HEALTH & SAFETY CULTURE

A safety culture is an organisational culture that places a high level of importance on safety beliefs, values and attitudes, and these are shared by the majority of people within the company or workplace.

Strong leadership and management commitment to instituting a positive safety culture is directly related to safety performance as it demonstrates by example to employees what actions will be rewarded, tolerated or punished, which in turn influences what actions and behaviour employees initiate and maintain.

Improving an organization's health and safety culture and performance involves clearly demonstrating that the organization places a high priority on:

• Preventing injuries
• Minimizing risks
• Solving occupational health and safety issues
• Investing in control measures
• Engaging the entire workforce in health and safety
• Being transparent and open about health and safety
• Leading and striving for continual improvement in health and safety performance.

Factors that Positively Affect Health & Safety Culture

1. Company values and policy are regularly communicated
2. Strong leadership is always demonstrated on the importance of work health and safety.
3. 
   Personalise safety outcomes so that each worker can know their role in preventing and eliminating risks and hazards
4. Develop positive safety attitudes and beliefs that support safe behaviour
5. Regularly engage workers on their safety responsibilities and accountabilities
6. Increase hazard/risk awareness and preventive behaviours
7. Monitor, review and reflect on effectiveness of culture actions and other safety related behaviours.

Factors that Negatively Affect Health & Safety Culture

• Bad management with no commitment to health & safety
• Poor training and incompetence of employees
• Lack of motivation
• Poor attitude towards work
• Unsafe behaviour
  
• Disregard for procedures
• stress and psychosocial risks in the workplace.

Common Household Items That Could Kill You

Electrical Generators

Home electrical generators emit toxic exhaust just as a car engine does, so under no circumstances should you ever try running a generator inside your house, basement, attached garage, or any building where humans actually live and breathe – not even if you keep the doors and windows open. Electrical generators are responsible for most non-fire-related carbon monoxide deaths.

Carbon monoxide gas is invisible and odourless; you need alarms to detect it because human senses simply cannot. Get to fresh air right away if you start to feel dizzy or weak. The Carbon monoxide from generators can rapidly lead to full incapacitation and death. If you are concerned about theft, secure your generator outside.

Household plants

Plants may be pretty but can be deceptively dangerous if you have children running around the house. Popular varieties like daffodil, iris, lily-of-the-valley, ivy, and mistletoe are poisonous when consumed. They contain toxins or dangerous chemicals to protect themselves from insects, 

animals—and yes, humans. 

So play it safe and keep them out of your home, especially if you have curious children.

Extension Cords

Extension cords are serious tripping hazards and can also cause residential fires. Fires are mostly caused by misuse or overloading the system, so just make sure that you are always using them correctly and only on a temporary basis, rather than keeping every space packed.

Scarves

That scarf can be fashionable but not always safe. 

It can get caught in anything that moves, 

presenting safety issues throughout your home, during the use of blenders, garbage disposals, 

lawn mowers and any other equipment that has a rotating part. 

Just remove your scarf before using those things to stay safe.

Lint/Dryers

Cleaning out the lint filter is easy but can often be overlooked. That's a mistake, as failing to remove lint from the dryer is the leading cause of 2,900 annual dryer fires, which results in 100 injuries and 5 deaths each year, says the U.S. Fire Administration. All the more reason to get back to good habits and clean the lint filter after each load of laundry (or before you start your next one), and remove lint from the vent pipe (the tube at the back of the machine that releases the hot air outside of your home) every three months.

Toothpaste

The warning is right there on the label: "Seek immediate medical help if you ingest toothpaste." If you consume too much, the overdose can cause stomach pain and intestinal blockage. But if the toothpaste contains fluoride, as most do these days, it gets far more serious—convulsions, difficulty breathing, and heart attack (amongst other scary side effects), according to Medline Plus. We're not suggesting that you avoid toothpaste (no one wants stinky breath), but make sure you and your children are using the designated pea-sized amount, and thoroughly rinsing with each brush.

