Forklift Accident Video - Luck escape for driver

Although this video is not hugely 'dramatic', it illustrates perfectly just how vulnerable a forklift is when fully extended. You can also see that once momentum has taken hold of the tipping forklift, the driver is flung violently into the platform from which he his lifting from.

This could easily have resulted in an amputation, or death by crushing. Stay safety everyone. . . don't become complacent around the forklifts in your workplace.

Happy Thanksgiving to all of our American readers!

From all of us here at Safetycare, have a happy but most importantly safe Thanksgiving.

What's wrong with this picture?

If you can't see what's wrong have a look at the picture below:

'I saw the sign!'

This weeks 'I saw the sign!' is related to motor vehicles. Now for the ones of us out there that have a reasonably late model vehicle, who has seen or noticed this little tag on the seat bolster before?


Not quite sure what it is, let's go in for a closer look. . . .


As cars become safer and safer, they are fitted with more and more airbags. This little tag indicates that there is a bolster seat airbag fitted to this car. The airbag will deploy (if needed) from the tagged area. It is important we all do a quick check over our vehicles as to where airbags are fitted. This ensures we don't accidently put inappropriate seat covers or dashboard covers on etc, that could render these safety devices not only useless, but potentially dangerous.

Have a quick look over your car today!

Join the Online Safety Forum - The Safety Cafe

www.thesafetycafe.com
The meeting place for Safety Professionals

Please join us at the The Safety Cafe! Registration is free, and it's a great place to chat about safety, ask questions, share ideas etc. A really friendly place to talk safety, so please introduce yourself in the 'Introduction' section. Here is a screen shot below. Click on it to be taken straight to the Safety Forum!

Giant Liebherr Digger demolishes car . . . in a very unique way!

Question: What happens when you dump 42 tonnes of water on top of a car within the space of about 2 seconds? Answer: See below!



Some specs on the Liebherr R98000

• Overall operating weight - 804 tonne/1,772,520 lb
• Bucket Capacity - 42 m3/54.9 yd3
• Overall Length - 25330 mm/83’1”
• Engine Output: 2 984 kW / 4 000 hp
• Travel Speed: 0 – 1,8 km/h, optional 0 – 2,3 km/h/
  1,1 mph / 1,4 mph

Working at Heights Shocker!

This image was published in a newspaper article highlighting best practice in construction safety because the worker is wearing all the safety gear. [Those boots must be anti-gravity boots!]

Rather than being best practice, it displays two of the most dangerous work practices in construction:
• Working on a suspended load, and
• Working at height without fall protection.

Did someone say insane! 'The King's Little Pathway' in Spain:

Our team came across this video on 'Camino del Rey' in Spain. This walkway was built in 1905 for workers at the hydroelectric power plants at Chorro Falls and Gaitanejo Falls. A walkway was needed to cross between the falls for inspection and maintenance of the channel.



The walkway is not maintained, and is highly deteriorated and dangerous. It is 3 feet wide, and is over 1000 feet above the river below. Almost the entire the path has no handrail and some parts of the concrete walkway have completely collapsed. All that is remaining is the steel beam originally in place to hold it up. One can latch onto a modern steel safety-wire to keep from falling, though it can't hold much weight. Several people have lost their lives on the walkway in recent years; after four people died in two accidents in 1999 and 2000, the local government closed the entrances. However, many adventurous (and crazy) tourists still find their way onto the walkway to explore it.

Slips, Trips and Falls accident waiting to happen!

Using a trolley as a substitute for a step ladder is a very unsafe practice. Falling, even from this seemingly low height can result in serious injury. Slips, Trips and Falls are the second most common accident category in the workplace today. This shot perfectly illustrates why. . .


Slips usually occur when there is a loss of grip between the shoe and the floor. This commonly occurs when there is a contaminant between the shoe and the floor. Trips occur when a person’s foot hits a low obstacle in the person’s path, causing a loss of balance. Often, the obstacle is not easily visible or noticed.

