Forklifts- Training

All workers hired to operate a forklift must be trained—according to the operator training requirements in 29 CFR 1910.178(l)—BEFORE being allowed to use a forklift.

OSHA uses the term powered industrial truck to describe a mobile, power-driven vehicle used to carry, push, pull, lift, stack, or tier material. Included in this description would be: high lift, counterbalanced, cantilever, rider, forklift, high lift platform, and motorized hand/rider trucks.

The following information highlights the requirements of the forklift training rule:

The OSHA forklift training standard is in the OSHA general industry regulations at 29 CFR 1910.178(l)–Powered industrial truck operator training.

If you are a forklift operator you must: (1) be competent to safely operate the particular forklift you will use, and (2) successfully complete the training required by the standard.

Your trainer must have the knowledge, training, and experience to train you and evaluate your competence. Trainees can only operate a forklift: (a) under the direct supervision of a knowledgeable trainer/evaluator, and (b) when it does not endanger you or others.

You must initially train in all topics listed in the regulations unless you and your employer can demonstrate that a topic is not applicable to safe forklift operations at your jobsite.

Topics are broken down into three broad categories: (1) truck-related, (2) worksite related, and (3) the forklift rule requirements.

Refresher training and evaluation must be done to ensure you have the knowledge and skills needed to operate the forklift safely. Refresher training is required when: (1) unsafe operation is observed, (2) an accident or near-miss has occurred, (3) an evaluation reveals unsafe operation, (4) you will operate a different truck, and (5) workplace conditions change that could affect safe operation.

An evaluation of each forklift operator must be conducted at least once every three years.

If you have previously trained in a required topic, the training is appropriate to the forklift and working conditions encountered, and you have been evaluated and found competent to operate the truck safely, that training does not have to be duplicated.

Your employer must certify that you have been trained and evaluated as required by the standard.

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

Make Fire Safety a High Priority

Because of the deadly danger of fire, it’s to your benefit to know what to do if a fire starts. You should be aware of certain procedures to protect yourself and others from injury during fires and other emergencies.

Your employer will conduct regular emergency drills so that you and your co-workers will know what to do and where to proceed during an emergency. You should be familiar with:
- How to report fires, hazardous chemical spills, and other emergencies.
- The route you are assigned to take during a building evacuation.
- Who to ask for more information.

Alarm Systems
Most companies use alarm systems to alert employees to evacuate an area or to take a specific action. You must be able to recognize these alarms. In areas where production noise could prevent an alarm from being heard, flashing lights are often installed as a second, visual alarm. These alarm systems can generally also operate from auxiliary power sources so that they can operate even when the power goes out.

Emergency Shutdown of Equipment
If time permits before evacuation, turn off any equipment you are operating, such as forklifts or conveyors.

Your employer may designate certain workers to shutdown critical facility systems, such as gas and electrical power, before evacuating the work area.

Evacuation
Your employer will develop emergency escape routes for the various locations in your facility. Floor plans or work-area maps clearly define emergency escape routes and are commonly used to convey this information.

Your employer will designate certain employees to take a head count of all workers after evacuation and to inform emergency responders of any missing personnel.

When a Fire Starts. . . .
When a fire starts, think only of your safety and the safety of others.
When a fire is out of control, you don’t know what is burning, or you have not been trained to use extinguishers, sound the fire alarm, then call for emergency help from a safe place.

Be aware of smoke and noxious fumes. These fumes enter the lungs and leave persons unconscious and at the mercy of the smoke and flames. They are already unconscious or dead before flames reach them.

Any fire in the workplace has the potential to cause serious personal or property damage. When chemicals are involved, the possibilities for destruction are greatly multiplied. Fire in the workplace is serious business.

Do your part to make your workplace fire-proof.

This information is provided by: Assurance Agency

Emergency Action Plans TBT

Overview
There is always the potential for emergencies to occur at your facility. To reduce your exposure to potential emergencies, your employer has developed an emergency action plan.

Emergency actions plans are developed to provide guidelines on what actions to take if an emergency should occur at your facility.

