3 Approaches to evaluating your safety equipment needs

When choosing safety equipment for your facility, the stakes are far too high to trust a one-size-fits-all approach. In order to reduce your company’s risk exposure and maximize value, it’s best to work with a consultant or vendor who has the necessary expertise to tailor a safety solution to your unique situation.

There are many ways to evaluate your safety equipment needs, from reviewing your processes and operations with a variety of stakeholders to more rigorous methods, according to an OSHA publication on hazard analysis

Here are three approaches to consider

• Perform A Job Safety Analysis Or Job Hazard Analysis

Identifying your safety equipment needs starts with assessing your facility’s safety concerns, including any concerns that could arise in upcoming initiatives. To gather this evidence, conduct a standard step-by-step job safety analysis or job hazard analysis (JHA)

By gathering empirical evidence about safety hazards, you’re able to show measurable justifications for each of the safety issues you’ve identified. For example, you might use the number of breakdowns in the plant over a month as evidence of a specific safety issue.

• Focus On Value, Not Cost

When evaluating your safety equipment needs, it’s important to look beyond the cost of solving problems and consider how your facility could benefit by upgrading your equipment. To do this, make sure your assessment includes all known safety hazards as well as issues that aren’t necessarily negative. For example, you might consider how specific safety equipment and services would help your company achieve certain goals, such as adopting higher safety standards or becoming compliant with new internal standards.

Investing in the right safety equipment makes good business sense.It helps lower the risk of costly citations. It also helps reduce downtime due to accidents, which could drive additional productivity and throughput. Focusing on value instead of cost helps your company make sound decisions about safety equipment and determine the true value of investing in a comprehensive safety solution.

• Consider Your Employees’ Best Interests

From a business perspective, it’s important to calculate the costs of your current safety issues in hard numbers. You might express these costs in terms of lost productivity, such as, “This equipment failure is costing us X number of dollars per month,” or, “Workplace injuries are costing us X number of employee hours per month.”

But it’s important to take a step back from the numbers and remember that reducing or eliminating safety issues is about protecting the health and lives of your co-workers. No company wants to cut corners that could result in safety hazards, accidents or even deaths. A safe work site is an expression of the value of the people working there – and the values of the company.

Evaluating your safety issues early on makes it easier to communicate with a consultant or vendor, as you collaborate to develop the right safety solution for your company’s specific needs.

How to Improve the Safety of Your Rail Transloading Processes

Transloading between trucks and rail cars helps you lower transportation costs through affordable rail shipping, even if your origin site or destination is not along a rail line. However, the process of tank rail car loading and unloading can be dangerous. For example, workers may become lightheaded and faint if they inhale fumes from petroleum fuels.

Carbis Australia Rial trasloading safety solutions.

The manual labour involved in loading and unloading also presents a danger. Without proper equipment to improve the ergonomics of a task, workers may receive repetitive strain injuries.

Then, there’s the matter of the tank cars themselves. Workers may fall from a height if they climb on top and trip. Unsecured cars may also move unexpectedly and strike workers on the tracks.

While safety risks like these can’t be eliminated entirely, you can mitigate them. Learn more about how to protect your workers during rail transloading.

Follow Rail Transloading Safety Procedures

The Federal Railroad Administration has certain rules in place to keep workers safe during rail transloading. First, you must block at least one wheel per rail car against movement in both directions and set the hand brakes to keep cars in position. You may have to use multiple wheel blocks and hand brakes if more than one car is on a track.  During a product transfer, at least one employee must have an unobstructed view of the operation or an employee should be watching the operation on a monitoring system. That way, someone can immediately notify workers involved in the case of an emergency or malfunction.

• Keep headlights or warning lights on when operating a railcar mover
• Ensure the horn, bell and brakes work properly before moving the railcar mover
• Whenever possible, perform tank car transloading outside so fumes aren’t trapped indoors
• Prevent workers from placing their hands and body parts at a machine’s point of operation (use tongs, hooks or other tools instead)
• Always be prepared for the movement of rail cars and other equipment at any time, in any direction

Install the Appropriate Safety Equipment

A number of rail safety solutions help minimize workers’ ergonomic strain, prevent falls and improve your site’s safety. Consider speaking with a safety expert to learn whether the following solutions are right for your facility:

• Single or double-sided loading racks for safe access
• Crude oil loading racks with fixed platforms
• Transloading portable access platforms and carts
• Hand rail systems for the tops of railcars
• Fall prevention cages
• Mobile dual vehicle access systems with gangways
• Loading and unloading skid systems
• Bottom loading arms

Remember that equipment should be kept in good condition. Inspect equipment regularly, and never “field modify” it for uses other than those intended by the manufacturer. Modifications to improve equipment for its intended use should be certified in writing by the manufacturer.

With the right procedures and safety equipment in place, your company reduces the risk of serious injuries and fatal accidents. Plus, you demonstrate to your employees that their safety and livelihood are your top priority. You reap the economic benefits of rail transloading, and your workplace is more confident performing the task at hand.

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4 Essential quality To Look for in marine Safety Equipment

Marine safety equipment is necessary for helping your workers access ships safely and preventing falls. Safer work conditions often increase deficiency and improve your bottom line.
While you may have an idea of what type of equipment you’re looking for, it’s important to not miss any important details. Always shop for safety equipment with the following four qualities:

1. Adaptable To Various Conditions

No two days at your marine facility are exactly alike. Whether you run into problems with limited dock space, variable water heights or obstructions blocking ship access points, you need safety equipment that’s flexible. Marine safety equipment must adapt to changing conditions within your work environment.
For example, the barges you’re working on and their access points may change throughout the day. Your safety solutions provider should give you the following mounting options to choose from in a barge gangway:
Float mode – As water levels rise and fall, your barge simply drifts under the gangway.
Pivot mounting – From one fixed mounting position, you can access several points on the barge.
Track mounting – Easily move your gangway up and down the dock to access multiple barges.
If you’re searching for a ship tower, you may benefit from one that features telescoping units, which provide extra versatility. Not only should your safety solutions be modifiable, but they also should be
custom fit to your needs.

