Chemicals can be found in nearly every area of your facility. OSHA mandates that all employees be trained in the safe use, storage and handling of these materials. This video details material safety data sheets, container labeling and basic chemical safety. Information is presented in a clear, concise manner that is effective and easy to understand.

Chemicals can be found in nearly every area of your facility. OSHA mandates that all employees be trained in the safe use, storage and handling of these materials. This video details material safety data sheets, container labeling and basic chemical safety. Information is presented in a clear, concise manner that is effective and easy to understand.

The Census Bureau states that by 2020 the number of over 55 people in the workforce will increase by 73% while the number of young workers will increase only 5%. This program will help you develop and implement strategies that will allow you to capitalize on the strengths of this ever-growing sector of your employment base and be better prepared to handle the challenges that may arise as a result of the having older employees as part of your workforce.

This program will help older workers define their unique place in today???s workforce by teaching them to recognize their strengths and capitalize on the experience they bring to their job. Limitations of older workers are also addressed in addition to steps that can be taken to increase productivity.

This program was developed to educate your associates about the dangers of meth and the devastating effects it has on lives, jobs and property. Topics Include: How To Spot Potential Problems, Security Tips to Prevent Risk & What to Do If A Lab Is Discovered.

This program was developed to educate your associates about the dangers of meth and the devastating effects it has on lives, jobs and property. Topics Include: How To Spot Potential Problems, Security Tips to Prevent Risk & What to Do If A Lab Is Discovered.

This program is designed for new or inexperienced Security staff. The program teaches them the basics of Hotel Security: How to Dress, How to Interact with Guests, How to Conduct Routine Security Duties, Dealing with Suspicious Individuals and others. The program also discusses Security personnel’s role in Customer Service as well as which attitudes and behaviors enhance a properties image and those they should avoid. A great program for Orientation Training for Security Staff.

This program is designed for new or inexperienced Security staff. The program teaches them the basics of Hotel Security: How to Dress, How to Interact with Guests, How to Conduct Routine Security Duties, Dealing with Supsicious Individuals and others. The program also discusses Security personnel???s role in Customer Service as well as which attitudes and behaviors enhance a properties image and those they should avoid. A great program for Orientation Training for Security Staff.

Security at a Hotel requires the participation and cooperation of everyone on Staff, not just Security Personnel. Front Desk personnel are a crucial part of the Security of your property. They are often the first line of defense and have perhaps the most visible role in spotting and preventing potential threats and reporting suspicious activity. Without vigilant Front Desk Staff, the Security of any property is at higher risk. This program is a great tool for training Front Desk Associates, Bell Staff or anyone working in, around or near your property’s lobby. Topics Include: Protecting Guest Privacy, Human Trafficking, Emergency Response, and Key Control.

Few things can be more terrifying and catastrophic than a fire. That is why training and education is so important. This video looks at ways fires can be prevented and covers the basics of fire prevention, conditions that contribute to fires and steps employees can take to minimize the risk of a potential fire in a unit.

This video is the perfect way to introduce new employees to general occupational hazards to which they may be exposed and to re-train experienced workers. Program includes basic safety rules, electrical hazards, powered equipment and machinery, back injury prevention, fire protection and more.

This video is the perfect way to introduce new employees to general occupational hazards to which they may be exposed and to re-train experienced workers. Program includes basic safety rules, electrical hazards, powered equipment and machinery, back injury prevention, fire protection and more.

Safety Talk

What’s at Stake?

A carcinogen is any substance that can cause cancer. They are chronic toxins that cause damage after repeated or long-term exposure. For some people, the workplace can be a source of exposure to some carcinogens, such as asbestos, benzene, or formaldehyde.

What’s the Danger?

Benzene is a colorless, flammable liquid with a sweet odor. It is among the 20 most widely used chemicals in the United States. It is used mainly as a starting material in making other chemicals, including plastics, lubricants, rubbers, dyes, detergents, drugs, and pesticides. The main route of exposure is through inhalation, but it can also be absorbed through the skin, but because liquid benzene evaporates quickly, this is less common.

