VersaTek™ - Adaptable Grip Work Gloves
By John Heniff, Safety Writer, Magid
In most industries, your workers aren’t just doing one task for an entire shift and calling it a day. They may be assembling small nuts and bolts, then transporting rough materials, then working with oily or wet pipes after that.
Standard glove coatings can’t give them the best performance if the environments they encounter vary widely enough. A glove coating that’s effective in a dry environment may not be effective for gripping oily parts. A coating that provides solid oil grip may not provide tactile sensitivity. A glove that stands up well in a slick environment may degrade after repeated use on abrasive materials. These situations can lead to busy workers using the wrong gloves or even removing their gloves entirely if they get in the way of the job. And it can be a tall order for you to keep everyone using the right glove for the right job.
Introducing the VersaTek™ Palm Coating
VersaTek is an intelligent, adaptive coating technology designed for durability and amplified grip in multiple work environments. VersaTek helps your workers enhance their natural grip power, flexibility, and hand movement without sacrificing dexterity. This means your workers get precision-level handling of small nuts and bolts as well as rough materials and even oily or wet pipes and chains throughout their shift while wearing light, comfortable cut resistant gloves.
VersaTek Stands Out In Four Key Ways:
VersaTek Grip
VersaTek is infused with special stabilizers to enhance grip performance. The coating is designed to read the work environment, adapt to it, and adjust its superior grip for objects that are wet or dry, slick or rough, heavy or light. The power of this technology means your workers can accomplish all of their tasks with just one pair of gloves instead of changing their gloves throughout the day as job needs change.
VersaTek Dexterity
VersaTek won’t impede your workers’ ability to comfortably do their jobs. Its engineered dexterity allows the glove to flex with your workers’ natural hand movements, keeping them comfortable and less prone to hand fatigue.
VersaTek Durability
When put through rigorous abrasion tests, VersaTek achieved 50 percent more abrasion resistance than other common glove coatings like sandy nitrile and even foam nitrile, giving your workers stronger protection for longer periods of time. In these abrasion tests, a sample of the coated glove palm is placed on a rotating disc to undergo constant friction from two rotating, weighted wheels. Even the toughest palm coatings tend to last between 3,000 and 19,000 rotations, putting them at ANSI Abrasion levels 4 or 5. VersaTek’s sample lasted over 30,000 revolutions, consistently scoring well above the minimum for ANSI Abrasion Level 6!
VersaTek Versatility
VersaTek is optimized for almost any work environment. Even if you need gloves for your team to perform multiple tasks in a single shift, wearing a glove with VersaTek™ coating means your workers will no longer have to remember if the gloves they’re wearing are the right ones for the job.
Putting It All Together
VersaTek’s smart, comfortable construction can help your team stay focused, productive, and even increase their efficiency by eliminating the time it takes to consider the application and change their gloves. And it takes the guesswork out of which glove to use. That means your team will have a better work experience and will work more safely in their environment.
We’re adding VersaTek to the palms of Magid’s light and comfortable AeroDex® and DX+ Technology® glove shells to create a winning combination of this incredible grip technology along with extreme cut protection on lightweight, cool-to-the-touch, flexible glove shells.
Industries That Benefit from VersaTek Glove Coatings
VersaTek glove coatings help workers in many different applications ranging from those that involve slippery liquids, to dry grip, to laceration and abrasion hazards, such as:
- Appliance manufacturing
- Automotive manufacturing
- Construction
- Glass handling
- HVAC work
- Machining
- Metal handling
- Metal stamping
- Paper producing
CHECK OUT THIS VERSATILE GLOVE COATING IN ACTION!
Safety Training
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The Benefits of Safety Training Videos
Safety managers are some of the busiest people on the planet! Keeping your people safe, keeping your worksite safe, new laws, new regulations, workers’ comp, choosing PPE – the list goes on. And then it’s time for training! But you can make the most of every minute by using microlearning videos for safety.
What is Microlearning?
Microlearning is training that’s broken down into brief videos – anywhere from 30 seconds to as long as 3 to 5 minutes – that your workers can watch on their phones. These videos are short and to the point and can even add humor to make the safety lessons more memorable. They aren’t meant to take the place of traditional training. Instead, they act as a reinforcement of the safety lessons your people have already learned or will learn in future trainings.
When Should I Use Short Safety Videos?
The beauty of short safety videos is that they’re flexible and adaptable to your needs.
To Start the Day
Start every shift with good habits in mind by using a safety training video in your morning toolbox talks or by sending a quick video link to every worker’s phone. This has the added benefit of ensuring that everyone – including remote employees – gets the same safety message.
As Pre-Training or Formal Training Follow-Up
Send a short safety video to your workers as a pre-training introduction to a topic before you call everyone to the classroom. Or send a video to your workers a week or two after classroom training to refresh their memory and keep the lessons top-of-mind.
To Address a Specific Hazard
If you know the day is going to be particularly hazardous, you might send a video link to your people to remind them to work safely. When temperatures are expected to soar, starting the day with a 30-second refresher on preventing heat illness reminds everyone to stay hydrated and look out for each other.
