GNCG Consulting

Complacency. Webster’s Dictionary defines complacency as: self-satisfaction especially when accompanied by unawareness of actual dangers or deficiencies Complacency is perhaps one of the biggest problems we face in completing our day to day tasks. We are used to things being a certain way each time and unless the obvious comes right out and hits us . . . we can be oblivious to it all. This is state of mind can affect many things such as productivity, quality, and safety.... We become conditioned to our surroundings and our work activities and we drop our guards. When our recognition ability decreases, then we have a potential problem. Someone changed something in our habit that causes us to injure ourselves. Ever move furniture in your home and accidentally stumble due to not paying attention? Because you became accustomed to where everything was located. Complacency is the reason. Need help with your safety programs? Contact us at www.gncgconsulting.com so we may discuss your needs. Have a safe day! See more

Safety Basics - Electrical Safety. The hazards associated with electricity affect most workplaces. Whether you are in general industry, construction, or even farming- electrical hazards are present. It is important to be able to recognize the electrical hazards around you and know how to mitigate them. We need to remember there is a difference between electrical safety and Control of Hazardous Energy (LOTO). Electrical safety is specifically working on electrical circuits ...whereas LOTO is the control of all types of hazardous energy including an often-forgotten type of energygravity. Electricity is a great tool when used correctly. Inspect equipment for faulty wiring and areas where unsuspecting employees may touch. Inspect plugs for frayed cords especially in areas prone to water. Also, everyday there are workers who suffer some type of shock, but do not seek or require treatment for their injuries. Because of this, it is difficult to fully track the occurrence of electrical shock in the workplace. Every facility needs to utilize NFPA 70E when working on live electrical circuits. This includes testing and troubleshooting of electrical circuits. Employees and owners need to ensure that electrical safety equipment is tested and not damaged before each use.

Safety Basics - Incident Reporting - What is an incident? Generally, an incident is an event or situation that causes disruption to the organization: an employee is injured or killed, property is damaged, an environmental release occurs (can be contained within the facility or travel outside the facility), security is breached, third parties are harmed (for example, a hospital patient is harmed as the result of malfunctioning medical equipment), and/or products are damaged. R...egulatory agencies such as OSHA require an employer to report significant incidents within a limited time period. These incidents include fatalities, amputations, hospitalization of an employee and loss of an eye. A near miss is as important to document and investigate as an incident. What is a near miss? Situations where no injuries or property damage occurred but that could have resulted in a worse outcomeas well as adverse events, such as those that cause harm. An incident report is the foundation that is used in the investigation and analysis of an event or series of events. Reports should identify the root cause of an event and corrective actions taken to eliminate the risks involved and prevent similar events.

Safety Basics - Container Labeling - Ever had someone pick up a container that they thought was water and found out the contents was something hazardous? Ever have someone take a drink from what they thought was soda or another beverage only to find out it was not what was expected? Container labeling may be the most difficult aspect for any company to comply with for the Hazard Communication standard. Training is one objective that helps everyone understand why container lab...eling is expected. During my training programs I use small containers of materials that are remarkably similar contents. Each container of material is marked with a number. I give participants a paper with each of the materials and they must review the contents of the containers without opening. This is a great activity that sponsors engagement and fun. What does it tell participants? It is very important to label all secondary containers, so everyone knows the contents. There are many ways to engage employees in training, so they understand the why. Need help engaging your employees in their safety programs? See more

Safety Basics - Housekeepinghow does your work area look to customers, vendors and visitors? A cluttered workspace can restrict movement in a workplace and increase the likelihood of slips and falls. Chances are that when somebody slips or trips on something, it is something that should not be there. A cluttered workspace can also be a firetrap. Poor housekeeping creates more places for fires to start and provide fuel for fires to feed on. In fact, many industrial fires a...re the direct result of accumulations of oil soaked, and paint saturated clothing and rags. If there is a fire, clutter can prevent a quick and safe exit and restrict access by fire extinguishing equipment. Housekeeping clutter can grow like vines, but it can only grow where it is permitted. A clean workplace should be a common concern for all, and expectations set. Identifying common concerns help promote cooperation. Nobody said housekeeping safety is fun, but it is part of the job. Teamwork is the key to a clean work area and housekeeping-safety. Everyone must do their part and realize that housekeeping is a shared responsibility. Remember that good housekeeping reduces accidents, improves morale and increases efficiency. Most people appreciate a clean and orderly workplace.

