Annual Safety Training

[Virtual Presenter] Welcome to your annual safety training presented by Lakes Country Service Cooperative.

[Audio] During today's training we will be covering a workplace accident and injury reduction program, walking and working surfaces, hazard communication/ employee right to know and blood borne pathogens.

[Audio] We will first talk about the AWAIR program. AWAIR stands for a workplace accident and injury reduction program this is the cornerstone program to the city's health and safety program ..

[Audio] The program states employees at every level have a responsibility for maintaining safety and occupational health and are expected to cooperate fully with the health and safety policies ..

[Audio] Employee responsibilities include: become familiar with and follow all general safety rules. Become familiar with and follow all departments specific safety rules. Immediate reporting of accidents injuries and near misses to the supervisor. Notify the supervisor of unsafe conditions and cooperate with all aspects of the health and safety program.

[Audio] Take time and look around your work area to identify potential hazards..

[Audio] Take the time to evaluate and recognize the hazards unique to your job and make sure you're staying safe!.

[Audio] The AWAIR program also discusses the need to have a safety committee. All employers with more than 25 full-time employees are required to have a safety committee. The safety committee should meet at least four times a year and be made up of participants from a cross section of departments..

[Audio] You should know who is on the safety committee or who you can bring a safety concern to if you need to report an unsafe condition..

[Audio] Report any safety concerns or issues you have to your supervisor. If you do not want to bring it to your supervisor bring it to another safety committee member..

[Audio] In summary the aware program establishes responsibility for safety and affirms the city's commitment to providing a safe work environment to all employees..

[Audio] Next we're going to discuss OSHA's walking working surfaces standard..

[Audio] Slips trips and falls cause the majority of general industry accidents. They also account for 15% of all accidental deaths. This is more fatalities than all other causes but motor vehicles..

[Audio] Some of the most frequently cited violations in involve housekeeping. Every floor, working place and passageway must be kept clean, orderly and sanitary. Floors should be maintained as clean and dry as possible..

[Audio] Keep aisles and passageways clear and move obstructions that could create a hazard. Aisles must be sufficiently wide where mechanical handling equipment is used..

[Audio] We will now discuss general requirements for covers and guardrails. Covers and or guardrails should be provided to protect workers from hazards of open pits, tanks, vats, ditches and the like..

[Audio] A floor opening is an opening measuring 12 or more inches in its least dimension in a floor, platform, pavement, or yard, through which a person may fall..

[Audio] Floor openings need to be guarded by the use of a railing. A standard railing consists of a top rail, mid rail and posts. Height of the top rail to the floor should be 42 inches. The mid rails height is 21 inches. A toeboard should be provided if there to prevent objects falling to a lower level..

[Audio] Stairway floor openings must be guarded by a standard railing on all exposed sides except the entrance..

[Audio] Ladderway floor openings need to be guarded with a standard railing with toeboard on all sides. Guard the passage through the railing with a swinging gate or offset it to prevent someone from walking into the opening..

[Audio] A floor hole is an opening measuring less than 12 inches but more than 1 inch in its least dimension which materials but not persons may fall. Every floor hole into which persons can accidentally walk (because of fixed machinery, equipment, or walls) shall be protected by a cover that leaves no openings more than 1 inch wide. The cover shall be securely held in place to prevent tools or materials from falling through..

[Audio] A wall opening is at lease 30 inches high and 18 inches wide in a wall or partition, through which persons may fall. Wall openings from which there is a drop of more than 4 feet must be guarded. Guard using a rail, roller, picket fence, half door, or equivalent barrier. Where there is exposure below to falling materials, a removable toe board or the equivalent must also be provided..

[Audio] Regardless of height, a standard railing and toeboard must be used to guard open-sided floors, walkways, platforms, or runways above or adjacent to dangerous equipment..

[Audio] Open-sided floors or platforms more than 4 feet above adjacent floors or ground level must be guarded by a standard railing on all open sides, except where there is an entrance to a ramp, stairway or fixed ladder. A toeboard is required when , beneath the open sides persons can pass, there is moving machinery, or there is equipment with which falling materials could create a hazard..

[Audio] Flights of stairs with four or more risers must have standard stair railings or handrails..

[Audio] The Maximum length for a stepladder is 20 feet for single-rung ladder and 30 feet for two-section rung ladders. Stepladders must be equipped with a metal spreader or locking device to securely hold the front and back sections in an open position. All ladders must be inspected periodically, kept in good condition at all times, and must be free from sharp edges, splinters, oil grease, or other defects which would affect their use. - Always place the ladder on secure footing and lock in place. - Short ladders shall not be spliced together to make long ladders. - The top of a regular stepladder shall not be used as a step. - Always face the ladder when climbing or descending..

[Audio] Use at angle where the horizontal distance from the top support to the foot of the ladder is ¼ the working length of the ladder (length along ladder between the foot and top support)..

[Audio] Fixed ladders are Permanently attached to a structure, building or equipment. Cages or wells required if longer than 20 ft. to a maximum unbroken length of 30 ft. Ladder safety devices may be used on tower, water tank and chimney ladders over 20 ft. in unbroken length instead of cage protection All fixed ladders must be inspected regularly and be maintained in a safe condition. Preferred pitch in range of 75 to 90 degrees with horizontal..

[Audio] Next we will discuss ladder use. Falls account for over 8 million hospital emergency room visits More than 90,000 people receive emergency room treatment from ladder-related injuries every year Elevated falls account for almost 700 occupational deaths annually.

[Audio] Take a look at your Ladders in the workplace. They should be rated as Type I or Type II ladders. No type III ladders are allowed in city buildings. Type 3 ladders are labeled for "Household Use Only" and are not allowed in your workplace. Do not attempt to fix damaged ladders. Any damaged ladders should be tagged and removed from the workplace..

[Audio] In summary, slips, trips, and falls constitute the majority of general industry accidents. OSHA's standards for walking and working surfaces include requirements for housekeeping, guarding floor and wall openings and holes, industrial stairs and ladders and keeping working surfaces clean, dry, and uncluttered can prevent many workplace accidents.