MEMIC Safety Blog

Unconscious Behavior: An Obstacle to Change

 Posted by Allan Brown

 

Try brushing your teeth with your opposite hand, or sleeping on the opposite side of the bed, or place the mouse on the other side of the keyboard. Can’t do it, can you? All of these are unconscious behaviors that have established patterns, patterns that you repeat everyday, without consciously thinking.Changing these patterns and behaviors is difficult.   

 

Much of your work behaviors are repeated patterns. How you reach for the mouse, where you rest your elbows at your desk, how you sit in your chair are some of these unconscious events. 

 

What if you sit perched on your chair with a forward head posture reaching for your mouse. I see it everyday when I assess work stations. This posture usually results in neck, shoulder, back and/or head discomfort. Your solution often is to reach for the ibuprofen. 

 

How about addressing the problem and change your sitting posture? It’s typically not the choice because it’s difficult to change.  First, you have to ask yourself: How am I sitting? And, why do I sit like this? Am I sitting forward in the chair because the chair is too big or because the overhead lights are too bright and wash out my screen clarity? Are my eye glasses adjusted appropriately? Why am I reaching for my mouse? Is there no room to place it closer? Is my chair too low for my work space?  Is my knee space cluttered? Our bodies will adapt to the work space unconsciously, regardless if it creates good or bad posture.

 

If you are experiencing discomfort at your workstation, take a conscious moment and think about what hurts and what might be the cause. Make a change in your workstation and address the problem by changing your unconscious behavior. Use MEMIC’s  “10 Tips for A Perfect Fit” (available through MEMIC Safety Director) worksheet to guide you through creating a comfortable workstation.  It takes time to change old habits. 

A Clear Observation of Organizational Culture

 Posted by Donna Clendenning

 

Recently, I had the opportunity to provide back safety and core awareness training at two locations of the same healthcare organization.

 

The two locations were operated by two individual administrators and directors of nursing. The administrator of the first location has led her workforce for more than a decade. She is pleasant, open, positive, and an easy-going person.  Sixteen staff attended the training. They participated, and were generally vocal and engaged, and they had a lot of fun with the back safety quiz.  Team competition and a return demonstration of core muscle awareness and strengthening ended in a vivacious finale.  A basket of candies was passed around for the "winners" numerous times and everyone ended up with lots of positive reinforcement. The room was filled with cajoling, laughter, fun, and most importantly, learning. 

 

The second location had a similar number of staff attendees. This administrator is also a veteran of the organization whose leadership style is more business-like. While providing the same training content and style, the second group was quiet and more difficult to draw out.

 

What struck me most were the vast differences in communication and attitude between the locations, despite being one organization.  Among other things, in MEMIC's four-part leadership series workshop, we learn of the value of communication as it relates to performance.

 

Leadership is an activity, not a person.  Leadership comes not from titles, nor even necessarily from expertise, but from the relationships between those who choose to exercise leadership and those who choose to follow. These relationships may result from trust, shared visions or goals, sometimes shared pain, or mutual gifts of significance where leader and followers help each other feel an important part of something larger than them. Leadership draws its power from issues of the heart.

 

What I witnessed was the personal aspect of being a positive leader. The staff of the first location was clearly ready, willing, and able to do whatever it takes for the good of a common goal. The paycheck, or a reward, or a raise was not what learning was about for this group!

 

What culture are you growing in your business? Are you a leader of authority or a leader who draws their power from issues of the heart?

 

Who is the Authorized Employee for Lockout/Tagout?

  Posted by Henry Reynolds

 

Do you know who your authorized employees are?  Do you have employees performing service and maintenance on machinery without adequate authorized training and exposure controls?

 

Safety consultants often see employees performing servicing and maintenance activities on machinery and equipment without proper lockout compliance because the employer does not see some workers as authorized employees under OSHA's standard for controlling hazardous energy.   Examples are equipment operators, employees helping maintenance personnel, cleaners, lubricators, employees working with contractors, or supervisors evaluating work being performed on machinery. 

 

Here's OSHA's definition of Authorized Employee: A person who locks out or tags out a machine or equipment to perform servicing or maintenance on that machine or equipment. An affected employee becomes an authorized employee when that employee's duties include performing servicing or maintenance covered under 1910.147.

