October - EHS Today

Setting the
Standards
for Safety
Equipment
N ews f rom the I nte rnational Safety E q uipment Association OCTOBER 2012
By Aubrey Collier, Bullard
and Cristine Fargo, ISEA
W
ith all the worksite perils, what can we do to protect our workers? One of the easiest ways to keep
workers safe is to make them visible. Low visibility
is one of the most serious dangers on a jobsite, with workers
sometimes standing less than 10 feet away from high-speed
traffic, and other workers operating heavy equipment.
Americans are so accustomed to road construction projects that we often fail to notice the signs or even see where
the workers are working. For most of us, those orange barrels and signs are part of our daily lives. How often do you
reduce your speed from 65 miles per hour (mph) to 45
mph, as directed by construction zone signs?
Three key strategies to keep workers safe on the job
include increasing public awareness, offering worker training, and providing the best personal protective equipment
(PPE) available.
The dangers of not being seen by another employee can
be deadly. Safety directors need to ensure that all workers
understand the hazards on the job, are trained on how to
protect themselves, and comply by using PPE at all times,
when it is required.
Many employers think they are providing their workers
with the best high-visibility products available, only to find
that under certain conditions, visibility is drastically reduced.
For instance, a safety vest that provides reflectivity only on the
back and torso does not help a worker who is being viewed
INSIDE: FIVE
THINGS TO
MAKE YOU
SMARTER ABOUT
PROTECTING
WORKERS
93
Trim PPE Expenses by Managing Cost-to-Wear
94
Get to know ISEA member Sellstrom Manufacturing
from the side. Likewise, fluorescent garments that make a
worker highly visible during the day but nearly invisible at
dusk, if not marked with the proper reflective striping, also
represent an insufficient visibility for the worker.
Visibility around the clock is more important than ever
before as more highway projects take place at night to avoid
disturbing traffic flow. Two industry standards have been
developed and codified into regulation to assist employers
in making the appropriate selection for their employers,
High-visibility protective garments are required for rightof-way workers, flaggers and adult crossing guards in a
document called the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control
Devices (MUTCD), which is the basis for federal and state
highway regulations. These garments must be compliant
with ANSI/ISEA 107, the American National Standard for
High Visibility Safety Apparel and Headwear.
Public safety workers such as law enforcement, firefighters and other emergency responders have the option of
wearing high-visibility vests specifically designed for their
use, and compliant with the ANSI/ISEA 207, American
National Standard for High-Visibility Public Safety Vests.
Apparel meeting these standards must provide 360-degree
visibility, day and night, to give workers a high level of conspicuity through the use of combined fluorescent and retroreflective materials.
Although road construction crews are the most obvious
group to benefit from the ANSI/ISEA 107 standard, many
others will also benefit. For example, loggers in sort yards
and landings, as well as emergency response person- a92
96
Learn from
ISEA Experts at 2012 NSC Expo
97
Bone Up on Latest Info to Keep Workers Safe 98
Gain Expert
Insights on
Confined Space Entry
PHOTO COURTESY BULLARD
How Can
We Protect
Our
‘Invisible’
Workers?
92 Protection update | OCTOBER 2012
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Aubrey Collier is the product
manager for industrial head
and face protection products
at Cynthiana, Ky.-based
Bullard. The ISEA member
company is a leading manufacturer of personal protective equipment and systems
including thermal imagers,
hard hats, firefighter and
rescue helmets, supplied-air
respirators, powered airpurifying respirators, and air
quality equipment. Reach her
at 877-BULLARD or aubrey_
[email protected]. Cristine
Fargo is ISEA’s director of
member and technical services, including the association’s safety equipment
standards program. Reach
her at 703-525-1695 or
[email protected].
News from the Inter national S afet y Eq uipment A ssociation
Protection Update
is intended for anyone who
specifies, purchases or uses
personal protective equipment,
and those who regulate it.
Protection Update is available via ISEA’s website, www.
safetyequipment.org.
1901 North Moore Street
Arlington, VA
22209-1762 USA
Telephone: (703) 525-1695
Fax: (703) 528-2148
Daniel K. Shipp, President
[email protected]
Joseph L. Walker, Editor
[email protected]
PROTECT OUR INVISIBLE WORKERS
from page 91
nel, face low-visibility hazards. To help
workers in a wide array of job applications,
the standard covers, but is not limited to,
high-visibility and reflective vests, jackets
and trousers. Headwear covered by the
standard includes, but is not limited to,
items such as ball caps and knit caps.
Three classifications of apparel are defined
in ANSI/ISEA 107-2010, as they relate to the
amount of visible background and retroreflective materials used in an apparel item’s
construction. In trying to determine the
appropriate class of high-visibility apparel
that may be suitable for a wearer’s use, an
employer may refer to the guidelines
offered by the standard as a starting point:
l Performance Class 1: For occupational
activities that permit full and undivided
attention to approaching traffic with vehicle
and moving equipment speeds not exceeding 25 mph.
l Performance Class 2: For occupational
activities where employees are performing
tasks which divert attention from approaching vehicle traffic with moving equipment
speeds exceeding 25 mph or work activities
taking place in a close proximity to traffic.
l Performance Class 3: For occupational
activities where workers are exposed to significantly higher vehicle speeds and/or
reduced sight-distances, and the wearer
must be conspicuous through the full range
of body motions at a minimum of 390
meters, and must be identified as a person.