Asbestos is a group of naturally occurring minerals that occur naturally as bundles of fibers. These fibers are found in soil and rocks in many parts of the world. There are 2 main types of asbestos and both have been linked to cancer. Most exposures come from inhaling asbestos fibers during the mining and processing of asbestos, when making asbestos-containing products, or when installing asbestos insulation. It can also occur when older buildings are demolished or renovated, or when older asbestos-containing materials begin to break down.

Formaldehyde is a colorless, strong-smelling gas used in making building materials and many household products, including pressed-wood products; glues and adhesives; permanent-press fabrics; paper product coatings; certain insulation materials; and to make other chemicals. When dissolved in water it is called formalin, which is commonly used as an industrial disinfectant, and as a preservative in funeral homes and medical labs. Exposure occurs mainly through inhalation or by absorbing liquids containing formaldehyde through the skin.

How to Protect Yourself

1. Always follow safe work practices, clean-up and disposal procedures.
2. Wear the right kind of PPE each and every time there is the potential for exposure.
3. Stop smoking – benzene and formaldehyde are both found in cigarette smoke.
4. If you are concerned about exposure talk to your safety manager or supervisor.

Final Word

Exposure to carcinogens doesn’t have to be deadly. Be informed about the hazards, follow safe work practices and wear your PPE to protect yourself against exposure hazards.

Cold Weather/Cold Stress Checklist

Use this checklist from the Electronic Library of Construction Occupational Safety and Health (eLCOSH) to ensure that you’ve taken all reasonable steps to protect your workers from the hazard of cold stress. If you identify any gaps in your protections while completing the checklist, make sure that you address them. Adapt it to meet your specific needs.

Date: _______________________________________________________________
Inspection Done By: ___________________________________________________

Working in cold temperatures, whether indoors or outdoors, presents a unique set of hazards. Wind, snow, rain, cold surfaces, and other elements can compound the hazards. Help your supervisors and your workers avoid injury, amputation of fingers and toes, and death from exposure by implementing a Cold Stress Workplan. Here’s how to get started.

Step 1: Conduct Cold Stress Assessment

The first step is to perform a cold stress hazard assessment. To identify cold stress hazards, you need to understand the human body functions normally when it has a “core” temperature of 98.6° F/38° C. Although 1° or 2° doesn’t generally make a big difference, if the core temperature drops too low it can lead to problems such as:

• Hypothermia, i.e., when the body loses heat faster than it can replenish causing body temperature to drop to 95°F /35°C or lower, which can cause death in extreme cases;
• Frostbite, i.e., actual freezing of the skin which can lead to amputation; and
• Trench foot, i.e., freezing of the foot caused by immersion in cold water or prolonged exposure to extremely cold air.

Step 2: Measure Cold Stress Exposure

The next step is to figure out if the environmental conditions of the workplace create cold stress dangers. Degree of exposure to cold stress is based not on comfort but what’s called thermal comfort, or how the air actually feels to the worker since it’s how the air feels that determines the impact on core body temperature. Seven risk factors to consider:

1. Temperature: Consider not just ambient temperature as shown by the thermometer but how the air actually feels to the worker. Rule of thumb: If temperatures drop below 30° F/-1° C, you have a potential problem.
2. Wet and Damp Conditions: Wetness chills the body and increases the risk of cold stress.
3. Wind and Wind Chill: The faster the wind, the colder a worker will feel. The combined effect of cold air and wind speed is called “equivalent chill temperature” (ECT) or “wind chill,” or the temperature the body actually feels.
4. Contact with Cold Surfaces or Water: Being in contact with something cold chills the body and increases a worker’s risk of cold stress.
5. Workers’ Physical Condition: Consider the age, weight, fitness and acclimatization, i.e., whether workers are used to working in cold conditions.
6. Movement and Exertion: Moving around and doing intense physical work warms the body while standing around allows the thermal conditions to drop body temperature more easily.
7. Clothing: Clothing can insulate the body, helping it maintain body temperature and ward off cold stress.

