1 Electric shock Electric shock is one of the most serious and immediate risks facing a welder. Electric shock can lead to severe injury or death, either from the shock itself or from a fall caused by the reaction to a shock. Electric shock occurs when welders touch two metal objects that have a voltage between them, thereby inserting themselves into the electrical circuit.

Sparks and spatter fly off from the welding arc. Hot metal and sparks blow out from the cutting flame. The workpiece and equipment get hot. The flying sparks and hot metal, slag, spatter, hot workpiece, and hot equipment can cause burns.

The personal and economic toll of eye injuries at work is alarming. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than 20,000 workplace eye injuries happen each year. Injuries on the job often require one or more missed work days for recovery. In fact, OSHA reports that workplace eye injuries cost an estimated $300 million a year in lost productivity, medical treatment and worker compensation.

Companies are increasingly experimenting with smartglasses in the warehouse. Powered by their own processor and battery, these wearable high-tech eyeglasses collect data from a building's wireless network, then project text and numbers onto a tiny screen incorporated into the glasses.

When it comes to protective clothing, each new year brings a variety of innovations and improvements. Workrite Uniform Company, a flame-resistant (FR) workwear manufacturer, predicts the following “Top 5” trends that will guide the FR clothing industry in 2017.

Over the years, the industry has struggled to equate cut resistance with actual risk. The recent updates to the ANSI 105 and EN 388 standards will provide a more uniformed approach to assessing the cut resistant performance of gloves across the globe.

These days, glove manufacturers have access to higher performing materials and better sewing patterns. But with so many options on the market, how do you know which ones are the best welding gloves for your application?

FR clothing for women, ear plug fit-test software and a portable barrier to protect pedestrians from dangerous work zones were among the top products featured on ISHN.com this week.

The month of March is set aside each year as Workplace Eye Wellness Month, a multi-organizational awareness campaign dedicated to eye health and the prevention of on-the-job eye injuries. Wiley X®, Inc., a company that in 2017 is celebrating 30 years of protecting the vision of soldiers on the battlefield, cops on the beat and workers on the job, is getting behind this effort to cut down on the number of workplace eye injuries each year.

During a March 20 awards reception at its 2017 Glove Symposium, the International Glove Association (IGA) inducted Frank Stucke into the prestigious IGA Hall of Fame. Stucke began his career in the industrial glove market during the 1970’s, joining the Perfect Fit Glove Company as a knitting machine mechanic while attending high school.