The Safety Blog - I am Wright.com

Well I haven’t mentioned it in a while, actually since November 10, 2007, but I maintain a Google “Safety Calendar” that has all of the Safety Campaigns that are occurring each week and month for the year.  I found that I could not find one anywhere and decided to make one.  I figured if I needed it someone else may need it too…

So, if you click on the button on the top of the page that says “TWIS Calendar” which means This Week In Safety you can see what the calendar looks like and is always current. 

Additionally, if you use Google Calendar and would like to add the calendar to yours there is also a button on the right side of the screen that looks like this:  that you can click on and add it to your own group of calendars.

Technorati Tags: Site News, This Week in Safety

Tags: TWIS, news by David Wright - IamSafetyGeek
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Familiarize yourself with the fire extinguisher locations that are in your immediate work area or truck. These locations are generally marked in red or identified with a sign.

The general guidelines for using any fire extinguisher are:

· Follow the instructions on the extinguisher.

· Spray the stream at the base of the flames.

· Use a side-to-side sweeping motion.

· Keep your back to the wind.

· Use short bursts from the fire extinguisher.

· Don’t waste the dry chemicals or other extinguishing agents. Remember that portable fire extinguishers have only a small supply of extinguishing agent and their rate of discharge and range is limited.

· If dealing with a flammable liquid in a closed container, aim the stream at the container to cool it and prevent an explosion.

· Be certain the fire is actually out before leaving.

Every employee should know the classes of fires and which type of extinguishers to use for a particular situation. The letters (A, B, C, or D) show the class of fire that the extinguisher should be used to put out:

· Ordinary Combustibles Class A (Green Triangle)

· Flammable Liquids Class B (Red Square)

· Electrical Equipment Class C (Blue Circle)

· Combustible Metals Class D (Yellow Star)

Stick-on-labels are placed on most portable fire extinguishers and show what class or type of fire that the extinguisher would be used to put out. At most locations, we uses a multi-purpose extinguisher, which can be used on many different fires. Always read the label before using a fire extinguisher.

Technorati Tags: chemicals, fire, flammable, hazards, prevention, Safety

Tags: Fire Prevention, Safety, TWIS by David Wright - IamSafetyGeek
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Needlestick Safety Amendments

In November 2000, both houses of Congress approved the Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act of 2000.  The act was signed into law and gave OSHA a mandate to revise the Bloodborne Pathogens standard to include requirements for safe medical devices to eliminate or minimize occupational exposure to bloodborne pathogens through needlestick and other sharps injuries.  OSHA issued a final rule the following January, which went into effect on April 18, 2001. The revisions to the BBP standard can be broadly categorized into four areas:

• Modification of definitions relating to engineering controls;
• Revision and updating of the Exposure Control Plan;
• Solicitation of employee input; and
• Recordkeeping.

Blood and other potentially infectious materials are recognized as a potential threat to the health of employees who are exposed to these materials by skin penetration. Injuries from contaminated needles and other sharps have been associated with an increased risk of disease from more than 20 infectious agents. The primary agents of concern in current occupational settings are the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), and hepatitis C virus (HCV).

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has estimated that healthcare workers in  hospital settings sustain 384,325 injuries involving contaminated sharps annually. When non-hospital healthcare workers are included, the best estimate of the number of these injuries involving contaminated sharps is 590,164 per year. When these injuries involve exposure to infectious agents, the affected workers are at risk of contracting disease. Workers may also suffer from adverse side effects of drugs used for post-exposure prophylaxis and from psychological stress due to the threat of infection following an exposure incident.

Revisions to Definitions

Sharps with engineered sharps injury protections will encompass a broad array of devices that make injury involving a contaminated sharp less likely, and includes, but is not limited to, syringes with a sliding sheath that shields the attached needle after use; needles that retract into a syringe after use; shielded or retracting catheters used to access the bloodstream for intravenous administration of medication or fluids; and intravenous medication delivery systems that administer medication or fluids through a catheter port or connector site using a needle that is housed  in a protective covering.

