CoatingsPro Magazine

MAR 2017

CoatingsPro offers an in-depth look at coatings based on case studies, successful business operation, new products, industry news, and the safe and profitable use of coatings and equipment.

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COATINGSPRO MARCH 2017 33 WORK IT SAFE Putting together a comprehensive emergency action plan that deals with those issues specific to your worksite is not difficult. It involves taking what was learned from your workplace evaluation and describing how employees will respond to different types of emergencies, taking into account your specific worksite layout, structural features, and emergency systems. Most organizations find it beneficial to include a diverse group of representatives (management and employees) in this planning process and to meet frequently to review progress and allocate development tasks. The commitment and support of all employees is critical to the plan's success in the event of an emergency; ask for their help in establishing and implementing your emergency action plan. For smaller organizations, the plan does not need to be written and may be communicated orally if there are 10 or fewer employees. At a minimum, the plan must include, but is not limited to, the following elements: Means of reporting fires and other emergencies; Evacuation procedures and emergency escape route assignments; Procedures for employees who remain to operate critical plant operations before they evacuate; Accounting for all employees after an emergency evacuation has been completed; Rescue and medical duties for employees performing them; Names or job titles of persons who can be contacted. F o r m o r e i n f o r m a t i o n , c o n t a c t : O c c u p a t i o n a l S a f e t y a n d H e a l t h Administration (OSHA), www.osha.gov Z87.1-2010 and -2015 into federal law may take some time.) e ANSI/ISEA Z87.1-2015 standard (the American National Standard for Occupational and Educational Personal Eye and Face Protection Devices) is the latest edition of the standard for eye and face protection. e Z87.1 standard has been revised five times since 1968. e 2010 ANSI/ISEA Z87.1 revision was a dramatic shift away from product configuration requirements toward a hazard-based structure. e 2015 revision continues to focus on product performance and harmonization with global standards, and it fine-tunes the 2010 hazard-based product perfor- mance structure. e benefit of a hazard approach to the standard is that it should encourage users and employers to evaluate the specific hazards that they are exposed to in their environment. Selection of appropriate eye and face protection should then be based on this hazard evaluation. Because the 2015 standard is radically different, the product markings have changed. Users will need to be educated on matching the hazard that they need protection from with the marking on the product. A few considerations: • Every effort should be made to eliminate eye and face hazards in occupational and educational settings. Protectors do not provide unlimited protection. They are not substitutes for and should not be relied on to provide complete protec- tion against hazards, but they should be used in conjunction with machine guards, engineering controls, and sound safety practices. • Extreme caution must be exercised in the selection and use of personal protective equipment in applications for which no performance require- ments or standardized testing exist. e ANSI/ISEA Z87.1-2015 standard sets forth criteria related to the general requirements, testing, permanent marking, selection, care, and use of protectors to minimize the occurrence and severity or preven- tion of injuries from hazards, such as impact, non-ionizing radiation, and chemical exposures in occupational and educational environments including, but not limited to, machinery opera- tions, material welding and cutting, chemical handling, and assembly operations. Certain hazardous exposures are not covered in this standard. ese include, but are not limited to, blood- borne pathogens, x-rays, high-energy particulate radiation, microwaves, radio-frequency radiation, lasers, masers, and sports and recreation. ere are three important things to note: 1. The requirements of this standard apply to protectors when first removed from the packaging and used. 2. Manufacturers of components and complete protectors shall ensure that all required tests have been performed to demonstrate confor- mance. 3. The protector manufacturer shall provide test results to the purchaser upon request (ANSI/ISEA Z87.1, Section 2.3.5). (Always ask any manufacturer for proof of compli- ance!) Conduct a Proper Hazard Assessment and Create a Plan Annex K of the ANSI/ISEA standard is a very comprehensive guideline to conducting a workplace assessment. Follow this guide to identify the hazards that workers may be exposed to, and then select appropriate PPE. e ANSI/ISEA standard is organized by the nature of each hazard: impact, heat, chemical, dust, and optical radiation. Please note some simple suggestions as you create your plan: • Separate the job into procedural steps; • Observe the connections Safety Watch

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