Common Causes of Incidents - Tool Box Talks

Consider this statistic: 80 out of every 100 incidents are the fault of the person involved in the incident. Unsafe Acts cause four times as many incidents & injuries as unsafe conditions.  

Incidents occur for many reasons. In most industries people tend to look for "things" to blame when an incident happens, because it's easier than looking for "root causes," such as those listed below. Consider the  underlying incident causes described. Have you been guilty of any of these attitudes or behaviors? If so, you may have not been injured-but next time you may not be so lucky.

Taking Shortcuts: Every day we make decisions we hope will make the job faster and more efficient. But do time savers ever risk your own safety, or that of other crew members? Short cuts that reduce your safety on the job are not shortcuts, but an increased chance for injury.

Being Over Confident: Confidence is a good thing. Overconfidence is too much of a good thing. "It'll never happen to me" is an attitude that can lead to improper procedures, tools, or methods in your work. Any of these can lead to an injury. 

Starting a Task with Incomplete Instructions: To do the job safely and right the first time you need complete information. Have you ever seen a worker sent to do a job, having been given only a part of the job's instructions? Don't be shy about asking for explanations about work procedures and safety precautions. It isn't dumb to ask questions; it's dumb not to. 

Poor Housekeeping: When clients, managers or safety professionals walk through your work site, housekeeping is an accurate indicator of everyone's attitude about quality, production and safety. Poor housekeeping creates hazards of all types. A well maintained area sets a standard for others to follow. Good housekeeping involves both pride and safety

Ignoring Safety Procedures: Purposely failing to observe safety procedures can endanger you and your co-workers. You are being paid to follow the company safety policies-not to make your own rules. Being "casual" about safety can lead to a casualty!

Mental Distractions from Work: Having a bad day at home and worrying about it at work is a hazardous combination. Dropping your 'mental' guard can pull your focus away from safe work procedures. You can also be distracted when you're busy working and a friend comes by to talk while you are trying to work. Don't become a statistic because you took your eyes off the machine "just for
a minute." 

Failure to Pre-Plan the Work: There is a lot of talk today about Job Hazard Analysis. JHA's are an effective way to figure out the smartest ways to work safely and effectively. Being hasty in starting a task, or not thinking through the process can put you in harm’s way. Instead, Plan Your Work and then Work Your Plan! 

"It is better to be careful 100 times than to get killed once." (Mark Twain)
 
Safety 360 Assurance 

Winter Driving Safety 2016

On the job tool box talks

Driving habits need to change once the winter driving season is upon us. Please keep the following in mind when it comes to driving during the winter.

1. ALWAYS wear your seat belt. It’s the law and they save lives. 41,000 people die in vehicle accidents every year. Many of these people may still be alive had they been wearing their seat belt.

2. Drive at a safe speed for conditions. During snow and sleet, driving at the posted speed limit is too fast. After a rain or thawing of snow, road conditions can change quickly from just wet to ice once the temperature drops below freezing again.

3. Be cautious of other drivers on the road. Give others enough room to merge into traffic.

4. Keep a safe distance from the vehicle in front of you. Will you be able to stop in enough time if you needed to brake in an emergency situation?

5. Remember if you are pulling a trailer, additional distance is needed to stop.

6. After a snowfall, visibility can be decreased by salt from the roadways splashing on windshields. Check your windshield fluid prior to leaving. If low, fill it up. Keep an extra bottle of washer fluid in your vehicle.

7. Clean your wiper blades with an alcohol wipe. This will help avoid streaks when using your wiper blades. If your wiper blades are worn out, they should be replaced. Typically they should be replaced every 6 months.

8. Drive with your headlights on during inclement weather. This will increase your visibility to other drivers.

9. Clean off snow and defrost your windows prior to leaving. Let your vehicle warm up.

This information is provided by: Assurance Agency

Personal Protective Equipment 160121

WHEN USED PROPERLY, suitable protective equipment can prevent many serious injuries in construction work. 

