Safety Tips
by Duane Grange, Safety Director
"Asking the company to overlook a simple safety violation would be asking the company to compromise its entire attitude towards the value of your life"
COMMON SENSE
Suggesting someone should "use common sense" suggests the person should conduct him or herself the way you would. What is common to one person is not common to the next and can cause misunderstandings that often reflect unsafe work procedures and practices.
Webster defines Common as: "widespread general knowledge falling below ordinary standards." Webster defines Sense as: "Definite, but often-vague awareness or past impression. The ability to think or reason soundly; normal intelligence and judgment, often as reflected in behavior."
COMMON SENSE SAFETY: Letting every person do what you asked him or her to do based on his or her own general knowledge and vague awareness or past impression.
Did you know...
POWERED INDUSTRIAL TRUCK
What is the definition of a powered industrial truck?
Any mobile power-propelled truck used to carry, push, lift, and stack or tier materials. These include forklifts and powered pallet jacks. Earth moving and over the road haulage trucks are not included in the definition. Equipment that was designed to move earth but has been modified to accept forks are also not included.
Refresher Training Requirements
- Minimum every three years.
- When an operator has been observed operating in an unsafe manner.
- When an operator is involved in an accident or a near miss.
- When an operator has been evaluated at less than a safe level of competency.
- When an operator is assigned a different truck type.
- When there is a change in the work environment or unique condition that could affect safe truck operation.
Certification Documentation Requirements
The OSHA standard requires that the employer certify that each operator has received the training and has been evaluated. The written certification record must include:
- The name of the operator.
- The date of the training.
- The date of the evaluation.
- The identity of the person(s) performing the training or evaluation.
- Retention of records: employers who evaluate the operator's performance more frequently than every three years may retain the most recent certification record; otherwise, certification records must be maintained for three years.
Duane Grange is the Selectemp Safety Director and has more than 20 years of experience in the safety and human resources field. He is a member of the American Society of Safety Engineers, a certified Trainer/Instructor with Medic First Aid, and a graduate of OSHA's Safety and Health Achievement Recognition program (SHARP.)
Heard enough? Contact Selectemp today for your staffing needs.
