Recommended
More Related Content
Similar to Surprising accidents spiders, bugs, and hidden hazards
Similar to Surprising accidents spiders, bugs, and hidden hazards (12)
More from Ana Metaxas
Recently uploaded
Recently uploaded (15)
Surprising accidents spiders, bugs, and hidden hazards
- 1. Surprising Accidents Spiders, Bugs, Hidden Hazards, General Practices, Safety Shower MINDFULNESS
- 2. Contoso S u i t e s 2 Inspect areas Check your shoes Check your helmet Corners Dark spots Behind or underneath furniture Cupboards Basements Garages Each year spiders eat enough insects to outweigh the entire human race—Thanks spiders!
- 3. Contoso S u i t e s 3 • Black Widow • Brown Recluse • Chills • Fever • Weakness • Listlessness • Swelling/Rash in area of bite
- 4. Contoso S u i t e s If you spot a Black Widow or Brown Recluse • Leave them alone. • They are not aggressive. • Show your safety manager. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Etiam aliquet eu mi quis lacinia. 4
- 5. Contoso S u i t e s Hidden Hazards It is typically the thing hiding in the dark, the thing we didn’t see or didn’t think of, that gets us. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. • Ut fermentum a magna ut eleifend. Integer convallis suscipit ante eu varius. • Morbi a purus dolor. Suspendisse sit amet ipsum finibus justo viverra blandit. • Ut congue quis tortor eget sodales. 5
- 6. Contoso S u i t e s Emergency Eyewash Station Required where workers are exposed to corrosives. • Can reach within 10 seconds • Nothing blocking the way • Temperature must not be hot • Valve must turn on within one second • 3 locations: Next to drum-washing station In dye lab In chemical lab • All employees who work with hazardous materials must be trained on eyewash stations. • Does not replace eye protection. 6
- 7. Contoso S u i t e s 7 Safety Shower
- 8. Contoso S u i t e s 8 “Hurry Up” Can Hurt • Didn’t wear safety glasses because the job would only take a few minutes. • Didn’t unplug a power tool before making adjustments because it would only have to be plugged in again anyway. • Gave a forklift truck just a little more pedal so one more load would be done before lunch. • Didn’t slow down at a blind corner this time because no one has been there before. • Didn’t wear a seatbelt on the forklift because it’s just a quick job and I’m going to have to unbuckle over and over again.
- 9. Contoso S u i t e s 9 Eyewash Facilities A.Must be provided if workers are exposed to corrosive materials. B.Eliminate the need for getting medical attention. C.Need to be used for only about 5 minutes to treat an injury. D.Work better if you keep your eyes closed tightly.
- 10. Contoso S u i t e s 10 If you get bit by a spider at work A.You don’t have to report it. B. You do have to report it. C.Wait and see if the bite gets bad before you report it. D.Suck out the poison and spit it out.
- 11. Contoso S u i t e s 11 Safety Shower
- 12. Contoso S u i t e s One earnest worker can do more by personal suggestion to prevent accidents than a carload of safety signs. 12
- 13. Thank You Ana Metaxas +1 706 278 3514 ana@fibrochem.com www.fibrochem.com
Editor's Notes
- What do spiders and hidden hazards have in common? They are two completely different things. Well I’m sure most of you have heard about spiders being located in some work areas, and believe it or not, these are considered work hazards. Because we are at the beginning of the year, many of us are starting to clean up and clear out boxes, carts, and trailers. We are going into places that may not have seen the light of day for quite some time. It is in these places that many spiders like to live and set up their homes. What is going to tie all of these seemingly random topics I’m going to talk about together is mindfulness. We know what it feels like to be on autopilot, like when we’re driving home, or when you do the same routine over a long period of time. When at work, behaving mindlessly increases your risk of an accident. Mindfulness is the opposite of that. When you are mindful, you are more aware of your surroundings and what risks might be hiding around the corner.
- If your task will require you to clear out some items that have been in the same place for a long time, you will want to inspect around the area first and check for any signs of spiders (and webs would be the best thing to tip you off), and you should ALWAYS wear sturdy gloves when picking/cleaning up items, even if it is just a stack of rags, as spiders do like to set up shop in those types of places as well. Lights are another hot spot for arachnids, because the glow attracts flying insects. WHAT DO THEY EAT? Spiders aren't picky. They generally enjoy a diet of crickets, moths, mosquitos, flies, and yes…even other spiders. Wherever you find them, you might find spiders.
