SafetyFirst Weekly Safety Briefing

Transcription

1 Week 1 SafetyFirst Weekly Safety Briefing Toxins/Chemicals: If you think the workspace in this poster looks dangerous, you re right! This vintage poster represents a confined space, an area large enough for a worker to get inside for maintenance or repair and with limited entry and exit. Even though this poster was created nearly half a century ago, confined spaces still exist in many workplaces today. Tanks, storage bins, utility vaults, silos and pits are a few examples. Deadly hazards that may be present include toxic chemicals, limited oxygen, carbon monoxide, flammable gases and dusts and entrapment. All confined spaces must be assessed to determine if they require a permit for entry, and workers must have special training, PPE and written procedures to ensure safety in the face of many possible hazards. Ergonomics Tip: Arm positioning and grip are important aspects of lifting. Unless the parts are very small, you should lift with both hands and keep your hands underneath the part so your palms are facing up. This will engage the biceps and take pressure off of the forearm. Pinch grips using the thumb and 1, 2, or a few fingers are very stressful to the muscles. Instead of a pinch grip, lift the part with your whole hand or with two hands. As you handle materials and parts today, try to look for times where you normally use a pinch grip. Can you change the grip? Wednesday Thursday Wellness Wednesday: Everyone encounters stress, so here are some tips which may help: 1. Look at problems as challenges and opportunities try to see the positive. You can t always choose your circumstances, but you can choose your attitude. 2. Get enough sleep. Sleep deprivation can cause a person to make mistakes, which can increase frustration and stress. 3. Schedule play time into every day. 4. Try to exercise every day, just a little bit can help. Consider a short walk at lunch time, or even some light stretching can be beneficial. Anyone have a technique they use to help manage stress that they can share? Assaults/Struck by Objects: Being assaulted or struck by an object is a common cause of serious workplace injuries and deaths. The causes include workplace violence, moving vehicles, forklifts, electricity, and moving or falling objects. Wearing a hard hat in workplaces where there is a possibility of being struck on the head by falling or swinging objects has been an essential safety requirement in many jobs for decades. Any time there is a risk of workers being struck by something or someone, employers need to assess the hazards, take steps to reduce or eliminate exposure to the hazard and train workers to be aware and be safe. Freestyle Pick a topic that is specific to your location and discuss. Is this topic rotated to a different person each week? If not, ask for a volunteer today to pick a topic and lead next s discussion.

2 Week 2 Check Point: The end of the year is approaching fast. Have you achieved all of the goals for safety and environmental projects that you put in place at the beginning of the year? Take a look at any open projects that you have and determine your priorities for the rest of the year taking into consideration the holidays and vacations that are coming up. Injury Reporting: Just a reminder about reporting of injuries. It is the company s policy that all injuries are to be reported immediately no matter how slight. This can get a little challenging for field service e personnel, but the same expectation still applies. Even if you are out of communication range, still let your lead or manager know right away as soon as possible. If an injury occurs at a customer site, we are usually required to report to them as well and they expect immediate reporting also. It is always best to stop the work and deal with the injury and investigation rather than wait. Delay in reporting opens up a number of risks which we have discussed in the past. Report all injuries right away so we can ensure you get proper treatment so we can keep a small injury small. Immediate reporting also allows us to investigate and fix the problem right away so an injury doesn t happen again to you or someone else. Wednesday Thursday Helping the Environment: Reduce, Recycle, Reuse: Wrap creatively - You can reuse gift bags, bows and event paper, but you can also make something unique by using old maps, cloth or even newspaper. Flip a paper grocery bag inside out and give your child stamps or markers to create their own wrapping paper that's environmentally friendly and extra special for the recipient. Making your own holiday wrapping paper could be a fun holiday project to keep kids busy during the Christmas break too. Ladder Safety: Make sure the ladder is in good condition and positioned firmly on a level surface before climbing. Step onto the ladder squarely from the front. There was recently an injury in EnPro where a person stepped on the bottom step from the side and the ladders shifted causing the railing to hit the person hard in the face. Use a step ladder or step stool to reach high shelves. Never stand on a chair or a box to reach. Don t reach out too far. Keep your belt buckle area between the rails of the ladder. Always keep 3 points of contact while climbing. Any other tips or ideas related to ladders, at home or at work? Freestyle Pick a topic that is specific to your location and discuss. Is this topic rotated to a different person each week? If not, ask for a volunteer today to pick a topic and lead next s discussion.

