Safety and the Staffing Industry

Big Brother is Watching You!

2012-01-18T14:23:00.005-05:00

I know that this is off the topic of safety, but it is a subject that is just as important.

Our government is about to attack our most basic human right: free speech.

Right now, the U.S. Congress is considering legislation that could fatally damage the free and open Internet. These bills, SOPA and PIPA, are being pushed by the recording industry and movie industry.

To raise awareness, and since I cannot black out this website, I am posting on the matter. We stand in solidarity with hundreds of other sites such as Wikipedia and Google.

Learn more here.

You can do something about it. Contact your representatives (zip code look up on Wikipedia's page).

Load Shifting

2011-12-05T15:01:00.001-05:00

Always be sure that your load is properly secure so it does not shift. Load Shifting can caust your vehicle or trailer to tip.

More Vehicle Safety

2011-12-05T14:50:00.002-05:00

Continuing on Vehicle Safety, keep alert, watch for stopped vehicles, properly secure your load, be aware of overhead hazards and vehicle height, and never run through a closed train crossing gate.

Some pics to think about:

Vehicle Maintenance: continued

2011-12-05T13:57:00.002-05:00

When performing vehicle maintenance in-house or on the road in the event of an emergency, be sure that the person doing it has been trained in safety procedures for doing so, is qualified and doing it in the safest manner.

Jacking your vehicle up is no trivial matter when it comes to car safety, so be sure to support it safely with jack stands. You're taking thousands of pounds and dangling it over your body while you tinker underneath.

Vehicles come with either a scissor or a bottle jack, and these are great to have in a emergency to change a flat tire, but for anything beyond roadside service, it is recommended to use jack stands. Jack stands offer more strength than your conventional jack, and more stability, meaning the vehicle is less likely to fall off of them while they are in use.

Never crawl under a vehicle only supported by a jack.

It only takes a second to securely support your vehicle safely while you work on it. A pair of jack stands should be one of the first things you buy when equipping your shop, company, or yourself for vehicle maintenance and repair.

When using jack stands, they must be placed in certain spots. These spots can be found in your vehicle's owner's manual, or more often than not can be pointed out by looking under the vehicle. They most often appear as square cuts in the frame, making it easy to see where they line up the jack stands. All vehicles, especially trucks can be lifted by the frame.

Make sure the jack is fully functional (All wheels free to roll, handle free to turn, and hydraulic pump raises and lowers without leaks) and will support the weight limit on the jack label. To double check this information you will need to consult your vehicle manual to find the weight of your vehicle. Usually this is only a problem when you are using a jack that did not come with your car.

Lift your vehicle with a floor jack, and place the stands under the lift points at both sides, adjusting them for the height you need to do your work. If you do not own a floor jack, you can use the bottle jack or scissor jack that comes with your vehicle. However, if you do this, you must raise one side of the car at a time and place stands individually, rather than lifting the whole vehicle and placing them together.

Lower the weight of the vehicle onto the stand so the vehicle is not supported by the jack. Most people doing home auto repairs don’t know this, but using a jack stand to support the weight of the car is a safer alternative than supporting your vehicle with the jack.

After your vehicle is safely resting on the stands, remove the floor jack so it isn't in your way while you're trying to do repairs. Then go to the bumper of the car closer to where your stands are and shake it. If the car shakes, be sure that your stands are under the correct and closest lift points, and adjust accordingly. It's always better to test and have the vehicle fall on its wheels than to fall on you.

When lifting or working under the vehicle using jack stands, apply the emergency brake and put blocks behind wheels that touch the ground.

Vehicle Maintenance

2011-12-05T13:25:00.003-05:00

Sticking with the transportation safety topic, lets look at the vehicle maintenance. There are 2 categories of vehicle maintenance.

Preventive Maintenance is conducted to keep equipment working and/or extend the life of the equipment.

Corrective Maintenance, sometimes called "repair," is conducted to get equipment working again.

Repairs themselves can be classified in 1 of 6 different types:

Necessary Repairs would be made as soon as possible because something important is worn out, broken, damaged, inoperative, loose, failed, about to fail or is creating an unsafe condition.

Manufacturer's Warranty Repairs; made to meet the vehicle manufacturer's recommendations or warranty requirements. Example: Your owners manual says the oil and filter has to be changed at least once every 7,500 miles to keep the engine warranty in effect.

Should-Be-Replaced Repairs are made for items that are going to fail or wear out with in the next 6 months, are still functioning now, and do not currently create an unsafe condition. Many times, it is cheaper to do these repairs now than when the part fails. Example: Your brakes are low, it is cheaper replace now than when they fail and you need to replace the rotors too.

Upgrades: sometimes repairs will be recommended or suggested because they could provide some benefit to you (like more reliable starting, improved fuel economy, better ride or handling, etc.).

Preventive Maintenance is conducted to keep equipment working and/or extend the life of the equipment. The manufacturer has a schedule for these repairs.

Unnecessary Repairs, repairs that there is no legitimate reason to perform.

