Tag: Weekly Safety Message 49

Dropped objects are a serious hazard at many worksites. In 2017, there were 237 workplace fatalities due to falling objects (the most recent statistics available) in the United States, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Furthermore, OSHA estimates that over 50,000 “struck-by a falling object” incidents occur each year on construction sites alone.

Objects as small as a bolt can cause serious injury or even death when dropped from a higher level and striking an employee working on the ground. Outside of injuries and deaths, dropped objects are responsible for a large cost to employers due to property damage incidents as well.

Safe Work Practices to Prevent Dropped Object Incidents

Eliminate the hazard: Remove objects and tools from higher levels, scaffolding, or aerial lifts that do not need to be there. Removing objects that can pose a hazard to people working below is the best option to prevent a dropped object incident.

Engineering controls: Barricade zones below higher work levels to prevent personnel from walking into the line of fire of a dropped object. Install toe boards on higher work levels to make sure objects and tools cannot easily slide off an edge to a lower level. Place nets or some type of protective barrier above ground-level workers if there is continuous work being performed above a work area. Another engineering control is the use of tethers or anchors for tools and objects that are being used on a higher work level. This limits the object from falling.

PPE: Anytime there are overhead hazards present on a job site, hardhats need to be worn. PPE is always a last line of defense. Wearing a hardhat will only limit the damage a dropped object does, not prevent it from happening. Rely on eliminating the hazard or installing engineering controls to reduce the chance of objects striking ground personnel instead of PPE to lessen the blow.

Summary

Look at all work areas where a dropped object incident can happen. Situations such as using aerial lifts and working on scaffolds pose obvious hazards, but try to identify less obvious hazards. An example could be a large wrench sitting on the edge of a piece of equipment that has a mechanic working underneath or even a hot cup of coffee on top of a file cabinet. Paying attention to the smaller hazards translates to safety improvement at your work site.

Discussion points:

1. How can we prevent dropped object incidents on our site?
2. When working in your job area today, look for hazards associated with dropped objects and report them to your supervisor or the safety department to get them corrected.

Dropped Objects

There is a common saying that safety is everyone’s responsibility. What about culture? What is culture, and how does it affect safety and the work environment as a whole?

What is Culture?

Culture can be defined in many ways. A basic definition is “culture is the character and personality of an organization.” An interesting definition is provided by the CEO of AirBnb, Brian Chesky, in a letter about culture to his employees and why it is important to a company. He defined culture as: “a shared way of doing something with passion.”

Combining these two definitions together may make for an even better explanation. Culture is how what you do and how you do it, and the effects it has on the character and personality of the organization as a whole and vice versa.

Building the Culture

In Chesky’s letter, he goes on to discuss that building culture is done through living the core values of an organization. He states: “We have the power, by living the (core) values, to build the culture. We also have the power, by breaking the values, to mess up the culture. Each one of us has this opportunity, this burden.”

To further explain himself, he discusses why culture is so important to a business. He states: “Why is culture so important to a business? Here is a simple way to frame it. The stronger the culture, the less corporate process a company needs. When the culture is strong, you can trust everyone to do the right thing. People can be independent and autonomous… Ever notice how families or tribes don’t require much process? That is because there are such strong trust and culture that it supersedes any process. In organizations (or even in a society) where culture is weak, you need an abundance of heavy, precise rules and processes.”

Culture and Workplace Safety

Using the words written in this letter about building culture and its benefits of it, we can apply them to workplace safety. A company that truly takes action to ensure the safety of its employees, in turn, makes caring about employees’ well-being one of its core values.

Everyone plays a part in the culture on their job and in building the culture (or breaking it). When it comes to safety, the value of caring about your own well-being as well as those around you builds the culture. Actions such as following safety rules, safe work practices, and stopping work to address hazards are some basic examples of living the core value of caring about everyone’s well-being on the job. When employees do not want to follow the rules, put others at risk for injury, or take shortcuts, then the culture is weakened.

You, as an individual worker, play a part in the larger culture of the company. If a large part of the workforce on a job is taking shortcuts and ignoring basic safety rules, what can be said about the culture there?

