Tag: Weekly Safety Message 37

  • Hand Safety and Injury Prevention Safety Talk

    Hand Safety and Injury Prevention Safety Talk

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    Hand Safety and Injury Prevention Safety Talk

    We use our hands for virtually every task we do at work, and because of this fact, they are commonly injured on the job. Keeping our hands and fingers out of harm’s way at work is critical. A serious injury to an individual’s hands or fingers results in a huge negative impact on their ability to work and overall quality of life. While safety gloves are the most common form of personal protective equipment (PPE) found in the workplace, hand injuries are still the second leading type of injury on the job.

    Hand Injury Statistics
    (source: www.bls.gov)

    • There are 110,000 lost time cases due to hand injuries annually.
    • 1 million workers are treated in an ER for hand injuries annually.
    • 70% of workers who experienced a hand injury were not wearing gloves.
    • Another 30% of victims had gloves on, but they were damaged or inadequate for the work task.

    Three Common Types of Hand Injuries

    1. Lacerations are the most common type of hand injury. Lacerations are due to sharp objects or tools. Often, inadequate gloves are used during an activity that involves a sharp tool. A glove with Kevlar is effective in protecting the hand against a cutting or slicing motion. A straight stab motion can still easily penetrate these gloves. Caution needs to be used when using sharp objects and any tools that can easily penetrate the skin.
    2. Crush injuries are usually due to employees placing their hands in the line of fire between two objects or on a rotating piece of equipment. Pinch points on equipment or tools also commonly lead to crush injuries.
    3. Fractures occur when there is a sudden blow to the bones in the fingers or hands. Motor vehicle accidents often cause fractures to the hands. Another common cause of fractures is an individual extending out their hands to catch themselves from a fall.

    Hand Safety Work Practices and Safety Procedures

    • Use tools to remove your hands from the line of fire when doing a work task that could result in injury to your hands or fingers.
    • Using tools such as push sticks when using a table saw is an example that removes your hands from the line of fire.
    • Avoid using fixed open-blade knives. There are safety knives that limit the length of the blade exposed. They also have a safety feature that retracts the blade when pressure is let off the handle or switch that controls the blade.
    • Never put your hand in an area where you cannot see it.
    • Wear gloves and hand protection. But not just any gloves. Always wear the appropriate work gloves for whatever task you are doing. Understand the limitations of your gloves and what work tasks they are appropriate for.
    • Never work on an energized piece of equipment. Lock and tag out the equipment to ensure there will not be an unintentional start-up while you are working on it.

    Discussion points:

    • What are some of the biggest hazards to our hands onsite?
    • Next time you are doing a simple task at home, such as setting the table for dinner, getting ready in the morning, or cleaning, try doing the task with one or two less fingers. It sounds like a silly exercise, but this can help put into perspective how hard it would be to complete tasks without some of our fingers. It is easy to take for granted our health and abilities when we have had them for so long.

    Hand Safety and Injury Prevention Safety Talk – Safety Talk Ideas

  • Exploring AI Innovation

    Studies show over half of American college students are using AI tools for academic work, so UD collaborates with Amazon Web Services are pioneering the use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) in education. (UDAILY)

  • Back Injuries and Prevention

    Back Injuries and Prevention Safety Talk

    Back injuries are some of the most prevalent and hardest-to-prevent injuries on the job. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than one million workers suffer back injuries each year, and back injuries account for one of every five workplace injuries or illnesses. These types of injuries account for a large majority of worker’s compensation claims every year.

    Back injuries often occur when:

    • An individual is lifting up an object
    • Using improper lifting techniques, such as lifting with the back and not the legs
    • Lifting an object that is too heavy for the individual
    • Twisting while lifting or carrying objects
    • Repetitive lifting during a work task

    Ways to Prevent Back Injuries

    Eliminate– The best way to protect individuals against back injuries is to eliminate as many lifts as possible during the workday. Using equipment such as forklifts, heavy equipment, dollies, etc., is the best way to eliminate handling and lifting objects by hand. Break down large or heavy objects that pose a hazard when lifting into smaller, safer loads when possible.

    Engineering Controls– Set up work areas that are ergonomically friendly to all employees. Install mechanical lifting devices and conveyor belts where feasible to limit handling objects. Install proper shelving and set up storage areas that keep objects and lifts within an optimal range. Keeping objects within the proper range helps keep employees from making awkward or dangerous lifts that can result in a sprain.

    Administrative Controls– Use the buddy system when lifting any awkward or heavy objects. Agree on weight limits for lifting. For example, having a policy to not lift anything over 100lbs as a team without first involving a supervisor to see if there is a safer way to complete the lift is an example of an administrative control. Also, always select employees who are physically capable of making the lifts of a task before the work begins.

    Personal protective equipment such as back supports or back belts has not shown to be overly effective in preventing back injuries. These devices often create a false sense of security when completing lifts. Individuals should focus on stretching and using proper lifting techniques over using a back belt to keep them safe.

    Discussion points:

    1. Are there hazardous lifts we can eliminate in our daily operations?
    2. Are we using engineering controls when we cannot eliminate a lift, or are we just completing the lifts without looking at a safer way to do them?

    Back Injuries and Prevention – Safety Talk Ideas

  • COMMENCEMENT 2024

    UD is planning graduation events for the Class of 2024 from May 21 to May 25. The main Commencement ceremony will be on May 25, featuring President Dennis Assanis. (UDaily)

  • Report All Injuries

    Importance of Reporting All Injuries Safety Talk

    We are all trained to report any near misses, injuries, or incidents to a supervisor or safety representative. Oftentimes, however, many of these incidents, especially first-aid type injuries, are not reported. Injuries are not reported because of many different reasons, but it is important to understand why all of them need to be.