Vehicle Maintenance & the Pre-Trip Inspection

2011-12-05T12:40:00.005-05:00

Vehicle maintenance is extremely important to ensure that the vehicle is safe to operate and preforms as it is suppose to. Vehicle inspection, repair, and maintenance standards are critical to the safe operation of commercial motor vehicles. They are designed to reduce accidents, injuries, and fatalities resulting from unsafe vehicles operating on the highways.

The Pre-Trip Inspection is done prior to beginning a new work day, job, or trip. There are three major reasons why a pre-trip inspection is required. First, it is the law. Secondly, it reduces accidents, injuries, and fatalities and legal liability is reduced. Lastly, expensive roadside repairs can be avoided if a problem is spotted before a driver is on the road. At the end of the final trip of the day you should conduct a post-trip inspection on your vehicle.

Loading Dock Safety

2011-12-05T11:22:00.012-05:00

My last post was on seat belts for professional drivers, so I am going to stay on the topic of transportation safety. This post is going to remind you about Loading Dock Safety.

Chock wheels or use vehicle restraint systems.

Secure dock leveler.

Use portable jack stands in addition to the forward landing gear of spotted trailers. Too much weight in the nose can tip a trailer.

Ensure forklifts used to load/unload trailers are equipped with spotlights.

Ensure forklifts side shifts as standard equipment; they increase productivity & help to prevent product damage.

Do not allow pedestrians in trailers while a lift truck is loading/unloading.

Perform a visual inspection of the trailer prior to driving a lift truck into it.

If you require your employees to install or remove security seals for truckloads and containers you should designate a safe area away from the dock to do this. Never allow an employee to stand between a trailer and the dock.

Instruct employees not to climb on docks or to place any part of their bodies outside of the dock door. If employees need to climb down into the dock area make sure proper ladders or stairs are provided.

Train all employees that work in dock areas on the hazards, not just lift truck operators.

Remember Trailer Loading Procedure. For Palletized Loads :

Ensure trailers have chocks, and portable jack stands for spotted trailers.

Plan before you start to load. Stage the load so that you know how much cargo you have, what goes first, what gets stacked, etc.
Distribute the weight of the cargo evenly as you load, in the fore-to-aft as well as left-to-right.

Keep the center of gravity low; place heavier items lower on the trailer and lighter ones higher if you have to stack.

Secure the load, use load locks, ratchet straps, etc.

Watch the weight; too heavy and the trailer could split.

Tractor Trailer Seat Belts

2011-08-30T11:30:00.008-04:00

Over half of all tractor trailer occupant deaths last year happened when the truck rolled over. Most large truck drivers are killed in single vehicle accidents.

According to a prominent Chicago injury lawyer, truck drivers killed in a fatal tractor-trailer accident were equally as likely to be wearing a seat belt (39 percent) as not wearing one (39 percent). Seat belt use was unknown for 22 percent of fatal truck crash victims.

By comparison, 50 percent of passenger vehicle drivers killed in a crash were unbelted, while 43 percent were wearing a seat belt and seat belt status is unknown for the remaining 7 percent of fatalities

It's not that you wear a seat belt now, it's how you wear it!

The injuries and fatalities from not wearing the seat belt correctly are due to blunt force trama, internal injuries, and ejection.

Here is the correct way to wear a seat belt. (Click on the image for a larger view.)

Lets not forget our best friends either.

Even pets need to be properly secured. If large enough, they should be properly fitted with a seat belt or in a kennel that is properly anchored.

Earthquake Tuesday, August 23, 2011

2011-08-30T10:32:00.005-04:00

MINERAL, Va. - The most powerful earthquake to strike the East Coast in 67 years shook buildings and rattled nerves from South Carolina to Maine on Tuesday, August 23, 2011.

The most important thing to take away from this (for me) is what an aftershock feels like. We felt the aftershock all the way here to Northeaster Pennsylvania. I was working at my computer when I had a strange feeling. It was almost like a "dizzy feeling," but without the nausea.

Other people I talked to said it was a feeling to a high blood pressure spike of blood sugar levels dropping. I suspected an earthquake, but nothing had moved in my office, not even the blinds.

Here is a great source for earthquake info: US Geological Survey Earthquake Center.

Oil Spill in the Gulf

2010-07-06T22:30:00.003-04:00

It is a tragedy the oil spill in the Gulf and the response by the Federal Government and BP seems to be half-hearted at best. As a safety professional who subscribes to root cause analysis (see my blog post on root cause analysis), I want to know what caused this disaster.

Is it just me or has anyone else noticed the lack of attention paid to investigating and determining the cause? I hate to jump the gun, but was it terrorism or stupidity?

I think that the public should be updated on the progress by both BP and the Federal Government. At the very least, every State that has an ocean shoreline or oil/natural gas drilling in it should demand the report on the cause of the disaster.

Wire Rope Safety

2010-07-06T21:56:00.005-04:00

Just recently I added a winch to my utility trailer. I had to string the winch with wire rope and a hook. It got me to thinking, what a great blog topic. When adding a bight (The term bight is used in knot tying to refer to any curved section, slack part, or loop between the two ends of a rope, string, or yarn.) to wire rope, there is a right way and wrong way to attach the clamps to make the bight.