Eyes are extremely delicate.  Eyesight can be permanently impaired or even completely lost if flying chips of steel or fragments of concrete strike your eyes.  When cutting concrete, wear goggles or a face shield.  When drilling overhead or when dust is present, suitable goggles are required.  When working around concrete vibrators, safety goggles or a face shield will prevent most splashes from reaching your eyes.  When drilling or cutting pressure-treated or preserved lumber, creosote timbers or any lumber, always wear eye protection.  If glasses are worn with corrective lenses, goggles may be needed to be worn over glasses for additional protection from damage or breakage. 

Now, let us consider nose and throat protection.  To prevent nose and throat irritation when working in dusty conditions, wear appropriate respiratory protection.  The type of work being done will determine the type of respiratory protection needed. 

Falls can be prevented if employees properly use approved safety harnesses and life lines.  Use a safety harness and lanyard to limit the fall distance to 6 feet.  They only work, when use correctly.  Contact your supervisor for the proper use of this equipment. 

PREVENT INJURIES BY WEARING THE APPROPRIATE PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT

This information is provided by: Assurance Agency

BUILDING YOUR FUTURE IN A RECOVERING CONSTRUCTION MARKET

Residential Home Builders Alliance
Seminar

Speakers:
Kristy Riedel, Sr. Loan Officer, Construction Specialist, US Bank Home Mortgage

Michael Watkins, Godoy Law & Michael Watkins, Attorney at Law

Vince Deligio II, Dept. of Financial & Professional Regulation, State of Illinois

Thursday, February 11, 2016
Westwood Tavern
1385 N. Meacham Road
Schaumburg, IL

$30 RHBA/RCEC Members
$35 Non-members
7:30 am to 8:30 am Registration and Breakfast Buffet
8:30 am to 10:00 am Program 

Download more information and the registration Form.
 

Call and reserve your spot: 630-512-0552

Tool Box Talks - Back Injuries

In construction, 25% of injuries are back injuries. Construction has the highest rate of back injuries of any industry, except transportation. Every year, a back injury causes 1 in 100 construction workers to miss work — usually missing about 7 workdays, but sometimes more than 30. Most of the back problems are low-back  injuries. Repeated injury to your back can cause permanent damage and end your career.

The Hazards

Most back injuries are sprains and strains from lifting, lowering, carrying, pushing, and pulling materials. You are at higher risk of low-back injury if you often carry heavy loads, must twist while carrying heavy loads, or work a lot while bent over or in other awkward postures.

Protect Yourself

Injuries can be reduced by planning, changing how work is done, and training workers and supervisors.

Plan

• Cut down on carrying. Have materials delivered close to where they will be used.
• Try to store materials at waist height.
• Raise your work to waist level, if you can. Pipefitters use pipe stands. Masons have adjustable scaffolds to keep the work at waist height.
• Make sure floors and walkways are clear and dry. Slips and trips are a big cause of back injuries.
• Take rest breaks. When you are tired, you can get injured more.

Get Help

• Use carts, dollies, forklifts, and hoists to move materials — not your back.
• Use carrying tools with handles to get a good grip on wallboard or other odd-shaped loads.
• If materials weigh more than about 50 pounds, do not lift them by yourself. Get help from another worker or use a cart.

Move Carefully

• When lifting or carrying materials, keep the load as close to your body as you can.
• Try not to twist, when lifting and lowering materials. Turn your whole body instead.
• Lift and lower materials in a smooth steady way. Try not to jerk the lift.
• When you pick up materials off the ground:

·        Try supporting yourself by leaning on something while lifting.

·        Don’t bend over; instead, kneel on one knee and pull the load up on to your knee before standing. (Wear knee pads when you kneel.)

Apprentices

Apprentices get some of the hardest work to do. Being young and strong, they sometimes carry more weight than they should. Make sure apprentices are protected against back injuries, so they don’t end up with back problems and have to leave the trades.

Work with your employer to decide how the work can be changed to protect you and your co-workers from back injuries. Build back-safety into any training. Fewer injuries mean better productivity and lower costs.