Incident Reporting What is an incident? Generally, an incident is an event or situation that causes disruption to the organization: an employee is injured or killed, property is damaged, an environmental release occurs (can be contained within the facility or travel outside the facility), security is breached, third parties are harmed (for example, a hospital patient is harmed as the result of malfunctioning medical equipment), and/or products are damaged. Regulatory agencie...s such as OSHA require an employer to report significant incidents within a limited time. These incidents include fatalities, amputations, hospitalization of an employee and loss of an eye. What is a near miss? Situations where no injuries or property damage occurred but that could have resulted in a worse outcomeas well as adverse events, such as those that cause harm. An incident report is the foundation that is used in the investigation and analysis of an event or series of events. Reports should identify the root cause of an event and corrective actions taken to eliminate the risks involved and prevent similar events. Need help with your incident reporting and investigation program? Contact us at www.gncgconsulting.com as to how we can help you improve your safety programs. See more

When was the last time you reviewed your company’s health and safety plan? We have years of real-world experience in construction and general industry. We can help you navigate applicable standards and regulations to help ensure compliance. We work with you and your employees to reduce your risk of personal injury and property damage / loss. We can work with your insurance carriers to help reduce your premiums. GNCG can help you with your overall EHS program or we can devel...op specific programs and procedures defined by your wants and needs. Email me at [email protected] with your questions and contact information so we may discuss how GNCG Consulting may help you reduce your risk. Visit our website at www.gncgconsulting.com for additional information on our capabilities to help your business. #healthandsafety #safety #workplacesafety #insurance #training #construction #business #property

When was the last time you reviewed your company’s health and safety plan? We have years of real-world experience in construction and general industry. We can help you navigate applicable standards and regulations to help ensure compliance. We work with you and your employees to reduce your risk of personal injury and property damage / loss. We can work with your insurance carriers to help reduce your premiums. GNCG can help you with your overall EHS program or we can devel...op specific programs and procedures defined by your wants and needs. Email me at [email protected] with your questions and contact information so we may discuss how GNCG Consulting may help you reduce your risk. Visit our website at www.gncgconsulting.com for additional information on our capabilities to help your business. #healthandsafety #safety #workplacesafety #insurance #training #construction #business #property

Have you completed your DHA for your business? NFPA 652 deadline is quickly approaching for most businesses. Do not know where to begin? Need help? Contact us at [email protected] or visit our website at www.gncgconsulting.com to discuss your questions. Have a safe day!

Do you have a potential dust hazard? Not sure? Do you work with food products? Metals? Other materials that create dust when processed? Do you have dust collection systems? You possibly have a combustible dust. Do you know what NFPA 652 requirements are for your industry? Contact us at www.gncgconsulting.com or email [email protected] so we may discuss your hazards. Have a safe day! #combustibledust #safety #healthandsafety #explosion

Most of us like to get our work done with the least amount of effort, and as quickly as possible. We all want to get the most work out of the energy we use on the job. This is good because it often results in discovering newer and more efficient ways of getting our job done. This energy-saving attitude can also be bad if we make a wrong decision and take dangerous shortcuts. All of us at some time or another have exposed ourselves to possible injury by taking a shortcut when,... with a little extra effort, we could have done it the safe way. When we were kids, we took shortcuts by jumping the fence instead of using the gate. Now that we are adults, we do it by crossing the street between the intersections. Why? Because we want to get there as quickly as possible and use the least amount of energy we can while doing it. There is no doubt about it; the safe way is not always the shortest or quickest way. The safe way usually takes some extra effort while the unsafe way often appears to be more efficient at the time. Visit us at www.gncgconsulting.com or email me at [email protected] for additional information on how we can help your employees make the safe choices with your injury prevention programs. Have a safe day! #safety #health #healthsafety #hazards