As a Weekly Refresher
Make a habit of sending a safety reminder to your workers at the same time each week. They’ll come to expect it and, if the videos are humorous or fun, they may even look forward to it!
To Address Compliance Issues
You don’t necessarily have to send a video to all your workers every time. You can use short safety videos on an as-needed basis if you notice protocols getting lax in a specific area or if you have an individual who tends to forget a certain rule. A fast video on the hidden costs of an eye injury may be just what you need to get safety glasses off the tops of people’s heads and onto their eyes!
As an Always-There Reminder
Loop several short videos on a breakroom screen or use them as spacers between other information to make safety reminders a continuous part of the workday.
How are Safety Training Videos different from regular training?
Studies show that the most effective way to teach something is by spacing information over time. Learning good safety practices in a formal setting is important. But following that with periodic reminders is the best way to reinforce the lessons so they’re easy to remember for the long haul. Your workers can watch short safety videos anytime in just about any place. So you don’t have to take time out of the workday or lower productivity. The brief format and higher-energy delivery help to keep your workers’ attention in a way that standard training often doesn’t. No matter how you use them, these videos are a fast, easy, time-saving way to keep safety reminders in everyone’s pocket!
Ready to give it a try? Check out our website to download free videos on a variety of topics.
GIVE ME THE VIDEOS
Download Fun Safety Training Videos for Your Employees
Keep the safety lessons you taught in the classroom top-of-mind for your workers with short, 30 to 60-second safety reminder videos! Unlock these brief safety lessons to loop in your breakroom or to play at your toolbox talks. You can even send them to your workers’ phones for a quick reminder before a shift begins.
Working From Heights
Teach your workers to inspect their fall protection equipment before and after use and how to stay safe while working at a height.
Preventing Heat Illness
Make sure your workers are staying safe and hydrated with these tips to avoid heat illness on the job.
Preventing Heat Illness (Spanish)
Make sure your workers are staying safe and hydrated with these tips to avoid heat illness on the job.
The Costs of an Eye Injury
Help your workers understand the personal costs of an eye injury and how to avoid becoming a statistic!
Wearing PPE Correctly
Keep workers from spreading bad PPE habits with this quick reminder to wear their PPE correctly.
Ladder Safety Tips
Don’t let your workers become a statistic! Give them these 5 tips for ladder safety.
Proper Earplug Insertion
Magid’s Fairy Ear Mother will be a sight your workers will remember – along with how to properly insert their ear plugs for safety!
Protective Clothing for Extreme Environments
Remind your workers that they can’t cut corners on safety to get comfortable.
Avoiding Cuts & Lacerations
Give your workers these 5 quick tips for preventing cuts and lacerations on the job.
The Ripple Effect
Help everyone understand that the injury they’re risking affects everyone!
Preventing Hypothermia
Keep your workers safe and warm this winter with these quick tips to prevent hypothermia!
When to Replace Your Work Gloves
Help your people know when to replace a worn glove, when to launder it, and when a glove is safe to continue use.
Does a Thicker Glove Protect Better?
Show your workers when a knit glove beats a plain leather driver.
When do You Need an Impact Glove?
Educate your employees on the proper uses of impact gloves.
FILL OUT THE FORM BELOW TO UNLOCK THESE HANDY MICROLEARNING VIDEOS
Workplace Safety Posters
Get safety posters free for your workplace to remind your workers of their safety training. From hand safety to ladder safety to heat safety and more! Fill out the form below to choose your posters:
HEAT SAFETY POSTERS
Severe Heat Illness Poster
18x24"
Moderate Heat Illness Poster
18x24"
Dehydration Urine Color Chart Poster
8.5x11" (includes 10 posters)
Treating Heat Stroke
18x24"
HOW-TO SAFETY POSTERS
Confined Spaces Poster
18x24"
Mask Poster
18x24"
Wearing PPE Correctly Poster
18x24"
Body Harness Poster
18x24"
When to Replace Your Work Gloves Poster
18x24"
When to Replace Your Work Gloves Poster (without launder)
18x24"
How to Insert Earplugs Poster
18x24"
Ladder Safety Poster
12x36"
Glove Sizing Chart
12x17"
Wear Your Sleeves for Comfort
18x24"
Wear Your Eye Protection Poster
18x24"
SPANISH SAFETY POSTERS
Wear Your Eye Protection Poster (Spanish)
18x24"
How to Insert Ear Plugs Poster (Spanish)
18x24"
Wear Your Cut-Resistant Gloves Poster - DX Technology® (Spanish)
18x24"
REQUEST YOUR FREE POSTERS
Download Ready-to-Use Safety Training
As a manufacturer with workers of our own, we understand that training keeps safety top of mind for your people. We also understand how time consuming it can be to put these classes together, so we did it for you! Unlock these helpful safety training presentations and start using them today.
Lockout Tagout Safety Training
30 Slides + Presentation Notes (.pptx)
This training will help your workers understand what lockout tagout is and what procedures are required for initiating lockout tagout for service and maintenance operations.