2. Slip And Fall Resistant

Falling at a marine facility is dangerous due to the risk of drowning or being swept up in a current. While ship gangways are useful in preventing falls, ensure the gangways you choose include the following
features:

• Slip-resistant walk surface with angled cleats or treads
• Handrails that provide sturdy support
• Midrails that prevent workers from falling under the handrail

If using a gangway isn’t an option at certain areas of your site, use a marine ladder with heavy-duty swivel safety shoes and sizeable rubber tread to secure footing on a variety of surfaces. Your ladder will be much less likely to slip and lead to a fall from a height.

3. Made Of Reliable Material

Barge gangways, ship towers and marine ladders should always be made from high-quality materials. Aluminum is a strong, light metal that weighs about one-third as much as steel. When used in safety equipment, aluminum reduces dead weight while increasing load capacity. Ladders in particular
are much easier to maneuver when they’re made of aluminum.
Aluminum also increases the life span of your equipment due to its corrosion-resistant nature. It naturally generates a protective oxide coating. Your safety equipment provider may also use protective
treatments such as anodizing, painting or lacquering to extend the equipment’s life even further.

4. Environmentally Friendly

Spilling oil or other foreign materials into ocean water can be an environmental disaster. Not only do you endanger wildlife, but the EPA enforces the Clean Water Act After a spill, the EPA ensures you clean
up by:

• Negotiating with you to clean up the spill yourself, or
• Ordering you to clean up, or
• Having you pay for a third party to clean up

Some customers insist that their marine gangways use electrical power to avoid oil leaks from hydraulics. However, if you partner with a safety equipment provider that builds reliable solutions, your equipment is unlikely to leak. You may also choose to have a leak containment system installed with your equipment as an extra precaution.

As you work toward making your marine site safer, incorporate safety solutions that offer complete protection. You shouldn’t invest in equipment missing the qualities discussed above. Analyze your risks and prioritize mitigating those you’re exposed to first. Improving safety is an ongoing process that starts with making the right equipment decisions for your site.

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How Truck Spotting and Safety Equipment Work Hand in Hand Prevent Fatal Injuries While Increasing Productivity.

You can’t have one without the other – proper truck spotting and fall prevention equipment are important parts of a comprehensive truck safety program. Without both of these components, you’re putting your workers at risk.

Between 2003 and 2012, 56 tractor trailer fatal injuries resulted from contact with a large object or equipment, and 28 deaths resulted from trips and falls. These figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics demonstrate why you need well-trained workers directing drivers as they spot trucks within your facility and safety equipment that mitigates the risk of falls.

Do your truck spotting procedures work hand in hand with the right safety equipment to protect your workers?

Mitigate Risk With Accurate Truck Spotting

While fall prevention equipment saves lives when used properly, you must line up your trucks accurately with equipment for it to be effective. Otherwise, you leave gaps employees could fall through. You should also account for changing conditions and adjust procedures accordingly. For example, a new truck may have different access points to align with equipment.

Ultimately, how well a driver spots a truck is more important than any other safety solution. If you’re just beginning to improve your truck spotting, start by creating designated loading and unloading spots. Drivers should park there consistently.

You need a strategic method for spotting trucks that ensures proper alignment and prevents drivers from accidentally backing up into an employee. Follow these best practices recommended by OSHA

• Workers should use agreed-upon hand signals
• Spotters should keep visual contact with the driver
• Drivers must stop backing up if they can’t see the spotter
• Spotters and drivers must focus only on the task at hand
• Workers shouldn’t use phones, headphones or other distracting technologies
• Spotters must wear high-visibility clothing, especially at night

Truck spotting is not intuitive; it must be taught. Provide ongoing employee training to keep best practices fresh in mind.

Install Safety Equipment Suited To Your Procedures

Depending on your site and specifications, some safety equipment is more suited to your truck loading procedures than others. You should speak with an expert about how the following types of equipment fit your requirements:

• Track mounted gangways
• Swing gates
• Folding stairs
• Single hatch truck access platforms
• Bottom loading arms
• Manifolds
• Full truck enclosures
• Transloading portable access platforms
• Flat ramps
• Flatbed tarping platforms
• Overhead tarping systems
• Canopies systems

Many safety equipment models are flexible to your procedures. For example, track mounted gangways reduce the amount of time drivers need to spot and respot tank trucks. This safety solution gives operators access to multiple hatches without requiring drivers to move the vehicle from its initial location.

Ensure Truck Spotting And Equipment Work Together

You reduce the risk of improper spotting and accidents when you only have to spot a truck once. Your workers can take their time ensuring a truck is properly aligned with equipment. Plus, they increase efficiency and throughput with the added time savings.
Truck spotting and safety equipment must function together to be effective. If you spot a truck accurately in its designated space, a worker can still fall while loading or unloading without a fall prevention system in place. Conversely, fall prevention equipment doesn’t actually prevent accidents if truck and equipment access points aren’t aligned.
You have to understand your site procedures and the reason behind them when designing a comprehensive safety system. Learn about your risks and what prevents workers from safely accessing your trucks. With the right safety program, your company protects lives, complies with OSHA regulations and reduces expenses associated with employee injury.

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