Behavior Based Safety - TBT

Overview
There are many different views of behavior-based safety. Some consultants’ concepts are based on research; some are based on common sense. Some say behavior-based safety is all you need; others say it’s only part of the safety effort needed. Some say reinforcement is the answer; others say there are not enough opportunities for reinforcement in the workplace.
But, however your organization looks at it, behavior-based safety is the process of focusing on behavior to prevent/reduce occupational injuries.

Why should your company use behavior-based safety?
• Statistics reveal that 80% to 95% of incidents are caused by at-risk behavior.
• The frequency of injuries can be reduced.
• The entire workforce can participate in the process.
• Safety teams make safety improvements.
• Behavior-based safety requires progressive and proactive thinking.
• When added to a safety program already attempting to comply with regulations, behavior-based safety shows "good faith."

Key elements of behavior-based safety
• Employee/management involvement.
• Identification of safe and at-risk behavior.
• Observation.
• Feedback.
• Intervention (instructional, motivational, or supportive).

What must I do?
• As an employee who is concerned with safety, you can participate in the company safety program. Follow the work rules and processes that the company develops.
• Use all supplied personal protective equipment.
• Cooperate with the safety manager, superintendent or safety committee if they observe you at your workplace, or if they request information from you on how you work.

This information is provided by: Assurance Agency

Chemical Protective Clothing

Overview
Your employer provides you with personal protective equipment (PPE) to help protect you from workplace hazards. Here are some things to check before you wear your PPE to perform a job. Whatever your employer requires as far as care of PPE is concerned, be sure that your PPE is functioning properly and that you wear it as designed so that it affords the protection you need to do your job safely.

Before donning PPE
Before you use protective clothing:
• Determine that the clothing material is correct for the specified task at hand.
• Visually inspect for imperfect seams, nonuniform coatings, tears, and malfunctioning closures.
• Hold up to the light and check for pinholes.

If the product has been used previously, inspect inside and out for signs of chemical attack:
• Discoloration.
• Swelling.
• Stiffness.

What must I do?
While using protective clothing, periodically check for:
• Evidence of chemical attack such as discoloration, swelling, stiffening, and softening (keep in mind, however, that chemical permeation can occur without any visible effects).
• Closure failure.
• Tears.
• Punctures.
• Ripped seams.

Before you use gloves:
• Determine that the glove material is correct for the specified task at hand.
• Pressurize glove to check for pinholes. Either blow into glove, then roll towards fingers or inflate glove and hold under water. In either case, no air should escape.

Before you wear fully encapsulating suits:
• Determine that the suit material is correct for the specified task at hand.
• Check the operation of pressure relief valves.
• Inspect the fitting of wrists, ankles, and neck.
• Check faceshield, if so equipped for cracks, crazing, fogginess.

PPE maintenance
Always be sure to follow company policy for cleaning, decontamination, and maintenance of protective clothing. Your employer may have decided that with appropriate training, each person who wears chemical protective clothing can perform these tasks him- or herself. But some decontamination and repair tasks may require special equipment or expertise and must be done by someone else or at a different location.

This information is provided by: Assurance Agency

Competent Person

Who and what is a “competent person”
The term “competent person” comes up often in the OSHA construction regulations. OSHA defines competent person as “one who is capable of identifying existing and predictable hazards in the surroundings or working conditions which are unsanitary, hazardous, or dangerous to employees, and who has authorization to take prompt corrective measures to eliminate them.”

How does a competent person fit in with a jobsite safety and health program?
Your employer must have a comprehensive safety and health program that provides for frequent and regular inspections, by competent persons designated by the employer, of the:
• jobsite,
• materials, and
• Equipment.

The 29 CFR 1926 construction regulations require that a competent person inspect various work areas such as:
• scaffolding,
• excavations,
• stairways and ladders,
• asbestos abatement operations,
• welding and cutting zones, and
• Steel erection sites.

In addition, some OSHA standards add additional specific requirements that must be met by the competent person.

This information is provided by: Assurance Agency

Rigger Training TBT

OSHA’s subpart CC, Cranes and Derricks in Construction, requires riggers to be qualified to perform their job.

Qualified rigger required

Employers must use qualified riggers during hoisting activities for assembly and disassembly work. Additionally, qualified riggers are required whenever workers are within the fall zone and hooking, unhooking, or guiding a load, or doing the initial connection of a load to a component or structure.

Qualified rigger criteria

A qualified rigger is a rigger who meets the criteria for a qualified person. Employers must determine whether a person is qualified to perform specific rigging tasks. Each qualified rigger may have different credentials or experience. A qualified rigger is a person that:

· Possesses a recognized degree, certificate, or professional standing; or

· Has extensive knowledge, training, and experience; and

· Can successfully demonstrate the ability to solve problems related to rigging loads.

The person designated as the qualified rigger must have the ability to properly rig the load for a particular job. It does not mean that a rigger must be qualified to do every type of rigging job.

Each load that requires rigging has unique properties that can range from the simple to the complex. For example, a rigger may have extensive experience in rigging structural components and other equipment to support specific construction activities. Such experience may have been gained over many years.

However, this experience does not automatically qualify the rigger to rig unstable, unusually heavy, or eccentric loads that may require a tandem lift, multiple-lifts, or use of custom rigging equipment. In essence, employers must make sure the person can do the rigging work needed for the exact types of loads and lifts for a particular job with the equipment and rigging that will be used for that job.

Do qualified riggers need to be trained or certified?

Riggers do need to be properly trained, but they do not have to be certified by an accredited organization or assessed by a third party. Employers may choose to use a third party entity to assess the qualifications of the rigger candidate, but they are not required to do so.

Is a certified crane operator a qualified rigger?

A certified crane operator does not necessarily meet the requirements of a qualified rigger. Determining whether a person is a qualified rigger is based on the nature of the load, lift, and equipment used to hoist that load plus that person’s knowledge and experience. A certified/qualified crane operator may meet the requirements of a qualified rigger, depending on the operator’s knowledge and experience with rigging.

This information is provided by: Assurance Agency

Hand Protection - TBT

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