This presentation includes:
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Detailed slides with guided discussions that cover topics from different types of energy sources to explaining what workers should do if a lockout device needs to be forcibly removed.
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Prompts that encourage workers to speak up about their previous experience and knowledge of lockout tagout procedures.
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Interactive activities that introduce workers to lockout and tagout devices they will use in their workplace so they can become more familiar with them.
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“Test Your Knowledge” quiz questions regarding worker responsibilities and required qualities of lockout and tagout devices.
Confined Spaces Safety Training
31 Slides + Presentation Notes (.pptx)
This presentation will discuss the two different types of confined spaces, explore confined space injuries and fatalities, and explain the fundamentals of safe work in confined spaces.
This presentation includes:
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Detailed slides discussing topics such as different hazards workers can encounter inside confined spaces.
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A safety video explaining how to put together a confined space retrieval device and when to use it during rescue efforts.
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“Test Your Knowledge” quiz questions regarding confined space role responsibilities and knowing when a confined space requires a permit.
Hard Hat Safety Training
27 Slides + Presentation Notes (.pptx)
This training explains the differences between different types and classes of hard hats as well as how to assemble and wear a hard hat properly.
This presentation includes:
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Prompts that encourage workers to speak up about hazards in their work area and the types of hard hats they currently use.
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Instructional videos on how to assemble a hard hat suspension and shell and adjust the fit of the suspension system.
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Tips on how to properly care for and store a hard hat when it is not being used.
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“Test Your Knowledge” quiz questions regarding observable symptoms of traumatic brain injuries and when to replace a hard hat shell.
Hearing Protection Safety Training
28 Slides + Presentation Notes (.pptx)
This training helps workers to understand how exposure to loud noise can negatively affect their hearing, even if they think their hearing is excellent.
This presentation includes:
- Guided discussions about hearing loss statistics and the amount of time workers should operate in loud work environments.
- A fun safety training video to show workers how to properly insert formable and pre-molded ear plugs.
- Tips for how workers can protect their hearing through different methods on as well as off the job.
- “Test Your Knowledge” quiz questions regarding different types of hearing protection, OSHA regulations, and hearing impairment conditions.
Working from Heights Safety Training
32 Slides + Presentation Notes (.pptx)
Teach your workers about common fall restraint and arrest systems, how to calculate fall clearance, and what their first line of defense is to protect them in the event of a fall.
This presentation includes:
- How to inspect and understand fall protection safety equipment
- Safety training videos to show workers how to don safety harnesses and safely work around fall hazards
- Guided discussions about fall hazards employees encounter during their shift
- Hands-on teaching activities to show what to do in the event of an emergency
- “Test Your Knowledge” activities to test your workers’ memory of safe practices
Eye Protection Safety Training
32 Slides + Presentation Notes (.pptx)
Teach your workers about the most common eye injuries, the differences between kinds of protective eyewear, and the proper ways to treat eye injuries.
This presentation includes:
- Guided discussions about eye safety hazards and eyewear workers may use in your facility
- A fun safety training video to show workers the easiest ways to protect their eyes
- Interactive activities to help workers think about how they need to respond to eye injuries in the workplace
- Quiz questions regarding eye injury statistics and eyewear varieties discussed in the training
Heat Illness Prevention Training
22 Slides + Presentation Notes (.pptx)
This training teaches your workers the differences between common heat illnesses like heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke and offers easy to understand steps for prevention and treatment.
This presentation includes:
- Common signs, symptoms, and treatment options to help workers recognize common heat illnesses
- Useful charts and infographics to clearly explain heat stress awareness concepts
- Tips and advice to help workers keep themselves and others safe
- “Test your Knowledge” questions to make workers think about the information they have learned in the presentation and how it applies to your jobsite
Forklift Safety Training
22 Slides + Presentation Notes (.pptx)
Utilize this presentation to remind your workers about forklift safety basics including loading and setting down freight, turning in tight corners, and driving on inclines and declines.
This presentation includes:
- Guided discussions on the most important aspects of forklift safety inspections and operation
- Explanations and procedures for recognizing and avoiding the most common forklift accidents
- “Test Your Knowledge” quizzes regarding worker safety and the safety of the vehicle
Wearing PPE Correctly Training
23 Slides + Presentation Notes (.pptx)
This training helps workers understand how easily bad safety habits can spread and shows them how to wear common PPE correctly!
This presentation includes:
- Exercises that explore what workers may have noticed in your facility
- Discussion ideas to get workers to understand what is the right way to wear PPE
- Wrong vs. Right pictures showing PPE that is commonly worn wrong and how to wear it right
- A hands-on exercise that lets your workers try on the PPE you use in your facility
- A quiz that tests what they learned and what they still need to practice
Slips, Trips & Falls Training
18 Slides + Presentation Notes (.pptx)
Help your workers understand the seriousness of these types of accidents that make up almost 20% of job-related injuries.
