Are you considering the following heavy-equipment-related hazards and safe work practices in your heavy equipment policies and programs? Whether you’re creating a policy for the first time or reviewing and updating existing policies and procedures, use these recommendations as a guide for heavy equipment safety.

General Hazard Controls and Safe Work Practices

• All vehicles must have:
  • A service brake system, an emergency brake system, and a parking brake system
  • Working headlights, tail lights, and brake lights
  • An audible warning device (horn)
  • Intact windshield with working windshield wipers
• All operators must be trained on the equipment they will use.
• Check vehicles at the beginning of each shift to ensure parts, equipment, and accessories are in safe operating condition. Repair or replace any defective parts or equipment prior to use.
• Vehicles loaded from the top (e.g., dump trucks) must have cab shields or canopies to protect the operator while loading.
• Ensure vehicles used to transport workers have seats with operable seat belts and enough for the number of workers to be carried.
• Equipment should have roll-over protection and protection from falling debris hazards as needed.
• Prior to permitting construction equipment or vehicles onto an access roadway or grade, verify the roadway or grade is constructed and maintained to safely accommodate the equipment and vehicles involved.
• Do not modify the equipment’s capacity or safety features without manufacturer’s written approval.
• Maintain a safe distance from overhead power lines.

General PPE Requirements

1. Hard hat for overhead impact or electrical hazards.
2. Eye protection with side shields.
3. Gloves chosen for job hazards expected (e.g., heavy-duty leather work gloves for handling debris with sharp edges and/or chemical protective gloves appropriate for chemicals potentially contacted).
4. ANSI-approved protective footwear.
5. Respiratory protection as necessary.

Forklifts and Powered Industrial Trucks

1. Use rough-terrain trucks where conditions warrant their use.
2. Ensure that forklifts/PITs are not modified without the written approval of the manufacturer.
3. Ensure dockboards/bridgeplates can withstand expected loads and are properly secured before the equipment is slowly and carefully driven over it.
4. When lifting personnel only use platforms approved by the manufacturer.

Material Falling from Vehicles

1. Do not overload vehicles
2. Ensure loads are balanced and fully contained within the vehicle.
3. Cover and secure loads before moving vehicle.

Silica, Nuisance Dust, Dried Mud, Silt

1. Stay upwind of or away from dust-generating activities, and those involving crystalline silica-containing materials like concrete, brick, tile, drywall, mortar, sand, or stone.
2. Use water spray or mist to suppress dust generation, especially during operations that may create a lot of dust, such as cutting or sawing silica-containing materials, jack hammering, impact drilling, using heavy equipment, and demolishing structures.
3. Avoid using compressed air for cleaning surfaces.
4. Sample worker exposures to silica during dust-generating activities.

Additional Personal Protective Equipment

1. At a minimum, use respirators with N, R, or P95 filters for work with crystalline silica-containing materials (e.g., concrete, brick, tile, mortar).
2. The use of N, R, or P100 filters may provide additional protection. Higher levels of respiratory protection may be needed for some operations (e.g., cutting concrete, sandblasting, mixing concrete).
3. N, R, or P95 respirators may be used for nuisance dusts (e.g., dried mud, dirt, or silt) and mold (except mold remediation). Filters with a charcoal layer may be used for odors.

Noise

1. Use heavy equipment with enclosed, temperature-controlled cabs, when available
2. Place generators, compressors, and other noisy equipment at a distance or behind a barrier when possible

Fueling

1. Ensure ignition sources at least 25 feet away from fueling areas.
2. Prohibit smoking in fueling areas.
3. Ensure that vehicles are attended while being fueled.

Chemical Exposure

Have a plan if hazardous chemical containers are found or leaking materials are detected:

1. Do not use spark-producing devices (e.g., engines, tools, electronic, and communications equipment) in the immediate area.
2. Take self-protective measures (i.e., move to a safe distance upwind) and contact hazardous material response personnel for evaluation/removal before continuing work in the area.

Traffic Control

1. Develop and use a site plan that provides traffic flow details.
2. Use flaggers, traffic cones, and/or highway channeling devices.
3. Use flaggers, standard road signs (e.g., “work zone ahead”), or message boards to warn approaching vehicles of work area.
4. Give motorists plenty of warning of upcoming work zones; check for location specific requirements.
5. Ensure work zone is well lit, but control glare.

The overwhelming majority of health-related productivity losses occur on the job from reduced performance by employees who show up for work not feeling their best. This is commonly known as presenteeism.

Presenteeism & the Importance of Wellness Programs

The implications and costs of presenteeism are enormous and can be highly disruptive. Integrating wellness strategies into a safety program can help combat the effects. Let’s look at a 4-step example by the Canadian Mental Health Association, Manitoba Division (Manitoba Model).

4 Steps to Take

1. Get Workers’ Feedback

Have workers fill out a questionnaire to determine perceptions about their health, well-being, and what causes work-related stress. Respondents should remain anonymous, so they provide candid responses. (Click here for Model Questionnaire you can adapt.)

2. Evaluate Feedback

Next, evaluate the results to identify problems that need to be addressed. For example, questionnaires might reveal a certain process is unusually stressful or fatiguing.

3. Intervention

Prioritize the problems and decide when and how to address them. Let workers know when steps are taken to resolve problems.

4. Re-Issue Questionnaires

The first set of questionnaires serves as a baseline. Once the results have been processed and interventions taken, the cycle begins again (every 1 and 3 years, according to the Manitoba Model’s authors).

Conclusion

To be fair, the Manitoba Model is a strategy for implementing a wellness program controlled by management across an entire organization, not purely a safety program. Still, it’s an effective approach that you can use to introduce and integrate elements of wellness into your overall health and safety program.

Date: March 27th, 2019

Speakers: Ryan Conlin & Frank Portman of Stringer LLP

One of the most powerful protections for employees under the Occupational Health and Safety Act is the right to refuse unsafe work. While the right to refuse unsafe work has proven to be an essential element of safeguarding workplace safety, it has also been improperly used as a tool for other, non-safety related ends by employees and organized labour. Employers must navigate these treacherous waters, ensuring that legitimate work refusals are dealt with appropriately, while preventing abuse of this significant power.

