POSTER: Employee Rights Under the FFCRA

Poster for the workplace - download PDF version 

Stairway Safety for Construction

Stairways, like ladders, are a source of accidents at construction sites. They are also a source for numerous OSHA citations. In September 2003, the following stairway violations were in the top 75 OSHA rules to receive citations:
- Stairways with four or more risers or rising more than 30", whichever is less, must have at least one handrail and one stairrail system along each unprotected side or edge.
- A stairway or ladder must be provided at all employee access points where there is a break in elevation of 19" or more, and no ramp, runway, sloped embankment, or personnel hoist is provided.
- Your employer must provide a training program, as necessary, for stairway use. The program must enable you to recognize hazards related to stairways, and must train you in the procedures to be followed to minimize these hazards.
- Unprotected sides and edges of stairway landings must be provided with guardrails.

OSHA has many rules that address design, stairrails, handrails, and maintenance. The following examples (of the many rules for stairways) point out some of these areas.

General
- Temporary stairways must have landings of not less than 30" in the direction of travel, and extend at least 22" wide at every 12' or less of vertical rise.
- Where doors or gates open directly on a stairway, a platform must be provided. The door swing must leave 20" of effective width.
- Proper housekeeping procedures eliminate stairway slip, trip, and fall hazards. Keep stairs free from debris and clutter.

Good lighting will help avoid stairway hazards. Like any other walking/working surface, it is difficult to avoid what you cannot see.

Stairrails and handrails
- Stairrails must not be less than 36 inches high from the tread to the top of the stairrail.
- Handrails must be between 30 and 37 inches high measured from the tread surface.
- Handrails must provide an adequate handhold to avoid falling. If the handrails are not permanent, there must be at least a three inch clearance between the handrail and wall.

Temporary stairs have their own issues
- Treads for temporary service must be made of wood or other solid material, and must be installed the full width and depth of the stair.

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

Windy Conditions and Construction

Windy conditions are a fact of life in this area during many times of the year. The goal is to maintain safety and production while dealing with this issue. Sometimes it is just too windy to work. A collapsed wall, employee injury or other related incident will cost far more than any production gains that can be made in high-wind conditions.

Wall Bracing:
How much bracing is needed? Watching the weather report is a good plan to take. A sunny day can turn into near-tornado conditions by the next day. There is no formula for proper bracing. However, experience is the primary method. Be conservative and brace assuming strong overnight wind.
• The future weather should always be a concern that is monitored.
• Some crews have made California Corner braces to increase the breaking strength of the brace.
• The point of brace contact on the floor needs to be strong. A brace nailed into the flooring needs to be nailed through a floor joist as well.
• The point of brace contact on the wall should not be damaged or split wood. Damaged lumber will not likely hold a substantial wind load without failure.

Standing Walls:
A plan needs to be established when placing walls with regard to wind. (The goal is to take precautionary measures to avoid an incident rather than reacting to a wall tip-over.)
• Make certain the appropriate man-power is available.
• Wall braces may need to be placed prior to standing the wall during windy conditions.
• The bottom of the wall may need to be strapped even on 8 foot 2x4 walls if the winds dictate.
• Determine if it is too windy to lift the walls. This may be your best decision of the day.

Bracing Roof Trusses:
Proper bracing is usually left to the discretion of the roof crew. Keep in mind that a gable truss recently broke a 2 x 4 support causing an injury. The supporting brace may subject to loads that will break a standard 2 x 4 during windy conditions. If it is becoming windy, additional bracing and sway bracing will be needed. When monitoring this on the job, ask the roof crew to support the trusses for substantial wind. Be willing to stop the work.

Roof Sheathing:
Sometimes the best protection is to suspend work. If the work will continue based on the best judgement of the foreman, the following items should be considered:
• Nail down what you place the same day.
• Always walk on the wind-side of the plywood sheet. This way, you can let go of the sheet rather than being blown off the roof. (If it is this windy, you should probably suspend roof work.)
• Storing material on the roof: The top several sheets of plywood need to be secured to prevent them from blowing off the roof. The entire plywood bunk may need to be secured based on wind or anticipated wind.

Other Operations:
• Suspend top plate work if the wind creates an unacceptable hazard.
• Unsecured material stored in a vertical position are at risk at being blown over and should be taken down or secured.
• Ladders should not be stored in a leaning position.
• Caution needs to be paid to cutting operations. Always stand up wind of the cut so the saw dust will not blow in your eyes

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

10 Point Plan for staying safe on the job site

Violence in the workplace

Overview
Violence in the workplace is a growing threat for businesses of all sizes and all over.

What constitutes violence at work?
Common acts of violence in the workplace can include:
• insubordination
• verbal bullying
• threats
• harassment
• sexual assault and rape
• theft
• make fists and beatings
• stabbings and shooting
• suicides
• vandalism and arson
• kidnapping or hostage-taking

What should I do?
Violence in the workplace affects not only the victims, but coworkers and the company also. It is important that employees cooperate with the company to limit or eliminate the violence at work through controls of the methods of work.

What should my employer do?
Your employer will review the plan of the company for the prevention of violence at work and controls the working methods.

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

Recognize the Warning Signs

Overview
In an effort to decrease the number of accidents and injuries in the workplace, OSHA developed two standards on safety color-coding and specifications for accident prevention signs and tags. A sign refers to a surface on prepared for the warning of, or safety instructions of, industrial workers or members of the public who may be exposed to hazards. The information is located in 29 CFR 1910.144 and 1910.145.

What must I know?
There are a few different means of designating signs and tags. Color and shape work well for the purpose of communicating required information. The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) has developed the following color scheme:
Safety colors:
- Red - Fire, danger, or stop
- Orange - Warning
- Yellow - Caution
- Green - Safety
- Blue - Notice

Shapes:
- Triangle - Hazard alerts
- Circle - Mandatory actions
- Square/rectangle - Information
- Circle with slash - Prohibited activity

According to the National Electrical Manufacturer’s Association/American National Standards Institute (NEMA/ANSI), the lettering must be in upper case block letter, and large enough that a person with normal vision can read it. The labels on piping also play a vital role in informing employees and emergency personnel what is contained in the pipes in your workplace. These labels are color-coded and include the substance name.

Labels on piping:
- Yellow - Flammable
- Green - Liquid, non-flammable
- Blue - Gaseous
- Red - Fire quenching material

Adequate lighting should be available for signs so that the message is readable. Your employer strives to maintain the safest workplace possible, and the communication of hazards plays an important role. Knowing the difference between red and green may sound simple, but it could save a life.

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

Ergonomics

What is Ergonomics?
Ergonomics is the process of fitting the job to the worker. It is the design of machinery, tools and the way work is done in order to reduce stress on the body. It emphasizes how people do their work and what body movements they make and positions they hold while working. It also emphasizes what tools and equipment workers use and what effect all of these have on their comfort and health.

What are some ways to identify ergonomic problems?

There are six basic risk factors associated with ergonomic problems:

1. REPETITION: When a job requires repeated activity using the same part of the body.

2. EXCESSIVE FORCE: When a worker has to continually use a lot of force when lifting, pushing or pulling.

3. AWKWARD POSTURE: When a job task forces a worker to maintain an uncomfortable position.

4. MECHANICAL STRESS: When a worker must constantly hit or push a hard part of a machine or a tool.

5. VIBRATING TOOLS: When a worker must hold vibrating equipment, OR MACHINES: especially when the temperature in the workplace is cold.

6. TEMPERATURE: When a worker has to work under very cold or very hot conditions.

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