June is National Safety Month — Themed “No 1 Gets Hurt”

Observed annually in June, National Safety Month focuses on reducing leading causes of injury and death at work, on the road, and in our homes and communities. This year the theme is “No 1 Gets Hurt” and the month is broken into four focus weeks, each designated for a particular safety issue: week one focuses on emergency preparedness; week two has the focus of wellness; week three emphasizes fall prevention, and week four concentrates on driving safety.

Like the prompt to check your smoke alarms when Daylight Savings hits, we here at ESC see National Safety Month as a great reminder to look at your safety programs to see if they need updating, revising, or compliance checks. It is also a great time to begin building and implementing a safety program if you need one.

Did You Know? ...There are Federal and State legal requirements to have an Accident Prevention Program

Having a good safety manual is at the core of your safety program. It provides the guidelines and direction for your entire safety program, as well as outlining the roles and responsibilities of employees and management in your safety program. To maintain efficacy it requires periodic review.

Another often recommended review process is to get a third party audit of your safety programs and procedures. Safety audits conducted by knowledgeable, experienced professionals will assist in reducing personnel risk and insure compliance with applicable standards and regulations. They will also help you avoid “insider blind-spots” with their neutral assessment and objective positioning. You will also benefit from their wide experience in multiple environments as they are able to share best practices that can strengthen individual programs, validate existing programs, and provide recommendations for growth or change when deemed necessary.

A well prepared and well executed safety audit can make a substantial difference in the prevention of accidents and injuries. Thoroughly completed audits with proper follow through are viewed favorably by regulatory agencies and can strengthen your company’s accident prevention plan.

Evergreen Safety Council offers customized, onsite safety inspections and audits to help you figure out if your safety program is effective in practice. Our highly trained safety consultant/trainers can perform an inspection or audit at your facility and then give you a detailed report of what was found and recommendations on improvement. (See next page).

Need help getting the whole team up-to-date? Evergreen Safety Council also offers a wide range of training classes and services that can be tailored to address your organization’s needs based on your consultation.

The four areas that this year’s National Safety Month covers are some of the most hazardous issues faced by employees. Driving is the number one killer on the job.  Wellness, falls and emergency preparedness are other important areas to consider and review in your safety program and APP.

Vehicle/Equipment Movement Planning & Safety

Traffic Control Inside the Construction Site

Whether it’s a road construction site or a large building construction site, the interaction of heavy equipment and large trucks with on-foot workers commonly creates a high fatality and high hazard zone. For these high risk construction zones, training is essential for all personnel.

Targeted training can help increase construction employee awareness and reduce incidents caused by heavy construction equipment including backing operations, struck-by, caught-between, and vehicle accidents.

With funding from an OSHA Susan Harwood Targeted Topic Training Grant Evergreen Safety Council is now able to offer this targeted training. Best of all you may qualify for this training free of charge.

Improve your safety inside the construction site with this essential, targeted 2-hour training class available for workers or supervisors. All participants will learn the importance of situational awareness and the basics of an internal traffic control plan (ITCP). Supervisors and safety personnel will learn how to develop and implement an effective ITCP.

Training all your workers in these basic rules will help them not only stay safe but be able to recognize an ITCP and keep it functioning smoothly.

Learn more about the classes on our website - www.esc.org. 

* You and your team may qualify for FREE training! Find out today: Call ESC Toll Free 800-521-0778

This material was produced under grant number SH-31248-SH7 from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, U.S. Department of Labor. It does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Department of labor, nor does mention trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

Hypothermia

According to the Mayo Clinic, Hypothermia is a medical emergency that occurs when your body loses heat faster than it can produce heat, causing a dangerously low body temperature. Hypothermia occurs as your body temperature falls below 95 F (35 C).

When your body temperature drops, your heart, nervous system, and other organs can’t work normally. Left untreated, hypothermia can lead to heart and respiratory failure and even death.

Often caused by cold weather exposure or immersion in cold water, hypothermia treatments are generally methods to warm the body back to a normal temperature.

Like many conditions, a person with hypothermia may not be aware of their condition, as the symptoms can come on gradually and confused thinking, associated with hypothermia, can prevent self-awareness. Being aware of the symptoms of hypothermia can help protect you and those around you.

