Saf-T-Gard Puts the “Personal” in Personal Protective Equipment

As a family-owned and operated business, Saf-T-Gard International, Inc. understands that worker safety expands beyond the worker – it impacts families. That’s why we partner with our customers to protect them as if they were one of our own.

We are proud to combine our resources with those of the world’s leading manufacturers to deliver unrivaled expertise in providing solutions that ensure your workers make it home safely, because we know that the most important role for your employee isn’t on the jobsite. It’s at home and after the job is done.

Contact us today to discuss your specific jobsite safety challenges and learn how Saf-T-Gard delivers superior solutions addressing many different workplace hazards!

Saf-T-Gard Receives Two Awards during Recent AD Safety Network North American Meeting

Saf-T-Gard International, Inc. is proud to have been the recipient of two wonderful awards during the AD Spirit of Independence Awards.

First, Saf-T-Gard was honored as the recipient of the AD Safety Network Best Annual Planning Process Award. Earlier this year, Saf-T-Gard gathered members of our sales, purchasing, marketing, and company leadership for an off-site strategic planning meeting. The meeting was held at a venue formerly known as the Berto Center where we got to play a little basketball during meeting breaks!

Thank you to the Saf-T-Gard team for helping to organize the event and for making the meetings meaningful.

And thank you to 3M, First Aid Only, Cordova Safety, DuPont, Ergodyne, Justrite Safety Group, Moldex, National Safety Apparel, Nightstick, Protective Industrial Products, Sqwincher, and ZOLL for supporting us in this event!

Second, Saf-T-Gard is a proud member of AD Network 221, which earned and was recognized with the 2023 Conversion Cup. We have the best network, and we cherish the personal and professional relationships being built and strengthened with Broner Glove & Safety, Cardinal Professional Products, Fremont Industrial Corp., Martin Inc., National Safety Inc., Stauffer Glove & Safety, USA Safety Supply, and Vorpahl Fire & Safety.

OSHA Top 10 Most Frequently Cited Standards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2024

OSHA recently released its annual list of the Top 10 Most Frequently Cited Standards for fiscal year 2024 at this year’s National Safety Council (NSC) Safety Congress & Expo. OSHA publishes the list to alert employers about these commonly cited standards so they can take steps to find and fix recognized hazards addressed in these and other standards before OSHA shows up. Workers suffer preventable injuries, illnesses, and deaths related to the hazards addressed in these standards.

This year’s top 10 looks nearly identical to 2023’s, but with a few changes in individual rankings.

While this year’s top 10 violation categories remain unchanged over 2023’s, there was movement on the list. For the 14^th consecutive year, Fall Protection topped OSHA’s list with 6,307 violations.

Seeing an increase in violations, Respiratory Protection climbed up three spots from 7^th to 3^rd. Scaffolding, meanwhile, saw a reduction in violations, falling down four spots from 4^th to 8^th.

The full list is as follows:

The following are some of the top incidents related to the most frequently cited workplace safety standards based on 2022 BLS data:

The OSHA Top 10 List of Most Frequently Cited Standards is highly anticipated because it provides valuable insights for safety professionals, employers, and other organizational stakeholders into OSHA’s enforcement activities and priorities during the previous year, trends in workplace health and safety risks, and clues as to where employers should focus their efforts to improve compliance and better protect workers.

Saf-T-Gard has been bringing workers home safely for more than 85 years, and we can do the same for you!

Since our establishment in 1936, Saf-T-Gard has enabled on-the-job safety, compliance and peace of mind for hundreds of thousands of workers and their families, by delivering superior safety products and solutions that protect against work-related hazards and prevent serious injuries. Click here to shop more than 14 different categories of safety products that can help prevent these OSHA citations and so much more, or call customer service at 1-800-548-GARD (4273) today for more information or to place an order.

Ensuring Safety in Manufacturing with Advanced Respiratory Protection and Comprehensive Hazard Information

In the manufacturing industry, safeguarding workers from harmful airborne contaminants is a critical priority. Among the various protective gear available, the Honeywell 5400 and 7600 series respirators stand out for their advanced design and effectiveness. Complementing these protective measures, Safety Data Sheets (SDS) provide crucial information about hazardous chemicals, ensuring workers are well-informed and help with protection. Along with the SDS sheet, the NIOSH pocket guide is a useful tool to understand the proper level of protection based on contaminants and exposure in the environment.