3 Week 3 Trust Yourself Do you listen to that inner voice that tells you something is wrong? If you are doing a task and pause because something doesn t seem right, do you actually stop for a minute and figure out what made you pause? Often the red flag goes up inside us, yet we dismiss it and keep going. You don t have to be an expert on safety regulations or the safest work practices to identify a problem. If it doesn t look right or doesn t feel right, then it isn t right. Its ok to stop and figure it out - you could be saving yourself or someone else from an injury. When you are working in a different area than normal, make sure you know what to do in an emergency: Do you know where the nearest fire extinguisher is located? (Use it only if you are trained!) Where is the nearest exit door located? Who are the first aiders nearest to your area? Where should you go in a tornado emergency? Where is the nearest eyewash station? Have you recently reviewed the JSA for that area/job? Do you know what the common hazards are? Are you sure? If you do not know the answer to all of these questions, please ask! Wednesday Do you know how to identify the symptoms of a stroke? Spot a stroke F.A.S.T.: - Face Drooping Does one side of the face droop or is it numb? Ask the person to smile. - Arm Weakness Is one arm weak or numb? Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward? - Speech Difficulty Is speech slurred, are they unable to speak, or are they hard to understand? Ask the person to repeat a simple sentence, like "the sky is blue." Is the sentence repeated correctly? - Time to call If the person shows any of these symptoms, even if the symptoms go away, call and get them to the hospital immediately. Other symptoms include: Sudden numbness or weakness of the leg Sudden confusion or trouble understanding Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination Sudden severe headache with no known cause

4 Thursday SafetyFirst Weekly Safety Briefing Caught in/by Equipment: Most workers wouldn t think of doing something as dangerous as taking a shortcut over a moving chain or assembly line or climbing up on a flimsy cardboard box, like the worker in this poster. But anytime you bypass safety measures instead of using proper procedures, you risk ending up where you weren t going, which could be to the emergency room. Moving machinery is unyielding, and in an instant you can be caught or pulled into it or suffer an amputation or crushing injury. Don t take shortcuts when it comes to safety! Freestyle Pick a topic that is specific to your location and discuss. Is this topic rotated to a different person each week? If not, ask for a volunteer today to pick a topic and lead next s discussion. Week 4 Compostable VS Biodegradable: What is the difference between Compostable, Biodegradable and Degradable or Oxo-degradable (EPI bags). The terms biodegradation, biodegradable materials and compostability are often misused. Other terms used are degradable or oxo-degradable which few people understand the differences, leading to confusion in the market place. Degradable or oxo-degradable describe where the traditional plastics, such as polyethylene are treated with additives, usually consisting of calcium carbonate and heavy metals which causes the material to disintegrate over a number of years. Degradable bags do not 'compost' when composting, and will contaminate the end compost reducing its value or limiting its use. Imagine the look of your bag of gardening compost full of bits of plastic. Winter Safety Tip: Snow shoveling The snow shoveling accidents and deaths can happen, it s a grim reminder that rushing to clear snow can be a recipe for a heart attack for some people. Shoveling snow is a lot more physically demanding than many appreciate. A half hour of tossing aside the white stuff is really the exercise equivalent of lifting weights. Not only can the snow get as heavy as the dumbbells at the gym, those clearing the snow tend to want to work hard and shovel quickly to get back inside. Its great exercise for those who are heart healthy but for people with known and hidden heart conditions it can be fatal. Today and tomorrow we will review some tips to help reduce the risk. Don t shovel after drinking. Alcohol increases a person s sensation of warmth and draws blood away from vital organs. It also impairs judgment and can cause you to underestimate the extra strain on your body. Don t shovel immediately after a meal. Adding vigorous activity while digesting a meal can increase the strain on the heart. Warm up first. Do some light exercises to warm up your muscles and increase your circulation. A warmup can also reduce the risk of muscle strain or pulled back.

5 Wednesday Thursday Part 2: Snow Shoveling SafetyFirst Weekly Safety Briefing Snow blowing is also hard work. Snow blowers still have to be pushed through the snow, which can be strenuous depending on how wet the snow is. Use your community's snow removal service: Many communities will clear the sidewalks outside the homes of older or disabled adults or those with heart conditions if you call and make the request. If you re feeling tired or dizzy, stop. Go inside and plan to finish the job later. If you are still feeling unwell even after stopping, call 911 Banding is a Hazard: When you cut banding off of a load, the banding should be removed and disposed of immediately. Don t leave the cut banding lying around it is a trip hazard and if it is metal banding it is also a cut hazard. Help keep yourself and co-workers safe by pulling cut banding off immediately. Don't forget to wear laceration resistant gloves like leather or Kevlar when handling metal banding. Do not pick up metal banding without gloves. This will prevent cuts. If you think that putting on gloves will slow you down, imagine how much time you will waste if you get sliced open by the banding. Another concern with metal banding is recoil when the banding is cut off of the load. Be sure your site has a long handled cutter located near where banding is cut to do this task safely. Slow down, and take precautions. Don t feel the steel. Freestyle : Pick a topic that is specific to your location and discuss. Is this topic rotated to a different person each week? If not, ask for a volunteer today to pick a topic and lead next s discussion. Week 5 Continuous Learning: For those of you who have been through SafetyFirst training, you know that one of the items that is discussed is observations. Have you tried those? Observations can be very useful in helping people identify unsafe habits or at the very least bring to our attention habits that we may want to consider changing. We all have habits and practices that we use every day, but it is very hard to identify risky habits on our own. Sometimes we don t find out until there is an injury or near miss. Inviting 1-2 people to watch you perform a task is a good way to be proactive. If you haven t done this yet, give it a try. It s good to document observations, but don t let a concern about that stop you from trying it. Even some verbal feedback could be useful. You might be surprised by what you learn, whether you are the observer or observee. JHA: Part 1: A job hazard analysis (JHA) identifies the hazards of each task performed for a given job. It uncovers hazards that may have been overlooked during the layout of a plant, or in the design of the machinery, equipment, tools, workstations and processes. It also analyzes hazards that may have developed after production started or that resulted from a change in work procedures. Job Hazard Analysis Benefits 1. Gives direction when training new employees on safe job procedures.