Examples of occupational activities for
each classification include:
1 Parking attendants, shopping cart retrievers, warehouse workers with equipment
traffic, sidewalk maintenance workers, or
delivery vehicle drivers;
2 Railway workers, forestry workers, school
crossing guards, airport crews, law enforcement personnel directing traffic, roadway
workers, utility workers and accident site
investigators, and
3 Roadway construction personnel, utility
workers, survey crews, emergency response
personnel, and flagging crews
Head protection is not specifically covered by the ANSI/ISEA 107-2010 standard,
although hard hats are one of the most recognized and visible pieces of safety equip-
ment on the worksite. Hard hats are required
on almost every worksite, and there are
more than 12 million hard hats in use in
North America. With several high-visibility
options available, a hard hat can help.
One option for increasing the visibility of
your hard hat is using a high-visibility shell
color. Orange is a common high-visibility
color; however, with the need to have workers stand out from safety barrels and signs
that are typically orange, other colors are
recommended, such as green and yellow.
Hard hats that meet the optional performance
criteria for high-visibility (ANSI/ISEA Z89.12009) are marked “HV” by the manufacturer.
Workers need to carefully monitor highvisibility hard-hat color stability during prolonged daylight exposure. Caps should be
replaced as soon as fading is evident to
ensure uncompromised worker visibility and
safety. Ultraviolet rays degrade colorants,
so hard hats should not be stored in direct
sunlight when not in use.
On a hard hat, striping can serve as
decoration, or as a means of differentiating
workers. By using striping that is reflective
and/or fluorescent in color, hard hats can
provide enhanced worker visibility.
The same highly reflective striping that is
applied to clothing to meet the ANSI/ISEA
107-2010 standard also can be applied to
hard hats. To achieve improved retroreflectance, use striping with a high CPL
number. To achieve 360-degree reflectivity,
add striping all the way around the brim of
your hard hat. Many hard hat manufacturers will custom decorate caps by applying
striping as well as custom logos.
In order to protect workers on a jobsite,
worker safety must continue to remain on
the public’s conscience. The ANSI/ISEA
107-2010 standard is a good beginning,
but will only have impact on worker safety
if employers and employees comply with it.
Company safety directors must make sure
that workers understand workplace hazards
and are trained to avoid them while wearing
the correct PPE. Manufacturers offer several
options to help workers be more recognizable on the jobsite. Check with your safety
equipment provider for information on the
latest high-visibility products available.
When it comes to keeping workers safe,
high-visibility products do save lives. l
Protection
Managing Cost-to-Wear Can Trim PPE Expenses
By Bill Bennett
Ansell Protective Products, Inc.
How much does it cost?
These are familiar words as
companies drill down
through expenses in a continuing quest to improve the
bottom line. Whereas personal protective equipment
(PPE) once resided under
the general “cost-of-doing-business” umbrella, global competition has
incited companies to bring work gloves and other PPE to the forefront and
target them for cost-cutting.
Fortunately, new technology has brought many advances in PPE function,
safety and durability so products offer greater performance and longer service life. Yet, some companies still hesitate to purchase quality PPE, and
instead base product selection solely on the up-front price of each piece.
These companies may be able to reduce short-term costs, but miss the
opportunity to improve worker protection and enhance PPE performance
by managing cost-to-wear.
Examine the Total Picture
Most safety and plant managers will agree that companies typically get what
they pay for when it comes to PPE. While a lower-quality glove may cost less
initially, it will likely cost more in the long term if it must be replaced more
frequently or if injury rates rise.
Questions to ask to assess your particular situation include: How does the
company acquire its PPE and how are products used? Do products perform
as expected and how much does it cost to keep them in inventory? Do workers
have the right gloves for the task at hand and do the products successfully
reduce injury, which increases productivity and decreases medical costs?
Are workers wearing the gloves for their full service life?
Focus on Individual Costs
Once managers consider and quantify all PPE cost components, they can
begin to focus on specific opportunities to reduce individual costs while making operational improvements that impact productivity and the bottom line.
Many companies, for example, can lower PPE cost-to-wear by reducing their
stock-keeping units (SKUs). Eliminating redundant and/or duplicate products boosts supply-chain efficiency.
PPE standardization goes hand in hand with SKU reduction and ensures
that workers use the optimal product across similar jobs. Once safety personnel identify the best glove for an application, that same product should be
used for like applications throughout the plant and across multiple locations.
Reducing waste can significantly drive down operating costs. Employee
training on recognizing the signs that indicate the end of a product’s life
also can help control waste and reduce total costs.
Waste exists in various forms, such as prematurely discarded PPE or proda95
ucts disappearing from the production floor. Workers at one com-
update
| OCTOBER 2012
93
Look for High-visibility
Apparel from ISEA Members
Protection Update readers are encouraged to
specify products that conforms to the American
National Standard for High Visibility Safety
Apparel and Headwear, ANSI/ISEA 1072010; American National Standard for High
Visibility Public Safety Vests, ANSI/ISEA 2072011, and/or American National Standard
for Industrial Head Protection, ANSI/ISEA
Z89.1-2009, that is provided by the following ISEA member companies:
l 3M Company, www.mmm.com/occsafety
l 5.11 Tactical Series, www.511tactical.com
l ArcWear.com, www.arcwear.com
l Avery Dennison Corporation, www.reflectives.averydennison.com
l Blauer Manufacturing Co., Inc., www.
