MVP Safety Professionals: Night Safety for Employees

With fall quickly approaching and the days becoming shorter, now is the time to start thinking about nightwork safety for employees who work at stationary facilities such as shops, hullers, dryers or packing sheds. We have provided the following 5 steps to keep in mind when evaluating your nightwork safety:

1. Illumination – Review facilities exterior lights to check for the following: extremely dirty, burnt out or broken. Cal/OSHA states that skylights, side windows, lamps, and other light accessories which provide necessary illumination shall be kept sufficiently clean, adjusted, and repaired so as not to impair the illumination required for the safety of employees.
2. Reflectors – Check that reflectors or reflective tape is properly placed at entrances and exit roads to safely guide employees in and out of work areas.
3. Security – Secure company belongings, remind employees that leaving tools, products or materials out in the open can attract thieves to facility. People that are willing to commit robbery can be a direct threat to employees.
4. Hazards – Identify slip, trip and fall hazards, as things look differently at night than they do during the day. Small items such as boards, tools and cords can be even more dangerous at night. Some evaluation and housekeeping now can prevent huge headaches later.
5. Working alone – There is no specific law, other than working in a confined space, that prohibits employees from working alone. It is required however, that the company provide and maintain a working environment that is safe as reasonably practical for employees.

Points to consider when employees work alone at night:

• • Has the employee been trained on the company’s emergency response nightwork plan?
  • Is there adequate means of communication?
  • Does the employee have access to flashlights, or headlamp if power is lost?
  • Is there clear understanding by the employee of the tasks he or she is expected to do and the tasks that he or she is prohibited from doing while working alone?

We know that employee wellbeing is on the forefront of minds always, but especially in this season. We are here to help. For more information about MVP Safety Professionals visit us at www.mvpsafety.org.