Empire Safety Blog

OSHA 29 CFR 1910.135 requires that a hard hat must be worn if there is a potential for employees to be hit on the head with objects falling from above. It also stipulates that if there is a potential for an employee to bump their head (on exposed pipes or beams) or if they may come into contact with electrical hazards, they must be protected with a hard hat. In fact, a recent report in 2016 states that head and neck injuries account for about 12% of emergency room visits. And in 2014, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported 240 deaths due to falling objects or equipment (5% of worker deaths). Read More

An estimated 5 million workers in the U.S. are required to wear respiratory protection in the workplace. 5 Million workers! Unfortunately, many either aren’t wearing their respirators or they are wearing the wrong ones altogether. If your facility relies on personal protective equipment to prevent occupational diseases caused by breathing contaminated air, then you may want to review OSHA 1910.134 and make sure you have the right program in place. Read More

Workers face challenges every day from changing environments, materials and machinery; the last thing a worker should be concerned about is protective clothing. Just as the workforce evolves, so should vital pieces of Hi Vis personal protective equipment (PPE) such as vests, apparel and accessories. The new ANSI standard 107-2015 addresses some of the long overlooked issues with Hi-Vis apparel and accessories, including size and fit. Since PPE is often the last line of defense for workers against injury on the job, the updates couldn’t have come a moment too soon. Read More