Randy – Page 47 – Risk Management 365

Heating Safety Tips

Heating equipment is a leading cause of home fire deaths. Almost half of home heating equipment fires are reported during the months of December, January, and February. Some simple steps can prevent most heating-related fires from happening.

Keep anything that can burn at least three feet away from heating equipment, like the furnace, fireplace, wood stove, or portable space heater.
Have a three-foot “kid-free zone” around open fires and space heaters.
Never use your oven to heat your home.
Have a qualified professional install stationary space heating equipment, water heaters or central heating equipment according to the local codes and manufacturer’s instructions.
Have heating equipment and chimneys cleaned and inspected every year by a qualified professional.
Remember to turn portable heaters off when leaving the room or going to bed.
Always use the right kind of fuel, specified by the manufacturer, for fuel burning space heaters.
Make sure the fireplace has a sturdy screen to stop sparks from flying into the room. Ashes should be cool before putting them in a metal container. Keep the container a safe distance away from your home.
Test smoke alarms monthly.

via Heating safety tips.

10 Workplace Safety Tips

Safe workplaces don’t happen by accident…They happen when there is a culture of safety within the workplace. To help encourage that culture of safety within your organization – here are 10 Workplace Safety Tips to follow.

Design a safe work area: A work area may include work benches, conveyors, furniture, equipment and vehicles. The layout of an area where a particular job is based is critical to preventing injuries and ensuring an efficient job and workplace;
Maintain a clean work area: A clean work area is a Safe work area. Not only will a clean environment remove many hazards, you will ensure greater productivity from your employees;
Involve your employees in the safety planning: The single most powerful source of motivation for workplace safety – is employee ownership of the safety process;
Provide clear work instructions: Provide thorough training and clear, written instructions and make sure that each worker reads and acknowledges your safety program;
Focus your safety efforts on the most likely problems: Although it’s necessary to plan for major safety concerns, your greatest impact will come from eliminating the small safety violations that contribute the most frequent injuries;
Encourage your employees to bring safety deficiencies to management’s attention: Employees who provide information and insight into common workplace safety issues are contributing to the culture of safety in your workplace;
Watch and learn how each employee performs their job: Watch for employees who are taking shortcuts that could reduce safety but also keep an eye out for employees who are performing tasks in an improved manner that could be adopted by the other staff;
Maintain all machinery in good working order: It is the employer’s responsibility to ensure that all machinery is in good working order and that a routing maintenance program is in place;
Avoid unnecessary hazards: Do a routine inspection of your workplace frequently to identify any unnecessary hazards;
Revisit your safety guidelines every year. Start off each year with an inspection of your workplace and a thorough review of your safety program.

via 10 Workplace Safety Tips for 2013.

Prevent Fire in Your Home

Most residential fires occur during the winter months. Keep candles away from children, pets, walkways, trees, and curtains. Never leave fireplaces, stoves, or candles unattended. Don’t use generators, grills, or other gasoline- or charcoal-burning devices inside your home or garage. Install a smoke detector and carbon monoxide detector in your home. Test them once a month, and replace batteries twice a year.

via CDC – Family Health – Holiday Health and Safety Tips.

Why Health & Safety Leadership is Important

Effective health and safety performance comes from the top; members of the board have both collective and individual responsibility for health and safety. Directors and boards need to examine their own behaviors, both individually and collectively, against the guidance given – and, where they see that they fall short of the standards it sets them, to change what they do to become more effective leaders in health and safety.

via Why leadership is important: Leading health and safety at work.

Halloween Safety Tips

Pumpkin carving tips:

Small children should never carve pumpkins. Children can draw a face with markers. Then parents can do the cutting.
Consider using a flashlight or glow stick instead of a candle to light your pumpkin. If you do use a candle, a votive candle is safest.
Candlelit pumpkins should be placed on a sturdy table, away from curtains and other flammable objects, and should never be left unattended.

via Halloween Safety Tips.

