weekly safety meeting instructions

HOW‐TO CONDUCT A WEEKLY SAFETY MEETING

1. Hold the mee ng on the job, preferably where everyone can sit and relax.

2. Hold the mee ng at the beginning of the shi , right a er lunch, or a er a break.

3. Supervisors do not always have to lead the mee ng. Encour‐age other employees in your group to lead a mee ng. Task an experienced employee or someone that just a ended training with presen ng a topic that week.

4. Encourage as much employee par cipa on as possible, yet keep your mee ng short. Ask ques ons about the topic to generate discussion and get employees involved.

Weekly safety mee ngs have proved their worth by aler ng employees to workplace hazards, and by preven ng accidents,

illnesses and on‐the‐job injuries.

Disclaimer: The informa on and sugges ons contained in these safety talks are believed to be reliable. However, the authors of the topics and the owners of this web site accept no legal responsibility for the correctness, sufficiency, or completeness of such informa on or sugges ons contained within these topics. These guidelines do not super cede local, state, or federal regula ons and must not be construed as a subs tute for, or legal interpreta on of, any OSHA regula ons

Chinese Drywall

Disclaimer: The information and suggestions contained in these safety talks are believed to be reliable. However, the authors of the topics and the owners of this web site accept no legal responsibility for the correctness, sufficiency, or completeness of such information or suggestions contained within these topics. These guidelines do not super cede local, state, or federal regulations and must not be construed as a substitute for, or legal interpretation of, any OSHA regulations

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Manager/Supervisor’s Signature: _________________________________________________________________________________

Employee Signatures: (continue on back of sheet if necessary)

(My signature attests and verifies my understanding of and agreement to comply with, all company safety policies and regulations, and that I have not suffered, experienced , or sustained any recent job-related injury or illness)

Company Name: _________________________________________ Work Site Location: ______________________________________

Date: _________ Start Time: __________Finish Time: ___________ Foreman/Supervisor: _____________________________________

Drywall is a common building material made from gypsum based plaster. Defective drywall that was imported to the USA from China beginning in 2001 has caused health problems to many homeowners, according to the CDC. Contaminated drywall contains metals and minerals such as sulfur, strontium, and iron. Under high temperature and humidity, Chinese drywall emits sulfur gases which smell of rotten eggs and cause health problems such as headache, cough, and breathing problems. It corrodes copper and other metal surfaces. Chinese drywall health risks are the subject of ongoing consumer lawsuits. The suppliers of the dry-wall believe the toxic level is not too high to cause health problems; however, laboratory reports show strontium, a known toxic chemical that can affect children in particular, is present in the drywall. Chronic exposure to the emissions from Chinese drywall can cause health problems to the eyes, kid-neys, liver, and skin of children and the elderly. Chinese drywall has been installed in many states in-cluding Ohio, Virginia, North and South Carolina, Mississippi, Texas, Nevada, Georgia, and Florida. Federal and state agencies suspect it to be the cause of health problems. CPSC, EPA, and CDC are in-vestigating to determine if, and to what extent, there is any safety risk associated with imported Chi-nese drywall. Homes built or remodeled from 2004 may contain Chinese drywall.

Indicators of contaminated Chinese drywall include: The house smells like rotten eggs. Silver jewelry or other silver items tarnish in short time. Mirrors turn black. Household members experience nose bleeds or respiratory problems at home but not away from

home. Air-conditioning coils, stove tops, refrigerators, and oven elements fail within a year. Health conditions such as Itchy eyes/skin, breathing problems, coughing, running nose, sore

throats, joints pain, and sinus infection appear.

Work Site Review: Hazards/Safety Suggestions

http://www.pasafety.com/

Trenching and Excavation


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Trenching and Excavation Emergencies Each year over 60 people are killed while working in and around trenches and excavations. Working in an unprotected trench or excavation can lead to death from becoming buried alive. In fact, this task is so hazardous that OSHA has identified it as one of the top four hazards that can cause death to workers. OSHA has also targeted trenching and excavations through a National Emphasis Program (NEP) which, when found, requires a manda-tory inspection.

Why is trenching and excavation so deadly? A cubic yard of dirt weighs nearly 1 and one half tons, or around 3000 pounds. A worker in an unprotected trench can easily become immobile or trapped by sliding dirt around the legs or ankles. When unprotected dirt reaches an employee’s chest area, it quickly be-comes impossible to take a breath. Once trapped by sliding dirt, rescues becomes a touch and go operation; nearly every em-ployee buried by dirt in a trench or excavation dies long before reached by emergency responders.

How can these worker deaths be prevented? Plan your job – A Competent person has been trained to examine soil types and environmental that can determine what type of equipment and preplanning will be needed. Use information to choose a protection system for the type of hazard - Soil analysis is important in order to determine appropriate sloping, benching, and shoring. Monitor the work – Your previous training will enable you to recognize the signs and hazards that can lead to collapse.

Recognize some critical signs of danger Some easily identifiable and recognizable hazards during trenching and excavations include working with heavy machinery; man-ual handling of materials; working in proximity to traffic; electrical hazards from overhead and underground power-lines; and underground utilities, such as natural gas.

Fatal Fact: Two employees were installing storm drain pipes in a trench, approximately 20-30 feet long, 12-13 feet deep and 5-6 feet wide. The side walls consisted of unstable soil undermined by sand and water. There was 3-5 feet of water in the north end of the trench and 5-6 inches of water in the south end. At the time of the accident, a backhoe was being used to clear the trench. The west wall of the trench collapsed, and one employee was crushed and killed. As result of the its investigation, OSHA issued citations for one willful, one serious, and one-other-than-serious violation of its construction standards. OSHA's construc-tion safety standards include several requirements which, if they had been followed here, might have prevented this fatality.