This webinar covers:

· The legal framework governing work refusals
· The interplay between work refusals and workplace violence and harassment
· How to deal with inspectors during work refusals
· How to determine and impose discipline for bad faith work refusals
· The consequences of breaches of the right to refuse unsafe work

SEASONAL SAFETY

Don’t Blow Off Snowblower Hazards

If you have snow at your workplace, you and your workers may want to say a little thank you to the late Arthur Sicard. Who’s Arthur Sicard? He’s the inventor of the snowblower. And while he’s dead now, his legacy lives on. Those fabulous machines eat snow for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Unfortunately, they can also chew the operator up if you’re not careful.

What’s the Danger Posed by Snowblowers?

Blowing snow sure beats shoveling it. But using this snow removal method presents some serious hazards including lacerations and amputations. Every year thousands are treated for injuries related to the use of power snow shovels and snowblowers, including lacerations, finger amputations and bone fractures, many of which occurred when machine operators tried to dislodge impacted snow from the chute.

There are also musculoskeletal injuries to consider. The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons warns that the improper use of snowblowers, coupled with muscles being overextended and overexerted, can wreak havoc on the shoulders, wrists and backs.

Safety Tips for Snowblower Operators

If you have a snowblower at your workplace – to keep the operator safe – and those around them – safe, keep these points in mind while operating snowblowers:

1. Dress appropriately, including slip-resistant footwear.
2. Read the safety manual.
3. Add fuel before starting the machine, not while the machine is hot.
4. Make sure all guards and shields are in place and use only approved accessories and attachments.
5. Prior to operation, inspect the area and clear it of foreign objects that could fly out of the machine.
6. Adjust the collector housing so it won’t strike gravel or rock surfaces.
7. Clear bystanders from the work area.
8. Keep hands and feet away from all moving parts.
9. Be aware of carbon monoxide poisoning hazards, and don’t run the engine in enclosed areas.
10. Always stop the engine prior to making machine adjustments or repairs.
11. Mark the locations of water and gas shut-off valves prior to clearing snow.
12. Always know where the power cord is when using an electric snowblower.
13. Direct the snow away from buildings, vehicles and pedestrians.
14. Do not clear snow from steep slopes.
15. Do not leave the snowblower running unattended.
16. Pace yourself.

Operating a snowblower safely doesn’t require technical training; it only requires a little awareness and forethought. Keep these tips in mind if you manage someone or you yourself are required to use a snowblower and your experience with Arthur Sicard’s brainchild is much more likely to be a safe and productive one.

According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, the maximum exposure time at 85 dBA is eight hours. At 110 dBA, the maximum exposure time is one minute and 29 seconds.

Hearing damage, and the symptoms can take time to develop. You are likely to be exposed to different types and levels of noise during you work day.

Pay attention to your surroundings and have the appropriate hearing protection to keep yourself safe from damaging noise levels.

Developed by Oregon Nurses Association, Bay Area Hospital, and The University of Oregon Labor Education and Research Center.

This material has been made possible by a grant from Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Division (Oregon OSHA), a division of the Department of Consumer & Business Services.

The content is intended to provide current information about ergonomics and safety issues related to patient handling and care tasks. The field of ergonomics is dynamic, and new information is constantly being developed.

There may be instances in which workplace issues are more complex than those presented here. You may need the advice of a professional Ergonomist or other experts.

Brand names mentioned or seen in the training materials do not constitute endorsement of the device, equipment, or product.

Here are ten things to consider if you are responsible for the safety of lone workers.

#1 Invisible workplace hazards

Not every hazard can be seen before moving into an area.  Although the health effects of poor air quality are often long-term, workers in high areas can be exposed to rising heat and fumes that can leave them unconscious away from help.

#2 Trips and falls

Trips and falls are one of the most frequent causes of workplace injury.  These hazards can affect employees at any workplace, despite job responsibilities or other contributing factors.

#3 Heavy equipment accidents

Heavy equipment accidents can take many forms, and the resulting injuries such as machine entanglement have been identified among the most common workplace injuries.  Following heavy equipment accidents, lone workers can be left immobilized away from assistance.

#4 Environmental dangers

For employees working outdoors, the environment itself can pose many risks.  Besides threats from exposure including heat stroke and hypothermia, workers may encounter attacks from wild animal.

#5 Employees unable to communicate

Many safety systems rely on workers to call for the people nearby when they need help.  Unfortunately, it’s impossible to predict situations where someone will be unable to call for help when they need it, ranging from medical emergencies to situations of extreme workplace violence.

#6 Remote workers in distress

Remote workers are a special case, because in very remote areas employers can face an incredible challenge locating a missing worker.  Tracking employees with GPS is a start, but additional details are necessary since an employee can become separated from the equipment that’s tracking them.

#7 Medical emergencies

To protect their workers, employers need to plan for health-related dangers that can’t be anticipated.  Medical emergencies like heart attacks and severe allergic reactions can be sudden and happen anywhere.

#8 Hazardous objects

Whether working in construction, warehousing, or even retail, workers are often put at risk by the objects near them as they work.  Injuries from being struck by or against nearby objects can be serious and include cuts, lacerations, and concussions.

#9 Vehicular accidents

Lone workers often need to be mobile, meaning that vehicles are part of their daily routine.  Just like when employees are at a worksite, employers are responsible for the safety of their employees when they travel.

#10 Violence in the workplace

People don’t always recognize that when they work with the public, they are working alone.  Employees working with the public who can easily become isolated are particularly at risk of violent attacks.

https://safetylineloneworker.com/blog/10-reasons-why-you-need-a-lone-worker-system/

A company had contracted with a building maintenance company to refinish two office elevators. The elevators’ interiors were lined with brass sheet metal with a lacquer protective coating. The interiors of elevators like these are routinely refinished to remove scratches and bring back the original luster of the finish.

