Safety is a Shared Responsibility!

Safety requires a Team Effort to Get to ZERO so we expect input from each of you.

We are all responsible for safety. You are not only responsible for your safety but that of your co-workers as well. Each employee is expected to actively promote the safety program. Safety is not a spectator sport…so get in the game!

Management – Shall manage EHS programs and procedures and provide the resources needed for employees to achieve safety success including:

• Providing Leadership
• Developing Policies and procedures
• Outlining Clearly Defined Goals
• Communicating compliance expectations
• Maintaining/improving working conditions
• Providing Safety Training
• Offering Support
• Facilitating EHS Committee Meetings
• Providing PPE
• Offering Incentives when results are achieved

Supervisors – Are expected to Lead from the Front! Supervisors drive the safety program and are responsible for enforcing policies and procedures. They must also:

• Inspect work areas and working conditions
• Observe worker behavior and activities
• Ensure equipment and pre-job checks are performed
• Correct housekeeping issues
• Make decisions in the field
• Promote safety
• Communicate with and listen to subordinates
• Motivate workers
• Ensure safety rules are followed
• Set priorities

Employees – Shall use the resources provided to accomplish their jobs safely. Think Safe Production. The employee’s role is to:

• Take ownership of the safety program

• Look for, recognize and report hazards, accidents, injuries and near misses
• Assist with developing and reviewing JSAs
• Make safety observations
• Submit safety suggestions
• Participate in the EHS committee
• Buy in to the safety culture
• Actively participate in safety training
• Perform inspections of work area and equipment
• Follow established compliance policies and procedures
• Practice good housekeeping

Keep Your Mind and Eyes on Task. Even if you're performing your job safely and avoiding hazards, there is often a better or safer way to complete the task. Think about what you are doing and if you have ideas for improving the safety of your job, Share Them!

Zero Injuries is an attainable Goal! – Let's keep communicating and continue to improve safety. ASK whenever you are unsure about something!

You have the right to make a difference: If you see a safety deficiency or unsafe act, Stand Up and Speak Out for Safety. You may be the only one who caught it.

The Goal is 100%

100% Participation

100% Compliance

100% Commitment

Why 10,000%? Because 99% just isn’t good enough and here are a few examples:

If a gas meter used to measure the air prior to entry into a confined space is calibrated and operated properly only 99 percent of the time could still result in a worker fatality upon the 100th entry. Every 103 minutes someone dies on the job as a result of a traumatic injury! That worker could be you or a co-worker!

If U.S. airports accepted a 99% error-free performance rate approximately 466,750 takeoffs and landings of commercial airplanes could end in tragedy, annually. The end result could be multiple deaths - Every 5 seconds somebody is disabled in a non-occupational incident and a non-work related fatality occurs every 19 minutes!

Any safety trainer who teaches employees how to utilize fall protection equipment and other PPE correctly 99% of the time jeopardizes 15-20 workers on a large construction crew. Every 8 second a worker suffers a disabling injury, every 8 seconds!

Think Safety - 24/7!

Get off the bench and into the Game!

Fall Safety!

Please do your part to ensure employees maintain their focus in order to reduce the potential for injury. Remember, Safety isn’t a Spectator Sport… we need everyone in the game!

Fall Brings Additional Hazards

Fall is in full swing which means the days are getting shorter, which reduces visibility – remind equipment operators and truck drivers to keep an eye out for ground personnel.

Temperatures will soon be dropping, which means we’ll soon see ice and snow in many parts of the country, increasing the potential for slip and fall hazards. To reduce the likelihood of injury, workers should take smaller, deliberate steps and follow the 3-points of contact rule while walking across the site or mounting & dismounting equipment.

Maintain the Focus

The holidays are rapidly approaching and minds may start to wander as people think about holiday shopping & travel or family commitments. We must remind employees, often, about the importance of focusing on the task at hand. Loss of Focus is one of Four Critical Mental States that can lead to injury or property damage. The other three critical mental states are: Fatigue, Frustration, and Complacency.

These four critical states can also cause problems for employees off the job. Examples include: driver fatigue and texting while driving. DOT reduced the number of hours truckers can drive per day to combat driver fatigue. Now, DOT is partnering with OSHA to consider regulations to combat distracted driving by workers (truckers and carrier service personnel). However, these issues don’t only affect professional drivers; they also affect ‘off the clock’ drivers like our employees and their families. Holiday travelers, including college students, often face fatigue and distractions. Remind employees to maintain their focus even when not at work. Avoid talking on cell phones or texting while driving (or pull over to the side of the road). And remember, on a long drive, taking a 10-15 minute break can enhance mental alertness.

