Safety Tips

Surviving Christmas: Fire safety tips for the holidays
Although fire safety is a perennial issue, Christmas is the time when a little extra precaution is recommended. That’s because everything that makes this holiday beautiful — candles, wreaths, outdoor lighting, chestnut-roasting — also makes it hazardous. Home fires are common (and preventable) during the holiday season. U.S. fire department responds to an average of […]

Is management the biggest roadblock to safety?
Actions speak louder than words. Unfortunately, sometimes companies prefer to stash their safety programs in the filing cabinet rather than actively prioritizing it within their work operations. The buck is passed on to safety professionals, who are then counted on to carry out duties that exceed their authority. Resistant to change, management simply assumes that […]

OSHA stresses the importance of crowd safety for Black Friday sales
As holiday shopping kickstarts with Thanksgiving this year, OSHA is reminding retailers to put the safety of their employees before anything else. The lure of insane shopping bargains can give rise to a dangerous mob mentality among shoppers, resulting in crowd injuries, fire, and other accidents. In 2008, a Walmart employee was trampled to death […]

Why should homebrewers worry about chemical safety?
Safety compliance in breweries has been questioned over the years, and is especially suspect as the craft brewing industry continues to forge ahead in membership and production. However, data shows that smaller enterprises, on average, don’t always have the same prudency as macrobreweries do when it comes to prioritizing a brewery safety culture.

Safety lessons we can learn from Bob the Builder
If you’re unfamiliar with the work of Bob the Builder, successful general contractor specializing in masonry with his own construction yards in Bobsville, Sunflower Valley, and Fixham Harbour, don’t feel too out of the loop. This handyman is a fictional character on his self-titled, animated children’s television show. Bob has done it all – built […]

Go ahead, take a sick day
If you’ve been to the pharmacy lately, you’ve likely been asked, repeatedly, if you’ve had your flu shot yet. It’s an annual reminder that flu season is here and, unfortunately, we’re all in this together. Influenza and other contagious illnesses caused by bacteria and viruses often thrive in workplaces, where there’s the potential for contamination […]

OSHA urges Colorado flood disaster response crews to take precautions
Earlier this month, historic floods caused by torrential rains hit Colorado’s Front Range region, resulting in property loss estimated at nearly $2 billion statewide. Even more devastatingly, there is a confirmed death toll of seven people (as of noon, Sept. 20). 140 people are still unaccounted for, and downed electrical wires, damaged roads and bridges, […]

6 shocking old mining safety practices
Given the unforgiving environment and physical requirements, coal miners have faced a higher risk of death and injury than other workers in private industries, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. But before there were conveyor belts, extraction machines, hydraulic roof supports, gas detectors, respirators and electric lights – not to mention child labor and […]

Safety basics: How do I report a construction hazard?
Infrastructure is constantly going up and coming down around us. Construction projects clutter our streets, sidewalks, hallways, and neighborhoods; if they’re conducted unsafely, every demographic is put in danger, from workers to passersby. All you have to do is take a look at our #HazardSpotting series to see a how common some bad practices are. […]

Your summertime roof safety reminder
As high temperatures push people to the highest points in their homes or workplaces (whether or not they have legal access) it’s important to keep safety in mind. For most parts of the country, the warmer months are also roofing season, making roof safety an even higher priority. Fall Protection For construction workers, fall protection […]

A history of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is a lifesaving technique (composed of chest compressions followed by mouth-to-mouth breaths) intended for those whose breathing or heartbeat has stopped, such as victims of heart attacks or drowning. For decades, CPR prioritized mouth-to-mouth resuscitation as the first step in providing care. Ironically, mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, a technique rooted in antiquity—the Bible describes […]