Protect Your Employees From Swine and Seasonal Flu

Affordable Safety Training has just releases its Swine Flu and Seasonal Flu safety training programs. Protect your employees and your business from the flu by teaching them safe hygiene and business practices. Download today!

Elmo wouldn't steer you wrong!

Respirator Safety Training Now Available

We have just released a new Respirator Safety Training course. This is a great package for training your employees on the proper use of respirators. Check it out!

Protect Those Eyes

In this post Jeremy, our sales manager, describes a recent eye injury.

I have been in some intense situations. I served about a US naval warship in combat. I've climbed out onto the rotor of a 300 foot wind turbine. I was in a science lab during a hydrogen explosion that destroyed all the windows in the room. I've been in three car wrecks, been shot at, and I've been hit in the face with a baseball bat twice and a golf club once. I even once lept out of a second story window. (Yes, my military days were a bit reckless.)

So I find it a bit ironic that my only major eye injury came from giving myself a paper cut on the retina while walking to my piano lessons. Yes, its strange. I was walking with my lunch in my left hand, and a book in my right. My cheek itched, and I went to scratch it with the corner of my book. Unfortunately, there was a piece of paper sticking out of the book, and I sliced my retina with it.

The eye doctor said it was one of the worst cuts he had seen. He put some antiseptic goo on my eye, and taped it closed. I had to sit in a dark room for two days. After two days, I was allowed to remove the bandage and use the eye. However, my eye is still healing and pools of blood are still visible, which I am told will be absorbed naturally into my eye. My primary physician said I was very lucky not to loose the vision in my right eye.

It turns out, that my story is not that uncommon. While many of us use protective eye wear in the workplace, only about 15% of eye injuries actually occur at work. Most of them occur at home or during recreational activities, times when were are less cautious. That is why it is important to take extra precautions with your eyes. Train your employees that eye protection at home is just as important as at work. Cleaning the gutters, mowing the lawn, and other normal around the house activities are jobs that require eye protection. Use it. We recommend allowing employees to take their eye protection home. When it comes to your eyes, always err on the side of caution.

Guidance on Swine and other Pandemic Flus

What can your company due to reduce the risk of a pandemic flu affecting your business? OSHA has some helpful guidelines on flu preparedness and response.

Here are some good suggestions:

• Communicate to employees what options may be available to them for working from home.
  
• Communicate the office leave policies, policies for getting paid, transportation issues, and day care concerns.
  
• Make sure that your employees know where supplies for hand hygiene are located.
  
• Monitor public health communications about pandemic flu recommendations and ensure that your employees also have access to that information.
  
• Work with your employees to designate a person(s), website, bulletin board or other means of communicating important pandemic flu information.

The OSHA guidance includes helpful information on protecting employees, minimizing transmission, and even how to maintain operations during a pandemic.

Click Here for More Information: Guidance on Preparing Workplaces for an Influenza Pandemic

OSHA to investigate Dallas Cowboys practice facility collapse

You may have seen in the news the terrible tragedy that occurred during the wind storm at the Dallas Cowboys practice facility. OSHA has announced an investigation into this accident. OSHA investigations occur in these instances, and do not imply wrongdoing. While the investigation is complicated, it will focus on a simple theme.

1. Where there any identifiable hazards at the practice facility?

2. Were employees trained on the hazards, or did the company provide methods for mitigation or elimination?

Now is a good time to look at your own facility and determine if their are any hazards that your company has not dealt with. After an accident is always too late.

Reporting OSHA Violations

We received a question from a reader about reporting OSHA violations. She wanted to know if she could report them anonymously, and how to do it.

We always recommend contacting your company first before reporting violations to OSHA. Often times they are unaware of the safety problem, and alerting them will allow them to fix it.

If you need to report a violation, you can call the OSHA hotline at 1-800-321-OSHA. They will keep your identity a secret.

Ladder Safety

Did you know that all employees who work on construction ladders and stairways must be trained on the specific OSHA requirements and certified by the company? Our Ladder Safety Compliance Kit contains everything your business needs for training and certifying employees to perform work on ladders.

OSHA 10 Hour Construction Training

We are pleased to announce that Affordable Safety Training is now offering OSHA 10 Hour Construction Outreach Training! This online training will provide the required OSHA 10 Hour Construction Training, as well as the Department of Labor Certification Card. It is easy and affordable.

Aerial Lift Safety Training

Do you have employees who work on aerial lifts, such as scissors lifts and bucket trucks? They must be trained on aerial lift safety and certified as safe operators. Our Aerial Lift Safety Compliance Kit contains everything you need to train and certify your employees. This kit contains all the training materials, written programs, and forms you need to have a complete aerial lift safety program

A special for our blog readers: Use the coupon code "lift" for a 10% discount on aerial lift safety products! This offer is good for the entire month of March.

Scaffolding Safety Training Is Required

Did you know that all employees who work on or near scaffolding are required to be trained on the hazards of scaffolding work and the pertinent requirements of the OSHA Scaffolding standard? Affordable Safety Training has just released its Scaffolding Safety Training, which you can use to train and certify your employees to work safely on scaffolding. Download yours today!

OSHA Injury Reporting is Due February 1st

Have you completed your annual OSHA injury reporting summary? Every year the employer must:

• 1. Complete the OSHA 300 A Summary Log
• 2. Have the summary certified by a company executive.
• 3. Post the summary in a public place for employees to review. It must be posted NO LATER THAN February 1st, and remain posted until April 30th.

Do you have everything you need to meet this requirement? Check out our OSHA Recordkeeping Compliance Kit, which contains all the training and forms you need to meet these requirements.

Introducing Welding & Cutting Safety Training

Affordable Safety Training is pleased to introduce its new Welding and Cutting Safety Training. This package contains all the training materials you need to teach your employees the OSHA safety requirements for welding and cutting. Download Now!