The way to remember the correct procedure is the saying, "Never saddle a dead horse." The saddle is the part of the wire rope clamp that the U-bolt passes through. The saddle always goes on the working end of the line (the longer line) and the U-bolt goes on the dead end (short end).

The pic shows the parts of the bight, the clamp, and the proper way to install it. You can download "the proper installation and warnings" from Crosby, a manufacturer of wire rope products here: Crosby card

Cal-OSH & Safe Sex

2010-03-26T13:20:00.003-04:00

LA TIMES

Condom requirement for porn film actors to be voted on in California

March 18, 2010 | 6:49 am

State regulators are expected to vote Thursday on a petition asking them to require porn industry performers to use condoms and to take other safety measures. The six-member California Division of Occupational Safety and Health standards board appears likely to create an advisory committee to report back on whether the law should be changed and how it could be accomplished.

The board, appointed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, has up to six months to act on a Dec. 17, 2009 petition filed by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation that seeks to change state law to require safe-sex protections for adult-film workers, including mandatory condom use and more stringent safety training and testing for sexually transmitted diseases.

Earlier this month, staff members recommended that the board create an advisory committee to consider amending the law “in order to give greater protection to employees in the adult film industry.”

“It’s to study the issue more. If it merits it, they would formulate the language and bring it before the board,” to amend the law, said CAL/OSHA spokeswoman Erika Monterroza.

Monterroza said it is “extremely common” for the board to create such advisory committees.

Officials from the Los Angeles-based AIDS Healthcare Foundation said they support the creation of such a committee, which they hope would ultimately back new regulations for the adult film industry. The advocacy group has been pushing regulators and porn industry leaders to better safeguard the health of adult-film performers since an HIV outbreak among porn performers in the San Fernando Valley in 2004.

“Allowing the porn industry to flout the law on technicalities undermines the whole concept of worker safety in California,” said AIDS Healthcare Foundation President Michael Weinstein, who is among those scheduled to address the board Thursday. “By making it more explicit it removes an excuse the industry has used that these regulations are not intended for their industry. At the end of the day, it’s about enforcement.”

Last summer, the foundation sued Los Angeles County after the disclosure that an adult-film performer had tested positive for HIV. In the suit, it alleged public health officials failed to prevent the spread of sexually transmitted diseases and to enforce laws requiring employers to protect workers against exposure to bodily fluids.

The suit was dismissed by a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge late last year, but Weinstein said the foundation appealed the decision last week.

Among those scheduled to speak Thursday is former porn actor Darren James, who tested HIV-positive during a 2004 outbreak.

“I know there’s a lot of actors that’s getting tired of STDs,” James said Wednesday in an interview with The Times. He said many actors feel they cannot speak out against the spread of STDs for fear of losing work. “They just need more options; if they can provide them with better care maybe we can slow it down.”

Also scheduled to speak at the meeting are half a dozen representatives of the adult film industry, including Diane Duke, executive director of the Free Speech Coalition, a Canoga Park-based trade association.

Duke said her group’s members have tried to comply with state health and safety regulations, but that they are overly vague and general. She supports forming an advisory committee as long as it includes adult-film workers, producers or other industry representatives.

“We have been trying to work within the regulations, but it’s almost impossible,” Duke said. “If we were going with the letter of the law, every film would have performers in latex gloves and goggles.”

-- Molly Hennessy-Fiske

From: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2010/03/condom-requirement-for-porn-film-actors-comes-to-vote-in-california.html

Driver Fatigue: avoid falling asleep.

2010-03-26T13:14:00.005-04:00

An increasing problem now for motorists is ‘driving fatigue’. Yes, this fatigue has caused our reactions to slow down so that we were unable to judge properly, almost as though we were drunk.

The first thing is to make sure that we get a good nights rest the night before so that we a refreshed for the next day.

For long trips, plan various stops where you as the driver can have a small break along the way. Remember that short 5-minute breaks can mean the difference between life and death for us.

One recommendation is that we need to have a break from driving at least every 2 hours, so that we can refresh our reaction senses.

Another good idea is to take some light refreshments with you, so you will always have something to sustain you while driving.

Quantum Safety

2010-01-22T13:28:00.000-05:00

I have neglected this Blog, so now I am back.

I have coined the term "Quantum Safety" to describe my view on safety.

I compare Safety to Quantum Physics. Quantum Physics is all about probability. QP states that any possibility can occur, although there are certain possibilities that are more likely to occur.

Based on this concept, if a worker is properly trained, doing his job correctly, with the correct tools and safety equipment, he will have an accident. So it is not "if," but "when."

This is supported by the mathematical discipline of statistics. If you do something enough times, you will experience every possible outcome. Example; what are the outcomes of flipping a coin? There are 3. Three? Yes, three. Heads, tails, and the side. Think the "The Twilight Zone" episode "A Penny for Your Thoughts."

"Mr. Hector B. Poole, resident of the Twilight Zone. Flip a coin and keep flipping it. What are the odds? Half the time it will come up heads, half the time tails. But in one freakish chance in a million, it'll land on its edge. Mr. Hector B. Poole, a bright human coin, on his way to the bank."