What is an emergency action plan?
In 29 CFR 1910.38(c), OSHA lists the minimum elements which should be included in an emergency action plan.
 
These elements include:

1. Evacuation procedures and exit route assignments. Your employer will also point out the location of internal shelter areas, and exterior safe areas for evacuation.

2. Procedures to be followed by employees who remain to operate critical plant operations before they evacuate. Some critical plant operations include gas, electrical, power, and water. Chemical manufacturing processes could also be included.

3. Headcount procedures to account for you and your coworkers after emergency evacuation has been completed.

4. Rescue and medical duties for those employees who are to perform them.

5. Procedures for reporting fires and other emergencies.

6. Names or regular job titles of persons or departments who can be contacted for further information or an explanation of duties under the plan.

Additional information
Your employer will also explain:
- How to report fires, hazardous chemical spills, and other emergencies.
- Procedures for sounding emergency alarms on-site.
- Who to notify in the event of an emergency.
- What phones to use and numbers to call.
- Location and use of emergency fire alarms.
- Critical plant operations and those responsible for their operation/shut down.
- Accounting for all employees after emergency evacuation.
- Personnel designated to perform rescue and medical duties.
- Alarm system.
- Recognition of different alarms, such as audio and visual.
- Who is to be contacted for more information on the emergency action plan.
- Where a written copy of the plan can be obtained.

This information is provided by: Assurance Agency

Floor / Wall Openings

In the construction industry falls are the leading cause of worker fatalities. When working around floor and wall openings, you must be careful that you don’t fall through. You can be injured or killed if you step into a hole or opening, or are hit by objects falling through.

Definitions
• Guardrail system means a barrier erected to prevent employees from falling to lower levels.
• Hole is a gap or void 2 inches or more in its least dimension, in a floor, roof, or other walking/working surface.
• Opening is a gap or void 30 inches or more high and 18 inches or more wide, in a wall or partition, through which employees can fall to a lower level.

What you need to know
If you are working on a surface or floor that has holes or openings and that surface is more than six feet above a lower level, you must be protected from:
• Falling through holes (including skylights) by personal fall arrest systems, covers, or guardrail systems erected around the holes;
• Tripping in or stepping into or through holes by covers; and
• Objects falling through holes by covers.

Covers and safety How can you tell a cover from a sheet of plywood laying on the floor?
• Covers must be secured when installed to prevent accidental displacement by the wind, equipment, or employees. If the cover material is secured to the floor it may be there for a reason so don’t remove it.
• All covers must be color-coded or marked with the word “HOLE” or “COVER” to provide warning of the hazard. This should be a good indication that the material is a cover.

What if you are going to work in an opening that has a cover secured over it?
• Never remove a cover until you are ready to work in the hole or opening.
• Use personal fall arrest systems when working in the hole or opening.
• After you are finished working in the opening your employer must either replace and secure the cover or erect guardrails around the hole.

What if you are moving or disposing of material through a wall opening to a lower level? If you are working on, at, above, or near wall openings (including those with chutes attached) you must use a guardrail system, a safety net system, or a personal fall arrest system, when:
• the outside bottom edge of the wall opening is six-feet or more above lower levels; and
• the inside bottom edge of the wall opening is less than 39 inches above the walking/working surface.
• OSHA recognizes that accidents involving falls are generally complex events frequently involving a variety of factors. By following the requirements in this handout, you can avoid falling through floor and wall openings.

This information is provided by: Assurance Agency

Ergonomics Tool Box Talks

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

Hazards of Electricity - Tool Box Talks

Electricity is necessary to get work done at construction sites. However, with its benefits come deadly hazards you should be aware of and guard against when working with electrically-powered equipment or wiring. Primary hazards are shock and possible electrocution, burns, arc-blasts, explosions, and fires. Electricity travels in closed circuits; its normal route is through a conductor and load. You can get a shock when some part of your body becomes part of the circuit. An electric current enters your body at one point and exits at another.

