There are safety stories everywhere you go. This week, I was buying gas and ran into the store to get a soft drink. As I did, I heard a guy ask the cashier if it was still wet near a "slippery when wet" sign. The cashier answered, "No, it dried up."

On May 7th, representatives of the organizations listed below heard presentations from the Embassy of Bangladesh, the Bangladesh Accord for Fire and Building Safety, the Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety, and the U.S. Department of Labor’s International Labor Affairs Bureau on ongoing efforts to improve safety and health in the 3,600 cut-and-sew factories that make up Bangladesh’s “ready made garment” industry.

The Voluntary Protection Programs Participants’ Association (VPPPA), has added Courtney Malveaux as its government affairs counsel. According to the organization, Malveaux, a Richmond attorney, will be taking the lead in the organization’s efforts to build state and federal support for OSHA’s Voluntary Protection Programs.

OSHA’s standard 1910.145(a)(1) covers the use of signs or symbols that warn of and define specific hazards that could harm workers or the public, or both, or to property damage. These specifications are intended to cover all safety signs except those designed for streets, highways, and railroads.

Three key factors can determine the intensity of an arc flash harm on you: The quantity of fault current available in your system; the time until an arc flash fault is cleared; your distance from an arc.

In recent weeks, a number of communities across San Diego County in southern California have been affected by extensive wildfire activity that has scorched more than 9,000 acres and burned at least 30 homes, according to news reports. In some areas, thousands of people have been ordered to evacuate their homes.

1 - Arc flash explosions do not happen… I have never seen one… Electrical work by its nature is dangerous due to the high energy levels involved and, until an accident occurs, electricity is odorless, colorless, and invisible. Electrical work is the third most dangerous profession, according to OSHA.

National Fire Protection Association, National Safety Council, and Bureau of Labor Statistics data indicate that 10 arc flash accidents happen every day in the U.S.  More than 3,600 disabling electrical contact injuries happen every year. Last year in Oregon two workers were seriously burned in arc flash incidents:

The National Institute for Occupational Science and Health (NIOSH) has put together a safety checklist for dealing with chemical spills in a variety of facilities. Its elements can be tailored to the specific needs of your workplace.