A Nail Gun is a common tool used by contractors and carpenters everyday at construction sites, especially in residential construction and every year, tens of thousands of painful injuries occur related to nail guns. The Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA, Dr. David Michaels said that nail gun injuries are responsible for approximately 37,000 emergency room visits annually.
In an effort to prevent nail gun injuries, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has developed a handbook for employers and self-employed contractors titled, “Nail Gun Safety – A Guide for Construction Contractors”.
Improving Nail Gun Safety in the Workplace
OSHA and NIOSH have developed six steps that employers can take to improve nail gun safety and prevent workers from injury or death.
- Use nail guns with a full sequential trigger – this type of trigger will reduce the risk of unintentional nail discharge and double fire, which includes bumping into co-workers.
- Provide adequate training – everyone benefits from training. Employers should provide hands on training, including operation, loading the nail gun, air compressor operation, awkward positions and what-to-do when the nail gun malfunctions.
- Establish work procedures – creating a step-by-step procedure for handling, operating and storing of nail guns will make the workplace safe and reduce employee injuries.
- Provide Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) – workers should be provided and required to wear steel toe boots, a hard hat, high impact safety glasses with ANSI Z87.1 protection, and earplugs or earmuffs while operating a nail gun.
- Encourage employees to discuss the importance of nail gun safety – employees should be active in making sure fellow employees are following proper nail gun operating procedures.
- Provide adequate first aid supplies and immediate medical treatment immediately following nail gun injuries.
Nail Gun Don’ts
- Never bypass or disable nail gun safety features, including removing the spring from the safety-contact tip, or securing the trigger so it does not need to be pressed.
- Never keep your finger on the trigger when holding or carrying a nail gun that is not in use.
- Never lower the nail gun from above or drag it by the air hose.
- Never operate a nail gun with your non-dominate hand.
Click Here to download OSHA’s “Nail Gun Safety – A Guide for Construction Contractors” handbook.
A recent discussion in the Orlando Sentinel with workplace expert, Isabel Perry emphasizes the importance of workplace safety programs. Aside from the legal and social responsibility requirements, there is a cost effective aspect that, once realized, make work place safety mandatory. Fewer accidents result in lower insurance cost and increased productivity.
With respect to costs, if a workplace injury results in a $2,000 cost for a company that maintains a 10 percent profit margin, the company needs to increase revenues by $20,000 to pay for that accident.
Perry maintains that the most effective improvements for workplace safety include nonslip flooring and matts and safety harnesses for elevated work environments. She also contends that there is a $3 savings for every $1 spent on safety – an investment well worth it.
A recent article in Australia’s Safe to Work newsletter offers some advice on creating a safer, injury free work place. The writer contends that no matter what the size of an organization, occupational health and safety risks can't be ignored as an integral part of business management. The biggest risk is to do nothing at all.
The following tips are offered to help create a safer, injury free work place.
1. Understand responsibilities – make someone in charge for understanding practical and legal safety requirements. Have a clear and simple safety policy.
2. Consult workers – any decision that involves worker safety should draw upon the experiences of those affected.
3. Identify, assess and control risk – have a system in place in identify hazards so that appropriate measures can be taken to minimize and eliminate the risk.
4. Inform, train and supervise – suitable training and employee involvement it essential in achieving safety success.
5. Manage incidents and injuries – even with the best of precautions, accidents will happen. Effective management will minimize loss and disruptions.
The full text of this article can be found here. For all your workplace safety needs, please visit our web catalog at www.envirosafetyproducts.com
A man claiming to be an OSHA inspector has been harassing businesses in the Phoenix, AZ area. The impostor threatens business owners with citations and fines, then offers to forget about the violations for a check or cash payment. To avoid being taken advantage of, business owners should know exactly what to expect during an OSHA inspection.
- Identification - Before beginning an inspection, compliance officers will identify themselves as OSHA representatives, and present credentials which include both a photograph and a serial number.
- Opening Conference - The inspector will provide specific details as to why a company has been selected, the scope of the inspection, walk-through procedures, authorized representatives, and employee interviews.
- Walk Around - After the opening conference, the facility inspection begins. A representative from the business will accompany the compliance officer on walk through portions of the facility covered by the the inspection, looking for hazards. Inspectors are required to document all violations, including those that are fixed on the spot.
- Closing Conference - After the walk around, the inspector will hold a closing conference with the employer and employee representatives. At this time, the compliance officer will discuss the results of the inspection, and offer possible courses of action. OSHA inspectors should NEVER ask for payment or hand you an invoice. Any citations, fines or penalties resulting from the inspection will be mailed to you within 6 months of inspection date.