The Benefit of Building the Culture

There is a benefit to everyone at a work site when the culture is built on positive core values. Referring back to the letter, where the CEO states: “The stronger the culture, the less corporate process a company needs. When the culture is strong, you can trust everyone to do the right thing. People can be independent and autonomous.”

When the individuals of the workforce demonstrate that they are committed to living the value of caring for each other’s well-being (safety), then there are much more autonomy and trust that is built. Meaning, rules and discipline are not needed to enforce safety; it becomes what is done. This allows the entire workforce to be able to enjoy a work environment that is more relaxed, respectful, and overall enjoyable to work at compared to working in a place where there is no trust, no autonomy, and where heavy rules and processes are relied on to attempt to force employees to take certain actions.

Summary

Culture is closely connected to safety on the job. When individuals choose to work safely and care about the well-being of each other, the culture can be strengthened. When a strong culture is in place through living the core values set by the company, everyone reaps the benefit of working in a safer and more enjoyable workplace.

Everyone is Responsible for the Culture

While staying safe on the road must be a high priority for New Year’s Eve revelers, it’s certainly not the only safety issue that you may confront as you ring in the New Year. However, with a little care and foresight, you can protect yourself from some of the more common New Year’s risks. Follow the tips below, and your biggest challenge on New Year’s Eve may be remembering all the words to “Auld Lang Syne.”

Partying – Ensure you have a designated driver for the night . . . even better, plan to stay where you are celebrating New Year’s Eve. You may be in fine condition, but you don’t know about the driver next to you or around the corner.

Champagne Corks – You can avoid eye injuries and broken windows, if you follow the advice of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and remember the number 45. That is, you should chill your champagne to at least 45°F, as this will make the cork less likely to pop out unexpectedly, and you should hold the bottle at a 45-degree angle, pointing it away from yourself and others. Then, after removing the wire hood, place a towel over the top of the bottle and grasp the cork. With the bottle in one hand, slowly twist the cork, applying gentle upward pressure. When you feel the cork about to pop out, reverse pressure to a slight downward tilt. If all goes well, you’ll have a cork in one hand, a full bottle in the other, and no injuries in sight.

Fireworks – When it comes to explosives, follow the same rules on New Year’s Eve that you would any other time of the year: Leave it to the experts. The best way to enjoy fireworks is to watch a public exhibition from a safe distance. If you feel you must light your own fireworks never allow children to handle or light any kind of fireworks.

Firearms – It is a tradition for some to shoot firearms up in the air. This is a very bad idea, especially in populated areas; as what goes up, must come down.

Have a Safe New Year!

https://safetytoolboxtopics.com/Seasonal/new-years-eve-safety.html

Take a moment for Christmas safety

“Merry Christmas” everyone. Christmas is here in a few short days and there are lots of activities going on which can act as distractions to our work. “Did that present we order arrive on time?” “Did we forget to invite anyone to Christmas dinner?” “What was I supposed to bring to that Christmas party?”

It is a challenge to stay focused at work during this time of year. So, this is when it is especially important to take four seconds for safety. When you find yourself working away and your thoughts running wild with all the plans and activities of Christmas, STOP, take those four short seconds to look around and come back to the present moment. Look for a hazard in the middle of your activity. Are you standing on a ladder? Are you in an awkward position or about to trip on something lying on the floor? Hazards do not go away. Only our awareness of the hazards goes away. And when we ignore hazards, we tend to get injured.

Christmas injuries tend to put extra stress on everyone. Imagine yourself sitting around the Christmas table in a leg cast because you fell off a ladder or tripped over something. Unfortunately, these stories are more common that all of us might admit. Injuries at Christmas seem to magnify how many people are affected by an injury to one person. How many people count on you each day to come home safely? If you add them all up you might be surprised.

Taking four seconds for safety may seem unimportant to you yet it is the one activity you might take during a busy and distracting day which will have the most benefit in keeping you safe.

