Safety Tidbit 4.33 - Hair in Machinery

Safety Tidbit 4.33 – Hair in Machinery

References:

OSHA 3170 - Safeguarding Equipment and Protecting Workers from Amputations

Michaud, J. (2011). The History of the American Beard. The New Yorker, July 28, 2011

I’m sure many of you have observed workers with long beards working around moving equipment. A client recently asked me if there was an OSHA regulation about the length of beards while working around machinery. Beards have been in and out of fashion for as long as men have been able to trim their whiskers. Not one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence wore a beard (Michaud, 2011).  In the 1960s and 1970s beards grew in popularity which persists to today.

As I reviewed OSHA’s regulations and interpretations, I could not find any reference to protective measures for hair being caught in a machine. OSHA’s Machine Guarding standard, 1910.212, states: “One or more methods of machine guarding shall be provided to protect the operator and other employees in the machine area from hazards such as those created by point of operation, ingoing nip points, rotating parts, flying chips, and sparks.”

Depending on the hazard in your workplace, the employer needs to evaluate each instance. The most drastic control would be to require the man to shave as a condition of employment. For example, if sparks are a concern, then shaving off the beard may seem to be the best alternative. However, control of the sparks might better serve everyone as the fire hazard no longer exists and therefore, cannot burn down the facility.

Unfortunately, OSHA does not have a ready answer and relies on the employer to evaluate their work environment and protect each of their workers using best practices.  Ultimately, every person with long hair, working around machinery, knows they need to keep their hair tied up while working, but how does a man with a long beard “tie up” his beard is another question. It will depend on the beard and the operation.

Hope this was helpful and thank you for reading my Safety Tidbits! Comments and questions are always welcome. ~ Bryan

P.S. If you have a new safety or health question, please let me know.

Safety Tidbit 4.32 - Railway Safety

Safety Tidbit 4.32 – Railway Safety

This week’s Safety Tidbit was written by one of my students, Devin Jeffries – a junior in the Safety Sciences Program at Indiana University of PA.

In August of 2018 at Station Square in downtown Pittsburgh, a Norfolk Southern train derailed leaving seven rail cars destroyed and various freight products lost. The scary accident reminded people of the danger of rail travel and raised safety concerns. These concerns could heighten even more as rail companies are considering stacking crates and transporting more hazardous materials by train in the future.

These concerns will be counteracted by the rail companies, as statistics show a steady decline in railway derailments. Regulators tend to give flexibility to the major rail companies to operate their lines, as they currently perform their track inspections and schedule the dispatching of their trains. Companies would say that it is impossible for regulators to check all the logs, and regulations to standardize the industry would result in higher cost on wholesale prices. A safety professional would argue that these concerns counteracted by the rail companies are not enough to change public interests of putting lives on the line and damage to property if a derailment were to occur.

Derailments often occur due to track defects and human error, and because there is so much traffic on the rails, it is hard to find down time to identify flaws and repair tracks. In Allegheny County, 18 trains have derailed since 2015, causing $1 million in damage. As companies are starting to ship more oil and petroleum, accidents could be far more dangerous.

Currently, advanced technologies such as ultrasound and software platforms search irregularities in the miles of train lines. Also, rail companies use efficiency software (using factors such as trip length, population surrounding track quality, and other hazards) to map the best path for a train based on their cargo. Lastly, rail companies use newer models of tank cars because of the rise in hauling oil and other hazardous materials.

Track defects are the most significant factor to cause derailments in the industry. The use of the advanced track testing technology will help to identify these irregularities. However, employers need to extensively train employees to recognize defects and have the ability to report and fix them. Companies should also consider slowing the trains down to lower the risks of error and put more peace into the minds of people. Companies could consider investing more in inspecting the trains themselves for any deficiencies. Correcting these errors could lower the risk for a train to derail because it is in better condition. Taking time to do this before every train leaves the station is vital to ensuring it has the safest travel. 

Trains are vital to transporting large amounts of materials, but they are very dangerous and have the potential to hurt whole neighborhoods and damage vast amounts of property. Putting safety first will ensure the railway company’s cargo gets to where it needs to go.

Hope this was helpful and thank you for reading my Safety Tidbits! Comments and questions are always welcome. ~ Bryan

P.S. If you have a new safety or health question, please let me know.

Safety Tidbit 4.31 - Fire Safety-Notre Dame

Safety Tidbit 4.31 – Fire Safety-Notre Dame

Reference: OSHA Construction Standards – 29CFR1926

This week’s Safety Tidbit was written by one of my students, Alec Londino – a junior in the Safety Sciences Program at Indiana University of PA.

