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If you use a hoist for confined space entry on a regular basis, the DBI-SALA 8518000 Advanced 5-Piece Hoist System, though more expensive, is so far superior to a standard tripod they are hardly in the same category.

The Advanced 5-Piece Hoist System is designed to make entry and exit of confined spaces quick and reliable.  This system is lightweight, modular, and can be adapted to many different entry scenarios.

Especially popular with municipalities, water districts and other industries that have lots of double-hatch doors as their entrance for confined space entry, the 8518000 is easily managed by two workers.  Because double-hatch entry points are generally much wider than the standard manhole, tripods are generally not capable of providing adequate access.

The DBI-SALA 8518000 Advanced 5 Piece Hoist System is made of aluminum, so it’s amazingly light.  Each piece of the system is easy to carry.  This mobility and ease of set-up is a major advantage over other similar products.  When broken down, the pieces are small enough to fit into the trunk of a mid-sized car, and certainly would fit into the back of a pick-up with room to spare.

No tools are required to assemble the hoist system.  Simply fit the pieces together using pin locks, adjust the leg heights to fit your specific site, and you’ll have a strong, basic structure up very quickly.

Your main winch can easily be attached to the vertical pole for simple lowering and retrieval.  In addition, a secondary winch can also be attached if you are going into a space that doesn’t have a ladder or other means of climbing support.  In that case you will need two winches – one for fall protection, and one for retrieval.  Both winches can fit easily onto this one unit.

One more advantage to the 5818000 over standard tripods or other hoist systems is the pivoting arm.  Even with several hundred pounds of weight, either from a person or a piece of equipment, the top section pivots easily and can move the load out and to the side of the entry point.

Tripods work fine when you only have to use them on the rare occasion, but if you need a dependable system that is a big step up from a standard tripod set-up, you can learn more about the Advanced 5-Piece Hoist System from the folks at PK Safety.

Justin Confined Space Confined Space Entry, confined space hoist, confined space winch, hoist, hoist system, OSHA standards, winch

Every once in a while there is an innovation in fall protection that changes the face of worker safety. The Nano-Lok self-retracting lifeline from Capital Safety is that kind of device.

If you had a choice of falling 15 feet or 20 inches, which would you prefer? We’ll go with the 20 inches, thanks. Take a look at our video showing the features of this new piece of fall protection. We think you’ll agree, the Nano-Lok is best thing to happen to fall protection in a long time.

We all agree that self-retracting lanyards provide superior fall protection. But until now, they have been prohibitively expensive. With the Nano-Lok, Capital Safety and DBI-SALA offer a retractable device for about the same price as a traditional shock-absorbing lanyard. Shop our selection now.

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Your specific job in the oil industry is going to determine what features a harness needs to best suit your work.   However oil rig and derrick workers that live in their harnesses all day every day will also want certain features above and beyond the minimal requirements of safety.

First of all, make sure you have a harness that fits well.  It seems obvious, but good adjustment points allow for fine tuning.  Your harness should fit like a good pair of jeans – comfortable and not too tight. Every body is a little different so look for a harness that has adjustment on the legs, torso and across the chest so you can get just the right fit.

We also recommend harnesses that come with quick-connect buckles for the leg straps so that getting suited up doesn’t require re-adjustment each time.

If you wear your harness daily, look for a model that has padding on the shoulders, legs and hips to keep the pressure off and provide extra comfort while working.  These pads are often built-in to avoid slipping.  The best padding will have some type of breathable lining between you and the pad to keep moisture away from your body and allow you to stay dry.  In addition to the padding, the underlying webbing straps should also be of high quality and be flexible and softer while still being strong.

Derrick harnesses have 18 in. extensions to the dorsal D-ring, and a D-ring at the back of the derrick belt for monkey board work where fall restraint is needed when leaning over the abyss and tripping pipe.  Additionally, the derrick belt attachment also has a belly board with attachment rings for easy, hands-free positioning.

Another important harness option is the seat support offered by a sub-pelvic strap.  This nylon strap goes between the two leg straps giving your behind something to land on in case of a fall.  It helps you avoid a situation where the force of a fall pulls your legs up and apart.  This can be extremely uncomfortable and is known as the “wishbone”.

You also need to think about being able to wash your harness.  Oil rigs will make your gear filthy in no time flat.  Make sure you’ve got a harness that can be cleaned and possibly look for harness materials that are resistant to stain, dirt and grime.

At PK Safety we sell several different models of oil rig harnesses.  Check out our Offshore Oil Rig Safety Equipment page for more oil rig safety gear.

