safety – Page 15 – Risk Management 365

Fertilizer Plant Explosion – What is Anhydrous Ammonia? –

“Our thoughts and prayers go out to those that were killed and injured in the fertilizer plant explosion in Texas. Some of those were firefighters. We must never take our firefighters and first responders for granted as they risk their lives everyday on our behalf. “ -Randy Boss

Firefighters at the scene of a massive fertilizer plant explosion in Texas were concerned Wednesday night about anhydrous ammonia. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, anhydrous ammonia is a pungent gas with suffocating fumes that is used as a fertilizer. When exposed to humans, it can cause various problems:

Anhydrous means without water
Anhydrous ammonia can rapidly cause dehydration and severe burns if it combines with water in the body
Symptoms can include breathing difficulty; irritation of the eyes, nose or throat; burns or blisters.
Exposure to high concentrations can lead to death.
Victims require treatment with large quantities of water for at least 15 minutes
It must be stored at high pressure, according to the University of Minnesota.
It is a low-cost, highly effective nitrogen-based fertilizer, the University of Arkansas said.
It is one part nitrogen and three parts hydrogen.
When released, the vapors initially move close to the ground, causing greater risk for exposure.

via What is anhydrous ammonia? – CNN.com.

Creating a Safety Culture

Why do you want a strong safety culture?

It has been observed at the OSHA VPP sites and confirmed by independent research that developing strong safety cultures have the single greatest impact on accident reduction of any process. It is for this single reason that developing these cultures should be top priority for all managers and supervisors.

What is a safety culture – how will it impact my company?

Safety cultures consist of shared beliefs, practices, and attitudes that exist at an establishment. Culture is the atmosphere created by those beliefs, attitudes, etc., which shape our behavior. An organizations safety culture is the result of a number of factors such as:

Management and employee norms, assumptions and beliefs;
Management and employee attitudes;
Values, myths, stories;
Policies and procedures;
Supervisor priorities, responsibilities and accountability;
Production and bottom line pressures vs. quality issues;
Actions or lack of action to correct unsafe behaviors;
Employee training and motivation; and
Employee involvement or “buy-in.”

via Safety and Health Management Systems eTool | Module 4: Creating Change – Safety and Health Program Management: Fact Sheets: Creating a Safety Culture.

Tornado Safety at Home, Work, or at Play

Have a Plan at Home, at Work, and When You’re Away

In a home or building, move to a pre-designated shelter, such as a basement, and get under a sturdy table or the stairs. A specially-constructed “safe room” within a building offers the best protection. Use an internet search engine and search for “safe room” for more information.

If a basement is not available, move to a small interior room or hallway on the lowest floor and cover yourself with anything close at hand: towels, blankets, pillows. If possible, get under a sturdy table, desk or counter. Put as many walls as possible between you and the storm. Stay away from windows.

If caught outdoors, seek shelter in a sturdy building. If you cannot quickly walk to shelter, get into a vehicle, buckle your seatbelt and drive to the closest sturdy shelter. If flying debris occurs while you are driving, pull over and park. Now you have two options as a last resort:

– Stay in the vehicle with the seatbelt on and place your head below the windows.

– If you can safely get noticeably lower than the roadway, exit the vehicle and lie in that area, covering your head with your hands. Do not seek shelter under an overpass.

Mobile homes, even if tied down, offer little protection from tornadoes. You should leave a mobile home and go to the designated storm shelter or the lowest floor of a sturdy nearby building.

When vacationing, always bring along a NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards and have a place of safety in mind in the event severe weather threatens.

via Tornado Safety at Home, Work, or at Play.

Risk Management 365

This is post number 365 since I launched this blog a year ago. To date we have had over 8000 views and growing every day.

So what is Risk Management 365 anyway? It’s following a 5 step process of managing risk 365 days a year not just buying insurance once a year. Insurance is NOT risk management ! There is no amount of insurance that can reverse a serious injury or death of a father, grandmother, son or grandchild. We live in a dangerous unhealthy world but though education and support from committed employers and engaged employees and their families we are making a difference. How many people quit texting while driving or began a regular exercise program after reading about it in this blog? How many children now wear a helmet when riding their bike? How many people recognized the signs off a heart attack and got treatment? If you have I would love to hear from you.

Our mission is “Keeping employees and their families healthy and safe at home and at work.”

Learn more about Ottawa Kent and the Risk Management 365 process at www.ottawakent.com

Protect Your Coworker’s – Keep Them Safe

Protect coworkers from deadly distractions. Improve your own safety awareness. Have no regrets. These are just a few reasons why you should maintain a close watch on your fellow employees and ensure they are working safely.

