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News & Info from the Safety Steering Committee

June 2015

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KEEP COOL WHEN THE WEATHER GETS HOT

Know what to do to protect yourself... See Page 3 for Details

DID YOU KNOW... Heat is the number one weather-related killer in the United States, resulting in hundreds of fatalities each year.

In fact, on average, excessive heat kills more lives each year than floods, lightning, tornadoes and hurricanes combined!

June 2015

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In This Issue

2 Vehicle Maintenance

3 Heat Stress Prevention

4 Risk Acceptance - Factor #4

5 Smith Reduces Costs!

6 Office Walk-a-thon Update

7 Auto Maintenance Tips

8 Close Calls!

9 June is National Safety Month

Have anything you’d like to share? let us know!

SUGGESTIONS?

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News & Info from the Safety Steering Committee

Safety@PremierSvc.com

JASON HAIRVice President of HSEjhair@premiersvc.com

PREMIER UTILITY SERVICES

Here comes the height of the dig season! As work starts getting busier and our days become longer, it’s easy to get so caught up in our everyday responsibilities that we completely overlook the very thing we need to get us from job to job: our vehicles.

A safe mode of transportation is essential to getting our work done, in good time and getting home at the end of the day. It’s during this busy time of year we need to remind ourselves to take care of that which takes care of us!

Please check out the Spring & Summer Auto Maintenance Tips offered in this month’s Safe Side and as always; don’t ever hesitate to reach out to your Safety representative!

VEHICLEMAINTENANCE

TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT HEAT STRESS PREVENTION, E-Mail: Safety@Premiersvc.com

SAFETY TOPIC

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HEAT STRESS PREVENTION

DOWNLOAD THE ‘OSHA HEAT SAFETY TOOL’ APP TODAY!

The App allows workers to calculate the heat index for their worksite, and, based on the heat index, displays a risk level to outdoor workers.

Then, with a simple “click,” you can get reminders about the protective measures that should be taken at that risk level to protect workers from heat-related illness-reminders!

• Drink small amounts of water frequently. Workers should drink, about 6 ounces or a medium sized glass-full of water every 15-20 minutes.

• Wear light-colored, loose-fitting, breathable clothing—cotton is good.• Eat smaller meals before work activity.• Avoid caffeine and alcohol or large amounts of sugar.• Work in the shade as much as possible. • Schedule frequent rest periods with water breaks in shaded or air-conditioned areas.• Monitor weather reports daily and reschedule jobs with high heat exposure to cooler times

of the day. • Reduce the physical demands of the job, such as excessive lifting, climbing, or digging with

heavy objects. • Find out from your health care provider if your medications and heat don’t mix.• Know that equipment such as respirators or work suits can increase heat stress.

Heat stress occurs when the total heat load on the body exceeds the body’s capacity to cool itself. There are three kinds of major heat-related disorders—heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Prevention is the best way to avoid heat stress - it’s important to be PROACTIVE!

TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT RISK TOLERANCEEmail: Safety@PremierSvc.com

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Voluntary Actions & Being in Controlfactor 4 of 10: WHY PEOPLE ACCEPT RISK

THINK ABOUT IT!Is there a recreational/voluntary activity that you engage in that others might think is risky? Why would others think it is risky? What measures have you taken or will you take to reduce the risk of the activity?

STRATEGIES TO AVOID IT!• STOP and THINK: What could go wrong? • The act of actually stopping the task and taking a

minute to examine the task will engage the conscious mind in the decisions to continue.

“I ALWAYS WANTED TO GO SKY DIVING! IT’S ON MY BUCKET

LIST, I’M IN!”

“I GO KAYAKING ALL THE TIME, EVEN IN

ROUGH WATERS, IT’S A CINCH!”

<-- Ever hear

statements like these before?

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WHAT IS IT? The decision to voluntarily participate in a task or activity is based on our perception of the risk associated with the task. The desire to engage in the activity may be great enough to discount the known risks. Being in control of the task or activity reduces our reliance on other unknowns and therefore the risk is perceived as being lower.

To learn more, click this video!

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DRIVING

We already know the Smith System works to help drivers avoid collisions. However, use of the Smith 5 Keys™ can also be the most effective method of reducing fuel and maintenance costs. That’s because Smith System puts less stress on brakes, tires and transmissions. That means the system is saving time and money before it’s even helped to avoid a single accident! Let’s examine how the Smith driving principles help our company’s fleet and our personal vehicles drive smoother and more economically!

SMITH SYSTEM® REDUCES COSTS!

Aim High In Steering® By looking out ahead of your vehicle as you drive, you provide yourself more time to react to changing traffic patterns. We call this eye-lead time. Smith teaches looking forward to understand the status of intersection lights -- that’s aiming high in steering.

Get the Big Picture® Knowing more about what is happening around your vehicle helps you anticipate trouble and improve the quality of your driving decisions. Smith teaches how to track what is happening behind and to the sides of your vehicle. That information helps pace the traffic safely and save fuel in the process.

Keep Your Eyes Moving® We all have a tendency to stare while driving and staring diminishes our overall

awareness. You can develop the skill of constantly moving your eyes to take in more of your surroundings. Seeing more makes you a smarter driver.

Leave Yourself an Out® Positioning your vehicle so you can safely change lanes if something unexpected happens is critical to both safety and the momentum required for better fuel economy.