It may take you 100 years of flipping the coin, but it will eventually happen. The PROBABILITY of that occurring is very low. The PROBABILITY (based on a bell curve and other math that I will not go in to) can be expressed in terms of time. From the coin example, we could then express the probability of the coin landing on its side at least 100 years (I just made this number up for demonstration purposes).

electrical safety (one of my favorites)

2009-10-20T06:52:00.003-04:00

This is one of my favorite pictures to use when I do electrical safety training. Very creative, but not very safe.

That is the challenge that we face as safety professionals; how to incorporate safety in our activities. The goal in the picture is to get hot water where there is none, but the goal should be to get hot water SAFELY.

Safety needs to be incorporated in our designs and plans of action.

ANSI/ASSE Z359 Fall Protection

2009-09-16T13:57:00.003-04:00

ANSI has updated their Z359( fall protection standard.

Falls have moved from the third leading cause of work-related death to become the number one killer of construction workers and the second leading cause of occupational death for general industry workers, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2004 Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries.

One difference between the OSHA standard and ANSI/ASSE Z359 is that Z359 requires 100% continuous fall protection where the OSHA Fall Protection Plan consists of administrative controls versus physical 100% fall protection.

The first step is using fall protection.

Boat Launching Procedures

2009-09-08T16:58:00.003-04:00

Sent to me by a friend

So here it is.

I just bought a new boat and decided to take 'er for the maiden voyage this
past weekend.

This is my first boat and I wasn't quite sure of the exact Standard
Operating Procedures for launching it off a ramp, but I figured it couldn't
be too hard.

I consulted my local boat dealer for advice, but they just said "don't let
the trailer get too deep when you are trying to launch the boat".
What am I doing wrong?
Well, I don't know what they meant by that as I could barely get the trailer
in the water at all!

Remember to always secure your boat!!!!

2009-09-08T16:57:00.001-04:00

When is a fatality not a fatality?

2009-06-21T20:35:00.004-04:00

As I stated in my previous post, I was able to get OSHA to recognize that the ultimate cause of the fatality was a MRSA infection. I was talking with a colleague this week who is a stickler for statistics, he pointed out an interesting fact; I am probably the first and only (to the best os his knowledge, my knowledge, and an internet search we did together) safety person/accident investigator in the United States to show that a fatality not a fatality.

This is the reason my clients call me in when things go bad. They should not be penalized for things that are not their fault. All to often the tragedy overshadows the facts. I have had a former police officer who now works with insureds to fight work comp fraud tell me that I was the best accident investigator he ever saw.

WORKMAN DIES IN HOSPITAL AFTER FALL

2009-06-04T16:19:00.003-04:00

Taken from: http://www.ppconstructionsafety.com/newsdesk/2009/06/03/workman-dies-in-hospital-after-fall/

Fall from scaffold causes serious injury and worker dies in hospital

A construction worker who was seriously injured in a fall from scaffolding on a London site in February is thought to have died in hospital from MRSA.

The workman engaged by Ramport Scaffolding on a new homes site in Islington, London was taken to the Royal London Hospital with “life-threatening injuries” on 18 February and is believed to have died in hospital on 19 May.

Contract Journal report one source as saying: “He didn’t die of his injuries. It actually looks like he caught MRSA while in hospital.” HSE is investigating the fall and subsequent death.

This article was posted on 3rd June 2009 in Latest News.
PP Construction Safety H&S Assistance and Consultancy service.

**************************************************************************************************

2 years ago I investigated a fatality for another staffing company that had an employee die after a fall at a client's facility. The ultimate outcome was that my investigation showed OSHA the employee did not die as a result of his injuries, but from a MRSA infection while in the hospital.

I reasoned that if an injured employee was off of work due to his injuries and he dies in a fire at a rehab center while receiving therapy, or if a bus hits him as he walks to his mail box to get his workers' comp check, that NEITHER can be considered a work related fatality.

OSHA accepted my conclusions and as a result the injury was not counted as a fatality against the other staffing company. The fines were about $1000 for some training records not up to date. The workers' comp carrier also agreed and subrogated against the hospital for a portion of medical expenses and the settlement paid out.

It was an unfortunate event the loss of life, but this did not have to happen. The company was also not unfairly blamed for the death. This also shows the benefits of having a solid accident investigation program in place and how the conclusions can run wild if left to someone else.

This also shows a valuable tool that many times gets a bad rap; outsourcing. The other staffing company had an accident investigation policy in place, but they realized that their safety person, although competent was not prepared for a fatality investigation, and especially one that was full of complexities as this one was (details that I will not go in to).

This also shows the value of acting immediately to preserve evidence. I was on site the next day beginning the investigation. It took OSHA 2 more days after I was already there to get out to the site. Do not think that I am disparaging OSHA in any way, because I am not! They do a very good job of protecting the workers in our country, and they respond very quickly. They are understaffed though and have a set list of priorities that they have to follow, and this particular region is very "active" for them.

