Tidbits and Misc. Info
It IS Your Job
“HOUSEKEEPING AND SAFETY IT’S EVERYBODY’S RESPONSIBILITY!”
-L. Hoffis
Room for Improvement
“There IS a better way to do it. Find it!”
Source: Thomas Edison
Wear Your Safety Glasses
Everyday an estimated 1,000 eye injuries occur in American workplaces. The financial burden is in excess of $300 Billion. Source: OSHA Fact Sheet
Be Happy
“Happy is the man who finds Wisdom; the man who gains understanding, for her profit is greater than silver; greater than gold is her revenue.” Source: Proverbs
Stress Management
Avoid Alcohol, Tobacco, and Drugs. They only make matters worse. Source: “20 Ways to Manage Stress”, The Positive Line
Keep Learning
“Just when you think you’ve graduated from the School of Experience, someone thinks up a new course.” Source: Mary H. Waldrup
Smoke Detectors Save Lives
Think Fire Safety. Check smoke detectors monthly and replace batteries twice a year. DID YOU CHANGE THE BATTERY WHEN YOU TURNED YOUR CLOCK AHEAD? You should also keep a fire extinguisher in your kitchen. Source: Fire Marshal Bill
Respect Life
Especially your own! Work safely and wear the appropriate safety equipment. Your family will love you for it! Source: Safety Wayne
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Screw it
English Language – A strange beast
Oddly enough, when people say ‘aw, screw it’ they generally mean they are frustrated and have given up. We do something well and we say ‘I nailed it.’ That seems a little backwards to me.
The nail is simple. Beat it with a hammer (or any other hard object) and you generally drive it into place. Hammer Time! Now, you may bend it and have to straighten it out if you want to drive it in right or you may just hammer the heck out of it and a few good whacks will drive the bent nail in too, but it won’t be pretty.
A screw is different. Sure you can hammer it in, but then it is no better than a nail. To do the job right you need a screw driver (and not just any screw driver). You may need a Phillips’ (or ‘star nose’ as my wife calls them) or maybe a flat screwdriver. Other options include a socket or torx head type. The screw has made the simple job of fastening things together a lot more complicated. Maybe that is why nobody uses screws anymore! But wait, we are using screws all the time because if installed properly they hold so much better than their simple counterparts.
Git-r-Done – Larry the Cable Guy has done a great job of teaching us the wrong way to do things. He uses what I call ‘nail it technology’ as if the only tool in his tool box were a hammer. Get it done no matter what, just get it done. Have you ever done that? Get it done no matter what, with no time for safety! It will catch up to you.
Doing it Right – Means just that! Taking the time to plan the project, making sure you have the required tools and proper PPE. MSHA calls it SLAM. Stop, Look, Analyze and Manage Risks. This goes for home projects as well since six times more people get killed in off-the-job fatalities. Using the proper tools and PPE may be more complicated then the simple Git-r-Done way, but the results are worth it. Don't take my word for it...ask anyone that has been seriously injured. The time you save taking short cuts can very easily be spent in the Emergency Room.
Follow the Rules to reduce your chances of injury. Injuries happen but they don't have to happen to you. Safety cannot just be a priority (priorities change). Make Safety a value that you will not compromise. No one can do that for you!
Oddly enough, when people say ‘aw, screw it’ they generally mean they are frustrated and have given up. We do something well and we say ‘I nailed it.’ That seems a little backwards to me.
The nail is simple. Beat it with a hammer (or any other hard object) and you generally drive it into place. Hammer Time! Now, you may bend it and have to straighten it out if you want to drive it in right or you may just hammer the heck out of it and a few good whacks will drive the bent nail in too, but it won’t be pretty.
A screw is different. Sure you can hammer it in, but then it is no better than a nail. To do the job right you need a screw driver (and not just any screw driver). You may need a Phillips’ (or ‘star nose’ as my wife calls them) or maybe a flat screwdriver. Other options include a socket or torx head type. The screw has made the simple job of fastening things together a lot more complicated. Maybe that is why nobody uses screws anymore! But wait, we are using screws all the time because if installed properly they hold so much better than their simple counterparts.
Git-r-Done – Larry the Cable Guy has done a great job of teaching us the wrong way to do things. He uses what I call ‘nail it technology’ as if the only tool in his tool box were a hammer. Get it done no matter what, just get it done. Have you ever done that? Get it done no matter what, with no time for safety! It will catch up to you.