Below are links to some good Slips, Trips and Falls documentation, articles and codes of practice in your country:

Australia and New Zealand: Safe Work Australia
United States: OSHA
United Kingdom: Health and Safety Executive
Canada: Canada Safety Council

Also, please check out our DVD on Slips, Trips and Falls below:

Sawstop - Great little invention!

We came across this Youtube video on 'Sawstop'. A table saw stopping system that stops a bench saw instantly when it detects an electrical signal, such as from a human finger or limb. Inventions like this (when realized into the real world) make a huge difference by adding an extra line of defence. Enjoy!

Workplace Fatigue - 2009 Safety DVD

Fatigue is an issue that we can no longer ignore. The reason is that many international research bodies have concluded that being awake for 17 hours or more, have the same affect on the human body as having a 0.05% blood alcohol content.

Feeling tired or drowsy after prolonged mental or physical effort at work is normal. Fatigue, however is more than just feeling tired. Fatigue is an acute and/or chronic state of tiredness that can lead to mental and/or physical exhaustion. Fatigue prevents people from functioning within normal boundaries.



Fatigue is a diffucult issue to manage in the workplace. This is the best DVD on fatigue awareness out right now. To get it CLICK HERE!

'I saw the sign!'

This weeks 'I saw the sign!' is related to safety in the home. Specifically to do with looking after our little ones.


This warning label can be found at the bottom of most modern chain or cord type of window blinds and coverings. 359 children were strangled by window covering cords from 1981 to 1995. That's 1 per fortnight.

In the majority of cases, strangulations occurred when parents thought the child was safe, such as in their rooms or in their bed asleep. Two common scenarios were found:
- Infants playing or sleeping in their beds near windows got caught and tangled in looped cords of the window covering.
- Toddlers, while trying to look out a window or climbing on furniture, lost their footing and were wrapped in the cord.

Have a walk around your home today to make sure there is no strangulation hazard around your windows.

Working at Heights: This isn't really working!

Why is this worker free climbing the frame when there is a scissor lift available? Unfortunately, the scissor lift is the wrong type of elevated work platform to reach across the top of the building at the base of the billboard. Usually you can get where you need to work by selecting an appropriate EWP. When an EWP cannot reach, a fall arrest harness with a twin lanyard setup maybe acceptable.

Good balance, a firm grip and good luck just doesn’t make the grade.

Worksafe now sells 'Spare Body Parts' from vending machine!

Our Australian safety team attended (and presented some seminars at) Work Safe week in Melbourne, Australia this week. There were many seminars on Occupational Health and Safety being held which is just fantastic. All held in the new section of the Melbourne Convention Centre.

In the foyer there was this rather odd vending machine. At first glance it looked like a regular food-type vending machine, but as curious onlookers neared, it could be seen that the products within were body parts! We at Safetycare loved this. A simple artistic installation that reminds us that we can't replace our body parts as simply as just buying them from a vending machine, so we had better look after our own!

We hope you enjoy it too!

Managing Static Electricity Video

A must when working around Hazardous Substances

Static electricity poses a number of threats to safety, the most significant of which being the potential for it to be a source of ignition for fires and explosions. Because static electricity can occur whenever objects, substances or people move, it is a natural by-product of many workplace processes.

The program defines Static Electricity, examines the potential hazards associated with static electricity, ways to control it, and a number of important safety precautions that should be followed when working in flammable atmospheres.

CLICK HERE TO BUY IT!

Bad Housekeeping at its finest!

These 2 photos clearly show 2 workplaces that could use a bit of housekeeping training! Not only are workplaces like these extremely hazardous, but most of the day would be spent trying to find that tool . . . We have an excellent, snappy DVD on Workplace Housekeeping. Housekeeping is an issue you can't ignore.

Click here to get it

'I saw the sign!'