My response was immediate, the other staffing company has great concern for the safety of all their employees, and along with the ramifications of the seriousness of this accident, the most prudent thing was for me to be there immediately.

Motorcycle Helmet

2009-04-30T14:06:00.002-04:00

Safety Culture; Take It Home

2009-04-27T12:09:00.006-04:00

Safety Culture

One of the reasons that from time to time, I will post something related to safety at home, and not necessarily workplace safety is that because (I believe) that when employees have developed a safety culture, they think about safety outside of work. As I have stated before, when I do safety training I poll my students to see how many practice safety at home (usually 50%). After 6 months of training that number goes up to 80%-90%.

I have discovered another important aspect of safety training in the last 6 months; that is support for a safety culture at home. If the employer has a commitment to a culture of safety that has to extend beyond the boundaries of work. I have always provided safety information that extends beyond work and encourage them to "take it home."

I have been reviewing the accident rates of safety training I have done, programs of some colleagues, and programs I have set up and were turned over to another trainer. I noticed that my (sole) training has had lower accident rates.

The revelation came to me when one of my former client had contacted me because they were unsatisfied with the trainer of the new staffing company that had taken over their workforce. I was presented with a copy of their annual syllabus. It was very welled prepared and extremely detailed (better than mine).

It was too perfect though. It was almost as if it was a computer based program that spits out pages of information. I also noticed that it lacked safety for at home. I began to review other safety programs that I had started and with some colleagues who were willing to share data. I also specifically asked how many of these had specific elements that encouraged safety at home.

Some claimed they did, but did not have the lower accident rates. Their "take it home" aspects were basically a reminder of "don't drink & drive" during the holidays, fireworks safety during the summer. They lack to strategies to promote, develop, and integrate safety outside of work.

A note about the accident rates:

The difference between the accident rates of the safety training that integrated the "take it home" concept and the ones that did not were small; but there was a distinctive pattern between the 2. The main reason that the difference was so small was twofold, the groups were generally less than 50 employees. Most around the 10-20 employee size.

The second is that the difference between accident rates between companies that have a (well run, correctly implemented, and not half-assed) safety program and those who do not is is very big. Compared to this number the "take it home" program vs. not difference is almost insignificant.

There is definitely a pattern though. If you take into account near misses, equipment damage, productivity, and quality, the pattern becomes more pronounced and the difference greater. Finally if there was a method to mathematically quantify a measure of the abstract concept of safety culture, the "take it home"programs would have a higher rating because the culture would be 100% of the time instead of just 9 to 5.

When Pigs Fly; a Swine Flu Update

2009-04-27T11:46:00.005-04:00

The current swine flu virus outbreak contains a combination of DNA from avian flu, swine flu and human flu viruses, (including elements from European and Asian swine viruses). That makes it a new, unique strain of swine flu that has not been scene before.

After this weekend,

-6 Cases of Swine Flu Confirmed in Canada-
-10 New Zealand Students 'Likely' Have Swine Flu
-Swine flu confirmed in 5 US states, CA, TX, OH, NY, KS
-Michigan Investigating Probable Case of Swine Flu

Here are some facts about the virus and flu viruses in general:

* The virus is an influenza A virus, carrying the designation H1N1.

* It is genetically different from the fully human H1N1 seasonal influenza virus that has been circulating globally for the past few years. The new flu virus contains DNA typical to avian, swine and human viruses, including elements from European and Asian swine viruses.

* Flu viruses mutate constantly, which is why the flu vaccine is changed every year, and they can also swap DNA in a process called re-assortment. Most animals can get flu but viruses rarely pass from one species to another.

* From December 2005 through February 2009, 12 cases of human infection with swine influenza were confirmed, all but one among people who had contact with pigs. There was no evidence of human-to-human transmission.

* Symptoms of swine flu in people are similar to those of seasonal influenza — sudden onset of fever, coughing, muscle aches and extreme tiredness. Swine flu appears to cause more diarrhea and vomiting than normal flu.

* People rarely catch avian flus. Notable exceptions include the H1N1 strain that caused the 1918 pandemic and H5N1 bird flu, which has killed 257 out of 421 infected in 15 countries since 2003, according to the World Health Organization.

* Seasonal flu kills between 250,000 and 500,000 people globally in an average year.

* When a new strain of flu starts infecting people, and when it acquires the ability to pass from person to person, it can spark a pandemic. The last pandemic was in 1968 and killed about a million people.

* In 1976 a new strain of swine flu started infecting people and worried U.S. health officials started widespread vaccination. More than 40 million people were vaccinated. But several cases of Guillain-Barre syndrome, a severe and sometime fatal condition that can be linked to come vaccines, caused the U.S. government to stop the program. The incident led to widespread distrust of vaccines in general.

Swine Flu Update

2009-04-24T16:14:00.001-04:00

1004 suspected cases now in Mexico
60 deaths from the flu in Mexico
8 cases in the US

Swine Flu outbreak in Mexico; cases found in CA & TX

2009-04-24T13:13:00.005-04:00

AP just reported Swine flu outbreak in Mexico, Mexico city closes schools. This outbreak has been responsible for the deaths of 60 people in Mexico. Cases have been reported in California and Texas.

