ASSE Safety Conference 2014, June 8th-11th in Orlando, FL

The ASSE Safety Conference 2014 is set to kick off Sunday, June 8th at the Orange County Convention Center (West Building) in Orlando, Florida. The annual event features a complete set of seminars, roundtables, and events that only an organization such as ASSE can offer.  The conference schedule is packed with opportunities for industry members, students, executives and other interested parties to learn, network, and enjoy a weekend in sunny Florida. Scheduled sessions are categorized based on experience level to help attendees target events that best suit their skill level and knowledge.

Safety 2014 Conference Events & Seminars

Pre-Conference Safety Training Seminars for ASSE Safety Conference 2014 began on June 5th and continue through Sunday June 8th for those arriving early . Group Meetings for industry members occur in the early evening on Sunday and Monday to provide the opportunity to network and collaborate.  The events end on Wednesday June 11th, with the morning highlight being an Executive Summit at 9:15 AM.  Events are structured for a variety of personalities, including a Golf Outing on Sunday, NightOut at WonderWorks, WISE (Women in Safety Engineering) Retreat, and daily Wellness Walks.

ASSE Safety Conference 2014 Trip Planning

We encourage attendees to download the Safety 2014 App to plan your agenda, view maps and guides, take notes, and more.  Prospective attendees can register online and plan lodging and shuttles at the Safety 2014 website.  Registration fees include group discounts, member/non-member rates, and rates for attending only a portion of the event.  The ASSE Safety Conference 2014 customer service line is (847) 699-2929 and will be available until 5 PM Friday for last minute questions.  The Safety 2014 site also provides a convenient FAQ sitemap with answers and links to any foreseeable topic.

Visit IAS at Safety 2014 Booth #532

Visit IAS at ASSE Safety Conference 2014 at Booth #532IAS will be attending the ASSE Safety Conference 2014 and exhibiting The Trucker Series of Ladders.  Products available for exhibit will include Trucker LaddersWork Platforms, and Ladder Storage Racks.  We will have multiple representatives available to provide specifications and other details.  Our Custom Product Development manager will also be on hand to discuss any safety access needs you may have.  We hope to see you there!

Fall Prevention Through Design: A Case Study from ASSE

Putting safety first applies not only in day to day operations, but also in the planning stages of new projects, investments and expansions.  In 2012 ANSI/ASSE created a consensus standard to promote this mentality.  Prevention Through Design as a concept in work safety began in the 1940’s and today has gained enough momentum and regulatory support to provide several models that prove its effectiveness.  A recent article at ASSE.org charts the effectiveness of engineering safety controls in the design process while considering the defeatability of safety hazard risk.

The most effective controls include elimination, substitution and engineering solutions, each ideally suited to be planned in the design phase of new projects.  Doing so will provide safety, productivity, and cost benefits.  In fact, the cost of implementing fall prevention through design can be thousands of times less expensive than the same solution integrated post completion.  Compromised solutions are often less effective, leaving hazard risks and associated costs.

Fall Prevention Design Case Study

The ASSE article provides a case study from a petrochemical organization building a new offshore platform.  The company had experienced the challenges of implementing fall prevention after the design stage and instead chose to hire a fall protection consultant early on to assist the engineering design team.  The combined expertise resulted in fall prevention safety measures that focused on productivity and risk abatement.  The process consisted of the following steps.

  1. Kickoff Meeting with Design team
  2. Virtual Fall Hazard Risk Assessment
  3. Design Team Workshops
  4. Specification Binder for Hazard Abatements
  5. Follow-Through During Construction Process

The benefits of foreseeing and engineering fall prevention through design are long term: safety advantages, productivity gains, and ultimately lower costs.  The case study resulted in hazard risk controls addressing elevated platforms, floor openings, ladders, and stair guardrails, helping to prevent the need for PPE and optimize processes, equipment placement and usage.  Indirect long term benefits included ‘less equipment purchases, less training and fewer elements to manage.’

