Step Ladder Safety

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There is a common misconception that using step ladders are much safer than using an extension ladder or the ladder going to the top of the Highline, right? Wrong! Most falls on site are under 6 feet. Yet workers continue to misuse step ladders. Here are a few key points to make sure you’re not a statistic.

Always do your pre-work inspection. I feel like I say this a hundred times a day but I can’t stress this enough. You don’t know what the last worker did to it or how it was stored, etc, etc. Make sure all the feet of the ladder are secure. Get a coworker to hold it in place for you if you can. Use 3 points of contact. Always face the ladder while on it. Don’t walk down it like stairs. Never stand or sit on the top rung of the ladder. Every site has different standards for what height to tie off at. Make sure you know and follow this.

Make sure to follow the same precautions on a step ladder as any other ladder. Just because you’re not 15 meters up, doesn’t mean you’re safe. So stay safe and follow the rules.

Tire Safety

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Whether you’re a foreman, rig welder or the safety officer… your truck takes a beating on site. Most people do their pre-use walkarounds (if you don’t… you should start) but what are you looking for? Lights work ☑️, nothing blocking you ☑️, no leaks ☑️. But when was the last time you checked your tires? This is an often overlooked hazard that can be a life or death one.

Depending on the season, check to make sure you have the proper tire for the weather. 7°C and colder needs winter tires. Do a visual check, noting any excessive wear and tear, holes, nails and cracks. Check your pressure, this is actually listed on the owners manual not on the tire. Check your tread. The best way to do this is stick a quarter in the tread with the Caribou’s nose facing down, towards the tire, if you can still see his whole nose and face… It’s time for new tires.

A 5 second check could be the difference between arriving to your destination safe and sound or blowing a tire on highway 63 and ending up in the hospital or worse. Always check your tires, especially before a long trip.

Die Grinder Safety

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Die grinders are a lifesaver for any apprentice welder, I don’t how I would have gotten through my first and second year without it. At one point my foreman asked me if I was a Welder or a “Grinder”? Thank goodness I got the hang of welding, unfortunately there’s no Red Seal program for grinding. Even though these little grinders are lifesavers, they can also be very hazardous. Take note of a few tips to keep die grinding a helper and not a mishap.

Always read and follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Do a pre-work inspection before every use. Make sure the rating of the disc or wheel is compatible with the grinder. Never remove or alter factory guards. Have a good stance, feet shoulder width apart and a good grip. Depending on the wheel, these grinders can have a lot of kick back, that usually heads straight for your face. So be cautious, have long hair tied back and make sure you are wearing all the proper PPE. Don’t forget to make sure you’re in a save environment to grind, no flammables or combustibles.

These grinders are little powerhouses, remember that goes for the injuries they can cause too. So always use caution when handling them. The best way to lower your risk… Is get better at welding, no grinder needed.

Back to School

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It’s that time of year again… When parents all over rejoice as their kids head back to school. Make sure to take time out of your happy dance to go over some safety tips to keep you kiddos safe.

Go over the basics with your youngster; Always cross at a marked crosswalk. Look both ways and wait until a complete stop has been made to proceed. Make eye contact with the driver. Always stay on the sidewalk or path.

As for drivers; follow posted speed limits, especially in school zones. Stay alert, keep your eyes on the road, you never know when a child could dart out in front of you. Never pass another vehicle stopped for pedestrians or drop off.

Keeping these little ones safe is every drivers job. Reckless driving, whether it’s speeding or taking a quick glance at your phone could take away their chance at a future… which is worth so much more than your text message or getting to you destination 2 minutes faster. Take extra care on the roads this week… And always.

Labour Day

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Happy Labour Day! We want to take a minute and recognize all you hard working Canadians out there. As trade people this is a day we should take pride in. Also remembering the workers before us that fought hard for our right to better working conditions and our safer work environments. So pay it back and keep yourself and others working safely.  Enjoy the long weekend.

Tick Safety

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Ticks carrying Lyme disease has been on an all-time high in the last few years. With some trades and at some sites you have no choice but to work in areas where ticks are commonly found. The good news is that the black-legged ticks that can carry the bacteria that can cause Lyme disease are not as common here as in other parts of the world. But we should still protect ourselves just the same.