A 9-year-old girl in Imperial County and a 10-year-old boy in San Diego County both were identified as having swine flu. Luckily, neither child needed hospitalization and both have recovered. Health officials, however, are puzzled and looking for the source of the infection.

The story can be found here:

http://www.kdvr.com/lifestyle/health/sns-ap-med-swine-flu,0,1362740.story

What is the swine flu?

Swine flu refers to four different types of flu strains that circulate among pigs. Under normal conditions, typically humans don’t contract swine flu. Unless, of course, they have direct contact with pigs.

Historically, the swine flu epidemic of 1918 hit the U.S., killing more than 500,000 that year. In 1976, the U.S. was scared again by swine flu. A national vaccination program was launched and fewer people died.

This strain of swine flu originated in Mexico and is a NEW strain of the virus. For this reason, there is no vaccine to protect against it.

What are the symptoms of swine flu in humans?

The symptoms of swine flu in people are expected to be similar to the symptoms of regular human seasonal influenza and include fever, lethargy, lack of appetite and coughing. Some people with swine flu also have reported runny nose, sore throat, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

Influenza (also known as the flu) is a contagious respiratory illness caused by flu viruses. It can cause mild to severe illness, and at times can lead to death. The flu is different from a cold. The flu usually comes on suddenly and may include these symptoms:

* Fever (usually high)
* Headache
* Extreme tiredness
* Dry cough
* Sore throat
* Runny or stuffy nose
* Muscle aches
* Stomach symptoms, such as nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, also can occur but are more common in children than adults

These symptoms are usually referred to as "flu-like symptoms."

More info can be found at the CDC here: http://www.cdc.gov/flu/swine/key_facts.htm

MOST IMPORTANTLY

* If you are sick, do not go to work. Stay home so you do not potentially infect others.

* Seek medical attention. Only a doctor can diagnose your condition and treat it.

* If employees show up at work with flu-like symptoms, coordinate with HR to send them home until they are well or it is determined that they are not suffering from the flu.

Machine Guarding

2009-04-10T10:56:00.003-04:00

I think that machine guarding is probably the most overlooked deficiency in industry. The reason being that the guards get in the way, slow down production, and the mindset that there was never a guard there. This is a form of complacency. Complacency seems to be the most common factor in the majority of accidents I have investigated.

OSHA requires all machines to be guarded. An employer must guard any machine without a guard, even if it was purchased without guards. This is especially relevant in manufacturing. From my work in the printing industry it was not uncommon to see a printing press, die cutter, etc. that is about 100 years old. This is also common in the woodworking industry too.

In many of these machines there are only 5 things that can go wrong and they are all replaceable wear parts. They are bushings/bearings, drive belts, cutters (the working tool), feeders, and the drive motors. (Some may argue that motors are not wear parts, but they are designed to be rebuilt.) Unlike many of the newer machines that rely on electronics, the older machines will last forever.

The most common unguarded machines I see are table saws and drill presses. As for the drill presses, I am not fully convinced that a guard is practical. I think that is because I have not seen a really good design for a drill press guard. Sears offers a pretty good guard retail! The Sears Craftsman guard is pictured above.

I have also seen 1 or 2 guards that were fabricated at shops that were designed pretty good also. The one drawback is that they limit the functionality of the drill press. I have an open mind and I am always looking to advance safety, so I continue to look for a good drill press guard.

For table saws, there is an amazing product called Saw Stop. If you touch the blade, it stops the saw blade before it can cut you. You can watch the video here: http://www.sawstop.com/

Oklahoma Oil Fields

2009-04-09T16:10:00.006-04:00

Click on any image to view full size.

Once again work takes me to some remote corner of the US. This time it was the Oil Fields of Oklahoma. I personally handle sites, inspections, training, and incidents that involve high profile sites or companies, high hazard/high risk industries, remote locations, severe incidents, or where safety is mission critical.

The petroleum industry is considered high hazard. One of the things that I learned from my trip is that the petroleum industry is dominated by many, many small companies rather than a few big multinational corporations. The industry is full of small contractor companies that service the different segments of the supply chain.

From a safety perspective this is good and bad. Unlike the big names that we all know, there is not the million dollar budgets for safety. They do not use Six Sigma quality control. They are however very agile when it comes to implementing programs and there is open lines of communications between employees and management with questions or concerns.

I also found that since this is part of the Bible Belt there are employees who do not drink alcohol. These companies are like families, small and the people look after each other. Many times these are family owned and employ family members.

Some differences from the offshore petroleum rigs is that drilling is done by mobile rigs that are somewhat safer. The whole process of sinking a well is done by small crews, each specializing in the step they are doing. The Oil and Natural Gas Industry as a whole has a lower rate of injury than the whole US private sector.

In 2006, the rate of job-related nonfatal injuries and illnesses for the oil and natural
gas industry was 3.41 per 100 full-time workers, compared to a rate of 4.4 for the
entire U.S. private sector.
-source: American Petroleum Institute, www.api.org

WOMAN RUNS OVER MATTRESS ON THE HIGHWAY

2009-04-09T16:05:00.006-04:00

Click on any image to view full size.