Air Conditioners

On a hot summer day, A/C saves the day. But when it's leaking, it's a setup for refrigerant poisoning, which can cause heart palpitations, seizures, and can cut off oxygen to your lungs and cells, ultimately causing death, says Healthline. It is mostly appliance repairers or installers that are at risk for the poisoning because they're around these cooling devices all day, which work by using Freon, a refrigerant substance that transforms from a liquid to an odourless gas (it's responsible for keeping your fridge cool, too). But they have protocols in place to stay safe, so if you notice a leaky A/C, be sure to skip the DIY and call a professional to get it repaired.

COMPUTER VISION SYNDROME

Computer Vision Syndrome, also referred to as digital eyestrain, includes a group of vision-related problems that result from prolonged computer, tablet, e-reader and smartphone use.

Maybe your job requires hours of work at a computer. Maybe you like to spend your free time surfing the internet. Whatever the reason, your body is feeling the effects of spending too much time logged on — dry eyes, tired eyes, headaches, neck pain, blurred vision. 

Six Steps to Reduce CVS:

1. Keep blinking. It washes your eyes in naturally therapeutic tears.

2. Get the right light - Good lighting isn’t just flattering – it’s healthy for your eyes. So, keep bright lighting overhead to a minimum. Keep your desk lamp shining on your desk, not you. Try to keep window light off to the side, rather than in front or behind you. Use blinds and get a glare screen. Position the computer screen to reduce reflections from windows or overhead lights.

3. Remember 20-20-20 - Every 20 minutes, spend 20 seconds looking at something 20 feet away, minimum.

4. Wear those computer glasses - Your doctor can prescribe a pair of eyeglasses just for viewing the computer screen well. If necessary, wear the appropriate corrective lenses while at the computer.

5. Monitor your monitor - Keep it at least 20 inches from your eyes. Center should be about 4 to 6 inches below your eyes. Also, make sure it’s big enough and with just the right brightness and contrast.  Adjust the screen so you look at it slightly downward and are about 24 to 28 inches away. Adjust the screen settings to where they are comfortable — contract polarity, resolution, flicker, etc.

6. Talk to your doctor - During your eye exam, your eye doctor can check for more than just computer vision problems. He will look for signs of health conditions like diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, glaucoma, and macular degeneration. It’s an important part of your overall health routine.

FALL PROTECTION AT WORK

Fall protection is the backup system planned for a worker, who could lose his or her balance at height, in order to control or eliminate the risk of falling.

All fall protection products fit into four functional categories:

1. Fall Arrest
2. Positioning
3. Suspension
4. Retrieval

Fall Arrest
A fall arrest system is required if any risk exists that a worker may fall from an elevated position, as a general rule, the fall arrest system should be used anytime a working height of six feet or more is reached. Working height is the distance from the walking/working surface to a grade or lower level. A fall arrest system will only come into service should a fall occur. A full-body harness with a shock-absorbing lanyard or a retractable lifeline is the only product recommended. A full-body harness distributes the forces throughout the body, and the shock-absorbing lanyard decreases the total fall arresting forces.


Positioning
This system holds the worker in place while keeping his/her hands free to work. Whenever the worker leans back, the system is activated. However, the personal positioning system is not specifically designed for fall arrest purposes.


Suspension
This equipment lowers and supports the worker while allowing a hands-free work environment, and is widely used in window washing and painting industries. This suspension system components are not designed to arrest a free fall, a backup fall arrest system should be used in conjunction with the suspension system.
















Retrieval
Pre-planning for retrieval in the event of a fall should be taken into consideration when developing a proactive fall management program.

5 STEPS TO RISK ASSESSMENT

 1. Identify the hazards
Take a walk through your workplace to identify hazards. You will want to observe employees completing their daily tasks in order to identify additional risks and to see if there could be an easier way for them to complete tasks. It’s important to talk to your employees colleagues while conducting your assessment because they are the ones who will have the best feedback regarding issues that may not be as obvious to you.

2. Decide who could be harmed and in what way

Establish groups that are affected by the risks and hazards you identified in your search. To see the bigger picture, understand that there are groups outside of your workplace that might be harmed if corrective action is not taken. Record the ways that they could be harmed if the hazard or risk is not corrected and review the list with your employees or colleagues to see if there is anything else they have to add.