Step 3: Keep Exposure to Cold at Safe Levels

To determine safe limits for exposure to cold stress you may have to rely on non-government agencies because specific regulations from government safety agencies don’t exist across the board.  Many Canadian territories and the U.S. (OSHA), use Threshold Limit Values (TLVs), a measurement created by the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) to define the maximum exposure limits for cold stress. The ACGIH has created a Work/Warm-Up Schedule that you can reference.

To keep workers safe throughout the day you must continue to monitor temperature and wind chill levels to ensure thermal conditions are within safe levels.

Step 4: Implement Engineering Controls

The ideal method of protecting workers from cold stress is to adopt engineering controls that eliminate or reduce the hazard. In the context of cold stress, these controls involve using methods to change the environment to ensure exposure is kept at safe TLVs including:

• Heating systems to warm the air.
• Space heaters to warm sections of the workplace.
• Heated trailers or other warming stations where workers can take breaks to warm up.

Step 5: Implement Safe Work Practices and Work Controls

When cold stress hazards can’t be eliminated or engineered away, the control is to change how the work is done – to make it safer. Safe work practices and work controls include:

• Acclimatizing, or gradually getting workers used to working in the cold.
• Scheduling cold outdoor work for the warmest hours of the day.
• Giving workers lots of breaks so they can drink warm sweet drinks and soups.
• Training workers how to recognize and respond to different kinds of cold stress.
• Having appropriate first aid personnel, facilities and equipment.

Step 6: Require PPE Use

When there is still a hazard exposure, you must provide and require workers to wear PPE. Ideally, PPE will be used in combination with the other controls. For cold stress, this would include dressing in layers and wearing:

• Insulation under the outer layers of clothes.
• Hats or hard hats to cover the head and ears.
• Waterproof outer layers when working in wet conditions.
• Warm socks and warm shoes.

Step 7: Provide Training

Finally, you must provide training to exposed workers. A proper cold stress training program must include:

• Knowledge of cold stress hazards.
• Recognition of predisposing factors, danger signs and symptoms.
• Awareness of first-aid procedures for, and the potential health effects of, different forms of cold stress.
• Workers’ responsibilities in avoiding cold stress.
• Dangers of using drugs, including therapeutic ones, and alcohol in cold work environments.
• Use of protective clothing and equipment.
• Purpose and coverage of any environmental and medical surveillance programs and why workers should participate in them.

Rid These 7 Surfaces of Ice

Don’t take chances when it comes to icy surfaces. Ice on walking and working surfaces can cause serious slip, trip, and fall hazards which can lead to disabling injuries, serious concussions, and loss of life.

Ice hanging from door and roof overhangs and any other overhead structures creates a falling object hazard. Massive sheets of ice can break free and slide down a roof. Large icicles can break and fall under their own weight or as the ice starts to melt. Smaller falling icicles can damage vision and cause other hazards and injuries.

Avoid these hazards by ensuring procedures are in place and enforced for the safe removal of ice on these seven surfaces. You can add surfaces specific to your area and the type of work being done.

1. Scaffolds
2. Platforms
3. Slabs
4. Walkways
5. Stairs and stair railings
6. Entrances and exits
7. Door and roof overhangs

Two men died from carbon monoxide poisoning after being stranded in the snow while driving home from work. As a dangerous winter storm swept across Montreal, Pierre Thibault and Michaël Fiset, chose to try and drive home from work despite their co-workers pleading with them to wait the storm out with them at the office.

Fiset, 33, who drove a Ford-150 with all-wheel drive, was confident he could navigate the difficult conditions, despite heavy snow and high winds. When they left the office around 9:24 p.m., Fiset planned to drop his friend off at his home, about 8 miles/13 kilometers away, before heading to his own home.

Just a few hours earlier, the highways along their planned route had been closed because of whiteout conditions on the roads. However, Fiset decided to drive around the road closure barrier and continued his journey. At 10:43 p.m., he became stuck in a 5-foot/1.5-meter-high snowdrift.

Both men contacted locals to say the needed help, but no one could venture out because there was zero visibility and they couldn’t see across the street. Thibault, 42, then made calls to the provincial police (SQ) and 911 at 11:18 p.m., saying they were stuck in the snow and needed assistance.