blauer.com
l Bullard, www.bullard.com
l Custom LeatherCraft Manufacturing Co., Inc.,
www.goclc.com
l Davey Textile Solutions (USA), Inc., www.
daveytextiles.com
l ERB Industries, Inc., www.e-erb.com
l Ergodyne, www.ergodyne.com
l Gateway Safety, Inc., www.gatewaysafety.com
l Honeywell Safety Products, www.honeywellsafety.com
l Kimberly-Clark Professional, www.kcprofessional.com
l Lakeland Industries, Inc., www.lakeland.com
l MCR Safety, www.mcrsafety.com
l Mine Safety Appliances Company, www.msasafety.com
l M.L. Kishigo Manufacturing Co., www.mlkishigo.com
l NASCO Industries, Inc., www.nascoinc.com
l OccuNomix International LLC, www.occunomix.com
l Pacific Safety Supply, Inc., www.pacsupply.com
l Radians Inc., www.radians.com
l Reflexite North America
www.reflexite.com
l Safe Reflections, Inc.
www.safereflections.com
l Sellstrom Manufacturing Co.
www.sellstrom.com
l Spiewak & Sons, Inc., www.spiewak.com
l Tingley Rubber Corporation, www.tingleyrubber.com
l Vizcon, LLC, www.viz-con.com
l White Knight Engineered Products, www.wkep.com
Links to other ISEA member companies
may be found at www.safetyequipment.org;
click on “Resources” and, from the dropdown menu, click on “Buyer’s Guide.”
94 Protection update | OCTOBER 2012
SPOTLIGHT ON...
??????
Sellstrom Manufacturing
Please give us some background.
Sellstrom Manufacturing Company is located
in Schaumburg, Ill. Sellstrom manufactures
a wide range of safety products including
goggles, protective glasses, welding helmets
and auto-darkening welding filters, hard hats,
face shields, hearing protection, welding
curtains and blankets, emergency eye wash
units, and fall-arrest equipment. Sellstrom’s
ISO 9001:2008 certification affirms a commitment to meeting the needs and requirements of its customers in the global
marketplace and has led Sellstrom to be
one of the foremost family-held personal
protective manufacturers in the nation.
What is Sellstrom’s history?
Established in 1923 as Excell Sales
Co. on North Clark Street in Chicago,
the principal product manufactured
“Spotlight on...” highlights
was a green “eyeshade” that reduced glare
an ISEA member company
both indoors and outdoors and was purthat is working hard to
ensure that workers are
chased by barbers, office workers and picprotected by world-class
nickers. Over the years, other products
safety equipment. Answers
followed and the company began to manuto questions about Sellstrom
facture a full line of sunglasses, motorcycle
Manufacturing Co. were
goggles and lenses for taillights, flashlights
provided by Amy Donahue,
and more. With the start of World War II,
marketing coordinator,
Sellstrom Manufacturing Co., Sellstrom’s total product line went toward the
2050 Hammond Drive,
war effort, including welding helmets, face
Schaumburg, Ill., 847-358shields and welding goggles. In 1996, Sell2000, amy.donahue@
strom completed the acquisition of RTC — a
sellstrom.com.
fall protection company located in Wilming-
ton, Del. The newly acquired operation,
Sellstrom/RTC and Sellstrom/RTC Custom
Solutions, was moved to Palatine, Ill. (where
Sellstrom had resided for over 50 years
until 2012), and still provides high-quality,
turnkey custom solutions for customers.
How would you describe Sellstrom’s
mission?
Sellstrom’s mission is to consistently provide
the highest-quality personal protective
products, excellent customer service and
competitive prices to our customers.
Sellstrom aims to accomplish this mission
through first building
a knowledgeable
and professional
team of employees
who understand the
importance of customer satisfaction.
Secondly, by practicing continuous
improvement of all
methods and procedures. And finally,
Sellstrom aims to act as a responsible corporate citizen in our community.
What are Sellstrom’s primary
markets?
Sellstrom’s primary markets
include construction, welding,
industrial, manufacturing, fire
and electrical.
If prospects want to check out
Sellstrom products, where
would they find them?
Online! Our websites and now social
media sites have all the latest Sellstrom
product information. Or, call and we can
get you the information you need.
Why should someone who needs safety equipment obtain it from your
company?
Sellstrom’s commitment to a superior product is what sets us apart. We manufacture
‘products that work’. Sellstrom products
don’t just look good, they function and perform to exceed our customers’ expectations.
Protection
update
| OCTOBER 2012
95
Order Complete Set of ANSI/ISEA Standards
at Deep Discount
What is the key feature that differentiates Sellstrom from others making
and selling safety equipment?
Sellstrom’s rigorous testing to keep our customers safe while maintaining our ISO
9001:2008 certification means every product we sell is the most superior item possible.
What are Sellstrom’s offerings that
provide unique performance characteristics not found elsewhere?
Sellstrom’s MalibuJack eyewear is superbly
stylish, yet functional eyewear that is wildly
popular among multiple industries and made
to the highest quality standards. Sellstrom/
RTC’s Confined Space Systems are chainfree to prevent tripping hazards. Sellstrom’s
OdysseyII Wildland fire goggle is the only
NFPA-certified fire goggle on the market.
Sellstrom’s ArcFlash faceshields provide the
best possible vision and protection for electrical workers, and feature a specially formulated anti-fog window that provides
excellent color definition.
What else would you like to tell
Protection Update readers about
Sellstrom Manufacturing?
