PKSafety.com Blog

CDC Provides Safety Equipment List for Tornado Clean-Up Crews

Posted on May 23, 2013 by Justin McCarter

Tornadoes like the ones that ripped through Oklahoma this week leave clean-up crews with thousands of tons of building materials strewn across the landscape and the potential for respiratory and other health problems later on if they are not careful.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is warning rescue and clean-up crews to stay away from buildings or structures until they have been examined and certified as safe to enter. They are offering a CDC resource guide which helps responders minimize risks when working in the disaster site.

The CDC resources cover everything from lung protection to electrical hazards. Clean-up crews and homeowners working with fiberglass insulation, for instance, need to be on their guard. Not only is it a skin and eye irritant, but airborne particles can get into the lungs if appropriate respirators are not used.

With so much damage after large-scale tragedies like this, responders often dive in to help without regard to the long-term consequences of the materials they are handling. While newer houses damaged or destroyed in the tornado likely have fiberglass insulation, older houses often contain asbestos. And while asbestos tiles, shingles, and other building materials are often stable when undisturbed, clean-up of asbestos is a very serious matter.

The tremendous force of a tornado also creates more commonplace dangers such sharp edges and impalement hazards. Strong, puncture-resistant gloves keep fingers and wrists protected and are recommended for clean-up workers.

Eye protection is another area of concern for first responders and clean-up crews. Airborne mold can create serious health problems. Eyes should be protected, especially after mold blooms have had time to expand as clean-up continues, so that no spores find their way to the mucus membrane and cause long-term issues. Goggles and cross-over safety glasses create a sealed barrier against mold spores as well as other harmful or just plain irritating particulate matter than may be present in demolished or severely damaged housing and office buildings.

If you have questions about the correct safety equipment to use for disaster clean-up, even if you’re not using our products, we are happy to help however we can. Please contact us online at www.pksafety.com or call us at 1-800-829-9580 Monday through Friday from 7am to 5pm PST.

Photo credit: Gene Blevins/Reuters photo

Posted in General Safety | Tagged cdc, clean up, first responder, oklahoma tornado, remediation | Leave a comment

The Best Hard Hat for Warm Weather

Posted on May 20, 2013 by Rick

Personal protective equipment (PPE) is seldom comfortable. Typically workers would rather not be bothered. That’s one reason OSHA mandates compliance for certain workers. At height workers require not only fall protection, but many need head protection as well. Traditional hard hats can feel like having an oven on your head. Especially while working in the heat and sun.

Luckily there is the Vertex Vent from Petzl. The Petzl Vent helmet, as the name suggests, features adjustable openings on either side to control the amount of air let in, and heat let out. By allowing heat to escape, this is an OSHA-compliant piece of PPE that hasn’t forgotten that it needs to be comfortable all day long. For workers carrying loads, or working under other workers where items could be dropped, a helmet with a sturdy chin strap is an important part of the safety program.

Comfort is key for workers who have demanding work at height. The Vertex Vent weighs only 12 oz. and the chin strap is extremely sturdy. Often what happens in the field is a fall will dislodge the hard hat from a worker who doesn’t have it strapped on. It might hang in there for the first bang, but often tumbles away, no use to anyone, for the second (third? fourth?) impact.

For workers who are serious about their equipment, the Petzl Vent is an excellent all-weather choice for head protection. If work requires night or early morning hours, the Petzl Vent comes standard with a spot to click in a Petzl Pixa Headlamp. That light, combined with an ultra-comfortable fit and chin strap will keep whatever you are facing illuminated without your needing to try to rig a light or attach an elastic band and headlamp to a rounded helmet.

Day or night, summer or winter, the Petzl Vertex Vent helmet literally has you covered. Because of the vents, this helmet is not rated for molten metal or chemical splash, but for just about everything else, it’s an ideal form of PPE for your noggin. If you have questions about OSHA-required PPE, we are what is known as “experts.” Please feel free to contact us online at www.pksafety.com or give us a call at 800-829-9580 Monday through Friday, 7am – 5pm PST. As always, thanks for reading!

Posted in General Safety | Tagged at height, chin strap, climbing, construction, hard hat, head injury, helmet, OSHA | Leave a comment

Using a Gas Monitor in Continuous Operation Mode

Posted on May 13, 2013 by Administrator

Some jobs require continuous gas monitoring of a space over time. Monitors like the Eagle 2 from RKI Instruments are designed to be used in this way, they are not permanent gas monitors, and should only be used in the continuous operation mode infrequently for short-term monitoring events. With the Eagle 2, the wall switch has a continuous operation switch for this type of operation. When used in this manner, the gas monitor does not need to have the NiMH batteries installed. However, in critical operations, it is recommended by the manufacturer to have the batteries installed to supply a power back-up to the unit.

