Know First Aid

Overview
Workplace injuries can be costly for all involved. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in a typical year, there are,
• More than 10,000 work-related fatalities.
• Approximately 1.8 million work-related disabling injuries.
• Approximately 35 million lost workdays from non-fatal injuries.

Prompt, properly administered first aid can mean the difference between life and death, rapid versus prolonged recovery, or temporary versus permanent disability. Your company emphasizes a safe environment, but when accidents happen it is important to have someone who knows how to handle the situation effectively.

What must my employer do?
Your employer must provide:
• medical personnel to be available for advice and consultation on occupational health matters.
• a person or persons adequately trained to provide first aid, in the absence of an infirmary, clinic, or hospital in near proximity to the workplace which is used for the treatment of all injured employees.
• adequate first aid supplies.
• suitable facilities for quick drenching or flushing of the eyes and body, where the eyes or the body of any person may be exposed to injurious corrosive materials.

Training can be conducted in-house or from an outside agency, like the Red Cross. Wherever training is conducted, the following topics should be covered:
• Health emergencies.
• Procedures to follow when approaching an accident scene and the victim(s).
• CPR.
• Review of possible injuries that may occur at your facility.
• Universal precautions for first-aid procedures.
• First-aid supplies.

Emergency response time
Your employer must provide an emergency response time of:
• 15 minutes in non-life threatening situations.
• three to four minutes in life threatening situations.

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

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to All

Highway and Street Construction Work Zones

Each year, more than 100 workers are killed and over 20,000 are injured in the highway and street construction industry. Most of these injuries and fatalities occur in what is known as the “work zone.”

What is the “work zone?”
The work zone is an area where highway construction, maintenance, or utility work activities are taking place. What makes this work area dangerous is that passing motorists, construction vehicles, and equipment are moving through the same space that the construction employees are working in.

Accidents
Accidents that occur in work zones are usually caused by:
- Poor traffic control procedures,
- Unsatisfactory construction vehicle and equipment maintenance (such as malfunctioning warning devices),
- Poorly designed work zones, and
- Failure to establish and follow policies and procedures for ensuring safety on the job.

Vehicles and equipment operating in and around the work zone are involved in over half of the worker fatalities in the heavy and highway construction industry. Sometimes passing motorists are at fault for the injuries and fatalities that occur in the work zone. Workers are often injured or killed by moving vehicles entering their work zones. Other times, it is the construction vehicles and equipment operating within the work zone that causes the accidents and injuries.

Work zone hazards
There are two basic types of work zone hazards:
- Internal hazards are activities within the workspace such as moving vehicles.
- External hazards are ones presented by passing cars and trucks and the debris they kick up.

Potential hazards associated with work zones include:
- Traffic and construction equipment accidents,
- Working above level,
- Slippery conditions,
- Machinery pinch points,
- Crush zones,
- Drop-offs,
- Trenches,
- Airborne lead and silica particles,
- Truck tip-overs, and
- Energized electrical lines and conductors.

There are many internal and external work zone hazards, but you can avoid them if you think safety first, use procedures required or recommended by regulatory agencies and industry experts, and be alert to situations that might result in accidents.

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

Emergency Eye Washes and Safety Showers

 No one can predict when and where a chemical accident will occur. Therefore, you should be famliar with the location and operation of emergency eye wash facilities and safety showers. These can include eyewash fountains, drench showers, hand-held drench hoses and emergency bottles. Very simply, they all flush affected areas of your body with water.

Before a chemical accident . . .

• Identify chemical hazards: Identify all your work areas and tasks which create potential splash or eye hazards. Be familiar with the chemicals with which you work. Caution: Some chemicals are water-reactive and become toxic or corrosive when mixed with water.

• Know locations: Know the locations of all eye wash and shower facilities.

• Check distances: Your eyes can be damaged very quickly by many contaminants. The first fifteen seconds after the injury is the critical period. Because of this critical time period, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), suggests that eye washes or showers be within 100 feet or a 10 second walk of the work area (ANSI Z358.1). Avoid placing machines and equipment in the pathway to an eye wash or safety shower.

• Check water delivery: Ask your employer how much water your eye wash stations deliver. Eye washes should supply 0.4 gallons per minute of water for at least 15 minutes. Safety showers should supply 20 gallons per minute for at least 15 minutes. Note: Many portable eye wash stations have a capacity of 5 to 10 gallons for a maximum usefulness of 5 minutes. Squeeze bottles and other plastic containers have even lower water capacities. These eye washes are meant to be supplementary to eye wash stations or showers that provide 15 minutes of flushing.

• Check emergency telephone number: Where 911 is not available, ensure the telephone number of medical help is posted on site telephones.

• Practice: Practice using the eye wash station to become familiar with how it works.

Inspection and maintenance
Eye washes and safety showers should be inspected according to manufacturer instructions. Squeeze bottles also require frequent testing, refilling, and maintenance since they lose water to evaporation, become contaminated, and are easily misplaced.If a chemical splashes into your eye . . .

If a chemical splashes into your eye . . .
1. Quickly flush your eyes with lots of water for at least 15 minutes (for best results, do so at an eye wash station or safety shower).
2. For serious burns (i.e., strong alkalies or acids), flushing should continue for 20 to 30 minutes which requires a considerable amount of water.
3. Try to force the eyes open to wash chemical out.
4. Do not bandage eyes.
5. Seek medical attention.

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