Stay Safe on Portable Ladders TBT

Overview
Your ladder can be a great help on the job. It is uncomplicated and simple to use. But don't be fooled; you shouldn't take ladder safety for granted. As with any other workplace task, care is required on ladders to maintain your safety. The following points serve as guidelines for portable ladder use.

1. Use the ladder only for its intended purpose. Don't use step ladders as single ladders or when partially closed. Likewise, don't climb the back sections of combination ladders, when used as step ladders.

2. Don't use a ladder as a brace, skid, lever, guy or gin pole, gangway, platform, scaffold, plank, material hoist, or any other use for which it was not intended.

3. Don't build makeshift ladders out of chairs, benches, or boxes. If the job calls for a ladder, take the time to find one.

4. Don't set up a ladder on a scaffold to gain extra height.

5. Make sure there's only one person on a ladder at a time.

6. Don't move a ladder while anyone is on it.

7. Check the ladder's condition before climbing. Don't use a ladder with broken or cracked rails or rungs or with rungs made slippery by grease or oil. The ladder should have safety feet and sit on a firm, level surface.

8. Don't use ladders on ice, snow, or other slippery surfaces.

9. Don't place a ladder on boxes or blocks to make it taller.

10. Inspect all ladders for defects before you begin climbing.

11. Face front and use both hands as you climb.

12. Don't overreach from a ladder. If your waist reaches past the uprights, you've gone too far—move the ladder.

13. Set ladders up properly by using the 4 to 1 rule. The distance from the wall to the base of the ladder should be one-fourth the distance from the base of the ladder to where it touches the wall.

14. Set up ladders so that the tops of the rails are supported equally. Avoid supporting the top of the ladder at a window or wall opening, but when you must, attach a support across the back of the ladder that is wider than the window opening.

15. Don't set up a ladder in front of a door, unless the door is locked or kept from opening.

16. Fully open stepladders so that spreaders are locked and the feet are level and firmly supported.

17. Set up extension ladders so that the top section rests on the base section, with the rung locks engaged.

18. Hoist tools or materials up to you after you reach the top of the ladder. You need both hands for climbing.

19. Don't stand on top of a step ladder. Also be careful not to get too close to the top of an extension or straight ladder.

20. Be careful when using ladders around electrical circuits. Keep the ladder from getting too near or hitting any energized circuit or conductor.

21. When you use a ladder to climb onto a roof:
  • Make sure it extends 3 feet above the point of support at the roof line.
  • Tie the ladder down to prevent slipping before climbing up.
  • Take care not to tip the ladder sideways and avoid having the base slide.

Don't forget! Be careful when using portable ladders!

This information is provided by: Assurance Agency  http://www.assuranceagency.com

Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) TBT

Overview
Nearly 350,000 people die of sudden cardiac arrest each year. Currently, the chances of surviving sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) without the aid of an automatic external defibrillator (AED) are one in twenty.
However, with an AED, chances of survival improve to one in three. The use of AEDs could save 100,000 lives per year!

What is SCA?
The heart normally has a rhythmic beat which causes the blood to move in a consistent, predictable way. When someone has an SCA event, the heart begins to pump irregularly and ineffectively. This is called ventricular fibrillation (VF). VF is not to be confused with the heart attack where blood flow to the heart muscle is blocked. With VF, the blood stops circulating adequately, breathing stops, and eventually the victim will die.

Another SCA event is ventricular tachycardia (VT), when the heart muscles start to “quiver” instead of working together to push blood through the system.

CPR alone does not replace defibrillation in an SCA incident. CPR can only assist the victim for a short time until medical help arrives. However, medical assistance can be many minutes away. According to the American Heart Association, the chances of survival decrease 10 percent with each passing minute that the heart beat is not returned to normal. Very few people have survived SCA after 10 minutes with no medical treatment.

Unfortunately, we don’t know why SCAs occur, nor how to prevent them. We do know, however, how to fix them if they occur—AEDs.

What is an AED?
You’ve seen full-sized defibrillators on television. When the doctor shouts “Clear” and shocks the victim, they are using a defibrillator. The AED works the same—it shocks the heart back into a normal rhythm to restore a pulse.

Manufacturers have developed lighter, smaller, battery-operated, computer-controlled models which nearly anyone can use.

Signs and symptoms of SCA
Symptoms of SCA are very sudden and dramatic. Typically, the victim will collapse, and show no sign of a pulse. At this point, emergency medical help must be summoned, and the AED used.

The victim’s chest is bared, all visible jewelry or medicine patches are removed, and the electrode pads are attached.

This information is provided by: Assurance Agency http://www.assuranceagency.com

Hand Protection - On the job tool box talks

Overview
We all use our hands a great deal without really thinking about it. Because we use our hands so much at work, for a variety of tasks, they can become injured.
To demonstrate the need for effective hand protection, look at the following statistics.
• There are about 500,000 work-related injuries occurring to hands, fingers, and arms each year.
• About one-quarter of all work-related injuries are to the fingers and hands.
• Injuries to fingers and thumbs are second on the list of most injured parts of the body.

Types of hazards
A few of the types of injuries our hands are prone to suffer include:
• Mechanical hazards which cause cuts, punctures, scrapes, or crushing.
• Extreme heat or cold.
• Electrical shock or burns.
• Skin irritation from chemicals or germs.

What must my employer do?
Your employer must assess the workplace to determine what hazards can be eliminated through engineering controls such as machine guards and improved workstation design. If hazards remain after attempting to eliminate hand hazards, then your employer will provide hand protection.
Your employer must train you on the need for and use of PPE for your hands. Training should include:
• Information on when PPE is needed.
• An explanation on what protective hand wear is required, and where to obtain it.
• How to put on, take off, adjust, and wear PPE.
• The limitations of the PPE.
• The proper care, maintenance, useful life, and disposal of the PPE.

What must I do?
For your safety, it is crucial that you understand and follow your company’s procedures for hand protection. If you have any questions regarding how to protect your hands from injury on the job, ask your supervisor.

This information is provided by: Assurance Agency http://www.assuranceagency.com