Category: Safety

Protect Your Fitters, Plumbers, and Service Techs From the Extreme Heat By Reminding Them About Heat Illnesses and Prevention Methods

Now is a great time to remind your fitters, plumbers, service technicians, and their supervisors about heat illnesses and how to prevent them.  The heat illnesses we’re most concerned about include heat stroke, heat exhaustion, heat syncope, and heat cramps.

HEAT STROKE: The body loses its ability to sweat and can’t control its temperature. Heat stroke is a medical emergency.

HEAT EXHAUSTION: The body sweats away too much water and salt.

HEAT SYNCOPE: The body’s blood pressure becomes too low resulting in dizziness or fainting.

HEAT CRAMPS: The body experiences painful muscle spasms.

To help prevent heat illnesses:

  • Provide training for all affected workers on heat illnesses and prevention methods.
  • On extremely hot days, reduce the physical demands on your workers as much as possible.
  • Work tasks that are particularly physically demanding should be performed early in the morning or later in the afternoon avoiding the hottest part of the day.
  • Provide a constant supply of cold water.
  • Encourage your workers to drink at least a full cup of cold water every 15 to 20 minutes throughout each day.
  • Encourage your workers to avoid drinking alcohol, caffeine, and high sugar content drinks during periods of extremely hot temperatures.
  • Allow frequent rest periods in cool shaded areas.
  • Encourage your workers to wear light-weight, light-colored, loose-fitting clothing made of breathable fabrics that are also designed to filter out harmful UV rays.
  • Keep a close watch on workers who are at higher risk for heat illnesses. For example, workers required to wear hot personal protective equipment, such as arc flash gear, welding gear, respirators, etc., and overweight workers may be at higher risk.

Hazard Communication Compliance Made Easy With Electronic Access to Safety Data Sheets

For mechanical construction and service employers the most challenging part of compliance with OSHA’s Hazard Communication Standard is making a current Safety Data Sheet (SDS), for every chemical substance that workers could be exposed to, readily accessible to them at all times. Electronic access to current, mechanical industry-specific SDSs is made easy with SDS BinderWorks.

The hazard communication management system makes it simple to comply with other hazard communication compliance requirements as well, such as establishing a written hazard communication program and meeting chemical substance labeling requirements. To learn what SDS BinderWorks can do for you, watch the video.

https://youtu.be/TKyFmkGXv_k

If you like what you see, take advantage of the 5% discount for MCAA and MSCA members. To establish service or learn more about the hazard communication management system, contact SDS BinderWorks, Inc.

Distracted Driving Accidents Continue to Rise – These Resources Help You Address the Issue Head-On

Traffic fatalities increased by 6% in 2016, and 27% of crashes involve drivers talking and/or texting on cell phones. With daunting numbers like these, it’s no surprise that distracted driving is a concern for mechanical construction and service companies. These MCAA resources will help you address this concern head-on.

Get up to speed quickly

MCAA’s Distracted Driving Safety Bulletin will bring you up to speed quickly.

Download

Establish rules of the road

MCAA’s Distracted Driving Reduction and Prevention Guide will help you:

  • Establish a written policy to reduce or prevent distracted driving in your company
  • Train all affected drivers/workers
  • Learn about technologies to reduce or prevent distracted driving

Download

Provide additional worker training

MCAA’s Workplace Distractions Safety Training Video will help your workers recognize and avoid the four most common industry-related workplace distractions:

  • Driving distractions
  • Electronic distractions
  • Environmental distractions
  • Personal distractions

Download or play the video

Accompanying materials are also available to assist you in highlighting key training points, documenting worker training and confirming that workers understand the training concepts:

Highlight key training points

Download the Pocket Guide

Document worker training

Download the Documentation Sheet

Confirm that workers understand the training concepts

Download the Test

Download the Test Answer Key

Want even more safety resources?

MCAA has you covered, with a full range of resources to help you protect your workers from injury and comply with applicable safety regulations. Here’s where to find them:

On our Direct Links to MCAA & MSCA Safety Resources page, where they’re listed by category with links.

Go there now

In the Resource Center, where you can use the blue Refine Your Search bar to pinpoint exactly what you’re looking for.

Visit the Resource Center

Have questions or need personal assistance?

Contact MCAA’s Pete Chaney.

Keep Your Service Techs Safe in the Field – This Video Can Help!

