It may seem like a paradox, but the more automation is introduced into industrial and manufacturing facilities, the more important it becomes to keep workers safe around machines. The less direct interaction humans have with mechanical technology, the more likely we are to take our safety around them for granted.
To move heavy loads in and out of an industrial facility, a monorail crane system is sometimes employed. These systems use a stationary overhead track and a trolley that runs on it, shuttling payloads back and forth. When the payload needs to go in and out of a building, it utilizes a specialized door known as a “monorail door.”
Wally J. Staples values the people on his team. His company, Wally J. Staples Builders in Brunswick, Maine, has been building custom homes since 1993, and during that time, he has worked hard to keep his longtime employees safe and satisfied with their jobs. To deal with the current shortage of tradespeople, Staples took the unique step of constructing a wood shop so that his carpenters could do more of their work indoors before installing custom cabinetry, etc., on site. It was the design of this new facility that led Staples to PS Safety Access™ and its EdgeSafe® Smart Gate.
The safest safety gates on the market, these new gates feature Slam-Proof technology that closes each gate in a quiet, controlled manner. They have been tested to meet or exceed OSHA, ANSI and Canada COHS standards, providing top- and mid-rail protection to minimize the chances of a fall from elevated platforms, mezzanines or ladderways.
It’s easy to forget how important atmospheric pressure can be to the proper and safe function of doors in a commercial facility. There can be a dramatic pressure difference between two adjoining rooms, which can result in situations that are both dangerous for workers and punishing on doors.
The first step in protecting your building from floodwaters is to order a flood barrier from PS Flood Barriers™, but it isn’t the only step. Proper installation is also important, obviously, since an improperly installed barrier will not live up to its potential. With that in mind, PS Flood Barriers provides detailed guidance on field testing as a way to validate the accuracy of the product installation.
It’s clear that in 2021 – as it has been for many, many years – OSHA made it a priority to protect workers from the dangers of working at height.
Did you know that OSHA is responsible for enforcing a number of standards that relate to your facility’s roof? That’s because a larger percentage of workplace accidents each year involve falls from elevated heights, and the roof, obviously, presents a number of potential hazards in this regard. In particular, safety around roof hatches is critically important. As workers access and exit the rooftop, extra care is necessary to reduce the chances for serious accidents.
In the world of flood protection, one size does not fit all. Just as there are many types of companies and facilities, so are there many types of doors, docks and openings. Floodwater on the other hand, doesn’t care what kind of business you are in or what kind of facility you utilize – if it can gain access, it will. Effective flood protection must account for this, matching flood barriers to openings in order to keep water outside where it belongs.
Busy industrial facilities feature a complex sort of choreography as they operate. Skilled workers walk, talk and perform their duties at ground level, on elevated platforms and around powerful machines that simultaneously do jobs that are impossible for humans and pose a risk to the humans who work with them. When everything is running smoothly, productivity soars. When humans get distracted or complacent, injuries happen.
