Employee
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Safety Focus of the Week: Cold Stress (Revisited)
Winter is at our doorstep, and it’s time to be prepared for protection against cold stress injuries.
Cold stress injuries can happen at many times of year but is obviously more of a concern now that the weather has turned significantly colder. We need to be aware of and protect ourselves from both frostbite and hypothermia.
Frostbite (cdc.gov website):
- Frostbite is an injury to the body that is caused by freezing.
- Frostbite causes a loss of feeling and color in the nose, ears, cheeks, chin, fingers, or toes.
- Seek medical care if you think you have frostbite.
More information: http://emergency.cdc.gov/disasters/winter/staysafe/frostbite.asp
Hypothermia (from cdc.gov website):
- When exposed to cold temperatures, your body begins to lose heat faster than it can be produced.
- Low body temperature may make you unable to think clearly or move well.
- You may not know you have hypothermia.
- If your temperature is below 95°, the situation is an emergency—get medical attention immediately.
More information: http://emergency.cdc.gov/disasters/winter/staysafe/hypothermia.asp
Safety Focus of the Week: Gloves (revisited)
I know you won’t forget your Real-Tree camo gloves on opening day of deer season. And, you shouldn’t forget to wear the proper gloves for protecting your hands at work.
Gloves are an important consideration for protecting our hands from extreme heat, cold temperatures, sharp/abrasive objects, chemicals/grease/oils/biological hazards, and to generally keep your hands clean.
Typically, gloves are one of four types:
- Leather, Canvas, or Metal Mesh
- Fabric & Coated
- Chemical and Liquid Resistance
- Electrically Insulating
Basically, if you work with your hands, then you should be wearing some types of gloves appropriate for the job hazards.
A useful reference for gloves is the OSHA Guide on Personal Protective Equipment:
Safety Focus of the Week: Controlling Exposures to Hazards – PPE
Controlling exposures to hazards are the key to a safe jobsite. This week we are discussing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). PPE is the bottom of the hazard pyramid and is the last level of protection from a hazard. As such, it is not intended to be the only protective system but instead a final level of protection as part of the entire hazardous control system.
PPE obviously consists of the protective gear worn on the worker and would typically include steel toe boots, hard hat, eye protection, hearing protection, gloves, dust masks, respirators, fall protection harnesses, and other specialty equipment. There are several key considerations for using PPE:
- Consideration for the hazards and exposures routes (air, skin contact, splash, etc.)
- Proper Fit and Use
- Maintenance/Cleaning of the Equipment
- Training for the specialty equipment (respirators, fall protection harnesses, etc.)
- Possible medical fitness evaluation for the equipment (respirators again)
Safety Focus of the Week: Vehicle Backing (revisited)
Backing incidents are the most common motor vehicle incident. Thankfully they are mostly minor with only property damage.
Fortunately, backing incidents are avoidable if the driver takes appropriate precautions:
- Walk around vehicle prior to a reverse movement
- Use a spotter
- Open your windows
- Use your mirrors and look around
- Avoid reverse movements when possible
- Park facing outward
- Plan your path prior to the reverse movement
Safety Focus of the Week: Exiting Equipment Safely
Stepping out of equipment or a heavy truck involves a greater risk of injury than stepping out of our cars and pickups. Therefore, stepping out of equipment requires special attention. Equipment typically involves multiple steps – some of which are challenging to see from above. Rough terrain such as broken rock can make the process even more hazardous. The surfaces of the steps can sometimes be slippery from mud or ice.
Here are several considerations to help us exit our seats safely:
- Think about your exit and don’t rush out of the equipment.
- Position the equipment securely on firm ground that’s sufficiently level to park and disembark
- Arrange the equipment boom and/or tool attachments in a secure position
- Arrange the equipment cab so the exit steps are convenient
- Engage the parking mode and/or hydraulic lock-out
- When possible, stand up and stretch before making any major steps. It doesn’t help that we might have been sitting in one position for an extended time.
- Always maintain 3 points of contract.
- Exit steps should be descended while facing the equipment.
- Never skip a step or jump off.
Safety Focus of the Week: Slips & Trip Hazards (Revisited)
Slip and trip hazards are often overlooked on a construction site where trench excavations, moving heavy equipment, and heavy crane lifts are often the major focus. However, while injuries from slips and trips might be far less serious (hopefully), they are far more common.
