What does “adjoining” mean to you? Next-door? Less than a football field away? A court’s translation of the word has muddied the waters on the extent of coverage that longshoremen can expect when they’re injured on the job. More specifically, it provides a continually evolving definition of what constitutes a “maritime” job. Longshoremen, harbor workers …
The nice folks at MySafetySign liked my interview and subsequent comments on the trench photo, and so I sent them this one and offered to analyze it for them. Their #HazardSpotting motif is: “Can you spot everything they’re doing wrong?” But in this photo I must ask, “Can you spot anything they’re doing RIGHT?” To …
Bees, besides producing honey, pollinate a full 30 percent of the food we eat, like cherries, almonds, and raspberries. They’re a necessary part of our food chain and ecosystem, and they are in danger. A United States Department of Agriculture survey recently found that U.S. beekeepers lost about 30% of their honeybees colonies last winter. …
#HazardSpotting is a community safety initiative to help raise awareness about dangerous workplace safety violations. Our readers submit photos, and we write a post with special guest insight from featured safety experts. This week Robert L. Carlson comments on a photo taken of a construction trench by a MySafetySign employee. Let’s be clear: April showers …
Hazard spotting overseas For this edition of #HazardSpotting, we’re going international. Shout out to Annie for the photos. Pictured below is high rise construction in the Philippines’s Metro Manila. Although this construction site wouldn’t fall under OSHA’s purview, the principles apply. There’s definitely some hazard spottin’ going down. …
Following a natural or man-made disaster, time is of the essence for mitigating the damage. But does the need for a rapid response justify throwing worker safety out the window? Standards from the Occupational Safety & Health Administration require that workers receive adequate protection against workplace hazards, including protective equipment and training. But from the …
Ephrata (Pennsylvania) city officials are trying to figure out the best way to meet changes in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) concerning accessibility requirements in pools. According to the revised regulations, pools at public accommodations, hotels, inns, etc need to have a chair lift or a ramp. However, the Ephrata city pool’s design makes these …
OSHA urged cleanup and recovery workers to be wary of hazards amid the post-hurricane Sandy debris. Still, many workers suffered chemical exposure, falls, and electrical shocks, in part due to the lack of personal protective equipment (PPE). An investigation by Daily News revealed that many of thousands of workers who cleaned and rebuilt homes in hurricane-struck …
The New York annual ‘Construction Safety Week’ kick-started with the announcement of the results of Operation: Low Rise that constituted a two-month inspection of low-rise construction sites throughout the five boroughs in the city. The inspection resulted in $954,450 in penalties for 900 safety violations coupled with full and partial ‘stop work orders’ at 12% …
All too often, safety oversights are brought to light because of a tragedy. In the case of the deadly explosion at the West Fertilizer Co. in Texas last month, early investigations have revealed a patchwork of reporting requirements and safety thresholds that may have left workers and the community dangerously exposed. An article on Salon.com states …
Frayed or worn out electric chords, wet floors, fireplaces without mesh screens, and smoking in bed are some safety hazards at home that are easy to identify and fix. However, another hazard is lurking in our homes, invisible, and far more dangerous. Recently, Walker Sandford, a property management firm in Glasgow, Scotland threw light on …