How aware are you employees to hazards in the workplace? Situational awareness is real and is an important issue, yet it is not very well understood. If you really think about situational awareness and how it applies to safety, think about Sherlock Holmes when he tells Dr. Watson, You see, but you do not observe. How many of us have seen a photo that has two different photos in one depending on how you see or observe the photo? That is really what we are talking about. ...Situational awareness is about our ability to observe beyond seeing and put what we are observing into context. It comes down to do we appreciate the hazards around us, can we put our exposure to those hazards in context and can we recognize the change in vulnerability to the hazard. Engaging the brain. One way to ensure employees can take all of this in is pausing work. This is about stepping back, engaging the brain, and thinking about the level of exposure. Want to discuss your hazards and help your employees to observe hazards in their work areas? Contact us at www.gncgconsulting.com or email me at [email protected] so we may discuss how to observe and take action to prevent injuries and incidents from occurring. Have a safe day! See more

Safety training. Why is safety training important to a successful EHS program? Do you know what requirements are to remain in compliance with codes and standards? Do your employees know what chemicals may be mixed without causing a reaction that could place them in a hazardous atmosphere? Do your employees recognize hazards that may cause them harm? Training employees takes time that many companies do not want to spend the time or resources to complete. Training your employee...s on each aspect of their job and having them engaged in the process only helps the company become stronger. How? By taking the resources to develop meaningful training programs and having a skilled EHS person conduct the training employees become engaged and energized. Skills help the company to grow and become more profitable. Over time more employees will recognize the benefits of training and develop their skills and abilities. Leave GNCG Consulting training your employees so you may focus on your business. Contact me at [email protected] to discuss your needs and requirements or visit our website at www.gncgconsulting.com for additional information. Have a safe day!

What is Hazard Communication? Did you know that Hazard Communication is the most commonly cited standard by OSHA? It has been in the top five citations year over year. Hazard Communication as it applies to OSHA requirements requires a program, training, labeling and identification of hazards from materials. These materials may be solids, liquids, and gasses. Do you know what each pictogram means in the GHS system? Do you produce a product that requires an SDS? What is an SDS?... Safety Data Sheet, or SDS contains information pertaining to the product. An SDS contains 16 sections from hazard information about the product to fire hazards to any potential reporting requirements to other agencies. This program can be overwhelming to someone who does not know the requirements and where to begin. Need help with your Hazard Communication Program? Need help with your specific SDS for your product? Contact us at www.gncgconsulting.com so we may discuss your needs. #safety #health #compliance

The National Fire Prevention Association (NFPA) updated industry consensus standard (NFPA 652, entitled Fundamentals of Combustible Dust, 2019), calls for manufacturing industries with combustible dust to complete dust hazard analyses (DHAs). Two major requirements of NFPA652 are that owners/operators must: Obtain and evaluate dust combustion properties Conduct a DHA by September 7, 2020... The first step to achieving compliance with the new NFPA652 standard is to identify all potential dusts generated/handled at the facility, conduct a review of the SDS, obtain available dust data from vendors, review online dust data, and/or collect site dust samples to send out for dust explosivity analysis. Once dusts are characterized, the data is utilized in a DHA. During a DHA, a list of equipment is developed, fire and explosion hazards are identified, credible ignition sources are identified, consequences are identified, risks are evaluated, and recommendations to reduce risks are documented. Need additional information on our skills and abilities? Not sure if you need to have a DHA conducted? Visit us at www.gncgconsulting.com to learn more or contact us for a conversation. Have a safe day! #safety #explosion #health #fireprevention #dust #dusthazard

Compliance help? GNCG Consulting has the knowledge and ability to create custom site-specific policies, programs, and procedures to meet or exceed current regulatory standards. We provide updates for all your programs and procedures based on OSHA changes or revisions to the current standards. We work with all levels of your organization to develop meaningful and useful documents that are easy to understand and apply to your operations. GNCG Consulting customizes training to...pics and training programs for your needs. We do not cookie cutter any programs and procedures. You tell us what you want to be trained in and we will come to you. We perform training on your schedule. We will maintain training records for all your employees or develop a system for you. We will work with you on developing abatements and timelines in the event of any OSHA citations or violations. We will be present with you at any OSHA informal hearings to discuss planned activities and timelines. Need additional information on our skills and abilities? Visit us at www.gncgconsulting.com to learn more. Have a safe day!

