Webinars

Webinars are a great way to keep up on safety and industry related topics in this time of economic cutbacks. A webinar is a presentation presented via the internet. Many are free or relatively low cost. Most take just an hour, including a question and answer session.

Some webinars for June include:

The Value of Assessing Your Injury Management Practices: Building Front-end Processes to Reduce Back-end Costs - June 24, 2009, 2pm EDT - $59.95 OHSOnline

Rapid Action Pandemic Planning: Taking the Next Step - June 24, 2009, 2pm EDT - FREE OHSOnline

Preventing and Enforcing Musculoskeletal Hazards in the Workplace - June 17, 2009 2pm EDT - FREE - http://www.ccohs.ca

The 3 A's of Arc Flash - Awareness, Analysis, Action - June 13, 2009 2pm EDT - FREE - http://www.EHSToday.com

If you can't make a certain date or time, or miss a webinar, don't worry. Most webinars are available to watch on demand.

Here are a few places that provide both upcoming and on-demand webinars:


http://www.ccohs.ca/products/webinars/


http://ohsonline.com/Webcasts/List/Webinars.aspx/


http://www.asse.org/education/virtualclassroom.php


http://www.necanet.org/job/safety/webinars/


http://ehstoday.com


http://www.ishn.com

June is National Safety Month

June is National Safety Month. This year's event focuses on four themes, each with its own week—teen driving (June 1-7), falls prevention (June 8-14), overexertion (June 15-21), and distracted driving (June 22-28).

This week focuses on teen driving.

Traffic crashes are the number-one cause of teen fatalities -- an estimated 38 percent of all teen deaths occur from crashes. Inexperience, speeding, cell phone use/texting and alcohol are some of the leading factors that can heighten young drivers’ risks. As parents, your employees can take steps to help keep young drivers safe.

You can find more information and tips here.

I Chose To Look The Other Way

Because it was requested, today I am posting another poem by Don Merrill.

I Chose To Look The Other Way

I could have saved a life that day,
But I chose to look the other way.
It wasn’t that I didn’t care;
I had the time, and I was there.

But I didn’t want to seem a fool,
Or argue over a safety rule.
I knew he’d done the job before;
If I spoke up he might get sore.

The chances didn’t seem that bad;
I’d done the same, he knew I had.
So I shook my head and walked by;
He knew the risks as well as I.

He took the chance, I closed an eye;
And with that act, I let him die.
I could have saved a life that day,
But I chose to look the other way.

Now every time I see his wife,
I know I should have saved his life.
That guilt is something I must bear;
But isn’t’ something you need to share.

If you see a risk that others take
That puts their health or life at stake,
The question asked or thing you say;
Could help them live another day.

If you see a risk and walk away,
Then hope you never have to say,
“I could have saved a life that day,
But I chose to look the other way.”


by: Don Merrill
J.R. Simplot Co.
Don Plant Training Center
dmerrell@simplot.com

Summer is here - Heat related stress hazards

Many workers in manufacturing environments are exposed to heat related hazards, especially during hot summer months. The necessity for training and awareness is covered under the General Duty cause in Section 5(a)(1) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act ("General Duty Clause") which requires an employer to furnish to its employees:

"...employment and a place of employment which are free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm to his employees..."

This means that an employer could be cited if:
a) The employer failed to keep the workplace free of a hazard to which employees were exposed;
b) The hazard was recognized;
c) The hazard was causing or was likely to cause death or serious physical harm; and
d) There was a feasible and useful method to correct or control the hazard.

The rising temperature in a manufacturing facility during Summer months is a recognizable hazard that can cause death if control measures aren't established. While you may not be able to control the Summer heat, you can control many aspects of how you deal with this hazard.

1) If you haven't already, and if feasible, install fans. Fans increase air circulation, which promotes body cooling through the evaporation of sweat.

2) Give more frequent breaks away from the heat and heavy work. An air conditioned rest area is not necessary. In fact moving to a too cold area can cause heat shock. The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (research arm of OSHA) has determined that 76F is ideal for rest breaks.

3) Provide unlimited water to drink for hydration purposes. While water is the best hydration liquid, offering thirst quencher style drinks such as Squincher may encourage more frequent drinking with the added benefit of replacing electrolytes such as sodium. Discourage caffeinated products as they are diuretics which cause the employee to urinate more often, becoming yet more dehydrated.

4) Train your employees and supervisors to be aware of the symptoms of heat related illnesses. (Cards can be printed here: http://www.osha.gov/Publications/osha3154.pdf). Train supervisors to be diligent in monitoring employees for hydration levels and early heat stress symptoms. Additionally train supervisors in the proper treatment of heat related illnesses.

5) Also train supervisors in the necessity of acclimating new hires to the work environment. A person will generally take 5 to 7 days to acclimatize to a hot environment. Have supervisors vary new workers between heavier and lighter work loads. Give more frequent rest breaks, and remind new employees to drink more often. Encourage the worker to drink 5 to 7 ounces of fluids every 15 to 20 minutes just to keep up with fluids lost from sweat.