This 'I saw the sign!' was sent in by Akum; one of our readers.

This graphic warns of the danger of wearing loose fitting clothing around a bench drill press. It is important to never become complacent or forgetful of what you are wearing when using a bench drill press, lathe or any other rotating/moving piece of machinery. The potential entanglement accident can be quick and deadly. This particular hazard summary is from the Ministry of Labour, Ontario, Canada:

"A lathe operator was fatally injured while polishing a slotted steel shaft with emery paper. Before putting it in the lathe, he had machined three keyway slots along the 3" diameter shaft. After securing it between the chuck and the tailstock of the lathe he began polishing with a long strip of emery paper looped around the rapidly rotating shaft. The slots caught the strip of paper, which entangled his gloved hand and pulled his arm around the shaft, severing it from his body. He died later from extensive head, neck and chest injuries."

Forklift shocker!

This is not really the way to get those extra few feet required when using a forklift! Forklifts are one of the leading causes of injuries and fatalities in the workplace. Feel free to save and use this image in your training session, just click on the image to open a high resolution version.

We have a Forklift Safety Training Course Pack which contains a DVD and a training course manual. It's a comprehensive, cost effective training bundle. Well worth it . . . even if your forklift operators aren't as bad as those in the picture! Click here for more info.

Manual Handling Safety Training Bundle - Great value

Statistically manual handling injuries account for around 40% of all workplace accidents. These injuries include back injuries such as ruptured discs and torn muscles – they can also include injuries such as sprained ankles, strained neck muscles, tendonitis, spondylolisthesis, carpel tunnel syndrome and other forms of repetitive strain injury (RSI).

Clearly there is a need for a manual handling training program in every organisation because to some degree or other, everyone is exposed to the risk of incurring a manual handling injury.

THE MANUAL HANDLING POWER PACK CONTAINS:

• Manual Handling - Child's Play DVD
• 3 x Child's Play Manual Handling Awareness Posters
• Lifting and Carrying DVD
• Manual Handling DVD
• The Manual Handling Training Course Manual
• The Lifting and Carrying Training Course Manual

A definitive Manual Handling training solution, saving you $125. CLICK HERE TO GET IT!!!

New to Safetycare's Safety Blog: 'Safety Moment'

Below is a television ad campaign that was run by the RTA several years ago called 'Safety Moment', and it got us thinking. Sometimes due to a near miss, an employee making a good suggestion, or just by natural progression, some of us have a 'Safety Moment'. A realization that we can do something, or we should change something to make our workplace safer.

If you have had a Safety Moment, we want to hear from you! If you have a story please email it (email address is top-right of the Blog) to us. We would love to share it with our readers.

Sharing safety moments is a great way to spread the safety message. Stay Safe!

Slips, Trips and Falls Video 2009

Slips, Trips and Falls is the second biggest issue in most workplaces after Manual Handling. The three most important factors contributing to the occurrence of slips, trips and falls are:

• Poor design of the workplace
• Poor workplace practices and procedures, and
• Inappropriate human behaviour.

We have a great DVD on preventing slips, trips and falls. You can get it on it's own or as a part of our Falls Multi Pack. CLICK HERE TO CHECK IT OUT. Stay safe everyone!

Great Worksafe Poster

Worksafe in Australia have launched a new campaign called 'Don't turn your back on safety'. It focuses on the biggest safety issue in workplaces worldwide; Manual Handling. This is one of the posters that is doing the rounds. We think it perfectly summarises the entire concept of Safety.

Safety Quotations and Sayings

Here is a small collection of safety quotations. These are little sayings that remind us of the importance and real reason we invest in safety.

For safety is not a gadget but a state of mind. Eleanor Everet

Better a thousand times careful than once dead. Proverb

Know safety, no injury. No safety, know injury. Unknown

Tomorrow - your reward for working safely today. Unknown

Safety isn't expensive, its priceless. Unknown

'I saw the sign!' - New to Safetycare's blog!