This presentation includes:
- The primary causes of slips, trips, and falls
- Advice on prevention
- “What’s Wrong with this Picture?” tips
- An interactive “Find the Hazard” challenge
Preventing Cuts & Lacerations Training
17 Slides + Presentation Notes (.pptx)
This presentation reminds workers how cut and laceration accidents can affect their lives and discusses prevention both in how they do their jobs and in how they wear and maintain their PPE.
This presentation includes:
- Safety tips that allow times to talk about specific hazards in your own environment
- An interactive “What’s Wrong with this Picture” activity that helps your people to practice spotting risks and thinking ahead before an accident happens
Ladder Safety Training
26 Slides + Presentation Notes (.pptx)
Help your workers understand the most common reasons for ladder accidents, proper ladder use, and important ladder maintenance and preparation tips.
This presentation includes:
- Interactive activities to teach workers about ladder safety and different kinds of ladders they may need on the job
- “What’s Wrong with this Picture” activities to point out safety hazards
- “Test Your Knowledge” quizzes regarding ladder preparation, maintenance, and conduct
Safety Culture
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5 Steps to Creating a Safety Culture
By M.B. Sutherland, Sr. Safety Writer, Magid
Whether you already have company-wide buy-in or if you’re just beginning to introduce the idea, maximize your success by including these 5 steps in your safety culture planning:
1. Define Safety Responsibilities
- From the top down, make sure everyone understands policies, goals, and the vision for your safety culture. Being clear at the outset can make a big difference down the line.
- Document and share your safety procedures. Don’t soft sell safety. Rules are rules.
- Delegate responsibilities. Empower workers to be your extra eyes and ears on the plant floor and ask people from different parts of your organization to walk the project or plant floor and make safety recommendations.
2. Make Your Safety Culture Workplace a Team Effort
- Create a safety committee that includes everyone from your top executives to hourly workers.
- Having a good mix of people sharing different viewpoints and opinions makes it easier to spot current and future snags that may impact your Safety Culture.
- Provide different options for your workers to voice their safety and PPE concerns. Getting worker buy-in keeps everyone involved and makes them more likely to stay that way.
3. Enforce Accountability
- Educate workers on the importance of reporting accidents and injuries. Remind them that you can’t learn from a mistake if you don’t know about it.
- Create a process that holds everyone accountable.
- Color-code PPE by job to increase compliance. For example, different colored hard hats can differentiate a worker’s role and his/her level of training such as first aid training or the ability to drive a forklift.
4. Understand Your Processes
- Evaluate your current processes and PPE with your workers to make sure you’re doing everything in the best way possible.
- Understand the challenges and hazards your workers face. Keeping everyone involved is key at this stage of improving safety culture.
- If an incident happens, make sure you identify the root of the issue. Keep lines of communication and an understanding of accountability top of mind for everyone.
5. Celebrate Safety Culture Workplace Success!
- Share success stories to help motivate others.
- Celebrate your safety achievements and improvements!
Download FREE Safety Reminder Videos to Maximize Efficiency and Safety
Tips for Recognizing & Managing Stress in the Workplace
Most of us have had at least one boss who tells workers to “leave their personal problems at the door!” But that advice was never very realistic. And in this day of texting, social media, and a phone in everyone’s pocket, it’s even less likely.
The communication age makes it more important than ever to make stress management a high priority both to keep workers safer and to avoid hits to your company’s bottom line. But before you begin to tackle how to reduce stress, be sure you can recognize the impact and signs of stress in your workers.
Effects of Stress in the Workplace
Excess stress can be caused by personal problems or by work issues like cutbacks, lack of job satisfaction, or layoffs. But any source of stress can cause workers to lose focus – and that can increase safety incidents. Stressed workers may also be more likely to turn to harmful ways of coping like alcohol, illegal drugs, or improper uses of prescription medicine – any of which can contribute to higher incident rates.
The Many Costs of Stress
The personal concern you have for your workers and your responsibility to keep them safe is only part of the equation. The American Institute of Stress estimates that job stress costs U.S. industries over $300 billion each year as a result of:
- Accidents
- Absenteeism
- Employee turnover
- Diminished productivity
- Direct medical, legal, and insurance costs
- Workers' compensation claims as well as tort and FELA judgments
Signs of Stress in Workers
So, just as you check for safety compliance, be on the lookout for signs of stress. Stressed workers often:
Seem overtired
Have trouble concentrating
Complain a lot or have low morale
Seem anxious, argumentative, or irritable
May have frequent accidents
How to Help Stressed Out Workers
So what can you do if you have a worker checking some of these boxes? First, give them a chance to clear the air. Let them know your door is open and that you care. If the problem is work related, ask them what they’d like to see change and try to help where you can. The solution to the problem might be something as simple as:
- Allowing more frequent breaks
- Redistributing responsibilities
- Reprioritizing tasks so high-priority work gets finished first, leaving some room to breathe
- Building in regular venting sessions for workers to air their thoughts and make suggestions
You might even consider adding a stressed worker to your safety committee. If they’re stressed because things could be done better, tap into that knowledge and use it to make your workplace more efficient!
