As many here know, I an an OSHA 21d Safety Consultant for the Kansas Department of Labor. What that means is I visit private sector businesses and construction sites in Kansas and work with employers to improve their Safety Programs by providing sample model copies of programs that employers use to write their own programs for topics like Forklift Safety, Hazard Communication, and many others. Additionally I tour worksites and facilities to identify hazards that are non compliant with OSHA codes. Often these are electrical issues, machine guarding issues, and a host of other things employers could be cited for by OSHA if they were found during an actual OSHA Compliance visit. We also offer air testing for chemical contaminants, Noise surveys to determine unsafe noise levels for employees, and other like services. There is no cost for any of our services, is confidential between the employer and our agency ensuring nothing we find is shared with OSHA (the enforcement folks that write monetary citations) for the same kind of hazards we point out during our visit. Following a visit we issue a site specific detailed report which summarizes our findings. The only obligation the employer is under is agreeing to correct the deficiencies we find during our visit.
THE SITE VISIT:
When the employer requests our services we agree on time and date, then drive to the site and provide the services described above for the employer. Reports are not fun to do, site visits are a blast. We get to see virtually everything, all kinds of businesses. I have even done mortuaries! Grain elevators, and every kind of business imaginable.
Two days ago, I was in a business that used to make the power supply boxes for neon signs. Sadly, neon signs for the most part are no longer neon. The new neon signs for the most part, look like neon when lit, but now halogen light bulbs have replaced most of the neon.
When I visited the company, they had a wall with a number of old school neon lights like their boxes used to power. Additionally on that wall was a test fixture with neon tubes and a bunch of holes under the tubes where the leads from power units could be plugged in to assure the power boxes were working properly. I took a few pictures when I was there that I am going to try to attach to this to show the neon signs. Hopefully the pictures are not too big and I will be able to attach them. If they are too big I will be out of luck as I don't know how to resize them. Hopefully there will be pictures to accompany all of my blabbing!
I just realized that I am going to have to save them from text to my pictures to add them. I am going to post this for now and try to add the pictures shortly.
Sorry.
