Spring 2018 Issue 4

WISCONSIN

SAFETY VOICE

SAFETY VOICE

wisconsinsafetyvoice.org

n Safety at the Construction Site

n Corporate Safety Award Winners Announced

n Preventing the Number One Cause of Injury

ALSO INSIDE:

Distracted Driving:

The Silent Killer

3wisconsinsafetyvoice.org Spring 2018

Spring 2018 Issue 4

In This Issue...

6 NATIONAL SAFETY COUNCIL Everyone Deserves a Safe Workplace

8 COVER STORY Distracted Driving: The Silent Killer

10 CORPORATE SAFETY AWARDS The Winners

12 OSHA Fall Protection in the Workplace

14 WSC SEEN & HEARD

Page 8

2018 Worker’s CompensationLaw Symposium & Best Practices

September 13The Edgewater1001 Wisconsin PlaceMadison, WI 53703

NEW

• OSHA Regulation Updates• Labor Law Changes

REGISTER ONLINE: www.wisafetycouncil.org

• OSHA’s new requirements• A complete review of coverage under the Wisconsin

Worker’s Compensation Act and Federal FMLA• Analysis of employee benefit eligibility and claim

administration

• Changes to labor laws• Fraud detection and prevention• The relationship of worker’s compensation to other

employment laws such as the ADA, state and federal family and medical leave laws, and other state and federal laws

COURSE HIGHLIGHTS

Distracted Driving:

The Silent Killer

4 5wisconsinsafetyvoice.org Spring 2018Spring 2018 wisconsinsafetyvoice.org

Wisconsin Safety Voice is published quarterly by Wisconsin Safety Council. WSC is Wisconsin’s leading provider of safety training and products in the state, serving members of all sizes and every sector of the economy. WSC is a program of the WMC Foundation.

WSC 501 E. Washington Avenue Madison, WI 53703 tel.: 608.258.3400wsc@wisafetycouncil.org

President/Publisher Kurt R. Bauer

Managing EditorNick Novak

Art Direction/Production Kyle Pankow

Contributing Writers Janet Metzger, Nick Novak, Amy Harper, Chevon Cook, Leslie Ptak

Advertising Sales Nick Novak, nnovak@wmc.org

Follow us:

WISCONSIN

SAFETY VOICE

SAFETY VOICE

@WiSafetyCouncil

WiSafetyCouncil

Wisconsin Safety Council

By Janet MetzgerWSC Executive Director

As many of you know, I have been with Wisconsin Safety Council (WSC) for about six

months now. While it has only been a short time, we have accomplished quite a bit since I became the new Executive Director. One of my favorite things I have been able to do is hit the road and meet all of you.

Our members are the best in the country and I always enjoy meeting with your teams to find out how you are putting safety first—both at work and outside of work.

Unfortunately, I have noticed some-thing as I drive around Wisconsin. Not everyone on the roads is putting safety first. You would not believe—or sadly maybe you would—how many people I see who are texting, posting some-thing on social media or even watching videos while driving!

It is an unfortunate part of living in a connected world that people think it is more important to send a text or like a post than it is stay concentrated on driving at 70 miles per hour. This is dangerous and it needs to stop.

So, could you please do me a favor? Don’t be distracted while you drive. Put the cell phone away and pay attention to the road. The people in your vehicle and the ones around you will thank you.

While I mentioned texting and social media above, I also want to stress that any type of multitasking while driving

is dangerous—even using Bluetooth for a call. You can read more about this on page eight from our in-house safety trainer, Chevon Cook.

Eliminating these distractions is so crucial. At your next safety meeting with employees, ask them how many have texted or talked on the phone while driving. If they are honest, I bet most of them would raise their hands.

That is why we at WSC are here to help. We want you to create a culture of safety where instead of it being sec-ond nature to answer your phone while driving, it is second nature to put away distractions.

