Canadian Occupational Safety (COS) magazine is the premier workplace health and safety publication in Canada. We cover a wide range of topics ranging from office to heavy industry, and from general safety management to specific workplace hazards.
Issue link: https://digital.carswellmedia.com/i/1075728
21 2019 FEBRUARY/MARCH 1 PLATFORM, 2 RISKS eCompliance has released a new asset management feature for its safety software, allowing users to track both assets and people under one platform. "The release of asset management will further help companies link people with processes, the environment and assets in order to have a full scope of workplace incidents," says Luu Duong, vice-president of software development, eCompliance. Asset management provides front-line workers and safety managers with an added layer of risk transparency. They're able to ensure assets are inspected on a regular basis and are safe to operate or use for their employees. Companies can now track assets and their inspection reports in real-time, which ensures compliance. "Twenty-nine per cent of workplace injuries in 2018 were caused by assets and it has justified our hypothesis regarding the importance of including asset management in eCompliance," says Adrian Bartha, CEO of eCompliance, referring to statistics by Liberty Mutual out of the United States. "The ability to track assets and uncover an unknown layer of risk, ensures our customers are performing their tasks with safety in mind for their assets and their workers." The asset management feature is structured to promote ease-of-use and flexibility to all users to consider human-asset interactions, the environment and training. Reports and insights are available to drive corrective actions with the additional data from the asset management feature. Users can assign an asset to one worker or multiple workers and are able to view all assets and perform inspections. Additionally, users can have access to inspection records, action items and maintenance records all on one feature, and a notification is sent when an asset status changes or when scheduled inspections are missed. RE-INVENTED FIRE EXTINGUISHER In an effort to create accessible, barrier-free environments, the City of London in Ontario released Facility Accessibility Design Standards in 2007. Since their release, more than 50 municipalities in Canada and the United States have adopted these standards. A key design requirement outlined in the standards prohibits objects from protruding more than 4 inches into pedestrian areas, such as walkways, halls or aisles. An object protruding from the wall above the detection range of a cane is dangerous for persons with visual impairment or for a pedestrian distracted by a conversation. The Oval Fire Extinguisher, available through OSG, is the only extinguisher on the market meeting protruding objects accessibility design standards. "Creating pathways free from protruding objects is important for everyone. Unfortunately, most fire extinguishers create a barrier," says Sadie McCann, marketing manager for OSG in London, Ont. "That's where the Oval Fire Extinguisher comes in. It has been specifically designed to have a flatter profile, so it doesn't extend beyond 4 inches." Additionally, the button hook design allows the extinguisher to swivel nearly 90 degrees in either direction without falling, reducing the likelihood of the extinguisher being accidentally knocked off the wall and causing injury. LIGHT UP YOUR WORK Night Shift Shoe Lights is the latest addition to the Night Tech Gear product line, designed to help workers identify potential hazards and reduce workplace falls. Night Shift is worn on shoes or boots and is designed for the rigours of industrial use. They provide hands-free lighting in low-light work environments with 400 lumens of LED lights that deliver 50 feet of forward beam and visibility from all sides. Many Canadians work at night, labouring in low-light conditions, making them highly susceptible to trip and fall accidents. Night Shift provides hands-free personal safety lighting to keep workers safe, injury-free and productive while they perform mission-critical tasks. Night Shift enhances any work environment by reducing incidents and related lost productivity and corporate liability, says the manufacturer. Designed for construction, transit, industrial, delivery, mining and countless other industries, Night Shift has no headbands, belts, or straps, and doesn't get in the way of other equipment leaving the workers hands free to safely do their job. PHOTO-QUALITY LABEL PRINTING The new BradyJet J2000 Color Label Printer is a compact on-demand, mid-volume inkjet solution for creating photo-quality colour labels in a single pass. The printer provides impactful identification with more than 16 million colour options for labels, and efficient printing keeps the workplace running smoothly. Companies can also save on costs and space because the printer allows for custom identification in a small footprint without the high cost of outsourced printing. There are three types of performance materials that can be printed using Brady J2000 printer: self-adhesive vinyl, self-adhesive polyester and non-adhesive polyester tags. All three rip-resistant materials feature a specially-formulated topcoat for improved durability, enhanced colour and better label appearance. The topcoat protects from smudging and harsh conditions. The label materials are tested to withstand exposure to liquids, alcohol and chemicals, as well as indoor fluorescent and UV lighting. As opposed to black and white, colour provides more impactful communication that can improve safety and reinforce training, Brady says. The BradyJet J2000 can quickly and easily create any colour needed for custom identification that is specific to any facility. "When you use colour in your identification, you get improved learning comprehension and improved clarity so you can create a safer and more productive work environment," Brady says. With a variety of possible colour combinations, users can easily create identification labels for every area and need in a facility, including: arc flash, WHMIS, safety and facility, pipe markers, lockout and inventory. The BradyJet J2000 offers fast print speeds and 4800 dpi print resolution. PRODUCTS & SERVICES