Heat Stress Tool Box Talks

Hot summer months pose special hazards for outdoor workers who must protect themselves against heat, sun exposure, and other hazards. Employers and employees should know the potential hazards in their workplaces and how to manage them.

Sun
Sunlight contains ultraviolet (UV) radiation, which causes premature aging of the skin, wrinkles, cataracts, and skin cancer. There are no safe UV rays or safe suntans. Be especially careful in the sun if you burn easily, spend a lot of time outdoors, or have any of the following physical features: numerous, irregular, or large moles; freckles; fair skin; or blond, red, or light brown hair. Here’s how to block those harmful rays:
• Cover up. Wear tightly woven clothing that you can’t see through.
• Use sunscreen. A sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 15 blocks 93 percent of UV rays. Be sure to follow application directions on the bottle or tube.
• Wear a hat. A wide brim hat, not a baseball cap, works best because it protects the neck, ears, eyes, forehead, nose, and scalp.
• Wear UV-absorbent shades. Sunglasses don’t have to be expensive, but they should block 99 to 100 percent of UVA and UVB radiation. Before you buy, read the product tag or label.
• Limit exposure. UV rays are most intense between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

Heat
The combination of heat and humidity can be a serious health threat during the summer months. If you work at a beach resort, on a farm, or in a kitchen, laundry, or bakery, for example, you may be at risk for heat-related illness. So, take precautions. Here’s how:
• Drink plenty of water before you get thirsty.
• Wear light, loose-fitting, breathable clothing— cotton is good.
• Take frequent short breaks in cool shade.
• Eat smaller meals before work activity.
• Avoid caffeine and alcohol or large amounts of sugar.
• Find out from your health-care provider if your medications and heat don’t mix.
• Know that equipment such as respirators or work suits can increase heat stress.

Recognizing the symptoms of heat stress is very important, particularly since the victim may not realize what is happening. If you work alone in a hot environment, develop a "buddy system" so someone will check in on you periodically to look for signs of heat stress.
The major heat stress injuries and illnesses are described here:

Heat Rash is caused by a hot, humid environment and plugged sweat glands. It is a bumpy red rash which itches severely. It is not life-threatening but is very annoying. Dry clothes that help sweat evaporate will reduce the chance of heat rash. Washing regularly and keeping the skin clean and dry will help prevent heat rash.

Heat Cramps are painful muscle cramps caused by a loss of body salt through excessive sweating. To help prevent heat cramps, drink plenty of non-alcoholic, caffeine-free fluids while working in a hot environment. Check with your doctor about the use of salt tablets. They may be recommended in some cases. Anyone suffering from heat cramps should be watched carefully for signs of more serious heat stress. If the cramps persist or other symptoms develop, seek medical attention immediately.

Heat Syncope (pronounced "sin-co-pay") is sudden fainting caused by a reduced blood flow to the head. The victim's skin will be cool and moist and their pulse will be weak. Immediate medical attention is needed in the event of syncope.

Heat Exhaustion results from inadequate salt and water intake and is a sign the body's cooling system is not working properly. The victim will sweat heavily, their skin will be cool and moist, their pulse weak, and they will seem tired, confused, clumsy, irritable or upset, they may breathe rapidly--even pant--and their vision may be blurred. The victim may strongly argue that they are okay even with these obvious symptoms. If you suspect heat exhaustion, don't let the victim talk you out of seeking immediate medical attention. The heat exhaustion will affect their ability to exercise good judgment. Until medical help arrives, try to cool the victim and offer sips of cool water as long as the victim is conscious. Immediate medical attention is required. Heat exhaustion can quickly lead to heat stroke.

Heat Stroke is the deadliest of all heat stress conditions. It occurs when the body's cooling mechanism has shut down after extreme loss of salt and fluids. The body temperature will rise, the victim's skin is hot, red, and dry, their pulse fast, and they may complain of headache or dizziness. They will probably be weak, confused, and upset. Later stages of heat stroke cause a loss of consciousness and may lead to convulsions. In the event of heat stroke, seek immediate medical attention. Until help arrives, try to cool the victim and offer sips of cool water if the victim is conscious.

Preventing heat stress is a matter of controlling the factors that cause it. Use the precautions mentioned in this article, and don't hesitate to seek assistance if you suspect heat stress. your good health depends on it!

This information is provided by: Assurance Agency

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Wishing everyone a happy and safe

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Housekeeping - Tool Box Talks

Maintaining good housekeeping is an important part of the overall job of supervision. There are a number of advantages to having a clean and orderly plant, including: avoidance of accidents, better fire prevention, improved health of employees, and increased worker efficiency and morale.

Avoidance of accidents is one of the major goals of any company. That occasional piece of scrap or wet spot on the floor can cause slip, trip, and fall hazards. Cluttered aisles and congested work areas can add to the dangers. A thorough, regular, and successful program of good housekeeping that eliminates hazards makes good sense for everyone.

Housekeeping can appear to be a never-ending and thankless job, but if too much dirt, debris, and disorder are allowed to accumulate, this can eventually lead to production problems caused by increased accidents, absenteeism, and turnover. Typically, you will find that places that have good housekeeping will have competent foremen and a low accident rate.
People don’t really enjoy working in areas that are disorderly and crowded with booby traps. They don’t want to continuously climb over excessive accumulations of spilled material, be hit by objects falling from above, or scrape up against poorly placed materials.

