POWER June 2017 - 36

WORKFORCE & SAFETY CONCERNS
3. Tricky geometrics. When constructing scaffolding, workers have to work with the
space they have. Unfortunately, in power plants that space is often full of pipes, electrical lines,
and other obstacles that have to be built around. Courtesy: StructSure Scaffold & Insulation
workplace, including:
■ Providing employees with sanitary and
safe working conditions
■ Assigning safety and health responsibilities
■
Giving safety and health designees authority
to correct hazards
■ Ensuring employees may voice safety and
health concerns without fear of reprisal
■ Informing employees of worksite hazards
■ Coordinating hazard communication with
other employers on site
■ Posting the OSHA state or federal poster
The regulations set forth by OSHA are
somewhat vague, leaving it primarily up to
the employer to determine when and where
chemical and physical hazards exist and what
type of protection and emergency equipment
is needed. It is also up to the employer to
train their employees on the proper use of
protection and emergency equipment and to
ensure that the equipment is properly tested
and maintained.
ronment. However, an SSP cannot be successful
unless a company has an effective safety
culture. A strong safety culture is a behaviorbased
program that stresses leading indicators
versus lagging indicators. To achieve a successful
safety culture, it is important to continuously
promote safety values within the
workforce. Below are a few recommendations
for building a strong safety culture:
■ Implement a standard training and operating
program (S.T.O.P.)
■ Perform regular jobsite visits by corporate
safety department personnel
■ Develop a proactive, behavior-based safety
incentive program
■ Provide regular and consistent messages
from management
■ Maintain a well-trained and experienced
workforce and leadership team
■ Employ a firm disciplinary policy
36
The success of a SSP depends on the willingness
of top management to demonstrate
a long-term, serious commitment to protect
every employee from injury and illness on
the job. Managers need to display leadership
through effective accountability and recognition
of behaviors and results.
OSHA and the American National Standards
Institute (ANSI) develop and enforce
most of the training and safety regulations
related to injuries from hazardous chemical
and physical exposure. OSHA requires all
scaffolding companies to furnish employees
who erect or work on scaffolds with appropriate
training. OSHA mandates the development
and implementation of an effective
formal SSP.
According to OSHAcademy Occupational
Safety & Health Training and the Scaffold
Safety Program Management course,
employers in the construction industry are
required to provide a safe and healthful
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Protective Equipment
Personal protective equipment (PPE) refers
to protective clothing, helmets, goggles,
cut-resistant gloves, respirators, or other garments
and equipment designed to protect a
power plant worker's body from injury, exposure,
or infection. PPE addresses physical,
electrical, heat, chemical, biohazard, and airborne
particulate matter hazards.
When engineering control measures are
not feasible to protect workers from breathing
air contaminated with harmful dusts,
fogs, fumes, mists, gases, smokes, sprays,
or vapors, workers must wear an appropriate
respirator. The type of respirator required
varies based on the hazards present in the
work environment. In atmospheres that are
immediately dangerous to life or health, a
self-contained breathing apparatus might be
required, while in a less dangerous area an
air-purifying respirator might suffice. Understanding
the hazards is vital to selecting the
appropriate respirator.
Additionally, eye protection, such as safety
goggles or safety glasses, is used to provide
protection in instances where exposure
to fly ash, acid gas, and other hazards could
cause an eye injury. Safety goggles provide
better protection than safety glasses in preventing
eye injuries. To prevent fogging,
safety goggles should have high airflow or
have an anti-fog spray applied.
Fall protection systems are another necessary
aspect of worksite protection. Personal
fall-arrest systems should be used for workers
on suspended scaffolds. The system usually
consists of a full-body harness, lanyard,
POWER | June 2017

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POWER June 2017

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of POWER June 2017