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

Working Around Heavy Equipment

10/19/2020 Working around heavy equipment has its challenges. Indeed, ensuring these pieces of yellow iron are properly maintained and that the work environment is adequate for their proper operation is essential. Poor maintenance and inadequate space for these pieces of equipment to maneuver can result in significant contact with other equipment or materials as well as causing personal injury.  Any one of these scenarios can stop a project on a moment’s notice.  Such delays can Read more…

By Robert Brounstein, ago

Yielding the Right-of-Way

10/5/2020 Visit any city or town in the US and chances are you will find road construction.  Lanes shut down, intersections crowded with vehicles, jammed to a standstill. People tend to get a little frustrated and, in many cases, decide to take matters into their own hands and break a few traffic regulations. We have all seen cars run stop signs and red lights (maybe we might be guilty of such infractions) as well as Read more…

By Robert Brounstein, ago

What is a First Aid Case

9/28/2020 The mantra in the world of S&H is “ALL ACCIDENTS ARE PREVENTABLE.” And after so many years in this profession, I can say that this statement does hold considerable merit; yet there are examples where experts in the field of accident investigation have had to admit, that there are few – that is, very few – exceptions.  Probably the most notable occurred in recent times; this is the incident of Flight 1549; the US Read more…

By Robert Brounstein, ago

Cut-Resistant Gloves

9/21/2020 The hand consists of 27 bones (including the 8 bones of the wrist). When the other associated structures (nerves, arteries, veins, muscles, tendons, ligaments, joint cartilage, and fingernails) are considered, there is a considerable potential for any number of injuries occurring to the hand when subject to physical trauma. Hand injuries can be divided into six general categories: lacerations (cuts), fractures and dislocations, soft tissue injuries and amputations, infections, burns, and high pressure injuries Read more…

By Robert Brounstein, ago

Working at Multi-Contractor Worksites

9/14/2020 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, setting up equipment and materials and ready to perform their field work.    Such situations can lead to many complications as well as being susceptible to unknown Read more…

By Robert Brounstein, ago

Protecting Our Hands

9/8/2020 It was on a Friday. It was cold and dark…..no, no, no, this is not a mystery novel! But it was on a Friday; and in the morning.  One of our employees was working in the field, performing a specific test to analyze for high explosives.  The reason for this activity was that in the past, our designated work area was used for explosive testing. And now TPMC was tasked to characterize the soils. Read more…

By Robert Brounstein, ago

Housekeeping

8/31/2020 It seems that the subject of housekeeping is one that is frequently brought up at tailgate meetings; yet the details are seldom discussed. It is one of those topics that every project will have an issue with. True, for some projects, housekeeping can be a more obvious concern than others. But all workplaces can always use a little tidying up.  Besides being a visual eyesore: one which may also be perceived as a general Read more…

By Robert Brounstein, ago

Ants!

8/24/2020 When we write up our S&H documents for field work, the subject of wildlife is typically discussed. Many times, we think of animal encounters such as bears. We typically specify that avoidance is the best practice to control contact with these creatures. And that may mean having an awareness of your surroundings and to not approach an animal – whether a bear, deer, skunk (of course!) and quite possibly retreat into a vehicle or Read more…

By Robert Brounstein, ago

Personal Stress and Workplace Accidents

8/17/2020 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 with a resounding “Yes!”  Anxiety disorders are real, serious medical conditions — just as real and serious as physical disorders such as heart disease or diabetes. Some Read more…

By Robert Brounstein, ago

Human Performance Tools – Part II

8/3/2020 I would like to begin with a technique used in many industries. That is, the self-checking process known as STAR: STOP – THINK – ACT – REVIEW. Self-checking is particularly effective during skill-based tasks that could be performed without much conscious thought. This technique helps boosts attention at important points in an activity before an important action is performed. If attention is not focused, error is likely. Once attention is focused, the individual then Read more…

By Robert Brounstein, ago