Honeywell 5400 Series Respirators

The Honeywell 5400 series respirators are known for their durability and comfort. These full-face respirators are designed to help protect workers from a wide range of airborne contaminants, including dust, fumes, and toxic gases. Key features include:

Honeywell 7600 Series Respirators

Building on the strengths of the 5400 series, the Honeywell 7600 series respirators offer enhanced protection and comfort. These premium full-face respirators are a good choice for demanding industrial applications. Key features include:

The Importance of Safety Data Sheets (SDS)

While advanced respirators like the Honeywell 5400 and 7600 series play a vital role in protecting workers, comprehensive knowledge about hazardous chemicals is equally important. This is where Safety Data Sheets (SDS) come into play. According to the OSHA Hazard Communication Standard (29 CFR 1910.1200(g)), manufacturers and distributors must provide SDS sheets for each hazardous chemical. Here’s why SDS sheets are essential:

Understanding SDS Sheet Sections

The SDS sheet is divided into 16 sections, each providing specific information about the chemical. Key sections include:

For a complete understanding, employers and workers are encouraged to review all sections of the SDS. By doing so, they can ensure a safer working environment and reduce the risk of chemical-related incidents.

Saf-T-Gard carries a full line of Honeywell respiratory protection products, including the Honeywell 5400 and 7600 series respirators. Click here to shop them online, or call customer service at 1-800-548-GARD (4273) today for more information or to place an order.

Shop Saftgard.com for 20% Savings

This promotion is valid on web orders only. Limit one per customer. Additional exclusions may apply.

The Smart, Simple, and Speedy Way to Shop for Safety Online Today!

Watch the FREE Sqwincher Heat Stress Regulation Unraveled: Federal and State Insights Webinar ON DEMAND

Cal/OSHA (finally), federal OSHA (maybe), Washington State, and Florida (but not until 2028) – heat stress regulations are a patchwork of confusion. This discussion will help sort out what the states and federal government are doing in the area of workplace heat stress regulation. In addition, the discussion will look at what OSHA’s National Emphasis Program is discovering at the nation’s workplaces.

In this webinar, we will delve into the intricacies of heat stress regulations, providing clarity on the varying approaches by different states and the federal government. Our expert speakers will shed light on the implications of these regulations for employers and employees alike and provide practical advice on how to stay compliant and protect workers from heat-related illnesses.

Key topics covered will include:

Join us to ensure you are well-informed and prepared to navigate the complexities of heat stress regulations in your workplace.

Subscribe to Our

Did you know Saf-T-Gard has a blog on our website, which we post new articles to every month?

Authored by subject matter experts, including Richard A. Rivkin, Saf-T-Gard CEO and Chairman of the Board, and the world’s leading safety manufacturers, the blog topics range from hazard identification, regulatory standards, and the latest technologies and innovations in safety to help safety managers, workers, and business owners across all industries stay informed, make better decisions, and work more efficiently. Whatever safety challenge you face, count on Saf-T-Gard to deliver trusted advice backed by more than 88 years of service.

Click here to browse and read our current selection of blog articles, and click here to subscribe to our blog on LinkedIn for automatic notification when new articles are posted.

Do you have a topic that you would like to see explored in a blog article? Please e-mail LSeminara@saftgard.com.

Shop Saftgard.com - The Smart, Simple, and Speedy Way to Shop for Safety Online Today!

Saftgard.com makes it easier than ever for visitors to find exactly what they are looking for by utilizing a guided navigation layout with a fully-optimized “smart” search engine. The responsive design enables use and access to more than 6,000 products with enhanced product content and imagery from your PC, smart phone, or tablet.

Moreover, existing Saf-T-Gard customers can link their account to a new Saftgard.com web login to review ALL past orders and invoices, create a “wish list” of favorite items, save carts to simplify the ordering/reordering process, and so much more! Buyers without an existing Saf-T-Gard account can register for one online, or they can still search, browse, and order on Saftgard.com without a Saf-T-Gard account.

We invite you to spend a few minutes at Saftgard.com, and if you haven't already, please register for an account to enable online ordering. Click here for a shortcut to the registration page, and click here for detailed instructions on how to link your Saf-T-Gard account to a Saftgard.com web login.