If you would like to plan a private distracted driving training course for your employees, let us know. We want Wisconsin to be the safest place to live, work and play—and that includes our roads. n

To schedule a private training at your facility, contact WSC at 608-258-3400.

LETTER FROM THE WSC EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Do Me a Favor

Looking to advertise in WI Safety Voice? Contact Nick Novak at nnovak@wmc.org.

CONVENIENT

FOR STAFF OR OTHERS FROM YOUR COMMUNITY

SAFETYINSPECTIONS

FLEXIBLESCHEDULING

SAVE ON TRAVEL EXPENSES

PROFESSIONALINSTRUCTORS

CUSTOMIZEDTRAINING

PRIVATE CLASSESLet the Wisconsin Safety Council train

your staff at YOUR location!

Contact WSC for more information on private training sessions at 608.258.3400 or wsc@wisafetycouncil.org.

| From the Executive Director

6 7wisconsinsafetyvoice.org Spring 2018Spring 2018 wisconsinsafetyvoice.org

Everyone Deserves a Safe WorkplaceBy Amy Harper, PhDJourney to Safety Excellence & Workplace Strategy Director, National Safety Council

There is no doubt about it, con-struction is a dangerous indus-try. With a total of 5,190 fatal

workplace incidents in 2016, 970 of those killed were construction work-ers, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is the third consecu-tive increase in annual workplace

fatalities and the first time more than 5,000 fatalities have been recorded by the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) since 2008. One growing area of safety concern in construction and beyond is the use of temporary and contract workers.

Contract worker fatalities account-

ed for 17 percent of all workplace fatalities in 2015, and workers were most often contracted by private construction firms, according to the BLS. Contract workers are a vulner-able population often performing higher risk jobs in worksites with little to no management supervision.

Companies using contract employ-ees, therefore, need a comprehen-sive program that manages this area of risk on jobsites.

The Campbell Institute, the center of excellence for environmental health and safety at the National Safety Council, conducted research into how world-class organiza-tions approach around contractor management. The research found five crucial steps of the contractor lifecycle:

1. Prequalification2. Pre-job task and risk assessment3. Training and orientation4. Job monitoring5. Post-job evaluation

A contractor management pro-gram should “qualify” contractors that meet standards set by the hiring organization. A new NSC study shows that contractors subjected to prequalification have better aver-age Total Recordable Rates (TRR), Days Away, Restricted or Transferred (DART) Rates, and Lost Workday Rates (LWR) within individual indus-tries and all industries as a whole.

Organizations using temporary or contract workers are responsible for the safety and health of those work-ers. In 2013, the U.S. Occupational

Safety and Health Administration launched its Temporary Worker Initia-tive (TWI) focused on staffing firm and host employer compliance with safety and health requirements when temporary workers are employed under this joint or dual employment arrangement.

TWI states that whoever is in the best position to ensure the safety and health of temporary workers has the obligation to do so. Below are some key measures host employers should follow to ensure temporary worker safety:

• Prior to contracting with a staff-ing firm:• Provide the staffing firm with

requested safety data and information for your organization –provide information that will allow them to make a determi-nation as to the safety of your worksite.

• Allow the staffing firm physical access to the worksite to enable them to appropriately evaluate the safety of your worksite.

• Prior to temporary workers begin-ning work at your organization’s worksite:• Provide temporary workers a

site-specific orientation that in-cludes emergency procedures, information on reporting injuries, and company safety policies and procedures.

• Provide temporary workers job-specific training includ-ing procedures, equipment, required PPE and information on specific hazards the worker may encounter (chemical exposures, noise, etc.).

• Furnish PPE and train on its

use, maintenance, etc. (if ap-plicable).

• In the event a temporary worker is injured while under supervision by the host employer, the host em-ployer must:• Report injuries involving loss of

an eye, amputation or in-patient hospitalization to OSHA within the required timeframe.

• Record the injury on their OSHA 300 log regardless of what their contract with the staffing firm might say.