WOMAN RUNS OVER MATTRESS ON THE HIGHWAY
And Decided Not To Worry And Kept Driving.

The Ensuing Jumble Finally Whipped Around Enough to Tear A Hole In The Fuel Tank.

The Subsequent Lack Of Fuel Is What Finally
Brought Her Vehicle To It's Knee's.

She Had Still Managed To Drive 30 More Miles
With A 60 Pound Tangle of Stuff Wrapped
Around Her Driveshaft.

She Had It Towed To Her Dealership And Complained
That The Vehicle Had A " Sort Of Shimmy "
When She Was Driving At High Speeds.

Below Are The Photo's Of What They
Found At Her Dealership.....................

The Last Photo Is By Far The Best.

" Sort Of A Shimmy" I'll Bet It Did !

Root Cause

2009-04-07T15:36:00.003-04:00

I just finished another accident investigation, not too serious. Just prior to doing the investigation, I was reviewing my notes on accident investigation so that I was focused on the investigation and the facts. I came across this illustration of the "Accident Weed."

What this states is that the ultimate cause of all accidents is a system failure. Somewhere the safety program has deficiencies. These deficiencies lead to the accident. Although the deficiencies may not have been the direct cause of the accident, they allowed (or did not prevent) the behavior that lead to the accident.

In my years of investigation accidents I found a couple interesting factors that contribute; It is not the "goof-off" employee that is involved in serious accidents, it is the good employee that cares so much about his work that he forgets about safety practices (complacency).

Another factor is that time pressure is present in almost all of these serious accidents. The last contributing cause is when employees do not FOLLOW or do not UNDERSTAND the instructions given. #-part communication can solve this system weakness.

More PPE pics

2009-03-25T21:22:00.004-04:00

I am doing this post first with some fun PPE pictures first so that it follows my entery on PPE. I am sure most people have seen these before.

The respirators in the first picture are like my BioMarine Industries full face respirator.

PPE

2009-03-25T20:57:00.004-04:00

I am doing this post first with some fun PPE pictures first so that it follows my entery on PPE. I am sure most people have seen these before.

(Click on the picture to view a larger picture)

PPE

2009-03-25T20:43:00.002-04:00

I think that if you ask me if I were to pick the most important topic to convey, it would be PPE (personal protective equipment). When I go go in to a place to do training over a period of 6 months, I do PPE training first. One of the questions that I ask is how many use PPE when they mow their own lawn or have their children wear PPE.

Surprisingly I get a response rate of 40%-50%. After 6 monthes of training I ask the same question. This time the response rate is 80%-90%. That is how I judge that the effectiveness of m training. I judge my success when the people I train "take it home with them."

When ever I visit a site, I carry a messenger bag that contains all the PPE (and some extras) that I will need. I have compiled it over the years. Some of the things I keep in the bag are safety glasses, safety sun glasses, a fluorescent vest, gloves, dust masks, hearing protection, and some other items. There is also a first aid kit, flashlights, tape measure, emergency blanket, among other things. I carry my hard hat with me (it does not fit in it) and my fall harness when needed.

The picture is me on a warehouse roof in Joliet, IL. Of course I have my bag with me.

Working in the staffing industry is different from working in any other industry; actually it is like working in EVERY OTHER industry. Whenever I go to a site, I could face any environment. I do my homework before visiting to see if there is anything other than is in my bag before I arrive. Another difference is that I am not going to the same site every time and I do not want to depend on the site to provide PPE. Chances are you get the worn-out/worn-by-everybody stuff.

My favorite piece of PPE is my BioMarine Industries full face respirator. I have not have had to use this much, thankfully. I use this only in REALLY BAD situations. It also has good shock value when I wear it with my fluorescent hard hat. I posted a picture in my previous post that has respirators similar to mine.

OSHA Multi-Employer Citation Policy

2009-03-23T21:34:00.003-04:00

You can hear 8th Circuit Court oral arguments at:

http://8cc-www.ca8.uscourts.gov/OAaudio/2008/1/072191.asx

This is something that I deal with on a daily basis. I am head of safety & risk management for a very large staffing company. Every accident that we deal with is considered a multi-employer work site. Cal-OSHA specifically defines multi-employer (they call them dual-employer sites), the info can be found here:

http://www.dir.ca.gov/DOSHPol/P&PC-1D.HTM

Anyone who uses temps is in a multi-employer situation. Further rulings that affect this relationship is OSHA's decision to require OSHA 300 logs be the responsibility for, and kept at the site.

Construction sites compounds my situation. I had an accident on a high profile construction site that I handled personally. A general contractor chooses an electrical sub contractor. The electrical sub contractor utilized a staffing for some of their employees. The situation was further complicated because there was another sub contractor that was responsible for setting up the scaffolding that the employees were injured on.

To address the question posed to 8th Circuit Court as to the question of employer, I will look at it from the point of view of the PEO (Professional Employer Organization) industry. The EMPLOYER is defined legally 3 ways; by the DOL, IRS, and English Common law. Co-employment is then defined from the concept of "who is the employer."