Since the creation of OSHA in 1970, workplace safety has dramatically improved and the number of fatalities and injuries has decreased over the years. Here are some statistics you should know.
- According to the National Safety Council and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the workplace fatality rate has decreased by 78% since 1970.
- According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 11 injuries per 100 full-time workers in 1973; by 2001 the rate was 5.7 per 100 workers, a decrease of 48%.
- Since 1970, the fatality rate in manufacturing has decreased by 66% and the injury rate has decreased 53%, as opposed to manufacturing plants that don’t implicate OSHA standards.
- Similarly, the fatality rate at construction sites has decreased by 82% and the injury rate by 64%.
- In 2009, 71,700 fewer construction related injuries were reported, a 22% decline from 2008.
- Between 2006-2009, the injury rate among full-time workers decreased from 4.2% to 3.5 % per 100 workers.
- In 2009 a total of 4,551 fatal work injuries were reported, a 26% decline from 1992 where 6,217 fatal injuries were reported.
- The number of fatalities related to non-highway work decreased from 436 reports in 1992 to only 261 in 2009, a 40% decrease.
- 37 States reported a decline in workplace fatalities from 2008-2009.
- The number of work related fatalities in Hispanic or Latino workers have declined 22% from 923 incidents in 2005 down to 713 incidents in 2009.
OSHA fined Integrated Laminate Systems a total of $49,000 after a February inspection found 14 violations including one related to employees being exposed to methylene chloride at the company’s production facility located in Cinnaminson, N.J.
“Methylene chloride exposure can have very serious health effects, such as cancer and cardiac distress,” said Paula Dixon-Roderick, director of OSHA’s area office in N.J. “It is vital that the company takes immediate action to insure that employees have a safe and healthful work environment.”
The amount of methylene chloride employees were being exposed to were 1.02 to 1.28 times the permissible exposure level of 25 parts per million. The company could have avoided the fine if it would have identified and evaluated the respirator hazard in the workplace and conducted air monitoring for employees, establish a respiratory protection program, required employees to wear the appropriate chemical coveralls and hand protection along with a supplied air respirator when working with chemicals, provide eyewash stations and showers and provide medical surveillance to employees working around methylene chloride.
Other violations the company received included employees being exposed to a crushing hazard while traveling on a work platform attached to a powered industrial truck, Class I flammables dispensed into containers that were not electrically interconnected to the nozzle and the use of flexible cords and cables as a substitute for fixed wiring.
Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing a safe and healthy workplace for their employees.
Do the myths about workplace safety have you worried about your company? Are you looking to improve your workplace health and safety standards? OSHA offers a free on-site consultation service that is available to small/medium-sized business and companies with high-hazard work environments. OSHA will help employers identify workplace hazards, offer advise on how to comply with OSHA standards and regulations and aid in developing a safety and health management system. Don’t worry, the consultation is NOT related to enforcement and companies will not be penalized or cited. 
In addition to recognizing and improving workplace hazards and protecting workers from injury and illness, OSHA will train employees how to take responsibility for their own safety and their coworkers’ safety. OSHA will also train facility managers and improve their understanding of workplace hazards and how to comply with federal and state safety and health requirements.
Experts believe that a company with a well-managed safety and health system will result in better managing and help improve overall employee morale. In addition, OSHA believes that an exemplary workplace safety and health management system makes financial sense since the cost of preventing an accident is far cheaper than the costs that accompany an accident.
Visit OSHA’s How to Get Started page for more information on improving your workplace today.
As many of you know, the new rules for residential fall protection are now in effect. This new directive states that people working in residential construction must use conventional fall protection and can no longer use other methods such as slide guards instead when working at heights of over six feet.
OSHA is aware that implementing these changes may be difficult for some contractors. Last week OSHA announced a three month phase-in period for this directive to give contractors time to comply to these standards. Sites found violating this directive between June 16, 2011 and September 15, 2011 will NOT be fined if they are in compliance with the old directive. They will be issued a hazard letter with recommendation of how to comply to the directive.
As this is one of the biggest changes OSHA has made in recent years, it makes sense to go over a few of the details in this new directive.
- Residential Construction is defined as a structure that will be a home or dwelling and is being constructed with predominantly wood frame materials and methods.
- Your fall protection plan must be site-specific and in writing.
- Acceptable fall protection options include guardrails, safety nets, a personal fall arrest system, or a personal fall restraint system.
