Describe the business? What do they do?
Riverside Electric, Inc. is reportedly a full service electric contractor that allegedly provides professional lighting solutions to diverse types of business organizations . According to its official website, the list of services include: lighting management programs; on-call services; Green Technology; Photometric Study; generator sales, installation and services; and electrical services . Being a full service electrical contractor, the organization boast of offering diverse electrical services from installation, maintenance, to repair. Likewise, their pricing strategy was disclosed to be competitive and could fit the budget of those who aimed to avail any of the needed services. Specifically, the organization itemized the following service options: “night auditing, extended warranty, guaranteed service response, flat rate pricing, automatic maintenance options and more. Riverside also excels at retrofit for both interior and exterior lighting, providing the best service at competitive prices” . The organization announced serving the following areas: Cincinnati, Ohio; Columbus, Ohio; and Indianapolis, Indiana. Its home office address is at 680 Redna Terrace, Cincinnati, Ohio 45215.
Likewise, the organization is headed by its President, Paul Gangloff, Jr. Among its listed clients include: “national property management companies, facility managers, national corporations, REITs and local business owners” . In addition, the specific market segments served by Riverside was noted to include: multi-family properties, church properties, retail properties, industrial properties, and logistics facilities. The organization could be contacted using 866-LITES ON and more information could be accessed and viewed at their Facebook page, as indicated .
How do you imagine Riverside Electric’s safety structure is or should be?
One imagines Riverside Electric’s safety structure to be stringent and to adhere to the highest safety standards imposed by federal and state agencies which govern safety in the work setting. One’s research has revealed that electrical contractors like Riverside Electric are being governed and monitored by the Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). As disclosed, OSHA standards for safety include specific rules, regulations, and conditions which are embodied in the following: “the Regulatory Agenda (a list of actions being taken with regard to OSHA standards), Federal Registers (rules, proposed rules, and notices), directives (instructions for compliance officers), standard interpretations (official letters of interpretation of the standards), and national consensus standards related to electrical hazards” . These just proves that the safety structure of an electrical contractor, like Riverside Electric, should strictly abide by electrical standards to ensure that safety is paramount, not only for the workers, but also for the customers who rely on their expert professional services.
List the 10 most prevalent occupational hazards. Rank the hazards in order of Risk (probability and severity)
The OSHA standards for workers in the power transmission and distribution in construction was reportedly achived . However, for electrical contractors, of which Riverside Electric, Inc. workers are classified, the solution to enhance safety and protection in the work setting included the use of ergonomics etool . Using the guidelines, the following tool with ergonomic advantages were clearly expounded in terms of potential hazards, as well as possible solutions for each tool: Hand Tools, Portable Power Tools, Tool Belts, Bending and Cutting Conduit, and Drilling Holes .
Likewise, other hazards for electrical work were categorized by OSHA according to: ergonomics, falls, motor vehicles, and electrocution . Other hazards of this particular endeavor include: working within the vicinity of hot temperature hot water systems or within sprinkler systems; within premises containing hazardous substances; susceptibility to accidents, falls, and using specifically identified tools and equipment; working in excavations or deep openings and confined places; working at heights; among others (OHSAS). The best practices to protect workers are therefore adherence to the guidelines and recommendations as stipulated by OSHA.
Surfaces Highly probable Major injury to incapacity
- Motor vehicle accidents Possible Injury, incapacity or death
- Working in vicinity of hot
water and high temperature Possible Injury
- Lock out in excavations or
deep working environments Possible Injury
- Ergonomics related Possible Injury
- Work-related trauma Possible Trivial
The proposed best practices solution to prevent these abovementioned hazards include conformity to the general safety requirements, as proposed and recommended by the OSHA . These safety precautions were noted, which included the paramount requirement for training. As asserted, “the contractor shall ensure that all employees (including sub-contractors) are adequately trained to carry out their particular duties or tasks including driving plant and operating equipment” (OHSAS: Training par. 1). Likewise, each contractor is also recommended to perform a risk assessment of their working environment and the tasks performed in each site. A total of 25 separate items for risk assessment were identified by OSHA, as cited below:
Major Construction Elements
General public and third party safety
Vehicle movements on and off site
Vehicle, Machinery and equipment hazards within the site
Vehicle/Pedestrian segregation
Temporary services distribution
Siting of static plant and equipment
Scaffolding
Trench/Ground works
Hazardous Chemicals
Services Clearances
Construction Materials
Storage, use and disposal of substances hazardous to health
Noise
Working at heights
Excavation and underground services
Manual Handling
Use of portable hand tools
Emergency procedures including evacuation routes
Fire
Materials storage
Site hoarding
Contaminated ground
Lifting new elements of structure” (OHSAS: Risk Assessment par. 3).
The assessment is actually almost similar to the potential hazards assessment above, where the tasks or activities for potential hazards are appropriately identified and where each hazard would be ranked according to the probability of happening and the severity of risk causing undue harm. As asserted, the risk assessment should be regularly monitored, updated, and reviewed to incorporate much needed changes, depending on factors that impact on the potential hazards and the degrees of probability and severity.
Concurrently, the best practice and guidelines to ensure safety using ergonomics etool were all contained in this link: https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/etools/electricalcontractors/installation/using.html. As briefly mentioned above, potential hazards for hand tools, for instance, included: (1) poorly designed tools could affect posture in the long run; (2) create contact stress; (3) cause undue force which results in pain, discomfort, or fatique; and (4) causes numbing of body parts which could eventually lead to musculoskeletal injuries . The proposed solutions included: (1) use of power tools; (2) designing tools with appropriate padded grip; (3) immediate replacement of tools without handles; (4) using fitted gloves; and (5) ensuring regular repair and maintenance of tools, as needed .
The same information could be viewed for other potential hazards and possible solutions in itemized guidelines for Portable Power Tools, Tool Belts, Bending and Cutting Conduit, and Drilling Holes are accessible in the OSHA site (OSHA), as deemed necessary.
In general, name 3 sites that are most helpful for getting information on standards/best practices.
In general, therefore, the three sites that have been most helpful in getting information on
standards and best practices are: (1) the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA); (2) the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and (3) the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Actually, other standards and information for other occupational hazards could also be researched online through sites that are specialized according to the identified risks and injuries that could be sustained. For instance, more specialized sites, like the Department of Transportation would be most useful in terms of accessing information regarding safety in using vehicles in the work setting. Likewise, as asserted regarding the occupation on airlines (pilot and flight engineers), the site that is most useful would be the National Safety Council (NSC). Overall, it is important to note that conformity to standards and ensuring a safe work place is crucial in the performance of responsibilities and in the continued successful operations of the organization. The success of Riverside Electric would therefore be instrumental upon conformity to the standards required by the OSHA and other governing federal or state agencies that ensure safety is paramount in the work setting.
Works Cited
OHSAS. "OHSAS 18001 Occupational Health and Safety Zone: Code of Practice for Contractors." 2002. Occupational Health & Safety Zone. http://www.ohsas-18001-occupational-health-and-safety.com/procedure.htm. 10 September 2013.
—. "Ergonomics eTool: Solutions for Electronic Contractors." n.d. osha.gov. https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/etools/electricalcontractors/installation/using.html. 10 September 2013.
—. "Walking/Working Surfaces." n.d. osha.gov. https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/walkingworkingsurfaces/index.html. 10 September 2013.
Riverside Electric, Inc. "Full Service Electrical Contractor: Riverside Electric, Inc." 2013. riverside-elec.com. http://www.riverside-elec.com/. 10 September 2013.