3. Establish Control Measures

Risk is a part of everyday life and you are not expected to eliminate all risks. What you must do is make sure you know about the main risks and the things you need to do to manage them responsibly. Generally, you need to do everything 'reasonably practicable'. This means balancing the level of risk against the measures needed to control the real risk in terms of money, time or trouble. Look at what you're already doing, and the control measures you already have in place. Ask yourself:

• Can I get rid of the hazard altogether?
• If not, how can I control the risks so that harm is unlikely?

4. Record the findings of your assessment and inform those at risk of the controls

Make a record of your significant findings - the hazards, how people might be harmed by them and what you have in place to control the risks. Any record produced should be simple and focused on controls. Report your findings and proposed solutions to all employees. It might also be a good time to provide some additional training regarding any changes to procedures, updates to your health and safety policy and to provide a “refresher” session to employees to remind them that they have their responsibilities in ensuring a safe workplace.

5. Review the Risk Assessment on a regular basis

Few workplaces stay the same. Sooner or later, you will bring in new equipment, substances and procedures that could lead to new hazards. So it makes sense to review what you are doing on an ongoing basis, look at your risk assessment again and ask yourself:

• Have there been any significant changes?
• Are there improvements you still need to make?
• Have your workers spotted a problem?
• Have you learnt anything from accidents or near misses?

Make sure your risk assessment stays up to date.

Top Safety Tips For Online Banking

As the world advances in technology fraudsters are also advancing and becoming more clever. These criminals continue to explore new ways to deceive people in the online world as they look for their next victim. To enjoy a secure experience, the following Safety Tips for Online Banking are being offered:

1. Keep your password confidential: The password acts like a key to your web bank account. Sharing the password means that crooks can also access your online account. In addition, make your password as impersonal as possible. For example, do not use your date of birth, phone number, or your identity card number as your password. Crooks can access this information and decide to try it out. It is also advisable to keep changing your password every four months. In addition, do not store your password in the computer.

2. Beware of questionable emails: Crooks may also send you emails asking for your personal information such as a password or pin. As we noted earlier, as time goes by, they get smarter and smarter. They have designed fake bank logos and use them when sending you an email, you may be easily lured to give personal information. You can detect fake emails from these crooks because their emails usually direct you to questionable internet sites. In addition, you will notice that they do not address you as you are used to being called by your bank. The emails may also contain poor grammar.

3. Make use of anti-virus protection software: You should get the best quality antivirus protection available for your internet banking experience. They protect your personal information in your computer from being lost due to a virus. Search for the services of a computer expert to enable you to get the top rated services available.

4. If you discover you did submit private detail to these con artists, inform your web bank immediately: Make sure you give your bank your current contact information so that they can get in touch with you with any questions or any other matters that require your attention.

5. Ensure you have strong computer expertise to improve the safety of your personal information: Otherwise, avoid shared computers.

6. If you notice that some money is missing in your internet bank account, notify the bank immediately: The more time that passes the more money can be stolen from you.

Worker Pulled Into Machine By His Jacket

Worker pulled into machine by his jacket: $175K fine in connection with death

A lack of safety training played a part in the death of an employee at a manufacturing plant, according to OSHA.


The Tonawanda Coke Corp. employee was pulled into the rotating shaft of a coal elevator on Jan. 6, 2016. As the worker prepared to grease and lubricate the elevator, his jacket was caught, pulling him onto the rotating shaft.

OSHA says the elevator at the Tonawanda, NY, plant wasn’t shut down nor locked out at its power source, as required by the hazardous energy control (lockout/tagout) standard.

 The company received two repeat and six serious violations with a proposed total of $175,200 in fines. The violations include failure to:

• ensure the shutdown of power sources for the coal elevator and another machine and that energy isolation devices had lockout devices affixed
• guard projecting shafts and bolts on the coal elevator against employee contact
• provide hazardous energy control training to authorized employees and inform them of the location of energy control devices (repeat)
• conduct and certify an inspection of energy-control procedures (repeat)
• ensure the full lockout of an energy control device
• maintain working surfaces in a clean and dry condition, and
• ensure to bolt covers of electrical disconnects fully.

The repeat violations are based on similar hazards cited during OSHA inspections in 2010 and 2014.
“Training employees on lockout procedures and ensuring those procedures are used would have prevented this needless loss of a worker’s life,” said OSHA’s area director in Buffalo, NY.