OSHA educational videos show how to protect workers from construction hazards

Every year in the U.S. more than 800 construction workers die and nearly 137,000 are seriously injured while on the job. Construction workers engage in many activities that may expose them to serious hazards, such as falling from rooftops, unguarded machinery, being struck by heavy construction equipment, electrocutions, silica dust, and asbestos.

OSHA has released 12 educational videos about potential hazards in the construction industry. The educational videos are brief, easy to understand, and geared to the needs of employers and workers. One in every five workers killed on the job nationwide is in construction-totaling nearly 800 construction worker deaths every year.

The videos are based on real-life incidents and include detailed depictions of hazards and the safety measures that would have prevented these injuries and fatalities. OSHA's videos cover falls in construction, workers who are struck by vehicles and heavy equipment, sprains and strains, trenching and excavation hazards, and carbon monoxide poisoning.

View the Construction Hazards Prevention Videos

For more information, please email or please give me a call.


Frank Schmidt
800-262-8284

fschmidt@lovegreen.com

http://www.lovegreen.com/

Control of Hazardous Energy (Lockout/Tagout)

According to the OSHA website, "Lockout/Tagout (LOTO)" refers to specific practices and procedures to safeguard employees from the unexpected energization or startup of machinery and equipment, or the release of hazardous energy during service or maintenance activities.

Compliance with the lockout/tagout standard (29 CFR 1910.147) prevents an estimated 120 fatalities and 50,000 injuries each year. Workers injured on the job from exposure to hazardous energy lose an average of 24 workdays for recuperation.

In a study conducted by the United Auto Workers (UAW), 20% of the fatalities (83 of 414) that occurred among their members between 1973 and 1995 were attributed to inadequate hazardous energy control procedures specifically, lockout/tagout procedures.

OSHA has developed a Lockout-Tagout Interactive Training Program to expand your knowledge of the LOTO standard.

The program has three major components. You can go through these components at your own pace and in any sequence:

• Tutorial: Explains the standard in a question/answer format.
• Hot topics: Contains five abstracts with a detailed discussion of major issues. Relevant highlighted sections of the all-inclusive documents are linked here.
• Interactive case studies: Seven simulated LOTO inspections are presented. You will be making decisions on the application of the LOTO standard, based on information presented on the screen.

The OSHA Lockout-Tagout Interactive Training Program may be found in its entirety at the OSHA Website. It explains what a job hazard analysis is and offers guidelines to help you conduct your own step-by-step analysis.

For more information about Lockout-Tagout services, or to discuss your machine safeguarding needs, please contact me at fschmidt@lovegreen.com or by calling me at 800-262-8284.

Sincerely,

Frank Schmidt

http://www.lovegreen.com/

New Protection From Hydraulic Press Hazards

An object that ejects from a hydraulic press can become a deadly projectile and cause serious injury if it hits the machine operator or another bystander. When properly installed, the steel mesh curtain will stop projectiles, safely dropping them to the floor. Originally intended to protect people in the vicinity of a bomb blast, this product makes the workplace environment safer.

View Steel Mesh Ejection Curtain

In the past, guarding a hydraulic press meant installing expensive, cumbersome doors that interfered with the ability of operators to do their jobs efficiently. Installing our new steel mesh curtains allow easy access to machines while providing a low cost method of meeting hydraulic press guarding standards.

Government safety standards require that machine hazards must either be eliminated or properly guarded. The steel mesh curtains meet or exceed GSA testing standards, providing effective hydraulic press safety as well as government compliance for the workplace. Recent testing certified that the mesh exceeded the ISC/GSA Performance Condition 3b criteria for acceptable levels of protection from glass fragment hazards during an explosion. (GSA-TS01-2003) It also meets the tougher Unified Facilities Criteria (UFC) 4-010-01 standard.

The curtains are fabricated from Cascade Coil Defense steel mesh. When installed on a hydraulic press, the mesh curtain secures at the top but hangs free at the sides and bottom, providing easy access to the machine. The mesh will stop dangerous, flying debris and allow it to fall safely to the ground. Because the mesh is black, the press operator’s eyes can easily focus on the point of operation. The curtains are lightweight, easy to install, maintenance free and allow natural light visibility.

Cascade Coil steel mesh curtains feature interlocking wire coils, which act as individual springs that absorb energy, expand and stretch. The holes in the material allow the pressure of an explosion to go through the mesh while stopping the flying objects that pose a danger.

The product was designed for, and is used in areas with a high likelihood of terrorist attacks. It has proved to be effective protection from flying glass and shattered window frames. Tests reveal that most of the shattered glass and debris lands within two feet of a window covered with a steel mesh curtain. The product has saved lives and decreased injuries in bombing attacks near restaurants and hotels in Israel and in other countries as well.

