Always have an adult supervise fireworks activities. Parents don't realize that sparklers burn at temperatures of about 2,000 degrees - hot enough to melt some metals!
Remember safety starts at home. This 4th of July holiday weekend is a great time to teach your children about safety as you celebrate with fireworks. Using a solo cup to protect the hands/wrists of little ones enjoying sparklers is a great idea.
Always have an adult supervise fireworks activities. Parents don't realize that sparklers burn at temperatures of about 2,000 degrees - hot enough to melt some metals!
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New home construction...what should be a great experience for a new home owner and the contractor and subs turned tragic when the trench collapsed costing one 33 year old construction worker his life. OSHA is investigating and the details of this incident will become available for the public on OSHA's webpage. Rescue workers were quoted as saying the trench was 10 to 12 feet deep in some sections but I have not heard if a supporting system to protect workers in the trench was being used as required by OSHA. Employers must provide adequate protection systems, such as trench boxes, for workers in trenches 5 feet or deeper unless the excavation is made of stable rock. This tragedy happened in Montgomery County, Ohio.
I just love helping people learn about safety and working safely. I was able to work with a great group today. The company is updating and refreshing their safety program. After touring their facility a couple of times I was able to put together their first training session. I think it went very well. We started by reviewing some of the company's safety policy. The group was interactive and contributed to the conversation. As a safety trainer, I am always thankful when the audience is willing to participate. I know they get more out of the training too.
We covered Emergency Action Plans, Aisleways/Walking/Working Surfaces, Fire Prevention/Housekeeping, and Personal Protection Equipment. Incorporating pictures of their facility into the powerpoint presentation kept the training real. I am looking forward to their safety training next month and hoping they are too. When was the last time you reviewed your company safety policy or completed safety training specific for your facility? Does this sound like something your company needs to be doing? I am available to help your company update and refresh your safety program. Just give me a call to schedule an appointment so we can determine what best fits your safety needs. Call 419-586-6498 I was really able to chuckled to myself on my ride home today. I witnessed road rage. The Cross-over in front of me moved into the passing lane and forward with traffic. Very quickly the passing lane became a left turn only lane. The big old Lincoln Continental directly in front of me began to speed up. I knew what was about to happen next. Can you guess? The Lincoln increased their speed as I watched the Cross-over squeeze in front of the Lincoln. I had taken my foot of the accelerator as a defensive move. It was so close I thought the two would collide, but the Sparks I witnessed for the next mile came from the driver tailgating the Cross-over. He rolled down his window and shot the bird at the Cross-over. He yelled out his window at the Cross-over. All the while I was smiling and keeping a safe distance. I hope this brings a smile to your lips and your heart. Maybe you'll remember when someone squeezes in front of you. Be kind and just smile as you let them in line. Pay it forward people. Drive safely. Until next time...
Housekeeping. Wow, it makes me yawn just hearing that word. I really don't like doing housework but I do like and appreciate a clean house. I wonder how many of us think of our workspace as a second home and yawn when thinking of cleaning our work area. Do it! Housekeeping is important and essential in the workplace. A clean work environment can help prevent work-related accidents or incidents. Slips, trips and falls immediately come to mind when I think of a cluttered workplace. Fires can also be the result of a spark landing on clutter, especially oily clutter/rags.
OSHA wants our place of employment to be free of identified hazards because this promotes worker safety. So, each of us must be responsible and keep our work area clean. All loose/un-used items should be returned to the appropriate spot in the designated storage area. This can also help maintain an accurate inventory count. I can't speak for others but I know that I have a better attitude on days when I make my bed in the morning. I can appreciate my nice room and know that I accomplished something before leaving the house. Great feeling! This good feeling can follow me to work and continue when I am able to start work without having to clean up and prepare for the day. Tidying up at the end of the shift and preparing for the next day is a great way to promote safety in your workplace. Happy Housekeeping Everyone!! Do you ever get in a hurry? Do you ever find yourself running a little bit behind and trying to hurry past others while you are driving? I think that might have been the case in this situation. You can take a good look at this picture but I don't think you will be able to guess why this semi is not completing his turn through the intersection. I was amazed to find a car halfway under the semi's rear passenger side tire and the truck bed. I could not see the car until I drove through the intersection and was on the other side of the semi. I would imagine the driver of the car was scared to say the least. I would caution everyone not to pull up along the right side of a semi when he has his turn signal want to make a right hand turn. You will be asking for trouble.
