All About OSHA

Employee quizzes are a great tool to reinforce safety training. They should not only address the OSHA regulations, but also your company policies. This week I will outline what questions you can ask your employees regarding housekeeping policies you set at your workplace.

Question 01 – Ask your employees about how often they should clean their work area. Depending on if they work in a shop facility, an office, and depending on what types of materials and chemicals they use, the frequency will change. If you have not developed this policy, you should do so prior to the training.

Question 02 – If you store supplies, materials, historic paperwork, etc. Do you have a policy on how it is to be stored and for how long? How high do you stack boxes, how do you address over-stuffing a storage area beyond it’s point to be safe. How you get rid of materials is often as important as how you store them. This question should address key parts of your policy on storage.

Question 03 – Do you have different disposal requirements for different types of materials or chemicals used at your company? Do your employees understand how to dispose of materials correctly? Do they know what to do if storage containers are full? This question (and possibly more) should address these topics.

Question 04 – Do you have specific areas to store company tools? Do you have a policy on storage and use? (i.e. – don’t remove protective guarding, protect cords from blades while in storage, etc.) You should address these policies in a question.

Please click on the link below to download our PowerPoint safety training presentation for Workplace Housekeeping. Feel free to customize it to your needs.

Workplace Housekeeping – Powerpoint Safety Training Presentation

Housekeeping, the safest thing you can do at your job

Most people don’t realize it, but according to OSHA, one of the main reasons accidents happen on the job is because of workplace housekeeping. Think about the people who had or perhaps caused an accident. What if by simply spending five minutes picking up junk and litter, or putting away tools not being used, you might prevent a slip, trip, or fall? Fall related injuries could literally keep someone off the job for weeks or even months. Next time, it could even be you…

The first safety rule for anyone’s job is to keep their work areas clean and safe from hazards. It is a job that needs to be done every day. Pay particular attention to the following:

• Keep walkways, aisles, and stairs free of tools, materials or other “stuff” that may be a tripping hazard.
• Clean up or block off areas where there are spills on floors, entryways, storage areas, loading areas, and anywhere else someone may pass by. If you are not sure what the spill is and you are concerned the spill may be hazardous, block off the area and contact your supervisor.
• Repair or report floor problems, such as cracks, missing tiles, etc.
• If you are in the process of cleaning an area and the ground is wet or you have electrical cords or air hoses running across the floor, block off the area you are cleaning so nobody trips.
• Always put trash in its proper disposal container. If a container is full, contact your supervisor.
• Keep cords, power cables, and air hoses out of walkways.
• Keep drawers closed.
• Don’t run or jump on or off stairs if they are blocked – and use the handrails.
• Don’t run or jump on or off work platforms or loading docks to maneuver around materials.
• Don’t carry something so large, you cannot see where you are going.

Sometimes it is the simplest things that cause the worst accidents. Follow the steps above and you will be helping us make our work areas safer for everyone.

Introduction

Yesterday, we looked at questions relating to general housekeeping in your workplace? How do you feel your company performs when it comes to housekeeping? Sometimes poor housekeeping is a sign for other problems in the workplace, such as inefficient work processes, excessive workload, poor management, lack of morale, or lack of professionalism, to name just a few. All of the above factors mean result in one thing – poor housekeeping is a sign of a lack of focus on the job at hand – and a lack of focus is a very unsafe condition.

Workplace Housekeeping Regulations

Take time today to review the regulations that discuss housekeeping. Depending on what State you work in and other industry specific requirements, these regulations may not be all that apply to you, but this is a good start. Learn about their requirements and note areas your company needs to address.

General Industry Regulations

• 29 CFR 1910 Subpart D – Walking and Working Surfaces
• 29 CFR 1910.22 General Requirements – discusses general housekeeping requirements, the storage of waste and debris, protection around the storage areas.
• 29 CFR 1910.141 – General Environmental Controls – OSHA’s guidelines for sanitation – primarily in toilet facilities and other wet areas.

Construction Industry Regulations

• 29 CFR 1926 Subpart C – General Safety and Health Provisions
• 29 CFR 1926.25 – Housekeeping – discusses the control of hazards related to housekeeping in construction, the means to store debris and waste, what types of containers that need to be used, and the process of frequent and regular waste removal & disposal.

Introduction

Keeping work areas clean is perhaps the most important thing an employee can do to prevent accidents on the job. Poor housekeeping are one of the most commonly cited reasons for injury or illness in accident investigation reports and OSHA inspection violations.