Five Safety Tips

1. PROMOTE SAFETY - Highlight your safety record with a sign featuring the number of days since a lost-time accident or injury.

2. PROMOTE SAFETY - Recognize your company's safety champions with gold-color safety caps or similar awards.

3. PROMOTE SAFETY - Take advantage of training tools available from OSHA, the National Safety Council, and similar organizations.

4. PROMOTE SAFETY - Recognize that the total cost of safety is not unit prices on a product, but includes the benefit of reducing lost time accidents, reductions in workman's compensation insurance premiums, and improved productivity and morale.

5. PROMOTE SAFETY - And remember, there's a human face to safety. Every worker goes home at the end of the workday - safe and healthy.

Question - What are the definitions of "flame retardant" and "flame resistant" in regard to apparel covered by paragraph 1910.269(l)(6)(iii) of the electric power generation, transmission, and distribution standard, 29 CFR 1910.269?

Answer - The source of the terms used by OSHA with respect to the paragraph 1910.269(l)(6)(iii) Apparel requirement is the American Society of Testing and Materials Standard, ASTM D 123-93, Standard Terminology Relating to Textiles. This ASTM standard includes the following definitions:

Flame Resistant: The property of a material whereby flaming combustion is prevented, terminated, or inhibited following application of a flaming or nonflaming source of ignition, with or without subsequent removal of the ignition source.

Flame-Retardant-Treated: Having received flame-retardant treatment.

Flame Retardant: This terminology should not be used as an adjective except in the terminology: Flame-retardant-treated (or flame-retardant treatment). Used as a noun, "flame retardant" is a chemical used to impart flame resistance.

Note - FR or Flame-Resistant is not the same as arc-rated.

Saf-T-Gard Spotlight

Bob Osborne is an IT Manager and joined Saf-T-Gard 5 years ago.

What Bob likes about Saf-T-Gard:

“The family atmosphere is second to none. I enjoy learning about new ways to get products out the door to customers as well.”

What makes Bob's day:

“Putting solutions in place that help solve business issues and results in cost savings.”

Bob's outside interests are:

“Spending time with my family and listening to music and podcasts.”

Anything else:

“Be safe!! Have fun!!”

Hearing Protection

Employers shall make hearing protectors available to all employees exposed to an 8-hour time-weighted average of 85 decibels or greater at no cost to the employees. Hearing protectors shall be replaced as necessary.

Employers shall ensure that hearing protectors are worn:

Reference: 29 CFR 1910.95

As I See It

It is November 2024, and we are deep into the end-of-year holiday season. November is the month of Thanksgiving in the U.S., and we at Saf‑T‑Gard have so much for which to be thankful.

First and foremost, we thank you, our customers, for your business. More than that, we thank you for your friendship and for trusting us to be part of your company’s safety program. We appreciate the confidence that you have in our sales and service team. We never lose sight of the fact that our customers really sign our paychecks. As we approach the season of giving, our gift to your workers is our Mission Statement: "To provide, based on our experience, expertise, and understanding of our customer’s requirements, solutions to their needs for industrial safety products and personal protective equipment of the finest world-class quality, appropriate and suitable for the purposes intended, that provide value, safety, and security."

Thanks are definitely due to the Saf-T-Gard team whose commitment to excellence enables us to deliver for our customers. We boast that we are a family business in every sense of the word. Our Saf-T-Gard associates are like family and that’s a culture for which we are greatly proud. Our teams come to work every day so that your workers can go home safe and secure after their shift.

Every business depends on customers, staff, and suppliers. We are continually grateful for the support of our vendors that we are proud to represent. Many of our suppliers or their predecessor companies have worked with us for most of our 86-year history. So, at the risk of overusing the term “partnership”, we believe that when we join forces with our supplier partners, 1 + 1 really equals more than 2.

As has been our custom for many years, we will again make significant donations in the names of Saf-T-Gard employees, customers, suppliers, and business associates to organizations helping those in need.

This month’s "As I See It" is not about any product or pitch or program. In this month of Thanksgiving, we are reminded that sometimes we just need to take a step back and say "THANKS", because we are Saf-T-Gard International – Bringing Workers Home Safely Since 1936.

Sincerely,
Richard A. Rivkin, CEO and Chairman of the Board