Welding & Cutting Safety

Everyone involved in welding operations must take necessary precautions to prevent fires, explosions, or personal injuries. Even for small or routine jobs, you should always follow established safety procedures and resist the temptation to take shortcuts.

As with any job activity, you will have hazards involved. Some common welding dangers you should be aware of include fumes, gases, radiation, electric shock, fire and explosion, lead poisoning, metal splatter and sparks, noise, and slips, trips and falls. While these are a lot of hazards, OSHA allows a lot of ways to control or eliminate them in order to protect you:

• Ventilation—Exhaust hoods at the arc, fans, and open spaces all help to reduce the concentration of hazardous fumes, gases, and dusts, and prevent the accumulation of flammable gases, vapors, and dusts that could cause fire. Know the symptoms of fumes and gases and get out of the area if they develop. Perform atmospheric tests.

• Respirators—When ventilation and plume avoidance don't give enough protection or when welding creates an oxygen-deficient area, wear a respirator.

• Personal protective equipment (PPE)—This includes flame-resistant aprons; leggings and high boots; ankle-length safety shoes worn under your pant legs; shoulder cape and skull cap; ear plugs or ear muffs; insulated gloves; safety helmets; goggles; helmets; and shields. Use ANSI-approved filter lenses and plates. Protect those nearby by putting up shields.

• Electrical precautions—Do not arc weld while standing on damp surfaces or in damp clothing. Properly ground, install, and operate equipment. Do not use defective equipment. Use well-insulated electrode holders and cables. Insulate yourself from both the work and the metal electrode and holder. Don't wrap a welding cable around your body. Wear dry gloves and rubber-soled shoes. Do not use damaged or bare cables and connectors.

• Fire protection—Wear flame-resistant clothing. Have someone be your fire watcher when you weld. Move all combustible material at least 35 feet from the work area and try to move away from combustible materials, or cover them with fire resistant material. Don't weld in atmospheres containing dangerously reactive or flammable gases, vapors, liquids, or dust. Clean and purge containers which may have held combustible material before applying heat. Get a hot work permit and follow its safety precautions.

• Confined space precautions—Assess limited work spaces and slipping hazards, and evaluate hazardous atmospheres and interior surfaces for flammability, combustibility, or toxic fumes that could result from welding processes.

• Clothing—Wear wool, leather, or cotton treated clothing to reduce flammability for gas shielded arc welding. Long sleeves and pants without cuffs/front pockets are recommended to avoid catching sparks.

• Don't get too close to the fume or plume or weld on lead-painted surfaces.

This information is provided by: Assurance Agency  http://www.assuranceagency.com

Hand Protection

Overview
We all use our hands a great deal without really thinking about it. Because we use our hands so much at work, for a variety of tasks, they can become injured.
To demonstrate the need for effective hand protection, look at the following statistics.
• There are about 500,000 work-related injuries occurring to hands, fingers, and arms each year.
• About one-quarter of all work-related injuries are to the fingers and hands.
• Injuries to fingers and thumbs are second on the list of most injured parts of the body.

Types of hazards
A few of the types of injuries our hands are prone to suffer include:
• Mechanical hazards which cause cuts, punctures, scrapes, or crushing.
• Extreme heat or cold.
• Electrical shock or burns.
• Skin irritation from chemicals or germs.

What must my employer do?
Your employer must assess the workplace to determine what hazards can be eliminated through engineering controls such as machine guards and improved workstation design. If hazards remain after attempting to eliminate hand hazards, then your employer will provide hand protection.
Your employer must train you on the need for and use of PPE for your hands. Training should include:
• Information on when PPE is needed.
• An explanation on what protective hand wear is required, and where to obtain it.
• How to put on, take off, adjust, and wear PPE.
• The limitations of the PPE.
• The proper care, maintenance, useful life, and disposal of the PPE.

What must I do?
For your safety, it is crucial that you understand and follow your company’s procedures for hand protection. If you have any questions regarding how to protect your hands from injury on the job, ask your supervisor.

This information is provided by: Assurance Agency  http://www.assuranceagency.com

Muddy Conditions

With the change from winter to spring usually means the change from dry ground to muddy conditions.  Slip and fall accidents are much more likely to happen during these times. Unfortunately we are unable to  control the weather, so we must adapt to conditions daily. Simple steps taken can be the difference in  preventing an accident. 1. Keep boots free of mud. Employee should clean boots of mud once they reach the house or unit they  are to work in. This may have to be done every time you leave and return. No employee should access  top plates or roofs if their boots are muddy. 2. Keep ladders free of mud. If you are using a ladder in mud, tracking mud up the rungs of the ladders  creates a very slippery and dangerous condition. Employees should use the bottom rung to scrap mud  from there boots. If mud does accumulate, you may need to take a rag or towel and clean the rungs. 3. Walk in areas were stone driveways/paths have been provided. If a stone path is not provided,  you may want to use some plywood or planks to create a walkway to the work area. 4. Store material/lumber close to the house to minimize having to walk in the mud to reach piles or stacks. 5. Move slowly – don’t be in a rush. Carrying material or equipment through mud could cause you to slip.  Several strains and sprains have been cause as the result of a slip.

This information is provided by: Assurance Agency 5 tips to ensure your regular safety meetings are effective   Download the Safety Meeting Sign-in Sheet

Face Protection

Overview
Face protection is required by OSHA where there is a reasonable probability of preventing injury when such equipment is used. Employers must provide a type of protection that is suitable for the work being done.

Employees must use the protection provided. A Bureau of Labor Statistics study found that about half of the injuries which occurred to workers faces resulted from not wearing the protective equipment supplied.

What must my employer do?
Your employer must ensure that:
• All workers required to wear face protection understand how to use it so that it offers the most protection.
• These workers must demonstrate understanding of the training, and the ability to use it properly before being allowed to perform work requiring its use.

What must I do?
As an employee who is required to use face protection, you must:
• Understand how to use the required personal protection equipment (PPE).
• Know how to properly clean and maintain the PPE.

What must face protection do?
At a minimum, face protection must:
• Adequately protect against the particular hazards for which it was designed.
• Be reasonably comfortable when worn under the designated conditions.
• Fit snugly without interfering with the movements or vision of the wearer.
• Be durable.
• Be capable of being disinfected.
• Be easily cleanable.
• Be kept clean and in good repair.

This information is provided by: Assurance Agency  http://www.assuranceagency.com

Covid=19 - Cloth Face Coverings

Purpose
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advises the use of simple cloth face coverings to slow the spread of the coronavirus and help people who may have the virus, and do not know it, from transmitting it to others.
•Wear a mask when social distancing cannot be maintained, including:
    •To and from the jobsite – carpool, bus stop & train station
    •To and from the the work area - elevator lobby, elevators, hoists & lifts, stairways, hallways and corridors
    •Common areas, tool lock up, breakrooms, staging and clean-up areas, and work areas
•Surgical masks and N95 respirators are in short supply and should be reserved for healthcare workers or other medical first responders. Only use N95 masks when required as PPE for a work task.

Proper Wear
• Snug fit, but comfortable against side of face
• Have ties or ear loops that are snug fit to ensure they cannot be caught in tools
• Have multiple layers of fabric
• Will not restrict breathing

Sanitation
• Routinely wash coverings depending on how often they are used
• Material should be able to be machine cleaned/dried without damage
• Do not touch eyes, nose, and mouth when removing covering and wash hands immediately afterwards

Based on CDC guidelines current as of 4/4/2020. For additional information, please visit: https://www.cdc.gov/

This information is provided by: Optimum Safety Management