Keeping everything in order will prevent these incidents from occurring.
A responsible foreman and responsible employees know that good housekeeping cannot be maintained simply by an occasional large cleanup. It must be planned on a regular basis. It should also be a part of everyone’s daily routine.

Here are some real life examples of what did happen because of bad housekeeping:
• A plumber fractured his ankle after he slipped on some pipe while attempting to get to his crowded work area/.
• A carpenter slipped on a wet floor and sprained his back.
• An electrician stepped on a tool while climbing down a ladder and sprained his ankle.
All of these accidents could have been prevented through better housekeeping. With good housekeeping, you can reduce operating costs, increase production, and prevent injuries. Good housekeeping is just good business.

Checklist for Housekeeping
• Is your workplace neat and orderly?
• Have you emphasized the importance of housekeeping to your workers on a regular basis?
• Do your employees know that housekeeping is everyone’s responsibility?
• Are spills and slippery spots cleaned up immediately?
• Are employees provided with adequate storage areas to put tools and other work items away?

This information is provided by: Assurance Agency

Violence in the workplace - on the job tool box talks

Overview

Violence in the workplace is a growing threat for businesses of all sizes and all over.

What constitutes violence at work?

Common acts of violence in the workplace can include:
• insubordination
• verbal bullying
• threats
• harassment
• sexual assault and rape
• theft
• make fists and beatings
• stabbings and shooting
• suicides
• vandalism and arson
• kidnapping or hostage-taking

What should I do?
Violence in the workplace affects not only the victims, but coworkers and the company also. It is important that employees cooperate with the company to limit or eliminate the violence at work through controls of the methods of work.

What should my employer do?
Your employer will review the plan of the company for the prevention of violence at work and controls the working methods.

This information is provided by: Assurance Agency

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Walking- Working Surfaces

Overview
Slips, trips, and falls account for many industry accidents. Slips, trips, and falls are responsible for 10 percent of all accidental deaths. They are also the fourth leading cause, following motor vehicles, homicides, and being struck by objects or equipment, as a cause of fatalities. In an attempt to remove potential hazards from the workplace, OSHA developed 1910, Subpart D—Walking—Working Surfaces. Subpart D.

Hazards involved with using walking-working surfaces The main hazard involved with walking and working surfaces include slips, trips, and falls. Stairways are also taken for granted, and so become a source for accidents in the workplace.

What must my employer do?
Your employer is responsible for providing a safe working environment. That includes reducing or eliminating hazards in walking and working areas by:
- Keeping all employment, passageway, storerooms, and service rooms clean, orderly, and sanitary.
- Maintain floors in a clean and, so far as possible, dry condition. If wet processes are used, drainage shall be maintained. Gratings, mats, or raised platforms must be provided.
- Floors, working places, and passageways are to be kept free from protruding nails, splinters, or loose boards.
- Keeping aisles and passageways clear and in good repair with no obstruction across or in aisles that could create hazards.
- Appropriately marking permanent aisles and passageways.
- Maintaining proper aisle width so as to not limit passage or egress.
- Providing covers and/or guardrails to protect open pits, vats, tanks, ditches, and other hazards.
- Following load rating limits for all floors or roofs.
- Maintain adequate lighting in areas to illuminate walking surfaces.
- Providing handrails as required.

This information was proviced by: Assurance Agency

Access to Scaffolds - On the Job Tool Box Talks

Getting to the work level of a scaffold has always been a serious problem. Workers, when not provided with a proper stairway or ladder, might be tempted to use crossbraces to climb the scaffold. This is strictly forbidden in the new scaffold rule. The OSHA rules apply to all employees gaining access to a scaffold work surface. For your safety, you should observe the following OSHA and your company rules when getting on or off a scaffold work area. Access to and between scaffold platforms more than two feet above or below the point of access must be made by:
- Portable ladders, hook-on ladders, attachable ladders, scaffold stairways, stairway-type ladders (such as ladder stands), ramps, walkways, integral prefabricated scaffold access, or equivalent means; or
- by direct access from another scaffold, structure, personnel hoist, or similar surface.

Portable, hook-on, and attachable ladders — It is critical that portable, hook-on, and attachable ladders are
- Positioned so as not to tip the scaffold.
- Positioned so the bottom rung is not more than 24 inches above your starting point.
- Equipped with a rest platform at 35-foot maximum vertical intervals.

Stairway-type ladders must:
- Be provided with rest platforms at 12 foot intervals.
- Have slip-resistant treads on all steps and landings.

Stairtowers must:
- Be equipped with a stairrail consisting of a toprail (handrail) and a midrail on each side of each scaffold stairway.
- Have slip-resistant surfaces on treads and landings.
- Have guardrails on the open sides and ends of each landing.

Ramps and walkways six feet or more above lower levels must have guardrail systems in place.

Scaffold frames that are used as access ladders must:
- Be specifically designed and constructed for use as ladder rungs.
- Be uniformly spaced within each frame section.

As a user of scaffolds you are not allowed to erect or dismantle them — unless you are trained and designated to do so. However, you still must be able to recognize hazardous conditions when climbing up and down, to and from, a work surface. To totally ignore a problem is asking for trouble. Study the above OSHA rules and have a better understanding of when things do not look right. When they don’t, don’t climb.

Never use crossbraces to gain access to a scaffold working platform.

This information was provided by: Assurance Agency