The electric drill was first patented in 1889 by two Australian inventors. A portable drill equipped with a trigger switch and pistol grip was later patented by Black & Decker in 1917. This design set the stage for the drill’s versatile u...

Click here to check out our recent post: Do You Have the Right Fire Extinguisher for Your Workplace? We have all seen fire extinguishers around our facilities as well as in the home. Have you ever taken the time to actually look at the extinguisher t...

The temperature atop Mt. Washington in the White Mountains of New Hampshire hit 25 degrees below zero last Monday. And, with wind gusts over 100 miles per hour, the wind chill stood at minus-65 to minus 70 degrees. The scary part, pointed out by the ...

Of all the driving hazards associated with winter, there is one condition that even professional truck drivers’ fear—black ice.  Black ice shows up on pavement when it is least expected.  Dry pavement becomes a shiny, slippery ...

As we approach the end of yet another year, it's time to get prepared for the next one. One thing most safety-conscious companies do is set employee health and safety goals. By doing so, companies are forced to review their current situation and incr...

Weather affects just about everything in every part of the country and lately rain has had a starring role in the Northeast. Record amounts of rainfall have not only put a damper (no pun intended) on vacations, but also on agriculture, construction a...

One of my fellow Mainers had a favorite saying about safety meeting subjects. He'd say, "If you can't come up with a topic, grab a ladder and cover what's written on the side." And, if you have ever looked at the side of a ladder, there is quite a b...

We have covered the hazards associated with falls in the past.  Obviously, the reason is the severity of injuries associated with falls.  But we've focused primarily on elevated falls, whether from a ladder or a roof. But slips and trips ar...

There are many signs that indicate summer’s end no matter where you reside. The sun sets a little bit earlier. Temperatures drop noticeably at night. And the big yellow school buses reappear.  Although all three of these signs affect the t...

If you are reading this, odds are there is probably a computer screen involved. And you may be one of the 400,000 U.S. workers that lost an average of 8 days away from work due to a musculoskeletal injury in 2004, as reported by the U.S. Bureau of La...