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

High Pressure Lines

4/18/2011 High pressure lines, whether compressed air hoses, hydraulic lines or water spray operations for daily decontamination, need to be properly managed as they represent an array of hazards to the operator as well as persons within the immediate area. As hydraulic systems become more complex, and pressures and temperatures rise, the potential for an operator or bystander to be exposed to leaks and bursts increases. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports Read more…

By Robert Brounstein, ago

Arc Flash – It’s Dangers and Precautions

4/11/2011 Prior to 1982, it was assumed that electric shock was the major risk associated with live electrical work. However, it was during this year that Dr. Ralph Lee first identified arc flash, in a paper titled “The Other Electrical Hazard: Electric Arc Blast Burns.” According to this paper, as many as 80% of electrical injuries result from arc flash rather than from shock. An arc flash is an electrical breakdown (A large, abrupt rise Read more…

By Robert Brounstein, ago

Ladder Safety

3/21/2011 So there I was, there I was…in the Congo! No, no, actually I was at the Albuquerque Airport waiting for a plane. I was watching two maintenance workers performing patch work on a wall between a Baskin-Robins and a bookstore (When is “The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest” coming out in paperback?!). Because the work required access to elevated locations, a seven-foot fold-out step ladder was used.  I noticed that the spreaders were Read more…

By Robert Brounstein, ago

Our Circadian Rhythm

3/14/2011 With the exception of the state of Arizona, clocks throughout the United States were reset this past Sunday, moving forward one hour. This means waking up at 6:00 am will be like waking up at 5:00 am.  The mornings will be darker, while we will see our evenings having light for an additional hour.  The light that we experienced while driving to work in the morning will be gone.  This will require an adjustment.  Read more…

By Robert Brounstein, ago

Smoke Alarms

3/7/2011 A properly installed and maintained smoke alarm is the only thing in your home that can alert you and your family to a fire 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Whether you’re awake or asleep, a working smoke alarm is constantly on alert, scanning the air for fire and smoke.  According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), between 2003-2006, more than 66 percent of home fire deaths occurred in homes without Read more…

By Robert Brounstein, ago

The Skin

2/28/2011 Our skin is a lot more complicated than many of us might expect.  After all, it can range in thickness from less than 0.1 millimeters to greater than a centimeter, depending on the specific area (as well as your chosen occupation) while consisting of multiple layers: each layer designed to perform very specific functions.  And while it has an average area of 2 square meters (if one were to peel his/her skin off and Read more…

By Robert Brounstein, ago

Dental Hygiene

2/21/2011 Proper dental hygiene is good for more than just a glowing smile. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Problems in your mouth can signal problems elsewhere in your body. Bacteria in your mouth can cause problems elsewhere in your body. The mouth can be used a diagnostic tool.The CDC reports that “mouth lesions and other oral conditions may be the first sign of HIV infection and are used to determine Read more…

By Robert Brounstein, ago

Cold Stress Conditions

2/7/2011 Bbbbbrrrrrr! “But baby it’s COLD outside!” Is that ever an understatement! That line from the famous Christmas song (performed by such greats as Ray Charles, Dean Martin, Elle Fitzgerald and Bart’s sister, Jessica Simpson) was never as true as this past week.  It was COLD – dangerously cold. Temperatures plunged into the negative digits throughout the country. Yes, places like Idaho and Chicago were paralyzed by the extreme temperatures. However people in New Mexico Read more…

By Robert Brounstein, ago

Radon

1/31/2011 It was not that long ago: 1986, when a construction engineer at the Limerick Nuclear Power Generating Station in Pottstown, Pa. visited the plant’s radiation-detection section.  When he stepped into the radiation counting machines, his radiation levels were so high that the monitors hit overload and could not properly function.  A survey showed that every part of his body was contaminated by radiation. This was shocking, especially as he didn’t work directly with radiation. Read more…

By Robert Brounstein, ago

OSHA Violations

1/24/2011 When the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 became law, employers were mandated to provide a safe and healthful workplace for their employees. At the same time OSHA had the role to assure these conditions were being met by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance. Many of us are not aware of the various violations and classifications that an employer may be cited when they do not provide their Read more…

By Robert Brounstein, ago