It’s that time of year when we can shed the winter hats, coats and gloves and focus on cleaning up and renewing our fire safety plans. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), a structure fire is reported every 62 seconds and a fire death occurs every two hours and 23 minutes. Are you prepared in the event of a fire? This year, the Fire Equipment Manufacturers’ Association encourages everyone to focus on rituals that will improve fire safety in the workplace.
Do some spring cleaning and take stock of storage areas and discard unneeded packaging, cardboard and paper. Sweep storage areas, server rooms, stockrooms and properly store hazardous materials. Make sure exit ways aren’t blocked and clear areas at least three feet from electrical equipment and heat sources.  Check your fire extinguishers. Make sure there are fire extinguishers located throughout your workplace and inspect pressure gauges to make sure they are fully charged. If they are not charged, contact a local fire equipment service company in your phone book to help you. Around your work area, assess where the closest fire extinguisher is located, as well as the standpipe fire hose station. Make sure they appear to be operational and not tampered with.
Focus on education and provide employees with information on how to use important fire equipment at http://www.fireextinguisher.com/, http://www.rackhosetraining.com/ and http://www.firesystemstraining.org.
Take the time to learn about the critical role fire extinguishers play in fire safety: Download printable materials on fire extinguishers and post them in a central location at work. You may even consider hosting a fire safety training event with the local fire department. They can hold actual fire extinguisher demonstrations upon request.

The Role of Fire Extinguishers

Each year, there are approximately 1.6 million fires reported in the United States. These fires cause 3,600 deaths, 18,000 injuries, and $10.7 billion in property damage every year, according to NFPA.

Portable fire extinguishers can mean the difference between life and death — a single flame and a tragedy. When a fire is put out in the first three minutes, lives are saved and property loss is minimized. A portable fire extinguisher is your first defense against fire when it is small, contained and everyone is safe.

While fire extinguishers are inexpensive and do not take up much space, they do require that you know how to use one properly and that they be inspected every year to ensure they are still serviceable. Take notice if a fire extinguisher appears to be tampered with or damaged at work. Call a local fire extinguisher maintenance company to inspect the unit. Portable fire extinguishers are an inexpensive insurance policy that hopefully will never be used. But when a fire strikes, it is not the time to learn how to use one. Use the spring cleaning season as the time to focus on basic fire safety rituals. Also take a moment for fire extinguisher education. It could save your life.

A picture is worth a thousand or 200 words. 

A Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS) study states that 72% of workers injured in scaffold accidents attributed the accident either to the planking or support giving way, or to the employee slipping or being struck by a falling object. All of these can be controlled by compliance with OSHA standards.

Scaffolding 1926.451  Failure to provide fall protection 1926.451 (g)(1) is the number 1 fined violation by OSHA

Scaffolding accidents are almost always the result of negligence on the part of the improper construction or maintenance. It is estimated that 100,000 of 500,000 injuries that occur on construction sites are scaffold related accidents. OSHA does have strict regulations when it comes to construction sites using scaffolding and building a safe scaffold. But unfortunately sometimes the contractor or even the laborer thinks some of the steps are unnecessary and overlooks them, sometimes paying with their lives for this mistake.

Accidents involving scaffolding mainly involve people falling, incorrect operating procedures, environmental conditions and falling materials caused by equipment failure. The causes of scaffolding accidents include failures at attachment points, parts failure, inadequate fall protection, improper construction or work rules, and changing environmental conditions (high winds, temperature extremes or the presence of toxic gases). Additionally, overloading of scaffolding is a frequent cause of major scaffold failure.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have jointly published a Safety and Health Information Bulletin (SHIB) designed to help protect surgical personnel from needle stick injuries while using suture needles.

“Surgical personnel are at risk of occupational exposure to bloodborne pathogens from injuries caused by sharp surgical instruments,” said Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Edwin G. Foulke, Jr. “We strongly encourage the use of blunt-tip suture needles when feasible and appropriate to reduce this risk.” “The effectiveness of blunt-tip suture needles for preventing needle stick injuries has been widely reported,” said NIOSH Director John Howard, M.D. “We are pleased to partner with OSHA in offering guidance to protect the safety and health of medical professionals.”

The SHIB, available on the OSHA Web site at http://www.osha.gov/dts/shib/shib032307.html and on the NIOSH Web site at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2007-132, describes the hazards of sharp-tip suture needles and presents evidence of the effectiveness of blunt-tip needles in decreasing injuries. It also emphasizes OSHA’s requirement to use appropriate, available and effective safer medical devices.