About Lovegreen - Vernon Lovegreen Sr. founded Lovegreen Industrial Services in 1948, and it remains a family-owned business located in Eagan, MN. The businesses include a Machine Safeguarding Department, Fabrication Facility and Millwright Division. The Lovegreen Risk Management Department has more that 30 years of experience in machine guarding and assists employers in complying with government safety standards and regulations.

To learn how Lovegreen can meet your machine safeguarding needs, please contact Frank Schmidt at fschmidt@lovegreen.com or by calling 800-262-8284.

http://www.lovegreen.com/

What is a Hazard?

Our back to school issue starts with a pop quiz!

Question: What is a Hazard?

Answer:  A hazard is the potential for harm. In practical terms, a hazard often is associated with a condition or activity that, if left uncontrolled, can result in an injury or illness. Identifying hazards and eliminating or controlling them as early as possible will help prevent injuries and illnesses.

If you answered the question correctly, take a bow and move on to the bonus round. How do you identify and eliminate or control the hazards?

This is one of the most common questions we hear. A safety manager will call us and ask us to help develop an orderly plan to identify hazards before they occur.

OSHA has a free Job Hazard Analysis hand book that is a great resource for employers, supervisors, and employees to analyze their own jobs and recognize workplace hazards so they can identify the hazards. identify uncontrolled hazards, you will take steps to eliminate or reduce them to an acceptable risk level.

The OSHA Job Hazard Analysis handbook may be found in its entirety at the OSHA Website. It explains what a job hazard analysis is and offers guidelines to help you conduct your own step-by-step analysis.


For more information about machine specific training, or to discuss your machine safeguarding needs, please contact me at fschmidt@lovegreen.com or by calling me at 800-262-8284. 

http://www.lovegreen.com/

What Happens Once the Safeguarding is Complete?

Even the best machine guarding system will not be effective without employee approval. The machine operator needs to understand why the guarding was installed and how it will protect them from the inherent hazards.Our experience has taught us that when the workers are included in a machine safeguarding initative, acceptance of the changes is much greater than cases when it is thrust upon them.

Therefore, machine specific training is an important part of any effort to provide safeguarding against machine-related hazards. Each machine operator should receive hands-on safety training that includes the following topics.

Identification of the hazards associated with a particular machine – This includes a review of the point of operation, the power transmission elements and power controls.

Introduction to the installed safeguards – How will the new guards, shields or process controls protect the operator from the identified hazards? What hazards have not been eliminated?

How to use the safeguards – How can the worker operate the machine while the guards are in place? How do the light curtains, interlocks or scanners control the machine functions? Can the machine be run at low speeds while the doors are open?

Who can remove the safeguards and the procedures that must be followed before this happens.

Is a lockout / tagout program required?

What to do if a safeguard is broken , lock, or doesn't work as advertised.

This kind of safety training is necessary for machine operators and maintenance or setup personnel, when any new or altered safeguards are put in service, or when workers are assigned to a new machine or operation.

Lovegreen Risk Management offers safety training programs, classes and resources to help you understand and comply with government regulations, including OSHA and ANSI. We offer specialized training programs that meet your specific needs.

For more information about machine specific training, or to discuss your machine safeguarding needs, please contact me at fschmidt@lovegreen.com or by calling me at 800-262-8284.

Garbage Disposal Safety Guards Now Available

Lovegreen Risk Management, LLC, a machine safety solutions company, is pleased to announce that it is now a distributor of Safety Enterprises garbage disposal guarding products. This partnership allows us to offer an even larger selection of machine safety products – assuring that your machines are properly guarded.

Garbage disposals in schools, nursing homes, commercial kitchens and other applications present a clear and present danger to people. Disposals are designed to indiscriminately grind up anything encountering the cutting heads.



Because of these dangers, OSHA safety standards require a blade guard to be put in place while the unit is operating to protect people from accidental injury and harm. (OSHA 29 CFR 1910.212 (a)(3)(ii))

The Made in America GARD-U Ultra disposal guards provide simple solutions to the hazardous nature of garbage disposals. Made from yellow food grade ultra high molecular plastic (UHMD), the line of GARD-U blade guard products provide excellent protection and ease of installation.

Three models to choose from and installation is a snap. Simply place the blade guard into the throat of the disposal unit, tighten the set screws and enjoy peace of mind. A GARD-U Ultra blade guard is available for most disposal units no matter how old or new. Oddly sized or shaped units require an additional set-up fee, but the blade guard can be produced and shipped within days of ordering.