Here are five reasons employees should watch out for each other’s safety:

1. When you keep an eye on other people’s safety, your own safety awareness improves.

2. Even “safe” workers can get distracted.

3. We’re all at risk of occasional cognitive failure.

4. You’ll never have to regret that you could have said something but didn’t.

5. It’s just the right thing to do.

via Safety 2012: Be Your Coworker’s Keeper | Safety content from EHS Today.

Work Zone Safety Tips

Everyone plays a role in maintaining a safe work zone area during roadway construction. To play your part, follow these tips while driving through a work site:

DO…

Pay attention to the orange diamond-shaped warning signs or electronic message boards posted in advance of a road construction project.
Stay alert. Dedicate your full attention to driving.
Minimize distractions. Avoid changing radio stations, using a cell phone, etc. while driving in a work zone.
Drive carefully and slowly through the construction site; always obey the posted speed limits in the work zone area.
Pay close attention and heed directions on work zone warning signs. Signs and work zone flaggers save lives.
Watch for stopped or slowing traffic. Do not tailgate.
Expect the unexpected. Anticipate potential dangers.
Watch how the traffic ahead is flowing.
Keep an eye out for construction workers, their equipment and vehicles, as well as the vehicles around you.
Use extra caution when driving through a site at night.
Watch for detours and lane diversions.

DO NOT…

Speed up or slow down significantly while going through a work zone.
Slow down to look at the construction work being done.
Resume normal speed until after you emerge completely out of the work zone area.
Tailgate. Most of the accidents within a work zone are rear-end collisions.
Change lanes within a work zone.

Most states have instituted new laws regarding work zones; penalties for speeding in these areas are double that of the normal penalties for speeding in a non-work zone stretch of road.

via Work Zone Safety Tips | EHS Today | Construction content from EHS Today.

Business Case for Safety and Health

Employers that invest in workplace safety and health can expect to reduce fatalities, injuries, and illnesses. This will result in cost savings in a variety of areas, such as lowering workers’ compensation costs and medical expenses, avoiding OSHA penalties, and reducing costs to train replacement employees and conduct accident investigations. In addition, employers often find that changes made to improve workplace safety and health can result in significant improvements to their organization’s productivity and financial performance.

via Business Case for Safety and Health – Benefits.

Conflict Resolution

Are people fighting more these days, or does it just seem that way? Whatever the case, learning to resolve conflicts can help young people break down barriers, become leaders, and even prevent deadly confrontations.

Conflict can be negative – in its ultimate form it can lead to war – but it can also be positive, depending on how it’s resolved. For example, it can help get feelings out in the open, help people learn from disagreements, resolve problems, gain someone more respect, or enable people to learn that others are willing to stand up for themselves and what they believe in. In fact, conflict is a natural human process that doesn’t have to lead to violence; conflict resolution and anger management techniques can provide opportunities for people to grow and improve their relationships and the quality of life of those around them despite the inevitable disagreements that arise.

via Conflict Resolution — National Crime Prevention Council.

Safety and Health Add Value

Addressing safety and health issues in the workplace saves the employer money and adds value to the business. Recent estimates place the business costs associated with occupational injuries at close to $170 billion – expenditures that come straight out of company profits.

When workers stay whole and healthy, the direct cost-savings to businesses include:

lower workers’ compensation insurance costs;
reduced medical expenditures;
smaller expenditures for return-to-work programs;
fewer faulty products;
lower costs for job accommodations for injured workers;
less money spent for overtime benefits.

Safety and health also make big reductions in indirect costs, due to:

increased productivity;
higher quality products;
increased morale;
better labor/management relations;
reduced turnover;
better use of human resources.

Employees and their families benefit from safety and health because:

their incomes are protected;
their family lives are not hampered by injury;
they have less stress.

Simply put, protecting people on the job is in everyone’s best interest – our economy, our communities, our fellow workers and our families. Safety and health add value to businesses, workplaces and lives.

via Employee Health and Safety – SmallBusinessNotes.com.

Protect Children From Falls

We all want to keep our children safe and secure and help them live to their full potential. Knowing how to prevent leading causes of child injury, like falls, is a step toward this goal.

Thankfully, many falls can be prevented, and parents and caregivers can play a key role in protecting children.

Prevention Tips

Play safely. Falls on the playground are a common cause of injury. Check to make sure that the surfaces under playground equipment are safe, soft, and well- maintained (such as wood chips or sand, not dirt or grass).
Make your home safer. Use home safety devices, such as guards on windows that are above ground level, stair gates, and guard rails. These devices can help keep a busy, active child from taking a dangerous tumble.
Keep sports safe. Make sure your child wears protective gear during sports and recreation. For example, when in-line skating, use wrist guards, knee and elbow pads, and a helmet.
Supervision is key. Supervise young children at all times around fall hazards, such as stairs and playground equipment, whether you’re at home or out to play.

via CDC – Injury – Safe Child – Falls.