Top 12 Tools Every New Safety Professional Needs
Author: Tony Mudd, CSP Published: 7/31/2022 Time: 3 Minutes
After working as a Safety Professional for several years I noticed that it was very difficult at the beginning of my career to acclimate to the field of safety. I mean I had the passion, hard work and leadership skills but I was missing my own set of tools to help make my job a little easier. I don’t want the same for you, so I created a list of the Top 12 Tools Every New Safety Professional needs in their toolbox!
1) Gottcha Stick: Also known as the Safe Distance Scale or OSHA Ruler, it is one of the most effective and inexpensive tools a new safety professional can have. It’s portable and works great when conducting inspections on machine guarding to ensure your team remains in compliance with proper standards.
2) Safety Professional's Reference and Study Guide: This is a great tool to use as a reference when looking up safety procedures, techniques, and safety standards. I personally used this book when I was preparing the complete the CSP Exam. Though this book is expensive, you can purchase older editions or even used versions of the book for a more affordable price.
3) OSHA General Industry 29 CFR 1910 or 1926 Regulations and Standards Book: Having OSHA regs is a must-have for all Safety Professionals. These are great books tool to have especially if you are in a location with poor internet reception or network. From my experience, it is always a good idea to have a hard copy of the standards for your industry right at your fingertips. You never know when you will need to reference or up look a reg to ensure compliance.
4) HazMat Emergency Response Guidebook ERG 2020: Spill cleanup can be a dangerous job that why it’s very important to have this Hazmat ERG application. This is a great mobile free educational tool and can be used as a quick reference to look up and find information on proper handling and storage or incident response of Hazardous Materials.
5) OSHA Heat Safety Tool: As the climate continues to change and heat rises combat temperature in the workplace is always a battle in the workplace especially if you are in the construction or transportation industries. This free mobile App is another great tool that allows workers and supervisors to calculate the heat index for their worksite, and based on the heat index, it displays a risk level for outdoor workers.
With a simple "click," you can get reminders about the protective measures that should be taken at that risk level to protect workers from heat-related illness, reminders about drinking enough fluids, schedules for ongoing rest breaks, information on knowing what to do in an emergency, and so much more!
6) Yellow Safety Vest with Pockets: Not all safety vests are created equal. Having a safety vest with multiple deep pockets can be a lifesaver. You can carry pens, notes, flashlights, laser pens, phones, locks/tags, extra ear plugs, and even first aid supplies. This is also a great way for team members to locate you if needed, which will help you to build rapport within the team.
7) Comfortable Boots or Foot Insoles: Safety professionals spend much of their time on their feet going to the problem, asking questions, and working with the team to develop solutions. As a safety professional you are always on the go and constantly moving. Having comfortable boots or insoles will help make your day go smoothly. Trust me - you don’t want to walk a mile in bad boots because you will pay the price! So, take some time and try out different kinds of boots and insoles to see what works for you.
8) Pocket Size First Aid Kit: This first aid kit can come in handy especially if you walk up on a team member that needs your help. With this portable kit, you won’t have to worry about leaving the team member to run back into the office – you’ve got the first aid supplies with you!
9) NIOSH Ladder Safety App:
This free mobile application is another good tool designed to improve extension and step ladder safety by making sure ladders are properly leveled and stable. This is a great tool if you are in the construction industry or have team members or contractors who will be doing tasks that require ladders.
10) First Aid American Red Cross Workplace Safety App: This is another free mobile application that offers lifesaving instructions during emergency situations. This is a good tool for team members who have not had first aid training but may be faced with an emergency whether it be at home or in the workplace
11) NIOSH Sound Level Meter App: This free mobile application measures sound levels in the workplace and provides noise exposure parameters using either the built-in microphone of a user’s device or an external microphone. Workers can share measurements as HTML or PDF reports. The only downside is that it is only offered for iOS systems.
12) SOS Alert | Emergency & Safety App: This is another free mobile application that allows people to send SOS Alerts to teammates in their emergency contact list and provide them with their current location. This is a really good tool to have both in the workplace as well as at home use.
I hope you enjoyed this short article, and that you can use some of the safety tools listed here to make your workplace safer and give you a little relief as you build your career. Also, if you know of a few more tools we should add, be sure to post them in the comment section and share them with the safety community.
Stay Safe & Stay Healthy!
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