Think of it as your Christmas present to yourself. In fact, you can think of each of those people who would be affected by an injury to you every time you take four seconds to refocus.

Think about this when you are about to drive away to some gathering this Christmas. The noise, the excitement, the distraction! Take a moment, take a big breath, count slowly to four, then drive away. Chances are that you will arrive safely once you focus for those four seconds.

Again, everyone, Merry Christmas! May the Blessings of this season warm the hearts of you and your families.

https://safetytoolboxtopics.com/Seasonal/christmas-safety.html

Gravity never forgets. As soon as you set foot on the  ladder’s first rung and pull your body off the ground, gravity works to bring you back to earth. Therefore, it’s no surprise that ladder safety begins from the ground up.

Start with a good foundation
Proper ladder setup will help prevent slips and falls. Place the base on a firm, solid surface. Avoid slippery, wet or soft surfaces. If you must put the ladder on a soft surface, place a board under the ladder’s feet to provide firm footing. Make sure the top of the ladder has firm support as well.

Never lean a ladder against a windowpane or other unstable surface. If you’re using a straight or extension ladder, the angle of the ladder is the next critical safety factor. A straight or extension ladder should be placed 1 foot away from the surface it rests against for every 4 feet of ladder height. For example, if the ladder is 4 feet high, the bottom of the ladder should be 1 foot away from the support surface.

If you use a ladder to access a roof or platform, make sure the ladder extends at least 3 feet over the roof or platform edge. Be sure to securely fasten straight and extension  ladders to the upper support. If you have angled the ladder properly and still have doubts about its stability, have someone hold the ladder before climbing up.

If you’re using a step ladder, be sure to open it completely before you climb. If you have to use a step ladder near a doorway, lock or barricade the door and post signs so no one will open it and knock you off the ladder.

Climb with care
When you climb, always face the ladder and grip the rungs of the ladder to climb, not the side rails. Never get on or off a ladder from the side unless it has been secured to prevent movement.

Never climb with equipment in your hands. Use your pockets, equipment belt, or a tool pouch and raise heavy objects with a hand line. If you forget something, always climb down the ladder to retrieve it yourself; don’t have someone toss it up to you. And never ask someone to climb up your ladder to give you supplies. It is dangerous to exceed the weight limits that a specific ladder can handle.

When you descend a ladder, practice the same safety rules. Face the ladder, keep your body square and hold on to the rungs. Lastly, step off at the bottom rung of the ladder. Never jump off a ladder.

Think before you carry
Before you start to haul a ladder around, evaluate the area where you’ll be working.  Ladders can be heavy and unwieldy. You can strike another person or object or hit electrical power lines. Make the ladder as compact as possible before transporting it. Carry it horizontally while tilting it higher in front and lower in back. If the ladder is particularly long and heavy, get a coworker to help you carry it.

Follow the rules
Ladder safety may seem simple, but injuries occur every year. Below are some ladder safety dos and don’ts:

• Use the right ladder for the job.
• Inspect the ladder before and after work.
• Read all warning labels carefully and follow directions before you climb.
• Clean the ladder after each use to prevent dirt buildup.
• Wear clean, dry, slip-resistant shoes and use ladders with slip resistant feet.
• Don’t stand any higher than the third rung from the top of the ladder.
• Don’t lean too far or overreach. Reposition the ladder closer to the work instead.
• Don’t use a ladder as a bridge or scaffold.
• Don’t put a ladder on a box, barrel or other object to gain additional height.
• Don’t use a damaged or unsafe  ladder.

Experts also warn about ladder use in bad weather. Descend immediately if high winds, rain or other inclement weather begins. Wind force can blow you off the ladder. Rain can make the rungs and the ground slippery. Bitter cold can make metal ladders more brittle and can cause other structural damage. If you encounter bad weather while on a ladder, do not speed up to finish the job and risk injury. Wait to finish the job until conditions are once again safe.

Remember, don’t let gravity get you down. Practice ladder safety rules every time you climb to make your work easier, faster and safer.

https://safetytoolboxtopics.com/Ladders/gravity-always-wins.html