Recertifying Forklift Operators

Evergreen’s Eric Tofte and intern John Neibel started November off with some onsite training. We spent the first two days of the month working with a local utility company; their employees welcomed us with warm wishes even though it was  literally freezing outside. Approximately 30 people were recertified to operate the forklifts at this location over two days.


Machine inspection

 Some things to note from the class: most of us have our bad habits when it comes to operating Forklifts, but we kept seeing some more than others and they warrant mentioning here.



1) When backing look over both shoulders to ensure that there are no obstructions or personnel in the area behind the lift. We noticed that almost everyone likes to look over their right should, but never looked to the left.

2) Keep all body parts inside of the cab of the forklift.  This means - no you cannot hang onto the frame of the overhead protection or hang onto the side of the forklift to steady yourself. A small impact could cause a very serious injury.



Reviewing a driver in action



3) Pedestrians should be trained too - the driver of the forklift may be the one who is responsible for the accident should some one get hurt, but who is the one that is hurting? The Pedestrian. 



4) Horns are there to be used—even though the machine has a back-up alarm. Use the horn to raise the level of awareness of the hazard that is presented, use the horn at any and all blind corners – if you can’t see around it, then they cannot see you; let them know that you are there.

Before the Snow Flies, Are Your People Ready for the Road?

PREPARING FOR WINTER DRIVING

By Ross Bentley

Winter is approaching, so let’s get ready... let’s get prepared for some of the trickiest driving we ever face.

Perhaps the most important tip I can give about winter driving is: think ahead - be prepared. How many times have you heard someone complain about hitting a patch of black ice and skidding off the road (or almost off the road; or into another car; etc.) on their way to work in the morning? And yet, most of those drivers had to scrape ice off their windows that morning. If they had to scrape ice off the windows, do you think that might have been a good warning there could be ice on the road?

And even if you park in a garage or underground parking lot, think about the road conditions before they take you by surprise. When ever I pull out of my underground parking in the winter, and there might be even the slightest chance of icy or frosty roads, I check it out. Before even getting on the main roads, I'll brake heavily to see if the car skids easily. I figure it's better to know early, than to wait until the first intersection to find out it's so icy I can't stop.

Being prepared also means having your vehicle prepared. Make sure your visibility is unimpeded. How many times have you seen people driving in the winter with snow stacked up on top of the hood and covering the windows, headlights and taillights? It only takes a couple of minutes to clear the snow off; and be sure to defrost the windows.

Waking up to snow.
It's going to be a long commute.

You should also check the condition of your windshield wipers, and make sure you have lots of windshield washer fluid.

Obviously, it's important to have good winter tires on your vehicle. Before buying winter tires, talk to a knowledgeable tire dealer. They can make sure your tires are the correct size, type and properly inflated. In fact, check your tire pressures more often during the winter, as the temperature changes can affect them significantly.

Many people will tell you to add weight to the rear of your car - putting sand bags or whatever in the trunk. That's not bad advice - sometimes. First of all, it doesn't work with a front-wheel-drive vehicle. I don't know how many times I've talked to people driving front-wheel-drives who have put weight in the trunk. Remember, the reason for this is to add weight - and therefore traction - to the driving wheels. That doesn't work when the driving wheels are in front!

If you do have a rear-wheel-drive vehicle, don't put the weight at the very rear of the trunk. If you do, and the car begins to skid, all that weight hanging way out the back will act just like a pendulum, making it even more difficult to control the skid. Instead, if you add weight, place it as far forward in the trunk as possible - preferably directly over the rear axle.

It's a good idea to keep a blanket, extra clothes and boots in your vehicle, in case you do get stuck. Also keep a candle, matches, flashlight and even food - especially if you're planning a long winter trip. And of course, it's smart to carry a shovel, sand and chains in the trunk.

