Blog

While roof work in many parts of the country is slowing down or confined to winter repair projects, in California there are still roofing projects in full swing. Because I work for a safety company I can't help but look to see what safety equipment (if any) they're using when the work is happening in my neighborhood. So far, even since the OSHA rule changes earlier this year, only about half of the crews I see working are wearing the mandated fall protection. This is probably due to …

With so many hazards and so many types of coverall protection, it's difficult to know what's right for they type of work you do. Here are our suggestions for protective clothing for the most common workplace hazards. I'm a big believer in the old grease monkey coveralls. I wear them when I'm working on my car or doing other non-toxic jobs. But once you move from sweeping up dust or changing the oil in your car to work with the types of particles and liquid materials you know you're bett …

Confined space entry is tricky business. There is a ton of required equipment, training, testing, and entry protocol. With so much to know, we've found it handy to offer several different complete confined space entry kits. However the fundamental starting point for all confined space entry is a solid overhead attachment point. In many instances, since there is no existing overhead attachment point, collapsible aluminum tripods are often used to create one. Because we offer several tripo …

Gas monitors are sophisticated instruments, but changing sensors is easy. By taking your time and following these simple instructions for replacing sensors, your BW Honeywell monitor will be back in the field in no time. Remember, new sensors require a few hours to burn in - especially the O2 sensor - so don't turn the monitor on right away. Once you restart the monitor, you may receive a "sensor fail" message. Check through your work to make sure you installed the new sensors all the w …

Calibration is very important for a gas monitor. It reestablishes a base line accuracy for the sensors, both electro-chemical and LEL catalytic bead. In order to perform as they were designed, gas monitors need to periodically be readjusted in the same way a guitar string needs tuning. Calibration of your gas monitors isn't difficult or time consuming (unless you have several hundred monitors, in which case it can be very tedious) and it's essential for accurate measurements over time. …

There is an old joke among climbers that industry standards for harnesses require them to be as uncomfortable as possible. That certainly may have been the case a few years back. Fall safety standards had companies scrambling to produce harnesses that would shield workers from fall forces, but rarely did they take movement and comfort into account. Today the same companies that have been combining technology with absolutely outstanding ergonomic research to yield harness designs that are ligh …

For serious woodworkers looking to upgrade their personal protective equipment and make safety a bit more comfortable, there are several quality options. Typically woodworkers are dealing with dust, loud noises, and occasionally vapors from paints and solvents. Basic protection generally means three separate types of protection - a dust mask, goggles or protective eyewear, and ear muffs or earplugs. But there are some good options for full-face protection that not only provide a wide …

Part of maintaining company compliance with ANSI Z359.14 fall safety standards involves regular inspection of self-retracting lifelines (SRLs). While it's good practice for workers to inspect their fall safety equipment every day before heading up to work, more exhaustive scrutiny needs to be completed by a competent person during regularly scheduled times during the year to maintain compliance. Part of the requirement to be compliant with this voluntary general industry standard is …

As construction projects take shape there is often no place overhead to attach fall protection equipment. This means foot level connections need to be made, and the fall protection has to be rated for the extra forces that can be generated from a fall. Enter the Nano-Lok Edge self-retracting lifeline from DBI-SALA. The Edge series of Nano-Lok SRLs have 8 ft. galvanized steel lifelines. Steel is used for lifelines in leading edge work because there are often unfinished, sharp edges th …

A city worker recently wrote to find out which respirator would filter out the strong smells at the landfills best. He writes, "I work for sanitation in NYC. Sometimes I have to bring the garbage to landfills and dump it out the back of my truck. I am stepping in waste - horrible smelling - especially in the summer when the sun hits it. Rotten eggs, food, diapers, blood, cleaning chemicals, and sometimes dead animal bodies. What should I use that would mask out these smells? Should I consi …