    Reasons Why Incidents Go Unreported

    There are many reasons why incidents such as property damage, near misses, spills, and injuries go unreported. A major reason is often the individual’s pride. Most people do not want to admit their mistakes to others, especially at work. They may also fear the outcome of sharing what occurred with a supervisor.

    This fear may come from being afraid of being disciplined, what others think, or the repercussions of the incident. Another reason a person may not want to report an incident is because of the paperwork or energy involved in doing so. There are many other reasons why an individual may not want to share what happened to them, but this should never be the case.

    Why it is Important to Report Injuries

    report all injuriesThere are many reasons why you should report any type of injury, no matter the severity. The most important reason is to make sure the situation or hazard is made safe for not only yourself, but the others at the worksite. Another reason is to share your experience or the lessons learned from the incident with others to prevent it from occurring in the future.

    With injuries, even just minor ones, it is important to get them looked at by a supervisor or safety representative. While many injuries, such as a small cut or an insect sting, may not seem like a big deal, they can turn into one.

    A quick example: You are bit by some type of insect on a Friday afternoon at work, but decide not to tell anyone for various reasons. You leave work and are home for a few hours when you notice that the bite area is beginning to swell up. Along with the swelling, you notice that you have hives and are having trouble breathing. You realize it is a serious allergic reaction and needs medical attention. You tell the doctor you were bit or stung at work, and the treatment he gives you ends up being considered “medical attention.”

    Because it happened at work and you needed medical attention beyond first aid, it is now an OSHA recordable injury. In this situation, there are a few problems since the injury was not reported to someone at work immediately.

    1. There is no record or witness to it happening at work, which could raise concern by the employer whether or not the injury occurred at work. This may end up in a drawn-out dispute since there have been many people in the past who have faked or had injuries off the job, but stated it occurred at work in an attempt for it to be paid through worker’s compensation.

    2. If the injury was reported immediately, someone may have been able to recognize that it may develop into an allergic reaction. There could have been options for first aid instead of medical treatment to treat the issue before it worsened, which would have saved you a trip to the hospital and the company an OSHA recordable.

    Summary

    All injuries need to be reported, no matter how small. Not only does it protect you, but it also protects the company as a whole by possibly preventing a first aid injury from progressing into an OSHA recordable. You never know when something that seems minor in nature will develop into something more serious. There are also always lessons that can be learned, even from just minor injuries, to prevent others from occurring in the future.

    Report All Injuries – Safety Talk Ideas

     

  • Uncovering Unnamed Figures

    UD doctoral student Emelie Gevalt curates an exhibit at the American Folk Art Museum in NYC, titled “Unnamed Figures: Black Presence and Absence in the Early American North.” (UDaily)

  • Full Staff

  • National Council For Black Studies Relocates To UD

    The National Council for Black Studies and their new executive Director Professor Alicia Fontnette has relocated to the UD’s Department of Africana Studies. The move provides opportunities for academic excellence and interdisciplinary partnerships. (UDaily)

  • Half Staff

    Delaware flags are at half-staff in memory of former Delaware State Senator Myrna L. Blair who passed away on January 29, 2024.

  • Relying On Memory

    taking ownership of safety

    Relying on Memory Safety Talk

    The human memory can be an amazing thing, but it is also very flawed. While there are people that can remember small details about an event decades later, others cannot remember where they set their wallet down.

    Recognizing a hazard and just making a mental note of it is not a mitigation action. Memory should never be relied on as the sole safeguard against a hazard. If this is the case, the hazard is not mitigated.

    Short Term Memory Facts

    While many things we learn make it into our long-term memory, many details we face on a day-to-day basis only may only hit our short-term memory. Relying on short-term memory as a safeguard is extremely dangerous because of how limited it can be.

    SimplyPsychology.com states that short-term memory has three key aspects:

    1. Limited capacity- Only about seven items can be stored at one time.
    2. Limited duration- Storage is very fragile, and information can be lost with distraction or passage of time.
    3. Encoding- Primarily acoustic, even translating visual information into sounds.

    Looking at these three aspects, it is easy to see why short-term memory is not a reliable way to protect ourselves from the hazards of our work.

    Memory and Hazards

    There are many hazards that can be found on a worksite that should be eliminated instead of relying on memory that they are there. Some examples of these types of hazards:

    • Pinch points or moving parts of machinery. Wherever possible, pinch points or any place where someone can have their hands or body parts injured should always be guarded. Relying on memory to keep your body parts out of these areas or hoping that PPE will protect you if you are in the line of fire is unrealistic.
    • Fixed objects. Objects that are in a work area where they can be struck or create trip hazards should also be protected or removed. On a construction site, for example, there are a lot of objects that can be struck by heavy equipment, creating costly property damage incidents. Because of blind spots, operators have to rely on their memory that an object is there if other safeguards are not put in place. Safeguards such as using a spotter, physical barriers, orange fencing, a bright marker like a flag, or removing the object altogether are some ways to prevent a struck-by incident of a fixed object.
    • Incorrect job steps. Many work processes in a variety of industries require specific ordered steps that need to be followed to ensure safe and efficient operations. When individuals rely on memory to ensure all job steps, including the necessary safety measures, are taken, errors can be made, resulting in injury or loss of production. Safeguards such as proper training, job safety analyses, labels, standard operating procedures, step-by-step guides, operating manuals, verification processes, etc., are some ways to help mitigate memory error.

    Summary

    The human memory can be amazing as well as very unreliable. It is important to look at the different work tasks you complete throughout the day and look to eliminate hazards whenever possible. Secondly, look at other safeguards to try to protect yourself and others from these hazards instead of relying on your memory. Your memory is not a safeguard, and it is bound to fail over time.

    Relying on Memory