There's nothing like a snowfall to test those rusty winter driving skills! Whether your employees drive for work or simply to and from, help prepare them to make it safely through the winter before the going gets really tough. Call today to schedule a two-hour onsite Safe Winter Driving seminar covering these critical topics:

• following distance and reaction time
• blind spots and tailgaters
• skidding
• winter travel tips
• emergency stops
• bridge decks and entrance ramps
• how to prepare your car for winter

For more traffic safety resources or to schedule a seminar at your location, contact Tina Bacon at 800-521-0778.

First aid training can mean the difference between life and death

Is your company in compliance?
Are your employees at risk?

Ask yourself these questions:
• Is your company located less than four minutes away from EMS responders?
• Are your employees trained to recognize and respond to a life-threatening situation?
• Do you have an onsite emergency response team?

If you answer "NO" to even one of these questions, the chances of survival for an employee who experiences cardiac arrest or other medical emergency are severely diminished.

ESC can help. We offer:

First Aid / CPR / AED Instructor training courses, so your trainer can train our employees,

Open enrollment First Aid / CPR / AED at our Seattle Training Center, and

Onsite training throughout the northwest. We can come to your organization and train instructors or individuals.

For more information call or email Stephanie today 1-800-521-0778.

Train at Your Location

Investing in employee safety is smart for your business. Bring Evergreen to your location to advance employee safety and health.

Not only is on-site training cost-effective, but it helps ramp up the speed of your learning objectives. Nearly any topic in Evergreen's curriculum can be customized and presented at your site.

On-Target Content - We work with you to determine your training objectives and to develop content that hits the mark.

Lasting Impact - Instructors help you identify follow-up measures to maximize long-term effectiveness and return on investment.

Cost Savings - A custom-designed on-site program is often more cost-effective than sending a group of employees to off-site courses.

Give Stephanie a call to discuss if on-site training will benefit your organization. 800-521-0778

Friends in High Places

Contributed by Norm Nyhuis, Trainer, Evergreen Safety Council
Recently, Evergreen Safety Council was contacted by Nancy Abel, the Risk Manager for the City of Marysville, Washington, requesting training for employees in the Public Works department who operate the city’s Terex Highranger equipped “bucket truck”.

The truck has a 40’ maximum reach and is specially equipped; from a load leveling suspension system, to copious numbers of public warning lights, to allow for safe work on traffic lights, and other tasks requiring access to elevated locations, such as placing banners over the street, announcing special events and activities around the city.

The training consisted of a half day of class room time, and an opportunity for each participant to demonstrate their proficiency in operating the truck in performing a task that required the precise positioning of the truck and basket, to place an object in an elevated location.

The classroom portion of the training stressed the full spectrum of safety issues, from identifying site specific concerns and hazards, to the importance of a thorough inspection of the boom and basket assembly, starting with a visual inspection, and performing a functional test of the lifts’ lower controls, before entering the basket. Other topics addressed included selection of the proper PPE for the task, such as the appropriate wearable fall protection, as well as other PPE such as high visibility garments, hard hats and gloves.

On the second day of training, the weather cooperated and allowed each of the 23 participants to demonstrate their proficiency in the actual set up and operation of the truck and lift. Each student donned the appropriate PPE and then determined how best to place a traffic cone on the arched roof of a storage area in the Public Works equipment and materials yard.

Part of the practical test was to demonstrate the ability to understand and comply with the standard hand signals customary to industries that perform their jobs in an elevated location, and where instruction from the ground may be needed for the safe maneuvering around obstacles to reach the work area.

All participants, from those who had never operated a bucket truck previously, to the most experienced operator, successfully completed the training.

At the conclusion of the training, Nancy had the following comments,” I had numerous participants tell me this was “great training”, “very thorough”, and that they all “learned something”, which isn’t always easy to accomplish when you have seasoned operators. I would say that in particular, the hands-on practical demonstration under the instructor’s watchful but encouraging eye made this very effective training.”

ESC extends congratulations to the workers in the Marysville Public Works Department for a job well done.