Needleless systems which is defined as “devices that do not use needles for: (A) the collection of bodily fluids or withdrawal of body fluids after initial venous or arterial access is established; (B) the administration of medication or fluids; or (C) any other procedure involving the  potential for occupational exposure to bloodborne pathogens due to  percutaneous injuries from contaminated sharps.” Needleless systems provide an alternative to needles for the specified procedures, reducing the risk of skin penetration injury involving contaminated sharps. Examples of needleless systems include intravenous medication delivery systems that administer medication or fluids through a catheter port or connector site using a blunt cannula or other non-needle connection, and jet injection systems that deliver subcutaneous or intramuscular injections of liquid medication through the skin without use of a needle.

Technorati Tags: aids, bbp, bloodborne, hbv, hcv, hepatitis, hiv, OSHA, pathogen, Safety

Tags: Bloodborne Pathogen, OSHA, Safety, TWIS by David Wright - IamSafetyGeek
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Safe Work Practices: Remove contaminated clothing or PPE as soon as possible. If blood were to splash onto your shoes, pants, or shirt, remove those items as soon as possible. Wash your skin in the area underneath the clothing that was contaminated with the bodily fluid. Remove contaminated PPE, such as gloves, as soon as you are done administering first aid or decontaminating equipment or work surfaces. Cleaning/disinfecting tools, work surfaces, or equipment will prevent the next user from unknowingly coming into contact with potentially infected bodily fluids. Thoroughly wash your hands, face, or any other areas of your skin that may have come into contact with bodily fluids. If you believe that blood or other potentially contaminated bodily fluid was splashed into your eyes, immediately go to an emergency eyewash station and flush your eyes. Properly disposing of contaminated items in appropriately labeled bags or containers will help prevent someone from accidentally being exposed.

Hepatitis B Vaccination: The use of the HBV vaccine is strongly endorsed by medical, scientific, and public health communities as a safe and effective way to prevent disease and death. There is no confirmed evidence that indicates the HBV vaccine can cause chronic illness. Reports of unusual illnesses following a vaccine are most often related to other causes and are not related to the vaccine. The hepatitis B vaccination is a series of three injections that are effective in preventing infection with hepatitis B. Currently, there is no requirement for routine boosters; however, this is still being assessed. Any employee that rendered first aid in a situation involving the presence of blood or other potentially infectious material, whether or not a specific exposure occurred, will be offered the full immunization series. This vaccination is paid for by the employer. If you decline the hepatitis B vaccination, you will be asked to sign a form that states you waived your opportunity to receive the vaccination. However, even if you sign the form now, you may still change your mind later and accept the vaccination. The form basically states that at this time you do not want to have the shots. The language on the declination form is straight out of the OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens standard

Technorati Tags: aids, bbp, bloodborne, hbv, hcv, hepatitis, hiv, OSHA, pathogen, Safety

Tags: Bloodborne Pathogen, OSHA, Safety, TWIS by David Wright - IamSafetyGeek
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I was looking on my desk and found this article claiming that it is National Eye Care Month and thought that it would be a good idea to put a post up with some tips and a video that I have used for a couple of years.

Be sure to check out this video, it is truly eye opening (pun intended)!!

Your eyes are probably on of the most important senses that we have…Take a second and think about how differently your life would be if you could not see or if you vision was damaged because you did something that could have been avoided by wearing a pair of $5 eye protection.

Each year thousands of injuries result is either temporary or permanent vision loss! Kind of silly considering that most of them could be avoided by wearing eye protection. There are several different type of eye protection that can be used from Full Face Shields, Goggles, and helmet mounted shields. As with all safety you should always take a moment before beginning any task to determine what risks are present and ensure that you have the proper level of P.P.E. (personal protection equipment) available and if you don’t - GET IT BEFORE YOU START!

When should you wear eye protection?

• At Home: DIY projects, using power tools, auto repair (especially underneath the vehicle), yard work
• At Work: Whenever flying objects are present, using tools, under equipment, cutting, welding, wood working, hammering
• At Play: playing any type of sports involving balls or pucks
• ALL the Time: don’t forget eye protection from the sun and it will help you during times when it is windy

What if you get something in your eye?

• resist the urge to rub your eye - doing so can cause damage to your eye
• allow the eye’s natural tears to flush the eye - if this does not work use a saline eye solution or if available a eye wash station
• If you have something a chemical splashed in your eyes - you should flush immediately and have a doctor check you out
• If in doubt, don’t be afraid to see the doctor and get an object removed.

Technorati Tags: , Eye Protection, OSHA, PPE, Safety

Tags: Eye Protection, OSHA, PPE, Safety, TWIS by David Wright - IamSafetyGeek
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