We are introducing a new segment on our blog. Its called 'I saw the sign!'

'I saw the sign!' brings to the fore safety signs, warnings, symbols and messages that we find on the equipment we use, workplaces we work in, or anywhere really! Safety warnings posted in these places can sometimes be so small they're not seen, or more commonly, we see them so often that we don't register them in our mind anymore. Either way we're bringing them to light!

Here is the first 'I saw the sign!'. Forklift turnovers can be fatal. For you forklift drivers out there, you have probably seen this warning sticker before. It is a good idea to refamiliarise yourself as to what to do in the event of a foklift turnover.

If you see an 'I saw the sign!' please take a picture of it and email it to us at safetyinfo@safetycare.com.au.

Fatigue in the Workplace 2009 training DVD

Fatigue is an issue that we can no longer ignore. The reason is that many international research bodies have concluded that being awake for 17 hours or more, have the same affect on the human body as having a 0.05% blood alcohol content.

Feeling tired or drowsy after prolonged mental or physical effort at work is normal. Fatigue, however is more than just feeling tired. Fatigue is an acute and/or chronic state of tiredness that can lead to mental and/or physical exhaustion. Fatigue prevents people from functioning within normal boundaries.



Fatigue is a diffucult issue to manage in the workplace. This is the best DVD on fatigue awareness out right now. To get it CLICK HERE!

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Why subscribe to our blog? Well just scroll down and have a look!

• Free workplace 'Shocker Images'
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• and so much more!!

We would love to have you on board with us. Stay safe everyone, from Safetycare.

Yet another poor work practice involving a forklift!

It's easy to see why Forklifts are a leading cause of death and serious injury in workplaces around the world. Pictures of unsafe (and we mean really unsafe) forklift use are not hard to find. Well, here is yet another! If you have forklifts in your workplace, make sure your forklift training and behavioural safety programs are up to date. It only takes a second, and a silly decision to potentially result in a fatality.

Lifting and Carrying from the 1970's!

This was a public information film that was screened in the 1970's. Even though it's old, the Manual Handling basics are still the same today. As we all know, injuries resulting from incorrect Manual Handling practices and procedures are amongst the most common.

We have many Manual Handling DVDs and Training Course Manuals on this very important subject including 'Child's Play', the industry's most talked about (and loved!) DVD on correct lifting and carrying. If you haven't seen it yet you must check it out!! Click here!!

Safety Joke!

We thought you may get a laugh out of this! Have a safe day! Click to enlarge

Montie: The original and the leading safety video subscription service

Thank you to all of our subscribers for making Montie the world's leading safety video subscription service. If there's anything we can do to assist you, please give us a call, we've love to have a chat with you! Until then, stay safe!

Safetycare Safety DVD Multi Packs - A Powerful Training Bundle

Multi Packs are a themed DVD bundle offering you a total training DVD solution, as well as a substantial saving. The Office Safety Multi Pack shown above. With this pack you cover the following office OHS areas:

• Manual Handling
• Dealing With Office Fires
• Portable Fire Extinguishers
• Preventing Slips, Trips and Falls
• Safety in the Office

The Office Safety Multi Pack saves you $125, and has all of your office safety issued covered! Click the image above to find out more!

The Importance of proper Lockout / Tagout Procedures and Practices

It is unclear what this man is doing in the hopper of this wood chipper. Is he inspecting or repairing the chipping mechanism, clearing a blockage, or just having a nap? Whatever he’s doing, we hope he has an approprate lockout / tagout system in place before he crawled into the hopper.

Obviously, the injuries that could occur if the chipper started-up are horrific. Always remember that powered equipment should be de-energised, and locked and tagged out before you attempt to clear blockages, inspect or service the moving parts.

For a current 2009 DVD on Lockout Tagout, PLEASE CLICK HERE, AS SEEN ABOVE IF COULD BE A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH.