The basic procedure for refinishing these metal surfaces was to remove the lacquer finish using cotton rags soaked with a solvent-based material and wipe down the walls. Once all the lacquer finish is removed, the metal surfaces can be polished with electric drill-mounted buffing pads.

The two victims and one co-worker entered the elevator carrying a ladder, cotton rags, an open five-gallon bucket used to contain spent cotton rags, and an open two-gallon bucket of a lacquer solvent called #70 Cleaning Thinner.

When the workers were ready to begin stripping the lacquer finish with the cleaning thinner, the elevator door was closed with the three men inside. The foreman present went to the second floor, opened the doors to the elevator shaft and tripped a device on the top of the car with the men inside that would lock the doors shut and keep the elevator out of service. The electrical power to this elevator was never shut off so the workers used the existing lighting in the elevator.

According to the employer, the workers were not following company standard operating procedures by working with the #70 Cleaner Thinner in open buckets and as written in the SDS for solvent, the “fumes are heavier than air”. So, the fumes of the product were accumulating in the bottom of the elevator car.

One of the worker’s rags was ignited by either a spark from the light fixture panel or the worker’s rag brushed against one of the recessed lights in the roof of the elevator, shattering the bulb and igniting the rag. The worker dropped the rag on the floor to try and extinguish the flame but the accumulated fumes of the cleaner ignited and the entire cab became filled with flames. Trapping the workers inside the elevator.

The foreman, realizing the elevator was on fire, ran to the second floor and tripped the device that kept the cab doors locked. He then retrieved a chemical fire extinguisher and returned to the flame-engulfed elevator on the first floor and pried open the doors.

The co-worker immediately ran out and was followed by Victim #2. The foreman tried to extinguish the flames, but the fire was too intense. He then rolled Victim #2 in a rug to extinguish his burning clothes and body, and then dragged him outside the building. The foreman then tried to return inside the building to rescue Victim #1, but the flames and smoke were too intense. Victim #1 became entangled with the ladder and was not able to escape the burning elevator cab.

At some point during this incident 911 was called and the local fire department and an ambulance were dispatched. Victim #2 and the co-worker were transported to a local hospital. Victim #1, a 21-year-old male, was pronounced dead at the scene. Victim #2, a 30-year-old male, survived 39 days before succumbing to his injuries (he suffered second-and-third degree burns to 70% of his body). The co-worker suffered first-and-second degree burns and survived.

There are standard precautions outlined by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers for cleaning, polishing, and refinishing elevator cars. These include the following – most of which were not followed:

Before refinishing work is started, the following precautionary measures should be taken.

1. All electric supply and control lines to the car for lighting, fan, alarm bell, motor-generator set, operating switches or buttons, etc. should be disconnected. The only lighting permitted in the car during refinishing work shall be a portable lamp with a vapor-proof globe, without switch, connected to a convenience receptacle located outside the hoistway. The light shall be provided with a guard to prevent breakage.
2. The vent at the top of the hoistway should be fully opened.
3. The top emergency exit in the car should be fully opened.
4. The hoistway door at the floor where the work is being done should be kept fully opened during the entire time of refinishing.
5. The car door should be kept opened except when it is being refinished.

In addition to these precautions, had a hazard and risk assessment been conducted it is likely many of these hazards would have been identified and controls put in place.

https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/face/stateface/mo/92mo046.html

Safety Talk

What’s at Stake?

The freedom of working alone sounds like a dream job for many, but the downside is there’s nobody around to help you if something goes wrong. Social workers, home care nurses, custodians, security guards and late-night convenience store clerks all face hazards from working solo. People might not be able to hear your calls for help and come to your rescue when you work alone.

What’s the Danger?

Sharla Marie Collier, 20, had everything to live for. Recently engaged, saving to buy a house, and employed in her dream job — helping troubled youth. “She liked the whole job, being there and helping out,” said her father, Greg Collier. “She loved her job.

Sharla’s job was to socially rehabilitate youngsters in residential care. This included taking them on recreational outings, such as shopping, playing mini-golf or going to the movies

On Saturday November 16, 2002, something went horribly wrong. She was on her third visit with a youth from the center where she worked, and they went for an afternoon walk along a popular river trail. The teen patient clubbed her to death with a large tree branch during this walk.

How to Protect Yourself

If you work alone, you must protect yourself. How? By understanding the risks you face and knowing what work you can and cannot perform safely by yourself.

Tasks that are dangerous to do alone include working:

• In confined spaces.
• With potentially hazardous equipment such as chainsaws.
• At heights.
• With hazardous substances or materials under pressure.
• In temperature extremes.
• In areas where wild animals may appear and attack.

You shouldn’t perform these jobs until you’ve been adequately trained and know when to stop working or when to call a supervisor for help. Assess the hazards of the job.

Here are some important questions to ask yourself before you work alone:

• If you’re injured on the job and there’s no one around to help, do you have basic first aid knowledge?
• Do you carry a well-stocked first aid kit?
• Is your vehicle well-maintained to reduce the chances of a breakdown in a remote area?
• Do you pack blankets, food, and water in the event you’re unexpectedly stranded?
• If you work in the wilderness, are you prepared if you’re attacked by a wild animal?
• Do you report close calls to reduce the chances of more serious incidents occurring in the future?
• Do you maintain contact with your supervisor on a regular basis?

Final Word

Get to know and use the company’s check-in/ checkout procedures and maintain regular contact with a supervisor or co-worker when you’re alone in the field. You can enjoy the freedom of working alone if you understand and guard against the risks.

Complete this checklist before an employee is set to work alone. Distribute the checklist to the supervisor in charge of the lone worker and to the lone worker. These items are minimum requirements to be met before the work begins. You can edit this list to better suit your specific situation.

Supervisor:                                                                                             ______
Employee:                                                                                               ______
Date: _________________________________________________

https://i.redd.it/0njj0vuioww11.jpg

What do you see in this picture that could be dangerous if you were working in this space, particularly if you were alone?

There are several unsafe conditions in this image that could be harmful to any worker, but especially a lone worker. Use the Picture This to spark discussion about the hazards of working alone and the precautions and procedures your organization has in place to protect lone workers. Here are a few observations to get the discussion started.

