When workers get complacent (or comfortable) with what they are doing that is when preventable accidents will occur. Not talking about engineering malfunction. We are talking about a worker accidentally over-tightening a bolt and the wrench coming back and hitting them in the face (that is a preventable accident). How do workers get to this point? When workers are continuously doing the same repetitive task over and over again. Say in a manufacturing environment a worker stays at the same task for the total of their entire shift, eventually they will get so comfortable with their job their mind will start to wander about different things (life outside of work, concerts, what they are doing this weekend, etc...). That is when meaningless accidents will and can happen, such as a cut finger that ends up being a recordable because they need stitches.
What can we do as safety professionals to prevent this from happening? Their are a few (not all mentioned) things that we can do:
These are just 3 effective ways that I have seen in my time of EHS that could help reduce complacency.
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If you are new to the Environmental Health and Safety Field, you have probably heard of Department of Transportation (DOT) Regulations from Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and wondering what that all entails. This is not going to be an all inclusive list of what Hours-of-Service (HOS) is when it comes to FMCSA Regulations (as of 1/22/2024) as Regulations are regularly updated, so be sure to check the FMCSA website if you have any questions for the latest rules.
Who is under the Hours of Service (HOS) regulations?
HOS time clocks
As mentioned, please refer to the FMCSA website for a complete list of rules and regulations as this is a very brief beginners overview. Here in Eastern Oklahoma we are beginning to thaw out from the Arctic Air that came and sat on our doorstep with about 130 hours of below freezing temperatures. Today I want to stress the importance of icicles. This is a topic that goes without getting a lot of attention, especially here down south. This topic is important to me because my now wife (girlfriend at the time) got hit in the head by ice back in February of 2021 as she was entering the house. My thoughts being in the field of EHS now is.. How can I prevent this from happening to others? It is to bring awareness to this topic.
Safety Tips:
As the weather pattern is changing for the Oklahoma Region, now is a good time to be following up and refreshing on Winter Driving Safety Tips. In this article we will go over some simple Safety Tips, What to do in an emergency, changes to the vehicle that may be noticed, and what you should keep in the vehicle for an emergency kit.
Winter Driving Safety Tips:
What to do In an emergency:
Changes that may be noticed:
Winter Weather Safety Kit:
We are now getting into the cold of winter in Northeastern Oklahoma. As most of us pull out our space heaters to keep warm now is a good time to be reminded of a few very important safety tips.
If a gas heater is in use, the color of the flame is very very important. A BLUE flame is normal. A ORANGE flame is a sign that it is not properly working and should be discarded immediately. 2023 was a good year for me professionally. I learned so much in holding my first Environmental Health and Safety position from January 2023 - April 2023 and then my next opportunity came from April 2023 - January 2024. What did I learn exactly this year? I learned that this is definitely the career choice for me as EHS is a servant driven career. I absolutely love serving people in order to help them out in any way that I can. I learned a lot about different safety platforms including ISNetWorld, Veriforce, and Avetta. If you would have asked me before April 2023 what a "Vetting Platform" was I would have had no clue what it was. But now I can navigate anyone if they have questions about any of those 3 vetting platforms. I learned what SOSPES is. SOSPES is a safety platform that you can view employees Behavior Based Safety (BBS) Inputs in real time. With SOSPES you are able to track credentials for employees and track Forms that employees submit for review. I learned a DOT Platform called MOTIVE that helped assist me in learning about DOT Compliance and Fleet Safety. Under DOT Compliance I learned what all is needed when it comes to a Driver Qualification file and what is needed to be kept on the driver at all times. Under Fleet Safety I learned how to coach employees on certain unsafe behaviors. I learned a lot about the industrial cleaning aspect of oil and gas from going out on multiple field jobs and coaching employees on how to do a job more safely and being the company representative onsite. I learned a lot how to hold safety meetings and how to get people engaged the entire time. From the creation of the powerpoint to scheduling the meetings. I learned a lot in 2023 I am grateful of what this year bought to me. A song to sum up my 2023 would be "Gratitude" by Brandon Lake. (Linked below) I am ready and open for my next opportunity in the field of Environmental Health and Safety. Now the calendar now states that it is October, it is now time to start reminding employees about cold weather awareness, especially if your workers work outside.
When you have workers that are outside during cold temps, they are exposed to different types of hazards including frostbite, hypothermia, and cold stress, all three of these could be fatal, just like the summer heat it is important to educate your workers on signs and symptoms of these diseases. Cold Stress: Cold stress is a condition when your body can no longer maintain its normal temperature. The cold air will draw the heat away from you. The body will shift all heat to your core. leaving the extremities cold. If not treated quickly, frostbite and hypothermia can occur. Frostbite Signs and symptoms:
Hypothermia Signs and Symptoms:
My first job was at Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers exactly 10 years ago on to the day.... Who knew 10 years ago I would land up in the career field that I am today? I couldn't of predicted that I would be in the Environmental Health and Safety Field and absolutely love it. I am a very big people person. 10 Years ago in this picture I would have thought right now I would be an engineer, a meteorologist, or an academic advisor. I would have not thought I would be in the EHS Field (and at the time of this picture, no clue this was an option for a career path).
If you are employed by a company… Don’t compromise your safety ethics that you came into the job with. If something doesn’t feel right internally, speak up. The difference could be between you not speaking up vs. an injury on your plate.
One thing I have learned over the past 4 months of being in a great position with the company I am currently at is... Don't change who YOU are. Don't compromise who you are as a leader in your EHS professional life. When it cones to EHS, you have to be a leader. Not every environment will fit your leadership style, if your current position doesn't fit your true leadership style, find another one where you will flourish.
On a side note, I am going to try to do weekly posts again. Life has gotten busy. Stay safe. |
AuthorMy name is Logan Tsotsoros. I am starting out my safety career. Follow along to see my journey Archives
January 2024
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