6) Individual employee factors should additionally be taken into consideration when monitoring for heat related stress. Age, weight, physical condition, recreational activities, and medications are all factors that could contribute to heat the onset of heat related illnesses. Remind workers to ask their doctor or pharmacist if any medication they are taking can contribute to heat stress.

Now is the time to train both general employees and supervisors of the hazards for heat related hazards. A few environmental preparations, training, and monitoring are all proactive approaches that directly lower incidences of heat related illnesses and keep production rates at optimal levels.
Here are some links to more information including some industrial hygiene approaches to determine permissible heat exposure limits.

http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/hotenvt.html#safety
http://www.csao.org/t.tools/t6.news/heat_stress_faq.cfm#measures
http://www.osha.gov/dts/osta/otm/otm_iii/otm_iii_4.html#iii:4_2

It's Up To Me

I found this poem by Don Merrell. It's been floating around the internet for years, but I thought it still very appropriate.


It's Up To Me

I want a workplace, that's Injury Free
And if that's going to happen, then it's up to me.

I can't take for granted, that anyone,
Has done all the things, that I should have done.

I must, take the time, with each task I do,
To look for the hazards, and think the job through.

To check the procedures and follow them all
And reject taking shortcuts, no matter how small.

When I walk through the workplace, I must stay alert
To watch for those things, that could get people hurt.

And if I see a hazard, I won't rest until,
I have made the thing safe, or know someone will.

I must question each unsafe behavior I see,
And encourage all others, to do that for me.

I must always give safety, the best I can do.
And expect that performance of all others too.

I must always remember to let people see,
That their safe behavior, is important to me.

Every act is important, no matter how small.
For the safety of one, is the safety of all

We can all have a workplace that's injury free
If we each one Commit, to Making It Be,

If we all do our part, and each of us see,
If It's Going to Happen, - Then It's Up To Me.

Don Merrell
J.R. Simplot Co.
Don Plant Training Center
dmerrell@simplot.com

College

I will be attending a week long intensive class on Safety Management from a Human Relations standpoint.

As such, I won't be posting to the blog every day, but will post updates on Twitter as I can. http://twitter.com/SafetyPhoenix

National Return to Work Week - Part 5

A few things I took away from Thursday's virtual conferences:

Doctors: Employers should carefully chose the physician to initially send injured employees. A physician must understand the employer willingness to provide light light duty. Have the physician visit the facility. Also visit the physician's office to determine the accessibility of employers to the doctors.

Employers need to be able to respectfully talk to the treating physician, so that they can ask questions, and discuss concerns. However, an employer must learn how and when it is best to communicate with the doctor. Your employee is not the only person the doctor is treating. As such, the doctor may be overloaded, and your phone call may not be a priority at the time.

From the defense lawyer side: A proactive, effective return to work program will reduce the settlement amount. An effective return to work program does allow an insure insurance carrier to minimize the time spent on a claim, which is a substantial benefit for everyone.

An employer needs to make an attempt to resolve issues before firing an injured employee. A disgruntled, now fired, employee who feels they may be wronged can cause yet more problems than merely a workers compensation claim, and larger settlement. Retaliation claims may be filed with both the workers compensation system and OSHA, ADA, or Wage and Hour claims may be filed. If the company has less than stellar hiring practices and policies there may be other claims an employee can make. Defending these claims, valid or not, is expensive.

Documentation is imperative. Improper or sloppy documentation can demonstrate to a workers comp or liability judge that the employer doesn't have the proper systems in place, doesn't care, and obviously the employer has some culpability and should be held responsible. The employer must be able to defend by documentation claims filed against them, or the judge will side with the employee. Once a claim against an employer is successful, additional claims may be filed by other employees.

Best Practices:

• Plan in place for procedures needed for incidents – everything from who investigates the incident, to making sure the WC carrier and HR are properly notified.
  

• Have employees sign off each week that they were not injured, and did not witness an injury, or if they were or knew of someone who was - how it occurred. That way, in this time of lay-offs, an employer has the documentation necessary to defend a workers compensation claim filed after the lay-off occurred.
  

Best Practices for Return to Work:

• Return to Work must start at the top of the organization to be successful.

• Return to Work benefits the employee, the employer, the insurer, the adjuster – the entire system!

• Policies need to be in place to facilitate the return injured employees to return as soon as possible to productive meaningful work within their restrictions.

• Stop seeing injured employees as damaged good that need to be discarded.

• Anticipate what the injured work is likely to do, and prepare for it in your policies.

• If you explain your expectations to your employees through-out, they are far more likely to follow those expectations.

• Also train your supervisors on the expectations of the return to work policy.

• If at all possible have the injured worker stay in their pre-injury production area during light duty. Many tasks can be carved out of the normal work day that meet the restrictions of the injured worker. Similar tasks can be carved out of others stations to keep the employee active.

• Burying your head in the sand as far as workplace injuries and return to work does nothing but open yourself to future litigation!

See more here: http://nationalreturntoworkweek.org/events/