While police were trying to mobilize the rescue team, conditions in the truck were deteriorating.

• Fiset made a second call to 911 at 12:05 a.m. and a third call at 12:51 a.m., saying Thibault was having an asthma attack and was having trouble breathing.
• At 12:58 a.m., police informed the men a rescue team would be leaving shortly.
• By 1:16 a.m., Fiset called police to say he was also having trouble breathing and that Thibault was now unconscious. It was the last call Fiset would make.

The SQ snowmobile team was finally able to leave at 1:20 a.m. as the storm continued to intensify with howling winds and whiteout conditions. About 30 minutes into the trip they also became stuck in a snowdrift. They continued on foot and arrived on the scene at 2:15 a.m. but could not find Fiset’s truck – by this time it was buried in the snow. They eventually found the truck at 7:50 a.m. buried in 9 feet/3 meters of snow.

They found Fiset dead outside the truck and Thibault dead in the driver’s seat. The coroner stated the cause of death was carbon monoxide poisoning, likely due to the truck’s tailpipe being blocked with snow.

https://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/men-trapped-in-vehicle-died-of-carbon-monoxide-poisoning-coroner-says

These two men did not have to die. They had at least three chances before the truck became stuck to avoid the resulting accident. If they had done any of the following the outcome would have been different.

1. Listened to the advice of their co-workers and stayed at the office until it was safe to leave.
2. Heeded the emergency warnings telling motorists to stay off the roads and stayed at the office until it was safe to leave.
3. Decided to obey the road closure barricades instead of going around them.

Once the truck became stuck, they could have avoided or lessened the chance of carbon monoxide poisoning by:

1. Checking the exhaust pipe was not blocked by snow (or anything else).
2. Leaving a window in the truck slightly open for ventilation.

FOR MORE HELP PROTECTING WORKERS AGAINST WINTER DRIVING

Click on the links below:

• Safety Talk – Survive the Winter Drive this Winter
• Checklist – Preparing Your Vehicle for Winter

To best prepare your workers for working in cold environments (indoor and outdoor) it’s helpful for you to understand how cold conditions can affect them.

Four factors of Cold Stress

1. Air temperature – Of course as temperatures drop the air becomes cooler. A dip in temperatures, even a small drop, can put workers at risk for cold-related illnesses such as hypothermia. This is especially true when working in or being stranded in water waiting for rescue.
2. Wind speed – When the wind is blowing you feel cooler, regardless of the temperature. Even on a hot day a breeze can help cool you. When it’s cold and the wind blows the air will feel even colder on your skin. This is known as the wind chill or wind chill index – the combined effect of cold air and wind speed.
3. Humidity – Humidity is a measure of moisture in the air. Water conducts heat away from your body 25 times faster than dry air, so the higher the humidity the quicker you will cool off. This is why you can die from hypothermia if you’re in the water even when water temperature and air temperatures are relatively warm.
4. Contact with Cold Surfaces – Being in contact with cold or wet surfaces and floors is the final risk factor.

You must carefully monitor all four conditions to keep workers safe in the cold. Here’s why.

The Risks

There are four forms of cold stress-related conditions.

Be a Better Supervisor

Understand and Explain the Danger

Our bodies must maintain a fairly constant internal temperature to function properly. If the body temperature falls too low, the blood vessels constrict, or tighten up, and it becomes harder to circulate blood throughout the body. After a while, the body shifts blood flow away from the extremities (limbs, fingers, toes, nose, etc.) and to the core (chest and abdomen). This can result in a series of dangerous and potentially fatal conditions known as cold stress.

Know Who Is at Risk

• Older workers—about 50% of all cold stress victims are 65 or older. Medical conditions and some medications can also put people at a higher risk for cold stress.
• Workers who work outdoors, including in agriculture, construction, oil and gas extraction and utilities.
• Workers who work in cold indoor environments, including refrigerated facilities in warehouse food plants and warehouses.
• Workers who work near or above water, i.e. fishermen.
• Divers and others who work in water.

