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

Be Prepared for Winter Driving

Driving in the winter can be nerve wracking whether you are driving in the coastal rains or in snow and icy conditions. Getting prepared before a trip, or even day-to-day driving, can make all the difference in winter driving. It’s a good idea to review these things periodically even if you made an initial pass at the beginning of the winter

Tips to Winterize Your Car:

• Install winter wipers.
• Flush the cooling system and replace the coolant.
• Check your battery.
• Mount winter tires.
• Keep (non-freezing) washer fluid full.
• Pack a winter safety kit.
• Service your vehicle regularly (including tune up, battery check, and cooling systems).
• Maintain proper tire pressure.
• Keep the gas tank as full as possible.
• Clean all debris from your vehicle.
• Keep your rear-window defroster in working order.

Being Prepared—Accidents, pass closures, and other winter events can mean unexpected time in your car.  One of the most important items from the above list is making sure you have a winter safety kit.

Items for this emergency winter weather kit should include:

• Flashlight with extra batteries,
• Blanket/sleeping bag and warm clothing including: gloves/mittens, socks & hats, and boots,
• Nonperishable, high-energy foods,
• Water,
• First Aid Kit,
• Cell phone charger/battery booster,
• Tire chains and tool kit,
• Ice scraper/snowbrush,
• Small shovel,
• Cat litter/sand/salt to help with traction,
• Jumper Cables,
• Flares/Warning Triangle, and
• Whistle to signal for help.

When planning your trip and before leaving, check the weather.  Watch weather reports prior to long-distance trips or before driving in isolated areas.  Delay trips when especially bad weather is expected.  If you must leave, let others know your route, destination and expected time of arrival.

A Few Winter Driving Tips:

• Avoid driving when you are tired. 
• Always keep at least ½ tank of fuel in the vehicle.
• If you start your vehicle to warm it up – do it outside – avoid carbon monoxide poisoning.
• Accelerate and decelerate slowly – reduce your speed overall.
• Do not use cruise control in wintery conditions.
• Increase following distance to 8 to 10 seconds.
• Look and steer in the direction you want to go.
• Avoid using your parking brake to slow or stop.
• If possible, don’t stop when going uphill.
• Be extra careful at intersections – cars may have difficulty stopping and vision may be impaired.
• Be extra alert for pedestrians.
• Share the road with snow removal equipment/crews.

If you do get stranded in an unfamiliar area, do not leave your car. Light flares in front and behind the car and make sure the exhaust pipe is not blocked by snow, mud or any object.

Be  Prepared and Be Safe This Winter.

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

February is American Heart Month

The first American Heart Month was declared by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964. It was created to encourage Americans to join the battle against heart disease.  Since 2004, February also has been the month for the American Heart Association’s Go Red For Women campaign to raise awareness of this number one killer of women.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States.

While the entire month is dedicated as American Heart Month, the day of February 5th is National Wear Red Day.  By wearing red on February 5th you are helping raise women’s awareness and support education on cardiovascular health.

Why should you Go Red? Heart disease is the number one killer of women, taking more lives than all forms of cancer combined.  Every 80 seconds, one woman is killed by heart disease and stroke.  That’s 1 in 3 deaths among women each year.  80% of these deaths can be prevented with education and action.  These statistics can be shocking, but building awareness is one of the best ways to fight this horrible disease.

Cardiovascular disease is also the leading global cause of death, accounting for more than 17.3 million deaths per year, a number that is expected to grow to more than 23.6 million by 2030.

While heart disease kills around 630,000 Americans each year, about 750,000 people in the U.S. have heart attacks each year.  Of those, about 116,000 die.  About 550,000 people in the U.S. have a first-time heart attack each year, and about 200,000 have recurrent heart attacks.

The American Heart Association gauges the cardiovascular health of the nation by tracking seven key health factors and behaviors that increase risks for heart disease and stroke.  Called “Life’s Simple 7,” they are: not smoking, physical activity, healthy diet, body weight, and control of cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar.  You don’t have to wait until February to get a jump on Life’s Simple 7:

• Get active
• Control cholesterol
• Eat better
• Manage blood pressure
• Lose weight
• Reduce blood sugar
• Stop smoking

Do a My Life Check® through the the American Heart Association website at http://bit.ly/2hkfLiW

The Best Defense May Actually Be Avoidance

As most of you know, safety is very important to us here at Evergreen Safety Council.  For the most part we do focus on workplace safety, but there are other areas of safety that we all need to be aware of, such as our personal safety. January is National Personal Self-Defense Awareness Month. The BEST Self Defense is Awareness and Avoidance.

The crime reports from 2015, compiled by the FBI, reveal that while there was a 2.6 percent decrease in the number of property crimes, there was a 3.9 percent increase in the number of violent crimes from the previous year.