Closing: Can anyone contribute a time that insert topic name was involved in your work? Can anyone recall a near miss or

accident that could’ve been prevented?



Truck Safety


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All industrial companies are required to have a written safety transportation policy to meet the DOT and OSHA transportation safety requirements. To maintain safe transportation practices, all employees must be trained and educated on safe driving and complying with all required safety regulations on the roads. Truck drivers must meet all of the requirements for transporting mate-rials, including the ability to read and write understand all requirements in English. Drivers must be mentally and physically qualified to drive a company truck and must provide valued medical certifi-cate according to the standard. The DOT (US Department of Transportation) oversees the national transportation policy, and it includes the following agencies: FAA, FHWA, FMCSA, USCG, and TSA. The department of transportation has jurisdiction over transportation of hazardous materials on the in-terstate. OSHA’s jurisdiction is limited to vehicles operated on the workplace and not on public roads. Companies must train and educate drivers. Training must be refreshed according to regulations, and it must be recorded.

Truck Safety:

Driver must:

Have a valid commercial driver’s license.

Have at least 2 years of driving experience and 5 years of experience to transport hazardous materials.

Be able to understand all signs.

Have no violations within the past 5 years for driving under the influence of alcohol and drug, hit and run accidents, reckless driving, passing a stopped school bus, distracted driving, or failure to report an accidents.

Must be in good health.

For safe driving:

Watch your blind spots.

Reduce your speed when driving through interstate construction.

Always make sure to check and maintain your truck each morning before starting your work. Fill out the company check list.

Load your truck wisely.

Reduce your speed on curves. Follow speed limit.



Utility Knife Safety


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Use of utility knives is very common in workplaces. They are designed to cut cardboard, wood, plas-tics, fibers, ceiling tiles, wallpaper, and other materials. A utility knife comes with a variety of lengths and styles so that it can be made suitable for a many tasks. In the construction industry they can be useful for cutting shingles/packages, and scraping paint from the wall. Improper use of a utility knife can cause injuries. Using wrong size blades for a task, using defective knives, being exposed to blade tips, and failing to inspect blades are just a few of the potential causes of injury. All retractable utility knives fall under OSHA blade guard standards, which simply require that knife blades have a guard when they are not in use. Educating and training employees on the proper practices for the safe use of tools will help reduce or eliminate injuries and will contribute to workplace productivity and profit. Utility Knife Safety:

When using a utility knife: Establish a balanced body position. Look at the cut line. Do not get distracted by talking to other people. Place your non-cutting hand on the opposite side of the box, away from the cutting line. Do not draw the knife toward yourself. Do not put too much pressure on the blade. Do not cut more than the knife can handle.

Store the knife properly with the blade extended. Use required proper PPE.

Use safety glasses to protect your eyes. Wear cut-resistant gloves and sleeves to protect your hands.

Inspect the knife before use. Do not use a dull blade. Follow manufacturer instructions for changing the blade. Dispose of dull or broken blades. Do not use a utility knife on loose objects. If handing a utility knife to someone else pass him or her the handle, no the blade.

Do not use disposable knives for industrial purposes.



Welding Safety


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Welding Hazards Safety Program Welding, cutting, and brazing are hazard-

ous activities that pose a unique combination of both safety and health risks to more than 500,000 workers in a wide variety of industries. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the risk from fatal injuries alone is more than four deaths per thousand workers over a working lifetime. Protecting the worker when performing welding operations depends on understanding of the hazards involved and the proper way to control them. Control of welding hazards includes avoiding eye inju-ry, respiratory protection, ventilation of the work area, protective clothing, and having safe equipment to use.

The Process of Welding Welding joins pieces of metal by the use of heat, pressure, or both. There are more

than 80 different types of welding and associated processes. Some of the most common types of welding include: arc welding, which includes “stick” or shielded metal arc welding (SMAW), the gas-shielded methods of metal inert gas (MIG) and tungsten inert gas (TIG), plasma arc welding (PAW), and submerged arc welding (SAW). Other welding pro-cesses may use oxy-acetylene gas, electrical current, lasers, electron beams, friction, ultrasonic sound, chemical reac-tions, heat from fuel gas, and robots.

Health Hazards of Welding Gases and Fumes Welding “smoke” is a mixture of very fine particles (fumes)

and gases. Many of the substances in welding smoke, such as chromium, nickel, arsenic, asbestos, manganese, silica, beryllium, cadmium, nitrogen oxides, phosgene, fluorine compounds, carbon monoxide, cobalt, copper, lead, ozone, selenium, and zinc can be extremely toxic. Welders who smoke may be at greater risk of health impairment than welders who do not smoke, although all welders are at risk.

Exposure to welding smoke—short-term and long-term health effects Short-term (acute) health effects Exposure to metal fumes (such as zinc, magnesium, copper, and copper

oxide) can cause metal fume fever. Symptoms of metal fume fever may occur 4 to 12 hours after exposure, and in-clude chills, thirst, fever, muscle ache, chest soreness, coughing, wheezing, fatigue, nausea, and a metallic taste in the mouth. Welding smoke can also irritate the eyes, nose, chest, and respiratory tract, and cause coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, bronchitis, pulmonary edema (fluid in the lungs), and pneumonitis (inflammation of the lungs). Gastrointestinal effects, such as nausea, loss of appetite, vomiting, cramps, and slow digestion, have also been associ-

ated with welding. Long-term (Chronic) health effects Studies have shown that welders have an increased

risk of lung cancer, and possibly cancer of the larynx (voice box) and urinary tract. These findings are not surprising in view of the large quantity of toxic substances in welding smoke, including cancer-causing agents such as cadmium, nickel, beryllium, chromium, and arsenic.



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