Hello blog fans, and welcome to National Safety Month.
What is National Safety Month, you ask? The National Safety Council named June National Safety Month in an effort to help keep people safe in the workplace and elsewhere.
The NSC focuses on four main areas – one each week – to help keep people safe in the workplace.
Week 1 – Musculoskeletal Disorders
Week 2 – Workplace Impairment
Week 3 – Injury Prevention
Week 4 – Slips, Trips and Falls
The NSC has a wealth of information on injuries and how to stay safe while in the workplace. We will try to encapsulate some of that information here, and in our next few blogs, to help you on your journey to a safer workplace.
But the truth is, no matter how well people are trained, mistakes will happen, and that can mean injuries.
Injuries, of course, are bad for several reasons. No one wants a member of their team injured. You care about the welfare of your team. An injury can mean a work stoppage, being down team members, and lower morale, which can lead to a slower pace of work and even people leaving. It can also lead to fines if the Occupational Safety and Health Administration finds the injury was related to a violation of one of its rules.
Recently, the OSHA announced its preliminary Top 10 most frequently cited workplace safety standards for fiscal year 2021.
Fall Protection (1926.501) remains at the top of the list for the 11th consecutive year, followed by Respiratory Protection (1910.134) and Ladders (1926.1053). Hazard Communication, which spent the last several years at No. 2, moved to the fifth spot on this year’s list.
OSHA said the following 10 items were the most frequently cited workplace safety hazards (number of violations in parentheses):
- Fall Protection (5,295)
- Respiratory Protection (2,527)
- Ladders Compliance (2,026)
- Scaffolding (1,948)
- Hazard Communication (1,947)
- Lockout/Tagout (1,698)
- Fall Protection – Training Requirements (1,666)
- Personal Protective and Life Saving Equipment – Eye and Face Protection (1,452)
- Powered Industrial Trucks (1,420)
- Machine Guarding (1,113)
What can Kimball Midwest do for Me?
Kimball Midwest offers its customers a variety of safety seminars. As a value-added service, your Kimball Midwest Rep can perform a safety seminar for you and your employees at no cost in your shop.
These seminars focus on specific product lines and are valued at about $1,000.
We offer abrasives, chemicals, cutting tools, electrical, fasteners, fleet air brake and hydraulic safety seminars.
We also have several new products that launched in June that focus on safety signage. We have several new signs that pair well with ones we’ve had in stock for a number of years to make sure workers and those visiting your shop or factory stay safe and aware at all times. Remember No. 5 and No. 6 on the list of violations had to do with lack of communication and lockout/tagout signage. Don’t let an easily avoidable violation shut you down or get someone injured.
In connection with National Safety Month, we're featuring respirators and dust masks to help keep your team breathing well and keep particles out of their noses, mouths and lungs. Remember, that’s violation No. 2 on the list. We also have medical sprays and skin protection from outdoor nuisances, or aid if someone has been affected already.
If you purchase safety products from us – or want to – you can start by clicking here. This page is the beginning of all our safety products we carry at Kimball Midwest that can keep you and your team safe. You can also
to help you on your journey.