In recent news, the Notre Dame Cathedral located in Paris France caught fire in the attic of the structure. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation. However, what’s not under investigation is that the safety planners failed to create a fire response plan that was adequate. According to the report, it took a security guard 6 minutes to climb up the stairs to the origin of the fire in the attic. By the time firefighters were notified, the fire had already been going for over 30 minutes.  Fire experts determined that they underestimated how quickly the old oak planks of the cathedral would burn. 

Along with the planks, the fire alarms located within the facility did not immediately alert authorities of the fire. Instead the security guard had to check the alarm before notifying authorities even though the cathedral was covered with multiple fire alarms and heat sensors. Ultimately, the training for the security guards seemed to be inadequate since France requires notification of a fire prior to dispatching emergency services. This is to prevent resource use from false alarms. It’s for these reasons that today’s safety tidbit focuses on fire safety and prevention during construction.

Although EU-OSHA standards differ from ours it’s important to note some of the standards that could have prevented such an event from happening in the United States or at the very least contained it:

 29 CFR 1926.150(e)(1)

An alarm system, e.g., telephone system, siren, etc., shall be established by the employer whereby employees on the site and the local fire department can be alerted for an emergency.

·       Seeing as a fire suppression system would have drowned the building, it’s imperative that their emergency action plan contains direct contact to the local fire department instead of relying on a security guard to alert authorities.

 29 CFR 1926.150(f)(1)

Fire walls and exit stairways, required for the completed buildings, shall be given construction priority. Fire doors, with automatic closing devices, shall be hung on openings as soon as practicable.

·       In this unique instance, fire walls were not installed in the attic. The main reason for this was a risk of mutilating the structure. Instead of providing a safer protection measure, the roof/attic was a total loss.

 29 CFR 1926.150(b)(1)

A temporary or permanent water supply, of sufficient volume, duration, and pressure, required to properly operate the firefighting equipment shall be made available as soon as combustible materials accumulate.

·       When firefighters arrived on scene, hoses could not reach the attic because of the height of the structure. A stand pipe system located near the top of the structure could have supplied the water necessary to fight the blaze without drowning the entire structure. This is increasingly important in this situation because large amounts of oak planks were used to construct the attic/roof.

It’s often easy to look back and point out flaws in the design of fire response plan after the fact. That is why it’s imperative to focus on creating an adequate fire response program. Ultimately, “Fire Feeds On Careless Deeds…”

Hope this was helpful and thank you for reading my Safety Tidbits! Comments and questions are always welcome. ~ Bryan

P.S. If you have a new safety or health question, please let me know.

Safety Tidbit 4.30 - Cryptosporidium

Safety Tidbit 4.30 – Cryptosporidium

Reference: CDC General Information Page

Crypto has become one of the most common causes of waterborne disease (recreational water and drinking water) in humans in the United States. The parasite is found in every region of the United States and throughout the world.  Cryptosporidiosis is a diarrheal disease caused by microscopic parasites, Cryptosporidium, that can live in the intestine of humans and animals and is passed in the stool of an infected person or animal. You can become infected after accidentally swallowing the parasite. Cryptosporidium may be found in soil, food, water, or surfaces that have been contaminated with the feces from infected humans or animals.  To make matters worse, the parasite is protected by an outer shell that allows it to survive outside the body for long periods of time. The outer shell also makes it very resistant to chlorine-based disinfectants.

Crypto can be spread:

• By putting something in your mouth or accidentally swallowing something that has come into contact with stool of a person or animal infected with Crypto.
• By swallowing recreational water contaminated with Crypto. Recreational water is water in swimming pools, hot tubs, Jacuzzis, fountains, lakes, rivers, springs, ponds, or streams. Recreational water can be contaminated with sewage or feces from humans or animals.
• By swallowing water or beverages contaminated with stool from infected humans or animals.
• By eating uncooked food contaminated with Crypto. Thoroughly wash with uncontaminated water all vegetables and fruits you plan to eat raw. See below for information on making water safe.
• By touching your mouth with contaminated hands. Hands can become contaminated through a variety of activities, such as touching surfaces (e.g., toys, bathroom fixtures, changing tables, diaper pails) that have been contaminated by stool from an infected person, changing diapers, caring for an infected person, changing diapers, caring for an infected person.

Symptoms of cryptosporidiosis generally begin 2 to 10 days (average 7 days) after becoming infected with the parasite. The most common symptom of cryptosporidiosis is watery diarrhea, stomach cramps, dehydration. The symptoms generally last 1-2 weeks. If you suspect you may have crypto see your physician immediately.

Hope this was helpful and thank you for reading my Safety Tidbits! Comments and questions are always welcome. ~ Bryan

P.S. If you have a new safety or health question, please let me know.

