Safety Tips

Safe + Sound Week is intended to recognize the successes of workplace health and safety programs and offer information and ideas on how to keep workers safe.

“Wildfire smoke contains a mixture of harmful chemicals and particles,” the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries says. “This smoke can make anyone sick, even healthy individuals.”

Workers who are at risk of exposure include poultry and livestock farmers and workers, as well as slaughterhouse workers.

Night shift workers typically get one to four fewer hours of sleep a day than day shift workers, the American College of Chest Physicians says.

Pregnancy increases the risk of heatstroke or heat exhaustion on the job because the body must work harder to cool itself, according to OSHA. Pregnant workers are also more likely to become dehydrated, “a primary contributor to heat-related illness.”

Eleven miners were injured as a result of an arc flash over a recent six-month period, according to a safety alert from the Mine Safety and Health Administration.

A 61-year-old loader operator was killed while attempting to repair a hydraulic line on a front-end loader used to move logs. The company had a written lockout/tagout program, but the program did not contain specific procedures for the front-end loader maintenance.

How often have you found yourself driving behind a large truck or bus? It’s a pretty common occurrence. What many drivers forget, though, is that truck and bus drivers have blind spots all around their large vehicles.

NSC has suggestions for staying engaged at work.

Hazard reporting is a critical part of any safety program and should be done as soon as a hazard is identified.