Basic Backhoe Safety

Last week in my blog, I spoke about Excavation and Trenching, so this week I thought I would follow up on last week’s blog by going over some Basic Backhoe Safety precautions, being that backhoe’s are one of the most common pieces of equipment used for excavation.

Backhoe’s come in a wide array of styles and sizes, the main type I will be going over is the standard wheeled tractor type, with a front-end loader (bucket) and a hoe attachment with outriggers. This type of backhoe is relatively small, powerful, and quick; a backhoe’s multipurpose flexibility makes it one of the best choices for our industry, but like any piece of heavy equipment, it is very important to follow basic safety procedures when operating, or working around a backhoe. The following are just a few of the main Basic Backhoe Safety tips.

• The operator should be trained and be familiar with the backhoe he will be using.
• Although we rent our backhoe’s, and they should be delivered to the job site after a complete inspection, the operator should also inspect the backhoe for proper operation and mechanical problems at the start of each day.
• Never start or operate the backhoe except from the operators seat, and always wear the seat belt.
• Never dig while employee’s are working under or around the backhoe.
• Never use the front loader (bucket) as a man lift.
• When using the hoe attachment, always use the outriggers.
• When traveling with a load, keep the load centered and close to the ground.

Remember, most injuries involving a backhoe do not occur to the operator, but to the ground personnel working in the vicinity of the backhoe, so always be aware of the location of all personnel working near your backhoe. It is our company policy that all personnel working near or around a backhoe, or even a trencher, must wear a hard hat and Hi-Vis safety vest. Backhoes are an excellent labor saving piece of equipment! However, careless operation may result in costing life or limb.

Leonard Kessner
Safety Director

This week I would like to talk a little about Excavation and Trenching. Cave-ins due to Excavation and Trenching result in more than 100 fatalities each year. This is due to improperly protected walls of an excavated area, which can trap workers. Not only can a improperly protected wall cause injury or death, but also an improper barricade or flagged excavation area can put one in harm’s way.

There are a few ways to protect against injury from trench collapse. Protective systems that can be used include sloping, shoring, trench shield, and step trenching. Sloping is accomplished by cutting the banks back at an angle, with the proper angle, the soil would not slide toward the worker. Shoring would be a system of supports that brace the side walls of an excavation. Trench shield is a heavy metal box designed to be placed in the trench where workers would be inside the box and protected from a cave-in. Another system would be Step trenching. Step trenching is when you excavate the trench in a way that the trench would look like a large set of steps, working from the lowest area of the trench and working upward, and outward. Excavations four feet deep or more must also have at all time, sufficient means of emergency exit, this would be, a ladder (or some other means) within 25 feet of lateral travel from where work is being preformed.

Along with the proper wall protection for Excavation and Trenching, another very important safety system that should be installed, would be the use of proper barricading or flagging of the open trench. It is not unusual for a route that you were able to travel one day to be cut off by open trenching the next, or even the same day; this is why using the proper barricade or flagging is so important – this will allow workers and vehicle traffic to avoid the hazard area.

You can find more information on Excavation and Trenching in the OSHA Construction Standards, Subpart P 1926.650-.652

Len Kessner
Safety Director

Lucky us – it’s that time of year for all of us to look toward the flu season – and this year, the CDC is telling us that we can expect to see a flu pandemic. A new pandemic virus can spread easily from one person to another, mostly by sneezing and coughing. When someone who is sick with a flu virus, and they sneeze or cough near you, you can then breath in droplets in the air that have the flu virus. Those virus droplets can also land on surfaces that you may touch with your hands.

To help in the keeping yourself, your family, and co-workers safe from any flu virus – keep the following in mind: Wash your hands often with soap and water, and if soap and water are not around – use a alcohol based hand gel. Always remember to cover your mouth and nose when you sneeze and cough, and you should sneeze and cough into your sleeve not your hands, this is if a tissue is not available. Limit contact around others that might have the flu virus will slow down the spread of the virus. Being around others makes you more likely to get sick and make others sick. If you do get sick with the flu, stay home, this means STAY HOME, don’t leave your house, have someone else go to the store and run errands for you. Even going to your doctor can spread the flu virus, so if you really don’t need to see your doctor – then don’t. Ask your boss about options for working from home if you can, until you feel better.

A flu pandemic is something none of us really want to deal with, so let’s all do our part to help prevent a flu pandemic, and keep ourselves, family and co-workers healthy and safe!

