SafetyXChange

A Crossword Puzzle for Workers

Barbara Manning Grimm — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 18:42:16 +0000

Puzzled by Emergency Preparedness? Looking for a fun way to increase your workers' safety awareness? Test how much they know about emergency preparedness with this safety puzzle. For more puzzles like this, go to www.safetysmartonline.com and click on the "Puzzles and Games" in the Training Tools Section. If you're a subscriber to Safety Smart! Online, you'll get [...]

How to Treat Water in an Emergency

Catherine Jones — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 17:22:21 +0000

We know the importance of packing an emergency kit. Ideally, these kits should include between half a gallon and a gallon (2-4 liters) of clean water per person per day for three days. But what do you do if disaster strikes and you find you haven't stored ample water? You purify other sources of water. [...]

Staying Safe During a Power Outage

Barbara Manning Grimm — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 15:00:00 +0000

We're in peak hurricane season and one of the problems faced by people in the path of such storms is the loss of electricity. Many businesses and homes have back-up generators at the ready, not just for hurricane season but year-round. But these machines are not without their hazards. So here's a Safety Talk to [...]

10 Hazards to Watch For

Cailey Bennett — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 20:19:45 +0000

A hurricane's dangers don't subside with its winds. After the storm, emergency crews put themselves in harm's way to help others. These emergency crews include law enforcement, emergency medical assistance, debris clearing workers, power line repairers and others doing restoration work. This is dangerous work. According to OSHA, these are just some of the hazards faced [...]

Hurricane Preparedness is in Your Hands

Cailey Bennett — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 19:00:00 +0000

Hurricanes can cause substantial property damage, not to mention the injuries and loss of life that accompany the huge storms. This devastation can be caused by high winds, tornadoes, storms surges and inland flooding. There are many steps that you and your workers can take to reduce the effects of a hurricane, both at home [...]

Pet Peeves & ‘Common Sense’

A SafetyXChange Member — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 20:58:30 +0000

"Last Thursday's article on pet peeves [by Dave Gouthro] refers to 'simple common sense.' Well, I also have a pet peeve of my own: the term 'common sense.' Boy, do I dislike it. In a past situation, I was involved with improving Accident Investigation at a workplace. In reviewing existing investigations, [...]

The Day My New Boss Docked Me

A SafetyXChange Member — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 20:56:07 +0000

TRAINING BLOOPERS True stories from safety trainers who wish they weren't. The Day My New Boss Docked Me On the first day on my first safety job my boss walked me out onto a rather large pier on San Diego Harbor, when one of the deck boards (rotten) broke and I severely twisted my [...]

On a Wing and a Prayer

Catherine Jones — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 08:02:00 +0000

We all need some laughter in our day. Here’s a joke you can trot out at your next training session. A photographer from a national magazine was assigned to cover the fires at a national park. The magazine wanted to show some of the heroic work of the firefighters as they battled the blaze. When the photographer [...]

Helping Supervisors Win at Monkey in the Middle

Richard Hawk — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 08:00:00 +0000

As a kid, did you ever play "Monkey in the Middle?" Maybe you called it "Dodge Ball" or "Prison Ball." The game involves one or more players stuck between two lines of ball-throwing opponents. Once a player is hit, he or she is "out." The winner is the last one standing. [...]

Manual Labor

A SafetyXChange Member — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 17:04:49 +0000

Here's a training blooper submitted by a SafetyXChange member who asked to remain anonymous to avoid embarrassing his colleague. A safety engineer on our staff reported an occupational back injury that resulted in time off from work. Another safety engineer investigated the injury and found that the accident had been caused by lifting a box [...]