Use a bug spray containing DEET to deter them for you, make sure to reapply as needed throughout the day. Your clothing should be covering you as much as possible, that shouldn’t be a problem if you’re properly dressed for work. Your arms, legs, hands, head and feet should be covered anyways. Try to stay out of areas where they live if there’s a path take it, don’t go trudging through the woods or tall grass unless you have to. Check for ticks periodically. If you find a tick, safely remove it. Seek medical attention if you have the tell-tale bullseye around the bite mark. Also if you develop flu-like symptoms, sore muscles, joint pain, chills, fatigue or just a general feeling of unwell.

Lyme disease can cause you a lifetime of problems. The key to avoiding it is preventing ticks from biting you; and a clean quick removal if they do. Also remember, if you’re bitten by a tick, try to save the body after removal and take it in for testing; this will help you identify future risks.

Amputation Prevention

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If you worked in the trade for any amount of time you have met a few old timers that are missing a finger or two. Workers seem to think this doesn’t happen anymore, but it’s not just the old timers and it’s not just fingers; amputations happen everyday in the trades. Let’s make sure it doesn’t happen to us.

First off, don’t use equipment that you are not trained to use. Don’t ever bypass guards for any reason, they are there to protect you. If you’re doing any maintenance on equipment, make sure that it is locked out and tagged out; this program is in place for this reason. Don’t stick your hands where they shouldn’t be or where you can’t see them. Keep your hair tucked under your hard hat and remove strings from hoodies. This will stop you from getting pulled into machinery and possibly an amputation or worse.

Nothing in your job or in any line of work is worth losing part of your body. Take the extra time and precautions and do things correctly and go home with everything intact because I hear prosthetics can cost you an arm and a leg.

The Sky is Falling

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When I was a second-year, I was working on the top of the highline. I had every tool with a lanyard on it except for my spray paint which of course I dropped from the highest point of the highline. It pinged off every pipe and scaffold on the way down and when it hit the ground it exploded in what can only be described as an atomic bomb of galvanized spray paint. This 100% should have been reported but my journeyman at the time said “look away, pretend it wasn’t you, we don’t know what happened” (Which is not an excuse… I should have reported it… But that’s for another post).  I remember I kept thinking “what if that hit someone?”. That’s just it… even the smallest tools, equipment or hardware dropped from heights can cause serious injuries… Even death. After this incident you can bet your bottom dollar that I never dropped anything again. Here’s a couple tips to make sure you don’t make the same mistake I did.

If you can, flag off the area below you. If nobody is in the drop zone under you, then nobody gets hurt. However dropping items from heights can also cause property damage so keep that in mind. If it’s not possible to flag off or if the risk of property damage is too great, then take precautions to stop things from even having a chance to fall. Use a tool net, put down a fire blanket under your work area and use tool lanyards. Only have what you need when working at heights, the less inventory you have up there the better. Don’t store tools at heights overnight. Night shift may not know they’re there, weather can pick up and move things around, it’s just a safe practice to bring them down every shift.

Dropping tools from heights is 100% preventable, but it’s up to you to do the extra work to prevent it.

Healthy Diet

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Take a look around the lunch room and you’ll notice most of your coworkers are starting their day with a pot of coffee and about 3 cigarettes  (obviously not smoking in the lunchroom…right?). You’ll notice lunch will be a bag of chips, a chocolate bar and a soda. Maybe this may even be your go-to diet. But eating like this doesn’t hurt just your waistline. An unhealthy diet has major effects on your brain. Junk food directly affects you hippocampus (your hippo-what?). This is a part of the brain that is in charge of memory, mental health and learning. All of which are key things for working safe… and overall day to day functioning. Eating a healthy well-balanced diet not only reduces your risk of heart disease and obesity, it can keep you sharp at work. I’m not saying eat broccoli all day, but lower your sugar intake and skip the fast food, especially at work, it makes you sluggish. And hey, broccoli really isn’t that bad, is it?

Construction Dust/Silica

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Dust comes with the territory at any given construction site. From the roads to cutting concrete.  Other than just making us dirty this dust can also lead to life threatening illnesses, such as lung disease, silicosis and kidney disease. We can definitely lower our chances of these diseases by following these steps.

First and foremost if you can remove the hazard; do so.  Use wet cutting, including chloride (it helps retain moisture longer than water), wet dusty roads and use low-dust joint compounds.  Good housekeeping is a must. If possible use plastic sheeting for an easy cleanup, invest in a good shop vacuum and wear your respirator. Be sure you have the proper mask and/or cartridges.

In our line of work dust is inevitable, but having a lifelong battle with lung disease doesn’t have to be. Make sure to use any means necessary to reduce your risk.