Self Assessment

Ask yourself the following questions. Tomorrow, we will look at the specific OSHA regulations regarding workplace housekeeping.

• Are aisles and passageways kept clear and marked as required?
• Are materials, tools, and equipment stored so that sharp projections will not interfere with walkways?
• Are spilled materials cleaned up immediately?
• Do you have separate storage containers for different types of waste? Do your employees understand what goes in each type of storage container?
• Do your waste storage containers regularly overflow? Is there debris or waste on the ground around the waste storage containers? Do you frequently and regularly dispose of waste at your facility?
• Are tools put away when not in use? Are they stored away so that cords cannot be damaged, blades cannot hurt someone while reaching for the tool, or that delicate switches or electrical components are safe from damage?
• Do you have work areas that serve multiple business processes and have numerous people coming and going from the area? Are specific requirements in place to make sure people clean up after they are done in the work area?
• Do you have systems in place for employees to report unsafe conditions or work practices?

This week we kick off our safety training series with Workplace Housekeeping. Each day, we will introduce additional information for you to review your organization and train your employees:

• Monday – Self Assessment
• Tuesday – OSHA Regulations
• Wednesday – Toolbox Talks
• Thursday – PowerPoint Safety Training
• Friday – Employee Quiz

Things went great with the conversion of All About OSHA from a e-commerce website to a blog. So much so, that I am going to move ahead of schedule and start posting my new series of blog posts the week of April 12th.

Each week we will cover a different OSHA compliance safety topic. Each day of the week we will cover a different aspect of how to incorporate the regulations into your day-to-day operations – including checklists to ensure you are doing what is required, free downloadable PowerPoint presentations you can customize for company specific requirements and use as training aids for your team, and all the documentation you need (tests & training records) to document your efforts.

I believe this weekly approach will not only make your company safer in regards to the topic we address each week, but it will do it in a way that will help you build a company culture that focuses on safety. OSHA research has proven that this will help you become more productive, lower worker compensation costs, and improve morale.

So stay tuned. I hope you check back on the 12th for our first in a long line of OSHA Awareness training posts.

Thanks for visiting

If you have been to this site before, I am sure this is a big surprise. (No, it is not an April Fools joke) After ten years online as an e-commerce website providing training and compliance programs, I have decided to make a change and convert All About OSHA to a blog. To best understand the back story, my reasons for switching formats, the new 2010 OSHA Guide, and what to expect in the future, I suggest you start with the following links:

• About – Includes information about me and the history of All About OSHA.
• Terms of Service – Legal disclaimers & terms of use blog content.
• Privacy Policy – I bet I hate spam more than you. I don’t spam.
• Site Map – A fast way to get a big picture look at what’s offered here.

How to use the blog

The blog was designed to help companies understand the most commonly cited OSHA regulations. Starting May 3rd, 2010 April 12th, 2010, and every other week thereafter, I will cover a different safety topic. Each weekday, I will break content into bite sized chunks and discuss the step you should take at your workplace:

• Monday – Introduces the safety topic of the week with a self assessment checklist.
• Tuesday – Covers OSHA regulations for the topic and key points to comply with.
• Wednesday – Provides a brief toolbox training guide for your employees.
• Thursday – Provides a customizable PowerPoint training template on the topic.
• Friday – Shares a quiz to test your employees and document completed training.

That is a lot of content. Every company has different compliance needs. It is my hope that at least one of the topics covered each month will apply to your organization.

It is that simple. I believe asking the right questions, and small, simple improvements made every day is the best way to improve the safety and health of your workplace. This approach allows you to slowly change the safety and health culture of your organization and constantly reminds your employees to work safe!

The 2010 OSHA Guide and Model Safety Program

The weekly content provided in this blog is designed to be used with a management system that is laid out in my upcoming 2010 OSHA Guide and Model Safety Program. (Available for download starting May 10th, 2010) The OSHA Guide helps you determine which OSHA regulations are applicable to your organization. The Model Safety Program provides a framework for assessing your workplace, developing controls and policy to protect your employees, and methods to measure and document the results of your efforts. Why reinvent the wheel. My downloadable guide will share with you everything you need to build your safety program.

I am looking forward to providing you with answers to your compliance questions. I hope you visit often and provide me feedback on ways to constantly improve your experience here.