 

OSHA's 1910.147 lockout standard requires lockout compliance under the following conditions:  "1910.147 (a)(2)(ii) An employee is required to remove or bypass a guard or other safety device; or an employee is required to place any part of his or her body into an area on a machine or piece of equipment where work is actually performed upon the material being processed (point of operation) or where an associated danger zone exists during a machine operating cycle."

 

When evaluating your employees to determine who the authorized employees are, you must consider the terms “servicing and maintenance".

 

Lockout activities are mandatory during "servicing and/or maintenance". These include activities such as constructing, installing, setting up, adjusting, inspecting, modifying, and maintaining and/or servicing machines or equipment. These activities also include lubrication, cleaning or removal of a jam in a machine or equipment, and making adjustments or tool changes, where the employee may be exposed to the unexpected energization or startup of the equipment or a release of hazardous energy.

 

 Are your workers performing tasks that require lockout? Are they putting their bodies in harm's way if an unexpected energization of the machine occurs? Are they removing guards? If so, then we must reconsider who the authorized employees are. Failure to do so could lead to serious injury and even death.

 

MEMIC policyholders who need further assistance with your Lockout/Tagout program should feel free to contact your Safety Management Specialist at MEMIC or contact MEMIC Loss Control Department to ask for assistance.

 

Operator's Manuals - Instructions Worth Reading

 Posted By Greg LaRochelle

 

These days, due to the global market and cultural diversity, manufacturers produce operator's manuals in several languages that are often confusing. You either find a folded sheet at the bottom of the box that opens into a poster-size layout of seemingly disjointed instructions, or a virtual tome of information that ends up being cast aside as you begin to assemble the product.

 

Of course, just jumping in knee-deep, in a manner of speaking, can lead to confusion, frustration, spare parts, and sometimes, bodily injury.  I recall a number of years ago, finding a product shipped in a container with a VHS tape that offered instructions on properly opening the container.  Think about that one for a moment.

 

That said, though we may have to skip a few pages to continue with the instructions in our native language, it's always prudent to take the time to read the information, especially any safety precautions that are included.  Usually, this section is highlighted and appears at the front of the manual. 

 

I visited a jobsite for one of my abatement contractors recently and was pleased to see the operation and maintenance manual for the newly purchased infrared floor tile lifter in plain sight.  It was obvious the manual had been "flexed" and reviewed prior to the crew using the machine.  Electrical needs and other safety precautions were clearly defined in the manual. 

 

It turns out that temperature and dwell time over a square of tiles was really important for this machine. Otherwise, the vinyl asbestos flooring could overheat to the point of thermal decomposition, rendering noxious airborne by-products.  Not to mention the potential destruction of material. It paid to read these instructions.

 

So, frustrating though they may be, take the time to read the manual – even if you already know how to open the box.

Splish, Splash

 Posted By Randy Klatt

It was one of those moments when I kept thinking, “How stupid can you be?  You’re a safety consultant!”  Fortunately, such thoughts don’t occur very often, but there I was in my driveway…

I was filling my lawnmower using a full 5 gallon gasoline container.  Since the plastic can was full it weighed about 35 lbs and the gasoline poured out of the plastic spout very quickly.  As I was trying to keep the gas flowing without spilling it the lawnmower tank filled quickly.  I was crouching over the lawnmower as I pulled the spout out of the tank.  The spout had been bent over in order to keep the pour going into the tank and when I pulled it out it flipped upward, splashing gas back towards my face.  The “how stupid…” thought that I mentioned earlier now came flooding over me as my right eye began to burn. 

I ran inside and flushed my eye with water for the next several minutes.  The burn subsided somewhat, but the eye was uncomfortable for the next several hours.  Now the question is “what did I learn from this and what can the readers take away from this story?”  

• Keep your face away from any pouring operation.
• Wear safety glasses when handling gasoline or any other hazardous chemical.

 

Additional safety tips for handling gasoline:

• Never fill gas cans while in the bed of a truck or in a trunk; always fill cans on the ground.
• Don’t get in and out of your car when pumping gas; the static buildup can discharge igniting the gas vapors. Remember, the flash point of gasoline is -40 degrees F; it is always extremely flammable!
• Always wash your hands after handling gasoline, especially before eating or drinking.
• Store gasoline in proper containers.