Here are some considerations:
- Site housekeeping is important.
- Dismounting of equipment:
- Dismount equipment only where steps are provided.
- Maintain 3 points of contact, just like on a ladder (facing the ladder).
- Park the equipment where ground surface is even, smooth, and away from hazards.
- Do not jump from the top of equipment tracks.
- Treat icy/slippery surfaces
- Establish walk areas on the site
- Do not walk on steep excavation slopes.
- Separate from equipment and highway traffic if possible
- Always be aware of the rail when working on the railroad (this might have come from a personal experience by the blog author)
Safety Focus of the Week: Demolition of Existing Utilities (revisited)
Our work frequently involves demolition of existing underground utilities, particularly water, sewer, power, and communication lines. Our duties for these demolition tasks include verification that the line is the correct utility and that it’s ready for demolition (out of service and de-energized). We should always confirm this with our client, the utility owner, and through our own evaluation. We should also notify the utility owner of the demolition schedule to allow for them to be present and, in some cases, we might strongly suggest their presence.
Occasionally, demolition becomes necessary for an apparently abandoned utility that isn’t indicated as such on any contract document. It is typically reasonable for us to assume that engineered drawings showing utilities to be demolished already have some type of approval from the utility owner. Without that implied permission, we need to request permission from the utility owner to demolish their property.
ECI’s Utility Demolition Permit was developed to verify the utility owner’s permission and to establish basic de-energization requirements.
From ECI’s Safety Manual:
Safety Focus of the Week: Digging In the “Tolerance Zone” (Revisited)
This week’s focus is digging safely around underground utilities. The Digsafe Excavator Manual includes procedures for excavating adjacent to underground utilities.
Within 18 inches of a utility is considered the 18 inch “Tolerance Zone” where excavation with heavy equipment is restricted until the location, depth, and dimensions of the utility are visually verified in a hand or vacuum excavated pit.
The Tolerance Zone is furthre described on pages 13 and 14 of the DGS Excavator Manual NOV 2015 for download
Safety Focus of the Week: Influenza (revisited)
Influenza (the Flu) afflicts many people starting around this time of year. Now is a good time to to get your flu shot since the flu season is yet to start and this year the vaccine is supposed to be very effective.
If you suspect you have the flu, it is imperative that you check with your health care provider and stay out of work to prevent infecting your co-workers.
Prevention:
- Influenza Vaccine. If you haven’t gotten one, do it.
- Wash your hands.
- Avoid contact with sick people.
Symptoms:
- A 100oF or higher fever or feeling feverish (not everyone with the flu has a fever)
- A cough and/or sore throat
- A runny or stuffy nose
- Headaches and/or body aches
- Chills
- Fatigue
- Nausea, vomiting, and/or diarrhea (most common in children)
Treatment:
- You can treat flu symptoms with and without medication.
- Over-the-counter medications:
- May relieve symptoms
- But will not make you less contagious.
- Your health care provider may prescribe:
- Antiviral medications to make your illness milder and prevent serious complications.
- May prescribe antibiotics if your flu has progressed to a bacterial infection.
For more information, or if you suspect you have the flu, check with your health care provider.
More information is also available from: http://www.flu.gov/
Safety Focus of the Week: The Basic Rigging Plan (Revisited)
Every lift should consider the following:
- Designate a qualified person to perform the rigging.
- Establish a communication protocol between the rigger and the crane operator.
- Work with the crane operator to determine:
- Crane radii and boom lengths to achieve the pick
- Crane capacity at the maximum pick radius at required boom lengths
- Crane reduction factors for special lifts or operations
- Clearances around the crane and along the pick travel path
- Inspect the rigging:
- Does the rigging have proper identification?
- Does all of the rigging have known working load limits?
- Evaluate the weight of the load and consider the capacity of the rigging.
- Evaluate the load’s center of gravity and plan the rigging to be balanced about the CG.
- Select/measure the appropriate sling angle.
- Consider any side or angular loading.
- Provide rigging protection from for any sharp corners, edges, or abrasive surfaces.
- Provide a tag line to control the load.
- Consider special environmental conditions (excessive heat, corrosivitity, etc.).
- Clear all personnel from suspended load path.