Safetycare now on Twitter! What the heck is Twitter???

Twitter is a social networking service that enables users to send and read messages known as tweets. Tweets are text-based posts of up to 140 characters displayed on the author's profile page and delivered to the author's subscribers who are known as followers. Users can send and receive tweets via the Twitter website, SMS or external applications.


How will Safetycare use Twitter?

That is a very good question! Twitter certainly has it's critics saying that the last thing the information world needs is more pointless communications. Safetycare DVDs and videos have always been about accurate, expert, measured and purposeful presentation, so from that perspective we agree!

On the other hand, Safetycare is at the absolute forefront of Safety video technology (with our revolutionary video delivery system Montie), so any technological advancement we have to give it a go!

Safetycare will use Twitter to inform our clients and 'followers' of latest releases, and other relevant OHS developments. How popular and usefel this will be to Safetycare and our clients is yet to be seen! Check us out! http://twitter.com/Safetycares

Free Safety Tips and Icebreakers to make safety meetings more fun and enjoyable!

Icebreakers are a great way to energise your safety meeting. They get participants more involved and enthusiastic, and that helps ensure your safety messages are better received and retained!

A new exercise or icebreaker is put on our website each day! Click here to check out today's one!

COSHH DVD- Control of Substances Hazardous to Health

Specifically for our UK clients, we have an informative 5 star video on COSHH. The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 is a UK Statutory Instrument describing general requirements on employers to protect employees and other persons from the hazards of substances used at work by risk assessment, control of exposure, health surveillance and incident planning.

TO GET THIS DVD CLICK HERE!

New Release! Cuts and Bleeding

There are a numerous injuries that can occur in the workplace and amongst the most common are Cuts and Bleeding. These can range from small scratches through to serious cuts, embedded objects, amputations and injuries that can lead to internal bleeding.

Many bleeding incidents are not severe and can be treated with simple first-aid and the bodys own ability to clot. Some are more serious and require urgent action. Serious bleeding that is not stopped quickly is life threatening.

For information, or to buy this DVD click here!!!

10,000 Visitors On The Safetycare Blog!!

Thank you to all of our blog readers who check in with us regularly for Safetycare's updates, safety news or safety training photos. A big thanks and we hope to continue seeing you!

Forklift Trivia! Toyota's First Forklift

This is a picture of Toyota's first ever forklift released in 1969. Obviously forklifts were around before then, but this is a great pic reminding us just how many safety features are installed in a forklift today.

FORKLIFT IN 1969

FORKLIFT IN 2009

Compressed Air/Air Compressor shocking work practice

This picture shows a pressure relief valve on an air compressor with a G clamp placed over the top to prevent it from operating. Upon a closer look it appeared the relief valve was actually leaking. Not only has this by-passed the safety device, but it indicates a lack of maintenance and surveillance on the pressure equipment.

It is essential that safety devices are not tampered with or bypassed. These devices are designed to prevent pressure build up which could lead to the failure of the pressure vessel. This is potentially fatal.

We have a DVD on the dangers of compressed air. CLICK HERE TO GET IT to help prevent this type of thing occurring in your workplace

What's wrong with this Portable Fire Extinguisher picture?

There’s nothing quite like that warm and fuzzy feeling you have when you know that, in an emergency, you’re covered.
You own several kinds of insurance. You wear a seatbelt in case the idiot in front of you slams on his brakes.
And in case a fire breaks out, you have a fire extinguisher, and you know right where it is. All you have to do is find that key.


Our Portable Fire Extinguisher Training Pack is perfect for your organisations Fire Extinguishers safety training. It's current, straight-forward and will prevent silly things like this happening in your workplace. CLICK HERE TO GET IT!!

Hand Tool Shocker!