 

Nearly everyone handles gasoline; just remember it is a toxic substance that is extremely flammable.  Give it the respect it deserves.  I always wear safety glasses when mowing the lawn, but will now ensure I have them on before I ever start the engine.  I recommend you do the same.  For some sobering reading on what is in gasoline and its potential hazards, download a gasoline Material Safety Data Sheet using the BLR MSDS Search feature available through the Safety Director at MEMIC.com.

Lifting: You Can Measure the Risk

  Posted by Bill O’Connor

If you have manual handling tasks at your place of work, don’t keep your workers safe by accident.  All manual handling tasks should be evaluated for risk of injury by considering the force of exertion, frequency, body mechanics, type of load and hand grip, as well as the duration that workers are lifting. 

 

The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has devised a simple tool for making just that assessment.  By taking a few simple measurements of a lifting task, you can identify if the task is within recommended limits or not.

 

A lift analysis tool (in an Excel spreadsheet) can be downloaded from a website posted by Dr. Tom Bernard of the University of South Florida.  To use the tool, you follow these simple steps:

 

• Identify the horizontal distance of an object from the body at the origin and destination of the lift (Distance of hands from the ankle bones)
• Identify the distance of the hands from the floor at the origin and destination of the lift
• Identify the weight of the object lifted
• Identify the asymmetry of the torso (how much the shoulders are turned from the straight ahead position)
• Identify how many times the object is lifted per minute
• Identify how good the hand grip is
• Identify how much time per day is occupied with this task

 

To complete your analysis, enter your assessment results into the spreadsheet.  The macros in the tool will identify the recommended weight limit (RWL) and lifting index (LI – how much the task is above or below the RWL).  “What if?” scenarios can be evaluated for possible modifications to the task, in order to identify the best method of keeping the task at the RWL.

 

 

Connecting Workplace Safety with Home Safety

     Posted by Eric Grant

Millions of workers attend some sort of safety related meeting on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis.  The effectiveness of these trainings in changing workplace behaviors and attitudes is questionable—reading the same tool box talk for the tenth time isn’t the most engaging way to connect with your employees. 

An effective way to reach employees with any safety communication is to connect work with home.  If employees can learn something in the workplace that relates to their personal life, they may be more receptive to the message. 

Here are some examples for you to consider:

• Life Safety- Home Evacuation Plans: Develop and review a home plan that contains many of the same elements as your workplace program (routes, meeting area, role call, emergency action plans).
• Fire Safety- Fire Extinguishers and Smoke Detectors: Train employees how to use a fire extinguisher and develop a program to provide batteries, encouraging the changing of home smoke detectors.
• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): Discuss proper selection and use of PPE while working with chain saws, landscaping tools and equipment. Consider providing gloves and safety glasses as part of a recognition program.

Many companies are beginning to connect employee wellness and safety programs.  Understanding the benefits healthy employees bring to the workplace, companies are beginning to offer programs that include family members or provide information that is sent directly to the home, encouraging participation. Examples include:

• Monthly wellness and safety newsletters.

• Wellness programs that offer family participation rewards, like exercise or weight loss incentives.
• Classes offered in the workplace, open to family members. For example smoking cessation, Weight Watchers, or an exercise class.
• Discounts at gyms or company sponsored events that include family members.

Be creative and connect workplace safety with home safety.  If the message impacts one employee in a positive way, it was worth the effort!

A Changing of the Guard at OSHA

      Posted by Dan Cote, Sr. Vice President of Safety

On the 5th of August, President Obama selected Dr. David Michaels, a research scientist and professor from George Washington University, as the new head of OSHA.  How will this affect you and your business?

OSHA has had a relatively quiet existence over the last presidential administration, placing a high value on the development of OSHA Cooperative programs through partnerships such as the Voluntary Protection Program (VPP).  Monies and authority were relatively limited, which will not be the case with Dr. Michaels at the helm.

According to the New York Times editorial on August 6, 2009, Dr. Michaels has been advocating for years that OSHA “badly needs a change in direction and philosophy and that the primary goal should not be better enforcement but rather a bold campaign to change the workplace culture of safety.”

Business & National Affairs (BNA) reported in their May 21, 2009 Occupational Safety & Health Reporter that Michaels has given hints of what he might do as OSHA Administrator.  In the Winter 2009 issue of the New York Committee of Occupational Safety and Health’s SafetyRep newsletter, Michaels defined four objectives the agency should undertake:

• Issue a workplace injury and illness prevention program rule
• Increase training grants
• Develop a new electronic recordkeeping and reporting system
• Launch a campaign to change the way the nation thinks about workplace safety.