Justin Fall Protection Fall Protection, gas and oil industry, monkey boards, oil industry harness, oil rig, oil rig fall protection, OSHA harness, tripping pipe

Steel-Toe.  It just sounds American. A steel-toe boot can deal with just about anything.  It’s a tool as well as a protective foot covering.  How often have you used that steel-toed boot to move something along, or help you pry away a board that you are also working with your hands?

The steel-toed Monarch PVC boots from Onguard are 16 in. tall and allow you to slog through the muck or mud.  Kick a rock or drop a wrench?  That doesn’t matter if you are wearing knee-high PVC boots with a steel toe cover and reinforced shank.  It’s like wearing armor.

Boots like this can lead the way.  They repel water and mud, of course.  They are 100% waterproof.  They also have excellent resistance to caustic materials and acids.  That’s right – protection from acid.  The Monarch black PVC steel-toe boots are (sort of) like something a superhero would wear.  Granted the superhero’s boots would probably allow you to fly or climb slick vertical walls, but for $18.50 you get acid protection and can kick a concrete step without feeling much.  And that’s pretty good.  Plus these boots comply with ASTM F2413-05.  Superhero boots?  Not compliant.

The deep grooves in the soles give excellent traction in slippery situations, and they are amazingly comfortable to wear, even when you are kicking rocks.  The Monarch PVC steel-toe boots have a cleated outsole and a replaceable cushion insole.  This means they are comfy on the inside and “cleated” – which we take to mean “like wearing cleats” on the outside.

16 in. sides will keep whatever the road throws at you out of your boots.   And if you want to adjust the size, it is easy to make them shorter: Just get your retractable utility knife out and whack them down to 12 in. at the cut off band.

These rubber boots from Onguard aren’t really rubber boots at all, they’re PVC: Injection molded.  They are also made of recycled materials and are made in the USA.  When you want to take your boots off at the end of the day, there is a smart triangular lug at the back of each boot that makes it easier to kick them off.  And while these boots are pure PVC, if you have a descent pair of socks, they are surprisingly comfortable for all day wear.  If they get dirty, spray them down to clean them, and if any moisture that gets inside they can easily be dried out quickly.

The Monarch steel-toe PVC boots from Onguard let you wade into your work and get it done.  The steel toe cap will save you from so many bangs and bruises, you probably won’t ever want to wear anything else when it comes to the dirty work of jumping in and taking care of business.

Justin General Safety ASTM, Onguard, PVC boots, Rubber Boots, Safety Boots, Safety Clothing, steel-toe, work boots, work shoes

Chances are all of us have some level of exposure to formaldehyde. Formaldehyde is inexpensive to produce and has a wide range of uses from building materials such as paint or the glue used to bind plywood, particle board and paneling to the Brazilian Blowout, a hair-straitening product found to contain startlingly high concentrations of this dangerous compound.

For those who work in industries where formaldehyde is used regularly the dangers are quite serious. Even light contact with formaldehyde (also abbreviated HCHO) can irritate the eyes and affect the mucous membranes and upper respiratory system. Prolonged or acute exposure can create severe abdominal pain, convulsions, diarrhea, bronchitis, pneumonia or pulmonary edema. Not only that, but OSHA has determined that formaldehyde is a genotoxic, showing properties of both a cancer initiator and promoter for early and late stage carcinogen. While those who work around formaldehyde regularly – agricultural workers, drug makers, furniture makers and finishers, and now salon workers – are at some risk of ingesting the compound, the more common routes for exposure are through skin absorption and inhalation.

While latex gloves provide some barrier to absorption, butyl or nitrile gloves are recommended and should be used when contact is anticipated. With regard to inhalation, employers who require workers to be exposed to formaldehyde in concentrations over .75 parts of formaldehyde per million parts of air (.75 ppm), must provide and make sure the employees wear respirators that conform to OSHA standards 1910.134 for respiratory protection. A great mask that meets these requirements is the Moldex 9000 Respirator Combination.

The Moldex 9000 is a full face respirator that, when properly worn, will protect not only the lungs of the wearer, but also the eyes and the mucous membranes that can be affected by formaldehyde fumes. The mask features Moldex 7600 Multi-Gas Vapor Smart Cartridges that are capable of filtering multiple gases that may be present in the same work space.

According to Wikipedia, last year over 50 billion tons of formaldehyde was produced worldwide. Workers and employers who work with this compound need to take steps to prevent exposure that can lead to short term and long term hazards to health.