Sellstrom looks forward to the future. We
will be celebrating our 90th anniversary
next year and are excited to showcase our
legacy products and new items we have
developed. Sellstrom will also be exhibiting
at National Safety Council Expo and at
FabTech with a new booth design. l
TRIM PPE EXPENSES
from page 93
pany, for example, used a tremendous
quantity of PPE and when managers investigated, they found a number of employees
were taking work gloves home for their own
use and distributing them to family members and friends. The company was able to
resolve the situation by allowing each
worker to take two pairs of gloves home.
Instituting control mechanisms also can
reduce PPE usage and waste — and ensure
workers have the right product for the
application. Companies may implement a
sign-out process for workers to obtain new
PPE or install automated dispensing equipment, which can reduce PPE product turns
and monitor user activity.
ISEA is offering a complete set of its American National Standards at 30
percent off the price of purchasing the publications individually. For $335
including shipping, safety officers can get all the following publications in
a convenient three-ring binder:
l American National Standard for Limited-Use and Disposable Coveralls Size and Labeling Requirements, ANSI/ISEA 101-1996 (R2008)
l American National Standard for Classification and Performance Requirements for Chemical Protective Clothing, ANSI/ISEA 103-2010
l American National Standard for Gas Detector Tube Units - Short Term
Type for Toxic Gases and Vapors in Working Environments, ANSI/ISEA
102-1990 (R2009)
l American National Standard for Air Sampling Devices - Diffusive Type for
Gases and Vapors in Working Environments, ANSI/ISEA 104-1998 (R2009)
l American National Standard for Hand Protection Selection Criteria,
ANSI/ISEA 105-2011
l American National Standard for High Visibility Safety Apparel and
Headwear, ANSI/ISEA 107-2010
l American National Standard for Air-Purifying Respiratory Protective
Smoke Escape Devices, ANSI/ISEA 110-2009
l American National Standard for Fixed and Portable Decontamination
Shower Units, ANSI/ISEA 113-2008
l American National Standard for Classification of Insulating Apparel
Used in Cold Work Environments, ANSI/ISEA 201-2012
l American National Standard for High Visibility Public Safety Vests, ANSI/
ISEA 207-2011
l American National Standard for Occupational and Educational Personal
Eye and Face Protection Devices, ANSI/ISEA Z87.1-2010
l American National Standard for Industrial Head Protection, ANSI/ISEA
Z89.1-2009
l American National Standard - Minimum Requirements for Workplace
First Aid Kits and Supplies, ANSI/ISEA Z308.1-2009
l American National Standard for Emergency Eyewash and Shower Equipment, ANSI/ISEA Z358.1-2009
Order directly online or download a faxable order form at
www.safetyequipment.org.
Consider Laundering to Reduce Costs
Laundering and recycling programs can
also help reduce waste. Most quality glove
products are manufactured to withstand
laundering without changing the size and fit
or negatively impacting function.
Ansell — with its new high-performance
knitted cut-resistant gloves — designs and
manufactures the gloves so they are larger
and launders them in advance so customers
do not have to worry about shrinkage. Repeat
washing has little impact on a glove’s size
and fit. Even if the gloves shrink slightly, they
will easily stretch back to their original size.
For more information about Ansell protective products and services or how to
implement a comprehensive PPE program,
visit www.ansellpro.com or call 800800.0444. l
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Bill Bennett is associate
director of brand/product
marketing for Ansell
Protective Products, Inc. The
ISEA member company has
its U.S. headquarters in
Iselin, N.J. Ansell designs,
develops, manufactures and
markets a wide range of
protective gloves and clothing. Reach Bennett at 732345-2122 or bbennett@
ansell.com
96 Protection update | OCTOBER 2012
CONSTRUCTION CORNER
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topics. there is a problem, the competent
Time is of the
person
has the
essence.
In a short time, the
harness
willfix
restrict
authority to stop work and
it. blood circulation, which
can lead to
unconsciousness
or even death.
Call 301- 578-8
• a“competentperson”
You could die in minutes from a
trench collapse… even if your head and arms
caPital safety
Find the
not over when
‘competentIt’s
person’
the
Find out more about
fall stops!
OSHA says every excavation
jobrequires
must have a person
OSHA
employers to have
construction hazar
a plan to …
appointed by the employer as the competent person.
“provide for prompt
ds.
• sloped/benchedor
Then the answer is YeS.
Photo courtesy
Your lanyard should
be attached to the
D-ring on your fall
arrest harness, then
anchored securely
to an anchor point.
Ask your supervisor
if your anchor point
can sustain the load
without failure. Guardrails
are not anchor points.
Work only inside the trench box or shored areas
of the trench if the trench is not sloped or benched.
Wear your hardhat.
Don’t follow this worker on left: No ladder,
no hardhat, not working in the trench box.
How can a trench kill me?
Dirt is heavy. Really heavy. One cubic yard of dirt is the
weight of a mid-sized car.
One Cubic Yard
www.cpwr.com
PWR – The Center for Construction
Research and Training (www.cpwr.
com) has issued three new, free publications to enhance construction worker
safety, as follows:
l Hazard Alert: Trenches pocket card,
which reminds workers they are in danger
if they enter a trench that is not shored,
sloped/benched, fitted with a trench box,
or if there is not a way to escape if the
trench collapses or no competent person
present. Workers are advised to find a
competent person, work only in protected
areas, and check their escape.
l Hazard Alert: Fall Protection Harnesses,
which advises workers that falls are the
leading cause of death in construction, and
reminds workers to wear a full-body harness, inspect their harnesses, and make
sure they are connected.
l Hazard Alert: Aerial Lifts, which reminds
workers to get training, wear a full-body
harness, and check overhead power lines
before they use a lift.
