Tag Archives: Workplace

General Safety Issues

THIRTEEN STEPS TO LIVE BY

If you know a young person who is considering doing volunteer work, or beginning a new job, here’s some common-sense advice to give them.  These suggestions are excellent for all workers, regardless of age.   Whether it is volunteering in a facility such as a hospital, nursing home, or humane shelter, or starting a new job, there are rules and regulations to be followed.

Here are thirteen steps that we hope everyone will abide by:

1.    Get training. Can you show me how to do it?  What things should I watch for?

2.    Learn how to do the job safely.  Follow the policies, procedures and rules.  Be aware of what to do in an emergency.

3.    Be supervised. If my supervisor is not near to where I am working and I have a question, to whom do I go?

4.    Wear the gear. If Personal Protective Equipment or PPE is required, such as gloves, aprons, hairnets, safety glasses, ear plugs, etc., find out how to use them properly and wear them.

5.    Think the job through and identify risks before beginning. Understand unsafe practices or situations and report them.

6.    Ask, Ask, Ask. There are no stupid questions, just stupid excuses when you do something without being told, and without instructions.  Don’t be afraid to communicate.  Try to ask smart questions and not give answers such as, “I didn’t know”, or “No one told me”.

7.    Don’t do anything that you haven’t been instructed to do safely and don’t do anything you’ve been told not to do, for anyone! The supervisor rules.  If others ask you to do something you have been told not to do, or have not received training in, check with your supervisor before you do it.

8.    Follow rules. Every job and every game plan has to include rules to ensure that everyone plays fairly, moves the ball together, and acts like a team.

9.    Tell your supervisor if you see anything hazardous that may hurt someone else or you. If you see them doing something that you know could injure them, report it.  Who is doing it is not as important as what is being done.  You’re not ratting, you are making a mature move to prevent unnecessary injuries.

10.    Remember you are not being asked to give until it hurts! If you get hurt, no matter how minor it may seem to you, report it to your supervisor and let your family know.

11.    Talk to your family and let them know what type of tasks you’ll be doing and the training you have received. If you have any concerns or things that feel aren’t right, tell them.  Sometimes your parents know things you don’t.

12.    Be honest. If you think the task is beyond your personal capabilities, let the employer know right away.  Don’t take on anything that you can’t handle.

13.    Don’t assume you can do something you haven’t done before without some instructions or supervision, and never do anything more than what you were actually told to do without checking with the supervisor first.

This is good advice for all of us.  Remember, your health and safety is more important than any job or paycheck.  Pay Attention!  Keep your eyes open and don’t be afraid to speak up.  You need to protect yourself.

Source:  Ministry of Labour, Canada

General Safety Issues, Uncategorized

TRAGEDY AT FORT HOOD

It is our mission to present safety information that helps folks stay safe at home, work, and while enjoying outside activities.  In an earlier article, “Violence in the Workplace”, we noted that homicide is the third leading cause of deaths in the workplace.  Yesterday, November 5th, what is thought to be the worst mass killing in history at a United States military base happened at Fort Hood, Texas, the largest military base in the world.

Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan is believed the be the lone perpetrator of a deadly shooting at Fort Hood, when he entered the Soldiers Readiness Center, and shot a number of military persons and two civilians.  The total count is 13 dead and 30 wounded, as of November 6th.  The Readiness Center is a large building where troops have medical and dental exams prior to deployment.  There are all types of comings and goings in the Center, as it even has restaurants.  He was shot by a female police officer, but is expected to recover.  She was shot, as well.

Major Hasan received his medical training at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in psychiatry, as an intern, resident, and last year a fellow in disaster and preventive psychiatry.  (Ironic?)   He received his M.D. from Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland, in 2001.

During his time at Walter Reed, he received poor performance evaluations, and had problems that required counseling and extra supervision, according to authorities that could not give further information due to confidentiality.  Law enforcement personnel had been aware that six months prior to yesterday’s tragedy, Hasan had posted some disturbing thoughts on the Internet.  One of his web postings equated suicide bombers with soldiers that throw themselves on a grenade to save their comrades.  Federal search warrants have been issued to seize Hasan’s computer, and it will be interesting to learn of its contents.

As with any workplace violence, there are red flags that indicate problems that might occur.  Who knows if yesterday’s incident could have been prevented?  Hindsight is always 20-20, and it seems there were many red flags popping up in regard to this quiet man, whose job it was to counsel hundreds of soldiers who had returned from battle and recounted horrors they lived through.  Hasan had been ordered to go to Iraq although he was adamant that he did not want to go.

Our thoughts and prayers are with those who were innocent victims, their families and the entire military family.  It is sad to think that a base that trains soldiers to protect us has been added to the lists of other unlikely places that we never imagined something this terrible could happen: Columbine High School, Virginia Tech, an immigrant community center in Binghamton, N.Y., and Luby’s Cafeteria in nearby Killeen, Texas.

Governor Rick Perry ordered flags to fly at half-staff through Sunday.

Back Safety, Ergonomics, Eye Protection, Fall Safety, First Aid Safety, General Safety Issues, Hand Protection, Head Protection, Hearing Protection, High Visibility Safety, Protective Clothing, Respiratory Safety

THE IMPORTANCE OF KNOWING WHAT WENT WRONG

One of the worst things that can happen to any business is for an employee to be injured on the job.  (It goes without saying, that it’s also a very unfortunate event for the employee.) Workers have the right to know exactly what is expected of them in their daily job performance.  They should be informed of any hazards associated with their duties and properly trained before beginning their job, and given the proper personal protective equipment that is required to ensure their safety.