• In addition, the host employer should conduct a thorough incident investigation and implement identified corrective actions by either party.

• If possible, the host employer should make every effort to accommodate return to work assignments as it reduces their “days away from work” OSHA metric.

To keep those in the construction industry safe, companies need to foster a culture of safety that involves all workers whether full-time, tempo-rary or contract. Contractor safety management programs help to make clear the responsibilities for worker safety so they are able to return to their loved ones at the end of each and every work day. n

Our nationwide surveys have

told us that more than 70

percent of employers have

felt the impact of

prescription drug use.

| National Safety Council National Safety Council |

8 9wisconsinsafetyvoice.org Spring 2018Spring 2018 wisconsinsafetyvoice.org | Cover Story Cover Story |

By Chevon CookWisconsin Safety Council Safety Manager

In today’s busy world, many of us look for ways to maximize the work-ing hours of our day. We answer

emails while speaking to customers on the phone, and we hold confer-ence calls with coworkers while we hammer out a report for our bosses. Unfortunately many of us conduct business on our cell phones while we are driving. It would be nice to think that every driver understands the risks associated with distracted driving; more often than not this is not the case.

Of course, using your cell phone isn’t the only kind of distracted driving that leads to motor vehicle crashes and collisions. Accord-ing to the National Highway Traf-fic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 3,263 drivers were involved in 3,196 distraction-affected car crashes that led to at least one fatality in 2015. Distracted driving accounted for 7 percent of drivers involved in any kind of fatal car crash incident. 10 percent of the car crash fatalities in 2015—3,477 people—were the result of distracted drivers.

Even more alarming, 442 of the distracted-affected car crashes that led to 476 car crash fatalities

involved the use of cell phones or other cell-phone-related activities. This accounts for 14 percent of the distracted-affected car crashes and 14 percent of the car crash fatali-ties in 2015. In each of these cases, drivers felt it was more important to talk on, listen to, or otherwise utilize their cell phone at the time of the crash, versus practicing safe driving techniques.

I first experienced the controversy around the use of cell phones while driving when I moved to Chicago in 2006 for work. One of the first items

my manager addressed was to make sure I don’t use my cell phone while driving. “Chicago made it illegal” was part of his comment. Over the next few weeks, I observed coworkers

griping about the change, claiming how this has negatively impacted their productivity. Not long after I started, my manager came into the office, boasting about a new Blue-tooth headset for use while driving, performing tasks, walking…basically any activity that required hand use. I had seen them used by others in the past, and it was interesting to see the popularity of the Bluetooth headset spread like wildfire in the office.

There are two sources of concern to address in this situation: multi-tasking while driving, and the theory that talking on a hands-free device while driving is safer than utilizing a handheld device.

Many people believe that multi-tasking allows them to work effi-ciently, and the same holds true for businesses. Take a look through job descriptions on various job search websites. Some will point-blank state that the ability to multi-task is a qualification of the position. Others may be a little more subtle, stat-ing qualifications include “ability to prioritize work” or “ability to handle multiple tasks”. It’s no wonder that the workers of today feel that the art of multi-tasking is a much-needed

Distracted driving accounted

for 7 percent of drivers

involved in any kind of fatal

car crash incident. 10

percent of the car crash

fatalities in 2015—3,477

people—were the result of

distracted drivers.

skill! This belief can lead to unsafe behaviors such as cell phone use while driving.