What other potential hazards do you see? What procedures are in place to protect you and others who work alone, in remote locations off-site, or in out-of-the-way spots on-site?

  On January 25, 2017, a miner was found in an underground limestone mine after failing to exit the mine at the end of his shift. The miner was found under material that had fallen on him from a rib in an area of the mine that had been barricaded to prevent entry due to bad roof and rib conditions.

  On January 26, 2017, a coal miner was discovered entangled at a conveyor belt drive, also after failing to exit the mine at the end of his shift. In both instances the victims were working alone and in restricted areas where there were hazardous conditions.

What Could Have Prevented These Deaths

1. Never enter hazardous areas that have been barricaded or otherwise identified as unsafe to enter.
2. Develop and train workers on a method that clearly alerts them not to enter hazardous areas. Enforce this with disciplinary action if protocol/area is breached.
3. When possible, do not let workers work alone, especially in hazardous areas. If work must be done solo, set up a plan for communication.
4. Before any solo work is done identify known and potential hazards.
5. Never perform work on a moving conveyor belt or other moving equipment or machinery.
6. Never perform work on any machine, equipment, or vehicle without taking following LOTO procedures – de-energize electrical power, lock and tag the disconnect with your lock and tag, and block parts that can move against motion.

https://arlweb.msha.gov/Alerts/January-Coal-MNM-Fatal-Alert-2017.pdf

Many of the procedures and precautions taken for general employee safety and health are applicable and necessary for those employees who work alone. However, as a supervisor you do need to take into consideration additional factors for lone workers. Follow the steps in this workplan to help you develop or enhance your current Lone Worker Policy and train and protect your lone workers.

1. Perform a Risk Assessment

Can the hazards of the work be managed safely by one person? Hazards must include normal work procedures and conditions as well as potential equipment failure, sudden illness/injury, fire, and other possible emergencies.

Consider:

• Special risks
• Safe access/egress
• Hazardous:
  • Substances
  • Energy
  • Confined spaces
  • Equipment
• Potential for violence (theft, assault, etc.)
• Groups who may be at higher risk
  • Women
  • Young/older workers
  • Physical limitations
• Fitness for the work/task

2. Safe Work Practices and PPE

Establish safe work practice controls and PPE requirements based on the hazards and risks you’ve identified.

Consider:

• The process by which standard operating procedures will be communicated – including training and follow-up to ensure understanding.
• Who will help and oversee that the lone worker understands the risks, safe work practices?
• How will the lone worker obtain the required PPE and replace damaged PPE?
• Remote location considerations:
  • Safe access to rest, hygiene, refreshment, and first aid facilities and supplies.
  • Safe travel to, from, and around the work location after-hours.

3. Communication Plan

Have a written plan for communication in your Lone Worker Policy and for each job establish specific communication procedures.

Consider:

• Communication procedures and equipment
  • Frequency and time of check-ins
  • Who to call
  • What criteria/event triggers a call
  • How will communication occur – cell phone, radio, telephone
• Warning devices needed or used
  • Movement alarms
  • Panic alarms
  • Automatic distress systems
• When work is scheduled to begin and end each day
• Code words or special procedures for potentially violent situations

4. Emergencies

You must be prepared and have a plan in place for lone workers in emergency situations. The recommendations below could be mandatory for your location. If they are not, you should still take them into consideration for the safety of your workers.

Recommendations and Requirements:

• Make emergency services aware of the work/worker and ensure they can access the area as quickly as possible. This is especially critical in remote locations.
• Verify lone workers have been trained and understand what to do in an emergency.
  • You’ve prepared them for any foreseeable emergencies and emergency response in general.
  • Use the risk assessment to identify foreseeable events.
• Provide a written copy of the emergency procedures and danger areas.
• Train lone workers in first aid and provide access to adequate first-aid facilities.
• Mobile workers should carry a first-aid kit suitable for treating minor injuries.

An Injury and Illness Prevention Program (IIPP) is a written workplace safety program that addresses hazards in the workplace. You may also see it called an Accident Prevention Program or something similar. The goal is the same – save lives, save money, and comply with regulations (in some areas an IIPP is required).

There are certain elements common to most IIPPs. Use this self-assessment from CalOSHA to check if your current IIPP is effective or to help you create and implement a new one. Edit and revise as needed.

The most recent work-related fatality information reinforces the need for an ongoing focus on incident and injury prevention.

Canada

• Canadian workers compensation boards reported that 904 workers died due to work-related causes in 2016.
• Among provinces with over 100,000 workers, Saskatchewan’s five-year average injury fatality rate ranks highest (6.3 deaths per 100,000 workers) followed by Alberta (3.8 per 100,000) and Newfoundland and Labrador (3.2 per 100,000).
• Since 2011, most jurisdictions have experienced declining injury fatality rates. However, a comparison of the average 2011-2013 rate to the average 2014-2016 rate revealed an 83% increase in New Brunswick’s rate and a 32% increase in Newfoundland and Labrador’s rate. https://www.uregina.ca/business/faculty-staff/faculty/file_download/2018-Report-on-Workplace-Fatalities-and-Injuries.pdf

U.S.

• 5,190 workers were killed on the job in 2016 [https://www.bls.gov/news.release/cfoi.nr0.htm] (3.6 per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers) — on average, more than 99 a week or more than 14 deaths every day.
• Out of 4,693 worker fatalities in private industry in calendar year 2016, 991 or 21.1% were in construction — that is, one in five worker deaths last year were in construction.
• Overdoses from the non-medical use of drugs or alcohol while on the job increased from 165 in 2015 to 217 in 2016, a 32-percent increase. Overdose fatalities have increased by at least 25 percent annually since 2012.

https://aflcio.org/reports/death-job-toll-neglect-2017

The hazards you and your workers are up against depend on factors such as the type of job, how it’s done, and the environment in which it’s carried out. As a supervisor part of your responsibility lies in identifying exposure to hazards and finding ways to protect workers from them. One of the best ways to do this is by conducting hazard and risk assessments.