If the stress is caused by a personal problem, refer them to any counseling services your HR Department may provide.
Above all, never ignore stress issues, even if they make you uncomfortable. Let workers know they have to work on stress management and that you’re there to help. Because better communication and less stress can keep everyone safer!
Lighten the mood while keeping workers informed! Download free, fun safety videos to keep good practices top-of-mind!
10 Safety Committee Ideas for Better Results
Most Safety Managers know that safety committees are a good idea, and many states actually require them by law. But is your committee doing all it can and should be doing? If you answered No, you’re not alone. A poll by Safety & Health Magazine found that only 32.6% of their readers said their safety committees were effective.
Here are our top 10 ideas to start improving today!
1. Review Your Safety Committee Mission Statement & Purpose
The purpose of a safety committee is to regularly bring employees from all levels of your organization together to improve, communicate, and promote workplace safety. Make sure everyone on your committee:
- Understands their role
- Understands the importance of what they’re doing
- Feels empowered to make recommendations for improvements
Take some time at your next meeting to review and clarify your safety mission and goals.
2. Include the Right People in Your Safety Committee Meeting
An effective safety committee should be a representation of your company, including a mix of:
- management
- salaried employees
- hourly employees
- stakeholders from different departments
Having a good mix of viewpoints can reveal different ideas and opinions and helps you anticipate any potential resistance. Including managers helps you to get decisionmakers on board and bought in early for any new ideas.
3. Make Time for Safety Committee Meetings
Don't squeeze committee meetings into your schedule. Carve out time for safety meetings and commit to them. Whether it's the first Monday of the month or the last Friday of the quarter, pick a day and stick to it so everyone knows it's a time that's important to your goals and mission!
4. Let Others Drive the Meeting
As a safety expert, you may find it difficult to take a back seat in your safety meetings. Though it may sound a little strange, it’s important not to be too active. Instead, serve as a coach or as a resource to the group so members feel free to speak up and be creative. Your role should be more about coordinating management and supporting employees.
5. Conduct a Group Safety Audit
Ask your safety committee to review your documented safety processes and procedures as a group to determine if there's a clearer way to communicate safety policies to front-line workers. If you don't have documented safety procedures, start creating them! Splitting up areas or processes to document might be a good way to get a new safety committee off the ground.
6. Have Your Safety Committee Walk the Plant or Jobsite
Ask your entire safety committee to walk the plant floor or jobsite and note safer, more efficient ways to get the job done including things like signage recommendations, PPE suggestions, and lighting improvements. Include outside experts to fill in gaps that might exist in your committee's expertise like an ergonomist or a professional safety assessor.
7. Give Your Safety Training a Trial Run
Use your safety committee as an audience to test your safety training materials and solicit suggestions. Periodic training reviews help keep your information timely and accurate. Check out additional sources of safety training classes and materials to keep your library fresh and up to date.
8. Look for Blended Safety Training Opportunities
As a group, brainstorm ways you might start to combine two or more forms of delivering information—for example, a combination of classroom instruction and an independent, self-paced online course. A University of Tennessee study showed that a blended learning program reduced both the time and the cost of training by more than 50%. The same study showed a 10% better result in learning outcomes compared with traditional training. You can even introduce fun safety training videos to help certain lessons stick.
9. Create a Safety Reward Program
Since you’ll have a mix of front-line workers and experienced managers in the same room, work together to create a rewards program that will motivate your employees and spark enthusiasm while helping to reduce injuries. Rewards can range from free PPE gear to paid days off to gift cards and even lottery tickets.
10. Keep Ideas Fresh
Once you've tapped the safety committee for their ideas and suggestions, consider rotating members. This opens your committee up for new viewpoints and experiences on an ongoing basis.
Remember to review this Top 10 periodically to avoid stagnation. Keeping ideas fresh is key to the kind of continued safety improvements that make your committee and your safety program effective now and for the long haul.
Download Safety Training Presentations to use in your next safety committee meeting!
12 Keys to Leading People Safely
By Brian L. Fielkow, Guest Blogger
The skills required to successfully lead people safely are the same as those needed to run top-notch operations: Attention to detail, focused execution, standardized and disciplined processes, an understanding of roles, meaningful metrics, personal accountability, and alignment around the group mission and vision. There is no “secret ingredient” that makes safety leadership different from overall organizational and operational leadership.
As leaders, we have great capacity to directly impact lives. Not only do our decisions and actions involve our employees, but they also affect others close to that employee—spouses, children, parents, siblings, friends, and neighbors. It is, in the most basic terms, a privilege to lead people. However, it is also a formidable responsibility to create an energetic and positive culture of safety, especially in high-consequence scenarios.
12 Principles for a Positive Safety Culture
There is no finish line to leadership. You’re tested repeatedly on your ability to lead others. Here are twelve principles that serve as foundational elements in leading a culture of positive safety:
1. This is not a grassroots affair.
A culture of positive safety must be leadership driven. Waiting for a healthy safety culture to “bubble up” organically is an ineffective strategy.
