Our Blog

Timely briefs on topics specific to the industries BITCO serves. Subjects include worker safety, worksite hazards, best practices, new research, industry updates, regulations, public liability, property protection and more.

Work Zone Safety

| April 27, 2021

Tips for Construction Companies to Improve Road Work Zones

Highway workers are exposed to dangers at road and highway construction projects from the motoring public and construction equipment such as excavators, loaders, and dump trucks. Between 2016 and 2017, there were 275 worker fatalities in work zones. Most of these fatalities are due to run-overs or back-overs by construction equipment. Work zone safety is everyone's responsibility.

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Manual Material Handling

| April 1, 2021

8 Questions to Consider to Help Minimize Injuries

Manual material handling is the lifting, pushing, pulling, and prying of items; and can often cause injury. In fact, it's one of the leading causes of injury in the construction industry. These injuries typically are soft tissue injuries to the back, neck, shoulder, and other joints. In 2001, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that over 36 percent of injuries involving missed workdays were due to shoulder and back injuries.

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Safety in Loading

| March 23, 2021

Forestry Good Management Practices 

When proper safety procedures and equipment are not used, workers in the logging industry are at a high risk of injury and death. National Traumatic Occupational Fatalities reported that 59 percent of all logging-related deaths occurred when workers were struck by falling or flying objects or were caught in or between objects. Good Management Practices are designed to help manage risks and keep loggers safe on the job. Here are some of our recommended good management practices for safety in loading logs.

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Lockout/Tagout Programs

| March 9, 2021

Machine-Specific Lockout Procedures

OSHA requires employers to develop lockout/tagout (LOTO) written programs. The contents of the programs include energy control procedures. These procedures should describe, in general, how the employer will comply with OSHA‘s lockout/tagout regulation.

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Slip, Slide, and Fall

| February 11, 2021

Tips for Walking on Ice and Snow 

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that in 2014, there were 42,480 workplace injuries and illnesses involving ice, sleet, or snow. These injuries required at least one day away from work to recuperate.

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Forestry Good Management Practices

| February 2, 2021

Feller Buncher

The logging industry has been considered one of the most dangerous occupations in the United States. According to NIOSH, "In 2010, the logging industry employed 95,000 workers, and accounted for 70 deaths. This resulted in a fatality rate of 73.7 deaths per 100,000 workers that year." With hazards such as falling trees, rough terrain, tail swings, and logging equipment, workers often face significant risks.

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