The first objective on Michaels’ list will require each business owner to develop a written safety and health program. Accomplishing an effective and comprehensive written program is easier said than done. Nonetheless, it is a foundational element in creating the workplace culture of safety Michaels talks about. 

For more information on how to develop your own written safety and health program, check out this article by Pierce Atwood. You can also find more information at MEMIC’s Safety Director. If you are not already registered at Safety Director, go ahead and register to have access to beneficial information, such as “Safety Director for Small Business” and “7 Steps to a Safer Workplace” to assist you with your own written safety and health program. You can even survey your organization against 4 key drivers:

• Workplace Conditions
• Human Resource
• Medical Management
• Company Culture

Other sites to help you with your written safety and health program are the National Safety Council and OSHA.

 

Back to School Construction—Commuters Beware

  Written by Peter Koch

The impending close to summer reared it’s ugly head earlier this week while dropping my daughter off at 6:30 AM for the first of her pre-season double session practices.  That also dredged up images of the hundreds of school buses and thousands of parents transporting kids, not to mention the scores of recently licensed drivers that will soon be competing for our attention during the morning commute. 

Combine these with the much needed repair work currently happening on our roads and a lack of planning on our part, and you have a recipe for, at best, a tardy arrival to work or speeding ticket.  You can imagine the worst case . . .

While no injury or fatality is considered good, the frequency of school bus related traffic fatalities is relatively low.  National Highway Statistics provides this brief summary of the stats relating to school bus crashes:

• Each year, approximately 800 school-age children are killed in motor vehicle crashes during the normal school travel hours (weekday mornings and afternoons during school months). 
• Roughly 2% of the 800 children killed are school bus related while 74% occur in private passenger vehicles and 22% are the result of pedestrian or bicycle accidents.  

What can we do to keep the grim reaper or trooper from the rear view mirror?  Start with a good plan:

1. Know your route – Be aware of any planned or current construction along your way.  Using web resources such as Trafficinfo, Rand McNally, or a local city website can help identify areas where delays are likely.
2. Leave early – Be sure to leave enough time to account for any known construction delays or school bus stops along the way.  Usually 30 minutes is enough, but more may be necessary depending on where you live.  If you get there ahead of time you can catch up on your email and text messages.
3. Stay visible – Stop far enough back for the bus driver to see you in their mirror and use your hazards when stopped for a bus, giving notice to any drivers behind you.
4.  Avoid distraction – It’s not the phone, it’s the conversation.  Refrain from using cell phones while driving in school zones or areas with children. The same goes for activities that distract the driver, such as changing CDs, looking at notes and reading maps.

The following sites provide additional tips and strategies for avoiding tragedy on you morning commute this fall:

• Back-to-School Safety
• Jiffy Lube Safety Tips
• State of Maine Good Driving Tips

Complacency

Can complacency affect workplace safety?  Do you know what complacency is?  Too busy at work; too set in your ways; too comfortable in the status quo to make any changes. Sound familiar?  Perhaps you are complacent and should reevaluate your motivation, especially if you are in a safety sensitive position. 

Webster’s Dictionary defines complacency as, “self-satisfaction especially when accompanied by unawareness of actual dangers or deficiencies.” 

We, as humans, are creatures of habit.  We are uncomfortable with change and we like some predictability in our lives.  It’s our nature and it’s all well and good, but it can lead to problems, especially for workplace safety.  Complacency lulls us into a false sense of security.  If we have never been hurt by something, we tend to assume after a while that it will never hurt us. 

Step back and take a look around your workplace and consider the following:

• Are all the appropriate safety systems in place? 
• Is regular safety training taking place? 
• Are there safety goals that everyone is aware of and a plan in place to reach them? 
• Is someone assigned to regularly inspect the workplace for hazards? 
• Are supervisors held accountable for the safety of their employees? 

If you answer “no” to any of the above, perhaps complacency is setting in and some improvements should be made.  Safety is a continual challenge.  An old aviation saying applies, “Aviation,  in itself,  is not inherently dangerous. But to an even greater degree than the sea, it is terribly unforgiving of any carelessness, incapacity or neglect.”  

Safety is manageable--shake off complacency and find ways to keep yourself and fellow workers safer, on and off the job.