February 21, 2005—The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently added two new publications in its Worker Safety Series to help advance workplace safety and health.
Concrete Manufacturing (.pdf file) identifies potential hazards for workers in concrete manufacturing, such as eye, skin, and respiratory tract irritation from exposure to cement dust; inadequate safety guards on equipment; inadequate lockout/tagout systems on machinery; overexertion and awkward postures; slips, trips, and falls; and chemical burns from wet concrete. The publication offers prevention methods and solutions, OSHA standards most frequently included in the agency’s citations, and more. According to OSHA, more than 250,000 people work in concrete manufacturing, and over 10 percent of those workers (28,000) experienced a job-related injury or illness and 42 died in just one year.
Warehousing (.pdf file) identifies potential hazards for workers involved in warehouse operations, such as unsafe use of forklifts; improper stacking of products; failure to use proper personal protective equipment; failure to follow proper lockout/tagout procedures; inadequate fire safety provisions; or repetitive motion injuries. The publication offers prevention methods and solutions, OSHA standards most frequently included in the agency’s citations, and more. According to OSHA, more than 145,000 people work in over 7,000 warehouses, and the fatal injury rate for the warehousing industry is higher than the national average for all industries.
