The End of an Era at Evergreen Safety Council

An end to an era is soon approaching us here at Evergreen Safety Council. Tom Odegaard is retiring.

Tom became Evergreen’s Executive Director in September, 2003, replacing the previous Executive Director, Monty Lish, which were some big shoes to fill. Tom did a great job filling them.

During his nearly 15 year career with Evergreen he had several major accomplishments. His first, and probably biggest accomplishment, was that he could handle the crazies known as “the staff,” especially his ESC trainers.

Although the program existed before he came on board with ESC, Tom took our Pilot/Escort Vehicle Operator (P/EVO) course to new levels. Working with WSDOT, and meeting with industry leaders, Tom grew the course into a nationally recognized program, ensuring Evergreen Safety Council as the leader in that training.

Under Tom’s guidance, the P/EVO Course, along with the Flagger Certification Course, became endorsed by the American Association of Safety Councils in March of 2014–further cementing Evergreen Safety Council as a leader in quality safety training.

Tom played a major role in the development of a Washington State specific flagger training video, “Work Zone Safety Depends on You.”  He spearheaded the effort and partnered with the Northwest
Laborers-Employers Training Trust to receive a Labor & Industries (L&I) SHIP grant. This video has been placed on the L&I video site to help refresh and remind flaggers of the importance of their job and how to be safe.

He helped guide ESC through the economic downturn of 2008. In 2012 ESC had to start the process of finding a new home. Tom worked tirelessly looking at various buildings throughout the Puget Sound to find our current location. The new home provided three training rooms, a computer lab, and our own motorcycle range where training can occur seven days per week. He orchestrated the move so that we were able to keep business open and had very little disruption to our customers.

During his tenure he increased our presence in the community and continued to grow our training programs. Elected President of the American Association of Safety Councils (2010 - 2012), he is also a member of the Washington Governor’s Industrial, Safety & Health Board. Working with staff he helped bring the nationally recognized Certified Occupational Safety Specialist (COSS) program to ESC as well as developing a New Driver Training Program for both teen and adult drivers. Tom also got Evergreen approved as a Department of Licensing Testing Center for cars, motorcycles, and 3-wheel vehicles. Most recently he helped institute the Professional Safety Academy, a series of specialized safety courses that can be taken independently or as a series for certification as a Safety Specialist. He also helped procure a Susan Harwood grant for 2017-2018, with ESC being awarded a Targeted Topic Training Grant for “Construction Road Zones.”

Evergreen Safety Council, like many companies, has had a lot of up and downs over the years. Tom has stayed constant and steady. He has been a friend. He takes the time every day to talk to each of his staff members to see how we are doing. He allowed the staff to celebrate accomplishments both personal and professional, provided encouragement when we needed it, and showed compassion when we lost friends of the Council. While he will be missed by all of us at Evergreen Safety Council, he certainly deserves his retirement. His hard work and diligence have greatly benefited us. His contributions to our overall strategy and the daily operation of Evergreen with the guidance he has provided will be sorely missed.

Contributed by Eric Tofte, Director of Training and Consultation Evergreen Safety Council, and Tina Bacon, New Driver Training Programs Manager, Roadway & Traffic Programs Coordinator

Work Zone Safety for Drivers

Summer has arrived and as usual so has the road construction season. With all the projects going on you are going to be driving through quite a few work zones this summer.

A few facts from the Federal Highway Administration:

• Between 2010 and 2014 in work zone crashes more than:
• 4,400 persons died (85% were the driver or passenger),
• 200,000 persons were injured.
• Drivers are the most frequent fatality in work zone crashes.
• Most work zone fatalities involve working-age adults.
• Rear-end crashes (running into the rear of a slowing or stopping vehicle) are the most common type of work zone crash.
• Fatal work zone crashes occur most often in summer and fall.
• The majority of fatal work zone crashes occurred on roads with speed limits greater than 50 mph.
• Stopping distance for motor vehicles at 50 mph:
• Dry roadway~300 ft
• Wet roadway~400 ft
• Icy pavement~1250 ft
• A loaded 80,000 lb. tractor-trailer requires almost 50% more stopping distance.
• It takes only an extra 25 seconds to cover 1 mile at 45 mph compared to 65 mph.