Let’s start by defining hazard and risk.

• Hazard – a condition or activity that can cause harm (injury, illness, property, environmental, etc.) if it is not controlled.
• Risk – how likely a hazard is to cause harm and how bad the outcome will likely be.

Conducting hazard and risk assessments helps identify hazards and assess risk levels to help you protect workers and comply with regulations. Workplace hazards can be grouped into six categories which will be discussed in more detail shortly.

Be a Better Supervisor

A hazard assessment is a systematic approach to identifying hazards and ways to control them. A hazard assessment is similar to a job hazard analysis (JHA) or job safety analysis (JSA), but there are a few differences.

• A JSA is done at a micro level and looks at a specific task in a job to identify the hazards for each step in the task and ways to control these hazards and reduce the risk to a worker.
• A hazard assessment is done at a macro level and takes a wider view of hazards related to an activity, operation, or process.

The outcomes are the same for both – hazard control and risk reduction.

A hazard assessment is most successful when you use a team to help you identify the hazards. Your team should include people who have different roles and perform different jobs. Each member of the team will have a unique perspective and insight which helps to ensure the most hazards are identified.

Plan of Attack

It’s important to conduct a hazard assessment in an organized way. Decide if the assessments will be done based on location, position, or process. For example, is your team going to go from one department to the next performing assessments or does it make more sense to group similar processes or job roles together? Decide on the plan with your team and stick to it.

ID Activities

Now you’re ready to identify and list all the activities going on in an area or with an activity, operation, or process.

Think about the different duties for each job or the different people who might be in a certain area and what they will be doing. Are deliveries being made? Are contractors working in the area? Don’t forget to look at what needs to be done before and after an activity – there could be hazards associated with those activities too.

ID Hazards

As a reminder, hazards have the potential to cause harm, including injury, illness, property and environmental damage. When looking for hazards remember to look for hazards in each of the six categories.

1. Safety – moving parts, electrical, confined spaces, slips, trips, and falls
2. Biological – viruses and bacteria, blood and other body fluids, plants, animals, and insects, fungi and mold
3. Physical – noise, pressure, radiation, temperature extremes, ultraviolet rays (sun)
4. Ergonomic – forceful exertions, awkward postures/positions, repetitive tasks, incorrect workstation setup
5. Chemical – liquids (paints, solvents, acids), vapors and fumes (welding, carbon monoxide), flammables (gasoline, explosive chemicals), unlabeled or mislabeled chemical containers
6. Psychosocial or Work Organization – workload demands, workplace violence, harassment, no control or say about things

You must also look for hazards associated with emergency and nonroutine situations.

The hazards and response in an emergency will likely be different and require special protocol and additional procedures.

Determine Risk

Once the hazard assessment is complete you can begin the risk assessment. Risk is based on likelihood and severity – how likely a hazard is to cause harm and how bad the outcome will likely be. Here’s an example from L.L. Bean that shows their hazard and risk assessment rating scale and matrix.

Likelihood

1. Frequent (5) Likely to occur Repeatedly (Weekly)
2. Probable (4) Likely to occur several 3mes (Monthly to several times a year)
3. Occasional (3) Likely to occur some3me (1 – 5 years)
4. Remote (2) Not likely to occur (5 to 20 years)
5. Improbable (1) Very unlikely – may assume loss will not happen (20 to 100 years) > 100 Years = LOW Risk

Severity

1. Catastrophic (4): Death or permanent total disability, significant business impact over mul6ple days or (property/environmental damage over $1,000,000)
2. Critical (3): Extended Disability/lost time, significant business impact or (property/ environmental damage between $500,000 and $1,000,000)
3. Marginal (2): Minor injury requiring medical treatment, OSHA recordable, minor business impact or (property/ environmental damage between $10,000 and $500,000)
4. Negligible (1): First Aid, non-reportable, no business impact or (property/ environmental damage up to $10,000)

2015 L.L. Bean RISK Assessment Matrix and Target Timeframe Adapted from the ANSI Z10 2012 Standard, p.52

Make it Safe

Once the hazard and risk assessments are completed prioritize the hazards based on their risk and determine a timeline for correction and control. The Hazard Prevention and Control Workplan discusses prevention and control measures.

After you’ve completed the necessary hazard and risk assessments you’re ready to put your hazard control plan to work.

An effective hazard control plan (HCP):

1. Involves worker input.
2. Reduces or removes hazards.
3. Minimizes or eliminates risk.
4. Uses a hierarchy of controls and a hazard control plan to guide the selection and implementation of controls.
5. Considers controls needed in emergency situations and nonroutine activities.
6. Is evaluated to determine how well controls are working and if new/better controls exist.

Step 1: Identify control options

Collect, organize, and review information on control options.

• Review sources such as safety standards and guidance, industry consensus standards, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) publications, manufacturers’ literature, and engineering reports to identify potential control measures. Keep current on relevant information from trade or professional associations.
• Investigate control measures used in other workplaces and determine whether they would be effective at your workplace.
• Get input from workers who may be able to suggest and evaluate solutions based on their knowledge of the facility, equipment, and work processes.
• For complex hazards, you may need to consult with safety and health experts.

Step 2: Select controls

Select controls that are the most achievable, effective, and permanent.

• Eliminate or control all serious hazards (hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm) immediately.
• Use interim controls while you develop and implement longer-term solutions.
• Select controls based on a hierarchy that emphasizes engineering solutions (including elimination or substitution) first, followed by safe work practices, administrative controls, and finally personal protective equipment.

• When possible, select equipment, machinery, and materials that are inherently safer.
• Check that controls don’t directly or indirectly introduce new hazards. Examples:
  • Exhausting contaminated air back into a work space.
  • Hearing protection that makes it difficult to hear backup alarms.
  • Gloves that limit movement or decrease dexterity.
• Be prepared to use a combination of control options.

Step 3: Develop and update a hazard control plan

A hazard control plan defines how the controls will be implemented.