What About Back Belts?

Some contractors have workers wear back belts. If a doctor prescribes a back belt, it may help someone recovering from a back injury. But a recent government study (by NIOSH) found no evidence that back belts can prevent injuries. Don’t depend on a back belt to protect you; instead, try to change the lifting work so it can’t hurt you. 

This information is provided by: Assurance Agency

 

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What is Good Housekeeping - Tool Box Talks

WALKING AREAS:

·       Three foot wide access paths to work area

·       Cut-offs and scrap material out of work area – toss into corner.  Place scrap into dumpsters at breaks and at the end of days.

·       Building material stored in a way that does not require climbing over piles of lumber or other material to gain access

·       Keeping hoses/cords off of the middle of the stairway

·       Keeping hoses/cords out of the work area and avoiding snarls

·       Keeping hoses and cords from stairways, ramps and landings

·       Keeping mud off of stairs, ramps and ladder rungs

·       PULL nails from reusable lumber, do not bend them over

·       Pull brace blocks from floor when you remove wall bracing

METAL BANDS:

·       Cut bands 6-8” from bottom of lumber pile with snips and remove.  If you cannot remove the band, bend over the sharp edge immediately.

·       Treat plastic bands as trip hazards- remove them from the lumber pile immediately.

GUSSET PLATES:

·       Roof crew- note if any gusset plates stick above the top chord- if they do, make other crew members are aware.  First man close to the stick up needs to pound it down.

Housekeeping is not only a safety issue – it’s also a production issue!!!

This information was provided by: Assurance Agency

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Cold Stress - on the job tool box talks

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FROSTBITE

The most common injury caused by exposure to cold temperatures is frostbite.  Body parts most susceptible to frostbite include the nose, ears, chin, fingers and toes.  Frostbite occurs when the blood flow through a body part is restricted due to extreme cold temperatures and ice crystals then begin to form in the body tissue.

Symptoms: The first symptom of frostbite is a slightly flushed skin color.  The color of the skin then changes to white or grayish yellow and finally grayish blue.  Pain may be felt during the early stages, however, the pain may cease in later stages.  The frostbitten area will also feel very cold, numb and the outer layer of skin may feel "hard".

First Aid Treatment: Move the victim to a warm location.  Place the frostbitten part into a warm water bath between 100-105 degrees.  Do not use hot water.  Handle the part with extreme care.  Do not rub or massage the area.  Avoid exposing the part to hot air or metal objects.  The re-warming process may take between 30-60 minutes.  Severe frostbite should be handled by medical personnel. 

HYPOTHERMIA

Prolonged exposure to cold temperature may also cause the cooling of the body's inner core, more commonly known as hypothermia.  This loss of body temperature can be fatal.

Symptoms: Hypothermia symptoms include shivering, dizziness, numbness, confusion, weakness, impaired judgment, impaired vision and drowsiness.  Later stages of hypothermia include the loss of consciousness, decreased pulse and breathing rate, coma and possible death. 

First Aid Treatment: Professional medical treatment should be obtained.  Move the victim to a warm area.  If available, have the victim change into a set of dry, warm clothing.  If the victim is fully conscious, a warm drink may be given.  Do not give the victim a caffeinated or alcohol beverage. 

PROTECTIVE MEASURES

a.         Avoid consumption of caffeinated or alcohol beverages.  Temporary warmth may be achieved; however, body heat loss will occur.

b.         Wear a hat and scarf.  Up to 50% of heat loss occurs from the head and neck.

c.         Wear three (3) layers of clothing.

1.     Against the skin:  a warm, breathable synthetic fabric such as Gore-Tex or Thinsulate will allow moisture to escape to the next layer.

            2.  Middle: layer of wool clothing to draw moisture away from skin.

            3.  Outer: water-resistant or repellant material.

d.         Frostbite and hypothermia may occur when temperatures are above freezing due to extended periods of exposure and windy conditions.

This information provided by: Assurance Agency

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