More and more studies are show-ing that multi-tasking actually leads to employees making more mistakes, retaining less information, and forcing our brain to function in a different capacity. The University of South-ern California’s Applied Psychology program identified some interesting characteristics of multi-tasking in their research on human behavior:

• Multi-tasking forces the left and right sides of the brain to work independently, causing a person to forget details and make three times more mistakes on each task being performed simultaneously

• Multi-tasking leads to a tempo-rary decline in a person’s IQ score

• Multi-tasking is less efficient because it takes extra time to shift mental gears each time a person switches between tasks

• Multi-tasking while doing natural tasks like eating and walking are easy to accomplish, versus complicated tasks like texting while driving

The concerns around the use of a hands-free device to talk on the phone while driving needs to be

addressed as well. According to research conducted by the National Safety Council in 2012, there are additional risks that drivers take on when using a cell phone while driv-ing, even with a hands-free device:

• Drivers experience inattention blindness—or a cognitive distrac-tion—where they “look at” objects, but don’t really “see” objects

• Drivers experience slower re-sponse and reaction times, due to the “shift in mental gears” process that must take place

• Drivers have more difficulty stay-ing in their lane

• Drivers engaging in cell phone conversations bring four times the crash risk while on our roadways

The statistics surrounding cell phone use while driving are quite alarming! Smartphones allow us to be connected at all times, which is just fine in certain situations. The use of cell phones while driving poses serious safety risks whenever a driver decides to utilize their phone for even one second.

Many states have adopted laws surrounding hand-held cell phone use and texting while driving. Zero states currently ban all cell phone use

for all drivers, which would incorpo-rate the use of hands-free devices. Without the warnings around the use of hands-free devices being coupled with the hand-held laws in place, it’s hard to predict when we will start to see a decline in distracted-affected car crashes and fatalities in the United States.

Education and training around the hazards involved with cell phone use while driving is very crucial for all drivers, whether driving for work or personal reasons. This is one of the main reasons why the Wisconsin Safety Council promotes and pro-vides defensive driving courses in both a public and private training format. We want to ensure that drivers are provided with the fundamental defensive driving strategies and skills needed to change risky behind-the-wheel behaviors and attitudes.

So the next time you’re driving and hear an incoming call come in on your phone, think twice about answer-ing. By eliminating the use of your cell phone while driving, you can reduce the risk of being involved in an ac-cident and help keep yourself and others safety on our roadways. n

Aon Risk Solutions

Empower TomorrowFor over 80 years, the Aon Wisconsin team has served our local businesses by empowering their risk, health and retirement goals with the industry’s most comprehensive data, insights and analytics. We are proud to sponsor the 2018 Wisconsin Safety & Health Conference and Expo.

Visit us at booth #1211 or attend one of our sessions:

Ergonomics: Designing to Optimize Human Performance (OHP), presented by Jodi Glunz Aging Workforce – Understanding the Challenges of a Changing Workforce, presented by Bob Prior

To learn more, contact Rob Fleming at 920.431.6288 or robert.j.fleming@aon.com

Distracted Driving:

The Silent Killer

10 11wisconsinsafetyvoice.org Spring 2018Spring 2018 wisconsinsafetyvoice.org | Corporate Safety Award Winners Corporate Safety Award Winners |

Oshkosh Defense, LLC – North Plant Category A4 | Oshkosh oshkoshcorporation.com

The North Plant facility is the oldest facility and original location of Oshkosh Corporation. Since 1917, Oshkosh has been manufacturing heavy trucks for multiple applications. It is with pride and passion that every employee makes warfighters that will bring home our military men and women safe. Team members watch out for each other’s safety, train each other on proper techniques for the job or task and truly look for ways to prevent an injury by taking extra precautions or eliminating hazards where possible. North Plant was able to achieve zero lost time injuries for over 650 days and almost 700,000 work hours from November 2015 to September 2017.

Linetec Category A5 | Wausau linetec.com

Linetec was founded in 1983. It is a single source for electrostatic solvent-based paint, anodize and powder paint finishes in Wausau, employing 572 associates. The company’s #1 core value is Safety. The 3-year industry average OSHA incident rate for businesses in the metal finishing / coating industry is 5.0. Linetec has performed below that mark since 2004. A 1.0 incident rate is considered world class in the safety industry and was achieved in 2010 and 2011. In 2017, Linetec dropped its incident rate to 0.86 thanks to a new behavioral-based safety program, expansion of new hire orientation and over $200,000 invested in lift assist throughout the facility.

