Tag: Weekly Safety Message 11

  • Habits and Safety

    Habits and Safety

    We all have habits that we follow on a daily or weekly basis. These habits have a major effect on our life. They also affect the choices we make at work. The choice to follow a safety procedure on any given day could be affected by a habit you have had for years.

    Your Daily Habits

    Think about the habits you follow every single day. Start with waking up. Did you hit the snooze button once or twice? Do you do this every day? What about breakfast? Did you cook in the house, or did you stop at the same gas station you do every day to grab a quick bite to eat? Most likely, the choices that you have made from the point you woke up, to right now in this safety meeting, are the same choices you make every single day. These daily choices are your habits.

    How Habits Work

    According to Charles Duhigg, who is the author of the book The Power of Habit, there is a “habit loop.” The habit loop he describes in his book is a three-part process. The first part of the process is the cue or trigger, the second is the routine or behavior itself, and the third is the reward.

    Habits Safety TalkLet us take the example of you repeatedly hitting the snooze button and look at it as a bad habit you want to break. We will discuss the habit by looking at Duhigg’s habit loop. The trigger of this habit would be your alarm going off in the morning. While the alarm is blaring, your mind tells you it is okay to hit the snooze button and continue sleeping because, in the past, you have done it. Hitting the snooze button would be the behavior. The reward would be getting more sleep. To break this habit, you would need to change one of the three components.

    Looking at the routine first, maybe changing the location of your alarm to a location where you would have to get out of bed would work in breaking the habit. The alarm going off is still the trigger, but you have changed the routine by having to physically get out of bed, making it less likely you will go back to sleep. Another option to help break the habit is experiencing a different reward which would be having more time in the morning. By not hitting the snooze button repeatedly, you will experience a new reward of more time and less rush in the mornings before work. This reward alone over time may lead you to curve the habit of hitting snooze.

    Not all habits are easy to break, but you get the point.

    Habits and Safety on the Job

    Your habits may be leading you to consistently take shortcuts and not follow safety procedures. Are there certain safety procedures you always follow and others that you rarely follow? For example, you are a welder, and every single day you complete your JSA, but many days there are times you choose not to lower your helmet while welding. Why do you choose to follow one safety procedure but not the other? Maybe you complete your JSA every day because you have to turn it in at the end of the day, and you have learned that it gets reviewed.

    The reward would be not getting disciplined by a supervisor, so you choose to do the JSA every day. On the other hand, you choose not to lower your welding helmet because it is hard to see through, and you know supervisors rarely enter your work area. The reward is that you feel it is quicker to do the task, you can see better, and you have not been injured yet. In your mind, there is no consequence that will most likely come that is more negative than the reward you receive from not putting the helmet down, so you continue the behavior.

    Summary

    Pay attention to the habits you hold on to and how they affect you daily. How many of these habits are positive ones, and how many are negative? Look at the choices you make at work, and if they lead to negative behaviors, then look at changing them. By addressing the trigger or experiencing a different reward for your behaviors, you may find a way to change bad habits.

    Habits and Safety

  • Ensuring Continuity in Health Insurance Benefits

    UD will manage employee and retiree health insurance directly, effective July 1, 2025, to address the rising costs. Benefits will remain unchanged, and a Benefits Advisory Committee will be formed for ongoing input. More details will be shared during open enrollment. (UDAILY)

     

  • Rationalizing Unsafe Choices

    Rationalizing Unsafe Choices Safety Talk

    Making the decision to follow every single safety rule or procedure does not come naturally to us. We constantly have to work towards making the right decisions every single day. Many times individuals find ways to rationalize not working safely. It is important for each worker to recognize this error trap and address it when it arises.

    Why We Rationalize Unsafe Choices

    For the most part, we all know what the right choice is when it comes to safety during a specific work task. Safety training, policies, procedures, labels, etc., all communicate what needs to be done in order to mitigate hazards and work safely. The problem is, there are many factors that affect whether or not we want to make the right decisions at a given moment. A few of these factors include:

    • Time pressure
    • Lack of supervision around
    • Lack of enforcement of rules
    • Energy levels
    • Mood

    Individuals facing one or more of these factors will use them to rationalize to themselves why a certain safety rule does not need to be followed. For example, “I forgot my fall protection, but it will only take a minute to go up and right back down, so I will be fine.” We have all rationalized poor choices- whether it was choosing not to wear fall protection or rationalizing hitting snooze seven times before getting out of bed.

    rationalizing unsafe choices at work“It is the Normal Thing to Do”

    When there are other people around who are not making the right choices when it comes to safety, it becomes the “normal” thing to do despite not being the correct thing to do. When the norm is working unsafe, it makes it difficult for even the individuals who want to work safely to do so. Do not rely on a supervisor or safety person to have to tell you to do the right thing. Make the choice to do what is right despite what others may be doing.