Innovative Access Fall Prevention Design

Contacting a consultant while engineering an offshore platform was effective for the company from the ASSE case study.  The consultant costs were compared favorably to erecting scaffolding, the cost of which would have been required to address just one of the safety risks post-completion.  Innovative Access Solutions is available to contribute similarly during the design or redesign stages at your organization.  IAS has worked with Fortune 500 companies as well as SMB businesses to design solutions that provide long term cost and productivity benefits and accomplish your safety goals.  IAS designs ladders, platforms and fall prevention equipment and has provided solutions for a range of industries.  For a brief review of our access solutions, visit us at IAScustom.com.  Or call (800) 388-6884 to schedule an appointment with our team.

OSHA National Safety Stand Down to Prevent Falls in Construction

OSHA has produced a number of resources in support of the national Fall Prevention Campaign since its inception in 2012.  Perhaps the best opportunity for businesses to show support for this important OSHA initiative will arrive in June 2014 via the National Safety Stand Down for Fall Protection.  OSHA is encouraging construction professionals nationwide to halt work activity during the week of June 2nd  for the purpose of dedicating time to educate workers about the importance fall protection safety.

Preventing Falls in Construction - National Safety Stand Down

OSHA Fall Prevention Safety Stand Down

Employers, contractors, trade associations, government affiliates, unions, and professional societies are all encouraged to participate in the nationwide Fall Prevention Safety Stand Down event.  OSHA is even providing a Certificate of Participation for employers that provide feedback to OSHA about their participation by July 15th.

Topics of discussion during your stand down event may include safety topics such as ladder safety, fall protection equipment, or scaffolds safety.  Participants are invited to discuss work hazard identification and risk management, fall prevention best practices, and company safety policies.  Stand Down for Safety will provide the opportunity to directly discuss a preventable and prevalent cause of death or injury in construction.

National Safety Stand Down Resources

In addition to the opportunity for businesses and organizations to take part in the National Safety Stand Down, OSHA will be sponsoring events nationwide and has provided free education and training resources in support of the cause.

IAS will be participating in the OSHA Fall Prevention Safety Stand Down 2014 and hope you are also excited to take part.  We encourage you to share your Stand Down stories with us and invite you to call our office at (800) 388-6884 for the opportunity to collaborate, motivate and celebrate our mutual interest in preventing falls.

OSHA Alliance and Fixed Ladders or Stairways for Fall Prevention

The OSHA Alliance Program is a cooperative effort to leverage resources related to safety initiatives, communication, and training.  OSHA Alliance includes ‘unions, consulates, trade or professional organizations, faith- and community-based organizations, businesses, and educational institutions’ that promote work safety and support OSHA’s strategic goals.  Alliance members must be committed to working closely with OSHA and establishing teams or individual workers to facilitate the cause, while maintaining and growing knowledge and a safe work environment.  In addition to internal safety benefits, Alliance members are able to maintain progressive dialogue with OSHA and other champions of work safety.  To learn more, contact your OSHA Regional Office.

OSHA Ladder Fall Prevention Campaign

One of OSHA’s ongoing strategic goals is to mitigate risks and increase knowledge regarding falls from ladders.  Fall incidents are the leading cause of deaths in construction and present a wide range of potential work hazards.  Considering the variability of material, application, and objective for ladders and stairs, it is not surprising that OSHA produces a significant amount of standards and guidelines for fall protection safety.  In addition to OSHA’s ongoing Ladder Fall Prevention Campaign, requirements and resources that support this cause are provided by specialized organizations such as ANSI and MSHA (Mining Ladder Safety).

OSHA Alliance Solution: Fixed Ladders or Stairways

The OSHA Alliance Program has produced a summary solution document as a resource for preventing falls from ladders in construction work environments.  This Construction Safety Design Solution recommends specifying fixed ladders or stairways early on to eliminate the hazards and risks associated with portable ladders and to ensure proper ladder or stairway specifications for access to upper levels.  The document also provides links to applicable OSHA regulations and ANSI standards for detailed information. Visit OSHA Alliance member Prevention through Design for more work safety resources.

Custom Fixed Ladder or Stairway Design

Innovative Access Solutions has been producing fixed ladders and stairways for construction, manufacturing, maritime, energy, and other industries for many years.

Fixed Access Staircase     Fixed Access Ladder

Information about how IAS can help support your work safety initiatives is available at IAScustom.com, or click the above images to browse our custom design gallery.

