Safety Blog Archives - Page 2 of 2

OROSHA’s New Permit Space Rules: What do they mean?

Feb 16, 2015

After years of comments, proposals, discussions, edits, issuances, retractions, amendments, and related activities, OROSHA has issued its Confined Space Rule: OAR 437-002-0146. The permit space rules became effective for general industry on January 1, 2015 and will become effective for construction on March 1, 2015. Will your location be in compliance with Oregon’s new rules? What does it mean to Oregon employers? If you were in compliance with the Federal rules (1910.146) will you be in compliance with this one?

Categorized under: Safety Blog

Tagged as: Confined Space, confined space permits, confined space regulations, confined space rescue, OSHA standards

Suspension Trauma: Cause and Effects

Jan 19, 2015

When you are hanging in a harness the leg straps cut off this return flow. Blood pools in the legs where the tissues scrub out all the oxygen and load it up with metabolic waste products. With this reduction of blood circulating in the body, the heart compensates by speeding up the heart rate to maintain blood flow to the brain. How long does this process take? It depends on many factors.

Categorized under: Rescue Blog, Safety Blog

Tagged as: confined space rescue, Fall Protection, rescue, technical rescue

The Engineer Says: “Excavation is Safe.” Is it?

Jun 27, 2014

Would you work at the toe of a nine-foot vertical wall of dirt with no protective system? Hopefully your answer is ‘no.’ But what if you received a letter from a soils engineer who had evaluated the composition of the dirt and declared it safe? Is an excavation safe because a soil engineer says it is?

Categorized under: Safety Blog

Tagged as: competent person, Excavation Safety, OSHA compliance, OSHA regulations, osha requirements, OSHA Safety

Answering an Excavation Spoil Pile Question

Jun 23, 2012

A few weeks ago a compliance officer from Oregon OSHA called. She had been having a discussion with her co-workers and they were at a bit of a impasse. They were considering the following scenario: A four-foot trench with two feet of spoil pile, but in this case the pile was right up against the trench lip and had not been set back two feet from the lip as required by the code.

Categorized under: Safety Blog

Tagged as: excavation, Excavation Safety

Oregon OSHA’s new confined space standards.

Nov 7, 2011

Recently OROSHA released the text of of proposed changes to the confined space standards rules. Their goal is to bring construction under the same standards as general industry. The proposed rules can be found here:

http://www.orosha.org/pdf/notices/proposed2011/propchgs_conf_sp.pdf

Categorized under: Rescue Blog, Safety Blog

Tagged as: D2000, OSHA regulations, OSHA Safety, Recent Projects

Wind Turbine Safety Standards: Adequate or Not?

Aug 15, 2011

Last Sunday while skimming the business section of our local newspaper (Eugene’s Register Guard), I came across an article on training wind turbine workers so that they can avoid accidents and injuries. A key point in the article was the problem with existing wind turbine safety standards.

Categorized under: Rescue Blog, Safety Blog

Tagged as: D2000, OSHA regulations, tower rescue

Partial Confined Space Entry

Jul 8, 2011

One area of concern for many employers relates to the safety requirements needed when an employee reaches into a permit-required confined space to perform a low-hazard job task such as steam cleaning or collecting a sample. Has the employee made a confined space entry? Is a permit needed? What exactly are the requirements?

Categorized under: Rescue Blog, Safety Blog

Tagged as: confined space entry, confined space permits, partial entry

Intent of the OSHA Standard: Important or Not?

Jul 7, 2011

We spend a fair amount of time fielding questions about confined space, fall protection and excavation safety. Most of time people describe a scenario and ask us whether we would consider it safe or compliant. Generally their questions hinge on an activity that is not directly addressed by the OSHA regulations.

Categorized under: Safety Blog

Tagged as: OSHA Safety, OSHA standards

Scissors Lift Fall Protection Questions

Jul 5, 2011

Recently a vigorous online discussion erupted over this question when it was asked on an online message board. When I last checked over 140 people had expressed a wide variety of fact and opinion. The question itself was simple to answer: “No, OSHA doesn’t require an employee to use fall protection when using a scissors lift (i.e., work platform that cannot be positioned completely beyond the base) if the guardrails are installed and the gates closed.” In fact, the scissors lift itself is a form of fall protection which protects workers from the hazards of working from portable ladders.

The question itself was simple to answer: “No, OSHA doesn’t require an employee to use fall protection when using a scissors lift (i.e., work platform that cannot be positioned completely beyond the base) if the guardrails are installed and the gates closed.” In fact, the scissors lift itself is a form of fall protection which protects workers from the hazards of working from portable ladders.

Categorized under: Safety Blog

Tagged as: Fall Protection, OSHA, osha requirements, OSHA Safety, scissors lifts, tie-off

Intrinsically Safe Classifications

Jun 3, 2011

Certain jobs often call for “intrinsically safe” or “explosion-proof” tools and equipment such as lighting and radios. The purpose of this requirement is ensuring that our equipment doesn’t create a source of ignition which in turn could ignite vapors, dusts, mists, or fibers in the atmosphere.

Categorized under: Safety Blog

Tagged as: air monitors, Confined Space, flammable atmospheres, intrinsic safety

Heat Stress

Aug 17, 2009

Are you at elevated risk for heat stress? During these dog days, heat stress can be a big problem. Heat causes our bodies to undergo physical changes such as changes in our circulation. More blood flows to the skin and less flows to the kidneys and other organs. Also, heart-rate increases to maintain adequate blood pressure.

Categorized under: Safety Blog

Tagged as: Heat Stress, OSHA Safety

Certification Questions

Jul 27, 2009

We’re often asked if our safety and rescue classes are ‘certified by OSHA’ or if you take a class will you be ‘certified’? I usually respond by saying that if you complete the class you’ll receive a certificate and you’ll be awarded continuing education units (CEUs). But will that make you ‘certified’ in the normal sense of the word? Not really.

Categorized under: Safety Blog

Tagged as: Certified by OSHA, OSHA

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