"Our decision to distribute Safety Enterprises products was based on the real need for simple disposal guarding solutions. Their products are reliable, durable and easy to install,” said Chuck Shield, Manager of New Product Development. “The product selection and technical assistance made Safety Enterprises the logical choice to partner with."

About Lovegreen - Founded in 1948, Lovegreen Industrial Services is located in Eagan, MN, minutes south of Minneapolis / St. Paul metropolitan area. Founded by Vernon Lovegreen Sr. in 1948, it remains a family owned business. Our core businesses include a Millwright Division, Machine and Fabrication facility and a Machine Safeguarding Department. With over 30 years of machine guarding experience, Lovegreen Risk Management is here to help protect your employees from injuries. Services offered include on-site machine guarding surveys, risk assessments, guarding installation services and guarding supplies.

Safety Enterprises - is a disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business. The Made in America GARD-U Ultra line of products provides excellent durability and protection at great value.

To learn more about how this partnership can help your meet your machine safeguarding needs, please contact Frank Schmidt at fschmidt@lovegreen.com or by phone at 800-262-8284.

http://www.lovegreen.com/

View Disposal Guards

Silvaflame-Cleervue Products Now Available in the United States from Lovegreen

Lovegreen Risk Management, LLC, a machine safety solutions company, is pleased to announce that it has become the North American distributor of Silvaflame–Cleervue machine guarding products. This partnership allows us to offer an even larger selection of machine safety products – assuring that your machines are properly guarded.

Silvaflame offers an extensive line of machine guarding products, ranging from simple eye shields to large anti-splash screens for metal lathes. There is also a large variety of drilling machine guards and guards for metal turning lathes. The milling machine table enclosure protects the operator from flying swarf and the entanglement hazards. Most products can be equipped with an interlock switch to provide an additional measure of safety.

What makes Silvaflame-Cleervue unique is their line of retractable lead screw covers for metal turning lathes. Guarding the rotating leadscrew and feedshaft on metal turning manual lathes is often a difficult problem. However in most cases this can be solved by a so called "Lead Screw Cover".

Manufactured with a steel casing, the guard uses heavy weight neoprene nylon as its sheet medium, sprung to give a full closure against the leadscrew, therefore offering full protection for the operator. Working just like a window blind, the swarf and emulsion resistant heavy weight neoprene / nylon material pulls out of its spring loaded roller box as the lathe saddle moves, and recoils as the saddle returns.

"Our decision to partner with Silvaflame–Cleervue was based on our customers' desire for complete machine guarding solutions from a single vendor. Their products are reliable, durable and user friendly,” said Bob Adomaitis, Vice President of Lovegreen. “The product selection and technical assistance made Silvaflame the logical choice to partner with."

About Lovegreen - Founded in 1948, Lovegreen Industrial Services is located in Eagan, MN, minutes south of Minneapolis / St. Paul metropolitan area. Founded by Vernon Lovegreen Sr. in 1948, it remains a family owned business. Our core businesses include a Millwright Division, Machine and Fabrication facility and a Machine Safeguarding Department. With over 30 years of machine guarding experience, Lovegreen Risk Management is here to help protect your employees from injuries. Services offered include on-site machine guarding surveys, risk assessments, guarding installation services and guarding supplies.

About Silvaflame-Cleervue - Established in 1946, Silvaflame-Cleervue is one of the United Kingdom’s oldest and most respected manufacturers of machine safety guards and shields. In addition to their standard products, they also produce custom safety guards for special purpose machines, perimeter fencing and enclosures.
To learn more about how this partnership can help your meet your machine safeguarding needs, please contact Frank Schmidt at fschmidt@lovegreen.com or by phone at 800-262-8284.

http://www.lovegreen.com/

http://www.lovegreen.com/shop/UserMods/cleervue.html

Electrically Interlocked Chip Shields for Drill Presses, Lathes and Mills Now Available from Lovegreen Risk Management

Lovegreen Risk Management, LLC, a machine safety solutions company, is pleased to announce that is now a reseller of Repar 2 electrically interlocked safety shields for drill presses, lathes, & mills. This partnership allows us to offer an even larger selection of machine safety products – assuring that your machines are properly guarded.

REPAR2 shields are available for drilling machines, metal lathes, milling machines and grinders. When the interlocked shield is lifted up or moved to the side, the micro switch opens and sends a stop signal to the machine control. The safety switches are mounted in an IP 67 enclosure which makes them difficult to defeat.

Many sizes and styles are available. The full REPAR2 catalog is available here. Email us or call us at 800-262-8284 for more information.

