Triplett ProTemp 12 Infrared Thermometer
Filed under: Test Equipment, Tools and Cases, Workplace Safety
I hate to break it to you, but it looks like the Hard Way, as we know it, is about to go the way of trans fats and non-recyclable grocery bags – that is to say, waaaaaaaay out of style. At least when it comes to gauging the temperature of hot objects, that is. There will be no more hesitant outstretching of shaking hands as you wince in anticipation of singed fingertips. There will be no more blisters or reddened skin to announce to the world, “I should have known better.” So sit up straight and listen up, kids – it’s time to meet the Triplett ProTemp 12.
So what exactly is the ProTemp 12, anyway? Five fun words to pique your excitement: a gun-style infrared thermometer. That’s right. You just pick it up, aim, pull the trigger, and get an instant and precise temperature reading on whatever the thermometer’s laser pointer happens to be resting on. Pretty cool, right? When there’s no need to get too close to hot engine components or pressurized pipes, that automatically means fewer burns for you.
The ProTemp 12 is perfect for use in industrial plants, boiler plants, and garages, but it’s also great for cooking. Specifically, measuring the surface temps of pots and pans. This may sound crazy, but as soon as I found that out, I though of someone who could have really used one of these about 20 years ago. I grew up watching cooking shows on PBS, and mixed in somewhere amongst Julia Child, The Frugal Gourmet, and Yan Can Cook was a show called Madeleine Cooks, hosted by a petite and charming French lady by the name of Madeleine. Now, Madeleine made great stuff and I loved the show, but she did one thing that even I, a kid, considered un peu crazy (albeit extremely amusing). She tested the temperature of her pans with her knuckles. C’est dangereux, non?
I, of course, intend no offense or disrespect to the chef – I just wished she wouldn’t have sacrificed her poor knuckles for perfectly cooked crepes. So this one’s for you, Madeleine – may you let infrared rays do the dirty work, and enjoy life without peeling knuckles.
3M Macurco Carbon Monoxide Detector and Controller
Filed under: Electrical, Workplace Safety, energy conservation
A lot of us worry about carbon monoxide silently and invisibly building up inside our homes, so naturally, we make sure to stay safe with carbon monoxide detectors. But from the business/public safety standpoint, have you ever realized that CO can easily reach dangerous levels in garages and warehouses, too? Any enclosed area that plays host to vehicles and machinery that run on (read: burn) natural gas, wood, coal, or petroleum products can develop deadly high concentrations of carbon monoxide.
In these settings, one answer is to keep ventilation fans running at all times, constantly circulating air so that CO doesn’t have the chance to build up. This generally does the job, but it can also leave facility owners with hefty electric bills, as well as cause an undue amount of wear and tear on the vent fans, which will inevitably need to be replaced every few years when they burn out.
So it’s sort of a Catch 22. If you don’t monitor and control carbon monoxide levels, you put yourself, your employees, and your customers at risk for CO poisoning – or even death. But if you responsibly keep tabs on things and take measures toward maintaining safely breathable air, you’re going to significantly lighten your wallet, as well as consume a lot more electricity than you probably need to. What’s a business owner/property manager to do?
Check out this 3M™ Macurco™ Carbon Monoxide Detector and Fan Controller, that’s what. This CO detection unit actually wires into your fan control system, so that your ventilation units only need to run when a certain level of carbon monoxide is detected in the ambient air. As long as levels remain safe, your fans stay off. But as soon as elevated CO levels are detected, this unit automatically fires up the fans, and leaves them running until the air has been adequately cleared. As a result, the 3M™ Macurco™ control system not only saves lives, but your utilities budget and fan components as well.
How’s that for a happy medium?
Triplett FlipLite Work Light
Filed under: Tools and Cases, Workplace Safety
The only thing worse than working in the heat or cold is working in the dark. Call me crazy, but I don’t think you should ever have to squint your way through a job. Aside from being inconvenient and flat-out annoying, poor lighting can cause you to work slowly, strain your eyes, and make mistakes. To say the least, it must be stopped.
If you’ve been working with inadequate light because you need both hands free and don’t quite fancy gripping a flashlight in your teeth, then your situation is about to change. Meet the Triplett FlipLite, a folding pocket-sized work light that’s not only designed for hands-free operation, but can also be adjusted from 30° to 180°, so you can get the light you need at any angle.
As I mentioned, this is a hands-free light. Not to say that you can’t hold it while you work, but what’s really nice is that you don’t have to. Thanks to a flip-out hook and a magnetic back, the FlipLite can either be hung up, or just stuck onto any steel surface. How’s that for convenient?
The FlipLite casts its bright glow via 18 white LEDs, and runs on 3 standard AA batteries, the first round of which is included with the light. And you can rest assured that juice won’t be wasted – as soon as you snap the FlipLite closed, the lights automatically go out to preserve the life of your batteries.