Another fourth quarter, off-the-job concern involves the task of putting up holiday decorations. Many people sustain personal injury while decorating their homes for Halloween and/or Christmas. Some start electrical fires or even burn down their homes due to a loss of focus, complacency or by unknowingly overloading electrical circuits. So remind employees to: Practice Safety 24/7 (at home, at work and at play).

Extension Ladder Safety

A. Select the Ladder

Match the duty rating to job

Choose proper length of ladder for job

(Single-section ladder maximum length: up to 30 feet)

(2 section ladder maximum length: 48 feet)

(3+ section ladder maximum length: 60 feet)

Choose ladder of proper material (aluminum, fiberglass, wood)

Inspect ladder for damage and proper operation; tag damaged ladders: “DO NOT USE”

B. Scan the Work Area

Check for electrical hazards (e.g., overhead power lines)

Check for other overhead obstructions (e.g., tree limbs)

Note clutter and traffic patterns in immediate work area; check for tripping/slipping hazards

Locate stable surface to secure base of ladder

Locate firm and secure surface for top of ladder

Note environmental conditions (wind, rain, snow/ice)

C. Inspect the Ladder

Check that rungs, slip-resistant feet, etc. are secure

Check rungs for mud, paint, oil, or other slick/sticky substance

Check for places on ladder that could cause cuts, punctures, or abrasions (e.g., loose screws, bolts, hinges)

Check for damaged ropes and pulleys

Check that rung locks fasten securely

Tag damaged ladders: “DO NOT USE”

D. Set it Up

Use two people to carry and erect ladder whenever possible

Place bottom of ladder below point selected for top support (near base of structure)

Walk ladder up hand-over-hand

Extend ladder 3 feet above resting point on roof or rest it against wall

Verify minimum overlap of ladder sections and that rung locks are properly engaged:

(Up to 36', minimum overlap: 3 feet per section)

(Over 36', up to 48', minimum overlap: 4 feet per section)

(Over 48', up to 60', minimum overlap: 5 feet per section)

Pull bottom of ladder away from structure to set proper angle (1/4 rule: 1 foot of horizontal distance from top support for every 4 ft of ladder length to top support)

Clear clutter, level the bottom, and make sure footing is stable

Ensure that both rails at the top of ladder are supported

Secure ladder at bottom by appropriate means (e.g., staking, digging in)

Set up traffic barrier (or barricade) on ground around work area

E. Test it

Re-check set-up before or during first climb (e.g., levelness, stability of base, rung locks)

Re-check shoes for mud, paint, oil, or other slick/sticky substances

Use spotter for added security at base during first climb

Check for stability while climbing first couple rungs

Tie-off top of ladder whenever possible

F. General Ladder Handling

Use two people to carry and erect ladder whenever possible

Install a hydraulic or mechanical ladder rack on your vehicle to aid loading/unloading

When repositioning ladder more than a few feet, collapse sections before moving

If ladder becomes unstable while carrying it, drop it and get out of the way

Re-inspect dropped ladder; tag damaged ladder: “DO NOT USE”

Store and lock ladder in covered area, free of contaminants (e.g., mud, water, grease)

When lowering ladder, keep fingers away from moving or sliding parts

Note slipping, tripping, and overhead hazards before moving ladder

Arc Flash

What is Arc Flash? - Arc flash is a short circuit through air that flashes over from one exposed live conductor to another conductor or to ground. Arc flash incidents are common and costly, and the frequency of reported accidents is increasing. This is why arc flash has become a very hot topic within OSHA and the safety industry overall.

What Causes Arc Flash? - Arc flashes can be caused in a variety of ways:

· Just coming close to a high-amp source with a conductive object can cause the electricity to flash over.

· Dropping a tool or otherwise creating a spark can ignite an arc flash.

· Equipment failure due to use of substandard parts, improper installation, or even normal wear and tear.

· Breaks or gaps in insulation.

· Dust, corrosion or other impurities on the surface of the conductor.

How Common Is Arc Flash? - In the past, if someone suffered burns in an electrical accident, people thought the burns were caused by the electrical shock passing through the body. Electrical shocks can cause burns. But what research has shown is that most burns from electrical accidents actually come from arc flash.

The majority of hospital admissions due to electrical accidents are from arc flash burns, not from electrical shocks. (Taken from NFPA 70E-2004 standard) Of the approximately 350 persons killed in the work place by electricity last year, roughly 50% were related to arc flash. A report by Capelli-Schellpfeffer, Inc., estimates that 5-10 arc flash explosions happen in the USA every day, resulting in 1 to 2 deaths per day.

That figure only in takes into account incidents where victims were sent to special burn centers. The number does not include cases sent to regular hospitals or clinics, nor unreported cases or near misses.

