January 1, cannabis is legal in Illinois.

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Floor / Wall Openings

In the construction industry falls are the leading cause of worker fatalities. When working around floor and wall openings, you must be careful that you don’t fall through. You can be injured or killed if you step into a hole or opening, or are hit by objects falling through.

Definitions
• Guardrail system means a barrier erected to prevent employees from falling to lower levels.
• Hole is a gap or void 2 inches or more in its least dimension, in a floor, roof, or other walking/working surface.
• Opening is a gap or void 30 inches or more high and 18 inches or more wide, in a wall or partition, through which employees can fall to a lower level.

What you need to know
If you are working on a surface or floor that has holes or openings and that surface is more than six feet above a lower level, you must be protected from:
• Falling through holes (including skylights) by personal fall arrest systems, covers, or guardrail systems erected around the holes;
• Tripping in or stepping into or through holes by covers; and
• Objects falling through holes by covers.

Covers and safety How can you tell a cover from a sheet of plywood laying on the floor?
• Covers must be secured when installed to prevent accidental displacement by the wind, equipment, or employees. If the cover material is secured to the floor it may be there for a reason so don’t remove it.
• All covers must be color-coded or marked with the word “HOLE” or “COVER” to provide warning of the hazard. This should be a good indication that the material is a cover.

What if you are going to work in an opening that has a cover secured over it?
• Never remove a cover until you are ready to work in the hole or opening.
• Use personal fall arrest systems when working in the hole or opening.
• After you are finished working in the opening your employer must either replace and secure the cover or erect guardrails around the hole.

What if you are moving or disposing of material through a wall opening to a lower level?
If you are working on, at, above, or near wall openings (including those with chutes attached) you must use a guardrail system, a safety net system, or a personal fall arrest system, when:
• the outside bottom edge of the wall opening is six-feet or more above lower levels; and
• the inside bottom edge of the wall opening is less than 39 inches above the walking/working surface.
• OSHA recognizes that accidents involving falls are generally complex events frequently involving a variety of factors. By following the requirements in this handout, you can avoid falling through floor and wall openings.

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

Drive Safely

Overview

Forklifts are one type of powered industrial truck. Others include platform lift trucks, motorized hand trucks, tractors, and other trucks that are powered by an electric motor or internal bustion engine. Improper handling or misuse of forklifts often causes injuries.

OSHA requires operators to be trained. Before operating a forklift, you should understand the basic operating and loading rules, basic rules for safe travel, truck-related and workplace-related information, and how to perform a safety check.

Basic Operating and Loading Rules
Accidents can be avoided if basic powered industrial truck operating and loading rules are followed. Some of these rules are:

- Do not allow anyone to stand or pass under raised forks, whether loaded or empty.

- Only stable or safely arranged loads can be handled.

- Only loads that are within the truck’s rated capacity can be handled. (When you are using an
attachment to handle a load, keep the load within the attachment’s rated capacity.)

- When lifting a load, place the forks (or other load engaging means) under the load as far as possible. Then, carefully tilt the mast backwards slightly to stabilize the load.

- Never tilt the load forward unless you are depositing it.

- Trucks need to have an overhead guard to protect the operator from the impact of falling packages, boxes, etc. (the guard does not need to withstand the impact of a falling capacity load). A backrest extension is needed when the load could fall rearward.

- Only safety platforms can be used to lift people.

- If the forklift needs to be used in a hazardous (classified) location, it must be approved for the hazard.

- When you get off of the forklift temporarily, and remain within 25 feet of it (and the forklift remains in your view), lower the forks, put the controls in neutral, and set the brakes. Block the wheels if the truck is on an incline. If you will be leaving the forklift 25 or more feet away (or anytime it will be out of your view), shut it off.

- When you park the forklift, make sure access to fire aisles, stairways, and fire equipment is kept clear.

Basic Rules for Safe Travel
Most accidents happen while the truck is traveling. Follow these rules to travel safely:

- Watch where you are going. Drive in reverse with the load trailing if the load obstructs your view. Keep a clear view of your path, and look in the direction you are traveling.

- Never drive up to anyone standing in front of a bench or other fixed object.

- Allow no riders. (If riders are authorized, the truck must provide them with a safe place to ride.)

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

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