"Our decision to sell the Repar 2 line was based on our customers' desire for interlocked chip shields. Their products are reliable, durable and easy to use,” said Chuck Shield, Director of New Product Development. “The product selection and technical assistance made Repar 2 the logical choice to partner with."

About Lovegreen - Founded in 1948, Lovegreen Industrial Services is located in Eagan, MN, minutes south of Minneapolis / St. Paul metropolitan area. Founded by Vernon Lovegreen Sr. in 1948, it remains a family owned business. Our core businesses include a Millwright Division, Machine and Fabrication facility and a Machine Safeguarding Department. With over 30 years of machine guarding experience, Lovegreen Risk Management is here to help protect your employees from injuries. Services offered include on-site machine guarding surveys, risk assessments, guarding installation services and guarding supplies.

About Repar 2 - REPAR2 is a leading European manufacturer of interlocked chip shields and machine safety guard equipment. The shields are fabricated out of steel and transparent polycarbonate to protect the machine operator from flying chips and coolant. All REPAR2 shields exceed OSHA and ANSI standards, and comply with EU Machinery Directive 2006/42/CE. Repar 2 is imported into North America by Ferndale Machinery.

To learn more about how this partnership can help your meet your machine safeguarding needs, please contact Frank Schmidt at fschmidt@lovegreen.com or by phone at 800-262-8284.

View Interlocked chip shields Here

http://www.lovegreen.com/

Lovegreen Risk Management and Leuze Electronic Announce Strategic Partnership

Lovegreen Risk Management, LLC, a machine safety solutions company, is pleased to announce a strategic partnership with Leuze Electronic, Inc. This association offers customers more machine safeguarding options by combining Lovegreen’s vast guarding experience with the worldwide integration capabilities of Leuze Electronic.

Leuze offers an extensive line of optical-electronic products including safety light curtains and grids, laser area scanners, a full line of sensor products, bar code readers for both standard and 2D applications, optical data transmission as well as innovative positioning systems using barcode or laser measurement technology. Leuze products are reliable, durable and user friendly.

"Our decision to partner with Leuze was based on our customers' desire for complete machine guarding solutions from a single vendor. They have earned the reputation of solving even the most difficult applications,” said Bob Adomaitis, Vice President of Lovegreen. “Their product selection and technical assistance made Leuze the logical choice to partner with."

About Lovegreen - Founded in 1948, Lovegreen Industrial Services is located in Eagan, MN, minutes south of Minneapolis / St. Paul metropolitan area. Founded by Vernon Lovegreen Sr. in 1948, it remains a family owned business. Our core businesses include a Millwright Division, Machine and Fabrication facility and a Machine Safeguarding Department. With over 30 years of machine guarding experience, Lovegreen Risk Management is here to help protect your employees from injuries. Services offered include on-site machine guarding surveys, risk assessments, guarding installation services and guarding supplies.

About Leuze USA - Leuze USA was established in 1994 as part of the Leuze group with more than 15 subsidiaries and nearly 2000 employees all over the globe. Leuze USA has developed a reputation for providing high-technology value added products and outstanding customer support as solution provider for a wide range of industries. Main applications are industrial automation, material handling, packaging, food and beverage process, pharmaceutical and printing industries. Leuze systems can be quickly linked to all common international field bus systems, while customized Leuze software solutions offer a maximum operating convenience.

To learn more about how this partnership can help your meet your machine safeguarding needs, please contact Frank Schmidt at fschmidt@lovegreen.com or by phone at 800-262-8284.

http://www.lovegreen.com/

http://www.leuzeusa.com/

Lovegreen Machine Safeguarding Products and Services Catalog

Lovegreen Risk Management, LLC announces that its updated product catalog is now available. The new, 32 page, color catalog features a large variety of machine safeguarding products and services designed to make your work place safer. This is a comprehensive product catalog showcases machine safeguarding products for aerospace, manufacturing and general industry.

The catalog is an easy-to-use reference for sourcing machine-safeguarding products. Products include chip shields, barrier guarding and motor controllers. Also featured in the catalog are process controls, including interlocks, light curtains and rope pull switches. Each product page contains product photos and descriptions to help you find the right guarding solution.

In addition to safety products, the catalog lists a variety of machine safeguarding services. Services offered include on-site machine guarding surveys, risk assessments, guarding installation services and industrial safety training.

An electronic download of the catalog is available at http://www.lovegreen.com/catalog.pdf . To obtain a printed catalog at no charge, or to learn how Lovegreen can meet your machine safeguarding needs, please contact Frank Schmidt at fschmidt@lovegreen.com or by calling 800-262-8284.

