safety – Page 13 – Risk Management 365

Construction’s “Fatal Four”

Out of 4,188* worker fatalities in private industry in calendar year 2011, 738 or 17.6% were in construction. The leading causes of worker deaths on construction sites were falls, followed by electrocution, struck by object, and caught-in/between. These “Fatal Four” were responsible for nearly three out of five (56%) construction worker deaths in 2011*, BLS reports. Eliminating the Fatal Four would save 419 workers’ lives in America every year.

Falls – 259 out of 738 total deaths in construction in CY 2011 (35%)
Electrocutions – 69 (9%)
Struck by Object – 73 (10%)
Caught-in/between – 18 (2%)

via OSHA Commonly Used Statistics.

Playground Safety

The playground should have safety-tested mats or loose-fill materials (shredded rubber, sand, wood chips, or bark) maintained to a depth of at least 9 inches (6 inches for shredded rubber). The protective surface should be installed at least 6 feet (more for swings and slides) in all directions from the equipment.
Equipment should be carefully maintained. Open “S” hooks or protruding bolt ends can be hazardous.
Swing seats should be made of soft materials such as rubber, plastic or canvas.
Make sure children cannot reach any moving parts that might pinch or trap any body part.
Never attach—or allow children to attach—ropes, jump ropes, leashes, or similar items to play equipment; children can strangle on these. If you see something tied to the playground, remove it or call the playground operator to remove it.
Make sure your children remove helmets and anything looped around their necks
Metal, rubber and plastic products can get very hot in the summer, especially under direct sun.
Make sure slides are cool to prevent children’s legs from getting burned.
Do not allow children to play barefoot on the playground.
Parents should never purchase a home trampoline or allow children to use home trampolines.
Parents should supervise children on play equipment to make sure they are safe.

via Summer Safety Tips.

What is Behavior-based Safety?

Behavior-based Safety is a method to use positive reinforcement to change unsafe behavior.

The system:

Is employee-based for continuous improvement;
Analyzes tasks and hazards to identify critical safety behaviors;
Analyzes behavior based on job observation;
Uses feedback about safety performance as reinforcement;
Behavior-based Safety Principles;
Behavior is the cause of accidents;
Consequences motivate behavior;
What gets measured gets done;
Feedback is essential to improvement;
Quality is built-in early in the process;
Conversations change organizations;
Behavior-based Safety and Integrated Safety Management.

via Safety Training – Safety Guidance Specialists: What is Behavior-based Safety?.

Texting and Driving is Dangerous

A texting driver is 23 times more likely to get into a crash than a non-texting driver.

One million people chat and text while driving each day. People feel pressure to remain in constant contact, even when behind the wheel. What drivers do not realize are the dangers posed when they take their eyes off the road and their hands off the wheel, and focus on activities other than driving.

The average text takes a driver’s eyes off the road for nearly five seconds. When traveling at 55mph, that’s enough time to cover the length of a football field. The message being conveyed is that texting while driving isn’t multitasking, it’s essentially driving blind.

via Texting and Driving Prevention.

Sleep, Performance, and Public Safety

Insufficient sleep may not have led the news in reporting on serious accidents in recent decades. However, that doesn’t mean fatigue and inattention due to sleep loss didn’t play a role in these disasters. For example, investigators have ruled that sleep deprivation was a significant factor in the 1979 nuclear accident at Three Mile Island, as well as the 1986 nuclear meltdown at Chernobyl.

Investigations of the grounding of the Exxon Valdez oil tanker, as well as the explosion of the space shuttle Challenger, have concluded that sleep deprivation also played a critical role in these accidents. In both cases, those in charge of the operations and required to make critical decisions were operating under extreme sleep deprivation. While the Challenger disaster put the multi-billion dollar shuttle program in peril, the Exxon Valdez oil spill resulted in incalculable ecological, environmental, and economic damage.

via Sleep, Performance, and Public Safety | Healthy Sleep.

Electricity – a serious workplace hazard.

Working with electricity can be dangerous. Engineers, electricians, and other professionals work with electricity directly, including working on overhead lines, cable harnesses, and circuit assemblies. Others, such as office workers and sales people, work with electricity indirectly and may also be exposed to electrical hazards.

Electricity has long been recognized as a serious workplace hazard. OSHA’s electrical standards are designed to protect employees exposed to dangers such as electric shock, electrocution, fires, and explosions. Electrical hazards are addressed in specific standards for the general industry, shipyard employment, and marine terminals.

via Safety and Health Topics | Electrical.

Skateboarding Safety

Skateboarding can be a fun way for children and adolescents to get exercise. However, an estimated 111,000 kids younger than 18 are treated in U.S. hospital emergency departments for skateboard-related injuries each year. Many of these injuries can be prevented.

Skateboarding Injury Facts: Of those children treated in U.S. emergency departments because of their skateboard-related injuries:

The three most commonly injured body regions are the wrist, ankle and face.
Broken bones, sprains, scrapes and bruises are the most common injuries.

Who is Most at Risk?

Skateboarders who are hit by a motor vehicle have the most serious injuries.
Skateboarders who ride on uneven surfaces have the most fall-related injuries.