Learning From a Near Miss or Close Call

A near miss is an unplanned event that did not result in injury, illness, or damage – but had the potential to do so. Only a fortunate break in the chain of events prevented an injury, fatality or damage; in other words, a miss that was nonetheless very near. Although the label of ‘human error’ is commonly applied to an initiating event, a faulty process or system invariably permits or compounds the harm, and should be the focus of improvement. Other familiar terms for these events is a “close call”, or in the case of moving objects, “near collision” or a near hit.

via Near miss (safety) – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Keep Children Safe On-line

Almost all children today have access to the Internet through schools, libraries, community centers, or their home. And most 8 to 18-year-olds, 74 percent, have Internet access from their home computers according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Not only do more children have access to the Internet than ever before, but they are using it more, too. Many schools incorporate the Internet into their curricula and encourage online research for projects. But that’s not all kids are doing online. They also email, chat with friends through instant messenger and in chat rooms, play games, create websites and web blogs, and just surf the ‘net.

Even as kids grow savvier in their use of the Internet, it can still be a dangerous place. The good news is that most dangers can be avoided if children and their parents learn about smart Internet use.

via Internet Safety — National Crime Prevention Council.

Eye Safety

Each day about 2000 U.S. workers have a job-related eye injury that requires medical treatment. About one third of the injuries are treated in hospital emergency departments and more than 100 of these injuries result in one or more days of lost work. The majority of these injuries result from small particles or objects striking or abrading the eye. Examples include metal slivers, wood chips, dust, and cement chips that are ejected by tools, wind blown, or fall from above a worker. Some of these objects, such as nails, staples, or slivers of wood or metal penetrate the eyeball and result in a permanent loss of vision. Large objects may also strike the eye/face, or a worker may run into an object causing blunt force trauma to the eyeball or eye socket. Chemical burns to one or both eyes from splashes of industrial chemicals or cleaning products are common. Thermal burns to the eye occur as well. Among welders, their assistants, and nearby workers, UV radiation burns (welder’s flash) routinely damage workers’ eyes and surrounding tissue.

via CDC – Eye Safety – NIOSH Workplace Safety and Health Topic.

Autumn Driving Safety Tips

Make adjustments for the light. Did you know that we lose a minute of daylight every day until the clocks are set back in November? Fewer hours of daylight make it more difficult to see pedestrians, cyclists and children playing in the late afternoon. Also, later sunrises mean that drivers need to adjust to the brighter sun at different times of the morning. Always keep a pair of sunglasses in your car to shield your vision.
Avoid driving over wet leaves. Fall foliage is beautiful but once those leaves start falling and get wet from rain, they can become a serious driving hazard. Wet leaves are slippery and reduce traction.
Don’t Veer for Deer. If a crash with a deer is unavoidable, remember don’t swerve. Be sure to brake firmly and hold onto the steering wheel with both hands. Come to a controlled stop and move the vehicle out of traffic to a safe location.
Prepare an emergency kit for your car. Carrying an emergency kit in your car trunk or cargo area can be a real lifesaver. Be sure to include a flashlight, flares and a first-aid kit, jumper cables, extra washer fluid, nonperishable food, a jug of water, and a few basic tools such as wrenches, a ratchet/socket set, screwdrivers, and pliers.
Watch for frost. Low nighttime temperatures cause frost on windshields and roads. Be sure to clear your windshield completely before driving. Also, slow down when approaching bridges and overpasses, as these structures are more prone to collect frost on the roadway surface. Stay alert for shaded areas that could create black ice during early morning and evening hours.
Plan ahead for changing weather conditions. Have your car winterized before the winter storm season sets in. Keeping your car in good condition decreases your chance of being stranded in cold weather. Also, be sure to have a first-aid kit, thermal blanket, a working flashlight, a shovel and sand in your car.
Watch for construction work zones. Construction work zones may still be active. Consult MDOT’s Mi Drive traffic Web site to plan your route. Please remember to slow down and pay attention in work zones. The life you save could be your own.

via MDOT – Autumn Driving Safety Tips.

Work-related Health Challenges Facing Women

Women face different workplace health challenges than men. This is partly because men and women tend to have different kinds of jobs. Women generally have more work-related cases of carpal tunnel syndrome, tendonitis, respiratory diseases, infectious and parasitic diseases, and anxiety and stress disorders. Social, economic, and cultural factors also put women at risk for injury and illness. For example, women are more likely than men to do contingent work part-time, temporary, or contract work. Compared to workers in traditional job arrangements, contingent workers have lower incomes and fewer benefits. Like all workers in insecure jobs, women may fear that bringing up a safety issue could result in job loss or more difficult work situations. They may also be less likely to report a work-related injury.

via CDC – Women’s Safety and Health Issues at Work – NIOSH Workplace Safety and Health Topic.