• List the hazards needing controls in order of priority and address serious hazards first.
  • Temporary controls may be needed, but the overall goal are effective long-term controls.
• Assign responsibility for installing or implementing the controls to a specific person or persons.
• Establish a target completion date.
• Plan how you will:
  • Track progress toward completion.
  • Verify the effectiveness of controls after they are in place.

Step 4: Select controls to protect workers during nonroutine operations and emergencies

The HCP must include provisions to protect workers during nonroutine operations and foreseeable emergencies. Examples:

• Develop procedures to control hazards that may arise during nonroutine operations (e.g., removing machine guarding during maintenance and repair).
• Develop or modify plans to control hazards that may arise in emergency situations.
• Get any equipment needed to control emergency-related hazards.
• Assign responsibilities for implementing the emergency plan.
• Conduct emergency drills to ensure procedures and equipment provide adequate protection during emergency situations.

Emergency examples:

• Fires and explosions
• Chemical releases and hazardous material spills
• Unplanned equipment shutdowns
• Infrequent maintenance activities
• Natural and weather disasters
• Workplace violence, terrorist, or criminal attacks
• Disease outbreaks (e.g., pandemic influenza) and medical emergencies

Step 5: Implement selected controls in the workplace

Once hazard prevention and control measures have been identified, they should be implemented according to the hazard control plan.

• Implement hazard control measures according to the priorities established in the hazard control plan. Focus on, “Worst First”.
• Go ahead and immediately implement any measures that are easy and inexpensive—e.g., housekeeping, removal of tripping hazards such as electrical cords, basic lighting—regardless of the level of hazard they involve.

Step 6: Follow up to confirm that controls are effective

Track the progress of implementing controls. Once installed, check controls are and remain effective.

• Track progress and verify implementation by asking the following questions:
  • Have control measures been implemented according to the hazard control plan?
  • Have engineering controls been properly installed and tested?
  • Have workers been appropriately trained so that they understand the controls, including how to operate engineering controls, safe work practices, and PPE use requirements?
  • Are controls being used correctly and consistently?
• Conduct regular inspections (and industrial hygiene monitoring, if indicated) to confirm that engineering controls are operating as designed.
• Evaluate control measures to determine if they are effective or need to be modified.
  • Involve workers in the evaluation of the controls.
  • If controls are not effective, identify, select, and implement further controls.
• Confirm work practices, administrative controls, and use of PPE are being followed.
• Conduct routine preventive maintenance of equipment, facilities, and controls to help prevent incidents due to equipment failure.

Review the control plan at least annually and when conditions, processes, or equipment change to verify chosen controls are effective and still the best option.

Safety Talk

What’s at Stake?

Working alone means working where you cannot be seen or heard by another person and where you cannot expect a visit from another person.

While not an ideal situation, sometimes it is necessary. In occupations as diverse as a home care nurse, security guard, property manager, plant attendant, taxi driver, custodian, logger, ranch hand, retail clerk and oil field mechanic, sometimes must work alone.

What’s the Danger?

A 17-year-old girl was found murdered in the back room of a gas station in Montreal, QC. The station’s owner says the building should have been locked while the young woman was on shift. Customers should have been served through a transaction window, but obviously someone was able to get inside the building.

A miner was working under an unsafe, unbolted rock ceiling, contrary to safe procedure. Loose rock fell on him and pinned him down. He was found about two hours later, then remained trapped for another 45 minutes while a rescue party was assembled. He died shortly after arrival at hospital.

Doing a job alone can be more hazardous than doing the same job in company of others. If a worker is injured, ill or trapped, there is no one nearby to help or call for assistance. Lone workers are also more vulnerable to crime such as robbery or assault. Workers alone in the wild country are more vulnerable to animal predators.

The risk of working alone depends on circumstances including the location, whether the work itself is risky, and involvement with the public. Workers who handle money, work away from the regular work site or work alone with patients or clients face unique hazards. As do those who work at heights or in confined spaces such as silos, work with electricity, hazardous substances, dangerous equipment or with the public where there is the possibility of violence.

How to Protect Yourself

Consider these tips for greater safety when working alone:

• Talk to your boss and colleagues about your job, the hazards and how to minimize them.
  • Can work be rescheduled so you do not have to work alone?
  • Can the buddy system be used?
• Follow your employer’s check-in system and check in at the scheduled regular intervals.
  • Agree on a tracking method to be used if you are overdue.
  • Carry a personal alarm, cell phone or two-way radio. Manage the batteries so you will always be able to use them.
• Use a buddy system in higher risk situations.
• File a travel plan and let people your route and ETA when you drive somewhere alone.
  • Keep vehicles well-maintained to avoid breakdowns.
  • Stock an emergency survival kit in the vehicle.
• When visiting a possibly intimidating client, take a taxi and have the driver wait outside.
• If you work alone late at night, get a security escort to your vehicle or bus stop.
• Handling cash or other valuables puts you at risk for violent robbery.
  • Have your employer take steps to reduce the amount of cash on hand to lower the incentive for robbers.
  • Have your work area arranged for maximum visibility from windows.
  • Get training in how to avoid and handle a robbery and learn to use the security system.

Final Word

Some people enjoy working alone and choose solitary jobs on purpose. An injury or a violent encounter can take the fun out of your work, so be prepared to work as safely as possible when you work alone.

Pretend you’re the supervisor who instructed this chap to do this work. First, discuss what could have been done in advance to make this scene safer. Second, discuss what your reaction would be if you pulled up to this scene and saw how the work was being performed.

https://i.redd.it/o9clullwphy11.jpg

What could have been done in advance?

• Conduct a hazard assessment to determine hazards – present and anticipated – and control measures that must be in place before work begins.
  • PPE needed – safety glasses, hearing protection, possibly a faces shield. What else?
  • Traffic control.
  • Possible solution to ergonomic issues related to awkward/bent posture. Though the hazard assessment might determine the risk for an ergonomic injury is low and no control is needed.

What would you do if you arrived upon this scene?