Doing it Right – Means just that! Taking the time to plan the project, making sure you have the required tools and proper PPE. MSHA calls it SLAM. Stop, Look, Analyze and Manage Risks. This goes for home projects as well since six times more people get killed in off-the-job fatalities. Using the proper tools and PPE may be more complicated then the simple Git-r-Done way, but the results are worth it. Don't take my word for it...ask anyone that has been seriously injured. The time you save taking short cuts can very easily be spent in the Emergency Room.
Follow the Rules to reduce your chances of injury. Injuries happen but they don't have to happen to you. Safety cannot just be a priority (priorities change). Make Safety a value that you will not compromise. No one can do that for you!
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
50 Questions
MSHA and OSHA…who needs em? Over the years, both agencies have gotten a lot of criticism. Too tight with industry, too tough on industry; rules are too strict and rules are outdated or not strict enough. What if the agencies did not exist? Would workplaces be safer? Would management do things differently? Would labor do things differently? Would YOU do things differently? We all know there are people and companies that wouldn’t focus on safety if it were not for government oversight. So, maybe we do need MSHA and OSHA to help keep everyone in check.
People are still taking chances and cutting corners…Why is that? Workers today have more training and skills then ever before but the problem persists. Do you speak up when you see an unsafe condition or witness an unsafe or questionable act)? If not, you’re part of the problem.
ALERT: ‘MSHA (or OSHA) is here spread the word’. It is always good to give employees a heads up when government inspectors are on site, but it should be business as usual. Do we do things differently when MSHA (or OSHA) personnel are on site? If so, why? What does that say about us? You should be working safely no matter who’s minding the store since you have a vested interested in your own health and safety.
Safety must become a Value not simply a Priority. Priorities change every day. Often times when things go wrong safety is put on the back burner because we have to ‘git-r-done’ and that is when people get hurt. Stop the madness…Make Safety a constant!
What is the problem? Mining has seen significant reductions in fatalities and injuries over the years, but recently things have leveled out. Why? What will it take to get to zero? Getting to zero will take TEAMWORK. Commitment from management (and union leaders); dedication and enforcement from supervisors; ownership by hourly employees (and yes the occasional visit from your friendly inspector). Zero is achievable with the Team Approach!
Your brother’s keeper! MSHA and OSHA are not going anywhere anytime soon, but our workforce (people) is transient. Does worker safety suffer when a supervisor quits or moves to a different department? What if a manager, safety coordinator, or corporate director quits or retires? I hope not! We need to do the same thing every day…work safely and take care of each other, regardless of personnel changes. We all need to be our brother’s (and sister’s keeper). Let’s take care of each other out there, no matter what.
I am responsible for me! Nobody can make me commit an unsafe act without my permission. No excuses, no blaming anyone for my decisions…I am responsible for me…and I will accept that responsibility. I will stand up and speak out for safety whenever I need to do so…it is my right and my obligation to my family.
People are still taking chances and cutting corners…Why is that? Workers today have more training and skills then ever before but the problem persists. Do you speak up when you see an unsafe condition or witness an unsafe or questionable act)? If not, you’re part of the problem.
ALERT: ‘MSHA (or OSHA) is here spread the word’. It is always good to give employees a heads up when government inspectors are on site, but it should be business as usual. Do we do things differently when MSHA (or OSHA) personnel are on site? If so, why? What does that say about us? You should be working safely no matter who’s minding the store since you have a vested interested in your own health and safety.
Safety must become a Value not simply a Priority. Priorities change every day. Often times when things go wrong safety is put on the back burner because we have to ‘git-r-done’ and that is when people get hurt. Stop the madness…Make Safety a constant!
What is the problem? Mining has seen significant reductions in fatalities and injuries over the years, but recently things have leveled out. Why? What will it take to get to zero? Getting to zero will take TEAMWORK. Commitment from management (and union leaders); dedication and enforcement from supervisors; ownership by hourly employees (and yes the occasional visit from your friendly inspector). Zero is achievable with the Team Approach!
Your brother’s keeper! MSHA and OSHA are not going anywhere anytime soon, but our workforce (people) is transient. Does worker safety suffer when a supervisor quits or moves to a different department? What if a manager, safety coordinator, or corporate director quits or retires? I hope not! We need to do the same thing every day…work safely and take care of each other, regardless of personnel changes. We all need to be our brother’s (and sister’s keeper). Let’s take care of each other out there, no matter what.
I am responsible for me! Nobody can make me commit an unsafe act without my permission. No excuses, no blaming anyone for my decisions…I am responsible for me…and I will accept that responsibility. I will stand up and speak out for safety whenever I need to do so…it is my right and my obligation to my family.
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