The EAGLE 2 provides more than just offer the standard confined space protection for LEL, O2, H2S and CO. This is important for complex facilities that have specific gas detection requirements. The Eagle 2 features detection combinations with the industry’s widest selection of high quality, long life and field proven sensors. Including PID (Photo Ionization Detector) capability and conversion factors for a variety of common gases and an LEL/PPM catalytic sensor, the Eagle 2 is the monitor of choice for many municipalities and industrial processing plants around the world.

The EAGLE 2 has a strong internal pump with a low flow auto pump shut off and alarm, which can draw samples from up to 125 feet. This allows for quick response and recovery from distant sampling locations. The EAGLE 2 will continuously operate for over 18 hours on alkaline batteries or 20 hours on NiMH. A variety of accessories are also available to help satisfy almost any application such as long sample hoses, special float probes for tank testing, and dilution fittings, just to name a few. Datalogging is a standard feature for all sensors on all versions.

If you have questions about continuous monitoring, or gas detection in general, please don’t hesitate to contact us online at www.pksafety.com or give us a call at 1-800-829-9580 Monday through Friday from 7am – 5pm PST.

Posted in Confined Space, Gas Detection | Tagged active-passive, Confined Space, confined space access, Confined Space Entry, continuous operation gas monitoring, gas detection, non-entrant, permit required confined space, PRCS, topside monitoring, Tripod | Leave a comment

What is the Best Protection From Lead Dust?

Posted on May 8, 2013 by Justin McCarter

A customer recently wrote to us asking about protection from lead dust. Here is his question, and our response:

I have been melting lead wheel weights as well as other sources of lead for fishing weights (bouncing Betty’s) as small as 1 oz and as big as 2 #’s – also round downrigger weights from 1#, 2# ,4#, 5#, 7#, & 10#, and 10,12, and 15# downrigger weights with keels.

I have also made triangular anchors from 4# and as large as 40#. as well as tons of #7 & #8 shot for trap shooting.

I have been doing this for over 10 years without using much protection (including common sense) except fairly good ventilation.

About 2 years ago, my bad habits caught up to me and I nearly succumbed to lead poisoning.
Now, I’ve got about two tons of ingots and customers for all of it but I am still leery about getting close to the stuff.

It seems that nobody in the area where I live knows anything about what precautions you should take (even when they’re selling the stuff) Would it be possible to send me a list of what I should be using for max. protection.

I’m working about 15 miles from home with no water except what I carry so I thought I should have my darling pick me up and give me a ride home in back of the pick-up when I’ve had enough – I have a canopy
After I blast myself clean (would hot or cold water do the job ??) I could have my darling take me back and we could go thru the same routine in the morning until I was finished.

Thanks

Bob R.

From PK Safety:

Well Bob, you are right to be concerned about lead dust and the dangers of melting lead for fishing weights and shot. And you’re not the only one who has been doing it so long they almost forgot it was dangerous.

There are some fairly simply ways to greatly reduce that danger. Good ventilation likely saved you from doing yourself more damage in the past. As you move forward with your plans to dispose of your stock of lead ingots and scrap, ventilation should continue to be part of your protection.

Always try to blow clean air into your work area as opposed to trying to blow it out. Preferably you’ll have a blower/ventilator on one side of your work area, and a wide open way for that contaminated air to escape on the other side.

For lung protection, you want filters or cartridges that meet the P100 (HEPA) standards. HEPA stands for High-efficiency Particulate Air, and filters meeting this standard are able to remove 99.97% of all particles greater than 0.3 microns (or micrometers) from the air passing through it.

We often recommend a Lead and Asbestos Dust Respirator that features an inexpensive 3M mask and P100 filters. 3M makes a more comfortable mask made from silicon that is much more soft and flexible. And for lots of jobs the 3M 7500 Series Half Face Mask is preferable because it’s so much more comfortable for extended projects.

The good thing about the 3M 6000 series mask is it’s not that expensive, and you won’t be too broken up about disposing of the mask once your project is done. And that’s just what we advise. Lead dust will stick to the mask, and you’ll never get it all off even if you clean it well. Later on if you use it again, you’ll touch it with bare hands or the dust will be knocked off and all your caution spent in this project is out the window.

It’s also a very good idea to protect your skin from contact with the lead dust, especially if you’re moving lots of it. DuPont makes disposable protective coveralls that are designed to keep dangerous particles – such as lead – from getting to you. These coveralls are also something you’ll want to get rid of once your project is over. Also, it’s a good idea to order these one size too big, as real work tends to involve more squatting and twisting than these things can handle when they are snug.

