Page 16 - MetalForming May 2013

Safety Update
Reciprocating Barrier Makes
Elevated Platform Loading/Unloading Safer
As companies look to maximize existing space within their facilities, many are turn- ing to mezzanines to create additional storage space or work areas. In response to this trend, Rite-Hite Barrier Systems, Milwaukee, WI, has introduced the Gate- Keeper mezzanine safety gate, a reciprocating bar- rier that creates a con- trolled access area in which workers can safely load and unload from the edge of a mezzanine, pick module or other elevated
work platform.
While OSHA requires
industrial mezzanines to have handrails and gates around all edges, these gates need to be opened during a loading/unloading process, creating the potential for a serious or even fatal injury in the event of an accidental fall. In fact, OSHA reports that falls to a lower level are the second leading cause of workplace fatalities, and injuries from those falls result
in a median of 15 days away from work.
“Although mezzanines are an effective way to increase space, they also present
a potentially hazardous situation when it comes to mezzanine loading and unload- ing,” says Rite-Hite’s Andy Olson.
The GateKeeper’s reciprocating barrier is installed on the edge of a mezzanine, pick module or elevated platform where pallet loads from the floor level are regularly deposited for pick-up. When the outer gate opens to allow pallets to enter the mez- zanine level, the inner gate automatically closes, keeping workers out. After the pal- let is received, mezzanine-level workers open the inner gate to remove the materi- al from the work zone—the outer gate remains securely in position on the edge of the mezzanine. With loading/unloading completed, the inner gate closes to allow the forklift to remove items in the work zone.
Rite-Hite Barrier Systems: 414/355-2600; www.ritehite.com
Hazard Communication:
Workers Must be Trained by December 1, 2013
New changes to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) Haz- ard Communication Standard are bringing the United States into alignment with the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS). While the Hazard Communication Standard gave workers the ‘right to know,’ the new GHS gives workers the ‘right to understand.’
The new hazard-communication standard still requires chemical manufacturers and importers to evaluate the chemicals they produce or import and provide hazard information to employers and workers by putting labels on containers and preparing safety datasheets. However, the old standard allowed chemical manufacturers and importers to convey hazard information on labels and material safety datasheets in whatever format they chose. The modified standard provides a single set of harmonized criteria for classifying chemicals according to their health and physical hazards, and
specifies hazard communication ele- ments for labeling and safety datasheets. Chemical manufacturers and importers must provide a label that includes a signal word, pictogram, haz- ard statement and precautionary state- ment for each hazard class and category. The new format of safety datasheets requires 16 specific sections, ensuring consistency in presentation of important
protection information.
To facilitate understanding of the
new system, the new standard requires that workers be trained by December 1, 2013 on the new label elements and safety datasheet format, in addition to the current training requirements. Learn more at www.osha.gov/dsg/haz- com/HCSFactsheet.html.
Welding Helmet Boasts Adjustable 4/9-13 Auto-Darkening Filter
Save Phace, Dallas, TX, introduces the Extreme Face Protector Gen Y Series of welding helmets, which include an adjustable 4/9-13
auto-darkening fil- ter with grind mode integrat- ed into a 180- deg. viewing lens. Its face- forming design allows the user
to access tight
spaces, and
because of its
unique rounded
design that doesn’t trap the welder’s breath, it reportedly stays 6 deg. cooler than other helmets.
The Gen Y includes a replaceable sweat-absorbent headband, high-quality Halo headgear and a new flexible heat- resistant nylon helmet material. Three graphic options are available: Black Ice, Razor and Twisted Soul. Each model is ANSI- and CE-approved.
Save Phace: 866/783-3223; www.savephace.com
14 MetalForming/May 2013
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