Eye Safety - On the job tool box talks

Safety glasses protect your eyes and will save your sight - if you wear them.  They offer no protection in your back pocket, your pickup truck or left at the house.  People who wear glasses quickly become used to them.  Unfortunately, people who don't wear  glasses have never developed these habits.  When it comes to eye protection, too often people forget, and safety glasses and goggles grow dusty laying unused.  

The most common complaint about eye protection is that it's uncomfortable.  That's why such equipment must be carefully fitted.  Frames must be light, straight and properly adjusted.  The lens size should be correct for the wearer, as should the fit of the bridge of the nose and at the temple.  

When your goggles or glasses are dirty, dusty or grimy, they can interfere with your vision - so take time to clean them.  Don't touch the lenses with your fingers.  never lay goggles or glasses down so the lenses touch something that could scratch or pit them.  Store eye protection so that the lenses will be protected.  During hot weather, use a sweatband to help keep perspiration off your goggles.  Lens "FOG" problems can be eliminated by using an anti-fog preparation.  

Some people complain that goggles give them a headache.  Here again, proper fit is important.  Be sure goggles are worn correctly.  The head strap on cup goggles should be adjusted for just enough tension to hold them securely and should be worn low on the back of the head.  

Eye protection is important off the job as well as on the job.  Here are some tips you can use both at work and at home.  Study the label and instructions for eye protection before using cleaning products, pesticides, and herbicides.  Consult the chemical MSDS sheet for Personal Protective Equipment recommended.  Be sure nozzles are directed away from you and hoses are in good condition.  Wear goggles to protect your eyes when handling acids and caustics.  Keep the tools you use in good repair.  

Remember, eye injuries are preventable.  Take the time to keep your eyes safe on the job and off the job.

This information provided by: The Assurance Agency

Falls Through Holes and Openings CPWR Toolbox Talk

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Holes and openings are made in roofs and floors of buildings, both when they are built and when they are torn down. Workers can be injured or killed if they fall through the holes.

Guard or cover all holes you have created or uncovered before you leave the work area. Other workers might not notice and uncovered hole and could fall through.

Label all covers with the word "hole or cover" to provide warning of the hazard.

Keep an eye out for your coworkers and if a whole is uncovered take action to cover it, even if you did not uncover it.

Make sure covers can support at least two times the weight of workers, equipment and materials that may cross over them. OSHA Regulations require that covers be of standard strength and construction.

Secure all covers so they do not move.

This information provided by: CPWR

Immediately Dangerous to Life & Health (IDLH)

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A work environment that poses an immediate threat to an employee’s life and health are called Immediately Dangerous to Life & Health (IDLH).

An IDLH condition is one that poses an immediate or delayed threat to life or that would cause irreversible adverse health effects or that would interfere with an individual's ability to escape unaided from a space.

NOTE: Some materials may produce immediate transient effects that, even if severe, may pass without medical attention, but are followed by sudden, possibly fatal collapse 12-72 hours after exposure. The victim "feels normal" from recovery from transient effects until collapse. Such materials in hazardous quantities are considered to be "immediately" dangerous to life or health.

Potential IDLH Environments in Construction
Confined & Enclosed Spaces:
• Storage Tanks
• Process Vessels
• Bins
• Boilers
• Ventilation or Exhaust Ducts
• Sewers & Manholes
• Underground Utility Vaults
• Tunnels
• Pipelines
• Open top spaces more than 4 feet in depth
• Temporary Enclosures (heating enclosures for break)
• Dumpsters
• Stair-wells
• Elevator Shafts
• Basements
• Attics
• Trenches & Excavations

Behavior-Based Safety - On the Job Tool Box Safety Talks

Overview
There are many different views of behavior-based safety. Some consultants’ concepts are based on research; some are based on common sense. Some say behavior-based safety is all you need; others say it’s only part of the safety effort needed. Some say reinforcement is the answer; others say there are not enough opportunities for reinforcement in the workplace.  But, however your organization looks at it, behavior-based safety is the process of focusing on behavior to prevent/reduce occupational injuries.

Why should your company use behavior-based safety?
• Statistics reveal that 80% to 95% of incidents are caused by at-risk behavior.
• The frequency of injuries can be reduced.
• The entire workforce can participate in the process.
• Safety teams make safety improvements.
• Behavior-based safety requires progressive and proactive thinking.
• When added to a safety program already attempting to comply with regulations, behavior-based safety shows "good faith."

Key elements of behavior-based safety
• Employee/management involvement.
• Identification of safe and at-risk behavior.
• Observation.
• Feedback.
• Intervention (instructional, motivational, or supportive).

What must I do?
• As an employee who is concerned with safety, you can participate in the company safety program. Follow the work rules and processes that the company develops.
• Use all supplied personal protective equipment.
• Cooperate with the safety manager, superintendent or safety committee if they observe you at your workplace, or if they request information from you on how you work.

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From Assurance Agency

Weed and Weapons: Workplace Challenges.

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OSHA requires employers to provide a safe workplace for employees, which includes, among other things, ensuring employees are not impaired in a manner that creates a safety hazard to the employee and other employees, as well as protecting employees from workplace violence.  However, new laws regarding medicinal marijuana and the right to carry firearms, including concealed firearms, have created additional uncertainty and anxiety for employers, human resource and safety professionals, and supervisors.  These new laws have created uncertainty over a number of issues, including, but not limited to, when an employer can test an employee for suspected marijuana use, whether an employer can lawfully discipline employees for marijuana use, whether an employer can prohibit employees from bringing personal firearms to the workplace, and whether an employer can prohibit an employee from bringing personal firearms in company vehicles. 

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