Safety Rap

I'm not much for Rap, but this has to be one of the coolest videos. This video was produced by Virginia Dominion Power. Talk about employee engagement! Please watch this video and think about how effective producing your company's safety video could be if you got your employees involved.

World Health Organization Calls Swine Flu Outbreak a Pandemic

From: http://www.washingtonpost.com

The World Health Organization yesterday declared the seven-week-old outbreak of the novel H1N1 influenza virus a pandemic, marking it as a historic global health event, one whose consequences may not be known for years.

The announcement -- expected for weeks but made with some reluctance -- essentially warns the WHO's 194 member nations to get ready for the new flu strain, which is likely to infect as much as one-third of the population in the first wave and return in later waves that may be more severe. read more here.

While this strain of the flu is still mild, it could mutaute into something more deadly. It is a definite wake-up call to workplaces to prepare a Pandemic Plan. Businesses and organizations need to consider how a pandemic will affect business continuity. How would a business continue day to day operations if much of their workforce were sick?

If your company still does not have a pandemic plan, now is the time to do so. A quick Google search of "Pandemic Preparedness Plan" will result in excellent ideas and tutorials to make the task easier.

Does Your Safety Plan Include a Rubber Duck?

From: http://news.aol.com/article/woman-survives-3-days-in-bathtub/518245/a>

"(June 8) -- A 90-year-old woman spent three days trapped in her bathtub after becoming too weak to pull herself out...

Shirley Madsen, of Walnut Creek, Calif., survived her ordeal by drinking water from a rubber duck with a hole in the bottom.

When Madsen got into the tub on May 27, she forgot to put her phone within reach and could not call for help when she got trapped.

Madsen survived for three days stuck in the bathtub by continually replacing the cooling bath water with fresh water from the tap to stay warm. She also used one of her collection of rubber ducks as a drinking cup to keep hydrated during her confinement.

"I have never been so terrified in my life," Madsen later told the Mercury News.

After three days with no word from their mother, Madsen's two daughters grew concerned. Daughter Diane Weber went to Madsen's home where she found her mother trapped in the bathroom and summoned an ambulance.

Following a three-day hospital stay, Madsen was sent home to recover from minor injuries. She worked out a routine to check in with relatives and is getting a waterproof medical alert device. But Madsen also advocates an easy safety plan: "Get a bunch of rubber duckies and make sure one of them can't swim," she joked.

Read the full story here.

One quote from the original story stuck with me: "We had a routine, but we did not have a plan".

How many companies have a routine, but not a plan?

How many employees stick in an unsafe routine, but there is no safer plan, or there is no definitive training of a safer plan?

How many employers or employees are as resourceful as Shirley Madsen?

Would you want to pin all of your hopes of survival on a rubber ducky?

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