MCAA’s Mechanical Service Safety Training Video teaches your service techs how to protect themselves from the most common safety hazards in the field.

Your workers will learn:

  • How to conduct a quick walk-around vehicle inspection
  • Why it’s important to preplan their days to ensure that they have the right tools, materials and safety equipment on hand
  • How to protect themselves and others while driving
  • Why they should check in with their supervisor or someone at the office when working alone
  • How to safely set up and use ladders
  • When fall prevention/protection are needed and how to properly protect themselves
  • How to protect themselves from electrical hazards while working on equipment pushing 480 volts or less
  • What additional protection is needed when working on equipment pushing more than 480 volts

Download or play the video

There’s More…

Accompanying materials are also available to assist you in highlighting key training points, documenting worker training and confirming that workers understand the training concepts:

Highlight key training points

Download the Pocket Guide

Document worker training

Download the Documentation Sheet

Confirm that workers understand the training concepts

Download the Test

Download the Test Answer Key

Want More Safety Resources?

MCAA has you covered, with a full range of resources to help you protect your workers from injury and comply with applicable safety regulations. Here’s where to find them:

On our Direct Links to MCAA & MSCA Safety Resources page, where they’re listed by category with links.

Go there now

In the Resource Center, where you can use the blue Refine Your Search bar to pinpoint exactly what you’re looking for.

Visit the Resource Center

Have questions or need personal assistance?

Contact MCAA’s Pete Chaney.

OSHA Now Enforcing Requirements for Laboratory Evaluation of Silica Exposure Samples

OSHA’s requirements for laboratory evaluation of silica exposure samples became enforceable on June 23, 2018. All other requirements for construction employers in the agency’s Respirable Crystalline Silica Standard became enforceable on September 23, 2017. If you’re using Table 1 to comply with the standard, the laboratory evaluation requirements don’t apply. However, if you’re using alternative exposure control methods to comply, you’ll need to ensure that your company is in compliance with the Methods of Sample Analysis described in Appendix A of the standard . If you have any questions about the standard, please contact Pete Chaney at pchaney@mcaa.org, or 301-990-2214.

Safe Work Practices are Key During Pressure Testing Operations – This Guide Has Them!

MCAA’s Guide to Pressure Testing Safety highlights the safe work practices that can help prevent worker injury during hydrostatic and pneumatic testing of steel and copper piping systems.

Your workers will learn about:

  • Hazards associated with pressure testing
  • Common injuries resulting from pressure testing
  • Seven causes of piping system failures during pressure test operations that can result in injury, and how to avoid them
  • Safe work practices for hydrostatic testing
  • Safe work practices for pneumatic testing

The guide also contains tools to help you with pre-test safety planning, including sample checklists for both hydrostatic and pneumatic testing. A sample pneumatic test permit is also included.

Download the guide

There’s More…

A safety training video on the topic of safe pressure testing is also available. Accompanying materials will assist you in highlighting key training points, documenting worker training and confirming that workers understand the training concepts.

Provide worker training

Download or play the video

Highlight key training points

Download the Pocket Guide

Document worker training

Download the Documentation Sheet

Confirm that workers understand the training concepts

Download the Test

Download the Test Answer Key

Want More Safety Resources?

MCAA has you covered, with a full range of resources to help you protect your workers from injury and comply with applicable safety regulations. Here’s where to find them:

On our Direct Links to MCAA & MSCA Safety Resources page, where they’re listed by category with links.

Go there now

In the Resource Center, where you can use the blue Refine Your Search bar to pinpoint exactly what you’re looking for.

Visit the Resource Center

Have questions or need personal assistance?

Contact MCAA’s Pete Chaney.

Electronic Submittal of Work-Related Injury/Illness Information is Due to OSHA by July 1, 2018

If your company incurred recordable injuries or illness in 2017 they must be reported. Affected employers must electronically submit to OSHA information from their OSHA 300 A Summary form by July 1, 2018. The following link will take you to OSHA’s electronic submittal information portal. The second link will provide you with additional information on OSHA’s recent recordkeeping rule changes.

Electronic Submittal Information and Portal – Improve Tracking of Workplace Injuries/Illnesses

OSHA Final Rule – Improve Tracking of Workplace Injuries/Illnesses

Need to Keep Your Workers Safe from Asbestos Hazards? This Video Can Help!

