Good Housekeeping

Last updated 6/9/2008

Introduction

• Good Housekeeping in an important safety issue. That shouldn’t be a surprise if you consider that many of the potentially dangerous materials, tools, and substances we work with are laying, ready to make trouble, in the work area. Even items that aren’t really hazardous can become so when they’re left laying around where people can trip over them or bump into them.

Introduction…Page 2

• Good housekeeping has other virtues. When your work area is clean and neat, its a lot easier to find what you need and do your job efficiently. It also makes it easier to respond or get out fast in an emergency.

• Good housekeeping is everyone’s responsibility. While the maintenance department handles heavy cleaning and similar tasks, they don’t know where all your tools and materials are kept. The haven’t had the training you’ve had on proper handling of hazardous substances and other materials in your work areas. In addition, it is not their job to pick up after you. Good housekeeping has to be constant and ongoing if it’s going to prevent and eliminate hazards in your work area.

• Most people would never let any part of their own homes, including home workshops (but maybe excluding teenagers” bedrooms). Get cluttered and dirty as their work areas become. That’s not just unpleasant; it can be dangerous.

Identifying Hazards

• There are several types of hazards that you should always be on the alert for so that they can be eliminated immediately.

Identifying Hazards … Page 2

• Tripping and falling hazards are anything on the floor that doesn’t belong there: machines, tools, cords, air hoses, scrap, boxes. Floors should be kept clear. Period.

Identifying Hazards …Page 3

• Impact Hazards- object that can hit you or that you can bump into are common problems. Open draws and tools left perched precariously on a table are typical examples.

Identifying Hazards…Page 4

• Puncture and Splinter Hazards exist when sharp-edged or pointed tools are left out. Splinters can develop on any surface or on a variety of materials.

• Electrical Hazards include overloaded circuits, extension cords, cords left near heat or water – anything that could cause fire and shock. Electricity is not only fire hazards or scrap near ignition sources, dust or lint on machinery, and materials that block access to fire exits or equipment.

Identify Hazards…Page 5

• Chemical exposure or spills are always a risk when chemical containers are in the work area, especially if they’re left open.

• Chemical Reactions can occur if the chemicals in the work area are allowed to mix with things that will cause dangerous reactions: other chemicals, water, or air.

If you train your eyes to look for these hazards, you can eliminate them before they cause trouble.

Protection Against Hazards

• You can prevent these hazards by applying the safety rules and procedures you’ve learned to your own work area. Let’s look at the potential hazards one by one.

• You can protect yourself and others from tripping and falling hazards by not keeping anything-even temporarily- on the floor. Every machine and tool, every material and substances we use, belongs in some specific place. That place should never be the floor.

• Other things that don’t belong on the floor are boxes that are waiting to be moved and cords, cables, or air hoses. Rest them on an elevated surface, not the one you walk on.

• Keeping the floors clear is, of course, especially important in aisles and passageways.

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• Contact hazards can be prevented by putting things away properly. Don’t just leave tools or materials on the edge of a surface where they can fall. Don’t leave drawers open where someone can bump into them. Put things where they belong.

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• Puncture and splinter Hazards can be prevented in a similar way. There is no excuse for leaving sharp or pointed objects lying around where someone- like you-could find them in a hand or even an eye. Splinters re a little less obvious. When you come up against a rough edge with splinters, either cover it or sand it off.

Protection Against Hazards…Page 5

• Fire Prevention requires you to practice electrical safety and keep an eye out for anything in the work area that could burn.o If you’re working with flammable liquids, make

sure they’re kept in approved airtight metal containers and that they’re nowhere near an ignition source.

o Don’t let dust or lint build up on machinery or work surfaces. If they contact an ignition source, like a spark, you could have a fire on your hands.

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• Watch out for combustible scrap, like oil-soaked rags, too. It should be disposed if in tight closed, metal containers that are emptied daily.

• You accomplish another part of fire safety when you eliminate tripping and falling hazards. If there is a fire, the aisles and passageways must be clear so you can get out and firefighters can get in. You should also keep this in mind when you stack materials; don’t pile them so high they interfere with the sprinklers.

• As you know, you have a lot of ways to protect yourself from chemical exposure. Assuming that you’ve read the labels and material safety data sheets (MSDSs) for the chemicals in your area, you’re already using proper protective clothing, ventilation, etc. The housekeeping aspect is to be sure to remove only the quantities of the chemical you need and to keep the container closed when not in use.

• To prevent chemical spills, inspect containers regularly to make sure there are no leaks. If there is a small spill, clean it up immediately according to the procedures on the MSDS and our client’s company policy.

• If you’ve read the MSDS, you shouldn’t have a problem with chemical reactions. But don’t forget what you read and don’t leave the container just sitting around. Someone less knowledgeable than you could move it ear an incompatible substance – which could just be air. So keep an eye on your chemicals and keep only what you need in the work area.

Safety Procedures

• As you see, good housekeeping for safety is really a manner of applying all your safety knowledge on a small scale. Even a little toll or a little chemical container can cause a big problem. The kind of housekeeping we’re talking about takes almost no time and effort if you do it as you go.

• Instead of leaving a tool in one place and then going back and putting it way proper later, it away properly the first time.

• You get the idea, The whole point of good housekeeping is that it’s an ongoing part of safety, a necessary step in every job.

Safety Procedures…Page 2

• Here are a few more housekeeping tips to keep in mind:o Don’t let grease or dirt build up; they’re not only a fire

hazards, but are also bad for the equipment.o Keep food, drinks, and cigarettes out of the work area. They

get contaminated by chemicals, attract bugs, and just add to the general cutter.

o Keep cords, wires, and ropes untangled. Getting knotted up is bad for them and a pain in the neck to undo.

o Make sure all containers and materials are labeled. If you don’t know what something is, find out.

Safety Procedures…Page 3

• Keep lights clean. Dirty light bulbs don’t give off mush light and can even be a fire hazard.

• Report holes, loose boards, and other flooring problems so they can be fixed before someone trips and gets hurt.

• Throw away trash promptly and properly. Be sure that hazards trash goes in proper containers, incompatible trash in its containers, etc. Trash should also be emptied frequently. If that’s not happening in your area, let me know.

• Don’t hang onto little scraps of odds and ends that might come in handy someday, If you really think you can use them, choose and label a shelf or drawer and keep them there.

It’s not really very hard to keep you work area clean, uncluttered, and safe, and it makes for much more pleasant and productive working conditions.