According to the report, there were an estimated 1,197,704 violent crimes committed around the nation in 2015. 

• The estimated number of murders in the nation was 15,696.
• There were an estimated 327,374 robberies nationwide.
• During the year, there were an estimated 90,185 rapes.
• Property crimes resulted in losses estimated at $14.3 billion.

Now that we have your attention here are some tips that can help you avoid becoming a victim of a crime. A few simple precautions can help reduce the risk to yourself, and also discourage those who commit crimes.

At Home

• Always leave your headlights on when arriving home after dark until doors are unlocked.
• Have the door key ready so you can open the door immediately.
• Know who is at your door before opening it. (Consider a wide angle door viewer)
• Never let anyone into your home without proper identification and don’t be afraid to ask for it.
• Always leave outside lights on after dark, or use motion lights.
• In an apartment building, NEVER be alone in the laundry room.
• If you suspect anyone is in your house, do not go in, call the police.
• If you see or hear anything suspicious, call the police.

While You Are Out

• Pay close attention to your surroundings, avoid “automatic pilot” and be alert for suspicious persons.
• Stick to well-lit areas.
• Use common sense; plan your route to avoid uninhabited parks, parking lots, garages, and alleyways.
• Try NOT to go out alone at night. If meeting someone arrange it so you do not have to wait alone.
• Carry minimal items. Don’t display large sums of cash and don’t carry any more cash than is necessary.
• Alone at work after business hours? Keep the door locked.
• Working late? Have someone walk you to your car.

In Your Automobile

• Have your keys in hand so you can open the car door without delay.
• Don’t park in dark or poorly lit areas.
• Never pickup hitchhikers.
• Never leave your keys in the car.
• Always check the back seat of your car before getting in.
• Always lock your doors while driving.
• Never allow another vehicle to follow you home.
• If you stop to aid others, do not get out of the car.  Ask what the problem is and call the police.

And above all always stay alert.  If something in your gut tells you to avoid an area or situation, avoid it.  If we stay alert we can stay safe and have a great New Year.

Contributed by Eric Tofte, Director of Training Evergreen Safety Council

One of the Biggest Recognized Hazards and Twelve Things to Make Your Workplace More Safe

As safety professionals we look at all sorts of hazards and then do our best to either eliminate, control, or protect employees from those hazards.  Well, over the years, fire has been one of the biggest recognized hazards due to its frequency and the damage it can quickly cause.

According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), in 2015 there were 1,345,500 fires responded to in the United States. These fires caused 3,280 civilian deaths, 15,700 civilian injuries, and $14.3 billion in property damage.

According to the NFPA in 2015

• A fire department responded to a fire every 23 seconds.
• One structure fire was reported every 63 seconds.
• One home structure fire was reported every 86 seconds.
• One civilian fire injury was reported every 33.5 minutes.
• One civilian fire death occurred every 2 hours and 40 minutes.
• One outside and other fire was reported every 49 seconds.
• One highway vehicle fire was reported every 3 minutes 1 seconds.

Gives you the idea that fire safety is important and needs to be addressed in the workplace for employee safety.  In fact WAC 296-800-300 requires employers have fire extinguishers in the workplace and train employees in their use.

Twelve things to help make your workplace more fire safe:

1. Identify fire hazards around your workplace.  Gasoline and other flammable chemicals are common, but what about the clutter of paper or cardboard?
2. Practice good housekeeping, pick up clutter and don’t block fire exits.Designate smoking areas and ensure a place to extinguish smoking materials.
3. Train in fire safety and fire extinguisher use.
4. Report electrical hazards. Many fires start in faulty wiring and malfunctioning electrical equipment.
5. Maintain machinery and equipment.  Preventative maintenance can go a long way in preventing fires.
6. Keep fire sprinkler systems and smoke detectors in operating condition and remember to always keep sprinkler head free and clear of materials.
7. Use and store chemicals safely.
8. Control accumulations of flammable and combustible waste.
9. Prevent ignition sources in atmospheres that could be explosive.
10. Have a fire evacuation plan and ensure all employees know where to go when they evacuate.  
11. Post diagrams for exit locations and assembly areas.
12. Employees should have a list of emergency contact phone numbers that is written down.

Of course employee roles and responsibilities need to be assigned and trained before the emergency.  You need a written plan to form the basis and you need training to make it work.  There was once a great philosopher by the name of “Snoopy”  (yes the dog from Peanuts) that told his friend Woodstock that “ten minutes before the party is not the time to learn how to dance.”  In other words, you have to plan and train before it happens.

Fire and emergency planning can be difficult, but we can help, so give us a call today.

Contributed by Eric Tofte, Director of Training Evergreen Safety Council