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

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

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