Gloves are also highly recommended. We recommend simple palm coated gloves like the MCR Safety 9688 Flex Tuff II gloves. They’re also inexpensive, protective, and have a grey latex coating that makes getting a good grip on things easier. One good tip is to tape your gloves to your Tyvek suit once you get them all on. It will keep everything covered even when you are reaching and working.

You’ve definitely got the right idea about protection. Please let us know if you have any more questions. Or if you’ve caught a bunch of fish and are looking to give some away. We are available by phone 7am til 5pm PST, or during those same hours online at www.PKSafety.com.

Posted in Respiratory | Tagged air mask, fishing weights, lead dust, lead exposure, lead poisoning, Respirator | Leave a comment

MythBusters Use Fall Protection in Cliffhanger Reenactment

Posted on May 1, 2013 by Justin McCarter

Of course we love the Discovery Channel show MythBusters. The experiments they attempt often involve doing dangerous things while wearing the proper safety equipment. Sure, sometimes things go wrong. Nobody seems to be able to let that cannonball incident go.

If you don’t remember the cannonball, here’s what the Washington Post had to say about it. The cannonball fired near a San Francisco neighborhood took an “unforeseen bounce.” “Then…the errant cannonball stormed off the set and headed over to a residential neighborhood, bounced off a sidewalk, tore through someone’s front door, zipped up the stairs and through an occupied bedroom, blew out the back of the house, blasted over a six-lane thoroughfare and skimmed the top of another house, before brutally attacking a parked Toyota minivan.”

At the end of the day, nobody got hurt. And you have to love that paragraph. But we recently got hold of another clip from the MythBusters, and we have been wondered about their fall protection program. Is it as full of holes (seriously, we couldn’t resist) as their cannon aiming?

In this clip we see the show’s star, Jamie Hyneman, wearing an excellent Delta II Construction Harness for fall protection as he attempts to recreate a scene from the also excellent, but in a different way, Cliffhanger movie with Sylvester Stallone.

As I say, we are all in favor of folks sporting Delta harnesses, and it appears he is also wearing a DBI-SALA Shockwave 2 Shock Absorbing Lanyard. Where it looks like it’s going off the rails, so to speak, from an OSHA standards viewpoint (and we’re not at all sure this is something that would even need to meet those standards) is the fact that he’s hooked the lanyard rebar hook to another hook which is attached to a Self-Retracting Lifeline or SRL. And this, from a manufacturer’s recommendation standpoint, is strictly a no-no.

We’re perfectly willing to ignore the fact that the SRL was suspended from the prongs of a forklift. I have no idea if that is capable of supporting 5,000 lbs. and is a suitable anchor for the device. Clearly it worked. The fall protection did its job and he lived. The fall clearance was more than adequate for the fall protection. Nor was there any real chance of roll-out, which is the major fear when two hooks are paired together.

So, while it may not have been pretty, and it didn’t strictly obey OSHA regulations for fall safety implementation, we are pleased that nobody sustained any injuries, and the show will go on for it’s upcoming 10th season. Go MythBusters!

Posted in General Safety | 1 Comment

The Draeger X-dock – Calibration and Documentation Made Easy

Posted on April 29, 2013 by Justin McCarter

Draeger has recently released their next generation bump test and calibration station – the X-dock. This new system provides function and bump testing, calibration, documentation, and reporting on a modular, easy to use platform.

The new Draeger X-dock system doesn’t require a PC, so it can be a stand-alone unit. The user interfaces with the X-dock via touch screen, and the docks can be connected and the manager can handle up to 10 instruments and all of their critical data.

X-dock units can be networked and provide their data to a central command or safety office in larger facilities. The central server collects and evaluates the data from the separate X-docks thereby creating a greater overall understanding of the gas detection progress across the facility. This can help safety managers recognize trends in worker’s exposure to hazardous gases.

The X-dock also claims to be able to help reduce overall operational costs. We know from experience the Draeger bump test and calibration stations use far less gas than other manufacturers for their basic operation. The same is true for the X-dock. By using the bare amount of gas required for testing they reduce overall gas consumption as well as reduce testing time.

The X-dock is also a fairly simple device and has low maintenance requirements. A good maintenance program will also help reduce down time for monitors. X-docks have built in predictive maintenance to help remind safety workers or others responsible for the operation of the monitors when routine maintenance is coming up.

The X-dock calibration and bump test stations are also intuitive and easy to use. They require only minimal training for the operator, and are able to be easily understood by people familiar with using gas monitors for regular detection. The overall efficiency of your gas monitor program is further aided by automatic documentation. X-dock manager software allows you to compile data for a greater understanding of the hazards faced in your workplace as well as quick and painless record keeping.

