Category: Safety

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) recently released its latest standard covering electrical safety in the workplace. The most current version of the standard, which is on a 3-year revision cycle, is NFPA 70E – 2018. MCAA has prepared a safety bulletin covering the key changes that affect mechanical service workers who are working on equipment pushing 480 volts or less. The bulletin highlights the key changes on the front page, and provides a side-by-side comparison of the key changes between the 2015 and 2018 versions of the standard on subsequent pages.

Safety Bulletin

Additional MCAA/MSCA safety resources to help your company address the key changes to NFPA 70E  for 2018 will be available later this month. The resources include:

• A new model lockout/tagout program for electrical safety in the workplace (the revised standard requires a written electrical safety lockout/tagout program); and
• A revised model program on Electrical Safety for Service (Based on NFPA 70E – 2018).

If you have questions about the new standard, please contact Pete Chaney at pchaney@mcaa.org, or 301-990-2214.

Find out whether your company is eligible for an MCAA Safety Excellence Certificate of Commendation for its safety performance in 2017.  The program has been expanded to provide awards for zero recordable cases, zero lost workday cases, recordable cases incidence rates that are 25% or more below the industry average, and lost workday cases incidence rates that are 25% or more below the industry average.

To find out whether your company is eligible, complete a simple annual report form and submit it electronically. Regardless of whether your company earned an award for its safety performance last year it will receive a beneficial benchmarking report. The report allows the user to compare company incidence rates with the aggregates of other participating companies in the same size category.

Annual Report Form   (Please submit to MCAA by March 9, 2018)

For the first time ever MCAA presented a Construction Health and Safety Technician (CHST) examination preparation workshop in conjunction with its 15th annual Safety Directors’ Conference. The certification is provided by the Board of Certified Safety Professionals to individuals who meet the qualification requirements, and pass the examination. The workshop, which prepares the attendees for an extremely challenging examination, was completely sold out. Thirty six participants attended the three-day workshop to study the disciplines covered by the exam, and to learn the best ways to prepare for it. MCAA will present professional safety certification exam preparations workshops in conjunction with future safety directors’ conferences.

MCAA’s 2018 Safety Directors’ Conference provided world class, industry-specific safety and health education and outstanding networking opportunities for 225 participants. Attendees included occupational safety and health professionals from member firms and local affiliates, UA local instructors, MCA local executives, and many others.

Topic experts from around the country presented sixteen educational sessions throughout the three-day conference. Keynote presenter Neil Pasricha, New York Times best selling author of five books including The Happiness Equation, presented lessons from the book, which debuted at #1 on the international bestseller list last year and is still there today. Other educational topics included safe bolting practices, power tool safety technology, working safely around manganese, workplace violence prevention and protection, and much more.

MCAA’s 16^th annual Safety Directors’ Conference will be presented January 22-24, 2019.

MCAA’s Twenty Top Safety Hazards Training Video – Part 2 will teach your workers about 20 more of the top hazards in mechanical construction. If you missed our last article, you can find information about Part 1 here.

Your workers will learn how to recognize and protect themselves from hazards related to:

• Fires from hot work
• Flammable liquids
• Flammable gases
• Compressed gas cylinders
• Pressure testing
• Line breaking
• Stored electrical energy
• Power lines
• Welding and cutting fumes
• Asbestos
• Lead based paint
• Silica
• Bloodborne pathogens
• Excessive noise
• Heat exhaustion/heat stroke
• Hypothermia/frostbite
• Inadequate lighting
• Unprotected stairways
• Falls with scaffolds
• Falls from scaffolds

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 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.

MCAA’s Twenty Top Safety Hazards Training Video – Part 1 will teach your workers about 20 of the top hazards in mechanical construction.

Your workers will learn how to recognize and protect themselves from hazards related to:

• Materials handling
• Exposed body parts
• Struck-bys
• Eye hazards
• Sharp objects
• Slips and trips
• Exposed floor holes
• Ladders
• Aerial lifts
• Perimeter protection
• Falls
• Tool guards
• Damaged rigging
• Electrical hazards
• Power cords
• Welding leads
• Welding arcs
• Excavations
• Hazardous materials
• Confined spaces

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 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.

With record setting low temperatures across the nation it’s a good time for us to review the potential hazards associated with extremely cold working conditions. The two major concerns are hypothermia and frost bite. Hypothermia results from the loss of body temperature. Symptoms include shivering, apathy, loss of consciousness, decreasing pulse rate, and decreasing breathing rate. Frostbite occurs in freezing conditions. The nose, ears, cheeks, chin, fingers and toes are the body parts most likely to be affected. Remind your workers to protect themselves by:

• Dressing in layers to block the escape of body heat;
• Choosing clothing that provides good insulation to the head, armpits, and groin area where most body heat escapes;
• Keeping their nose, ears, cheeks, and chin covered;
• Wearing moisture wicking wool socks, and insulated work boots;
• Staying dry;
• Keeping out of the wind;
• Eating nutritious high protein foods; and
• Staying well hydrated.

For more information about cold stress, visit the U.S. Department of Labor’s website article… Cold Stress at DOL, and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health website article… Cold Stress at NIOSH.