Protect Employees

The key to preventing cold stress is to implement measures that ensure workers aren’t exposed to conditions that cause their core body temperature to drop below 95° F /35° C. Explain to workers what protections are available and how and when they are to be used.

1. Schedule cold work for the warmest part of the day.
2. Use radiant heaters, barriers to block the wind, and set up warm-up areas where workers can go to warm up.
3. Monitor the temperature, wind, and humidity and ensure workers are taking enough warm-up breaks. Use the Work/Warm-Up Schedule as a reference.
4. Explain and enforce the use of proper cold weather clothing. Warm and dry clothing is crucial to preventing cold stress and list the items workers should wear when performing work in cold conditions, which may include:
   1. At least 3 layers of loose-fitting clothing, including:
      1. An inner layer of wool, silk or synthetic materials to insulate the body against moisture.
      2. A middle layer of wool or synthetics for insulation in case the outer layer gets wet.

• An outer layer to protect against wind and moisture and that’s ventilated to prevent overheating.

1. A hat or hood.
2. A knit mask to cover the worker’s face and mouth.
3. Insulated and water-proof gloves and boots or other footwear.

5. Know and train workers on the signs, symptoms, and first aid treatment for cold-related illnesses. Refer to the downloadable and printable: Signs, Symptoms, and First Aid Treatment for Cold-Related Conditions Table.

A first aid program is required for most employers in the U.S. and Canada.  The program should be based on the hazards, risks, and proximity to medical services of an individual site, however there are several elements that every program should include.

Step 1: Perform a Risk Assessment  

• Identify number of worksites
  • First aid coverage must be based on the total workforce present at each location.
  • If you have multiple sites – temporary or permanent – an assessment must be done on each.
  • Don’t forget to include all shifts as well. First aid must be available to employees regardless of the shift they are working.
• What conditions and processes could cause injury or illness?
  • Confined spaces
  • Electrical work
  • Workplace violence
  • Underwater work
  • Trench and excavation work
• What types of injuries and illnesses are likely to occur and what is their potential severity?
  • Sudden cardiac arrest
  • Severe bleeding
  • Head trauma
  • Asphyxiation
  • Amputation

Step 2: Determine Emergency Response Times

• Work with local police and emergency services to determine approximate response times for:
  • All permanent and temporary locations.
  • All times of the day and night when workers are on duty.
• A three-four-minute response time is ideal but is not always possible, which is why it is recommended, and in some cases required, that employees trained as first responders/first aid attendants are on site.

Step 3: Have First Aid and Emergency Supplies Readily Available

• The type and amount of supplies will depend on:
  • Physical size and number of people at each location.
  • Types of injuries and illnesses that could reasonably be expected to occur.
  • If exposure to blood and body fluids is a possibility. If it is, PPE must be provided to protect first responders from exposure.

Step 4: Written Policy

• It is advisable, and in some cases required, to put first aid program policies and procedures in writing.
• Policies and procedures should be communicated to all employees, including those workers who may not read or speak English. Language barriers should be addressed:
  • In instructing employees on first-aid policies and procedures.
  • When designating individuals who will receive first-aid training and become the on-site first-aid providers.

Step 5: Program Training and Review

• Emergency drills should be held at least once a year to test:
  • Worker awareness of how to call for first aid and generally what to do in an emergency.
  • How well the emergency communication system works.
  • How well your first responders/first aid attendants respond.
• Review the program and written policy annually and whenever changes to either occur.
• Train first responders based on regulatory requirements and as needed. Since retraining for first aid and CPR training may only be required every 1-3 years it’s a good idea to have periodic refresher sessions.

Training your first aid attendants and first responders is a required part of every first aid program. But do you know what exactly should be covered or what training methods to use?

Risks

Hazards are present at all worksites, from offices to mines. So too are the chances of injuries and illnesses.

Sudden cardiac arrest, severe bleeding, shock, a near-drowning, or lack of oxygen during confined space work are all life-threatening emergencies. Without prompt and properly performed first aid a victim of any of these situations will very likely die or be permanently disabled while waiting for emergency services to arrive and begin care.

Be a Better Supervisor

Well-trained first aid responders are an important link between when an incident occurs and when emergency care can be given. Here are six things to consider related to first aid training.