2. This won’t happen by chance.
Just like any other major strategic undertaking, instilling and sustaining a culture of positive safety requires a deliberate plan and uncompromising focus on execution.
3. A great safety culture is a journey.
It is not a destination. You may never achieve total safety. The benefit to the organization is achieved in the journey itself.
4. Safety is not a “priority” – It is a core value of the enterprise.
Priorities change. Values don’t change.
5. Management must have courage to stay the course.
Disappointments will happen in the journey. Naysayers will be quick to claim defeat. Don’t let it happen.
6. Zero is the only acceptable goal.
Although 99.9 percent is a pretty good performance standard in most business arenas, it’s not when it comes to safety.
7. There must be organizational accountability for safety failures.
Blaming individuals at the front line without examination of organizational issues is the hallmark of inadequate safety focus.
8. Safety is a low-cost solution.
No big-capital expenditures are needed. It is thinking and acting in a new way, where leaders set the example.
9. Safety goes beyond compliance.
Regulations, rules, and laws are the baseline. Great safety requires individual and organizational commitment and accountability.
10. Leaders should focus on execution, pay attention to detail, and not overcomplicate matters.
Execute the basics, and the battle is nearly won.
11. Safety success in the past doesn’t guarantee safety success in the future.
There must be a leadership obsession with continuous improvement, or the organization risks stagnation.
12. Safety requires solid SOPs
Ensure SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) are meaningful, clear, and followed. It is critical to ensure that your SOP’s are understandable by the intended audience. Consider that the average American reads at a 6th or 7th grade level. If this is your audience and your SOPs are written at a high school or collegiate level, you don’t have SOP’s. You have words on paper which will not be operationalized.
Building a Culture of Prevention
We know that building a better business culture relies on engaging and empowering our employees. Their actions and behavior drive our culture. We set the course for a healthy culture, but our people bring it home. It’s the same with building a culture of prevention.
No matter what we say or do to align our company with the understanding that safety is a core, nonnegotiable value, it doesn’t matter unless our front lines are fully with us. If our employees fail to adopt safety as an ongoing commitment, it won’t take long for the holes in the armor to show up. However, if our people get behind this mission, we are well on our way toward establishing the kind of safety culture that we want, and that will contribute to our bottom-line success.
All of this begins and ends with your leadership. Your team is concerned every time you have a situation, severe or not. You must perform a root cause analysis on every issue, not just on those with costlier outcomes. In short, safety success depends on your ability to stand above the crowd and lead with conviction.
Leadership vs. Management
When I say that safety is leader driven, I am not blurring the lines between leaders and managers. People often use the terms leadership and management interchangeably. This is a mistake. Being a manager is accompanied by a list of duties and responsibilities that can be defined and assigned. Being a leader is a trait that some people possess and can be developed in others. Leadership has little to do with one’s position in the organizational structure. Instead, leaders earn their respect and influence by their deeds. As you drive safety change in your organization, it is important to harness the power of your leaders at all levels. These leaders have the influence to create desired behavior among the rest of your employees.
Looking for a new safety reminder poster, memorable safety video, or a helpful safety training presentation? Visit our Safety Resources page!
About the Author: Brian Fielkow is an engaging speaker, author, and consultant, who’s presented globally to tens of thousands on how to build vibrant safety cultures. His books include: “Leading People Safely” (co-authored with James T. Schultz), “Driving to Perfection” and, coming in 2023, “Unbeatable Engagement.”
Throughout his executive leadership roles, he’s developed engaging cultures, focusing on a value-driven and safety-focused environment and a diversity, equity, and inclusion mindset. Additionally, he has strengthened regulatory compliance and processes to deliver consistent outcomes while minimizing risks. Furthermore, he knows how to cultivate strong ties with investors and stakeholders.
For more about Brian: brianfielkow.com
PPE: Choosing & Using
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Keeping Workers Safe in Extreme Temperatures
By M.B. Sutherland, Sr. Safety Writer, Magid
If you’re feeling too hot or too cold, it’s only natural to want to level out. But when hazardous jobs meet extreme temperatures, that urge can spell trouble as workers cut corners to get comfortable. Keeping comfort in mind when choosing protective clothing for extreme cold or heat can mean the difference between worker safety and workers taking risks.
Winter Safety Tips for Keeping Warm in Extreme Cold
Whether the cold comes from Mother Nature or a walk-in freezer, workers are more likely to stay safe if you choose protective clothing that keeps them both warm and comfortable. Highlight these types of clothing alongside other cold weather safety tips during toolbox talks or safety training presentations.
Layer Up – But Do It Right
Multiple, heavy layers keep people warm while they’re sitting still, but most jobs require workers to move and sweat. It’s important to avoid heavy layers that restrict movement, but you also need to provide a base layer of clothing that’s made of moisture-wicking material. These special fabrics move moisture to the clothing’s surface and away from the wearer’s skin so they don’t end up shivering with a damp t-shirt under their safety gear.