NextEra Energy Point Beach Nuclear Plant Category B1 | Two Rivers nexteraenergy.com

Point Beach Nuclear Power Plant is a dual unit 1,200 megawatt nuclear power generating station owned and operated by Nextera Energy Resources, LLC. Point Beach has been recognized by OSHA as a Voluntary Protection Program Star worksite since 2011. Additionally, the plant is rated as a number 1 top-performing facility by the Institute of Nuclear Power Operators and is in top decile in safety performance. The team’s safety motto is: GO-PACKERS! Get Onboard- Peer Actions Can Keep Everyone Really Safe! All employees are empowered to identify and correct unsafe acts, at risk behaviors and maintain a “See Something - Say Something” mentality.

LAKEHEAD PAINTING COMPANY, INC. Category C1 | Superior lakeheadpainting.com

Lakehead Painting Company is a family-owned business founded in 1965. Lakehead is an industrial and commercial painting contractor that employs approximately 25 union and 5 management employees in the construction industry. The majority of Lakehead’s work is performed in the oil and gas industry with a focus on painting, abrasive blasting and fiber glassing of crude oil storage tanks. In 2017, two accomplishments of note are the decrease in Lakehead’s Experience Modification Rating (EMR) – 1.05 in 2010 to .64 currently – and zero recordable injuries for the entire year. The EMR is a very powerful tool to translate safety and health efforts into monetary value.

Bassett Mechanical Category C2 | Kaukauna bassettmechanical.com

Bassett Mechanical provides custom-built mechanical contracting, metals fabricating and maintenance service solutions to customers throughout the United States and the world. Employees are encouraged to continuously search for, report and follow up on any safety improvement opportunities and report any near misses. In 2017, Bassett had 595 safety opportunities reported. Every one of these opportunities was reviewed by a committee, tracked and followed up with, until an acceptable solution was enacted. The company finished the year with a 1.5 TRIR, zero lost time injuries and zero restricted work days. In addition, Bassett haw surpassed 2,800,000 employee hours without a lost time injury.

The Boldt Company Category C3 | Appleton theboldtcompany.com

The Boldt Company has been a leading general contractor and construction firm since its founding in 1889. Headquartered in Appleton, the company consists of five operating group areas that include additional Wisconsin locations in Waukesha, Milwaukee, Madison, Stevens Point and Green Bay, as well as offices in Michigan, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Illinois and California, and approximately 4,000 employees nationwide. Over the last 10 years, Boldt’s lost time incidence rates have been consistently below the national average in the construction industry. In 2017, Boldt accomplished a Lost Time Rate that is the lowest in Boldt’s recorded history. This was the result of the implementation and improvement of several safety systems.

Husky Energy - Superior and Rhinelander Terminals Category D1 |Superior huskyenergy.com

The Husky Wisconsin Terminals, located in Superior and Rhinelander distribute refined oil products from the Husky Superior Oil Refinery to customers in northern Wisconsin and eastern Minnesota. At the Superior Terminal, gasoline, diesel and bunker fuels are loaded onto truck tankers for distribution into the local market. At the Rhinelander Terminal, asphalt is loaded onto truck tankers for asphalt paving in Northeast Wisconsin and Western Michigan markets. The facilities carry out a number of different trainings which set them apart from other safety programs. The Superior and Rhinelander Terminals strive for the enhancement of safety beyond compliance which helps them to exceed industry safety standards.

ITU ABSORBTECH Category D2 | New Berlin ituabsorbtech.com

Family-owned and operated since its founding in 1930, ITU AbsorbTech provides managed services for a full range of launderable products for industry. We operate two large laundry processing facilities in Wisconsin, each with the many inherent hazards associated with the industry. We are proud of the consistency in our safety performance over the past ten years. It is who we are; an important part of our culture. Strategically, we consider safety on par with growth and profitability. In fact, it is the top strategic initiative in our business plan. Our employees across the company know this, and it positively influences their behaviors and thinking.