If you have questions about your Draeger monitors and bump testing and calibration stations, or you want to learn more specifically about the X-dock units, please give us a ring at 800-829-9580 or visit us online at www.pksafety.com.

Posted in General Safety | Leave a comment

The GX-2012 Topside Gas Monitor Seen in the Wild!

Posted on April 24, 2013 by Justin McCarter

We just wrote about what a great continuous topside monitor the RKI GX-2012 is. Apparently the word is already on the street. This photo was taken in downtown San Francisco recently. And while all we can guess from this photo is that there may be some vacuuming going on down in that confined space, we are heartened to see they are using not only the reliable RKI Instruments GX-2012, but they are also protecting the area with one of our Allegro Manhole Guard Rails.

Safe confined space entry procedures call for a reliable 4-gas, pump-enabled monitor like the the GX-2012 for testing the air in the immediate entry area, but workers going below who may be going further down into the space should also be wearing or carrying a diffusion monitor. RKI’s GX-2009 is ideal for workers making the confined space entry, not only because it’s so small and light (only 4.6 oz.), but also because RKI sensor technology is known for its reliability.

The two monitors working in tandem create what is known as the “Active-Passive System” of gas monitoring. The diffusion monitors are with the workers in their specific work areas. Micro atmospheres can be encountered that differ from the rest of the confined space because of the shape of that specific space – trapping gas – or there may be an area that is producing hazardous atmospheric conditions – such as an area with a combustion engine producing exhaust and displacing oxygen.

There are so many things that can go wrong in a confined space, but they usually don’t. The fact that confined spaces are so often benign lulls workers into a false sense of security. Gas monitors, especially when working in tandem like we have been talking about, are paying attention even while workers are concentrating on their specific tasks, and not on the suitability of the area they are working in. Nobody (well, few of us) want to spend all day in a dark, cramped, often smelly confined space. Workers get in to complete a specific task, and are anxious to get back into the open air. Proper monitoring is able to provide an early warning system for workers when they use them correctly.

If you see gas monitors being used out in the wild, or your team is taking them into confined spaces, snap a picture and send it in. If I can use it I’ll send you a PK Safety hat (quantities are limited). Thanks for reading and keep monitoring!

Posted in Confined Space | Tagged active-passive, Confined Space, confined space access, Confined Space Entry, gas detection, non-entrant, permit required confined space, PRCS, topside monitoring, Tripod | Leave a comment

Waste Collection Workers High Risk of Injury

Posted on April 22, 2013 by Justin McCarter

Waste collection has always been a more injury-prone occupation than most. In both fatal and non-fatal accident categories, refuse collectors are at high risk. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics shows many of the fatal accidents being caused by transportation – either passing cars, other work vehicles, or their own refuse trucks. Slips, falls, and trips also occur with regularity, along with cuts and lacerations.

Safety equipment is critical for these workers, and is most often supplied by their employers. Waste management employers know the keeping workers safe is a great way to safe money. But as anyone involved with safety can tell you, it’s the equipment that is worn and used regularly that has the best chance of protecting a worker. Here is our list of products that keep garbagemen and women safest.

One of the most common problems for garbage collectors is lower back strain. One container may be empty while the next is filled with concrete. A Back Support Body Belt is a great way to keep people healthy. If you’ve ever had back problems you know how debilitating they can be.

Lacerations typically occur on hands and arms. When buying gloves, make sure to look for cut resistance. One model to consider is the Ansell Hyflex CR 11-500. These gloves are made with DuPont Kevlar and Spandex for comfort and cut protection. They also provide a good grip on slippery surfaces, even those with a slight oil coating.

Seeing is great. Being seen is sometimes even better. Many garbage collectors work early morning shifts where lack of light, or early morning light make being seen by passing motorists and people pulling out of their driveways a serious problem. Reflective vests or reflective winter clothing make it much easier for sleepy morning drivers and other work vehicles to see you as you move about your work.

Finally, hearing problems arising from noisy work sites and equipment are common among waste workers. Disposable and reusable earplugs are an inexpensive solution to this problem. Disposable earplugs are more popular because they often get dirty. An earplug like the Moldex Pura-Fit 6800 provides outstanding hearing protection while also being extremely comfortable. The 6800s are also packaged in individual pairs so they can be stored in the truck, pocket, or locker of the worker to make them easily accessible.

As we’ve mentioned before, making personal protective equipment (PPE) handy and easy to use is a key to keeping workers safe. Comfortable equipment that is there when you need it can not only keep workers safe, it can also keep your operation running smoothly by keeping more workers available to work shifts.