Thanks,

Leonard Kessner
Safety Director

The week of October 4 – 10 is National Fire Prevention Week, and with this week being Fire Prevention Week, I thought it would be the perfect time to discuss the different types, proper location, and inspection of fire extinguishers.

Fire Extinguishers are classified by the type of fire that they will be used on. A Class ‘A’ Fire Extinguisher is used for your ordinary types of combustibles, like wood, textiles, paper and some plastics. Extinguishers that are used for class A fires should be identified with a triangle and the letter “A”. If the label is in color, the triangle should be green in color. A Class ‘B’ Fire Extinguisher is used on flammable liquids and gas fires like oil, gasoline, ect., this type of extinguisher should be identified by a square and the letter “B”. If the label is in color, the square should be red in color. A Class ‘C’ Fire Extinguisher is used on fires that have live electrical equipment, or electrical power involved. A Class ‘D’ Fire Extinguisher would be used combustible metals like sodium, magnesium, etc., this fire extinguisher would be marked with a five-point star and have the letter “D”, and if in color, the stare would be yellow. One more class would be Class ‘K’, this one would be used on fires involving fats, grease, and oils that you would find in kitchens, this class of fire extinguisher would be mark just with the letter “K”, no shape or color.

Next, let’s look at location for the different types of Fire Extinguishers. A Class A should be no more than 75 feet in travel distance, a Class B should be at 50 feet of travel distance, and the Class C is normally based on the hazards that the Class A and B would be used on, typically you would want the Class C to be no more than 50 feet away in my opinion, the Class D would be t a travel distance of no more than 75 feet, and last, the Class K, there is no real requirement on distance. The Class K type FIRE EXTINGUISHER is typically located near the point of possible fire ignition.

Last, I would like to go over briefly inspecting Fire Extinguishers, portable Fire Extinguishers must have a visual inspection monthly, the inspection should cover the following;

1. They are in their assigned location
2. They are not hidden nor blocked
3. They are mounted in accordance with the NFPA Standard #10
4. Pressure gauge show adequate pressure
5. Pin and seals are in place
6. No visual sign of damage or abuse
7. The nozzle is free of blockage

If you would like more information on FIRE EXTINGUISHERS, please look at the OSHA reg 29CFR 1910.157 portable Fire Extinguishers, or the NFPA Standard #10, portable Fire Extinguishers.

Len
Safety Director

This week I would like to talk about basic hand tool safety, hand tool safety depends on the right tool for the job! Some people think that if you are at home working, you can get away with using tools improperly or substituting one tool for another. Our work makes rugged demands on our hand tools, so why cut corners at home. When you misuse a tool, or use the improper tool for the job, or use one in poor condition, it can result in an injury.

It is important that you choose the right tool for the job, at home and at work. Would you use a hammer to drive a screw? I would hope not! Or a Phillips screw driver to punch a hole? Not me. Why take a chance of injury? Get the right tool to do the job. Even if it takes a little more time to complete the job, you will not only prevent the possibility of injury, but you will also save your tool from damage. Once you use the improper tool for a job, and damage it, you never know what might happen. For instance, using a hammer that has a head on it that is loose or wiggles, you never know just when that head of the hammer might fly off, and hurt you or a co-worker – if the hammer is in question, replace it.

Here are just a few tips for using tools in a safer manner;

• Always cut away from yourself, not towards yourself
• Don’t use a chisel or screw driver as a pry bar
• Don’t’ use a file without a handle
• Use the full handle of a hammer, don’t choke up on it, you’ll lose control of it
• Tools are not toys, if someone wants to borrow a tool, hand it to them, don’t throw it. It’s not a ball – it’s a tool!

Basic hand tool safety starts with you, just use some common sense, if you don’t know how to use a tool, or what tool to use, don’t be afraid to ask someone who does.

Len
Safety Director

Most of us have taken a shortcut at one time or another. I know when I was a kid, I would climb over a fence if it was quicker than using the gate, or cut through an empty field, instead of walking through the neighborhood. In many cases, a shortcut can involve danger.

If you are in the habit of taking dangerous shortcuts, break it. Working in construction, a shortcut can be deadly.

If you are in need of reaching a higher elevation, don’t use a bucket turned upside-down, or a stack of boxes, or even a chair – use a ladder, that is what it was built for! Don’t just try to avoid dangerous situations, make it your goal, and if you see there’s no safe way – Let someone know – and I am sure every attempt will be made to access the necessary means to make it safe! We all deserve the right to go home at the end of each and every day without injury. So keep in the front of your mind (not the back), the shortcut you want to take, may not be the safe way to go.

