Archive for the ‘All Industries’ Category

Plan For The Panic – Provide a “911 Script”

Friday, July 10th, 2009
 Emergency Action & Fire Prevention Plan

Emergency Action & Fire Prevention Plan

In the previous blog, I provided a link to our poster version of an Emergency Action & Fire Prevention Plan which is especially appropriate for use on construction sites and small fixed businesses.  I’d like to take this opportunity to highlight its special feature – the second line that starts with “here is how to find this site….”

I’m a volunteer member of a rural rescue squad and I have lots of horror stories concerning how my unit has driven all around the countryside, trying to find our patient.  Enhanced 911 systems can’t help locate the emergency caller who is using a cell phone while standing on the side of an unidentified road or in the middle of a site being cleared for construction or in other scenarios where a land-line phone is not available.

How do you tell the 911 operator where you are?  Even when using a land-line phone during an emergency, it is very helpful to have posted by the phone a neatly written and well-thought-out “script” to read from.  People panic during emergencies – give them as many tools as possible to make the job of proper response as easy as possible.

(By the way, thanks go to one of our clients – Taylor and Parrish, Inc. of Richmond, Virginia.  I believe it was Superintendent Roy who improved our poster by adding the 911 script.)

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Emergency Action Plans – Outdated or Up-to-date?

Friday, July 3rd, 2009
Old Civil Defense biscuit containers found during a demolition project. Photo: Jan Thomas

Old Civil Defense biscuit containers found during a demolition project. Photo: Jan Thomas

While conducting a recent safety audit at a demo project, I came across this box containing 75 pounds of “survival ration biscuits” which had been located in the building’s Civil Defense Shelter.  You can hardly see it but the expiration date on the box says “Jan 1963.” 

I originally took this as a funny picture showing a piece of history quickly being bulldozed out of our memories.  But then I got to thinking about how this old box of outdated emergency supplies can actually be a lesson for those of us responsible for writing, implementing, and using workplace emergency action plans. 

There is not much difference between this outdated cardboard box and a chapter in a out-of-date safety manual that only provides generic responses for a few OSHA-required emergency plans.  All are outdated and won’t be helpful if an emergency strikes.

Instead, we like to see the general written EAP policies supplemented at the level of endeavor – the job site level on construction projects and department or shift level for fixed worksites – with posted information and lots of training and drills.  Click here for one example of a simple EAP poster for a small construction site.

Emergency Numbers Poster

Note: here is an interesting link http://www.civildefensemuseum.com/ .

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When an expensive ladder can become even more costly

Friday, June 26th, 2009
Six-foot industrial-rated (ANSI IAA) fiberglass A-frame in use without extending and locking the legs.

Six-foot industrial-rated (ANSI IAA) fiberglass A-frame in use without extending and locking the legs.

Here at Circle Safety we spend equal amounts of time in the office (or classroom) and in the field.  We joke that keeping our boots muddy keeps us honest.  You can see for yourself in the photo what we mean about muddy boots.

We are better trainers because of our muddy boots. We know the realities of the workplace. Sometimes it can be hard to get the job done and make the work safe, too.  And, our muddy boots enable us to discuss with management why they should give more time to safety training, safety supervision and third-party monitoring.  Again, the photo provides an excellent example.

The crew using this ladder works for a company that cares about safety—and shows it. They provide appropriate tools, regular training and on-site safety auditing. 

As we all know, ladder manufacturers provide lots of labeling and warnings on the side rails.  These are visible to employees if the ladders are maintained properly.  But, do the employees read these labels or take them seriously?  Sometimes they do not.

In the case above, one or more workers did not follow the OSHA standard or manufacturer’s guidelines for fully extending and locking legs on an A-frame and for not using the top rung as a step.  When we talked with the crew, they agreed that with a little more thinking and time spent during set up, they could have improved ground conditions (with some plywood) and correctly extended the legs (parallel to the wall).

If this photo had been taken by an OSHA inspector, the muddy bootprints on the ladder would have been sufficient for proving “employee exposure” and would have supported a citation.  Even more costly than the OSHA penalty could have been an injured worker’s compensation claim.  Luckily, both were avoided in this case by Circle Safety’s on-the-job safety training and our own muddy boots.

Jan Thomas, PhD, CSP
President and Consultant

Safety Topics:
ladder-inspectionsrev2005
fall-protection-ladders-scaffoldingrev2005

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Circle Safety’s Blog Launch

Friday, May 29th, 2009

Circle Safety’s Blog Launch at the
14th Annual Virginia Occupational Safety & Health Conference 2009

Some of the Circle Safety team at the 2008 VOSH Safety Conference lunch

Some of the Circle Safety team at the 2008 VOSH Safety Conference lunch

Everyone is blogging. I like to write and several of us here at Circle Safety do technical writing for our clients on a daily basis. It seems natural that we should promote professional practice through support of a safety blog. Yet, I recently told a colleague that I would never blog! Never say never! 

Welcome to Circle Safety & Health Consultants’ blog for full-time, part-time and collateral-duty safety and health professionals. We plan on drawing from our growing circle of consultants to provide a full range of observations, comments and discussions on topics of interest to occupational and environmental safety and health professionals. 

croppercapture6

Some of the Circle Safety team.

We have years of practical field experience – hard hats, safety glasses and well-worn safety boots in the vehicles, and plenty of safety resources. We’ve seen a lot and we’ve helped many organizations – small local start-ups to international firms – improve their EHS systems. We are always looking for ways to help move others from “compliance to excellence.” We have opinions and resources and we’d like to share them with our professional colleagues. So, let’s get started.

Jan Thomas, PhD, CSP
President & Consultant

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Please Note: Analysis and opinions expressed are specific to the current discussion only. Different facts, changes in standards and codes, or other circumstances may lead to different results.