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Building and maintaining a safe workplace should be an ongoing process for all employers, not simply a list of things that can be checked off once and forgotten. Because safety is a serious matter of life or death, fostering a successful, proactive safety culture requires the utmost commitment and dedication from every member within an organization.

Since OSHA regulations change constantly, it is important to evaluate your company’s safety protocols. As we welcome the new year, now is the time to determine how you can effectively assess your safety plan to ensure a happy, injury-free workplace for your workers.      

In all industries, there comes a time when a business must evaluate a piece of equipment that is nearing the end of its lifespan and ask an important question: can it be repaired or does it need to be replaced?

For many industries, there’s a bit of wiggle room when it comes to squeezing a few more uses out of a piece of equipment. After all, what’s the worst that can happen if you continue using a laptop that’s on its last leg or an appliance that’s out of date?

On the other hand, safety and fall protection equipment is an area where you can’t afford to take chances.

Forging ahead on a rooftop repair doesn’t need to be an occasion ending in a hospital visit. Whether you oversee rooftop work with a construction company or your workers conduct regular rooftop maintenance, the same rules apply. The chance of injuries are unfortunately all too common. A report issued from The Center for Construction Research and Training surmised from 2008 to 2010, roof-related falls accounted for one third of fall-related construction deaths.

Heeding to a little practical advice is key to preventing a painful – and possibly fatal – accident. Here are 5 no-nonsense tips on how to make rooftop work a cinch.

In 2014, there were 4,679 worker deaths. That’s 13 people dying every day – mainly from falls. The unfortunate truth is these kinds of deaths are alarmingly common. The good news is they are also largely preventable with proper safety equipment. Previously, we covered many of the most common situations when fatal falls may occur, and in this article, we’ll discuss one of the best tools for preventing falls: safety gates.

It is important to remember that this is just a starting point to cover basic information. For more details about the rules and regulations surrounding proper safety gate usage, please refer to the official OSHA website.

At Dakota Safety, we believe in the power of fall protection guardrails. But, we also admit passive fall protection isn’t always applicable to every situation. For construction sites, roofing tasks, or sites that need guardrails removed, an active fall protection solution is required, like a safety harness. That being said, a harness is only as good as its anchor point.

Anchorage points are your connection point to a solid structure. Required by OSHA standard 1910.66, each worker’s personal fall arrest system must have a reliable point of attachment for lifelines, lanyards, or deceleration devices. Anchor points can be beneficial if your work site is temporary or your workers need to cover lots of ground.