12/2/2019 Having an amble supply of potable water is always necessary – but especially important when working in the field. This is mandated through the OSHA regulation, 29 CFR 1910.141, “Sanitation.” Potable water is defined as “….water that meets the standards for drinking purposes of the State or local authority Read more…
March 16, 2020 It was at a very busy work area at a specific Department of Energy (DOE) site when a bin truck, while backing up, accidentally ran over a loose cable that was attached to its front. As the truck kept moving backward, the cable got tighter to the Read more…
December 31, 2018 Since becoming a S&H professional, I have always wondered how accidents develop. While we may read about unfortunate events in the newspaper or hear about them on the radio, often the specifics are not explained. Was someone not paying attention or was there a disregard of a Read more…
Not that long ago, my iPhone flashed a news headline about the importance of aging well. Aging well is a topic that so many Americans seem to be having an increasingly growing interest; probably because so many baby-boomers are reaching that stage where going to see the Rolling Stones or Read more…
October 12, 2020 According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary, Mindset is a mental attitude or inclination. And with the wrong mindset – especially when we are working in the field – we can lose our focus on the task we are performing. Indeed, the wrong mindset is an accident precursor. Read more…
September 14, 2020 Typically, our field crews have the luxury of performing tasks without having to work alongside another work crew that has been tasked to perform work that is unrelated to our assignments. However, there are circumstances when we find ourselves, unexpectedly, having other persons “invade” our work areas, Read more…
August 17, 2020 Thinking that mental health problems are, in some way, not as real as physical ones is not uncommon. This year, millions of Internet users have asked Google if mental illness is real, and the Internet abounds with public awareness campaigns from the government and non-profit organizations answering Read more…
June 29, 2020 Working at Department of Energy and Department of Defense projects as well as wastewater treatment facilities, our commitment to employee safety requires that persons in the field follow our various work procedures verbatim. This word, verbatim, comes from the Latin, and means, “exactly as written.” So, when Read more…
June 22, 2020 As we look anxiously to begin our return-to-work process, many of us have been scheduled for a physical exam. For those scheduled to work on projects involving hazardous materials for remediation, emergency response or handling such materials for recycling or transportation/disposal, the examining physician (or other licensed Read more…