WEEKLY TOOL BOX SAFETY MEETINGS
HARD HAT OR HARD HEAD
You should wear your hard hat at all times on any construction site! It is the best way to protect yourself from head injuries. If you do not wear it, only your skull and your hair are protecting you from falling objects, electrocution, and the two-by-six that your co-worker is carrying over his shoulder. In order to provide the same protection as your hard hat, your skull and hair would have to meet the following test requirements:
ü Water immersion test: immerse skull and hair for 24 hours; maximum allowed absorption is 0.5 percent by weight.
ü Impact test: rest skull and hair on a steel plate, drop an eight-pound steel ball 50 inches onto skull and hair; no damage is allowed after several repetitions.
ü Chemical resistance test: subject skull and hair to a variety of acids, solvents, oils, and industrial gases; no deformities or color changes are allowed.
ü Fire resistance test: expose skull and hair to the flame from a propane torch for five minutes; if holes are present a “B” rating is granted, if they are only slowly burning and there are no holes an “A” rating is earned.
ü Electrical test: apply 2200 volts AC at 50 Hz to the skull and hair for three minutes; leakage current cannot exceed nine mill amperes.
Note that these tests should never be performed on a human being when the brain is in the skull, or when the skull is attached to the body, as failing a test could result in serious injury or death.
These are the tests that your hard hat has to pass to meet the standards set forth by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). Their standard, Z89.2-1 971, is the standard OSHA specifies in its regulations. There should be a sticker inside your hard hat indicating that it meets or exceeds ANSI’s standards — your skull and hair didn’t come with that sticker, so don’t rely on them to protect you.
While some of you may think that you’re pretty tough, your head isn’t tough enough to pass these tests. Head protection is not a laughing matter; it is very serious. A head injury from a falling object could end your career, leave you permanently disabled, or put you in the grave. Be safe, always wear your hard hat.
Date______________Company ______________________________ JobName/No._________________________
Topics Pertaining To Your Project ________________________________________________________________
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Employee Safety Recommendations ___________________________________________________________
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Meeting Attended By: Please sign your name and date.
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These instructions do not supersede local, state, or federal regulations.
Supervisor’s Signature ______________________________________________________________________
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