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1. Hazards. Employees need to know what could go wrong in their job and injure or make them ill. They need to be able to identify hazards, and they must know the steps they need to take to protect themselves against these hazards. They also need to know how to correct or report unsafe conditions that could lead to an accident.
2. Safety rules and regulations that apply to the job. Your workers should be thoroughly familiar with all your safety and health rules that apply to their job. If there are Worksafe regulations that apply to their job as well, these should be explained so that employees understand what they need to do to ensure compliance.
3. Required job skills and knowledge. Employees must know how to perform their jobs properly. This means having the skills and knowledge required to do a good, safe job.
4. Required PPE. For any task where PPE is required, employees must understand how to select, inspect, use, and maintain PPE. They should also understand the limitations of PPE and what to do with damaged or defective PPE.
5. Safety controls. If engineering controls, like ventilation or machine safeguards, are required for employees to perform their job safely, then they need to understand when and how these controls should be used. Administrative controls, like permits for confined spaces or time limits for working in areas with airborne chemical hazards, should be understood and complied with.
6. Proper ergonomics. Most industrial jobs involve some ergonomic risks. Employees should understand these risks and the safe work practices required to prevent physical stress, strain, and musculoskeletal disorders.
7. What to do if something goes wron g. Employees should know what to do in emergencies such as fires, chemical spills, and accidents involving injuries,. They should also know to whom emergencies should be reported and how to report them
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The 6.4 earthquake that struck off of Vancouver Island 2 weeks ago was one of the strongest felt in BC and the largest since 2004. Although the Port Alice quake caused no major damage and was not powerful enough to create a tsunami effect, people in Richmond and Downtown Vancouver felt the shaking and aftershocks continued for days. My neighbour recalls sitting in her chair and watching the blinds shake and holding on to her chair as it moved across the floor. Downtown Vancouver felt the shaking as it was felt more in taller buildings.
According to The Vancouver Sun, this quake was on the Nootka fault and not on the Juan de Fuca and the Explorer, the subduction of which is expected to cause “The Big One”.
This incident should be a reminder to BC residents to not be reactive. Be proactive and prepare.
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The 2011 Great British Columbia ShakeOut on October 20 at 10:20 a.m. is now six weeks away, and already more than 77,000 people are now registered.
Shakeout BC is now an annual drill, joining with California, Idaho, Oregon and other areas on the third Thursday of each October. We encourage you to participate again this October 20th, and each year from now on! Many participants practice additional aspects of their emergency plans each year.
Registered participants may want to consider these questions:
- If you are planning a drill for many people, is it on your organization’s calendar?
- What other emergency preparedness activities might your organization wish to include as part of this year’s drill?
- What preparedness actions can you also take prior to ShakeOut day? Simple instructions for how to participate are available for a variety of ShakeOut participant categories, and include custom preparedness information.
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Interruptions in utility services are inevitable and natural disasters will occur when you least expect them. No one has control over Mother Nature so the best thing you can do for yourself and your family is to prepare before an incident occurs. This past year alone we have seen Mother Nature unleash earthquakes in New Zealand and Japan and the East Coast is still reeling from Hurricane Irene.
Basics for the pantry Stock up emergency food when something happens unexpected.
- cocoa powder
- chocolate chips
- sugar
- potatoes
- onions
- garlic
- cornstarch
- cornmeal
- crackers
- pasta
- rice
- legumes
- spices
- herbs
- soup
- tea
- baking powder
- baking soda
- nuts
- bread crumbs
- cereal
- broth
- canned food
- peanut butter
- flour
- dried fruits
- extracts such as vanilla or almond
- gelatin
- powdered and/or condensed milk
Be sure to consider foods that have the best nutritional value.
Water Tablets: Unless you have a huge supply of emergency water, if the disruption in electric service continues, you will eventually run out. It may well be that there are water sources near you, such as a stream or river, or a lake. Even if these look clean, they can actually contain many dangerous pathogens that can make you and your family very ill. A good water system will enable you to use any water near you and purify it for drinking. Water purification tablets will also enable you to treat suspect water to make it drinkable. These tablets are available as chlorine based tablets. These chlorine tablets will remove most bacteria and viruses from the water.
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Accidents happen in the office, not as frequent compared to the shop floor maybe but when it does, it is just as serious. Tripping, slipping, and falling ranks second to automobile accidents nationwide. The good thing is that most of these are prevented from happening with a few simple tools and reminders.
Keep the walkway clear.
Boxes and bundles, cables, wires and items carelessly piled are tripping hazards. Most times, these are just oops events, other times they are not.
Look before you sit. Incidents of someone missing the seat often promote silent giggles but this actually could happen to anyone who would not take the time to reach for the chair before sitting down. Leaning back on the chair could end with your back to the floor. This is common to people who are thinking or are trying to reach something, misjudging balance. The person may pick himself or herself up as quietly as possible with nothing serious but an injured ego, sometimes though it does not end up as happily.
Even with all the computerization in the office, filing cabinets are still in much use. Nothing very wrong here except that filing cabinets are heavy. Opening all drawers of the cabinet at the same time tips the balance of the cabinet towards you. Likewise, leaving a drawer open is a bump waiting to happen.
Don’t carry anything higher than your eye level. Carrying loads higher than the eye level impresses no one. See how people refuse to walk towards you?
Do not run, relax. Running may save a few seconds, after that you will take a breather for several minutes more.
Refrain from putting anything atop cabinets. Cabinet drawers are for storing supplies. The top of the drawers is not.
Use the handrails. Stairway handrails have its reason for being. Use it. People who do not use the handrail tire easy.
Use the elevator whenever necessary. When carrying loads, wait for the elevator. The stairs are not worth the extra calories that you will burn.
Watch where you step. Smooth surfaces are not always safe surfaces to step on especially in darkened aisles. Water could be dripping. Be safe. As they used to say, watch your step, this is truer when there is poor lighting.
Don’t eat at your workstation and in front of your computer. Eating in the workplace saves time. Be sure though that it is not done near computers and other electrical equipment. Accidents caused by water must be avoided at all cost.
Other simple measures that are taken that could go a long way in promoting workplace safety is reporting unsafe conditions, loose steps, burned out lights, defective equipment, and overloaded sockets.