Safety Facts

Fact: Almost 8000 electrical contact accidents occur in the U.S. each year.

Fact: At least one worker dies each day from electrical contact.

Fact: Fatalities from electrical accidents with a potential arc flash component have been trending downward since recent mandatory safe work practices have become “law.”

Training

Do you and your employees know the risks? Knowing the level of potential hazard is critical to taking the proper level of precaution.

Fact: Everyone at risk of arc flash needs a basic understanding of:

Risk Analysis; Arc Energy Theory; How to determine safe working distances; and the Required PPE. There are free video clips available on line…just go to Google, click on the video icon and type in arc flash.

What's a Near Miss / Near Hit?

Usually a near miss or hit is defined as an accident that almost happened.

For example, the situation where someone trips and almost falls down the stairs but manages to grab the hand rail just in time, or when someone is almost hit by a reversing fork lift. In these two examples no injury resulted but this was the result of good luck rather than good management.

When near misses occur they can be regarded as early warnings that something is wrong somewhere in the system. We therefore need to develop a system which allows us to take action before an injury occurs.

When a Hazard and Near Miss report is received by a supervisor, the supervisor should discuss it with the person making the report, investigate, and decide what corrective action should be taken and implement the change as soon as possible if it is within the supervisor's authority. If not, the matter should be referred to a member of management for review and correction.

All Near Misses should be reported, reviewed and recommended corrective actions implemented as soon as possible after the event. These items should also be discussed in daily tailgates and monthly safety committee meetings to ensure affected employees are apprised of the changes. The idea is to take immediate corrective action to prevent recurrence with a more serious outcome.

Below is summary of an actual near miss (not one of ours) that is quite common:
Incident Date: 1/09/2009
Task Description: Working on elevated platforms using hand tools.
Summary: A hand tool fell through a small gap in the work area and dropped and deflected from other equipment causing the hand tool to fall outside the exclusion zone identified for the process.
Cause of incident: Moving, flying or falling object
Root cause: Lack of risk assessment
Activity Type: Maintenance
Specific Equipment: Hand Tools and the lack of securing devices to ensure they are unable to fall from aloft.

Lessons Learned:

Risk assessments must be thorough…there was a gap here was the exclusion zone underneath the work area large enough?

There was no plan for the safe and controlled use of working with tools at height.

It appears there was at least one gap in the protective matting which had not been managed effectively.



Near-misses are often less obvious than accidents and are defined as having little if any immediate impact on individuals or processes. Despite their limited impact, near-misses provide insight into potential accidents that could happen. As numerous catastrophes illustrate, management failure to capture and remedy near-misses may foreshadow disaster. Notable examples where near-miss precursors have been observed but not effectively managed include:

1. The 1986 Space-Shuttle Challenger explosion. Engineers had identified and reported degraded O-ring seals on previous missions dating back to 1982 with degradation increasing as ambient liftoff temperature decreased. The night before the disaster, management had been warned of the potential for catastrophic failure when lifting off at ambient temperatures of 53 °F or below (the liftoff temperature was 36 °F) (Vaughan, 1996).

2. The 1997 Hindustan refinery explosion in India. Sixty people died and over 10,000 metric tons of petroleum based products were released to the atmosphere or burned. Written complaints of corroded and leaking transfer lines where the explosion originated went unheeded (Khan and Abbasi, 1999).

3. The 1999 Paddington train crash catastrophe in which 31 people died. From 1993-1999 eight near-misses, or ‘signals passed at danger’ (SPADS), had occurred at the location (Signal 109) where the eventual collision and explosion occurred. At the time of the crash, the signal was one of the 22 signals with the greatest number of
SPADS (Cullen, 2001).

4. The 1998 Morton explosion and fire resulting from a reactor temperature excursion. Nine people were injured, two seriously. In an accident investigation, the Chemical Safety Board concluded, “Management did not investigate evidence in numerous completed batch sheets and temperature charts of high temperature excursions beyond the normal operating range.” A disproportionate number of excursions resulted after the process was scaled-up (Chemical Safety Board, 2000).

Many accidents can be prevented by taking prompt action to prevent a hazardous situation from continuing or developing into something worse. Near Miss reporting is a key element in an Accident Prevention Program. Experiences shared and information gathered at one facility can be used at other facilities to mitigate risk and control losses. Therefore, we must continue to encourage employees to report all near misses, immediately. We need to use Near Miss reports as ‘our early warning system’ and do all we can to minimize the potential for loss.

Waiting for an injury to happen before acting just doesn't make sense! The best answer is prevention…and that takes timely, effective communication.