Len
Safety Director

Have you ever thought of ways to make your job safer? Perhaps if someone came up with a better and Safer tool to use, or a safer piece of equipment – maybe a way to simplify construction methods. But here is something most people give no thought to – Practicing Good Housekeeping.

Poor Housekeeping can cause accidents, results can range from a small cut to a loss of life. A nail in a scrapped Piece of wood, a cluttered walkway, scrap conduit, even your lunch trash can cause an accident!

Once-A-Day or Once-A-Week clean up is just not enough. Good Housekeeping is a continuing process in which everyone must participate in throughout the work day!

The following are some simple ideas towards Good Housekeeping:

• Keeping extension cords off the floor as much as possible, hung them if you can, just no low enough that someone could hang them self
• Keep walkways clean and clear of trash
• Keep scrap conduit and wood picked up
• Clean up spills and liquids on the floor to prevent slipping hazards
• Keep storage areas and storage containers neat and orderly
• Use trash cans for your empty lunch bags and other food rubbish, like soda cans, water bottles, plates and hamburger containers, etc.

Good Housekeeping does pay off. It is easier and safer to work in a clean area than in a cluttered junk pile – Good Housekeeping is everyone’s job.

Len
Safety Director

Your employer can do everything he/she can to protect you while on the job, we can issue protective equipment, post signs, have safety meetings, but off-the-job safety is in your hands. Your safety away from work is important to your employer. It’s not easy to replace good employees, even temporarily. So, when you get hurt away from work, your employer will suffer too. Not only that, we hate to see anyone injured, on the job or off.

Take your safety practices from work home with you. You wouldn’t work without eye protection at work if it is required, so why work in your workshop at home without it? And don’t overlook safety during recreation either. Have you ever noticed how many injuries happen when people are playing football in the backyard on the weekend, or skiing on a weekend getaway. Don’t overdo it when it comes to recreation, play with the kids, but don’t try to keep up with them, you are no longer one yourself. Remember, if you are over 20, what you were doing all day, now takes all day to do. Safety belongs in our life all the time, not just at work.

Len
Safety Director

I believe that there are three words that belong together, the three words are common, sense, and safety – If you think about it, safety more times than not is nothing more than common sense! That is why I believe these three words belong together – COMMON SENSE SAFETY

Here is something to remember: If you are the one who has an accident, then you are the one who is going to suffer the pain and the potential loss of income – so again I say common sense safety.

Some common sense safety tips:

• Be alert, pay attention, know what’s going on around you and your work area
• Wear the appropriate PPE, no matter how inconvenient it may seem
• Keep your work area clean and hazard free
• Never be afraid to ask for assistance to move or lift heavy items
• Take safety seriously

Common sense safety is often simply thinking before doing, working safe and responsibly is everyone’s job.

Len
Safety Director

At this being not only summer time, but also being our Monsoon season, with working in the hot and humid days, certain precautions must be taken. Overexposure to high temperature and humidity levels during prolonged physical exertion may result in HEAT CRAMPS, HEAT EXHAUSTION, or HEAT STROKE. Working in very hot or poorly ventilated workspaces should be avoided during the peak heat hours of the day.

When the body is unable to cool itself through sweating, heat illnesses may occur. The most severe heat induced illnesses are HEAT EXHAUSTION and HEAT STROKE. If actions are not taken to treat HEAT EXHAUSTION, the illness could progress to HEAT STROKE and death.

At this time of year, with the high temperatures and high humidity, it is extremely important to remember to replace the fluids that you have lost, avoid long periods of sun exposure, try and use shading if possible, have a fan to help move air and keep you cooler. If you feel that you might be heading towards HEAT EXHAUSTION, you might place a cool damp towel over your head, on your neck, between your thighs, and even under your armpits, this will help in the lowering of your body core temperature.

I know that with working in the construction trades we cannot avoid working in the heat and the humidity, but we can do things that will help us to avoid HEAT EXHAUSTION, and HEAT STROKE, the main thing is to make sure you replace your fluids, and try to cool yourself down.

Here are the primary three categories and the signs to look out for:

HEAT CRAMPS – the first phase
Heat cramps are severe muscle spasms that often begin suddenly in the hands, calves, or feet, they are painful and disabling.

HEAT EXHAUSTION – the second phase
This causes excessive fluid loss, leading to fatigue, weakness, anxiety, low blood pressure, drenching sweat, faintness, and sometimes collapse.