Warm Layers for Electrical Work
Many workers take advantage of moisture-wicking athletic clothing as a base layer in the cold. But it’s important to remind them that the gear they wear to the gym is not appropriate in an electrical environment. Nylon or polyester t-shirts are great for keeping the sweat off during a workout, but they can be a disaster in an electrical accident. Even when worn underneath other arc-flash-rated clothing, synthetic fabrics can melt to the wearer’s skin in an arc-flash incident, causing potentially life-threatening burns. Keep in mind that any layering for electrical work should include an arc-rated base where appropriate.
Summer Safety Tips for Keeping Cool in Extreme Heat
Overheating can cause workers to lose concentration, make mistakes, and can even lead to heat illness. Even worse, 11 U.S. workers are seriously injured or die from heat stress every day. So when a job needs protective clothing in a hot environment, it’s important to find breathable options that keep workers as cool as possible. Bring in samples of these protective clothing options during heat illness prevention safety trainings, as well.
Clothing that Releases Heat
Many jobs that involve electricity, fire, or chemicals require workers to wear full-body protection like arc-rated or chemical-resistant coveralls. New fabric technologies are being incorporated into coveralls to provide knit panels at the back and underarms and even down the length of arms and legs that release heat and lower the wearer’s core temperature. And just as a moisture-wicking base layer is important in the cold, the same type of garment worn under a coverall is perfect for indoor or outdoor environments that are hot.
For workers who don’t need all-over coverage, you can still choose protective clothing made from light, moisture-wicking materials to keep them cool. In extremely hot environments, you can even choose cooling vests with cool-pack compartments built in to keep the worker’s core temperature lower through the day. Keep in mind that these garments are not meant to make workers feel cool as much as they’re designed to keep their core temperature from rising to dangerous levels – so they may not think the garment is cooling them, but it is!
Clothing that Protects from Heat
More intense heat requires heavier protection, but that doesn't necessarily mean you have to surround your workers in a full-body shield. Choose gear that keeps them safe for single-sided hazards like sparks or radiant heat but helps them stay cooler with coverage only where it's needed. So look for welding jackets with protective fronts and sleeves along with a mesh back to release body heat. For the lower body, try aluminized chaps to protect against molten metal while keeping the backs of the legs cooler
Body-Cooling PPE
For workers in hot and humid microclimates or workers who perform heavy exertional tasks, the latest body-cooling PPE can help keep a hot day from becoming a disaster. Magid® Cool Powered by Mission® products provide body-cooling that’s portable, instant, and lasts up to two hours. Workers can suffer serious heat illnesses like heat stroke even on warm days without direct sunlight, so emphasizing that they wear the right cooling PPE can help them keep the heat in-check.
Remember, no matter what your environment, keeping workers comfortable goes hand in hand with keeping them safer!
3 Steps to Saving Money on PPE Costs
With so much emphasis on increasing efficiency, it can be hard to strike a balance between your safety program and your budget. Particularly now with OSHA fines increasing 7.7% since just last year and over 20% in total since 2016. But with a little effort and planning, you can save money on hard costs like the PPE you need without compromising safety. The secret is PPE Standardization.
Step 1 Analyze Your Current PPE Usage
Begin by figuring out what you’re currently buying. Your finance department and invoice history are good starting points to help you list exactly what items you order—including style numbers and sizes—and how much you’re paying for each. You should also note how long each item tends to last. Do your cut-resistant gloves last more than a day? More than one shift? How many hours on average? Looking beyond price-per-pair is essential to figuring out how much you’re really paying.
If this step turns out to be too complicated–a real possibility if you’re running a larger facility–you’ll want to ask a safety expert to help you with a PPE Standardization Analysis. They’ll come onto your job site to help answer all of these questions and more.
Step 2 Get a Professional Safety Assessment
Even if you did your own research in Step 1, the next step should involve a safety expert who can analyze your usage, spend, and product application and make recommendations for more efficiency. Sometimes cost savings are as simple as getting your people to choose one glove to serve multiple purposes. This allows you to order fewer styles and buy in bulk.
One manufacturing customer we worked with found that they were ordering 6 styles of disposable gloves to serve the same basic purpose, but workers had become used to asking for their favorite item. With a little product testing and communication, workers agreed on one style they all liked. This not only increased their worker buy-in, which we know increases compliance, but it also reduced their spend by about 50% without skimping on the number of gloves they were using or compromising safety:
6 different glove styles: $30,028
VS
1 glove style (same number, bought in bulk): $14,943
Step 3 Save Money with Smarter PPE Choices
But it’s not just about ordering fewer styles, it’s also about making smarter choices. When you’re shopping around, it might seem best to order the cheapest glove that you know will keep your workers safe. But when you test those gloves in your environment, you might find that a more expensive glove lasts a lot longer.
A construction company we worked with thought they were getting a great deal on gloves at just $2.61 a pair. But a usage analysis revealed that their gloves were only lasting about 4 hours. They tested two other glove types and found that one of them cost about three times as much as their current glove, but lasted more than 15 times longer. Looking at glove cost-per-hour as well as annual spend painted a very different picture of which glove made the most sense.
| Glove 1 | Glove 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | $2.61/pair | $7.75/pair |
| Wear Time on the Job | 4.1 hours | 63.87 hours |
| Cost/Hour | 64 cents | 12 cents |
| Annual Cost | $13,050 | $2,487 |
81% Better Safety Value!