- There are a couple of spiders that are fairly common in the South that are dangerous, and it is possible you might come across one in your workplace. They are the Black Widow and the Brown Recluse. Both are not to be toyed with, as both kinds have venom that is toxic to humans, and their bites can be quite painful. Typically speaking, although their bites can be fatal to humans, it is actually quite rare that that happens (in less than 1% of bite cases) and usually happens with the very young, the very old, or those who are already very sick. But we still should not take them lightly. There can be lasting after-effects from a bite, especially from the Brown Recluse, which can cause open sores that heal poorly and can leave a permanent scar. In many cases if you are bitten you might not feel the bite, or at most it will feel like a pinprick. Symptoms of a bite are varied, but include chills, fever, generalized weakness or listlessness, as well as swelling and rashes in the area of the bite. By the way, being bit by a spider at work is an OSHA-recordable injury and you must report it.
- If you do get bitten the best course of action is to stay calm, don’t panic, and get yourself to a treatment center right away. If you are working in an area and you spot either of these two spiders, leave them alone. Neither of them are aggressive, and they’ll only bite if disturbed, and call your safety manager. I can make arrangements to have the proper exterminators come out and clear the area.
- It is important that we use this hidden hazard thought process for things other than just spider finding. Whenever we approach a task we should just stand back for a second or two, and think what could I do to ensure that I don’t get hurt. It is typically the thing hiding in the dark, the thing we didn’t see or didn’t think of, that gets us.
- Switching gears now a little bit…because this topic needs to be covered since we’ve installed a safety shower/eyewash station. Emergency Eyewash Stations are required within the work area where workers are exposed to corrosive materials. Eyewash stations are required to be close enough for workers to reach within 10 seconds of exposure. It must be on the same level as the hazard and there can be nothing blocking the way to the emergency station. The water of an eyewash station is required to be tepid, meaning moderately warm or lukewarm. There are some instances where the temperature of the water can worsen the effect of a hazard. Hot water mixed with certain chemicals can react and worsen damage to your eyes. The head of an eyewash station must be at least 6 inches from the wall or the nearest obstruction in order to give the injured person enough space to use the emergency station. The valve of the eyewash station must turn on within one second and stay on without anyone holding it. All employees who will be working with hazardous materials must be trained on how to properly use eyewash stations as well as where they are located. OSHA requires that eyewash stations come with instructions and should be located within hazardous areas. It is required that all eyewash stations must be activated weekly and inspected annually. Emergency Eyewash Stations must not be used to replace other forms of eye and face protection. Workers who deal with hazardous materials must always wear the proper masks and goggles.
- In addition to getting in your eyes, corrosive chemicals can get on your skin and clothes too, and they need to be flushed away. The first 10 to 15 seconds after exposure to a hazardous substance, especially a corrosive substance, are critical. Delaying treatment, even for a few seconds, may cause serious injury. Emergency showers and eyewash stations provide on-the-spot decontamination. They allow workers to flush away hazardous substances that can cause injury. Accidental chemical exposures can still occur even with good engineering controls and safety precautions. As a result, it is essential to look beyond the use of goggles, face shields, and procedures for using personal protective equipment. Emergency showers and eyewash stations are a necessary backup to minimize the effects of accidental exposure to chemicals. Unfortunately, when that happens, you must remove all clothing and shoes when rinsing off. Emergency showers can also be used effectively if your clothing catches fire or for flushing contaminants off clothing.
- Hidden hazards can often happen when you hurry. In the same way that race cars are marked with racing stripes, people who race on the job are marked with cuts, bruises, eye-patches and bandages. All of us have been guilty of racing through a job at one time or another. Here are some hurry-up acts. Have you or a co-worker practiced any of these lately? Does any of this sound familiar? Or are these things only other people do? Often when we race through a job, nothing bad happens. Sometimes we may experience a “near miss”. However, eventually a serious injury will happen—it is only a matter of time. Is it worth risking our eyes, our limbs, or our life or someone else’s to save a few minutes on the job? When we hurry we may be speeding up our work, but we are also speeding up our chances of having an accident. It’s been over 2 years since we’ve had an OSHA-recordable injury, and I’m very proud of you all for that, but the fact that our “days without” continues to rise and our incident rate is low, does not measure our safety culture as a whole. I know no one wants to contribute to losing our run at the “days without” record, but safety HAS to mean more than those numbers. The first thought after a near miss shouldn’t be “I do not want to get in trouble” or “we almost lost our “days without” count”. The first thought should be “wow, I almost did not go home today” and “what can I do to make sure I don’t do that again because my coworker almost got seriously hurt”. These should be your thoughts each day, all day, with everything you do-at work and at home. Your job, your family, your friends, your coworkers, your hobbies, your life…are all counting on you!
- Quick video on how to use eyewash stations.