• Ask the worker if he was instructed to wear PPE – and if so, find out why he wasn’t wearing it.
  • Was it not provided?
  • Did he forget it?
  • Was the fit or something else wrong with it?
• Discuss traffic hazards and if anything needs to be done to address these hazards.
• Check with worker regarding his awkward bent posture. If the work can’t be performed in a different position, talk to the worker about taking regular rest breaks.

What other hazards and subsequent control measures can you come up with?

There is a direct link between the profitability of your business and your manager’s focus on what is important – the quality and quantity of time they spend actively planning, communicating and following up on the key drivers of profit – but the odds are against you.

Studies conducted with well over 1,000 managers reveal that a typical manager spends only 23 seconds per employee per day actively managing the business. Additionally, a typical manager will spend better than 90% of his day in meetings or behind the desk – not at the point of execution where profits are won or lost. Where does the time go?

It is rarely the manager that is to blame. In nearly nine hours of daily work, a manager will spend 50% or more of his time fighting fires that relate to urgent needs of the business; fires that start as a result of weak or ineffective processes, a lack of appropriate planning, or a lack of measurement on the drivers of the business. Add meetings and administration to the day and there isn’t much left for proactive planning, assignment and follow-up.

Management by urgency is extremely common in all types of businesses and can be attributed to four main causes:

• The best fire-fighters are recognized and promoted
• The process lacks appropriate controls
• The planning and results measurement is weak
• There is no time for continuous improvement

Managing what is important requires careful planning of the key drivers of profit, a clear communication to employees of what the expectations are, a set of tools to manage the predictability of the process, and a systematic behavior pattern that will remove obstacles before they become urgent.

Who is Carpedia?

We are a tactical resource used by high performance organizations interested in step change performance improvement. With no capital investment required and using only the assets already deployed, our teams are imbedded within an organization fulltime to get the job done on predetermined timelines and cost. Our clients see the Business Case before they engage us. Engagements are selffunding in the first year, typically with multiples.

We do not write reports, we get results. We work in multiple industries with world-class organizations such as Alcatel, NAPA Rayloc, Ritz Carlton, H.J Heinz, Manulife, and The NY-Presbyterian Hospital.

Results

“In the past, supervisors spent most of their day fire fighting and working on reports and e-mails, while placing little focus on closely managing their direct reports. Today, these supervisors lead their teams to reaching aggressive [expectations] and they understand how to remove obstacles to enhance the performance of their team.” President Client Company

Learn More

To schedule a meeting please call:
Mr. Greg Peacock
Executive Vice President
Direct Phone: 713-248-2148
E-mail: gpeacock@carpedia.com
Website: www.carpedia.com

CEO’s that identify, recognize, and attack the business constraint win – but they can’t do it themselves.

In a survey of 1,000 qualified, intelligent and hard-working managers, only 10% could accurately identify and describe the constraints in their business. This lack of clarity by an overwhelming majority of managers fragments the direction of an organization and relegates improvements to localized successes. These localized “improvements” are unlikely to impact the financial performance of the business – If the improvements haven’t attacked the constraint why would a business expect financial return?

Of the 100 managers who could identify the constraints in their business, only 10 reported sustained profit improvement from their continuous improvement efforts. The most common reasons for lack of results were “Poor buy-in” from the management team, and a poor reconciliation of the results.

“Poor buy-in” is an awful term invented by consultants and managers who need to rationalize a lack of results. Good management behavior is the result of clearly identified, planned and scheduled constraints and the necessary tools with which to manage.

“Poor reconciliation” is a leading indicator of poor “buy-in” (behavior) – if you can’t measure the constraint, you can’t manage it and you certainly can’t improve it.

To make capacity, a CEO must triangulate the process (constraint identification), the management tools (results reconciliation) and behaviors (“buy-in”) to see tangible financial impacts at the point of execution.

Who is Carpedia?

We are a tactical resource used by high performance organizations interested in step change performance improvement. With no capital investment required and using only the assets already deployed, our teams are imbedded within an organization fulltime to get the job done on predetermined timelines and cost. Our clients see the Business Case before they engage us. Engagements are selffunding in the first year, typically with multiples.

We do not write reports, we get results. We work in multiple industries with world-class organizations such as Alcatel, NAPA Rayloc, Ritz Carlton, H.J Heinz, Manulife, and The NY-Presbyterian Hospital.

Results

“In the past, supervisors spent most of their day fire fighting and working on reports and e-mails, while placing little focus on closely managing their direct reports. Today, these supervisors lead their teams to reaching aggressive [expectations] and they understand how to remove obstacles to enhance the performance of their team.” President Client Company

Learn More

To schedule a meeting please call:
Mr. Greg Peacock
Executive Vice President
Direct Phone: 713-248-2148
E-mail: gpeacock@carpedia.com
Website: www.carpedia.com

We’ve developed this custom video loop to play in your break room, training room… any room! Just set it to stream and go. Covering the first quarter of safety topics from our 2020 safety calendar, you’re sure to send a message of safety while it’s playing.

What’s at Stake?

Tuberculosis (TB) is a serious and infectious condition that can affect different parts of the body but is most commonly considered to be a disease of the lungs. People often develop TB if their immune system is lowered due to conditions such as aging, major illness, and surgery.

TB is prevalent in the HIV community as well as the aged care population with a large proportion of the TB population being aged 65+.  People living in poverty or on the streets are also at high risk of developing TB.

What’s the Danger?

People with latent TB are not infectious and do not show any signs of having the condition unless they are tested. While latent TB is treatable, it does require a strict regime of a high number of drugs over a period of time until tests are negative. This regime is not easy for people to follow and non-completion of the treatment course is a problem. If latent TB is not fully treated, the person can go on to develop active TB, becoming ill themselves and infectious to others.

The two biggest risks of TB are lack of awareness of symptoms if someone develops TB and the ease with which it can spread to others through droplets carried in the air through coughing, sneezing and even just talking.

For these reasons, healthcare workers are screened before they start work in a facility and if they are exposed to TB during their work.  Employers must implement strict infection control protocols if a known TB sufferer either latent or active, is identified. This includes the provision of fitting, training, and wearing of respirators in high risk areas.