It’s worth noting that lower quality gloves might also cost you in unexpected ways like more injuries that not only affect your workers and morale, but also add costs like workers’ compensation and other expenses.
Even if you’re one of the lucky safety managers with extra room in your budget, you can always increase efficiency and free up funds to make your safety program even better. Try implementing these tips to protect your workers and your bottom line!
GET A SMART SAFETY ASSESSMENT TODAY!
Coreless Cut Protection Just Got Better!
By John Heniff, Safety Writer, Magid
Magid® has taken coreless cut protection to the next level with DX+ Technology® (“DX Plus Technology”)! PPE made with coreless, cut-resistant fabric has been a popular choice for years as it’s lightweight, breathable, feels cool to the touch, and eliminates the skin irritation and contact dermatitis that many workers experience with traditional cut-resistant yarns. The downside has been that coreless fabrics were only available up to ANSI Cut Level A4.
Get the Best of Both Worlds in Coreless Comfort
and High-Level Protection with DX+
DX+ Coreless Technology is different than traditional cut-resistant materials because the core is replaced by yarn that’s infused with strength-enhancing microparticles. This microparticle technology achieves higher cut-resistance without becoming irritating or uncomfortable like gloves made with fiberglass, steel, or basalt inner cores that can fray or break over time and scratch workers’ skin contributing to contact dermatitis. And since these gloves don’t use a traditional core, they are 30% lighter than similar gloves of the same cut level. Best of all, DX+ has all the dexterity of other coreless fabrics but with even greater cut-resistance available in ANSI Cut Levels A5 and A6.
TRADITIONAL CUT-RESISTANT BLEND
Fiberglass, Steel, Basalt, or Graphene Core
-VS-
NEW CORELESS TECHNOLOGY
Strength Enhancing Microparticles
Cut-Resistance Your Workers Believe
Technological advances like this one can leave some workers wondering if such a thin, comfortable glove will really protect them from cut hazards on the job. But they can rest assured that these gloves deliver the same cut protection as a heavier model glove with the same cut level rating.
How do we know the gloves are up to the job? Magid puts cut-resistant PPE through a series of tests to ensure they can handle hazards on a typical jobsite and stay true to their ratings. These tests range from using a specially calibrated machine to drag a sharpened blade against a sample of fabric to filling a glove with closed-cell foam and running it against a common hazard like a sharp edge in the actual work environment. With these extra measures, you and your workers can be confident that a glove like DX+ can still hold up on the job even with its lightweight design.
Where Coreless Cut Resistance Makes a Difference
Industries that require gloves with high degrees of cut-protection can now have comfortable coreless protection through DX+ Technology. DX+ can protect against laceration hazards in jobs such as:
- Appliance manufacturing for sharp metal edges or handling metal parts
- Automotive manufacturing when working with or near sharp edges
- Construction when using sharp blades and other cutting tools
- Glass handling for broken panes or sharp edges
- HVAC operations for sharp blades and edges of HVAC units
- Machining when handling parts with sharp edges
- Metal fabrication for handling blanks and finished parts
- Paper production for cutters or other sharp objects
See the latest in coreless cut protection in action!
Safety Managers' Secrets
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Emphasize The Ripple Effect
Shared By Ed, Safety Manager, Oil & Gas
When talking about safety, I make sure my people know, if you get injured, it’s not just you that suffers, it’s 120 families. An injury means an OSHA recordable. That means our OSHA Incident Rate goes up and that might mean we can’t have our company picnic or I can’t give promotions. So when you think about picking up that heavy box by yourself, think of everyone else!
Assign New Workers A Mentor
Shared By Kevin, Safety Manager, Oil & Gas
We put our new hires through workshops, lectures, online training courses, and other traditional forms of training, but once they complete that, they are assigned a mentor from our safety team. The mentor is responsible for showing them how to apply the training that they just completed and guide them through their first project. By implementing this program we’ve eliminated 1.5 to 2 million dollars a year in unnecessary wait time for redoing work.
A Little Teasing Can Save a Worker's Hearing
Shared By Sean, Safety Manager, Manufacturing & IT
When I see people not wearing their hearing protection, I walk up to them and start “talking” but I don’t make any sound. It’s a friendly reminder of what they might experience if they damage their ears!
Take PPE Home
Shared By Jason, Safety Manager, Manufacturing & IT
We encourage our workers to take their PPE home with them so they can implement their safety training outside of work. We are proud to have so many employees who take safety seriously in all aspects of their lives. We had an employee who experienced a laceration incident at home. He was wearing his PPE when it happened and it saved him from what would have been a severed finger. While he has always known that the proper PPE is key to staying safe and in one piece, he says he’s a true believer now. That experience helped reinforce for him the importance of the proper safety equipment. After all, gloves are cheaper than stitches!