How OSHA Deals with Ladders and Scaffolding Incidents

There is always a danger of falling when a worker is working on an elevated surface. OSHA’s statistics have demonstrated time and time again that one of the most common causes of serious injury or death is falling. In fact, four of OSHA’s top 10 most cited standards were directly related to the prevention of falls, including the rules for ladder safety and scaffolds. 

As of 2017, “workers must always be protected from falling when they are using portable or fixed ladders, as well as mobile ladder stands and platforms.”

Ladder Requirements: 

• The ladder must be capable of supporting the maximum load in which they claim to be able to support. Also, a mobile ladder stand/platform needs to have the capability of supporting four times its intended load. 

• The ladders and scaffolds must be inspected daily before each work shift. Doing this is an effort to identify any defects which could result in injury.  

For the sake of clarification, a portable ladder is a ladder that one could have at home: straight ladders, extendable ladders, and folding stepladders. 

Requirements for Portable Ladders: 

• Secured and stabilized when in use on a slippery surface

• Are not moved in any way, shape, or form whilst a worker is on one

• Have slip-resistant floor pads and steps

• Are not attached to another portable ladder for an extension

• Cannot be placed on a moveable object

• The top step or shelf cannot be used to support the weight of a person

Scaffolds

By definition, a scaffold is an elevated, temporary work platform. Scaffolds can be classified into two categories:

• Supported scaffolds - are supported by rigid supports

• Suspended scaffolds - are suspended by non-rigid means, like ropes from a structure overhead. 

Under these two categories, there are a wide array of different forms of scaffolds, each bringing to the table a set of different hazards that need to be considered. Understanding how to properly construct and dismantle scaffolding is another task on its own that can add risk to the already hazardous situation. 

Scaffolds must be: 

• Designed by someone who is properly qualified

• Able to support 4 times the maximum intended load

• Equipped with safe entry and exit points

• Fully planked, leaving no gaps greater than one inch between the planks and the uprights. 

• 18 inches wide as a whole

• Come equipped with guardrails 

Conclusion

Ladders and scaffolds are often crucial to the completion of a project and can be incredibly safe when all of the rules and regulations are met. Safety of the worker is priority number one and no steps should be skipped in the use of either ladders or scaffolding.

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Network Cabling - Types and Specifications

Network cabling, while commonly used, is often misunderstood. Network cabling is generally a set of interconnected computers. 

Network Administrator

Supervised by a network administrator, the administrator also takes on the responsibility of connecting two or more of the computers in a safe manner. The administrator is also responsible for connecting the various network cables which allow for each computer system to operate in conjunction with one another. 

Network Cabling

Network cabling is a medium of interconnection between various pieces of computing power. The cabling allows pieces of information to be easily and efficiently transferred from one platform to another in a minimal amount of time. 

Types and Specifications

Network cable types can be classified into the three following categories:

1.Coaxial Cable

Coaxial cables are used in the connection of two or more desktops. Coaxial cables primarily consist of a conductor, an insulator, a braiding, and a sheath in that particular order. Furthermore, coaxial cables can come in either a single-core or a multi-core form. 

2.Fiber Optic Cable

Built from a core, cladding, buffer, and jacket in that order. Obviously, the core is used in the process of moving data. The core in a fiber optic cable transfers information in the form of light, meaning that this is one of, if not the fastest method of transferring information. 

3.Twisted Pair Cable

Often referred to as an ethernet cable, this type of cable is widely used in organizations and businesses worldwide as an efficient way of giving Internet access to a computer. The cables are commonly used in homes as well. Ethernet cables consist of four colored wire pairs. 

Conclusion

A network administrator has the three cable forms listed above at their disposal. Given their qualifications, the administrator should be able to make the correct choice of cable for the system in which they are setting up. 

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5 Core Office 365 Tools for Managing Tasks and Projects

There’s a reason why there are more than 100 million monthly active users on Microsoft Office 365 and why organizations rely on Microsoft Office 365 for their daily activities more than any other web-based business application. Office 365 is very beneficial for a variety of different projects and tasks and allows employees to manage more effectively. This blog will break down five relevant tools in Office 365 that will help you manage your projects, including the pros and cons for each to help you decide which is right for you.

The five tasks and project management applications currently available include; 

1. Planner

2. Sharepoint task lists

3. Project Outline

4. Outlook Tasks

5. To-Do

Planner

With Planner, teams can manage private and public plans and task buckets through creating and prioritizing tasks. Along with collaborating and commenting with other team members through SharePoint on project documents, users can also get instant reporting through board and chart views. 

Pros

• Clear visualization of activities and keeping on track of projects

• Easy to manage and well-defined plans and tasks

• Integrated with Microsoft Teams, making it simpler to collaborate

Cons

• Large projects are more difficult to manage

• Supervising and handling large teams is insufficient 

SharePoint Task Lists

Cohesive with this tool's name, this tool allows users to create lists of tasks and subtasks and visualize the allocation on the timeline of a project. Additionally, SharePoint Task Lists enables users to manage tasks, assign resources, and envision their tasks through Gantt charts, personal tasks, upcoming tasks, and more. 

Pros

• Utilize Outlook calendar and conversations

• Provides simplified representation of the project and individual tasks

• Can be paired with other SharePoint features

Cons

• Multiple timelines within one task list cannot be added

• Customization is needed for larger project reporting

Project Outline

Project Outline offers three plans; Essentials, Professional, and Premium. Each plan is for a different target group and includes project and resources managers. This application provides project planning, task scheduling, resource management, and other features. Project Online is a professional application for project portfolio management and is the most powerful out of all the Office 365 tools. 

Pros

• Can handle various projects 

• Has the ability to meet the needs of various different employees

Cons

• Requires employees’ skills to utilize and handle

• Training for end-users is required and adoptions can be challenging

Outlook Tasks

If you are looking for a more personalized task management tool, Outlook Tasks may be right for you. This tool allows teams to manage their activities within their email. Through Outlook Tasks, you can mark your tasks off by their status, priority, category, and more. 

Pros

• Easy to share with other team members

• Can be coupled with Outlook Groups and allow users to work together on the same app

• A great option for moderate project management

Cons

• Users have to put the effort in to make tasks clearly arranged

• Additional training may be required to be adequately used

• Tasks are not very organized and can appear messy if many entries and events are added

To-Do

To-Do is an app that enables users to manage personal or business-related tasks through lists, due dates, notifications, and slight UI changes. To-Do can be used alongside Outlook Tasks and synchronize with their inbox.

Pros

• Easy to use and aesthetically laid out tool

• Allows employees to use a private task management area and prioritize specific activities

• Can be used independently of other team members

Cons

• As it replaced Wunderlist, this tool is still incomplete and may lag. The mobile app is also much weaker than the web app

• There is no option for employees to create subtasks 

• Employees cannot share tasks with other users 

Conclusion

These five project management tools outlined are very effective to manage tasks and projects and can help to keep your team organized and on track. Aside from these five core tools, Office 365 also has some other options including:

• SharePoint Project sites - This tool is essentially an advancement from Sharepoint Task Lists where teams can collaborate and share the news.

• Microsoft Teams - This is a central communication hub where you have all the features from Planner as well as a more interactive component. 

• Yammer - Adding on to Project Online, Yammer is a forum-like area on the Sharepoint project site.

Evidently, there are numerous options for you to choose from when it comes to project management on Office 365. Every tool has its own strengths and weaknesses, but each individual tool has its own specialties. 

Contact us to figure out how you and your team can use software to stay more organized.