No matter how neat and orderly your warehouse may appear, the trained safety eye can see that it is rife with opportunities for accidents and injuries.

 For example, stacking materials improperly or lack of forklift experience could lead to injuries and fines. You don't know what you don't know. Proper training is key in anywork place to prevent hazards.

A warehouse poses many different jobs and tasks that you need to be prepared for any potential accident or injury. Warehouse operations are governed by numerous OSHA standards including rules for walking and working surfaces, regulations governing the selection and use of personal protective equipment (PPE), and material handling and storage rules.

Here are some basic tips to safety:

--Make safety a priority in everything you do while working in the warehouse.
--Wear appropriate PPE, such as gloves, safety shoes, eye protection, and hard hats.
--Keep alert to hazards, and correct or report them when you see them.
--Pay attention to warning signs and signals-and obey them.
--Watch where you're going and focus on what you're doing.
--Pay attention to what others are doing as well. Especially keep an eye out for forklifts and other hazardous equipment.
--Stack and store materials properly so they're stable, secure, and don't create any kind of hazard-including a fire hazard.

I feel that one of the issues that indirectly affects safety in the warehouse environment is good housekeeping. Here is a list of good rules to follow:

--Don't leave items in aisles, on the floor, or perched insecurely on a surface.
--Clean up all spills immediately.
--Don't block sprinklers, fire exits, or fire extinguishers.
--Put items in their assigned places immediately rather than moving them from one stopping point to another.
--Don't leave box cutters or other sharp tools lying around. Retract their blades into the handles if the tool's design permits it.
--Keep cords and wires off the floor.
--Report loose or damaged flooring or other tripping hazards you can't fix.
--Dispose of all trash immediately in proper containers.

If you follow some of these simple guidelines you will create a safer workplace for everyone.

When I saw this article in the news today it really got to me. A 22- year- old young man was shot today when responding to a truck fire in a suburban area outside St. Louis. When he gets out of the firetruck a gunman opens fire and fatally struck Ryan Hummert and hitting two others including a police officer.

This is such a tragedy. This young man finished Fire Academy in March. He was dedicating himself to help others and this is  what one sick person did when he responded to put the fire out in his truck.

Our dedicated firefighters, EMTs, Police officers and Paramedics allow us to have a sense of safety knowing help is a phone call away. My hat is off to all of those heroes out there.

 

For the full article you can visit Fox News.

Construction supervisors in Massachusetts will soon have to attend continuing education courses in order to renew their licenses, due to a new law signed by Governor Patrick on April 10. The new law empowers the State Board of Building Regulations and Standards to develop requirements and approve courses of instruction to be offered by others for the continuing education of construction supervisors. This is a great way to encourage safety not only for the builders themselves, but the homeowners as well. The codes are always changing and unfortunately not all contractors go to renewal course. That means they might not have all the information needed to make all the right decisions. Also we are in the time of going "green" so learning about new products will allow homes and commercial property to be environmentally friendly. I am glad to see this happen. Electricians have had to get CEU credits for years now in order to maintain their license. Most of the time safety courses can be put toward CEUs for the licensing. Nice job to MA. for passing this bill.