Efficient businesses have policies and procedures, which should include a proper accident investigation and reporting plan.  Prevention, of course, is the key to avoiding accidents, but when they happen, someone must be assigned to be responsible in determining how and why the injury occurred.   Insufficient reporting of work-related accidents will lead to higher costs for employers.  It also must be reported to company management and workers comp providers in an accurate and timely manner.

Lost time accidents are costly to employers.  According to Cal/OSHA, for every dollar a company spends on direct costs of a workers’ injury, more dollars are spent to cover the hidden and indirect costs, such as:

  • Productive time lost by the injured employee;
  • Productive time lost by employees attending the accident victim;
  • Time to hire/retrain employee while victim is off work;
  • Clean up and start up of operations that were interrupted;
  • Paying employee all or part of wages, in addition to compensation;
  • Cost to repair damaged equipment;
  • Higher workers compensation rates;
  • Cost of paperwork involved in reporting accident.

Employers that do not furnish safe and healthful work practices for their workers are gambling with the future of their very own business.  Hazard assessments, risk management, and safety programs are essential for ensuring successful business practices for everyone involved.

Another angle to consider, as well, is that a thorough accident investigation will prove that the injury did occur on the job, and not elsewhere.  History shows that there are people in this world that will take advantage of their employer and sue them for an on-the-job injury that happened somewhere else.

General Safety Issues, Uncategorized

HOW SECONDHAND SMOKE AFFECTS US

It is an individual’s choice whether to smoke or not.  However, exposing non-smokers and children to environmental tobacco smoke, (ETS), is a different concern.  ETS are particles emitted from a burning cigarette, pipe, or cigar and smoke exhaled by a smoker.  Did you know that secondhand smoke has been classified as a known human carcinogen by the United States Environmental Protection Agency?  This rating is used only for substances proven to cause cancer in humans.

Non-smokers: The following statistics (in the U.S. alone), from the American Cancer Society, are caused by second-hand smoke:

  • About 3,400 lung cancer deaths in non-smoking adults occur annually.
  • Each year an estimated 46,000 deaths from heart disease in non-smokers who live with smokers.
  • Secondhand smoke causes breathing problems in non-smokers, such as coughing, chest discomfort and reduced lung function.
  • In children under 18 months, there are approximately 150,000 to 300,000 lung infections (pneumonia and bronchitis), resulting in 7,500 to 15,000 hospital stays annually.
  • Asthma attacks in children with asthma range from 200,000 to 1 million each year.

If your workplace doesn’t have a policy that protects non-smokers from exposure to ETS, try to get it to start one.  Either ban smoking indoors or designate a separately ventilated room that nonsmokers do not have to enter while performing their job responsibilities.

If you are a smoker, think about the effect this has on your body, as well as your family or friends.  Small children are unable to breathe fresh air while they are around smoke.  They are trapped while riding in a closed car with someone smoking.  Advice from many smokers is “if you haven’t started smoking – don’t!  It’s expensive and a hard habit to break.”  Think about it.  Everyone has the right to choose to smoke or not, just as in any other habit, but most of the time when they start smoking, they aren’t thinking about how it will play out in their health or the health of others later on.

General Safety Issues, Uncategorized

HAZARDS OF WORKING IN AN OFFICE!

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Yes, that’s right, most people think that working in an office is a pretty cushy job, but have you ever looked around?  There are potential accidents just waiting to happen, when you really check it out!

As a person who has worked in offices all my life, I think back to several things that I did that could have resulted in injury………..like, having a file cabinet tip over on me because it was top heavy and I was working out of the bottom drawer.  Or not using the correct posture when lifting heavy boxes, my back still hurts!   I’ve had many coworkers trip over a low file drawer that got left out.  (Once, I witnessed an engineer set fire to a wastebasket he was sitting on while talking to his secretary, dropping ashes from his pipe into the trash. Boy, did he get a hotseat!)

There are many simple things that can be done and don’t require a lot of extra time to keep our office employees safe.  Also, office workers should pitch in and report any potential risk hazard to their supervisor, whether it’s a slippery floor, too-dark area, or electrical problem, in order for it to be taken care of before someone gets hurt.

Here are several questions regarding office safety, and we want you to see how many apply to your office:

Office Safety

  • Are your file cabinets top heavy?
  • Are boxes, papers and books stored safely on top of files?
  • Are lights turned on in dark work areas?
  • Are there broken lights?
  • Are drawers left open on desks and file cabinets?
  • Do people tilt back in their chairs?
  • Are there signs to watch your step at elevators?
  • Are spills cleaned up promptly?
  • Do you see people standing on their chairs, desktops, to reach something high, rather than use a step stool?
  • Do electric cords stretch across floor?
  • Are power strips used correctly?
  • Are fire exits clearly marked, and are employees familiar with them?
  • Is there enough space under desk or workstation for employee to take cover in an emergency?
  • Are fire drills conducted regularly?
  • Are coffee makers, griddles, heating elements, safely placed and inspected on a regular basis?
  • Are storage areas clean and neat?
  • Are handrails and stairways well lighted?
  • Does your office have a good housekeeping program?
  • Do employees leave open food, i.e., cookies, crackers, in their desk?
  • Is the floor or carpet in bad condition? Uneven floors can be fall hazards.
  • Do people leave wastebaskets or boxes in walkways?
  • Do you see persons wearing dangling jewelry or floppy clothing while running a shredder?  Guys with ties shouldn’t try this.

We know part of your answers will be no and some yes, but hopefully they apply in a way that shows you have a safe office!  Typically, though, we all need to pitch in and keep our workspace clean, neat and safe for our fellow workers.  Try placing safety posters that relate to the work being done in each area to convey a good safety theme.   Posters work wonders!