Colony Brands, Inc. Category D3 |Monroe colonybrands.com

Point Beach Nuclear Power Plant is a dual unit 1,200 megawatt nuclear power generating station owned and operated by NextEra Energy Resources, LLC; a subsidiary of NextEra Energy, Inc. Point Beach has been recognized by OSHA as a Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) Star worksite since 2011. At Point Beach, our value is to live the safety guiding principles every day. The Point Beach management staff demonstrates active leadership, by providing the resources necessary to correct unsafe conditions in the facility that are identified by the workforce.

Nucor Cold Finish Wisconsin Category A1 | Oak Creek nucor.com

Nucor Cold Finish Wisconsin is centered around its 72 teammates and operates in Oak Creek. The organization specializes in the cold drawing of square, flat, hexagon and round bars, that range from half inch bars in diameter to a 6”x6” square, eight feet in length to forty feet. These bars are then sold to manufacturers across the nation to make consumer and industrial goods. In 2007, Nucor started with an IIR rate of 12.8, but ultimately achieved “beyond zero” in 2017. Additionally, the division has worked over 482,000 hours without a Lost Work Day, going back all the way to August 2014.

Gusmer Enterprises, Inc. Category A2 | Waupaca gusmerenterprises.com

Gusmer Enterprises is a wet laid non-wovens mill located in Waupaca. Since its founding, it has grown into an extremely diverse manufacturer producing: spill clean-up materials for hazardous and non-hazardous spills, absorbent carrier products, animal bedding, as well as a wide variety of filtration products. The top corporate motto is; “Safety is key because our employees are our greatest asset.” Since its employees are Gusmer’s greatest asset, the company understands the importance of investing monetarily in safety equipment like LED reverse indicators on fork trucks, lift tables and fall protection systems. In 2017, it had the fewest recordable injuries on record.

Husky Energy - Superior Refinery Category A3 | Superior huskyenergy.com

The Superior Refinery is located in Superior approximately two miles from the shores of Lake Superior. It is the only oil refinery in Wisconsin. The refinery employees 165 employees that safely convert up to 1.9 million gallons of raw crude oil per day into gasoline, diesel fuel, fuel oils, asphalt and liquefied petroleum gases. The company embraces the philosophy that “if it isn’t safe, we don’t do it.” Employees are actively involved in the safety process. Husky’s high degree of employee involvement, emphasis on the safety of processing units and the empowerment of employees is the reason for our high performing safety process.

CONGRATULATIONS TO THIS YEAR'S CORPORATE SAFETY AWARD WINNERS!

12 13wisconsinsafetyvoice.org Spring 2018Spring 2018 wisconsinsafetyvoice.org

hazards at the workplace in a week winds a prize

• visiting a “sister” worksite and conducting an inspection of their fall hazards

• sponsoring a safety poster contest.

The important thing is to do something to increase fall preven-

tion awareness. In fact, the largest single participant in 2015 and 2016 was the United States Air Force, reaching more than 1 million military and civilian personnel, who deal with the challenges of fall protection for mechanics that need to climb F-16 aircraft. One of the smallest was a small contractor with 12 em-ployees in a specialty trade.

This year’s stand down is timely in that the Agency’s new Walking and Working Surfaces1 standard, which is the general industry2 fall protection standard, has been in ef-fect for just one year. This standard revamped entirely the requirements for making walking and working sur-faces safer. (The previous version had not been revised in more than 40 years.) There are requirements for dock boards, service pits, mez-zanines, low-sloped roofs, window-washers, ladders and dozens of other topics. It includes training and inspection requirements, and an entirely new section on personal fall protection systems (1910.140). Analyze the gaps to see where your workplace stands compared to the new requirements.