1.Teaching Methods

Training programs should:

• Help trainees develop “hands-on” skills using mannequins and partner practice.
• Have the right first-aid supplies and equipment available.
• Expose trainees to acute injury and illness situations and responses using visual aids.
• Include course resources for reference both during and after training.
• Allow enough time for emphasis on commonly occurring situations.
• Emphasize skills training and confidence-building through “hands-on” practice.
• Emphasize quick response to first aid situations through practice scenarios and drills.

2. Preparing to Respond to a Health Emergency

Include instruction and discussion on:

• Prevention as a strategy to reduce fatalities, illnesses and injuries.
• Understanding the legal aspects of providing first aid care, including Good Samaritan legislation, consent, abandonment, negligence, assault and battery.
• Understanding the effects of stress, fear of infection, panic; how they interfere with performance; and what to do to overcome these barriers.

3. Assessing the Scene and the Victim(s)

When covering scene and victim assessments include discussion and practice (if applicable) on:

• Assessing scene for safety, number of injured, and nature of the event.
• Assessing toxic potential of the environment and the need for respiratory protection.
• Assessing each victim for responsiveness, airway blockage, breathing, circulation, and medical alert tags.
• Identifying the presence of a confined space and the respiratory protection and specialized training required to perform a rescue.
• Prioritizing care when there are several injured.
• Taking a victim’s history at the scene and determining the cause of injury.
• Performing a logical head-to-toe check for injuries.
• Methods for safely:
  • Moving and rescuing victims.
  • Repositioning ill/injured victims to prevent further injury.
• Stressing the need to continuously monitor the victim.

4. Responding to Life-Threatening Emergencies

The training program should be designed or adapted for each worksite and should include standard first aid, CPR, and AED use as well as instruction in:

• Knowledge of the chemicals at the worksite and of first aid and treatment for inhalation or ingestion;
• Effects of alcohol and illicit drugs so the first-aid provider can recognize the physiologic and behavioral effects of these substances.
• Recognizing asphyxiation and the danger of entering a confined space without appropriate respiratory protection.
  • Additional training is required if first aid personnel will assist in the rescue from the confined space.
• Responding to Medical Emergencies
  • Chest pain, stroke, breathing problems.
  • Anaphylactic reaction and hypoglycemia in diabetics taking insulin.
  • Seizures and reduced level of consciousness.
  • Pregnancy complications.
  • Abdominal injury and an impaled object.

5. Responding to Non-Life-Threatening Emergencies

Common non-life-threatening injury and illness treatment includes:

• Wounds
  • Wounds assessment and first aid for wounds including cuts, avulsions, and amputations.
  • Principles of wound care, including infection precautions and use of PPE.
• Burns
  • Assessing the severity of a burn.
  • Recognizing type of burn is thermal, electrical, or chemical – and appropriate first aid.
• Reviewing corrosive chemicals at a specific worksite and hazard-appropriate first aid procedures.
• Musculoskeletal Injuries
  • Fractures, sprains, strains, contusions and cramps.
  • Head, neck, back and spinal injuries.
  • Appropriate handling of amputated body parts.
• Eye injuries
• Oral injuries and the importance of preventing aspiration of blood and/or teeth.

6. Trainee Assessment and Skills Refresher

• Assessment of successful completion of first aid training should include a skills test and a written assessment.
• Numerous studies have shown a retention rate of 6-12 months of first aid skills.
  • Skill reviews and practice sessions are recommended at least every 6 months for CPR and AED skills.
  • Instructor-led retraining for life-threatening emergencies should occur at least annually.
  • Retraining for non-life-threatening response should occur periodically.

The time to unearth potential problems in your current workplace first aid arrangements is right now—before a medical emergency does it for you. Although first aid requirements can vary – there are FIVE sets of documents to focus on when conducting an audit of your first aid program.

1. First Aid Policy
2. Posted First Aid Notices
3. First Aid Inspection Checklists
4. First Aid Log Forms
5. First Aid Refusal Forms

Date: _______________________________________________________________
Inspection Done By: ___________________________________________________