Skateboarding Safety Tips

All skateboarders should wear a helmet and other protective gear (such as wrist guards, elbow pads and knee pads).
Teach children to never ride a skateboard in or near traffic.
Check the skating area for holes, bumps and rocks. Smooth surfaces are the safest for skateboarding.
Skateboarding at dusk or after dark can be dangerous. It is safest to skateboard during the day.
Encourage children to ride their skateboard in skateboarding parks.
Children younger than 5 years should not use skateboards, and children 5-10 years should not use skateboards without adult supervision.
Make sure your child wears a helmet to stay legal and safe.
Children riding on ripsticks should follow the same safety tips as children on skateboards.

via Injury Research and Policy Skateboarding Research :: Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, Ohio.

Bug Safety

Don’t use scented soaps, perfumes or hair sprays on your child.
Avoid areas where insects nest or congregate, such as stagnant pools of water, uncovered foods and gardens where flowers are in bloom.
Avoid dressing your child in clothing with bright colors or flowery prints.
To remove a visible stinger from skin, gently back it out by scraping it off horizontally with a credit card or your fingernail.
Combination sunscreen/insect repellent products should be avoided because sunscreen needs to be reapplied every two hours, but the insect repellent should not be reapplied.
Use insect repellents containing DEET when needed to prevent insect-related diseases. Ticks can transmit Lyme Disease, and mosquitoes can transmit West Nile Virus and other viruses.
The current AAP and CDC recommendation for children older than 2 months of age is to use 10% to 30% DEET. DEET should not be used on children younger than 2 months of age.
The effectiveness is similar for 10% to 30% DEET but the duration of effect varies. Ten percent DEET provides protection for about 2 hours, and 30% protects for about 5 hours. Choose the lowest concentration that will provide the required length of coverage.
The concentration of DEET varies significantly from product to product, so read the label of any product you purchase. Children should wash off repellents when they return indoors.
As an alternative to DEET, picaridin has become available in the U.S. in concentrations of 5% to10%.

via Summer Safety Tips.

Summer Safety – ALL-TERRAIN VEHICLES

All ATV riders should take a hands-on safety training course.
Children who are too young to have a driver’s license should not be allowed to operate off-road vehicles. Children are involved in about 30 percent of all ATV-related deaths and emergency room-treated injuries.
Don’t ride double. Passengers are frequently injured when riding ATVs. Most ATVs are designed to carry only one person: the driver. Passengers can make ATVs unstable and difficult to control.
Because their nervous systems and judgment have not fully developed, off-road vehicles are particularly dangerous for children younger than 16 years.
All riders should wear helmets, eye protection, sturdy shoes (no flip-flops), and protective, reflective clothing. Appropriate helmets are those designed for motorcycle (not bicycle) use, and should include safety visors/face shields for eye protection. Wearing a helmet may prevent or reduce the severity of these injuries.
ATVs lack the common safety equipment found on all cars and trucks that are designed for street use. ATV tires are not designed to grip on pavement, so operators should not ride on paved roads. Parents should never permit nighttime riding or street use of off-road vehicles.
Flags, reflectors and lights should be used to make vehicles more visible.
Drivers of recreational vehicles should not drive while under the influence of alcohol, drugs or even some prescription medicines. Parents should set an example for their children in this regard.
Young drivers should be discouraged from on-road riding of any 2-wheeled motorized cycle, even when they are able to be licensed to do so, because they are inherently more dangerous than passenger cars.

via Summer Safety Tips.

Gas Grill Safety Tips

Liquid petroleum LP gas or propane, used in gas grills, is highly flammable. Each year about 30 people are injured as a result of gas grill fires and explosions. Many of these fires and explosions occur when consumers first use a grill that has been left idle for a period of time or just after refilling and reattaching the grills gas container. To reduce the risk of fire or explosion, consumers should routinely perform the following safety checks:

Check the tubes that lead into the burner for any blockage from insects, spiders, or food grease. Use a pipe cleaner or wire to clear blockage and push it through to the main part of the burner.
Check grill hoses for cracking, brittleness, holes, and leaks. Make sure there are no sharp bends in the hose or tubing.
Move gas hoses as far away as possible from hot surfaces and dripping hot grease. If you cant move the hoses, install a heat shield to protect them.
Replace scratched or nicked connectors, which can eventually leak gas.– Check for gas leaks, following the manufacturers instructions, if you smell gas or when you reconnect the grill to the LP gas container. If you detect a leak, immediately turn off the gas and dont attempt to light the grill until the leak is fixed.
Keep lighted cigarettes, matches, or open flames away from a leaking grill.
Never use a grill indoors. Use the grill at least 10 feet away from your house or any building. Do not use the grill in a garage, breezeway, carport, porch, or under a surface that can catch fire.
Do not attempt to repair the tank valve or the appliance yourself. See an LP gas dealer or a qualified appliance repair person.
Always follow the manufacturers instructions that accompany the grill.

Consumers should use caution when storing LP gas containers. Always keep containers upright. Never store a spare gas container under or near the grill or indoors. Never store or use flammable liquids, like gasoline, near the grill. To avoid accidents while transporting LP gas containers, consumers should transport the container in a secure, upright position. Never keep a filled container in a hot car or car trunk. Heat will cause the gas pressure to increase, which may open the relief valve and allow gas to escape.Consumers should use extreme caution and always follow manufacturers instructions when connecting or disconnecting LP gas containers. Grills manufactured after October 1, 1995, are required to have three additional safety features to eliminate leak hazards: a device to limit the flow of gas in the event of hose rupture; a mechanism to shut-off the grill; and a feature to prevent the flow of gas if the connection between the tank and the grill is not leak proof. Consumers should consider purchasing grills that have these safety features.

via CPSC – CPSC Releases Grill Safety Tips.