Symptoms include:

• Shivering
• Slurred speech or mumbling
• Slow, shallow breathing
• Weak pulse
• Clumsiness or lack of coordination
• Drowsiness or very low energy
• Confusion or memory loss
• Loss of consciousness
• Bright red, cold skin (in infants)

Prevention is key and many say easier than the cure. The CDC/NIOSH has the following recommendations for employers to help their employees prevent cold stress issues, such as hypothermia.

• Schedule maintenance and repair jobs in cold areas in warmer months.
• Schedule cold jobs for the warmer part of the day.
• Reduce the physical demands of workers.
• Use relief workers or assign extra workers for long, demanding jobs.
• Provide warm liquids to workers.
• Provide warm areas for use during break periods.
• Monitor workers who are at risk of cold stress.
• Provide cold stress training that includes information about:
  
  • Worker risk,
  • Prevention,
  • Symptoms,
  • The importance of monitoring yourself and coworkers for symptoms,
  • Treatment, and
  • Personal protective equipment.

NIOSH makes the following recommendations to workers for cold stress prevention

• Wear appropriate clothing—tight clothing may restrict circulation while several loose layers provide better insulation. Movement restricting clothing may result in a hazardous situation.
• Make sure to protect the ears, face, hands and feet in extremely cold weather.
• Boots should be waterproof and insulated.
• Heat rises—wearing a hat will keep your whole body warmer.
• Limit the amount of time in the cold and move into warm locations during breaks.
• Carry cold weather gear, such as extra socks, gloves, hats, jacket, blankets, a change of clothes and a thermos of hot liquid.
• Include a thermometer and chemical hot packs in your first aid kit.
• Avoid touching cold metal surfaces with bare skin.
• Monitor your physical condition and that of your coworkers.

Everyone that works outdoors in the winter (and their employers) needs to understand the issues of cold stress and take appropriate actions and provide training.

Stay warm and safe this winter.

Contributed by Eric Tofte, Director of Training and Consultation, Evergreen Safety Council

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

The Safety Role of the Front Line Supervisor

Over the years we have heard the question “who is responsible for safety” many times. Of course there are the normal answers such as “you,” or “the company,” or the all-encompassing “everyone.” Now how about this one: “my supervisor is responsible for safety.”

In my years of working in the safety field, i have learned that safety is not separate from production–it is part of production. So the statement about supervisors being responsible for safety is very true. If supervisors are responsible for production, that means they have a responsibility for safety as well so that production does not suffer. Just look at what happened in 1999 at the Milwaukee Brewers stadium build when they had a crane collapse: it shut the project down for six months. Talk about a slowdown in production.

Yes, i know that actually everyone has a responsibility for safety. Yet employees can often be so focused on their job they get “tunnel vision” and do not see the hazards. So it is up to the front line supervisor to assist their employees in doing their jobs safely.

As a supervisor you need to stop and take a look to see what your employees are doing, and if they are doing it safely and correctly.

Look at a few simple things, such as:

• Where are they standing?  Are they standing out of harm’s way?
• Do they appear to have their mind on the task or are they “spacing” out?
• Do they appear to be frustrated or in a good mood?
• Are they rushed/hurried or are they taking time to do the job correctly?
• Are they wearing PPE like they are supposed to?

If everything looks good you need to tell them. Tell them they are doing a good job and doing things safely. 

Of course if you see things that are incorrect or unsafe, you need to correct those issues on the spot. The best techniques are those that let the employee know that the supervisor is correcting his/her actions because of caring that the employee goes home at night healthy and uninjured. Here again we have found the one-on-one method (with no embarrassment or belittling) to be the most productive.

As a supervisor you must also understand, and stay on top of, the safety rules of both your company and OSHA (or State OSHA). Monitor their websites for updates and online learning opportunities, and know that we are here as a resource for training and consulting.

As a supervisor you should be aware that your employees are looking to you for leadership, and you need to be prepared. Understand the rules and regulations and most importantly communicate with your employees to ensure a safe and productive team.

By Eric Tofte, Director of Training Evergreen Safety Council

Safety & Health Solutions - June edition

Evergreen Safety Council produces a monthly newsletter covering a variety of safety topics. Each month we provide a link here to the current month's edition.

Inside this issue:

Lead: Work Zones

Hard Hats

What is an AED?

Traffic Survival Tips - Part 1

You can also visit the archive to view past issues and sign up (scroll to the bottom of the page) to receive an electronic copy via email.

So pour yourself a cup of coffee and read all about what's going on in the world of safety & health.


Contributed by Star Conrad, Director of Operations, Evergreen Safety Council