Protecting your hairy eyeball: Safety Glasses with Magnification

For those of use that lack perfect eyesight, wearing corrective lenses and safety goggles at the same time can be a real pain. Put on the goggles and you can't read the manual or see the fine detail of your workpiece, or try to wear them both and get dust leaks and/or fogging. Dang!  No good deed goes unpunished.  Until now.

 

Sperian Protection (www.sperian.com/), a world leader in personal protective equipment (PPE), announced that its flagship eyewear brand, Uvex, has launched the Uvex Stealth® Reader Goggle, the industry’s first safety goggle with reading magnifier lenses.  The lenses are available in five diopter strengths ranging from +1.0 to +3.0.

“The Uvex Stealth family of safety goggles . . . combines modern design with the best technology and materials,” said David Iannelli, senior product manager for Sperian Eye & Face Protection. “Now workers can enjoy the added benefit of magnifying fine details with comfort and safety.”

The Uvex Stealth Reader Goggle is available in a clear lens with Uvextreme® anti-fog coating, and its economical lens replacement system extends the life of the goggle.  Made in the USA, this goggle meets the ANSI Z87.1-2010 standard for high impact protection as well as the CSA Z94.3 safety standard.  Like all Uvex® lenses, the Uvex Stealth Reader Goggle offers 99.9 percent ultraviolet protection.

Works for those with unibrows, too.

The Uvex Stealth Reader Goggle’s low profile and wrap-around style delivers complete coverage and unobstructed vision on the job. Its wide, adjustable slide headband features pivoting clips for an easy-to-adjust fit for complete comfort, even when worn with hard hats.  Its soft elastomer body conforms to facial contours for a secure, gap-free fit to provide optimum all-day protection.  With multiple models to choose from, the Uvex Stealth family offers workers the protection they need and the selection they want, helping promote a culture of safety in the workplace.

More information about the Uvex Stealth family of safety goggles is available at: www.uvex.us/

A friendly reminder:  No spare eyeballs are available at this time.
You loose 'em, scratch 'em, or poke 'em, and you are S-O-L.

Gimmie a push, will ya?

Keeping all your fingers attached can come in handy in life, and one way to do that is to be very careful when working around table saws.  ADS Tool Designs (http://www.tablesawpushstick.com/) offers a nifty push-stick for helping you run your wood materials past the blade in your table saw.  The easy to see orange plastic won't tear-up your saw blade if it gets nicked, and it's big enough to keep your hand away from the blade.

And here is an even more stable pushstick system that reduces the potential for kick-back and board lift from Rockler Tools (http://www.rockler.com/)

GRR-Ripper

And there is a great bunch of Saw Safety Videos at:

www.wonderhowto.com/how-to-table-saw-push-stick-keep-those-fingers-173847/

www.ehow.co.uk/video_4427492_using-push-sticks-table-saw.html
www.youtube.com/results?search_query=push+sticks+for+table+saws&aq=f

And Saw Safety Posters at:
www.sawdustmaking.com/Table%20Saws/TSposter.pdf
www.deltaportercable.com/uploads/PCD/Documents/DeltaSafetySheets/A16356-01-20-06-Rev%20A-TableSaws-English.pdf

STOP! In the name of love (of keeping your body parts intact)

I don't know about you, but when it comes to power tools, they can be a bit scary when you realize that they can grab your cloths, hair, or the part you are working on and tear them-up in a fraction of a second.  Drill presses, router tables, planners, and table saws are some of the most powerful tools in your shop, so having a shut-off switch that is extremely visible and easy to slam a hand or knee onto is a really good idea.

Grizzly Power Tools (http://www.grizzly.com/) makes the H8243 mondo power switch for this application.  For the price of a good pizza this dual voltage, single-phase Paddle Switch is rated for 110 Volt, 2 HP motors up to 35 amps, and 220 Volt, 3 HP motors up to 20 amps. The large paddle makes this switch ideal for emergency shut-offs.  It fits a standard single-gang electrical box, so you can mount it just about anywhere.

ANSI Standard 535.1 requires that the RED switch be mounted on a yellow background for maximum visibility, so slap a coat of yellow down before you mount that switch.

Do I have to have this?

According to most international machinery safety standards you probably should.  Here is a listing of relevant requirements for E-stops:

• 98/37/EC The Machinery Directive - Clause 1.2.4 in annex 4 gives requirements for the emergency stop function for new machines. See also clause 1.2.2 Control devices (chapter “Standard and Regulations”).
  