The IRS developed a 20 question test based on Common Law to determine an employee. This covers 3 areas:

1.)Behavioral control: The right to direct or
control how the work is done.
2.)Financial control: The right to direct or
control how the business aspects of the
worker's activities are conducted.
3.)Relationship of the parties: How the
parties perceive their relationship.

Another area that I deal with is in respect to Work Comp Insurance. The definition of employee has also been applied to whether an "independent contractor" is really an employee. They usually claim that the are really an employee after they are injured, do not have WC, and try to collect WC for the company that they are working for. Independent contractors (at client sites) are a risk and concern for PEOs also.

States' law also support OSHA's concept of multi-employer work sites in their insurance regulations. Any state that allows contractors to do a "wrap-up" program is using the concept.The primary purpose of wrap-up is to ensure that there is coverage when an event occurs. Even by a sub contractors employee who could attempt to prove that he was actually an employee of the general contractor.

A wrap-up program is one where the interests of the project owner, general contractor, construction manager, architects, engineers, subcontractors and sub-subcontractors are combined (wrapped up) for insurance purposes. How the insurance will be handled is up to the project owner or general contractor who is spearheading the project.

These wrap-up programs can be sponsored by project owners or general contractors. When owners require and control them, they are commonly referred to as "owner-- controlled" insurance programs (OCIP), and "contractor-- controlled" (CLIP) when general contractors require and control them.

A good evaluation of wrap-up programs can be found here:

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3615/is_200204/ai_n9026589

I know that the concept of multi-employer is difficult to comprehend, but we have been dealing with it in the staffing industry (called co-employment) forever. Understanding this is one of the things that makes me so good at the job I do.

Setting Buoys in the Keys

2009-03-18T20:03:00.005-04:00

One of the things that I thank God for is the variety & adventure that my job brings. One example is a my chance to supervise a crew setting buoys in the Florida Keys. I donned snorkel gear and went underwater with the crew. To document what I saw, what they did right or wrong, I took an underwater disposable camera that I bought at Walgreens.

I always use a camera. It is my most important safety tool. The picture never lies.

The crew had their routine down. We covered everything at the tailboard meeting, including my presence there. Tailboard meetings are another powerful safety tool. It brings everybody together on the same page before the job begins. We cover what could go wrong, everyone's role, safety issues, and things that are different.

The first pic is one of our buoys anchored. The second pic is the marker to the channel that we were setting the buoys for. The buoys were red & green. Always remember; "Red on the right when coming in at night."

Safety and the Economy

2009-03-18T15:56:00.005-04:00

A very good friend of mine lost his job as a warehouse shift manager as a result of the economy. He had started a job search and was not having much luck. I offered him the OSHA 10 hour training that I do for my clients to make him more marketable. I had done forklift "train the trainer" with him in the past, so I know his own commitment to safety.

In this tough economy so many places are cutting back on spending, even for safety. This makes him stand out because his next employer is getting a freebee in his safety training.

If anyone knows of a warehouse management/supervisory position in the Greater Philadelphia area, please let me know. Email at: advisors@ptd.net. I will pass it on.

This happens to be a good time for companies to pick up some talent, not just in safety, but anywhere. Good people have lost their jobs not through fault of their own and are out there looking. Even if your company is not hiring, things are going to turn around. Just like jello, there is always room for good people.

Top Ten List of how you can tell if your OSHA inspection is going poorly:

2009-03-18T15:55:00.001-04:00

Top Ten List of how you can tell if your OSHA inspection is going poorly:

1) OSHA sets up temporary housing in your parking lot.
2) The Inspector mutters "This is unbelievable" every time he/she walks into a new department.
3) OSHA calls in a professional film crew to document conditions at your facility, as a reporter from "60 Minutes" tags along "for the fun of it all."
4) The Inspector insists on wearing a NASA space suit...as you employees sit around in shorts and T-shirts.
5) Your congressman won't return your calls...but did return your campaign contribution check.
6) The Inspector begins your first meeting with "You have the right to remain silent..."
7) The Inspector asks you about specifics in your files...without having seen them first.
8) The Inspector knows your entire staff by their first name.
9) The Inspector is a former employee you fired...for failing to obey safety regs.
10) The current OSHA Secretary conducts your closing conference.

Nailgun Accident Investigation

2009-03-18T15:32:00.001-04:00

I just found out today one of our clients had a nailgun accident. It looks like a true accident. I will be on site tomorrow conducting an accident investigation.

I'm Back

2009-03-09T18:27:00.013-04:00

I have been extremely busy and have neglected my blog. I am now back. I have just finished a 3 year contract as head of contractor safety at a nuclear power plant. I am currently hoping that my contract will be renewed. With out a doubt, the nuclear power industry is the safest industry in this nation. This has allowed me to say I have seen how safety is done correctly.

Just Switched

2008-01-25T09:43:00.000-05:00

This is my first posting here. I just moved here to blogspot.com. I will try to move my older posts. Enjoy.