly to acquire additional information as the site expands.

Section 1: NIOSH-Approved Respirators – What are they? How can they be identified? Where can I get them?
Provides information explaining the different types of respirators, how to identify approved models, as well as distribution information.

Section 2: Use of NIOSH Respirators
Provides information on how to implement the appropriate use of respirators in the workplace. This section also contains a listing of recently revoked respirator approvals as well as relevant User Notices.

Section 3: Ancillary Respirator Information
Frequently asked Questions and Answers about respirators, the Science behind Respirator Function and Performance, and a listing of all NIOSH-approved and FDA-cleared surgical N95 respirators.

To read the full article, click here.

Get Ready for National Safety Stand-Down

According to this Total Landscape Care article, falls are the number one cause of fatality in contraction yet can be easily prevented through education and taking greater safety precautions. Read more to gather important safety tips and help protect yourself or your employees.

While Total Landscape Care covers a range of topics in our online and print safety articles, one area I like to make sure I write about regularly is fall prevention.

The reason is simple. Although falls are one of the most preventable types of accidents, they’re also the number one cause of fatalities in construction; accounting for more than a third of all deaths in the industry.

Just in the last month two workers on separate New York City construction sites died from falls, one from a roof and the other from scaffolding while he was working alone.

The problem with falls isn’t a secret to anyone in the industry, and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration recognizes the need to step up and raise awareness.

To read more and to download OSHA's 2014 fall training guide, click here.

Glove Selection Guideline

 

Public Domain Photo at flickr.com

The right kind of glove can be very helpful in preventing exposure to toxic chemicals. Discover some glove guidelines from this excerpt at ISHN.

Skin contact is a potential source of exposure to toxic materials; it is important that the proper steps be taken to prevent such contact.

Most accidents involving hands and arms can be classified under four main hazard categories: chemicals, abrasions, cutting, and heat. There are gloves available that can protect workers from any of these individual hazards or any combination thereof.

Gloves should be replaced periodically, depending on frequency of use and permeability to the substance(s) handled. Gloves overtly contaminated should be rinsed and then carefully removed after use.

Gloves should also be worn whenever it is necessary to handle rough or sharp-edged objects, and very hot or very cold materials. The type of glove materials to be used in these situations include leather, welder’s gloves, aluminum-backed gloves, and other types of insulated glove materials.

To read the full article, visit www.ishn.com. 

Why Construction Workers Don't Report Injuries

This is an excerpt from an ISHN article.

More than 25% of construction workers responding to a recent survey by the Center for Construction Research and Training (CPWR) said that they had suffered a work-related injury at some point in their career that they did not report.

Multiple reasons

• Workers accept that injury is part of the job

• They wanted to remain eligible for safety incentive prizes

• They did not wish employers or coworkers to see them as complainers or as weak

• They feared they would not be hired again by their employer if they reported an injury; and

• They found the paperwork and process for filing a claim daunting

“Pain is a natural part of my job”

The focus group participants identified multiple reasons why workers failed to report workplace injuries:

Workers who explained their failure to report a work-related injury were most likely to say that “my injury was small” and “pain is a natural part of my job,” according to the CPWR.

The full article is available at ishn.com.

Job Outlook Improving For Construction Industry

This is an excerpt from a todaysfacilitymanager.com article.

Gradual improvement throughout 2012 and into 2013 offers construction job seekers some relief, according to a new report by CareerCast.com. Commercial construction has improved over the past year with indicators pointing to continued growth.

“Newly created jobs in the construction industry provide opportunities for candidates with a diverse range of qualifications and skill sets,” says Tony Lee, publisher, CareerCast.com. “A construction manager/site superintendent is one such career, and one of the most lucrative in the sector with a median annual salary of $82,790.”

The construction manager/site superintendent oversees the day-to-day operations on-site, which is also important to the overall profitability of a project. Particularly skilled candidates for this job need to make sure projects “avoid hiccups” to prevent further cuts into those profit margins.

In recent years, construction workers with specialized trade skills have been the most in-demand amid the industry’s tumultuous times, Department of Labor statistics show. BLS projections suggest most specialty trade careers will grow over the national average in the next seven to 10 years. That means 20% to 25% more opportunities for carpenters, electricians, and plumbers. Contributing to the growth of these fields are the options they offer. Some skilled workers are independent contractors with whom construction companies employ on an individual basis. Other companies choose to staff their own, full-time skilled trade workers.

The full article is available on the Today's Facility Manager website.