Sharp-tip suture needles are the leading source of penetrating injuries to surgical personnel, causing 51-to-71 percent of these incidents. These injuries potentially expose staff and patients to bloodborne pathogens.

The American College of Surgeons (ACS) issued a statement in 2005 supporting the use of blunt-tip suture needles where clinically appropriate. This statement has been endorsed by the six organizations that, along with the ACS, make up the Council on Surgical and Perioperative Safety.
  
Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing a safe and healthful workplace for their employees. OSHA’s role is to assure the safety and health of America’s working men and women by setting and enforcing standards; providing training, outreach, and education; establishing partnerships; and encouraging continual process improvement in workplace safety and health. For more information, visit http://www.osha.gov/. NIOSH is the federal agency responsible for conducting research and making recommendations for the prevention of workplace injuries and diseases. For more information, visit http://www.cdc.gov/niosh.
   
U.S. Labor Department releases are accessible on the Internet at http://www.dol.gov/. The information in this news release will be made available in alternate format upon request (large print, Braille, audiotape or disc) from the COAST office. Please specify which news release when placing your request at (202) 693-7828 or TTY (202) 693-7755.
The U.S.Department of Labor is committed to providing America’s employers and employees with easy access to understandable information on how to comply with its laws and regulations. For more information, please visit
http://www.dol.gov/compliance.

Due to the occurrences of the past week I thought this article would be relevant.

Workplace Violence Prevention: Make it Part of the Safety Plan

By LaQuita Owens

WASHINGTON — OSHA says some two million workers are victims of workplace violence every year. As recent headlines depict, violence can strike at anytime and from any employee, or other building occupant. Threats can be verbal, as well physical in nature, and they are also one of the leading causes of job related deaths. It is important to remember, workplace violence that occurs outside the actual worksite, should also be thought of as a problem.

Although companies often spend huge amounts of money to track and manage workplace injuries, they are not always giving enough consideration to the very real threat of workplace violence. 

In fact, some research has shown companies can lose up to a billion dollars a year because of workplace violence, not only for on-site costs, but off-site costs as well. So, what can companies do to curb workplace violence? Should violence prevention become an area of focus for companies overall safety plans? Industry insiders say definitely– especially since multiple states are considering bills that will force business owners to allow employees to bring guns to work.

“This is not about personal freedom - getting shot in the workplace by someone who has retrieved a gun from the parking lot is the opposite of freedom,” said Paul Helmke, president of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. “This is about preserving the ability of companies to make workplaces as safe as they can be, and free from gun violence.” (more…)

I was recently walking through a company and noticed the sprinkler system overhead,  but there were no emergency evacuation plans (OSHA 1910.38) posted on walls. When I asked where these maps were, I was told “we have a sprinkler system.”  My next question was what does your sprinkler system protect? The answer given was “everyone and everything.” WRONG ANSWER.

Fire alarms and smoke detectors save lives, sprinkler systems save property.  We started to talk about this facility.  My first recommendation was for the company to write policies and procedures and an emergency action plan.  The basics of the plan should include, but not limited to, the following:

• Means of egress including MANY well placed maps
• Emergency alarms and lights (Check every quarter)
• Sprinkler System
• Extinguishers
• Fire drills
• First responders
• TRAINING

Most home and business alarm systems are now both security and fire alarm detectors.  When writing your emergency plan companies/organizations also have to also be aware of the American Disabilities Act. Remeber the first part of a good fire response plan is keep everyone safe.  It will cost a lot less to replace property than have people injured or worse.

How often have you considered you power-operated hand tools [OSHA 1926.302 (b)] a lethal weapon?  The is an increasing number of incidents with the use of pneumatic power tools, especially nail guns.

Nail guns are tools used in place of hand-held hammers to drive nails into various types of construction materials (such as wood or masonry). There are generally two types of nail guns that are frequently used on construction sites. High velocity nail guns typically utilize an explosive cartridge to “fire” nails whereas low velocity guns utilize a piston-style mechanism activated by either an explosive cartridge or compressed air. Nail guns have been used for many years on wood-frame residential construction sites and have increased worker productivity dramatically. Now, it is rare to hear a hammer pounding a nail at a residential construction site, as it has been replaced by the rapid-fire sound of the pneumatic nail gun.

Nail guns have the capacity to fire several nails per second at a velocity over 1,000 feet per second.  Although these physics will allow a nail gun to fire a projectile almost 4 inches into fully stressed concrete, when accidentally applied to the human body, the resulting damage can be severe. Although extremity injuries (such as those to the hands and feet) are most common, severe injuries to more critical areas of the body, such as the head, neck, and chest may occur. A recent study of construction workers in three states showed that 97% of all puncture wounds in residential construction were caused by nail guns and that two-thirds of all nail gun injuries occurred as a result of a safety device (i.e. a bumper or trigger safety) being by-passed or disabled.