The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health
Administration (www.osha.gov) has
posted new resources on its Fall Prevention
page, including a fall protection fact sheet
translated into Polish, Russian and Spanish,
and camera-ready, drop-in art for organizations and media to spread the word
about protecting workers against falls.
OSHA also has created new wallet cards
as an easy, portable way to highlight the lifesaving message that safety pays and falls cost.
The cards include an illustration of safe work
from a roof, as well as a Quick Response code
to direct readers to OSHA’s Fall Prevention
page and educational resources. l
If only takes a second for a trench to
collapse, so always be aware of your escape route.
If you are in a trench 4’ or deeper, you must be
within 25’ of a ladder, ramp or stairway.
The weight of the soil is so heavy that it will crush you.
Trench walls may look stable, but DON’T TRUST them.
On average, more than three workers die every month
from a trench collapse.*
*The Construction Chart Book, p. 39. CPWR. 2008.
Find out more about safe work in trenches:
• Short OSHA video on prevention of trench collapse: www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFYkeT0Yk6k
• OSHA’s Quick Card on Trenching: www.osha.gov/Publications/trench/trench_safety_tips_card.pdf
• OSHA’s definition of a competent person: www.osha.gov/SLTC/competentperson/index.html
Find out more about
construction hazards.
Don’t end your life
in a trench.
Call 301- 578-8500
If you think you are in danger:
Contact your supervisor. Contact your union.
Get more of these Hazard Alert cards –
and cards on other topics.
Call OSHA
1- 800 - 321- OSHA
Work safe. every day.
©2012, CPWR – The Center for Construction Research and Training. All rights reserved. CPWR is the research, training, and service arm of the Building and Construction Trades Dept., AFL-CIO, and works to reduce or eliminate safety and health hazards construction workers face on the job. Production of this card was supported by Grant OH009762 from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). The contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of NIOSH.
Photo for “Check your escape” used courtesy Advanced Fiber Technologies Inc.
www.cpwr.com
ISEA Forum for PPE User Community at NSC Expo Will Focus on Preventing ‘OSHA Top 10’ Violations
The International Safety Equipment Association’s (ISEA’s) second annual forum for the personal protective equipment (PPE) user community, focusing on how to prevent “OSHA Top
10” violations, will be held Tuesday, October 23, from 11 a.m. – noon at the National
Safety Council (NSC) Expo in Orlando, Fla.
Immediately following OSHA’s “Top 10” presentation, four ISEA experts will explain
what safety equipment manufacturers and their association are doing to make workers
safer, and specifiers’ and users’ jobs easier. The “Top 10” and “ISEA forum” both will take
place in the “Solutions Center” (Booth 2971) on the Expo floor.
“Each ISEA representative will give a short presentation
on PPE standards, application, design and performance, as
well as what’s on the horizon, and then will field user-community questions,” said ISEA President Dan Shipp, who will
moderate the panel.
Lynn Feiner, product line leader, respiratory, for Honeywell Safety Products, will address respiratory protection;
State-of-the-art safety equipment from International
Ray Mann, manager, technical services – fall protection, 3M
Safety Equipment Association member companies and
Occupational Health & Environmental Safety, will focus on
their brands will be on display at the 2012 National
fall protection; J.P. Sankpill, president of U.S. Safety, will
Safety Council Expo, October 22-24 in Orlando. Find handle eye/face protection, and Loren Rivkin of Saf-T-Gard
an up-to-date list of exhibiting ISEA members, their key
International, will explain the advantages of acquiring
brands and booth numbers by visiting ISEA’s website,
safety equipment from Qualified Safety Sales Professionals
www.safetyequipment.org.
(QSSPs).
QSSP is the designation given to graduates of an intensive, week-long course administered by ISEA. Attendees learn principles and practices of
occupational health and safety, fundamentals of industrial hygiene, risk management,
safety engineering, health and safety regulation, and workers compensation, and how to
integrate health and safety equipment into their customers’ needs. l
Protection
update
| OCTOBER 2012
97
M aking W orkers S afer A round the N ation
International Safety Equipment Association
(ISEA) member companies have made
advances to help make workers safer, as
follows:
l Speakman Co. (www.speakman.com)
has added two live call agents to its team to
guarantee that customers calling between 8
a.m. and 5 p.m. ET are greeted by live
voices. Speakman manufactures innovative
emergency eyewash and shower equipment,
as well as high-quality commercial plumbing products and hospitality and residential
showerheads.
l U.S. Safety (www.ussafety.com) now
includes lifetime annual cleaning and inspection free of charge on all Fallogic™ fall protection harnesses and lanyards. Following
cleaning and inspection, the company issues
customers a full report on their equipment.
The U.S. Occupational Safety and
Health Administration (www.osha.
gov) and National Institute for
Occupational Safety and Health
(www.cdc.gov/niosh) have issued a
hazard alert to ensure that employers
in hydraulic fracturing operations take
appropriate steps to protect workers
from silica exposure.
The alert describes how a combination of engineering controls, work practices, personal protective equipment (PPE)
and product substitution, where feasible,
along with worker training, can protect
workers who are exposed to silica. Those
who breathe silica day after day are at
greater risk of developing silicosis.
