In this edition, we'll be covering the following topics:
- Fall Protection Leads OSHA's 'Top 10' List of Most Frequently Cited Violations.
- Upgraded Operator Training Materials.
- Incident Report: Company and Supervisor Fined $53,000 After Worker Suffers Permanent Injury from a Forklift Incident.
- Ask Bob: Our tech guru addresses a question on storing aerial lifts.
- Parlez-Vous Francais?
- Worker Burned When Electrical Line Comes in Contact with Boomlift.
- Last chance to register!
- What's Wrong With This? Photo and answer.
- A selection of interesting articles.
- New testimonials from our wonderful clients.
But first, check out all the places we delivered training this month...
Fall Protection Leads OSHA's 'Top 10' List of Most Frequently Cited Violations.
Indianapolis – The preliminary list of OSHA’s Top 10 violations for Fiscal Year 2017 remained largely unchanged from FY 2016, except for one new addition: Fall Protection – Training Requirements (1926.503) entered the list at No. 9 with 1,523 violations, just ahead of Electrical – Wiring Methods (1,405 violations). The entire list was revealed during the 2017 National Safety Council’s Congress & Expo.
The top five remained identical to the FY 2016 list, with Fall Protection – General Requirements at No. 1 by a wide margin with 6,072 violations. In a distant second was Hazard Communication with 4,176.
Patrick Kapust, deputy director of OSHA’s Directorate of Enforcement Programs, and Kevin Druley, associate editor for Safety+Health, presented the preliminary data for FY 2017, which ended Sept. 30.
“One thing I’ve said before in the past on this is, this list doesn’t change too much from year to year. These things are readily fixable,” Kapust said during the presentation. “I encourage folks to use this list and look at your own workplace.”
The full list:
- Fall Protection – General Requirements (1926.501): 6,072 violations
- Hazard Communication (1910.1200): 4,176
- Scaffolding (1926.451): 3,288
- Respiratory Protection (1910.134): 3,097
- Lockout/Tagout (1910.147): 2,877
- Ladders (1926.1053): 2,241
- Powered Industrial Trucks (1910.178): 2,162
- Machine Guarding (1910.212): 1,933
- Fall Protection – Training Requirements: 1,523
- Electrical – Wiring Methods (1910.305): 1,405
“The OSHA Top 10 is more than just a list, it is a blueprint for keeping workers safe,” NSC President and CEO Deborah A.P. Hersman said in a Sept. 26 press release. “When we all work together to address hazards, we can do the best job possible to ensure employees go home safely each day.”
Source: www.safetyandhealthmagazine.com
Upgraded Operator Training Materials
We are pleased to announce that we have upgraded the following operator training materials to serve you better!
- Counterbalanced Forklift Operator Reference Manual - French Language Version
- Counterbalanced Forklift Operator Reference Manual - Spanish Language Version
**NOTE: The content of these operator reference manuals has been upgraded to match the content of the English language version.
- Counterbalanced Forklift Operator Theory Test - French Language Version
- Counterbalanced Forklift Operator Theory Test - Spanish Language Version
**NOTE: Both of these tests now match the current 20-question English language version. The answer keys to both are available for free download on the IVES Member Dashboard in the Downloadable Materials & Updates section.
- Narrow Aisle Forklift Operator Reference Manual - English Language Version
- Narrow Aisle Forklift Operator Reference Manual - French Language Version
- Narrow Aisle Forklift Operator Reference Manual - Spanish Language Version
**NOTE: An updated pre-use inspection checklist has been added to each version of the above operator reference manuals and revised wording on directional control and plugging has been added at page 50 of the English version and page 51 of the French and Spanish versions.
Skid Steer Loader Operator Reference Manual - English Language Version
**NOTE: A typographical error in the paragraph on page 51 was corrected from “…to properly check out your forklift;” to read “…to properly check out your machine;"
Company and Supervisor Fined $53,000 After Worker Suffers Permanent Injury from a Forklift Incident.
The temporary worker suffered a crushing injury in the collision, resulting in a permanent injury.
TORONTO, ON - An employer and a supervisor pleaded guilty and were fined a total of $53,000 after a temporary worker was permanently injured on a forklift.
The incident took place on April 28, 2016, at Regency Plastics Company Limited located at 358 Flint Road in Toronto. The company manufactures industrial polyethylene packaging.
A temporary worker and a permanent worker had been assigned a task on the other side of the establishment. In order to get there, the permanent worker operated a lifting device known as a "Yale" forklift, which only had one seat for the operator. The permanent worker was able to start the forklift because the key to the forklift had been left in the ignition.
The temporary worker proceeded to stand on the forks of the forklift, in front of and facing the permanent worker/operator, whose field of view was obstructed by the temporary worker. The forklift collided with a structural steel column located in the central area of the establishment.
The temporary worker suffered a crushing injury in the collision, resulting in a permanent injury.