The following guidelines can help you reduce your risk of nail gun injuries when working on construction sites:
1. Always wear safety glasses when operating pneumatic tools including nail guns. Ensure that others in the area are wearing safety glasses as well.
2. NEVER dismantle or bypass safety devices such as triggers, guards, or bumpers.
3. Be aware of the location of air hoses, especially when working at heights, as they may pose a tripping hazard.
4. Do not press the trigger unless the nose is firmly pressed against the working material.
5. Never point the tool at a person and always assume it is loaded and ready to fire.
6. Always point the gun away from you when nailing materials. NEVER BACK-NAIL MATERIALS with the tip of the gun pointing toward your body.
7. Always disconnect the air hose or power supply before clearing jams or adjusting the tool.
8. Always nail top to bottom for vertical walls, in a forward direction for horizontal areas, and from the eaves to the ridge for roof sheathing.
9. Never use bottled gas in place of compressed air to operate pneumatic tools and never operate them around flammables.
10. Review the operator’s manual with all employees to ensure that the tool will be used appropriately and within manufacturers specifications.

Information extracted in part from Oregon OSHA and reports from the Washington State SHARP program (Baggs,
Cohen, Kalat, and Silverstein, 2001) and the Duke University Medical Center Division of Occupational and Environmental
Medicine (Dement, Lipscomb, Epling, Desai, Li, and DeLarco, 2001)

Scientists from the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Earth System Research Laboratory unveiled a new tool to monitor changes in atmospheric carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases by region and source. The tool, called CarbonTracker (http://www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/ccgg/carbontracker), will enable its users to evaluate the effectiveness of their efforts to reduce or store carbon emissions, officials said on March 21.

The online data framework distinguishes between changes in the natural carbon cycle and those occurring in human-produced fossil fuel emissions. It also provides verification for scientists using computer models to project future climate change. Potential users include corporations, cities, states and nations assessing their efforts to reduce or store fossil fuel emissions around the world.

“NOAA encourages science that adds benefit to society and the environment. CarbonTracker does both,” said Conrad Lautenbacher, Ph.D., undersecretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator. “Increasingly, observations of the Earth are demonstrating a remarkable impact on our understanding of human and natural systems. We are transitioning this understanding gained from intensive research into operations that benefit the environment and the economy.” (more…)

Chicago’s second season is beginning this month.  Now that winter is almost over the road construction season begins.  But watch out.  This year IDOT (Illinois Department of Transportation) and the Illinois State Police will be watching you, or taking your picture.  I also understand many other states are using this practice too.

Whenever workers are in a work zone, the speed limit is 45 MPH.  Speeders beware.   Marked white photo enforcement vans are equipped with the latest in photo radar technology designed to record the speed of vehicles and to capture clear images of the driver and the license plate. Tickets are sent by certified mail to drivers within 14 business days. Under the toughened work zone speeding fines that took effect last year, first time offenders face a $375 fine; second time offenders face a $1,000 fine and the loss of their drivers license for 90 days.  Illinois averages 6,700 crashes in highway work zones every year, resulting in approximately 2,800 injuries.

So this construction season as you pass through a worksite going 70 MPH remember to smile, You’re On Candid Camera.

Chest Compressions, Not Mouth-to Mouth, Best For Heart Attacks

I have been a First Aid/CPR/AED instructor and was updated to the new CPR methods which included 30 compressions(at the rate of 100 copressions/minute) and 2 breaths for cardiac incidents.  However, new information and studies now show that for most cardiac incidents it is better to use ONLY compressions, eliminating the mouth-to-mouth breathing.  This new method has shown a significant increase rate of survival.

A study published March 17, 2007 in The Lancet, one of the world’s foremost medical journals, finds that the chances of surviving a cardiac arrest outside a hospital setting are almost twice as high if bystanders perform chest-compression-only resuscitation instead of traditional cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) with mouth-to-mouth breathing. The study analyzed the outcomes of resuscitation attempts performed by laypeople at the scene after they witnessed a person collapse due to cardiac arrest.

 ”The report confirms that what we have learned in animal experiments applies to humans as well,” says Gordon A. Ewy, MD, director of the Sarver Heart Center at The University of Arizona in Tucson where chest-compression-only resuscitation was developed. “Bystander-initiated continuous chest compressions without mouth-to-mouth breathing are the preferable approach for witnessed unexpected collapse, which is usually due to cardiac arrest.” (more…)