Shock normally occurs when you touch:
• both wires of an electric circuit, or
• one wire of an energized circuit and ground, or
• a metallic part that is “hot” because it is contacting an energized wire and you are in contact with the ground.

The severity of the shock depends on three factors:
• how much current flows through your body (measured in amperes),
• what path the electric current takes through your body, and
• how long your body is part of the electric circuit.

The effects of an electric shock on your body can range from: a faint tingle at 1 milliamp, to cardiac arrest, severe burns, and probable death, at 10,000 milliamps.

A severe shock can also cause considerably more damage to your body than is visible. You can suffer internal bleeding and destruction of tissues, muscles, nerves, and internal organs. In addition, shock is often only the beginning in a chain of events. The final injury may be from a fall, cuts, burns, or broken bones. The most common shock-related injury is a burn. Burns suffered in electrical accidents are of three types: electrical burns, arc burns, and thermal contact burns.

Electrical burns — are the result of current flowing through tissue or bone, generating heat, and causing injury. They are serious injuries and should be given immediate attention.

Arc or flash burns — are the result of high temperatures near the body. They are produced by an electric arc or explosion.

Thermal contact burns — are those experienced when the skin contacts hot surfaces of overheated electric conductors, conduits, or other energized equipment. Additionally, clothing may be ignited in an electrical accident and a thermal burn will result.

Other injuries — of an indirect or secondary nature, caused by involuntary muscle reaction from the shock, can result in bruises, bone fractures, and even death resulting from collisions or falls.

Fire, explosion, and flying metal — hazards are created from resulting arcs when a short circuit occurs. If high current is involved, arcs can cause injury or start a fire. Extremely high-energy arcs can damage equipment, causing fragmented metal to fly in all directions. Even low-energy arcs can cause violent explosions in atmospheres that contain flammable gases, vapors, or combustible dusts.

Construction workers can’t do their job without electricity. However, constant activity at a construction site makes it a particularly hazardous environment. Extension cords, temporary wiring panels, water hoses, materials laying around, and constant use of electric tools, make it extremely important that you are careful around electricity. Your life may depend on it.

This information is provided by: Assurance Agency

Disaster Recovery Tool Box Talks

After a disaster, employees may be injured, buildings may be damaged, records and equipment may be lost, and normal business operations are interrupted or stopped altogether.
Successful disaster recovery requires good planning. The company takes a close look at how possible disaster situations could affect operations and prepares a disaster recovery plan with the goal of safely resuming normal operations as quickly as possible.

The company will probably need to hire outside contractors to help with recovery efforts, but it may be necessary for a team of employees to reenter the facility during recovery operations.

This team may be involved in:
• Escorting incident investigators (fire department, police, insurance agents, OSHA compliance officers, etc.).
• Salvaging records, files, personal property, etc.
• Directing the activities of contractors.

Recovery hazards
The recovery team needs to be aware of the unique hazards that may be present in a facility that has been damaged in a disaster.

Fire and explosion hazards - The facility's smoke detector, fire alarm, and fire suppression systems may be inoperable.

Flooding - Workers should be aware of the risks for disease or poisoning from contact with contaminated flood waters.

Chemical hazards - Recovery workers need to be observant for chemical spills. Only specially trained personnel can be authorized to clean up hazardous chemical spills.

Electrical hazards - Recovery workers must inspect all electric appliances carefully before use. Damaged equipment must be removed from use for repair or replacement.

Natural or LP-gas supplies - Recovery workers who discover any gas leaks should immediately evacuate the facility, warn others to evacuate, leave doors open, and call for emergency assistance.

Using portable generators and temporary heaters - Recovery workers must follow all manufacturer's operating instructions for using this equipment.

Employee training
Because your employer may need to change safety plans so they address the hazards during recovery operations, recovery workers may need additional training in topics such as:
• Emergency action plan.
• Fire prevention plan.
• First aid procedures and exposure control plan.
• Hazard communication.
• HAZWOPER (emergency response plan).
• Personal protective equipment hazard assessment.
• Process safety management program.
• Respiratory protection program.
• Risk management plan.

This information is provided by: Assurance Agency