If you have questions about alternate products, or PPE in general, please don’t hesitate to call or contact us online at www.pksafety.com.

Posted in General Safety | Tagged cut resistant gloves, ear plugs, garbage worker, garbageman, trash truck, trashman, waste collection, waste management | Leave a comment

Fertilizer Plant Explosion Poses Serious Air Safety Issues

Posted on April 18, 2013 by Justin McCarter

The deadly explosion of the West Fertilizer Plant in West, Texas is still in the search and rescue stages, but serious air quality risks may now be affecting local residents and rescue workers. What can emergency workers and volunteers do to minimize the health hazards that are likely present on the site of, and in the immediate vicinity of, this most recent US explosion?

At a news conference, local Waco Police Department Sgt. William Swanton said this morning, “Air quality, at this point, is not an issue. It’s not a concern.” But accidents in other parts of the country, from small refinery fires to 9/11, have shown this may be a short-sighted assessment.

High-quality disposable respirators, also called dust masks, can shield rescue workers and volunteers from a range of airborne hazards. Masks like the Moldex 2730 or the 3M 8233 are both high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters capable of removing 99.97% of particles down to 0.3 microns. These filters provide lung protection for toxic dust and other heavy industrial particles that are likely present in the air due to the West explosion. Another option is to put high quality HEPA filters on non-disposable half-face respirator masks like the 3M Lead and Asbestos Kits, or to use the more comfortable silicon 3M half-face masks with the proper filters for long-term wear.

Ammonium nitrate is often the first thing many people think of when they hear about a fertilizer plant. However ammonium nitrate (or NH4NO3) may not prove to be the most dangerous air contaminant associated with the explosion at this point. Once the fertilizer compounds containing the ammonium nitrate burn along with other chemicals present at the plant, the NH4NO3 is transformed into different compounds and particles, now airborne, which can have serious consequences for people in the area who aren’t using proper preventative lung protection.

While the state and/or local officials may have provided Sgt. Swanton with his preliminary air quality report, a much smaller recent fire at the Richmond Chevron Refinery in the San Francisco Bay Area resulted in immediate shelter-in-place directives from the company as well as local agencies.

It appears the West Fertilizer Plant had no public warning system plans in place, and local police have been focusing on the immediate problems of rescue and stabilization of the injured. However, air quality and lung protection may prove, as they did in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, to be a longer term concern. While the dust from 9/11 is certainly of a different make-up, air pollution experts at the University of California Davis called those particulates “wildly toxic”. As a simple preventative measure, it makes sense, until more is known about the air quality of the area, to treat the atmosphere of the West Texas explosion as similarly dangerous.

Photo credit: USA Today

Posted in Respiratory | Tagged 3M, Dust Mask, lung protection, lung safety, Moldex, particulate mater, Respirator, toxic dust | Leave a comment

Draeger Tubes – The Color of Safety

Posted on April 17, 2013 by Justin McCarter

Colorimetric tubes are used to analyze a wide range of gases. This isn’t new technology. Draeger made their first tubes in 1937. And while there certainly have been improvements and the range of testable gases has greatly expanded, the fundamental manner of determining chemical concentrations in the air has stayed basically the same.

Draeger tubes contain a chemical color reagent that transforms colorless chemical compounds into colored, and produce consistent results of absorption depending upon the concentration of the compounds they are subjected to. Those results can be viewed and measured by looking at the clearly delineated gradation marks on the outside of the tubes.

In fact, using Draeger tubes is often easier than describing how they work. Of course the same could be said for a whole bunch of technology – iPhones, industrial lasers, toaster ovens. Colorimetric tubes are used in a wide range of industries but they are not necessarily used by highly technical people. For the most part they are used by the people working in the field; not scientists, but site maintenance professionals and contractors. That is one of the reasons Draeger tubes have continued to be so popular. Taking periodic samples of the atmosphere in potentially dangerous areas is mandatory, but not every plant or work site wants or needs the more complicated wireless, electronic gs detection technology.

The pump used to draw air through the tubes also couldn’t be simpler. The Accuro Detector Tube Pump is a manually operated bellows-style pump. Each set of Draeger tubes for gas detection comes with instructions that tells how many pumps a correct reading will take. A counter on the side of the unit makes sure you know how many times you have completed.

If you have questions about gas detection please give us a call at 800-829-9580 or contact us online at www.pksafety.com.

Posted in Gas Detection | Tagged color reagent, colorimetric tubes, Confined Space, Draeger Tubes, gas detection, gas monitoring | Leave a comment