Confined space signs clearly and effectively warn employees of confined space dangers.
In every aspect of life, you should know what you are getting into. Confined spaces are no different. Before you or your workers enter a confined space, you should be aware of the potential hazards and the ways to avoid them. Read the rest of this article before you barge into a confined space and risk your safety. (more…)
Confined Space Safety is always a hot topic. If you are a business owner or safety manager that oversees employees working in confined space, making smart decisions about the proper product selection is very important. Helps eliminate accidents, injury and liability- you never want your employees to become a statistic!
There are many products to choose from help your workers take the right safety precautions in and around enclosed work areas.
Make Emedco your One-Stop Safety Source- Your Way, Today, Guaranteed!
Submitted by: Donna Kolody
Upper Big Branch Mine blast in Montcoal, W. Va-. The mine, which employs about 200, is owned by the Massey Energy Company, based in VA, and operated by the Performance Coal Company. Current death toll for two groups of miners is at 25 and a third group of four are still unaccounted for, were even deeper in the mine. If they could reach one of two rescue chambers near the blast site, they would have food, water and enough air to survive for four days.
“All we know now is, this is an awful disaster,” Representative Nick J. Rahall II said as he arrived at the mine site, which is in his district. “This is the second major disaster at a Massey site in recent years, and something needs to be done.
Confined Spaces can be deadly and this is truth to that point. This is a very sad story and my thoughts and prayers go out to the victim’s families and hope the missing are found alive. As we all know, mining is a very dangerous occupation and this type of story seems to happen every few years. Previous violations should have had action items for correction to prevent this tragedy from happening. According to the news article, the Upper Big Branch mine has recorded an injury rate worse than the national average for similar operations for at least 6 of the past 10 years; also two fatalities in previous 10 years. Records show that the mine had 458 violations in 2009, with a total of $897,325 in safety penalties assessed against it last year. It has paid $168,393 in safety penalties. “Massey’s commitment to safety has long been questioned in the coalfields,” said Tony Oppegard, a lawyer and mine safety advocate from Kentucky.
Further, more than 100,000 coal miners have been killed in accidents in the United States since 1900, but the number of fatalities has fallen sharply in recent decades, the Mine Safety and Health Administration says. As late as the 1940s, it was not unusual to have more than 1,000 mining deaths a year; in 2009, there were 35 mining deaths, according to the agency. Click here for more mining statistics or link to OSHA.
Submitted by: Donna Kolody/Emedco
Here’s a great example of a fire hall that gives a realistic training session at their facility to build knowledge and promote confidence. Steinbach’s Fire Hall in Canada built an addition in their basement to teach firefighters how to work in confined spaces…and they are using it significantly!
Deputy Fire Chief, Don Smith says, “There are several rescue scenarios that this setup allows our firefighters to simulate and experience. All the scenarios are conducted in pitch-blackness with smoke screens inserted into the masks of the firefighters, creating a more realistic burn situation. Firefighters who have run the course have only said great things about the experience.”
The article explains that the course simulates various scenarios: entanglement situation, wall breaches, and has a sound system that pipes in breaking glass, popping sounds, white noise. At times, firefighters must even remove their breathing apparatus temporarily to escape through narrow spaces.
Valuable lessons are learned from the confined space training course such as: air conservation, familiarizing yourself with your surroundings on all sides, and improved communication between firefighters when responding to a fire call or performing a rescue.
Submitted by: Donna Kolody/Emedco– your One Stop Source for Confined Space Products.