Also, OSHA and NIOSH have joined
together to inform employers and workers
on safe work practices when using cleaning
chemicals. “Protecting Workers Who Use
Cleaning Chemicals” provides employers
with guidance on choosing safer cleaning
products, safe work practices, worker training and better cleaning methods.
OSHA also has issued a revised directive
providing enforcement guidance for inspections of longshoring operations and at
marine terminals. The directive is aimed at
eliminating workplace hazards by addressing updated requirements for PPE, including
clarifying PPE that employers must provide at
no cost to their workers, when employers
must pay for replacement PPE, and when
employers are not required to pay for PPE.
NIOSH researchers have published a
study showing that among various industries,
miners have the highest prevalence of hearing loss. “Prevalence of hearing loss in the
United States by industry,” published in the
American Journal of Industrial Medicine,
examined audiograms from 2000 to 2008
for workers with higher occupational noise
exposure than the general population.
And NIOSH has issued a user notice on
the Care and Maintenance of Self-Contained
Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) Units. After
receiving reports of issues concerning SCBA
respirators suspected of not meeting the
NIOSH performance requirements, the agency
observed that SCBA problems often can be
attributed to a lack of or improperly performed preventive maintenance, according
to NIOSH.
The U.S. Chemical Safety Board
(www.csb.gov) has released a new
safety video that examines the concept of inherent safety and its application across industry. “Inherently
Safer: The Future of Risk Reduction”
stems from an August 2008 explosion
that killed two workers at the Bayer
CropScience chemical plant in Institute, W.Va. Stream or download the
video from the CSB website, or request a
copy by completing an online form.
ASTM International (www.astm.org)
Committee E34 on Occupational Health
and Safety has approved a new standard,
Guide for Personal Protective Equipment for
the Handling of Flat Glass. The standard
aids in selecting PPE that will best protect a
specific employee from hazards that cannot
be mitigated through other means.
National Fire Protection Association
(www.nfpa.org) has issued a safety alert on
Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA)
facepiece lenses. NFPA is recommending
that fire departments, fire academies, and
emergency service organizations inspect all
SCBA facepiece lenses before and after
each use. Any SCBA facepiece lens found
to have cracks, crazing, bubbling, deformation, discoloring, gaps or holes should be
removed from service immediately, and a
replacement issued, NFPA said. Visit www.
nfpa.org/scba. l
98 Protection update | OCTOBER 2012
Experts Cite Training and Awareness
as Keys to Confined Space Safety
Complacency,
improper identification of
confined space
hazards, failure to prepare for
entry by testing
and monitoring,
and generic training that does not provide
hands-on experience were
all cited as potential weak
links in a confined
space safety program.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dan Shipp has been president and senior staff officer
of the Arlington, Va.-based
International Safety
Equipment Association (ISEA)
since 1993. ISEA is the leading trade association for
manufacturers of safety and
personal protective equipment. Reach Shipp at 703525-1695 or dshipp@
safetyequipment.org.
By Dan Shipp
International Safety Equipment Association
At the International Safety Equipment Association’s (ISEA’s) recent Washington Roundtable, a panel of experts including safety
professionals, regulators and personal protective equipment (PPE) manufacturers said
that workers and supervisors must be trained
to recognize confined space hazards, anticipate any situation that might arise, and be
ready to perform a safe rescue if needed.
Complacency, improper identification of
confined space hazards, failure to prepare
for entry by testing and monitoring, and
generic training that does not provide handson experience were all cited as potential
weak links in a safety program.
“My biggest worry is complacency,” said
panelist Donald Raffo, a marine chemist
with General Dynamics Electric Boat Division, Groton, Conn. “I train quite a few
people in the maritime industry to check
confined spaces to make sure they are safe.
And I always end by saying: You’re going to
go out and check 10,000 tanks in the next
couple years year and 9,999 are going to
be exactly the same — good oxygen, good
explosive levels, good toxic levels.
“But on the next tank you’re going to miss
something and you’ve got to stay sharp on
every one. That’s not easy to do that when
you’re doing something over and over
again. What I try to emphasize is that other
peoples’ lives are depending on you; so
treat every tank like your family were the
ones going in,” he added.
Training must not only be given to workers, but also supervisors and rescue teams
who may be called on to extract a disabled
worker. Supervisors should be trained to the
competency level of each worker, and training should be conducted on-site as well as
in the classroom.
“The weak link is where you can have a
problem,” said panelist Rick Graham of
ISEA member Mine Safety Appliances Co.
“My nightmare is that one person on that
confined space team...may not be properly
trained. When you see a typical confined
space tragedy, where one person went in
and was overcome and three rescuers followed him, it’s a domino effect. That one
person who did not receive all the training,
or who did not comprehend what was being
said, or who did not understand all of the
hazards of the confined space — that is the
person who can start a tragedy rolling.”
Many of the fatalities in confined spaces
are rescuers who have been improperly
prepared or equipped. Panelists reminded
the audience that everyone involved in confined space work is a potential rescuer, not
just emergency responders or designated
rescue teams.
“Whether you know it or not, everybody
has a rescue team,” Jim Thornton, director
of environmental health and safety for
22,000 employees at Newport News Shipbuilding, explained. “It may not be a stated
rescuer, but when someone goes down
everyone is interested in helping their fellow
man, and everyone becomes a rescuer..”
Panelist Brent Kleven of ISEA member
Scott Safety noted that on-site evaluation for
the potential worst case can help to avoid
problems once the rescue is underway.
