Hot Work Safety Recommendations
August 18th, 2010Hot Work includes operations such as electric arc and gas welding, brazing, torch cutting, grinding (large portable grinders on metal), and torch soldering with an open flame. These operations create heat, sparks, and/or hot slag that have the potential to ignite flammable and combustible materials in the work area.
So, “Hot Work” refers to any task that involves burning, welding, or a similar operation capable of initiating fires or explosions, such as cutting, brazing, grinding, and soldering.
The United States Chemical Safety Board (CSB) has identified over 60 fatalities since 1990 due to explosion and fires from hot work activities on tanks.
To find out why these types of accidents occur, the CSB studied 11 incidents, all of which involved hot work on tanks. Although the incidents were unique, all resulted from a flammable vapour coming in contact with an ignition source created by welding or cutting that was performed in, on, or …
The Day After OHSAP
July 15th, 2010I received an IoSM letter titled “Registration for Occupational Safety Professionals: Why and How?” promoting OHSAP and written by the chairman of the Occupational Safety Professional Council (OSPC).
Reading through the letter, it made me think of the time the Israelites wanted a king, and despite the prophet’s best efforts to …
The OHSAP Mysteries
June 23rd, 2010If you are an occupational safety practitioner then you should be concerned about OHSAP because in the new Construction Regulations there might be a definition that can be used to regulate a whole profession.
Not only Safety practitioners in the Construction industry, but every-one and the people at OHSAP stands …
When to write a procedure
November 23rd, 2009I’m sure that most of us have at some stage in our career had the opportunity to smile about the ability of our organization to churn out procedures that no-one will probably ever use.
If you agree with the above statement then you will also agree that at the heart of …
Health and Safety training has to be engaging
October 13th, 2009When health and safety training is not engaging, it is not effective. Training facilitators should base their methods on a simple principle: If you can not make training interesting, it would not be heard, the lessons would not stick, and you would waste time and resources.
There is always more that …
How To Get Health & Safety Inductions Right
September 15th, 2009New employees are at greater risk than seasoned employees, because they lack familiarity with the workplace, processes, chemicals, hazards, and safety practices. To prevent loss, your safety orientation or induction programme has to be efficient, memorable, and packed with relevant information.
Too often, organisational induction training is considered a necessary evil. …
5 Keys to Preventing Hand Injuries
August 13th, 2009Hand injuries can be especially traumatic. It strips away one’s ability to work and also the ability to perform activities of daily living.
The two primary types of workplace hand injuries are traumatic events and overuse or repetitive-motion injuries.
Amputations and other serious injuries typically occur because of a lack of experience …
An Emergency Action Plan’s 10 Key Elements
July 14th, 2009We all know that having an Emergency Action Plan (EAP) is an important part of emergency preparedness. It is even more important that the plan is one that will work when it is required.
Below you will find the 10 key-points you should consider when developing or when reviewing an Emergency …
10 Issues Health & Safety Induction Must Cover
June 10th, 2009Successful Health and Safety induction programs are designed to cover all the bases. All the Safety and Health basics new workers and visitors need to know are included, and the management system ensures that every-one goes through induction - from the CEO to the new worker.
Every organisation’s Safety induction programs …
Better Safety Talks
April 8th, 2009In order to get the most from a Safety meeting, you need to think about five key issues - content, method, location, reinforcement and then follow-up.
The best way is to think of each issue as a step in the process of producing successful Safety meetings.
SHEQ Job Application Cover Letter
November 19th, 2008There is nothing as valuable as a good start.
I found this job application cover letter recently and have amended it a little. You can use it as a template when you need to make that first impression that must count. Use it when you apply for your next SHEQ job. …