Make Sure They See You® Assuming other drivers see you and understand where you are going is a dangerous thing. The fact is, many drivers are simply not paying attention and may pull into your path. Smith’s courses teach you how to determine whether other drivers recognize your position on the road and what to do if they don’t.

“ I just finished the Smith System driving course with my instructor, Field Supervisor Mike Quick. It was a very informative and educational day of safe driving training. I received more on the road training and informative classroom training then I did when I worked for a previous job driving ambulances and emergency vehicles!

I want you personally thank you, Mike, for Premier’s commitment to Safety and the time and effort that goes in to safe driving training for all employees. ”

- MATTHEW GALUSHA Damage Prevention Technician Upstate New York - East

TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE OFFICE HEALTH AND SAFETY COMMITTEEEmail: OfficeSafetyCommittee@PremierSvc.com

OFFICE SAFETY

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WALK-A-THON UPDATE! The Walk-a-thon participants at the Premier Hauppauge office are off to a great start! There’s been a lot of positive feedback and even some playful jabs from our super competitive walkers! The competition is high! There hasn’t been a time of day you don’t see one of us walking in the parking lot or doing laps around the office circle... Way to go everyone; let’s keep it up!

Two Enthusiastic Walkers! Ashley Lowig and Sally Sassman pump up their step count on their lunch break!

Week #1 Individual Winner is

MIKE CONKLINCongratulations for walking the most steps, Mike!

55 PARTICIPANTS11 TEAMS6 WEEKS1 GOAL:

GET ACTIVE!

TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT AUTO MAINTENANCE TIPS, Email: Safety@Premiersvc.com

SPRING & SUMMER AUTO MAINTENANCE

TIPS!

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TIPS

Some preparation now will help ensure that driving from job to job this summer goes as smoothly as you envision them now. Spring is one of the prime times for auto maintenance. Winter’s gloom (to say nothing of grit and road salt) is literally washed away. Take out the snow shovel and rock salt and store them ‘til next season; Summer’s not far away!

The following tips will get you and your mobile office ready for what’s to come:• Read the owner’s manual and follow the recommended service schedules.• Have hard starts, rough idling, stalling, etc. corrected before summer sets in.• Know where the Donlen-approved repair facilities are in your areas. • Your battery, brakes, cooling system and air conditioning as well as the tightness and

condition of belts, clamps, and hoses should be checked by a qualified auto technician. • Have the oil and oil filter changed as specified in the brochure you received from Donlen.

Have other filters (air, fuel, PCV, etc.) replaced as recommended.• Check the condition of tires, including the spare. Always check tire pressure when the tires

are cold and haven’t hit the road yet.• Inspect all lights and bulbs; have burned out bulbs replaced.• Have worn wiper blades replaced and keep plenty of washer solvent on hand to combat

summer’s dust and insects.• Ensure the condition location of your first aid kit and flashlight in case of emergency. Know

who to call in case of an accident or breakdown.

According to a survey by The National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence, the most commonly neglected auto maintenance services are: Oil, Filter, Lube 35% Transmission 19% Tires 14% Cooling System 13% Brakes 10% Belts 5% Tune-Up 4%

CLOSE CALLS!

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“The importance of safety glasses is not just something that they ask of us, it is from field experience why we need to wear them! Just recently, while moving a small tree with many long branches on a electric pole drop, a branch I thought was secure whipped back and struck me in the face breaking the glasses.

- DANNY MEYER DP Technician - Long Island, NY

USIC technician, Bob Laudenslager, also had a close call a few weeks ago. Bob was driving along and began to crest a hill when he saw a car rolling end over end towards him. Bob did not panic and braked immediately and thankfully avoided any collision with the vehicle.

As soon as his vehicle and the rolling vehicle had stopped completely, Bob got out of his truck and ran over to provide assistance. The driver got out of the car and was screaming about her baby in the back. Bob went into action and got the back door open and retrieved the baby from the back seat of the car – unharmed.

This is a great news story about one of our technicians A) being vigilant out on the roadways and B) showing a selfless mentality when it came to the welfare of his fellow human beings. Way to go Bob and thank you!!

Check out this skit on safety glasses from Jimmy Kimmel!

If I had not had my tinted armor optic glasses on, I could have easily had a severe injury to both my eyes!”

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JUNE IS NATIONALSAFETY MONTH

For more information and resources, visit the National Safety Council at http://www.nsc.org/act/events/Pages/national-safety-month.aspx

Observed annually in June, National Safety Month focuses on reducing leading causes of injury and death at work, on the road and in our homes and communities. The goal is to raise overall public awareness of safety. Injuries are a leading cause of disability for people of all ages — and they are the leading cause of death for Americans ages 1 to 44. The good news is everyone can get involved to help prevent injuries.

This June, we encourage you to learn more about important safety issues like prescription painkiller abuse, transportation safety, and slips, trips, and falls.

PRESCRIPTION PAINKILLER ABUSE: Prescription painkiller overdoses are a growing problem in the United States, especially among women. About 18 women die every day from a prescription painkiller overdose — more than 4 times as many as back in 1999.

TRANSPORTATION SAFETY:Doing other activities while driving — like texting or eating — distracts you and increases your chance of crashing. Almost 1 in 5 crashes (17%) that injured someone involved distracted driving.

SLIPS, TRIPS, AND FALLS: One in 3 older adults falls each year. Many falls lead to broken bones and other health problems.

You can make a difference! Find out ways to help reduce the risk of these safety issues.