MCAA’s Asbestos Awareness for the Mechanical Trades Safety Training Video teaches your workers to protect themselves from the hazards involved in working around microscopic asbestos fibers.

Your workers will learn:

  • What asbestos is
  • Where asbestos can be found on the jobsite
  • What the health hazards of asbestos exposure are
  • How to identify potential asbestos hazards
  • How to protect themselves from asbestos hazards

Download or play the video in English

Download or play the video in Spanish

There’s More…

Accompanying materials are also available to assist you in highlighting key training points, documenting worker training and confirming that workers understand the training concepts:

Highlight key training points

Download the Pocket Guide

Document worker training

Download the Documentation Sheet

Confirm that workers understand the training concepts

Download the Test

Download the Test Answer Key

Want More Safety Resources?

MCAA has you covered, with a full range of resources to help you protect your workers from injury and comply with applicable safety regulations. Here’s where to find them:

On our Direct Links to MCAA & MSCA Safety Resources page, where they’re listed by category with links.

Go there now

In the Resource Center, where you can use the blue Refine Your Search bar to pinpoint exactly what you’re looking for.

Visit the Resource Center

Have questions or need personal assistance?

Contact MCAA’s Pete Chaney.

Want to Keep Your Fitters and Plumbers Safe from Electrical Hazards? Show Them this Video!

MCAA’s Electrical Hazard Safety Training Video teaches your workers to recognize electrical hazards and perform their jobs safely.

Your workers will learn about:

  • The electrical concepts of path to ground and path of least resistance
  • The importance of keeping power tools and equipment in good working order
  • Ground fault circuit interruptors (GFCIs) and when they should be used
  • Hazardous work situations and how to handle them safely

Download or play the video in English

Download or play the video in Spanish

There’s More…

Accompanying materials are also available to assist you in highlighting key training points, documenting worker training and confirming that workers understand the training concepts:

Highlight key training points

Download the Pocket Guide

Document worker training

Download the Documentation Sheet

Confirm that workers understand the training concepts

Download the Test

Download the Test Answer Key

Want More Safety Resources?

MCAA has you covered, with a full range of resources to help you protect your workers from injury and comply with applicable safety regulations. Here’s where to find them:

On our Direct Links to MCAA & MSCA Safety Resources page, where they’re listed by category with links.

Go there now

In the Resource Center, where you can use the blue Refine Your Search bar to pinpoint exactly what you’re looking for.

Visit the Resource Center

Have questions or need personal assistance?

Contact MCAA’s Pete Chaney.

Are Any of Your Workers Required to Work in Trenches? Trench Safety Stand-Down 2018 Takes Place the Week of June 18

This year’s trench safety stand-down  occurs June 18 – 23, 2018. It’s purpose is to help employers protect their workers from trenching injuries and fatalities. If you have workers who are required to work in trenches, the week of June 18 would be a great time to remind them about the hazards and best safe work practices associated with working in trenches. MCAA has several applicable safety resources at your disposal, including an excavation safety training video.

MCAA Safety Resources

See the attached brochure for more information on what you can do to participate.

Brochure

Keep Your Workers Safe When Working in Excavations – This Video Can Help!

MCAA’s Excavation Safety Training Video educates your workers about when it’s safe to work in an excavation, when to stay out, and when to get out.

It provides an overview of the hazards involved in working in these spaces and teaches workers to:

  • Ensure there is a means of access and egress
  • Know when to leave an excavation
  • Identify and report surface encumbrances that could change conditions
  • Identify and report missing guardrails on excavation walkways
  • Identify and report missing fall protection barriers
  • Be aware of other excavation hazards
  • Refrain from digging until all utilities are marked
  • Stop and report it if they uncover a utility
  • Refrain from attempting an excavation cave-in rescue

Download or play the video in English

Download or play the video in Spanish

There’s More…

Accompanying materials are also available to assist you in highlighting key training points, documenting worker training and confirming that workers understand the training concepts:

Highlight key training points

Download the Pocket Guide

Document worker training

Download the Documentation Sheet

Confirm that workers understand the training concepts

Download the Test

Download the Test Answer Key

Create a company-specific excavation safety program

Download the Model Program

Want More Safety Resources?