HEAT STROKE – the third phase (sometimes called sunstroke)
Heat stroke is imminent when the body core approaches 106F, a higher temperature may result in coma, or even death. The symptoms to look for are; dizziness, weakness, nausea/vomiting, confusion, blurred vision, collapse, and unconsciousness.

Len
Safety Director

Fish Tapes are used in our industry on a daily basis, used to fish or snake power runs and low-volt communication lines through walls and ceilings. Fish Tapes are a quick and convenient way to pull lines without having to resort to unneeded demolition. Fish Tapes that are most commonly used are made of spring metal and can present laceration or electrical hazards to their user. Below you will find a few helpful hints to make your Fish Tape usage a little safer.

• DO NOT RUN A FISH TAPE THROUGH YOUR BARE HANDS; fish tapes can have sharp edges or burrs which can lacerate your hands
• BE AWARE OF THE SPRING HAZARD OF A COILD FISH TAPE; keep your fish tape constrained in the holder as much as possible
• BE AWARE OF ALL ELECTRICAL HAZARDS; never run a fish tape into a energized panel without first making safe the panel you are pushing to
• USE PROPER LOCKOUT/TAGOUT PROCEDURES; whenever possible while working around energized electrical circuits

Use common sense and work with extreme caution when using a fish tape, fish tapes can make your work easy, and they can present a hazard. Look before you fish.

Len
Safety Director

Back injuries account for hundreds and hundreds of work place accidents, and over the years I have been one of them. The majority of all back injuries are caused by improper lifting and improper carrying. If too serious in nature, back injuries may require physical therapy and even surgery to correct the problem. Learning proper techniques for lifting and carrying materials will help to reduce the risk of back injuries.

Here is a simple hint to help you avoid a back injury, think through each lifting task before wrestling with something too heavy and/or awkward to handle. Think about how the material can best be handled and don’t be shy about asking someone to help, or wait on equipment such as a dolly or forklift to assist you in your task. Use your legs properly to save your back. Back injuries can be prevented with a little planning.

We all have only one back, let’s try to keep it in well condition.

Len
Safety Director

The importance of bonding and grounding in commercial, industrial, and solar installations cannot be overstated. The grounded circuits of all machines need to have an effective return path from the equipment to the power source in order to function properly. In addition, non-current-carrying metallic components in a facility, such as equipment cabinets, enclosures, and structural steel, need to be electrically interconnected so voltage potential cannot exist between them. Proper grounding is essential for the safety of all who come in contact with any type of energized equipment. It is up to the electrical contractor to insure that their electricians are up to date on the proper installation and code requirements governing the area.

Joe
Vice President of Construction

It is fact that most of all head injuries are caused by FALLING and/or FLYING OBJECTS, and also by BUMPING your head against objects (i.e.; piping, conduit, low head room, ect.).

Head protection (i.e.; helmets and/or hard hats) must meet all specifications contained in the American National Standards Institute (ANSI for short), Z89.1-1969, and for those exposed to high voltage electrical shock, the hard hat must meet the specifications of ANSI, Z89.2-1971.

Here at Harmon Electric Inc. and Harmon Solar, it is required by all our installers, to wear at all times while on the job site, a class ‘E’ hard hat – class ‘E’ hard hats are designated as utility service, high voltage hard hats, and are intended not only to protect from falling and flying objects, but also to protect from high voltage shock and burn. This class of hard hat is also required to be worn by all Harmon Electric Inc. electricians, be it they are working on Solar installations, or on our commercial projects.

Len
Safety Director

Safety at work is not something any one should take lightly. In years past, employers have had to deal with not only having employee’s getting hurt from unsafe work conditions – but they also dealt with employee’s losing their lives from unsafe working conditions.

That was years ago, now we have the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), a part of the United States Department of Labor. OSHA was developed to force employers to provide a much healthier and safer work environment for all employees. If you are an employer, you must follow the regulation’s found in the 29CFR Part 1910. This is the general industry standards and it covers all employers from manufacturing toothpicks to building the space shuttle. Some employers are under the impression that if they are in the construction industry, they only need to follow the regulations found in the 29CFR Part 1926 book of regulations. This is not true, every employer must follow the regulations found in the 29CFR Part 1910. If you are in the construction industry, you must also follow the regulations found in 29CFR Part 1926 – this covers any type of construction, from building new homes, to remodeling an old tenant improvement, to service work, to installing solar power to both commercial and residential properties.

I know that many people really don’t think that safety is that important, but when it comes down to your health and your life – I think that safety should be priority one.

Len
Safety Director