OSHA Training Blog - GHS Label Signal Words: The Distinction between DANGER and WARNING

Lazy post, sorry! I am cross-posting more helpful information from the OSHA Training Blog.

OSHA Training Blog- GHS Label Signal Words: The Distinction between DANGER and WARNING: 

"June 1, 2013 -  No need to panic, at least not yet. But let me remind you that the deadline for training all employees on the changes brought about by OSHA�s adoption of the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS) into the Hazard Communication standard is getting closer by the day. And while the December 1, 2013 deadline for getting all mandatory employee training completed may seem a long way off, just remember that it was more than fourteen (14) months ago that the revised OSHA Haz-Com standard was published and the deadline was first announced! [...]"

[read more of this cross-post on the OSHATraining.com website]

Image courtesy of SourceForge.net

FIRST, mad props for the possible (intentional or not) The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy shout-out. I can never decide if I prefer the books or the 2005 film.

SECOND, find the full version of the GHS "purple book" on the OSHA website if you want to learn more about OSHA's implementation of GHS.

THIRD, if you are more of a visual person, OSHA developed a PowerPoint you can download for free or review for free to learn more about GHS.

Happy learning!

What is OSHA doing about fall prevention?

OSHA's outreach program includes images, posters, wallet cards, etc. that employers can use to educate themselves and their employees.

OSHA has developed a nationwide outreach program for fall prevention. They firmly believe that falls can be prevented and lives can be saved using the simple three steps listed above:

• Plan - ahead to get the job done safely
• Provide - the right equipment
• Train - everyone to use the equipment safely

Here's how OSHA says to do it:

(Don't mind the copy-paste from OSHA's website...they say it better than I could.)

PLAN ahead to get the job done safely

"When working from heights, such as ladders, scaffolds, and roofs, employers must plan projects to ensure that the job is done safely. Begin by deciding how the job will be done, what tasks will be involved, and what safety equipment may be needed to complete each task.

When estimating the cost of a job, employers should include safety equipment, and plan to have all the necessary equipment and tools available at the construction site. For example, in a roofing job, think about all of the different fall hazards, such as holes or skylights and leading edges, then plan and select fall protection suitable to that work, such as personal fall arrest systems (PFAS)."

PROVIDE the right equipment

"Workers who are six feet or more above lower levels are at risk for serious injury or death if they should fall. To protect these workers, employers must provide fall protection and the right equipment for the job, including the right kinds of ladders, scaffolds, and safety gear.

Different ladders and scaffolds are appropriate for different jobs. Always provide workers with the kind they need to get the job done safely. For roof work, there are many ways to prevent falls. If workers use [PFAS], provide a harness for each worker who needs to tie off to the anchor. Make sure the PFAS fits, and regularly inspect all fall protection equipment to ensure it's still in good condition and safe to use."

TRAIN everyone to use the equipment safely

"Falls can be prevented when workers understand proper set-up and safe use of equipment, so they need training on the specific equipment they will use to complete the job. Employers must train workers in hazard recognition and in the care and safe use ladders, scaffolds, fall protection systems, and other equipment they'll be using on the job."

OSHA has provided a bunch of educational materials and resources, training resources, and media resources (images, press releases, etc.) so that employers can be aware of their responsibilities to their employees regarding falls.

Another example of the media available for use from OSHA to train and educate employees, or just serve as a visual reminder on a job site.

The Industrious Hygienist is celebrating National Safety Month!

Just a heads up that the Industrious Hygienist will be celebrating National Safety Month with other occupational safety and health professionals, including more frequent and more educational blog posts related to the National Safety Council focus areas.

This year's focus areas are:

Week 1: Preventing Slips, Trips, and Falls
Week 2: Employee Wellness
Week 3: Emergency Preparedness
Week 4: Ergonomics

There will be videos, posters/images, fact sheets, and how-to's. Stay posted and  follow me if you want to learn more.

Industrial hygiene and safety blogs I follow.

I love to read blogs as much as I love to write them (and draw mangas!). Here's two of my favorite industrial hygiene and safety blogs. They post frequently and have useful information. 

Industrial Hygiene: Industrial Hygiene in Construction

Safety: OSHA Training Blog

If you know of any other ones to add to my reading list, post a comment. FYI I have enabled the "approval" of comments before they are posted. Some of them became "spammy" and I had to delete them. 

Spiders! ZOMG.

I love Arizona - I have lived here my whole life (except for a five-year stint in Mission Viejo, California).

I especially love rainstorms. Up by Meteor Crater along the I-40, in the northeastern part of the state, you can experience some spectacular storms.

This year's Monsoon was pathetic, and I am still hopeful for some good winter rains down in Phoenix.

But while I was driving back to my hotel in Holbrook, I pulled off to the side of the road to get this shot. It didn't quite capture the amazing way the sheets of rain colored the sky with every shade of the rainbow, or how ominous the thunderclouds were, and how still the high desert was. We even got some quality hail during that storm.

I arrived at the Site the next day to do some asbestos sampling of a two-level roof on a control room building. My co-worker and I had been up there just before the storm started rolling in the night before, and there were NO spiders anywhere to be seen. We were warned to keep an eye out, but we didn't see any webs or creepy-crawlies on either roof.

When we got up to the roof in the early morning, we saw this giant arachnid monstrosity waiting at the top of the stairs. We both shuddered with the heebie-jeebies and stepped around the crazy spider.

But then we took a look around the roof, and were amazed to see that it was covered in shimmering, dew-laden spiderwebs. I tried to think of it as a scene right out of Charlotte's Web, but instead I was having flashbacks to Arachnophobia.

Here's another view of my arch-nemesis. It was not a Black Widow or a Brown Recluse, but I kept my distance.

I have tentatively identified it as an Orb-Weaver Spider, which is apparently a (and I shudder to write this) friendly spider. It rarely bites and is a pretty chill spider. Makes fancy webs and such. G-d must have thought it funny to give these spiders such scary markings and then have them be Mostly Harmless.

But there were spiders everywhere. Co-worker and I guessed that the rain brought them out, but we had no idea they could spin webs that fast. Every girder, pipe, and railing had webs spun to it with spiders soaking in the early morning sun.

It made for an exciting morning of asbestos sampling, since we didn't know that most of the spiders we were encountering were harmless. We kept dodging the rain puddles and trying not to whack our heads on all the overhanging piping, all the while looking for webs to avoid.

Just for the amusement factor, I took a snapshot of the Health and Safety Plan (HASP) we filled out in the morning before starting work. "Insects" is an understatment. I tried to find the one where I wrote "ZOMG giant spiders" but I think I re-wrote it to make it look a tad more professional. :)?