How to Protect Yourself

1. Know the signs of active TB

A person with active TB may have one or more of these symptoms.

• You feel sick and/or a bad cough that lasts 3 weeks or longer.
• Pain in the chest or coughing up blood or sputum.
• Weakness or fatigue.
• No appetite and weight loss.
• Chills, fever, and night sweats.

2. Be prepared to wear the N95 or higher respirator

• Be trained to:
  • know when you need it;
  • put it on correctly; and
  • check filters are changed/cleaned as per the manufacturer’s instructions.
• Make sure it fits.
• Wear it when:
  • entering a room housing individual with suspected or confirmed infectious TB;
  • present during high hazard procedures or services; and
  • transporting an individual with suspected or confirmed TB in a closed vehicle.
• Dispose of the respirator correctly after use.

3. Be tested

• If exposed to airborne droplets from a known TB sufferer:
  • report as per your facility’s exposure control plan;
  • get tested; and
  • take medications as prescribed.
• Have regular testing, as offered by your facility.

4. Keep in isolation

• If a patient is confirmed as having active TB either,
  • provide all care in a respiratory acid-fast bacilli (AFB) isolation room; or
  • arrange transfer to a suitable facility with a full exposure control plan in place to cover the transfer and settling into new facility.
• When providing care in a respiratory AFB isolation room (a room with negative pressure or superior ventilation to minimize escape of airborne droplets) follow these precautions:
  • Keep doors closed except for the purpose of entering or exiting to help maintain negative pressure in room.
  • Limit access to these rooms to specific employees.
  • Combine tasks to prevent excessive traffic in the room.
    • For example: Rather than having the dietary aide bring in food, the nurse could combine tasks by bringing in food with medications and bedding as she performs morning care for the patient.
  • Locate air intake ducts away from doors.
  • Warning signs shall be posted outside the respiratory isolation or treatment room.
    • g. “STOP”, “HALT”, or “NO ADMITTANCE”.
    • Biological hazard symbol and a descriptive message (e.g., ” No Admittance Without Wearing a Type N95 or More Protective Respirator” or “See Nurses’ Station Before Entering This Room”).
  • The precaution sign must remain after someone who was infectious left the room and respirators must be used if entering the room, until the area is ventilated for the time necessary to obtain 99.9% removal efficiency.
• Ensure biological hazard tags are on any air transport components (e.g., fans, ducts, filters) that may contain air infected with M. tuberculosis

5. Clean up when room/area vacated

• Normal cleaning procedures can be used, i.e. an EPA approved germicide/disinfectant. (It does not need to be tuberculocidal for routine cleaning of a TB isolation room.)
• Follow isolation practices and wear a Class N95 or more protective respirator, while cleaning rooms of an infectious patient.
• For final cleaning of the isolation room after a patient has been discharged, PPE is not necessary if the room has been ventilated for the appropriate amount of time.

6. Take note

• Facilities where a member of staff is diagnosed as having TB after workplace exposure need to notify the appropriate agencies.

Final Word

Active tuberculosis infection is a highly infectious, serious, and increasingly fatal condition.  The risk of healthy individuals developing an active TB infection after being exposed to the bacteria is relatively low, but they are at risk of developing latent TB. Although this is not infectious and causes no problems while it is latent, everyone with it is at risk of it developing into the infectious active form, causing the individual to become ill and putting their families and members of the community at risk of developing TB.

Safety Talk

What’s at Stake?

Maintenance workers may be involved in new landscaping, plantings or playground equipment footings with the aid of a shovel or powered digging equipment. Digging also encompasses excavation and trenches. The former is a hole left in the ground as a result of removing material. The latter is an excavation in which the depth exceeds the width.

What’s the Danger?

All digging whether it is confined to landscaping, plantings or to working in a trench has serious health and safety concerns. To start with, all digging including trenching and excavation work, is inherently dangerous work.

Studies show that excavation work is one of the most hazardous types of work done in the construction industry. Injuries from excavation work tend to be of a very serious nature and often result in fatalities. The risk of trench cave-ins is the most significant hazard.

Other hazards to working in excavations and trenches includes:

• Falling into the excavation or trench.
• Electrical shock from cable or wire contact.
• Exposure to gases, from pipeline damage or presence of natural gases.

How to Protect Yourself

Follow these safety precautions to protect yourself when doing excavation work.

• Watch your back.
  • Try not to work bent over and reaching away from your body.
  • Lift with the strength in your legs.
  • Take shovel loads you can handle without back strain.
  • Turn your feet instead of twisting your body when you deposit the dirt.
• Whenever you are doing physical work outdoors:
  • Drink water frequently to prevent heat stress.
  • Cover up and use sunscreen to prevent sunburn.
  • In cold weather, dress warmly but in layers so you can remove clothing if you get too warm.
• Locate utilities before you dig.
  • Contact the power and natural gas company so you can avoid contact with lines and pipes.
  • Workers have been killed by a shovel touching a buried electrical line or a backhoe hitting a natural gas pipe.
• Excavations must be planned for safety.
  • They should be supported and stabilized to prevent cave-ins.
    • This may be sloping the bank, shoring the banks with materials such as wood, installing a trench box or making steps in the sides of the excavation.
    • The possibility of cave-in depends on the size and depth of the hole, the type of soil, water content of the soil and the weather conditions of the day, such as wet or freezing weather.
  • Barricade excavations to keep unauthorized persons out.
• Gasoline-powered augers are also used for digging jobs.
  • These may be powered by tractors or operated separately.
  • Never refuel while the engine is hot.
  • Keep away from rotating equipment and don’t wear loose-fitting clothing because of the danger of entanglement.
• Operate heavy equipment only if you are trained and authorized to do so.
  • Use your seatbelt.
  • Watch for fellow workers on foot.
• Watch for overhead power lines when operating digging equipment. Many electrocutions have occurred when heavy equipment hits a power line.
• Check the trench for poisonous spiders, snakes, rats or even larger animals each morning before beginning work. If you come across something, call your supervisor.

Final Word

Make safety the bedrock of your work when you are digging.