Electrical Safety. We use electricity everyday in a variety of ways from making coffee in the morning to energizing our equipment in our workplaces. Electricity is great when it works as expected. Electrical Safety is different than Lockout / Tagout. Electrical work is performed by trained people such as electricians and technicians. Electrical hazards are not as easily avoided as machine guarding hazards. You cannot see electricity flowing through wires and circuits theref...ore you are uncertain the system is energized. Whereas you can see machine guarding opportunities. Electrical arc flash safety is another aspect of working with electricity. This is where something conductive such as a wrench or screwdriver meets live electricity and creates a short circuit. This results in an electrical fire ball which is very harmful to exposed body parts. People who encounter electricity have burns on or inside their bodies which are difficult to treat. Need help with your electrical safety program? Contact us at www.gncgconsulting.com so we may discuss what you need to complete to keep your employees safe. Have a safe day! #safety #hazards #safetytraining #safetyfirst #osha #healthandsafetytraining #fireprotection #worksafe #nfpa #fire #firesafety #electrical

Fall protection systems must be inspected regularly, meaning before each use. This is not just a cursory onceover. If it fails to pass inspection, immediately remove from service the faulty component or components. Begin to examine each component. Check for wear and deterioration. Look for evidence of impact loading. Visually inspect for loose threads, pulled rivets, burns, cuts, abrasions, or other evidence of chemical or physical deterioration that may have weakened the m...aterial or assembly. This includes using inks or other marking items to identify the equipment. Some employees will mark their equipment with markers to identify their equipment. Over time the ink will degrade the belt causing a failure in the event of usage. Inspect all hooks, D-rings and all other metal parts for sharp edges and cracks. Self-retracting lanyards need to be fully extended to test and check the webbing. Destroy and replace equipment that is found to be damaged. Never use equipment that has been in a fall incident. Remember that inspection, training, and correct use is your best prevention to prevent falls. Need help with your safety programs and inspections? Contact us at www.gncgconsulting.com so we may discuss your needs and requirements. Have a safe day!

Why is fall protection important? Falls are among the most common causes of serious work-related injuries and deaths. Employers must set up the workplace to prevent employees from falling from overhead platforms, elevated workstations or into holes in the floor and walls. Falls do not have to be from a height. They can be due to someone slipping on materials or stepping onto something that moves unexpectedly. What can be done to reduce falls? Enforce compliance for employees ...to wear fall protection equipment and be tied off as necessary to a suitable anchor point. OSHA requires that fall protection be provided at elevations of four feet in general industry workplaces and six feet in the construction industry. Housekeeping is very important in preventing falls at all levels. Let us not forget the equipment and anchorage points for fall protection. Fall protection equipment must be inspected by the user before each use. Anchorage points must be able to withstand 5,000 pounds of force. WOW! Lots of information to remember and document. For without documentation it never happened. Need help? Contact us at www.gncgconsulting.com so we may discuss your specific needs and requirements. Have a safe day!

Ever had someone pick up a container that they thought was water and found out the contents was something hazardous? Ever have someone take a drink from what they thought was soda or another beverage only to find out it was not what was expected? Container labeling may be the most difficult aspect for any company to comply with for the Hazard Communication standard. Training is one objective that helps everyone understand why container labeling is expected. During my training... programs I use small containers of materials that are remarkably similar contents. Each container of material is marked with a number. I give participants a paper with each of the materials and they must review the contents of the containers without opening. This is a great activity that sponsors engagement and fun. What does it tell participants? It is very important to label all secondary containers, so everyone knows the contents. There are many ways to engage employees in training, so they understand the why. Need help engaging your employees in their safety programs? Contact us at www.gncgconsulting.com so we may discuss your compliance needs. Have a safe day! #safety #safetyfirst #hazards #workplacesafety #safetyculture #safetymanagement #hse #safetytraining #ehs #occupationalhealthandsafety