Welding Safety DVD and multi training pack

This welding 'Shocker' is almost unbelievable. Click on the image above to enlarge it and feel free to use it in your training sessions. Safetycare offer a Welding Safety DVD Multi Pack, click here for the details.
It covers the following topics: Arc Cutting and Gouging, Arc Welding, MIG Welding, Oxy-Acetylene Welding, Oxy-Acetylene Cutting, TIG Welding and Welding Safety. Our Welding Safety DVD Multi Pack is an extremely comprehesive Wedling Safety Training bundle saving you $175! No workshop should be without this resource.

Video and Music Piracy - Companies are starting to sue individuals

A US jury has ordered a 32-year-old woman to pay $US1.92 million ($A2.4 million) in damages for illegally downloading 24 songs in a high-profile digital piracy case. Jammie Thomas-Rasset, a single mother of four from the US state of Minnesota, was found liable for using the Kazaa peer-to-peer file-sharing network to download the songs over the internet.

The jury took just under five hours to reach its verdict.

It ordered Thomas-Rasset to pay $US1.92 million dollars -- or $US80,000 ($A100,000) per song -- to six record companies: Capitol Records, Sony BMG Music, Arista Records, Interscope Records, Warner Bros. Records and UMG Recordings.

The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and major music labels have brought suit against thousands of people for illegally downloading and sharing music, with most agreeing to settlements of between $3000 - $5000.

Thomas-Rasset was the first among those being sued to refuse a settlement and instead took the case to court.

The music industry group, has filed lawsuits against some 35,000 people for online music piracy since 2003.

Behavioural Safety DVD

Statistics show that unsafe acts are the most common cause of workplace accidents. Despite the introduction of training programs and safe work practices and procedures, controlling unsafe acts has proven to be difficult.

The reason for this is that unsafe acts involve the Human Factor, that is, they occur as a result of peoples attitudes and behaviours. Behavioural Safety offers a way to reduce the incidence of unsafe acts by modifying peoples behaviours and improving their attitudes towards safety.

Forklift Shocker!

Dropping any type of load from a forklift can be extrmeley hazardous for a variety of reasons. Dropping this load however could have obviously, ended in an absolute disaster.

Fatigue: One of the hottest topics in OHS today!

Feeling tired or drowsy after prolonged mental or physical effort at work is normal. Fatigue, however is more than just feeling tired. Fatigue is an acute and/or chronic state of tiredness that can lead to mental and/or physical exhaustion. Fatigue prevents people from functioning within normal boundaries.



Fatigue is a diffucult issue to manage in the workplace. This is the best DVD on fatigue awareness out right now. To get it CLICK HERE!

Child's Play Manual Handling Poster

We've had a few queries as to what the Child's Play poster looks like. Well, here it is! You get 3 of these free when you purchase the Child's Play DVD. The DVD itself is extremely effective, and putting these posters up around your workplace, only helps and reinforces the Manual Handling message.

Most importantly though, Child's Play get your staff talking to each other about Manual Handling. Click on the image below to enlarge the poster.

Electrical Safety in the Workplace

Here, an industrial fused switch has had one of the fuse links replaced with a length of copper tube.

Fuses provide an important safety function and are in place to provide overload and short circuit protection for electrical wiring and equipment. Fuses cut power when excessive current is being drawn. This prevent overheating and fires.

If you need to do some refresher training on electrical safety in your workplace, why not get an Electrical Safety Power Pack. It comprehensively covers electrical safety basics including static electricity. CLICK HERE TO GET IT!!!!!

The most effective Manual Handling DVD you can train with!

Below is a preview clip for the powerful Manual Handling video 'Child's Play'. We are constantly receiving positive feedback from our clients. They tell us that this is the only Manual Handling video that gets the message through, and sticks! This is such a fun and effective training video and it also comes with 3 posters you can put up around your workplace.

Check it out for yourself, we're sure you'll agree that there is no more effective Manual Handling DVD than 'Child's Play!

Ladder Safety Shocker!

This is not really the way to safely get those extra few feet when using a ladder!