  Council Directive 89/655/EEC of November 30, 1989 concerning the minimum safety and health requirements for the use of work equipment by workers at work, Clause 2.4 gives the requirements for the emergency stop function for older machines. See also clause 2.1 (chapter “Standard and Regulations”).
• EN ISO 13850 Safety of Machinery - Emergency stop—Principles for design.  A harmonized standard that gives technical specifications for the requirements on the Machinery Directive.  Can also be used for older machinery.
• EN 60204-1 Safety of Machinery - Electrical equipment of machines —Part 1: General requirements.  This is a harmonized standard that gives requirements for the electrical equipment of machinery including the emergency stop actuator/function. See clauses 9.2.2 and 9.2.5.4.2.
• OSHA publication "Safeguarding Equipment and Protecting Employees from Amputation" can be downloaded here: www.osha.gov/Publications/osha3170.pdf

For industrial safety switch systems that meet a much higher level of performance, you need to look toward systems that are engineered solutions that utilize specialized sensors, switches, relays, and annunciators.  While the Grizzly paddle switch is a huge step in the right direction, there is still much more you can do to safeguard your shop workers.

Also see:
www.theatresafetyblog.blogspot.com/2011/12/power-play.html 
and
www.theatresafetyblog.blogspot.com/2012/05/stopin-startin-power-control-for-your.html

Oh! My Aching Back!

It is estimated that 80% of the population has experienced back pain or discomfort in their working lives.  In the theatre we move a lot of equipment around, many times while reaching out or leaning over railings.  Stacking boxes, loading trucks, lifting counterweights, moving chairs, and working with platforms and staging are but a few of the things we do that could strain your back.

When we lift a load, we use muscles in the low back as part of a lever system. Unfortunately, because the muscles in our low back are only about two inches from the spine, the further a load is from our body, the more stress transfers to the low back and the amount of work required increases. Think about snow on the branch of a tree; the further the snow is from the trunk, the more the branch bends under its weight.

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) developed a model that determines whether a lifting task is safe. The result of the NIOSH Lifting Equation is the Recommended Weight Limit (RWL), a weight that 99% of males and 75% of females should be able to lift safely. Under perfect circumstances — lifting an object with good handles only once in a certain posture — the highest possible RWL is 51 pounds. In calculating the RWL, other factors are also considered including horizontal distance, vertical location at the beginning of the lift (floor level is the least desirable), and whether there is twisting during the lift.

The NIOSH Lifting Equation makes it is easy to identify opportunities for design improvements. By working with the numbers, you can quantify the risk reduction that results from raising a load from the floor (0") to table height (30"), or decreasing the width of a table to minimize reach distance. The equation is equally useful for identifying ergonomic solutions, as well as ergonomic challenges.

Use the right tool for the job!
When I was about 10 years old I was sitting at the kitchen table trying (without much success) to strip the insulation from a 26 gauge wire with a big old and well worn set of linesman’s Kleins (heavy duty wire cutters for 8 & 10 gauge solid conductor steel wire).  My father came by and saw my frustration, brought me a set of small gauge wire strippers, and lectured me: ”Don’t use a Blacksmith’s tools to do a Jeweler’s job!”  We have forklifts, pallet jacks, carts, winches, pulleys, block-and-tackle, j-bars, and most importantly — other people, to help us. We are not Iron Man, Superman, or the Incredible Hulk, so don’t be shy, get help!  It’s better to be called a ‘wimp’ than to be called at the hospital.

Caveat to the Equations:  The NIOSH Lifting Equation does not apply if any of the following occur:

• Lifting/lowering with one hand
• Lifting/lowering for over 8 hours
• Lifting/lowering while seated or kneeling
• Lifting/lowering in a restricted workspace
• Lifting/lowering unstable objects
• Lifting/lowering while carrying, pushing or pulling
• Lifting/lowering with wheelbarrows or shovels
• Lifting/lowering with high-speed motion (faster than 30 inches/second)
• Lifting/lowering with unreasonable foot floor coupling (<0.4 coefficient of friction between the sole and the floor)
• Lifting/lowering in an unfavorable environment (i.e., temperature significantly outside of 66-79 degree F range; relative humidity outside 35-50% range

So, that covers almost everyting we do in the theatre.  What good are all these equations?  What can we do?  Think before your lift!  When in doubt, get help.  Ergonomics aren't about egos or machismos - it's about planning your work task so it doesn't tear-up your body.  Work smarter, not harder.

Resources:
NIOSH:  http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/94-110/
NIOSH:  http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2007-122/
NIOSH:  http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2007-131/
NIOSH Lifting Equation (on-line calculator): http://www.emcins.com/losscontrol/quick_links/employee_safety_health/ergonomicsNIOSH.aspx
UCLA Ergonomics Lab: http://www.ergonomics.ucla.edu/
Canadian OSH (with online metric calculator): http://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/ergonomics/niosh/