6 2. Outlines safety guidelines that must be followed. 3. Identifies the personal protective equipment necessary to perform a task. 4. Eliminates known hazards from a job when possible. Job Hazard Analysis Form Completion Method A JHA is a first line of defense in preventing accidents by identifying hazards and eliminating them prior to beginning a job. It should be used: As a training tool for new employees. As a retraining tool for employees on jobs that are only done periodically. For accident investigations. To provide a list of required personal protective equipment. It is important to set priorities when doing an analysis. Jobs that have resulted in numerous injuries should be completed first. Jobs that have the potential to cause disabling injuries or even death should also be high in priority. Wednesday JHA: Part 2: Involve Employees Once you have selected a job to analyze, discuss the procedure with the employee(s) who performs the job. Explain that the purpose of this analysis is to study the job itself and make sure it is safe. Involve the employee(s) in all phases of the JHA, from reviewing the job steps to discussing potential hazards and recommending solutions. You should also involve employees who have performed the job in the past. List Steps Required For Job The first step in performing a JHA is to break down the job into steps. Each step should accomplish a major task. Make sure all of the steps required to do the job are included. Some steps may not be required each time the task is done, but they need to be included. Be sure to record enough information to describe each job step without being overly detailed. Identify Hazards After you have listed the job steps, examine each one and determine the hazards that exist or that might occur. To do this, ask questions such as: Does the employee wear protective clothing and equipment, including a safety belt or harness, that is appropriate for the job? Are work positions, machinery, pits or holes, and hazardous operations adequately guarded? Are lockout procedures used for machinery deactivation during maintenance procedures? Does the employee wear clothing or jewelry that could get caught in the machinery? Are there fixed objects that may cause injury such as sharp machine edges? Is the flow of work improperly organized (e.g., is the employee required to make movements that are too rapid)? Can the employee get caught in or between machine parts? Can reaching over moving machinery, parts or materials injure the employee? Is the employee in an off-balance position at any time? Is the employee positioned relative to the machine in a way that is potentially dangerous?

7 Is the employee required to make movements that could cause hand or foot injuries, or strain from lifting? Can the employee be struck by an object, or lean against or strike a machine part or object? Can the employee be injured from lifting or pulling objects, or from carrying heavy objects? Do environmental hazards, such as dust, chemicals, radiation, welding flash, heat or excessive noise, result from the performance of the job? Repeat the job observation as often as necessary until all hazards have been identified. Thursday JHA: Part 3: Recommend Safe Procedures and Protection After you have made a list of hazards, or potential hazards, and have reviewed them with the employee (s) who performs the job, determine if the job could be performed in a different way to eliminate hazards. For example, hazards might be reduced by combining steps, changing the sequence, or providing safety equipment and taking additional precautions. If safety precautions and better job steps can be used, list each new step. List exactly what the employee(s) needs to know to perform the job following the new method. Be as specific as you can in your recommendations. The job hazard analysis is a great tool for training employees on the new procedures. If no new procedures can be developed, determine whether the hazards can be reduced or eliminated by making physical changes to the equipment, changing tools, or adding machine guards, personal protective equipment or ventilation. If hazards are still present, try to eliminate the necessity of doing the job or the frequency of doing it. Review the recommendations with the employee(s) performing the job. Get suggestions for eliminating or reducing the hazards from them. Make sure they understand the reason for the new procedures and the importance of following them. Review and Revise Job Hazard Analysis A JHA is very effective in reducing accidents and injuries, but only if it is reviewed and revised. Even if there have not been changes made in a job, hazards that might have been missed in the initial analysis may become more obvious with time. If accidents or injuries occur on a specific job, the JHA should be re-evaluated. If changes are necessary, update the JHA with the new information. Once a change has been made, retrain the employee(s) who performs the job. If the changes require additional protective clothing, it should be provided Freestyle : Pick a topic that is specific to your location and discuss. Is this topic rotated to a different person each week? If not, ask for a volunteer today to pick a topic and lead next s discussion.