Justin Respiratory Formaldehyde, manufacturing, OSHA, Respirator, worker protection

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) would like your gas detectors calibrated before each use. A full calibration for a 4-gas monitor requires about $6.60 worth of calibration gas, and takes about 5 minutes. This should be all the answer anyone needs, but in practice if your company has 500 monitors, it isn’t always practical and OSHA and ANSI know it.

In text attempting to clarify the issue, the two regulatory agencies submit that it is best to follow the manufacturer’s recommendations for calibration. If only these instructions were consistent, the problem would likely be solved. However, upon closer inspection, the manufacturer guidelines are also a little fuzzy.

For instance, the manufacturer of a 4-gas diffusion monitor provides an on-screen countdown of 180 days explaining in their literature that the monitor does not need to be calibrated until then. That same company produces a single-gas monitor which is supposed to be self-calibrating and last for a full two years. All fine and good, until you consider that they both use the same sensors.

OSHA refers on their website to recommendations from the International Safety Equipment Association (ISEA), a trade association for manufacturers of protective equipment, including environmental monitoring instruments. The ISEA recommends, at a minimum, verification of sensor accuracy before each day’s use. This does not necessarily include calibration, but would require bump testing – the process of subjecting the gas monitor to the gas(es) they are supposed to detect and making sure they register – each day.

The ISEA provides information about the differences between bump testing and full calibrations, and I’ll include it here because it does supply a good description of the process of when bump testing is helpful and when it isn’t enough:

In practice we have heard that companies develop their own intervals of when to bump test and when to calibrate. Our clients inform us that if they use their monitors infrequently, say every 30 days or less, then they do calibrate each time they monitor so they have confidence the monitor is responding properly. On the other hand, companies that use their devices all the time, say daily, have told us they calibrate far less frequently, perhaps every 4-6 months, but do bump testing more often (every couple of weeks) to make sure the devices are registering.

Since this is already confusing, let’s go ahead and mix in the legal implications of the data provided by the gas monitors. For readings to hold up in court as incontrovertible your gas detector must be calibrated both before and immediately after each use. This is the only way to be completely sure the monitor is functioning properly.

What we say is that it’s important to create an environment where safety is important; where all equipment – not just monitors, but harnesses, lanyards, SRLs, winches and other PPE – are checked regularly.

As for the monitors, the best information we have comes from the president of RKI Instruments, a gas monitor manufacturer who wrote an article for the National Safety Council. He explained that folks who “bump test” before each use can extend the calibration cycle to “three to six months for instruments that successfully pass the bump gas test”.

It’s also important to remember that bump testing or calibration is especially necessary when a gas monitor has been potentially damaged. The monitors are made to be durable and work for extended periods on tough work sites, but they are also sensitive instruments and severe conditions such as high gas concentrations, extreme temperatures, falls or electrical shocks cannot be assumed to have left the device fully operational. If you want to be sure your monitor is working correctly, you must bump test. If your device fails bump testing, you must calibrate to make sure the sensors and the monitor are able to provide their life saving alerts.

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Worn properly an earplug like the Howard Leight Max NRR 33 can be used in noise up to 110 dB(A).  110 dB is roughly equivalent to someone blowing a whistle a couple feet from your ear.  Aside from being extremely irritating, it’s very dangerous for your ear.  120dB is typically recognized as the pain threshold and the point where damage to your ear can happen very quickly.

On their website, the Howard Leight company writes that the best earplug is the one that is worn properly, and we might add comfortably.  We’ve found over the years that safety equipment that is comfortable and easy to wear is more likely to be used than alternates that are cumbersome or irritating.

To help you wear your ear plugs both comfortably and properly, we’ve taken a couple pictures to demonstrate the proper technique.  Howard Leight also has a pretty nice video if you still can’t quite get those plugs in.

To properly fit an earplug, here are a couple of easy to use tips that will make it easier and more effective.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Roll the ear plug with clean hands into as narrow a tube as you can.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reach over your head with your free hand and pull you ear gently up and slightly out to help open up the ear canal.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Insert the rolled up earplug with a slight turning motion until it is well inside your ear canal.  The entire length of the plug should fit inside the ear with only a small amount protruding. (See photos).  Hold the ear plug gently in place for 30-40 seconds as the foam expands so it doesn’t work its way out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If the ear plug doesn’t seem to fit properly, remove it and try again.  If you are new to wearing ear plugs, there is a natural tendency to only put a small amount of the plug into the canal.  These soft earplugs will not damage the ear, and are made to be fit deeper and to expand fully to best protect your hearing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once you have inserted the ear plug, you will hear and feel it expand to fill the canal.  If you are not used to this, it can be an odd, but not a painful, sensation.  As long as the ear plugs remain clean and free from rips and tears they may be re-used, but at our great prices, you may as well treat yourself to a new pair each time you need ear protection.