As you are driving, what can you do to keep yourself safe as you drive through a work zone? According to the Federal Highway Administration you should:

Stay Alert and Minimize Distractions

• Dedicate your full attention to the roadway
• Avoid changing the radio station, using a mobile phone, eating, or other distractions that can remove your concentration from the road

Keep Your Headlights On

Pay Attention to the Road

• “Listen to the signs”
• Watch brake lights on vehicles ahead
• Watch traffic around you and be prepared to react Merge into the Proper Lane
• Merge well before you reach the lane closure
• Be aware that traffic patterns can change daily

Don’t tailgate

• Follow other vehicles at a safe distance

Obey the Posted Speed Limit

• Workers may be present just feet away
• Fines may be doubled for moving traffic violations
• Be prepared to slow down further if conditions indicate the need

Change Lanes Safely

• Change lanes only where pavement markings indicate, and only when traffic conditions permit

Follow Instructions from Flaggers

Expect the Unexpected

• Workers, work vehicles, or equipment may enter your lane without warning
• Other vehicles may slow, stop, or change lanes unexpectedly

Be Patient

Enjoy your summer and everyone STAY SAFE.

Contributed by Eric Tofte, Director of Training Evergreen Safety Council

Congratulations to T BAILEY, INC. for earning Evergreen Safety Council’s John D. Spellman Safety Award for 2016

Founded in 1991 and located in Anacortes, WA, T BAILEY, INC. is a diversified heavy-civil/industrial general contractor. Their expertise is construction. They build and repair huge storage tanks, apply coatings, build foundations, excavations, and piping systems. They are also experts in heavy steel plate/structural fabrication. Their vast experience in aboveground, field-erected fuel and water tank projects has established T BAILEY, INC. as one of the Northwest leaders in safety, quality
control, and project management.

In 2015, T BAILEY, INC. cut their number of injuries in half, and reduced the number of injuries in field operations by 60%. They received the Steel Tank Institute Safety Award of Achievement for the fourth year in a row. They also received the Blueprint Award of Excellence from the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) for achieving the lowest Experience Modification Rating possible for a company of their size. L&I showed that this also saved the company more than $250,000 per year in Worker’s Comp premiums, and put hundreds of dollars more in every worker’s paycheck.

In 2016, T BAILEY, INC. workers again reduced their number of injuries by 67% from the previous year. They received an Award of Excellence from the Steel Tank Institute, and another from Washington L&I, for going more than 365 days with no OSHA recordable injuries.

T BAILEY, INC.’s robust and dynamic safety program starts with full commitment from all workers, from their Owner and CEO to their newest employee. All employees worked very hard to change the safety culture of the company. Their consistent efforts have resulted in fewer accidents and injuries, and a considerable reduction in their experience factor rating. They have networked with other companies, and developed best practices for safety that they have found to be most effective in their line of work. They share their successes, and mentor their neighbors.

Their safety program includes safety and health training for all workers, knowledge assessment testing, periodic inspections, safety audits, and annual recertification. Many of their workers also received Safety Leadership Training in 2016. With their safety committee, they investigate all safety incidents, and then develop a corrective action plan. Their workers were trained to perform a Job Hazard Analysis on all major job functions, and develop posted Standard Operating Procedures from each JHA. Finally, they reward high levels of safety participation by individuals and teams and celebrate success proudly and often.

ESC will present the 11th annual John D Spellman Safety award to the leadership and employees of  T BAILEY, INC. on July 12 in Anacortes.