    Summary

    Recognize when you are falling into the trap of rationalizing a poor decision, whether that is in your personal life or while on the job. Fight the urge to make the easy decision. Be a worker who follows the rules and helps reinforce a norm of adhering to safe work practices and procedures.

    Discussion point: What is an example of rationalizing a decision to work unsafe?

    Rationalizing Unsafe Choices

  • E-ZPass Text Scam Alert

    Delaware DMV warns of E-ZPass text scam demanding fake toll payments. E-ZPass Delaware never solicits payments via text or email. Avoid clicking links, report scams to the Internet Crime Complaint Center and visit E-ZPass Delaware for official account information. (Delaware.gov)

     

  • What is a Confined Space?

    What is a Confined Space?
     John Jacobs
     Confined Space
    A confined space does not necessarily mean a small, enclosed space. It could be rather large, such as a ship’s hold, a fuel tank or a pit.
    One of the first defining features of a confined space is it’s large enough to allow an employee to enter and perform work. The second defining feature is it has limited means of entry or exit. Entry may be obtained through small or large openings and usually there is only one way in and out. The third defining feature is that confined spaces are not used for continuous or routine work.
    Permit or not
    All confined spaces are categorized into two main groups: non-permit and permit-required. Permit-required confined spaces must have signs posted outside stating that entry requires a permit. In general, these spaces contain serious  health and safety threats including:
    • Oxygen-deficient atmospheres
    • Flammable atmospheres
    • Toxic atmospheres
    • Mechanical or physical hazards
    • Loose materials that can engulf or smother
    Although the danger in a confined space is obvious, the type of danger often is not. For example, a confined space with sufficient oxygen might become an oxygen-deficient space once a worker begins welding or performing other tasks.
    These are some of the reasons confined spaces are hazardous:
    • Lack of adequate ventilation can cause the atmosphere to become life threatening because of harmful gases.
    • The oxygen content of the air can drop below the level required for human life.
    • Sometimes a confined space is deliberately filled with nitrogen as a fire prevention technique. Nitrogen cannot sustain human life, so you must use respiratory protection.
    • Many gases are explosive and can be set off by a spark.
    • Even dust is an explosion hazard in a confined space. Finely-ground materials such as grain, fibers and plastics can explode upon ignition.
    • Confined spaces often have physical hazards, such as moving equipment and machinery.
    • Tanks and other enclosed confined spaces can be filled with materials unless the flow process for filling it is controlled.
    Before entering any confined space, you must test the atmosphere to determine if any harmful gases are present. There must also be radio contact with an attendant outside the confined space and a rescue team at the ready in case of an emergency.

  • Mapping the Lewes Campus

    UD students used autonomous robots to map the Lewes campus, creating a 3D-printed model and VR twin. The project provided hands-on experience in robotics, data analysis and environmental mapping, preparing students for careers in the Blue Economy. (UDAILY)

     

  • Battery Safety

    Battery Safety
     Safety Toolbox Talk Webmaster

     