MCAA has you covered, with a full range of resources to help you protect your workers from injury and comply with applicable safety regulations. Here’s where to find them:

On our Direct Links to MCAA & MSCA Safety Resources page, where they’re listed by category with links.

Go there now

In the Resource Center, where you can use the blue Refine Your Search bar to pinpoint exactly what you’re looking for.

Visit the Resource Center

Have questions or need personal assistance?

Contact MCAA’s Pete Chaney.

Want Tips for Inspecting Materials Handling Equipment? Watch This Video!

MCAA’s safety training video on how to properly inspect materials handling equipment provides tips for conducting effective pre-use inspections that can be critical to preventing workplace injuries.

The video stresses the importance of two-step inspections:

  1. Visually examine the equipment from the ground up
  2. Test the equipment functions before putting a load on it

It also walks you through the specific steps for inspecting these common pieces of equipment:

  • jacks
  • forklifts
  • lifts
  • cranes
  • hoists
  • rigging accessories (slings, chains and hooks)

Download or play the video in English

Download or play the video in Spanish

There’s More…

Accompanying materials are also available to assist you in highlighting key training points, documenting worker training and confirming that workers understand the training concepts:

Highlight key training points

Download the Pocket Guide

Document worker training

Download the Documentation Sheet

Confirm that workers understand the training concepts

Download the Test

Download the Test Answer Key

Want More Safety Resources?

MCAA has you covered, with a full range of resources to help you protect your workers from injury and comply with applicable safety regulations. Here’s where to find them:

On our Direct Links to MCAA & MSCA Safety Resources page, where they’re listed by category with links.

Go there now

In the Resource Center, where you can use the blue Refine Your Search bar to pinpoint exactly what you’re looking for.

Visit the Resource Center

Have questions or need personal assistance?

Contact MCAA’s Pete Chaney.

The MCAA Silica Safety Guide Has Been Revised and is Now Available to Members

MCAA first published its Guide to Silica Safety three years before OSHA promulgated its Respirable Crystalline Silica Standard. The association recently revised the guide to make it consistent with the OSHA rule.  The guide is an excellent resource for foremen and other supervisors who need to understand what’s required for worker protection from overexposure to respirable crystalline silica. It’s also an excellent training resource for mechanical construction workers. The revised guide is now available to members for free as a benefit of membership.

If you have questions about the guide or OSHA’s silica standard, please contact Pete Chaney at pchaney@mcaa.org or 301-990-2214.

Employers in All OSHA State-Plan-States Must Now Electronically Submit Injury/Illness Data

Affected employers in all 26 OSHA state-plan-states, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands are now required to comply with OSHA’s 2016 recordkeeping rule changes. The changes require all affected employers to electronically submit data on recordable injuries and illnesses to OSHA.

This decision is a reversal of OSHA’s November 2017 position, which stated that employers in California, Maryland, Minnesota, South Carolina, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming, which haven’t adopted federal OSHA’s recordkeeping rule changes, are not required to submit their summary data.

Enforcement Dates

Injury/illness data from 2017 must be submitted by July 1, 2018.

Starting in 2019 and each year thereafter, the information from the preceding year must be submitted by March 2nd.

Learn More with these Resources

OSHA Electronic Submittal Information and Portal

MCAA Safety Bulletin

OSHA Final Rule

Congratulations to this Year’s Participants in the MCAA Safety Statistics & Awards Program

The MCAA member firms that participated in this year’s Safety Statistics and Awards Program are much safer than most mechanical construction firms in the industry. Compared to the industry’s incidence rate aggregates established by the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), MCAA members performed substantially better than most.

Incidence Rates MCAA Members U.S. BLS
Recordable Cases Incidence Rates 1.8 4.1
Lost Workday Cases Incidence Rates .31 2.1
Fatality Cases Incidence Rates 0 Not Yet Available

The MCAA member safety benchmarking report for 2017 is now available.

Download

Celebrating Construction Safety Week? These MCAA and CNA Resources Can Help!

Safety Week, a celebration of safe work practices by national and global construction firms, takes place this week. While MCAA applauds the focus on safe work practices that this special week brings to all construction firms, safety is a top priority for MCAA and its members throughout each year.

MCAA and long-time safety partner CNA develop and produce world-class safety resources for members. The resources are readily available to you to help you celebrate safety week, and keep your workers safe throughout the year. And, they are free to MCAA/MSCA members as a benefit of membership.