The annual John D. Spellman Safety Award was created in 2006 to recognize ESC member organizations and individuals that have demonstrated outstanding safety achievements or have shown they are actively pursuing and reinforcing a positive safety culture in their workplace. The award also
recognizes one of Washington’s great public servants, Governor John D. Spellman. King County’s first elected County Executive and Washington’s 18th Governor. Currently serving as Chairman Emeritus, he served as President/Executive Director during ESC’s critical restructuring in 1989 and served as Chairman of the Board from 1998 to 2016.

Contributed by Tom Odegaard, President/Executive Director Evergreen Safety Council

Develop Your Defensible Space

Wildland-Urban Interface

An interesting term that means where the homes meet the forest (wildland). It is this area that can become dangerous during the summer months, when there is a high threat of wildfire. This year the threat is higher due to the wet winter and the larger than normal amount of grasses and other fine fire fuels in the forest.

This year the threat may also be high in the Western Washington area, in addition to the already dry Eastern Washington area.

So what can you do?

The basic step is called developing a defensible space around your home or workplace. Things like using the zone concept of limiting the amount of flammable vegetation and materials surrounding the building and increasing the moisture content of remaining vegetation. The building itself and everything around it up to 100 – 200 feet is known as the ‘home ignition zone.’  In areas across the country where the risk of wildfire is high, the home ignition zone extends up to 200 feet beyond the actual home structure.

There is not enough space in this article to cover all that should be done, but there are several websites that can help you. One that I worked with in Chelan County is www.firewise.org where you can learn more about the zone concept under the Wildfire Preparedness tab.

If you live in an area that could be threatened by wildfire take a moment to check out the information and start developing your defensible space. You can’t wait until the last minute on this one.

Contributed by Eric Tofte, Director of Training Evergreen Safety Council

Injury Prevention and Safety in the Workplace

Some Quick Tips to Get You Started

I know that safety professionals understand the cost of workplace injuries and illnesses and that part of their job is to provide ways to reduce, if not eliminate, injury costs. Of course there are both direct and indirect costs to injuries such as training replacement, investigation cost, loss of productivity, and so on. With that said here are a few ideas to assist with injury prevention.

One of the first things is to identify your workplace hazards. Perform a Job Hazard Analysis (JHA) to determine safety issues. Pay attention to common incidents. You need to understand what your hazards are at your workplace.

Then be sure to educate your employees regarding identified hazards. Train them in hazard avoidance and job safety. Continually cultivate a safety attitude among both employees and management.

Eliminate all the hazards you can and be sure to provide employees with the proper personal protective equipment. PPE is essential in the workplace and proper use and training is needed from date of first hire.

Incorporate a safety and wellness plan. The basis for a safe work environment is an effective accident prevention and wellness program. The program needs to cover all levels of employee safety and health with the encouragement to report hazards.

Maintain staffing levels. Low staffing levels can lead to overworked employees who may then suffer from exhaustion and cut corners to meet or exceed output. Hiring part-time or seasonal staff could help prevent accidents due to exhaustion.

Beware the shortcut—incidents happen when employees skip steps to get ahead of schedule. Consider developing written procedures for tasks so employees can refer back to them if there are questions.

Make sure equipment is in good working condition and that it is routinely inspected. Have an equipment preventative maintenance program established at your workplace.

Keep your workplace clean and neat. Poor housekeeping can cause serious safety hazards. Slips, trips, and falls are a leading causes of injury, especially with the aging workforce.

Monitor your safety measures. Your safety program needs to be ongoing. Keep track of your incident/accident data and keep reviewing your safety training programs to make sure they are up to date.

Some workers are injured severely enough that they cannot return to work and need ongoing medical care, leading to lost revenue and a reduction in workforce. Providing protective gear and minimal education isn’t enough. Follow the above tips, along with an effective accident prevention and wellness program to reduce the number of workplace injuries and the resulting costs.

If you need help, feel free to give Evergreen Safety Council a call.
 
Contributed by Eric Tofte, Director of Training and Consultation, Evergreen Safety Council