    Batteries provide a portable – and usually safe – source of electrical power for countless applications. From tiny cells used in wristwatches to industrial-size utility backups, batteries keep things working for us.
    There are some hazards associated with batteries, however. The chemical reactions required to generate electricity involve toxic and explosive substances, harmful to humans and the environment. Large batteries can deliver fatal electrical shock.
    Consider the many uses for batteries in your workplace, such as personal lights, UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) units for electronic equipment, power for handcarts and forklifts, alarm and testing equipment, clocks, communications and bar code readers.
    Batteries produce hydrogen gas, also known as H2. This gas is explosive. When an accumulation of hydrogen gas mixes with oxygen in the air and meets an ignition source such as a spark, an explosion occurs. The result is often an eye injury from fragments of a battery or tool. The explosion also propels the hazardous content of the battery, such as sulfuric acid or lead. While it does not happen often, even an ordinary flashlight can explode.
    Excess hydrogen gas is likely to be produced when batteries are being charged, and when batteries are mismatched, connected incorrectly, damaged, overcharged or otherwise misused.
    These general safety tips apply to batteries of all sizes:
    • Read and follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
    • Do not mix batteries of different brands.
    • Do not mix old and new batteries.
    • Do not mix batteries of different types, such as alkaline and non-alkaline, or rechargeable and non-rechargeable.
    • Do not use damaged or leaking batteries.
    • Observe the correct polarity when installing batteries.
    A battery explosion is a serious matter in any work environment, but especially when the atmosphere of the work area is flammable. For use in hazardous atmospheres, observe all safety precautions to prevent fire and explosion. As directed, use lights and batteries designed to minimize the hazards of sparks. Make sure the batteries are in good condition and installed correctly. Open the battery compartment to allow any accumulated hydrogen gas to escape. Of course, you must not inspect your light in a hazardous area or near an open flame.
    Many workplaces have battery rooms where large batteries that power mobile equipment are charged and changed. Handling these batteries requires special training to prevent explosions and other kinds of exposure. The rooms have to be well ventilated. Workers need to use the correct battery lifting devices to avoid injury. Heavy batteries being moved from delivery vehicles to storage can also fall and crush toes.
    Large stationary batteries are also present in utility settings where they provide temporary power in an outage until the fuel-powered generator kicks in.
    These high voltage batteries are stored in secure, well-ventilated power rooms. Only trained, authorized personnel who know how to avoid shock, electrical arcing, blast and chemical hazards should handle them. Even an apparently discharged battery of this size can retain enough electrical power to kill. Combustible materials, sources of ignition – and unauthorized personnel – must be kept away from these areas.

  • Explore Spring Exhibits and Special Collections

    UD presents seven free exhibitions in spring 2025, featuring art, history geology and activism. Highlights include Old College history, Black womens artivism, Lincolns legacy, global minerals, Indigenous struggles, sculptural copper, and historical keepsakes. (UDAILY)

     

  • Awareness on the Job

    Awareness on the Job

    Over 80% of all workplace injury arises from worker behaviour. We make mistakes, errors in judgement or simply do not have our full attention on the job and something happens. There is also a tendency to get so focused on getting the job done that we do not recognize the obvious.

    A few years ago in the main shops there was an incident where a fairly new worker fell into a hole in the floor and required several stitches in his leg. The opening was well flagged off and the whole affair seemed a mystery. The post incident interview went something like this: So, you saw the caution tape? “Yes”. And you do understand what caution tape means? “Oh, yes.” And you stepped over the caution tape and fell into the hole? “Yes, that is pretty much what happened.” Either this guy was a complete moron or there was some other explanation.

     

    On further questioning, it turned out that he was on the end of a tag line at the time. He was so focused on keeping the plate steady that the consequences of stepping over the caution tape did not register. At first this seemed unbelievable. However, some recent research on workplace injury confirmed that focussed concentration on a task reduces the capacity to recognize obvious hazards. And a significant number of workplace injuries result from this kind of inattention.

     

    This applies directly to vehicle operation such as forklifts or even pickup trucks. There is a felt sense of pressure to get something done, we are driving totally wrapped up in the job and do not even seen the person walking in the path of travel. Every year there are countless incidents like this.

    Are there pressures and intense focus in our jobs? You bet. But it is how we deal with the pressure, how we handle the intense focus that is important. Now and again we have talked about the four second reset as a way of attuning ourselves to the hazards around us. Sometimes all it takes is a big breath when we sit behind the wheel of a vehicle. In truth, it is some conscious act of getting outside of the pressure or job focus that prevents this type of incident. How we do this is our individual preference or way of psychologically handling the job demands here.

    There is an old story about a man who is riding a very fast horse. As he gallops past a bystander the person shouts, “Where are you going in such a hurry?” The man answers, “I don’t know. Ask the horse.” The very same situation happens with many of us at work. We get caught up in the busy day. Direct the horse once in a while and you won’t ride over one of your co-workers or fall into a hole.

    https://safetytoolboxtopics.com/General/wally.html

  • Black History Month

    UD celebrates Black History Month with events, discussions, a book giveaway, an exhibition on Black women’s activism, educational resources, highlighting Black contributions, resilience, and storytelling in history, culture and social justice. (UDAILY)