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On March 5th, a Tuesday, the western span of the Bay Bridge in San Francisco Bay was transformed into a 1.8 mile long art installation while continuing to serve as a major traffic artery for the area. The project involves over 25,000 LED lights attached to the vertical suspender cables of the bridge and coordinated into computer-driven imagery. The artist, New York-based and Yale-educated Leo Villareal, creates works of art that bridge the gap (pun marginally intended) between art and t …

Harnesses are made to protect you in the event of a fall. But they're not made to protect from multiple falls over time. That won't stop workers from suiting up for work today wearing their "lucky harness" that saved them last June.The problem is, that lucky harness isn't going to be so kind the next time something happens. According to Miller (now under the umbrella of safety giant Honeywell), harnesses have about a 5 year life expectancy from their first date of use even if they never experi …

Some of the more dangerous particles to breath into your lungs are mold spores and asbestos particles. If you are working in areas with either of these factors, as a professional or a do-it-yourselfer, be sure your personal protective equipment (PPE) is up to the task you are setting for it. One of our most popular respirators is the Moldex 9000 Series Full Mask Respirator. The 9000 series masks offer full-face protection which is especially important when particles can also affect the mucous me …

Chris Coyle from Capital Safety recently spent some time with us talking about what is involved in the inspection of self-retracting devices (SRDs) under the new ANSI Z359.14 standards. According to these new standards a competent person, as defined by OSHA regulations, will be required to inspect SRLs yearly, bi-annually, or quarterly depending upon the frequency and duration of use. If you have questions about inspecting any of your fall protection devices or more specifica …

Self-retracting lifelines have created a new level of fall protection for at height workers since they were first introduced. Fast-activating braking systems have lowered both fall distances and fall forces. As the use of SRLs (more broadly referred to as self-retracting devices or SRDs) has increased across a wide range of industries, the American National Standards Institute ( ANSI) has taken a close look at the use and maintenance of these life saving devices. Their findings have resulte …

The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) doesn't make the laws, but it does influence the standards adopted by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) which is tasked with enforcing safety and health legislation. ANSI fall safety standards such as the ANSI Z359 Fall Protection Code are developed by a consensus of experts in government, private industry, and related organizations. But they're not the law, so why do so many people follow their directives? ANSI Z35 …

If you are tasked with buying your company's gas monitors, and you need a whole lot of them, give us a call. Because we are one of the largest distributors of gas monitors in America, we can provide a great price for your bulk buy. Selling gas detectors is a big part of what we do here at PK Safety Supply. We have factory-trained experts on staff and 40 years of experience in selling and maintaining these devices. And we can get you an even better deal than our regular prices when yo …

Some jobs sites just don't have any convenient anchorage points. That's why the Miller BackBiter Tie-Back Lanyard is a great piece of equipment. This 6 ft. lanyard with a SofStop Shock-absorber allows you to wrap the lanyard around a structural element and hook it back to itself for reliable and safe fall protection. It's the anchor hook that makes it possible. If you are using this product you probably already know you can't use a regular lanyard in this fashion. The BackBiter lanya …

Apparently the 11th time is the charm if you're a Bakersfield machine-tool rep with a vision to create a cowboy hard hat. That's how many times it took inventor Bret Atkins to develop a design that would meet ANSI standards and win the all-important approval of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Tired of getting grease or dirt on his snow white Stetson each time he entered a hard hat-required site for work, Atkins began working in his garage on a fiberglass hard hat m …

We’ve touched on airborne lead exposure from indoor gun ranges in the past. Get The Lead Out – Shooters at Indoor Ranges Need Respirators.  OSHA is apparently now on the lookout for increased lead exposure for shooters and employees at indoor ranges (I’m pretty sure it had nothing to do with our post) and recently fined a range in Illinois $111,000 for airborne lead exposure limits up to 12 times the safe level. Another company in Florida was sited for not properly protecting employee …