Safety Tidbit 4.29 - Calculating Outside Air

Safety Tidbit 4.29 – Calculating Outside Air

Reference: TSI Application Note: TSI-138

As I introduced in the previous Safety Tidbit, carbon dioxide concentration is common indicator of indoor ventilation.  We can measure the carbon dioxide easily enough (I like the TSI Model 7575). Since each of us is a CO₂ generator, how do we determine if there is enough outside air brought in to dilute the build-up of CO₂?

Percent outdoor air (%OA) is the percent of the total volume of delivered air that is outdoor air. There are a few ways to determine %OA such as using sulfur hexafluoride tracer gas or, similarly, measuring the concentration of CO₂. However, I think taking three measurements of CO₂ and calculating the %OA is the easiest (temperature can be use in place of CO₂). The three locations to take the measurements include outdoor air, supply air, and return air.

To calculate the %OA follow:

Where:

Xr = CO₂ concentration in the return air

            Xs = CO₂ concentration in the supply air

            Xo = CO₂ concentration in the outside air

Now all you need to do is take the three measurements. A few common pitfalls to taking readings include:

·      Supply air is mixing with room air

·      Return air is not mixed well

·      Outdoor air measurement is tainted

·      Not enough occupants to generate high enough CO₂ levels

Remember if you have a room where several people will be working for extended periods of time think of their health and measure the carbon dioxide levels during the height of the workday to ensure the HVAC system is performing adequately. Otherwise, your folks could be nodding off on the job.

Hope this was helpful and thank you for reading my Safety Tidbits! Comments and questions are always welcome. ~ Bryan

P.S. If you have a new safety or health question, please let me know.

Safety Tidbit 4.28 - General Indoor Air Quality

Safety Tidbit 4.28 – General Indoor Air Quality

Reference: ASHRAE 62.1-2016

The quest for acceptable indoor air quality (IAQ) is significant, especially with the design of “air tight” and energy efficient buildings.  Usually this term is applied to non-manufacturing spaces where it is not expected that significant release of toxic contaminants occurs.  Carbon dioxide has become used consistently as an "indicator" of air quality since it will tend to "build up" in spaces that are not provided with sufficient amounts of outside, dilution air.  ASHRAE has recommended that carbon dioxide levels not exceed 1000 ppm above the ambient levels, i.e., those of outside, "fresh" air.

ASHRAE also recommends other guidelines as measures of indoor air quality, among them are volumetric flow rates or outside air per occupant, relative humidity levels, air temperature ranges and maximum air velocities across occupants.  ASHRAE recommends 20 cubic feet per minute of outside air per person in most indoor spaces. They recommend relative humidity should range between 30% and 60%. Winter temperatures should be kept between 68-76 degrees Fahrenheit and 72.5-80 degrees during the summer.

ASHRAE contends that compliance with their guidelines will assure that at least 80 percent of the occupants will be "satisfied" with the air quality.

Hope this was helpful and thank you for reading my Safety Tidbits! Comments and questions are always welcome. ~ Bryan

P.S. If you have a new safety or health question, please let me know.

Safety Tidbit 4.27 - Surge Protector vs GFCI

Safety Tidbit 4.27 – Surge Protector vs GFCI

A GFCI works based on current (i.e. the number of electrons), it detects if the amount of current being sent down one wire doesn't match the amount coming back down the other. An imbalance indicates that electricity is probably going somewhere it shouldn't.

A surge protector works based on voltage. If the voltage on a wire gets a lot higher than it's supposed to be then the surge protector will work to prevent that voltage spike from affecting your stuff.

A "ground" is simply a place that a lot of electricity can go. Generally, things that are connected to ground are things that are not supposed to be energized, and the ground works to keep them from being energized if something bad happens. So, for example, if a wire in your stove breaks and touches the metal body, the fact that the metal body is grounded means that electricity will go to the ground instead of trying to go through you the next time you touch it.

In the case of a faulty wire touching the metal body of a toaster, what happens if:

·       You only have a GFCI, no ground, no surge protector.

In this case, I would guess that at the time the wire touches the metal body, nothing happens, but as soon as a human touches the toaster, the electricity will want to go through the human. But, because it won't be going back into the system, the GFCI will cut off power?

·       You only have a surge protector, no ground, no GFCI.

In this case, I guess nothing protects you? The current goes through you, but there's no actual voltage difference, so the surge protector doesn't care? How does the surge protector 'know' to only care about voltage, and not about current? Or: is it that current going through a human won't be too much current overall?

·       You only have a ground, no GFCI, no surge protector.

So here, as soon as the wire touches, the ground gives it a path to follow, so that causes a short circuit and we blow the fuse/trip the circuit breaker as soon as the wire hits?

Hope this was helpful and thank you for reading my Safety Tidbits! Comments and questions are always welcome. ~ Bryan

P.S. If you have a new safety or health question, please let me know.