Have you ever given much thought to stress in the workplace and how to minimize it or eliminate it? I have thought about this quite a bit at different times throughout my career in healthcare. Stress is everywhere and is most destructive when it is not addressed. We all work together, sometimes with people who do not have our same work ethic. Managers have different management styles. Workers have different work styles. The negative effects of stress become visible when people are unable to continue coping successfully in an environment in which they perceive that they have little or no control.
The Bottom line is simple: We only have control over ourselves. With that thought in mind, I decided to work on myself. I want to become a better, healthier person; someone who manages her stress instead of reacting to it. That's a tall order, I know, but I'm working on me. One of my daughters began using essential oils to help her children sleep during the night. I noticed whenever she infused Lavender essential oil into the air, quickly (10-15 minutes) the atmosphere became calm where there had been crazy. We all noticed the calm that came over us and we enjoyed that feeling. I shared this story with one the of the nurses in the office and she was very interested. It seemed that she had been researching essential oils for her family. We chuckled about this, agreeing that great minds run on similar tracks. We both started using essential oils by doTERRA to help us stay calm during stressful times. It seems to be helping both of us. We may not be able to control everything that happens throughout the course of the business day, but we have a much better control over how we react and we feel good about it. This brings me to the topic of this post: Essential oils in the workplace. Men wear cologne or aftershave. Women wear perfume. My suggestion would be to substitute the essential oils for the perfume/cologne. Essential oils can be added to 100% pure fractionated coconut oil (remains liquid at room temperature), placed into a small roller and then rolled on just like perfume/cologne. It can be reapplied throughout the day to relieve or lessen feelings of anxiety. Essential oils can be used in the workplace unless your employer has specific policies that restrict their use. We have been so satisfied with the results of using the doTERRA Essential Oils that now I am able to offer these products to the public. Most essential oils can be used topically, internally or infused into the air. Follow this link to learn more about doTERRA products and/or place an order if you like. www.mydoterra/carolynshinn. Feel free to ask me questions in the comment section or share your thoughts about stress in the workplace and how to reduce it. The Celina Police Department offers house checks for residents on vacation, visiting friends or family out of town, or the "snowbirds" who go south for the winter. What a nice service. To register for the house checks, call the Celina Police Department at 419-586-2345 or fill out the House Check Request form on the City of Celina's website at www.celinaohio.org. Check with your local law enforcement to inquire if this service is available in your community.
Chemical plant fire in Warsaw releases potentially hazardous materials into Lake Winona
News-Sentinel staff, wire reports Friday, February 6, 2015 - 7:02 pm A fire and explosion at a Warsaw plant Friday injured eight people and led to hazardous chemicals going into Winona Lake. Warsaw Chemical Co., 2325 E. Durbin St., had a fire followed by an explosion that ruptured tanks containing potentially hazardous chemicals at around 10:55 a.m. A passing Warsaw City police officer heard the blast and called for assistance, according to a Department of Natural Resources news release. Lt. Kip Shuter of the Warsaw Police Department said five Warsaw City Waste Water Treatment workers and two firefighters complained of burning eyes and lungs after responding to the fire. One Warsaw Chemical employee is also being treated for burns on his hands. They were treated at Kosciusko Community Hospital for chemical inhalation and skin irritation. The exact cause of the fire is unknown, according to the release. An unknown amount of chemicals, mostly methanol, got into the storm drains and into Winona Lake, turning the lake and snow blue and green from the dyes in the chemicals. It is believed thousands of gallons of chemical and water mix got into the lake, according to the DNR. The ice on Winona Lake was significantly thinned by the methanol run-off and Indiana Conservation officers suggest that anglers stay off the ice and not eat any fish from the lake until further notice. The effect on the fish and wildlife is unknown. No fish or wildlife were seen to be dead or in distress. It took about three hours to fully extinguish the fire, during which some 50 homes and businesses within 1,000 feet of the plant were evacuated. The evacuation was lifted around 3:30 p.m. Departments from the Elkhart County Fire Dept. Hazmat team, Clay Fire of St. Joseph Co., Warsaw City Fire Dept., Winona Lake Fire Dept., Indiana Dept. of Environmental Management, Homeland Security, Environmental Remediation Services, Warsaw and Winona Lake Police Depts., and many others descended on the scene to fight the blaze and environmental contamination. Environmental Remediation Services of Fort Wayne will be using large, portable air compressors to add large amounts of oxygen into the lake to evaporate the contaminants and aid the fish and wildlife in the lake. |
Carolyn J. ShinnCarolyn has more than 20 years of occupational health & safety experience in union and non-union manufacturing environments & construction. She also stays up-to-date with her nursing profession working in a level II trauma center. Archives
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