For Construction Safety Week 2018, MCAA recommends that you emphasize the areas listed below to help neutralize the leading causes of injury in the mechanical construction and service industry.

  • The Safe Manual Handling of Materials
  • Ladder Safety
  • Fall Prevention and Protection
  • Protection from Struck-by Hazards
  • Slip, Trip, and Fall Prevention

MCAA Safety Resources

CNA Construction Risk Control Resources

Need an Electrical Safety in the Workplace Program to Comply with NFPA 70E – 2018? This Model Program is for You!

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) recently revised its standard for electrical safety in the workplace. NFPA 70E – 2018 requires affected employers to establish a written program for electrical safety in the workplace. MCAA’s Model Electrical Safety in the Workplace Program can be quickly and easily tailored to meet your company’s specific electrical safety applications.

This updated model program and all MCAA/MSCA safety resources are  free to members as one of many benefits of membership.

If you have any questions about this publication, or NFPA 70E – 2018, please contact Pete Chaney at pchaney@mcaa.org or 301-990-2214.

Check Out MCAA’s New Model Lockout/Tagout Program for Electrical Safety (Based on NFPA 70E-2018)

Introducing MCAA’s newest safety resource… Model Lockout/Tagout Program for Electrical Safety. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) recently revised its standard for electrical safety in the workplace. The most current version of the standard is NFPA 70E – 2018. This version imposes a new requirement concerning lockout/tagout of electrical energy sources. Affected employers must now establish a written lockout/tagout program specifically for electrical safety.  The new requirement is independent of the long-standing NFPA 70E requirement for a written electrical safety program.

The program is available electronically, and it can be quickly and easily tailored to meet your company’s specific applications. The new model program and all MCAA/MSCA safety resources are  free to members as one of many benefits of membership. If you have any questions about this publication, or NFPA 70E – 2018, please contact Pete Chaney at pchaney@mcaa.org or 301-990-2214.

For MCAA Construction Safety Week Lasts All Year

Construction Safety Week is an annual industry wide-education and awareness event. The Mission of Safety Week is to, “collectively raise the awareness of the construction industry’s continuing commitment to eliminating worker injury, and to clearly communicate its dedication to a shared culture of care and concern and the belief that every week must be Safety Week.” Construction Safety Week will be officially recognized this year May 7-11. MCAA encourages you to provide your workers all year long with education and awareness on several leading causes of injuries in the mechanical construction industry, and the best ways to prevent them.  Suggested topics for 2018 are, manual handling of materials, falls from ladders, falls from other elevations, electrical hazards, and workplace distractions. Mechanical construction-specific safety resources are available to all MCAA members for free as a benefit of membership. The MCAA safety resources that address these suggested topics are accessible below.

Manual Handling of Materials 

Musculoskeletal Wellness Video

Accompanying Pocket Guide

20-Question Multiple Choice Test

Test Answer Key

Falls from Ladders

Ladder Safety Video

Accompanying Pocket Guide

20-Question Multiple Choice Test

Test Answer Key

Falls from Elevations

Fall Prevention and Protection Video

Accompanying Pocket Guide

20-Question Multiple Choice Test

Test Answer Key

Electrical Hazards

Electrical Safety Video (Mechanical Construction)

Accompanying Pocket Guide

20-Question Multiple Choice Test

Test Answer Key

Workplace Distractions 

Workplace Distractions Video

Accompanying Pocket Guide

20-Question Multiple Choice Test

Test Answer Key

Distracted Driving Prevention Guide

MCAA/CNA Safety Excellence Award Winners

MCAA president Greg Fuller, and  CNA construction segment director Mark Wilke presented five MCAA/CNA Safety Excellence Awards at MCAA18 in San Antonio. The awards were presented at the March 28 Awards of Excellence Breakfast in front of  1,100 attendees. The awards were presented to:

Southwest Town Mechanical – Size Category 1 – Up to 100,000 Work Hours;

Xcel Mechanical Systems – Size Category 2 – 100,001 to 250,000 Work Hours;

University Mechanical Contractors – Size Category 3 – 250,001 to 400,000 Work Hours;

Winger Contracting Company – Size Category 4 – 400,001 to 1 Million Work Hours; and

The Hill Group – Size Category 5 – More Than 1 Million Work Hours.

Warmest congratulations from MCAA to all the safety award winners.