Cross-Guard™ ADA Compliant Access Ramps and Rails
Running heavy duty cord covers in closed construction zones or private warehouses is one thing, but if you’re planning on using them in public places, you’re going to have to think about ADA compliance. Heavy duty polyurethane cord covers are no problem for your average pedestrian to step over, but can be tricky, if not impossible, for individuals in wheelchairs to traverse. Because of this, the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) requires high-capacity cord covers to be fitted with ramps and rails that ensure safe crossings for people who are physically disabled.
Luckily, these modular ramps aren’t just easy to obtain, they’re also very simple to install. Take Cross-Guard™ Modular ADA Compliant Access Ramps, for instance. They come in pairs ( to cover both the “up” and “down” slopes), and can be installed by just one person, no tools needed. The ramp sections just snap onto the cord covers, and stay in place. You’re left with smooth, gradual, high-traction slopes that provide smooth crossings for wheelchairs, strollers, carts, and pedestrians, too.
Just like the Linebacker® and Guard Dog® cord covers that they’re compatible with, Cross-Guard™ ADA ramps come in 36″ (3 foot) lengths, which makes things really easy, because you just have to order one set of ramps for every cord cover you need to make compliant – no extra measuring or calculations needed. As a finishing touch, the ramps can be bordered with accessory rails, which keep wheels (and feet) from slipping over the edges during crossings.
Bashlin PPE Lineworker’s Rubber Gloves
When it comes to working on high voltage lines, heavy duty rubber gloves are one of the most important types of PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) you can use to prevent shock, electrocution, and burns. With the power to insulate your hands and forearms from deadly electrical current, dielectric rubber gloves can be the difference between life and death if you should come into contact with live electrical circuitry.
But in order to be fully effective, lineworker’s gloves need to be completely intact and free from damage – even a very small hole or tear can compromise a glove’s protective qualities. For this reason, it’s a must for electrical workers to routinely, and very carefully, inspect their rubber gloves for even the smallest signs of damage or deterioration. In the interest of making potentially dangerous flaws easier to notice, Salisbury has created Bashlin PPE Rubber Gloves, which, unlike many other protective gloves on the market, are made up of multiple layers of different colored rubber.
These multicolored layers make it easier for the eye to spot breaches in the electrically-insulating rubber – if there’s a hole in the outer yellow layer, the color below it shows through. Bashlin rubber gloves are made from natural latex, are “cement-dipped” for extra insulation and resistance to liquid permeation, and are available in different lengths and classes to fit different jobs.
NOTRAX® Cushion-Lok™
Once upon a time, before I landed this cushy desk job in which I just sit on my rear end, writing at a computer all day, I spent 6½ years working in the foodservice industry. If you’ve never experienced that line of work, let me tell you that while it’s far better exercise than your average office job, spending 8-10 hours a day on your feet can take a real toll on your knees and ankle joints. Although it’s always stressed that supportive shoes are key (and they are extremely important), they’re not always enough – sometimes you just need anti-stress floor mats.
While your mind may reason that a floor is a floor, your lower extremities will tell a completely different story. Try walking across different surfaces; you’ll find that carpet and wood flooring have a lot more “give” than concrete and tile floors, both of which are so hard and dense that they have a way of “pushing back” at your body, causing your joints to absorb all of the shock that’s generated from footsteps. Work environments like manufacturing facilities, industrial plants, restaurant kitchens and foodservice stations almost always have hard tile and concrete floors, and need to be treated with cushioned floor mats not only to increase workers’ comfort, but also to prevent long-term injuries and disability.
From line cooks and bartenders to machinists and assembly line workers, individuals who work on their feet need the protection of slip-resistant, anti-fatigue floor mats like the Cushion-Lok™ series by NOTRAX®. These solid PVC vinyl mats stand up to liquid and chemical spills while absorbing footfall impact and increasing traction (and preventing slip-and-fall accidents) with their Grip-Step top abrasive coating. They even have a diamond porthole system that facilitates the drainage of accumulated liquids. Available in solid black, or in black with a highly-visible yellow border.
TempCovers™
Until recently, whenever qualified personnel had the task of repairing or performing maintenance on electrical panels, they were required to put the entire thing back together each time they needed to walk away from it, whether or not the task was complete. While this ensured that other workers wouldn’t come along and tamper with the worksite or sustain accidental electrical or mechanical injury while the repair person was away, it meant that, overall, repair jobs took much longer – imaging having to repeatedly screw on and unscrew the protective cover, every single time you stepped away and returned. It could add hours to the job!
But now, thanks to TempCovers™ from Grace Engineering, work can be paused and resumed without wasting precious time fiddling with bolts and screws. Thanks to the fact that they’re bordered with magnetic strips, TempCovers™ protective placards instantly grip onto electrical boxes, and stay firmly in place while you’re away. And just so there are no misunderstandings with other personnel, the entire cover is emblazoned with danger signs and detailed warnings, so that even if you’re not there to fend them off, they’ll be fully aware of the potential danger of the situation. And when you return and are ready to pick up where you left off, all you need to do is pull off the cover and get back to work.
For additional protection, TempCovers™ are made of a UL classified flame-retardant material, and meet all applicable OSHA requirements.