Tool Box Talks

If a crew is working on a particularly hazardous task, we use red tape to keep other workers from entering freely. So does this mean we can just stumble into anyone’s work area that has no red tape without consent or knowledge of our presence? I definitely wouldn’t recommend it. This just in… all jobs […]

Now that we have all the scary stuff out of the way… Let’s talk about prevention. The most important way to prevent any of these cold stress illnesses is to be prepared. Dress appropriately for the conditions you’re working in, try to stick to the three layer rule. You want to make sure if you

Frostbite is when your skin actually freezes due to extreme cold or even touching extremely cold items (another reason to keep your gloves on, especially while handling anything metal such as a wrench in extremely cold conditions). Frostbite can leave you with damaged tissue, which will always be more susceptible to injury in cold conditions

Signs of hypothermia include shivering, cold, pale skin, clumsiness and slurring of words. If you notice this in yourself or a coworker get to somewhere warm quickly. If you have any wet clothing, change it out for dry clothing. Use dry blankets or clothing to warm up. Put something on your head to keep the

We definitely can’t complain too much about the weather so far this winter… But that doesn’t mean it’s going to stay that way. Temperatures can drop way below zero in these parts. You know, when it actually hurts to breathe (ugggghh why do we live here?). Every site and/or company has its own limits on

I wish every time a worker made a conscious decision to do a task safely, they were rewarded with some sort of prize. Wouldn’t that be nice, gift cards, treats, money, gas cards… All for doing your job safely. What people don’t seem to realize is every time you do a task safely, you are

You’ve inspected all your rigging equipment. You’ve checked the load weight and centre of gravity. You’ve checked the stamped SWL (you know what this is right?) on each piece of the rigging equipment and verified it is well within the load weight. You rig up the load and raise it a mere half an inch

Now when it comes to hanging your lights, never use nails, staples, tacks or anything that can puncture the protective coating on the cord. Especially anything metal… It conducts electricity, remember. Try plastic hooks or clips instead, the clips are much quicker too! Make sure to keep cords out of walkways or hanging where someone

Nothing tells your neighbors that you are the merriest of all like an outdoor display of Christmas lights similar to Clark Griswold himself. Whether you’re hanging one simple string of lights or a massive array so bright that it can be seen from Mars… You need to do it safely. Here’s a few tips to

I think the hardest obstacle to overcome regarding safety in the trades is attitude. Unfortunately so many workers still complain about having to wear a hard hat while welding, gloves while putting screws on, traction aids in the winter, safety glasses when they get foggy or an uncomfortable respirator when grinding. I could actually go