Occupational, Industrial, and Safety Shares for your company or organization

Hot Work

9/24/2018 Hot work: this term encompasses activities that involve burning, welding, or using fire or spark-producing tools.  Such tasks include welding, torch cutting, brazing, soldering and grinding. And persons performing these activities are exposed to risks of fires from ignition of flammable or combustible materials within the work space as well as flammable gas leaks, burns from physical contact with hot surfaces and eye injuries from visual exposure to UV light.  When hot work is Read more…

By Robert Brounstein, ago

OSHA and the NFL

9/17/2018 During the recent confirmation hearings for Judge Kavanaugh, I listened to a line of questioning concerning an incident in 2010 when the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) fined Seaworld in San Diego after a trainer was killed by a captive killer whale.  This was the first time OSHA ever pursued fines of a major entertainment organization. While the purpose of the questioning focused on Mr. Kavanaugh’s interpretation which led to the subsequent legal Read more…

By Robert Brounstein, ago

Inattention to Detail

9/4/2018 Safety and Health (S&H) professionals are obsessed with accident precursors. That’s because the S&H community is in the business of accident prevention. Of course, if an unwanted event does occur, the next step is to minimize the potential damage.   For instance, preventative measures for an accidental fire would be to keep open flames away from flammables or to ensure flammables and combustibles are located at least 35 feet from welding operations. On the other Read more…

By Robert Brounstein, ago

The USS Forrestal

8/13/2018 A few weeks ago, the nation was celebrating the memory of Senator John McCain.  Many stories were told about his life of service; however, one grabbed my attention. It was the tragic event that occurred when John McCain was on the USS Forrestal: an aircraft carrier that suffered a perilous fire during the Vietnam era.  As a S&H professional, such stories always intrigue me as I examine the who’s, what’s, where’s, when’s and how’s Read more…

By Robert Brounstein, ago

Excavation Safety

8/27/2018 It is indeed unfortunate, but the fact is, even today, with modern technology (especially in the United States), accidents involving excavations still occur. And it seems that at least once a year, a tragic story makes the major news networks that describes an event where a person or persons are killed when the walls of an excavation collapse.  The main cause of fatalities due to an excavation collapse is suffocation. Other times a person Read more…

By Robert Brounstein, ago

Burns

8/6/2018 According to the American Burn Association, there are approximately 486,000 burn related injuries requiring medical treatment each year. Of these burn related injuries, 8% occur in the workplace. This equates to roughly 38,880 workers. And based on investigations these work cases were attributed to inadequate training/awareness, a lack of guarding/personal protective equipment, or persons not using situation awareness, thereby not focusing on the task at hand: All precursors that if properly controlled cold have Read more…

By Robert Brounstein, ago

A Case Study in Chemical Safety

7/30/2018 When I was a student (many years ago) and working on an assignment in a chemistry laboratory with another student, an incident occurred that could have resulted in a very serious injury. In one of the fume hoods a large glass bottle was used to collect spent acids.   The bottle – or glass jar – if memory serves me well – was one of those 5-gallon containers that is used for dispensing drinking water. Read more…

By Robert Brounstein, ago

Situation Awareness

7/16/2018 Any person who has studied accidents – workplace or otherwise – investigating the basic cause of an unwanted event would inevitably find at the foundation, was a lack of understanding or cognizant awareness of the surroundings involving the incident.  Take, for example, the recent rescue of the boys’ “Wild Boars” soccer team in Thailand: an event that everyone was happy to see a successful outcome. While the coach had explored the caves in this Read more…

By Robert Brounstein, ago

Suicide

6/25/2018 The recent suicides of Anthony Bourdain and Kate Spade caught the nation by surprise. Here were two people sitting on top of the world, attaining a level of success and accomplishment that so many of us could only envy.   We were stymied while asking the question, “Why.”  Yes, their deaths stunned us; not just because their lives looked to be so fulfilled and glamorous, but their sudden passing brought a new awareness for a Read more…

By Robert Brounstein, ago

Summer First Aid Supplies

6/18/2018 With summer weather so many of us are ready for taking advantage of hiking and having picnics in the outdoors.  National Parks and other hiking trails are populated with both experienced and inexperienced hikers and campers. And, while these are great activities during our leisure – whether that’s the weekend or vacation days, many of us that perform work in the field are also traversing the wild. And while first aid kits are mandatory Read more…

By Robert Brounstein, ago