“You have three or four guys who go in,
and they’re all on some type of descent
device or fall protection,” Kleven explained.
“When they get in, they realize they can’t
work because they’re all connected and
tangled up. So they disconnect, and now
the planned rescue has gone out the window because you have your retrieval
device, but nobody is connected, and
you’re going to have to look at putting
somebody into the vessel.”
Panelist Trent Smith of ISEA member
Honeywell Analytics observed that “unrecognized hazards could lead to a tragedy.
Many times there are multiple jobs or tasks
that are going on during a confined space
entry. Often subsequent work is added after
the initial entry. It is during these times that
new hazards may be unrecognized. It is
important that any additional work outside
the scope of the original job be evaluated
for any hazards that could be introduced by
a100
the additional work.”
Protection
update
| OCTOBER 2012
99
OSHA $100,000 Club of Citations INVOLVING SAFETY EQUIPMENT
The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) proposed penalties of $100,000 or more during the June 1 – August 31, 2012, period for the following alleged failures to protect workers from potential
hazards. All included citations for failures to provide or properly train workers in the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) and other forms of safety gear. Companies have 15 business days from receipt of citations and fines to request and participate in informal conferences with OSHA or to contest the citations before
the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission:
l Tribe Mediterranean Foods, a subsidiary of Nestle SA, which
manufactures Tribe brand hummus products, $702,300 for
violations following the death of a worker at the company’s
Taunton, Mass., plant. OSHA investigated after a contract
employee who was cleaning and sanitizing a machine used in
the hummus manufacturing process was pulled into the
machine and crushed between two augers, resulting in a
needless and avoidable loss of life.
l Four New Jersey contractors, $463,350 for exposing workers to fall hazards after inspectors observed employees without fall protection working on the fourth floor of a 20-story
building in Jersey City, N.J. Companies cited were Altura
Concrete, Inc., Blade Contracting, Nathil Corp., and White
Diamond Properties.
l A. Finkl & Sons Co., $352,700 for 26 safety violations,
including failing to provide fall protection, at the company’s
Chicago specialty metal forgings operation.
l Zoto’s International, Inc., $233,000 for 44 violations,
including use of inappropriate respirators, at the company’s
Geneva, N.Y., plant that makes hair-care products.
l Adams Thermal Systems Inc., Canton, S.D., $225,000 for
51 violations, including failing to provide fall protection and
failing to use PPE on a hazard assessment and ensure the
equipment fitted affected workers.
l National Vinyl Products Inc. and its subsidiary NVP Hospitality Design LLC, both located in St. Genevieve, Mo., $199,800
for 30 violations, including lack of protective footwear.
l Hastings Acquisition LLC, which operates as Nebraska
Prime Group, $195,100 for 11 violations, including not supplying machine lockout devices, at the company’s Hastings,
Neb., meatpacking facility.
l Franklin Non-Ferrous Foundry Inc., Concord, N.H.,
$185,900 for four violations, including exposing employees
to excessive lead levels, at its operation in Concord, N.J.
l VPP Group LLC, $186,000 for 11 violations, including failing to require the use of fall protection, at its Norwalk, Wis.,
beef-processing plant.
l Bridgford Food Processing Corp., Anaheim, Calif.,
$184,000 for four violations, including improperly guarded
machines, at the company’s Chicago meat-processing facility.
l Wenco Energy Corp., $167,090 for 31 violations, including
failing to provide PPE for workers’ eyes, hands and feet at the
company’s Tulsa, Okla., manufacturing facility.
l Thomson Plastics Inc., $137,500 for violations, including
workers exposed to noise and falls, at the company’s Thomson, Ga., facility, which produces industrial, recreational and
consumer appliances, and lawn and garden products.
l Pinnacle Foods Group LLC, Mountain Lakes, N.J.,
$156,700 for 27 violations, including failing to provide
appropriate PPE, at the company Fayetteville, Ark., facility.
l Koswire Inc., $145,530 for 19 violations, including failure to
provide an emergency eyewash station, at its steel wire-drawing facility in Flowery Branch, Ga.
l JDE Inc., Souderton, Pa., $140,000 for violations, including
failure to protect employees against fall and cave-in hazards,
at a worksite for which it was general contractor at the Kimball Union Academy in Meriden, N.H.
l MVP Kosher Foods LLC, $140,000 for 21 violations, including failure to provide PPE for employees working on energized equipment, it its facility in Birdsboro, Pa.
l U.S. Cotton LLC, Gastonia, N.C., $133,100 for six violations, including failing to properly guard machines at the
company’s Cleveland facility, which manufactures health and
beauty aide products.
l Cives Steel Co., $132,000 for violations, including failure
to supply PPE to protect against electric shock, at the company’s Augusta, Maine, production facility.
l Tricon Timber LLC, $128,700 for 27 violations, including
failing to ensure workers were protected against fall hazards,
at the company’s sawmill in St. Regis, Mont.
l Earth Friendly Products, $124,000 for 23 violations, including
PPE deficiencies and lack of eye-wash stations, at its Norwood,
N.J., facility that manufactures cleaning products.
l DKS Structural Services Inc., doing business as Don Kennedy
and Sons House Moving Co., Huntsville, Ala., $122,400 for
trenching violations, including employees not wearing head
protection, as the company was performing work at a building
in Huntsville.