Justin General Safety comfortable ear plugs, Ear Muffs, ear plugs, ear protection, hearing protection, noise protection, PPE

The wine making industry has grown tremendously in the US over the past 20 years. Professionals and hobbyists alike ferment great quantities of pressed grapes to produce the ancient ambrosia. However, not all parts of the wine making process bring joy. There is a serious side to viticulture where cleaning equipment, tanks, vats and other confined spaces may hide potentially lethal dangers for those who press the noble grape.

Confined spaces within the wine industry can relate to any areas, fully enclosed, partially enclosed or even open topped, which are not intended to be a normal, habitable workspace. These can include fermentation vats, bins, and even some barrels. Because of the nature of fermentation as well as chemicals used for cleaning equipment (such as Potassium Metabisulfite and others), there are opportunities for sulfur dioxide (SO2), carbon dioxide (CO2), ethanol (EtOH) and even water vapor to create unsafe work atmospheres in these potentially dangerous areas where workers are required operate.

For permit required confined spaces in tanks and vats, an airline respirator is often the only appropriate respiratory device. However, in technically non-confined spaces where fumes or chemicals may be present, ventilation is critical as are respirators with filters that protect against acid gas and other organic vapors such as the 3M 6003m Organic Vapor/Acid Gas Cartridge or the Moldex 7600 Multi-Gas Vapor Smart Cartridge.

There is ample evidence to suggest that even well-trained personnel can drown or be asphyxiated when their work requires them to be exposed to the dangerous atmospheres created by wine making in a small or confined area. Wherever possible, tank work should be done without entering the tank or vat space. Long handled tools for shoveling and automated cleaning systems can keep wine makers away from potential danger.

Entry into areas that may contain toxic environments must be made by people trained in confined space entry. Those workers must have the appropriate protective gear (PPE) including a gas monitor for testing the atmosphere, a means of safe entrance and egress of the space, and the ability to be retrieved by competent people outside the space if they are overcome while working.

For all wine makers, the best line of defense against potential harm is knowledge of the dangers lurking in confined spaces. Training and written confined space programs are a must for a professional enterprise so these dangers are apparent to all workers. All areas that may contain dangerous atmospheres where a person might conceivably enter and become trapped should be labeled with warning signs and written permissions must be obtained each time workers want to enter those spaces.

To paraphrase the famous California wine maker Paul Masson, “We will enter no confined space before it has been properly ventilated and checked for any and all atmospheric hazards.” Or something like that.

 

Photo credit: Cornell Blog

Justin Confined Space acid gas, Confined Space, Confined Space Entry, Gas Monitor, organic vapor, Respirator, wine tank

 

Wishing everyone a safe and happy holiday season.   We will be back to our regular posting routine on January 2nd, 2012.

 

Please Note:  These holiday hats do not meet OSHA or ANSI standards for hard hat safety or fall safety.  They are just for fun.

 

Justin General Safety Fun, Hanukkah, Holiday, Kwanzaa, Merry Christmas

People contact us all the time asking for reflective vests that meet the ANSI Class 3 requirements.   The fact is there is no Class 3 vest unless you are Andre the Giant and wear a size 4XL.

Class 3 (or Class III) “vests” are designed to provide the highest level of visibility in extreme weather situations and around traffic going more than 50 mph.  They are required to have 1,240 inches of fluorescent background fabric and 310 inches of reflective material.  That much fabric is going to make one heck of big vest.  That’s why the typical garment that meets the minimum Class 3 requirement is actually a short sleeve shirt with reflective tape.

This fact, however, will not stop everyone from calling them Class 3 vests.  Try not to let it bother you too much.

So what are the differences between Class 2 and Class 3 vest requirements?  About 465 square inches of fluorescent material and about 109 inches of reflective tape.  Class 3 vests are designed to provide great visibility during intense weather such as hurricanes or blizzards, or to be worn by emergency personnel and traffic teams working on freeways and highways.  Class 2 vests are designed for moderate risk: school crossings, parking lots, traffic direction.  Because of the less stringent requirements, they are smaller than Class 3 vests.

For more information about the apparel requirements, check this handy 3M information sheet on ANSI 107-2004

Click here to see PK Safety Supply’s work clothing and reflective safety apparel

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