- Other fall protection methods may be used as long as they are allowed under OSHA standards. (i.e. using warning lines on low-sloped roofs.)
- OSHA presumes that conventional fall protection on a site is feasible. Contractors must pre-plan and consider how to implement conventional fall protection whenever possible.
- This directive applies to states with federal-run and state-run OSHA programs.
This is a lot to deal with, but there is help! For small and medium-sized businesses, OSHA’s On-Site Consultation Program provides free and confidential advice. Now is the time act and avoid fines and more importantly injuries.
OSHA’s Residential Fall Protection Page: http://www.osha.gov/doc/residential_fall_protection.html
On-Site Consultation Program: http://www.osha.gov/dcsp/smallbusiness/consult.html
According to a new study from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, falls are the number one cause of work-related deaths in the construction industry. Approximately 40 workers a year die as the result of falls from residential roofs. This has prompted OSHA to revise it’s Fall Protection Requirements [CFR 1926.501(b)(13)] to include the residential construction industry. Under the new guidelines, all residential construction employees working at a height of 6 or more feet above ground level must have a conventional fall protection system such as a personal fall arrest system. If a traditional fall protection system is not feasible, employers must have a specific fall protection plan for each job site.
Construction companies have until June 16, 2011 to comply with the new regulations. Don’t panic – we’ve got you covered with our Fall Protection Kits, which come with everything you need to be compliant! Check out our complete line of Fall Protection Products today!
This post is meant to give a brief overview of these requirements. To learn specifics and more in-depth requirements, visit NFPA website. As of January 1, 2009, the NFPA 1901 Standard for Automotive Fire Apparatus requires that all Fire Apparatus Vehicles must have Public Safety Vests that meet ANSI/ISEA 207. To learn more about ANSI/ISEA 207 approved Safety Vests click here. NFPA 1901 includes additional safety standards that are required for Automotive Fire Apparatus’ to be equipped with in order to maximize firefighter capabilities and minimize risk of injuries.
NFPA Standards for Fire Apparatus applies to contracts signed on or after January 1, 2009. In addition to ANSI/ISEA 207 Public Safety Vests, NFPA 1901 safety standards include, but are not limited to, the following:
Public Safety Vests:
- One vest for each seating position
- Five-point breakaway feature – two at the shoulders, two at the sides, and one at the front (NFPA)
Vehicle Data Recorder:
- Capture data once per second in 48 hour loop
- Minute by minute summary stored for 100 engine hours
- Software to download information (NFPA)
Vehicle Stability:
- Requires one of the following:
- Remain stable to 26.5 degrees in both directions on tilt table
- Calculated center of gravity no higher than 80% of vehicle height
- Have a vehicle stability system (NFPA)
Additional Equipment:
- One traffic vest for each seating position
- 5 fluorescent orange traffic cones
- 5 illuminate warning devices
- 1 automatic external defibrillator (AED)
- Step ladder or multipurpose ladder (must meet ANSI A14.2 or ANSI A14.5) (NFPA)
Diesel Particulate Filter – if provided:
- Regeneration process must be activiated by two methods:
- Automatically by the engine system
- Manually when initiated by activiation of a switch
- Switch required that will inhibit DPF regeneration
- Icon to indicate that the DPF requires active regeneration (NFPA)
Low Voltage Electrical
- 45 amps on minimum continuous electrical load
- Ground lighting and surface lighting
- Driving/crew compartment interior lighting
- Compartment lighting at floor with no shelves, dividers, or equipment (NFPA)
Seat Belts:
- Type 1 – Lap Belt 60 inches
- Type 2 – Pelvic and upper torso 110 inches (NFPA)
Retroreflective Striping:
- At least 50% retroreflective strippping in a chevron pattern sloping downward at a 45° angle
- Each strip 6 in. in width (NFPA)
Aerial Devices:
- Minimum rated capacity constant throughout entire operating envelope
- Interlock required to prevent operating into an unstable position
- An indicator to allow the operator to determine maximum extenstion (NFPA)
Foam Systems:
- Required to be tested and certified by final installer at 3 specific test points (NFPA)
Air Systems:
- Compressor required to have air quality monitoring (NFPA)
Trailers:
- Type I – remain connected to tow vehicle and are dependent on each other for required electrical power and conspicuity
- Type II – allow separation from tow vehicle after arrival and are not dependent on the tow vehicle for electrical power
- Type III – open trailers designed to transport other vehicles, equipment, or containers that will be used off the trailer. (NFPA)