l Great Lakes Chemical Corp., West Lafayette, Ind., $122,000
for 18 violations, including putting workers at risk of exposure
to bromine, at the company’s Eldorado, Ark., specialty chemicals plant.
l Arkema Inc., King of Prussia, Pa., $117,100 for 14 violations,
at the company’s organic chemicals operation in Houston.
l Bushnell Illinois Tank Co., Bushnell, Ill., which operates as
Schuld/Bushnell, $116,270 for eight violations, including failing
to implement a respirator program, at the company’s Valley,
Neb., facility, which manufactures grain and feed storage tanks.
l Trio Foundry Inc., Aurora, Ill, which operates as Sandwich
Castings and Machine, $113,300 for 20 violations, including
lack of PPE and safety training, at the company’s aluminum
castings facility in Sandwich, Ill.
l Illinois Gun Works Ltd., Elmwood, Ill., $111,000 for 28 violations, including failing to provide clean protective clothing
and dispose of or replace protective clothing, at the company’s shooting range.
a100
100 Protection update | OCTOBER 2012
Send Us Your ‘Safety Equipment Works for You’ Stories
Safety Equipment
Works
You
for
Protection Update welcomes contributions from readers for our regular
“Safety Equipment Works for You” feature. Email examples of where
PPE has saved workers’ lives or prevented injuries to Editor Joe Walker,
[email protected], or mail them to the Editor, Protection
Update, International Safety Equipment Association, 1901 N. Moore
Street, Suite 808, Arlington, VA 22209. Photos are welcome.
Quick Air Refill Saves Life of Pennsylvania Firefighter
When Captain Mike Rinn and firefighter Darin Beckes of the Erie, Pa., Fire Department answered a call on
Christmas Eve, they found a burning hydraulic press underneath steel decking at a local factory. Rinn immediately motioned to his crew that he was going below. When Beckes saw his captain enter the pit, he followed the firefighter
creed to “never leave your partner behind.”
Almost immediately, Beckes’ low air alarm went off. As he went to replenish his supply, he slipped and fell 15 feet to
the ground below. Stunned, but uninjured, Beckes hit his Personal Alert Safety System (PASS) device and started “skipbreathing” to conserve what little air he had left.
“Suddenly, I realized I was completely out of air,” Beckes said. “I thought, ‘I’m not dying down here. I just want out’.”
Having heard Beckes fall, the captain appeared – equipped with a quick air-refill system. He pulled the quick-fill hose
out, flipped off the caps, and snapped it onto Beckes quick-fill fittings.
“As an instructor, I’ve conducted many air mask drills to ensure firefighters could take the hose out and hook it on in
less than 60 seconds in different circumstances,” Rinn said. “That training paid huge dividends that night.”
At that point, both men had been in the pit for quite some time. Suddenly, Rinn’s alarm indicated his air also was low
and then ran out before both men could reach safety. “I held my breath for what seemed an eternity,” Rinn said. “A minute later, I got my mask off and got air.”
Beckes spent the rest of the holiday recovering in the hospital. Afterwards, he credited the air quick-refill system with
saving his life.
The firefighters’ lifesaving Quick-Fill® System by ISEA member Mine Safety Appliances Co., www.msasafety.com.
Confined Space safety
from page 98
The panel also reviewed best practices in verifying the
operation of gas-detection instruments, which are used to
monitor confined-space atmospheres and alert workers to
dangerous conditions. “Bump” testing using the right test gas
and ensuring that it is fresh, and sampling the confined space
with ventilators turned off were among the best practices noted.
“Our view as a manufacturer is that an instrument should
be bump-checked prior to each day’s use,” MSA’s Graham
said. “Expose a gas detector to a known concentration of
contaminant. When you bump check an instrument you are
quickly checking to see if it falls within…whatever parameters happen to have been set by the manufacturer or end
user, who might want to have a tighter instrument. If it
doesn’t pass a bump check, then a full calibration is done to
bring the instrument up…to exactly what the gas says it is.”
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) requires
“marine chemists to verify the accuracy of their instruments
before each day’s use,” said panelist NFPA’s Lawrence Russell.
OSHA $100,000 Club
Asked how to increase awareness of confined space
safety, panelists suggested working through industry associations and insurers, and possibly making identification of
confined spaces — and preparation for them — part of the
business licensing process.
In closing, panelist Sherman Williamson of the U.S.
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA),
Washington, suggested that those responsible for confined
space entry should “set their sights a little higher” than merely
relying on the OSHA confined space standard to keep
workers out of harm’s way. “The standard is designed to be
general,” he said. “It’s got to take into account so many
different situations and so many different types of employers that it really represents the minimum requirements.”
ISEA sponsored the roundtable as a way to examine
regulations, best practices and the use of PPE in confined
spaces. All of the panelists have extensive experience in
confined space safety and health.
Readers are encouraged to check ISEA’s website, www.
safetyequipment.org, for updates on the confined space
safety roundtable and future similar ISEA events. l
from page 99
l DD Stucco and Renovation LLC, Clifton, N.J., $108,240 for
six violations related to fall hazards at a Mountain Lakes, N.J.,
work site.
l Tyson Foods Inc., Springdale, Ark., $104,200 for seven violations, including failing to provide PPE to employees working
with chemicals, at the company’s Dakota City, Neb., beef-
processing facility.
l The GEO Group Inc., Boca Raton, Fla., $104,100 for six
violations, including failing to conduct medical evaluations for
workers required to wear respirators, at the company’s correctional center in Meridian, Miss.