Month: May 2021

As GAWDA members know, medical oxygen has played an essential role in delivering patient care during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some therapies require large quantities of oxygen or its use in areas of health care facilities not designed for oxygen use, which can create oxygen-enriched atmospheres containing greater than 23.5% oxygen. Although oxygen itself does not burn, in oxygen-enriched atmospheres, materials can be easily ignited by ignition sources such as friction, open flames, heated surgical equipment, or electrical equipment. To avoid incidents involving oxygen and oxygen-enriched atmospheres, it is important that health care personnel handling and using these gases and associated…

Machine guarding isn’t confined to machine presses and rollers. Within our own facilities, we have equipment that must be guarded. Some examples of equipment that should be guarded include: exhaust fans, safety stops for blasting machine doors, belt drives and grinding equipment. Guards must: Protect against contact. Be secured to the machine. Ensure that no object can fall into the moving parts. Guards should not create additional hazards or interfere with machine performance. In addition to mechanical guarding, grounding electrical equipment is one of the most important safety measures. Grounding should be applied to the entire system and each individual…

Here are what the bullets stand for: =  Hanging File Folders (retention period)   = Manila File Folders (retention period) Here are the files and the suggested tab titles: DOT Filing System Table of Contents (place this sheet in the file) MCS-150 (current information) MCS-90 (current) Hazmat Registration (3 years) Unified Carrier Registration (only if CMVs in interstate commerce) (3 years) List of Drivers (current) List of Commercial Motor Vehicles (current) Accident Register Accident Register (3-year retention) Accident Register and Accident Report Forms (blank forms) DOT Accidents (place actual DOT accidents into separate manila folders) Company Policy regarding Alcohol &…

By Tom Badstubner, Marilyn Dempsey, Michael Dodd, Rick Schweitzer and Steve Guglielmo In the First Quarter 2021 issue of Welding & Gases Today¸ GAWDA’s consultants discussed how the incoming Biden administration may differ from the outgoing Trump administration. Now that the new Congress and White House have assumed power and cabinet secretaries continue to be confirmed and policy proposals start to take shape, the consultants revisited the topic of how a new ruling party could impact the day-to-day business of GAWDA members. Thank you to Tom Badstubner, GAWDA’s FDA and Medical Gases Consultant, Marilyn Dempsey, DHS, EPS and OSHA Consultant,…