Mining Industry Ladder Safety

The MSHA (Mining Safety & Health Administration) recently published an excellent summary of ladder safety standards for the mining industry.  The MSHA was formed to ‘administer the provisions of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 (Mine Act).  MSHA carries out the mandates of the Mine Act at all mining and mineral processing operations in the United States, regardless of size, number of employees, commodity mined, or method of extraction.’

The published document covers all topics and categories related to ladder safety training, from the basics of safe access requirements, requirements for each ladder category and special circumstances such as alternating tread and underground ladders.  This blog post will summarize standards related to Fixed Ladders, Mobile Equipment Ladders, and the basics of Access Requirements, Ladder Construction and Maintenance. For complete access to this valuable MSHA resource, mining professionals are encouraged to download the Mining Ladder Safety Standards PDF.

Safe Access & Construction and Maintenance

The MSHA standards document provides a detailed summary of possible mining ladder safety citations complete with images of compliant and non-compliant ladders.  In addition to common sense factors such as the condition and strength of a ladder, factors such as the height of the bottom rung, the width of the ladder uprights, ladders that require workers to climb over obstructions to mount or unmount, and other potential fall hazards are described. In some cases personal fall protection equipment such as lanyards and harnesses may also be required.

Fixed Ladders

Fixed ladders have been assigned highly detailed requirements specific to the application.  In many cases, safety measures such as landings, backguards, and protection for openings at the upper level are required.  To review these complex standards, we recommend reviewing the Mining Ladder Safety Standards presentation for details.

Mobile Equipment Ladders

“Fixed mobile equipment ladders must comply with applicable fixed ladder standards such as 30 CFR §§ 56/57.11005 and 30 CFR §§ 56/57.11017.”

The details provided in the MSHA ladder standards document are extended to include even standards for mobile equipment ladders.  These ladders must be maintained the same as other ladders and when affixed to equipment, fall under the fixed ladder category.  The uniqueness of mobile equipment fixed ladders leads to certain exemptions and standards that may also apply to walkways that provide access to operator cabs.

For information about designing custom ladder access solutions for your mining facility, contact Innovative Access Solutions, LLC.

Shipyard Work Safety

Shipyard work safety programs for private sector businesses are generally under the jurisdiction of Federal OSHA regulations.  The shipyard workplace environment presents a wide range of  injury hazards including confined spaces, scaffolds and ladders, rigging, and equipment associated with painting, welding, and material handling.  To help reduce the risks affiliated with these environments, Personal Protective Equipment is frequently recommended.  OSHA has published a complete guide to Shipyard Industry Safety Standards with recommendations for small, medium, or large businesses.

Of particular interest to this blog are the shipyard safety standards provided for Scaffolds, Ladders, and Other Working Surfaces.  In this post we will take a look at the training recommendations for work safety Hazard Identification, Assessment and Control, and also provide information about access products to meet OSHA requirements at shipyards.

Hazard Identification and Controls

We have discussed the importance of work hazard assessments on this blog.  The published OSHA standards cover the basic policies of inspecting the workplace, evaluating the level of risk, and working with employees and management to identify and determine solutions to work hazards.  In addition, OSHA provides valuable recommendations regarding how to manage risk associated with identified hazards in the short term while longer term solutions are being developed.  Placing priority on hazard abatement timeframe is important, and interim solutions should be considered.

OSHA also emphasizes the importance of systematic processes, from checking injury logs in support of hazard identification, to using checklists during inspections and breaking down jobs into tasks to determine root causes of accidents or hazards.  The Shipyard Standards document additionally provides a hierarchy of hazard prevention controls, starting with engineering and work practice improvements.  These involve ‘physical changes to jobs’ and are the top level priority.  When engineering controls are not feasible, or in support of engineering controls, administrative controls and personal protective equipment are to be considered next in the hazard prevention hierarchy.

Custom Shipyard Access Products from IAS

OSHA provides detailed requirements for scaffolds, ladders, deck openings and edges, and access to vessels, dry docks/marine railways, and cargo spaces.  Innovative Access Solutions has provided shipyard work safety access products for each of these applications.  A few of the OSHA-referenced access solutions include portable metal ladders, gangways, guardrails, platforms, access to lower levels, and ladders for accessing cargo areas or confined spaces.  IAS is experienced, knowledgeable and available to help meet your shipyard access needs.  Contact IAS at (800) 388-6884 to inquire about shipyard access products.