Happy Mother’s Day

Even in 2018, only a mere 7% of new enrollment into the trades are women. We want to give a shout out to all you hard working Mama’s, killin it as a tradesperson, and raising strong boys and girls at the same time. Play it safe out there and make sure you get home safely to your little, or not so little ones…they need you…and to everyone else…you’re welcome for reminding you that Mother’s Day is this Sunday. Don’t forget to do something special for your mom. Buy her a bottle of wine, after all you’re probably the reason she drinks…Kidding of course…Kind of!😉

Phone Safety

In this tech savvy world, it’s hard to believe that you can’t use your phone, or even have it on you at work, right? Actually no. There are two simple reasons why you can’t.

  1. Obviously for work production reasons, and
  2. Safety!

Cell phones are not intrinsically safe. Big word…I know right. So what does that mean? It means that cell phones give off thermal and electrical energy that could cause sparks and therefore possibly fire and explosions. Also, remember when all the Galaxy Note 7 phones were recalled? Yeah…lithium batteries can burst into flames when contact to oxygen is made. So hashtagging while on certain sites could potentially cost you and your co-workers your lives.

Is that really worth it?  

Hard Hat Safety

You get to site, you get a hard hat and that’s, that. But did you know there’s more to it? Here are a few quick tips to keep your hard hat safe and your head (yes your brain people!) even safer.

  1. Always inspect your lid. Especially right after you smack into that pipe that wasn’t there yesterday. These hats are designed to take the impact from the blow instead of your head. So, when it does its job, give it a quick once-over to make sure there are no cracks or chunks missing. 
  2. When working at heights, make sure you have a chin fastener on. Your hat isn’t going to do anything for you, if it falls off your head during a fall. A fall from any height can lead to broken bones, sprains, torn muscles and even death. If your lid is securely attached to your noggin, you have much better odds.
  3. No modifications. I know you want to be the cool kid on site with horns on your lid, but modifications to your hard hat can be deadly. For example, painting your lid with a metal based paint…well you just made it conduct electricity! Add anything to your lid and you are messing with the rating of that hat.

Remember, they are given to you to protect you from bumps, bruises, lacerations, sunstroke, hair catching in machinery, welding sparks, falls and even death. Taking your safety seriously is pretty cool if you ask me…No horns or paint necessary. Take care of yourself and always keep a lid on it!  👷 

Working at Heights

Working at Heights Ontario is now available at all our facilities…Learn more and book today!

Working at heights can be a bit nerve racking for some, but it’s also a very necessary part of any trade, so you won’t be getting out of it too easily. Here are a few tips to take the nerves out of the equation.

  1. Always give all of your fall pro gear an inspection. Every time! Even if you just used it before lunch and now you’re heading back up. You never know what happened to it while it was hanging in the boot room. If something does go wrong, you want to be confident that everything is in good working order.
  2. Do you know how much clearance you need, from that tie-off point you’re using, to keep you from bottoming out?  How about what you might whack into as you swing back-and-forth? And….what about your free fall? How much will it hurt as your equipment stops your fall?  Here are some simple light-hearted animations that show an easy way to figure it all out. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3CPfxshoDL_OayJkOenIRA?view_as=subscriber
  3. Make a plan! What if you do fall? Are you just going to hang there till someone notices? I’d hope not. This equipment is made to save you in case of a fall, but you don’t want to be dangling there for too long. After a short period of time you can start to lose consciousness, lose limbs and even die. So make a rescue plan. Work closely with your partner, foreman and the emergency crew on site.

Spring Weather

Spring is finally in the air 🌷. If you’re in Alberta, this is a big deal! (It’s like Game of Thrones there). Along with the warmer weather comes some pretty treacherous storms. I know that after working outside all winter, the rain, thunder and lightning can seem like a walk in the park, but there are some serious safety risks with stormy weather. Here are are some tips to keep you safe and maybe even dry.

  1. Pay attention. For the most part, crews will be called into the lunch room or a safe building till the storm passes. This is not the time to try and impress your foreman and get a little extra work done! Just stop what you’re doing and go where they tell you to.
  2. If your working at heights, just come down. Don’t wait on a crew member to give you the okay if there is lightning and thunder in the area. You’re standing on a lot of conductive material and nowhere up there is safe. Hit the ground and then look for a shelter.
  3. Find the best shelter. Any sustainable building, lunch room, electrical building and even a wash cart. You want to stay away from fab tents, tool cribs or any other open shelter. If nothing else is available, a vehicle can be used as your last resort.
  4. If there is nowhere to go and you have to ride out the storm outside, there are a few precautions you can take to lessen your chances of being struck. Don’t stand next to anything tall…a matter of fact… don’t stand at all. Crouch with as little of your body touching the ground as possible. Get into a trench or a ditch and stay away from bodies of water.
  5. Lastly, wait 30 minutes from the last clap of thunder or lightning to go back to work. Hopefully, you manage to stay dry too, if not, the good news is you’re not sugar.. you won’t melt. Happy Spring!

PPE: Personal Protective Equipment

In oil and gas industry production managers face many challenges concerning personal protective equipment (PPE) compliance. PPE is designed to protect and prevent workplace injuries. It can include items such as hard hats, gloves, eye protection, footwear, harnesses, etc.

Employers are responsible for providing and enforcing the use of personal protective equipment. Also employers must ensure that appropriate PPE is identified and being used by workers. Workers must be trained in the use of PPE prior to use.

Head Protection

Hard hats need to be CSA approved and meet site standards. When using a hard hat inspect it regularly, don’t paint it, don’t use it if it has a crack or deep gouge and keep it clean.

Don’t forget neck protection, eg scarves for use during welding.

Wearing earplugs or earmuffs can help prevent damage to hearing. Exposure to high noise levels can cause irreversible hearing loss or impairment as well as physical and psychological stress.

Foot Protection

Boots must protect ankle, sole, toes and meet CSA and site standards. It is worker’s responsibility to keep boots in good condition and keep laces tied up at all times to avoid tripping.

Eye Protection

Make sure the eye protection has the right combination of impact/dust/splash/molten metal eye protection for the task and fits the user properly.

Hand Protection

Avoid gloves when operating machines such as bench drills where the gloves could get caught. Mandatory in operating and maintenance areas.

Wristlets are used to reduce contact with hot materials between gloves and sleeves.