Lovegreen Risk Management has over 30 years of assisting schools and employers in complying with machine safeguarding regulations. Founded by Vernon Lovegreen Sr. in 1948 and located in Eagan, MN, it is a 3rd generation, family owned business. Our core businesses include a Millwright Division, Machine and Fabrication facility and Machine Safeguarding.

http://www.lovegreen.com/

Subscribe to Our Free Machine Safeguarding Newsletter Today!

Did you know that there are no laws that require manufacturers to produce machines and tools with machine guarding devices? Yet the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) hold employers responsible for the safety of your workers, which includes reducing or eliminating the hazards of your machinery.

One way to do this is to add shields and other safeguarding devices to your machines. Another is to keep abreast of the latest regulations as they come out from OSHA, and stay informed of the newest techniques and equipment that can make your machines even safer to operate.

You do not have time to scour the news, trade journals and Internet daily to learn of the latest developments. This is where Lovegreen Risk Management can help you keep on top of all the happenings in machine guarding and occupational safety.

Lovegreen Risk Management has over 30 years experience in the machine guarding business. Not only do we research the market to sell the best equipment available to safeguard your machines, we constantly monitor the regulatory process to make sure we are informed on the latest regulations and developments. We offer consultation services to help you evaluate the current safety of your machines, and to suggest changes where needed.

Now we are making the newest information available to you in a monthly email newsletter, completely free and without obligation! This simple, one page summary of recent developments, has links to further details if you need to know more.

Can you use information like this? Recent Lovegreen newsletters included stories such as:

• OSHA Fines Manufacturer More than $3 Million
• Leuze Safety Laser Scanners
• Machine Safety Assessment
• Safety Switch Mat Systems
• Is Your Workplace Exempted from OSHA Programmed Inspections?

With OSHA recently announcing a stepped-up program of workplace inspections, and with steep fines as punishment for non-compliance, you cannot afford NOT to be aware of the latest information on machine guarding and safeguarding your workplace!

You will receive the newsletter once a month, and as an added bonus, the newsletter will include information on the latest sales and deals offered by Lovegreen, some available only to our subscribers!

Lovegreen will not inundate your inbox with emails, nor will be sell your email address to any other companies.

So sign up for the Lovegreen Machine Safeguarding Monthly newsletter at our website today! Go to http://www.lovegreen.com/ and scroll down to the bottom of the front page for a simple sign-up process.





(Click on image to sign up now!)

Stop Time Measurement is now available from Lovegreen Machine Safety!

Current OSHA regulations and ANSI standards requires that a machine's stop time be measured to determine how long it takes a machine to stop after a stop signal is given.

Most accidents occur as a result of a reflex action or simply not paying attention to one''s surroundings. Often a machine operator will instinctively reach for something when there is a problem. Or they will be focused on a task and enter a hazardous area without thinking about it. Tripping towards a hazard is another common occurrence. In these situations, it is necessary that the machine''s safety devices stop the machine before the hazard is reached.

Stop-time measurement readings taken on individual machines are used to determine the minimum safety distance required for placement of the machine''s operating controls or safeguarding devices used during production. This is critical when using presence sensing devices like light curtains, pressure mats, laser scanners, etc.

Location of a safety component, whether hard guarding or electronic, is based upon the machine''s stopping time. Simply stated, a safety component should be placed far enough away from the risk area that it is not possible to reach the hazard before the machine has stopped. Safety devices are then installed using the minimum safe distance.

Stop time measurement should be performed on an annual basis in order to insure that the machine stop time has not changed. Machine maintenance, brake wear, machine alterations and other factors can extend the machine''s stopping time. If the machine stops slower than it once did, then the current safety components will need to be adjusted to continue providing the correct level of safety. For these and other reasons it is important to perform an annual stop time analysis.

Not sure how to get started?
Lovegreen can provide stop-time measurement readings for various types of industrial machines, including mechanical and hydraulic power presses, press brakes and on machines that utilize rotational movement like conveyors, indexing tables, and production line drive shafts. Experienced Lovegreen personnel conduct the inspections using a stop-time measurement device to take the stop-time readings. Lovegreen uses the same stop time analysis Saftimeter as OSHA to assure consistent results.

Inspections include details on each machine as to its compliance to current safety regulations (OSHA) and current safety standards (ANSI). Stop-time measurement readings taken on individual machines are used to help determine the minimum safety distance required for placement of the machine’s operating controls or safeguarding devices used during production operations, such as safety blocks and die blocks.

Please call us at 1.800.262.8284 or e-mail us for more information or to set up a visit to your facility.

Lovegreen Machine Safety provides machine guarding, risk assessment and safety training to help protect your business, institution or school.

http://www.lovegreen.com/

Stop Time Analysis - More Info