OSHA has posted free resources on the Stand-Down web page

to provide a menu of options for employers. Resources in English and Spanish include fact sheets, a training guide, posters, videos, wal-let cards, and instructions on how to conduct a Stand-Down.

If a company or organization wants to post a free event that is open to the public (including any members of the press) on the OSHA Stand-Down web page, or would like to invite OSHA to participate in a free public event, each OSHA re-gion has a Stand-Down Coordinator they can contact to get additional information. In Wisconsin, contact your local OSHA office .

Don’t forget to certify your stand-down. As in previous years, em-ployers will be able to download Certificates of Participation and provide feedback on their experi-ences following their Stand-Down. Certificates are the main way OSHA receives feedback on how many employers participate and ideas for improvement, so that OSHA can evaluate the Stand-Down’s success and make changes in the future. Certificates will be available on OSHA’s web page beginning May 2018. n

The 5th annual National Safety Stand-Down week will take place May 7–11, 2018, and

your company is invited to partici-pate. The goal of the Stand-Down week is to raise fall hazard aware-ness and prevent fall fatalities and injuries. Participation is open to all industries, not just construction, and no business is too small to partici-pate. Nearly half of the events re-corded through OSHA’s Stand-Down website in past years were for events with less than 25 employees.

In 2017, eight Wisconsin em-ployees were killed in work-related falls. In that same year, employers reported 562 severe injuries to their local Wisconsin OSHA offices. One of every four of these was due to a fall. These were injuries that were bad enough that the employee had to be formally admitted to the hospital.

Can you guess the leading cause of a severe injury due to a fall in 2017? Well, here is a hint: Employ-ers operating in the Florida Keys or the San Diego coast don’t have this concern. Exactly one of every four falls that resulted in admit-tance to the hospital in Wisconsin was a fall on an icy parking lot or walkway. Yes, fellow Wisconsinites,

as we enjoy our months-long winter season, freeze/thaw cycles, and all those payments to firms that plow, sand and salt our parking lots and walkways, be assured that there is at least one icy spot that was missed. And that is the patch of ice most likely to result in an employee needing surgery to an arm or ankle or experiencing head trauma.

A fall from a ladder ranked as the second most likely cause of a severe fall injury (one of every five cases). The other causes were a motley assortment where employ-ees fell off equipment, such as or-der pickers, scissor lifts, and trucks or vans (15%), fell down stairs (5%), over pallets (4%) or caught their feet in other objects (the rest of the cases).

Can participation in the annual safety stand-down make a differ-ence? When you consider the pain and suffering, as well as the work-ers compensation payments, lost time, business disruption, OSHA investigations, and possible disabil-ity that fall injuries present to your company, the time spent dedicated to a stand-down week can be invaluable. Start with the top two causes. Is your parking lot snow removal as effective as it could be?

Do you use ladders? Do you need to use ladders? Then look to the basics. Do you have a process in place for identifying fall hazards? How are they addressed when brought to the attention of manage-ment?

The Stand-Down week is an invi-tation to employers to communicate the hazards of falls to employees. Done effectively, employees get the message that falls are preventable and that management is concerned for their welfare. It also is an op-portunity to look at what your fall hazards are and how you currently address them. Companies may participate by:

• providing a focused toolbox talk on a fall hazards topic in at your place of work

• taking time to share real-life sto-ries of fall protection successes and lessons learned

• providing longer fall hazard awareness training for your safety committee

• sending stand-down information to employees by email or in newslet-ters

• conducting joint employee and management worksite inspections

• initiating a campaign where the employee who finds the most fall

| OSHA: Fall Protection OSHA: Fall Protection |

Fall Protection in the WorkplaceBy Leslie PtakCompliance Assistance Specialist, US. Department of Labor/OSHA

1 OSHA’s Walking and Working Surfaces rule is Subpart D of 1910 and has been in effect for general industry workplaces since January of 2017.2 General industry is loosely defined as industries other than construction and its standards are in 29 CFR 1910. Construction fall hazards are addressed in 29 CFR 1926 with fall protection, ladder and other standards.