During their employment at Regency Plastics, neither worker had received forklift training, nor were they certified or authorized to operate any forklifts.
Under the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA), an employer has the duty to ensure that the measures and procedures prescribed by Ontario labour regulations are carried out at a workplace.
In addition, a supervisor must ensure that a worker works in the manner and with the protective devices, measures and procedures prescribed by the applicable regulations.
Ontario Regulation 851 - the Industrial Establishments Regulation - requires that a lifting device be operated only by a "competent person." The co-worker was not a "competent person" as defined by the OHSA. The definition under the act means a person who (a) is qualified because of knowledge, training and experience to organize the work and its performance; (b) is familiar with the OHSA and the regulations that apply to the work, and (c) has knowledge of any potential or actual danger to health or safety in the workplace.
Both the company and a supervisor, Joe Latchminarine, pleaded guilty in Toronto court on September 28, 2017. Justice of the Peace Jane Hawtin imposed a fine of $50,000 on Regency Plastics and a fine of $3,000 on the supervisor.
The court also imposed a 25-per-cent victim fine surcharge as required by the Provincial Offences Act. The surcharge is credited to a special provincial government fund to assist victims of crime.
Source: www.news.ontario.ca
Ask Bob
Q. My question is more of a safety question concerning aerial lifts. Our maintenance department has about seven aerial lifts of different sizes. They store their equipment in a warehouse and always leave the platform extended in the air. Is there a safety issue with leaving the platforms in the air? My concern is losing hydraulic fluid and maybe causing the platform to come down suddenly. Could this happen?
A. There is precious little in the regulations concerning this matter, and even the applicable ANSI standard (A92.5) says to lower the platform or block it up only if repairs/adjustments are being made.
Usually, the manufacturer's operator manual says not to leave the platform up when parking... usually.
As far as we (IVES) are concerned, you should always lower the platform when not in use, because there is always the chance that the hydraulic pressure could be released and bring it down, which could cause injury or death.
Parlez-Vous Francais?
If you are fluent in both Quebecoise French and English, perhaps you would consider assisting us with our French language operator training materials. We need authentic francophone people who are experienced with the IVES Training System to help us translate and/or proof new and existing operator training materials such as operator reference manuals, theory tests, evaluation forms, record sheets and a host of equipment training-related documents. If you think you might be interested in helping us and are agreeable with terms of confidentiality and compensation to be determined, please contact us at parlezvousfrancais@ivestraining.com today. Merci beaucoup!
Source: www.ivestraining.com
Worker Burned When Electrical Line Comes in Contact with Boomlift.
SARASOTA, Fla. (WFLA) – The Sarasota County Fire Department is on scene of where a worker was burned when an electrical line came in contact with a vehicle on Tuesday.
The incident happened at Lorraine Road and Fruitville Road.
A 23-year-old man was working on a boomlift when somehow, the live power line came in contact with the vehicle and started a fire while the man was on board.
A spotter on the ground called 911, but was not injured.
The man was flown as a trauma alert to Blake Medical Center.
It is unclear what the man was doing and who he was working for. It is also unclear how the live power line came down.
A Florida Power & Light spokesman said the victim did not work for them.
FP&L is working with law enforcement and the company was brought in to turn off power to the area.
About 3,000 customers were initially affected by the accident. Now 350 remain without power
Source: www.wfla.com
What's Wrong With This? Photo
Can you tell what's going wrong in this photo?
Have a photo you'd like to share? Send it to us!
Answer to Last Month's WWWT? Photo
With this particular photo, five things stand out as no-nos:
- Elevating personnel without an approved work platform.
- Working at height without a fall protection system.
- Not using required personal protective equipment (PPE). In particular, bare hands on the fork blades with no gloves.
- Forklift operator not wearing a seatbelt.
- Unsafe equipment: Judging by the general appearance of the forklift and condition of its tires (it’s a piece of junk!).
Have a photo you'd like to share? Send it to us!
Interesting Articles
Man dies in a forklift accident at an Amazon...more.
Toyota marks 50 years in USA...more.
Construction worker dies after being ejected from an aerial boomlift...more.
VIDEO: Australian guy very casually helps a 7-foot python wriggle out of a scissor lift...more.
Maple Leaf Foods fined $110,000 after worker falls with a scissor lift...more.
Skid steer accident claims Alberta construction worker, 38...more.
Five tips for using earthmovers to lift and place heavy loads...more.
Safety Notice - Mandatory Action Required: Genie SX-150 and SX-180 models...more.
5 reasons you should consider safety training for your employees...more.
Worker killed when excavator falls into ravine...more.
Client Testimonials
"I found this training session to be highly informative and very effective. I would strongly recommend it." Adam, Canadian Forest Products Ltd.
"Overall it was an amazing program. I love the training aids as well." Gloria, Wonderful Citrus.
"This was the first training course that I was kept interested from beginning to end." Michael, Chouinard Bros.
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