Stop Falls Stand-Down

� Plan a toolbox talk or othersafety activity

� Take a break to talk abouthow to prevent falls

� Provide training for all workers

National Safety STAND-DOWN TO PREVENT FALLS IN CONSTRUCTION

Phot

o: U

.S. D

epar

tmen

t of L

abor

U.S. Department of LaborSafety Pays. Falls Cost.

For more information:

www.osha.gov/StopFallsStandDown#StandDown4Safety • (800) 321-OSHA (6742)

U.S. Department of Labor

OS

HA

377

4-01

201

8

M A Y 7 – 1 1 , 2 0 1 8

Resources• Stand-Down for Fall Protection: https://www.osha.gov/StopFallsStandDown/index.html• Walking-Working Surfaces: https://www.osha.gov/walking-working-surfaces/index.html• Personal Fall Protection Systems: https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_

table=STANDARDS&p_id=1291

OSHA developed this article for informational purposes only. It does not necessarily reflect the official views of OSHA or the U.S. Department of Labor. February 2018.

15wisconsinsafetyvoice.org Spring 2018

Wisconsin Safety Council Executive Director Janet Metzger recognizing Worzalla Publishing of Stevens Point for one million

hours without a lost-time accident.

Tom Jaeger with Performance Roofing Systems receiving his Advanced Safety Certificate at the Wisconsin Safety Council

headquarters in Madison.

MAY 7-10Safety Training Methods (STM)

MAY 17Creating a World Class Safety Culture

MAY 21-22OSHA 30hr General Industry

MAY 30-31OSHA 30hr General Industry

JUNE 19Ergonomics: Managing for Results

JUNE 20Job Safety Analysis

JUNE 21Team Safety

JUNE 25First Aid/CPR/AED

JUNE 26First Aid/CPR/AED Train-the-Trainer

JULY 12Defensive Driver Course

JULY 17Safety Inspections

JULY 18Incident Investigation: Root Cause Analysis

JULY 24-25Supervisors' Safety Development Program

AUGUST 13-16Safety Inspections

SEPTEMBER 13Worker's Compensation Law Symposium

Chapter of

The Wisconsin Safety Council, a division of WMC, is Wisconsin's leading provider of safety training and programming. WSC offers training throughout the year at locations across the state or training at your facility.

2018 SAFETY TRAINING

WISAFETYCOUNCIL.ORG

WERNERELECTRIC.COM 866-4-WERNER

Safety Solutions. Delivered.Personal Protective Equipment• Safety Glasses / Head & Face Protection• Hand Protection / Glove Audits• Hearing Protection / High Visibility• Respiratory Protection / Lockout Tagout

Machine Safety• Safety Mats• Interlock Switches• Light Curtains• Risk Assessments

NFPA70e Electrical Safety Products and Seminars

Vendor Managed Inventory

| WSC Seen & Heard14 Spring 2018 wisconsinsafetyvoice.org

All training sessions are located at WSC's Madison location.

Chevon Cook, Safety Manager at Wisconsin Safety Council, leading a confined space train-the-trainer program for WSC members.

Wisconsin Safety Council staff and conference planning committee members meeting in Madison in advance of the 76th annual Safety & Health Conference and Expo.

WSC SEEN & HEARD

ARE YOU A MEMBER?

Member Benefits:Annual Conference w/ 200+ exhibitors and 60+ training sessions

Over 100 safety programs throughout the year at a discounted rate

Custom on-site trainings for your team

Access to safety products like defibrillators and more at discounted prices

Automatic membership in the National Safety Council

Contact WSC today to find out how you can become a member:608.258.3400

wsc@wisafetycouncil.org