For Their International Board of Environmental Health &

Safety

Safety Instilling Professionalism

Death by Cell Phone

Apr May - Jun 2017 Volume 15, Issue 2 Show Me the Science - Why Wash Your
Hands?
Seven Common Accident Causes

Death by Cell Phone

Safety Toolbox Topics

Cell phones can be a great convenience and a great tool . . . however their use at inappropriate times and
inappropriate places can certainly be risky.

In British Columbia Canada a new road was being preloaded with sand and gravel. An engineer walked
across a dump truck staging area next to the road while talking on his cell phone. A spotter was using
hand signals to direct a loaded dump truck backwards along the staging area. The truck driver was
maintaining visual contact with the spotter in his side-view mirror. The dump truck's backup alarm was
working normally. Two or three similar backup alarms were also sounding from other nearby mobile
equipment.

The spotter turned away from the dump truck for about 10 seconds to check for other vehicles. He
continued to motion the dump truck to reverse, without maintaining visual contact with it. During this 10-
second interval, the engineer stepped onto the staging area between the spotter and the reversing dump
truck. Still talking on the cell phone, he stopped directly behind the reversing vehicle with his back to it.
The driver could not see the engineer and continued to reverse as directed by the spotter. The spotter did
not see the engineer.

The engineer was unaware that the dump truck was approaching. One of the dump truck's rear tires
snagged the back of the engineer's leg, pulling him under the truck. He died from his injuries.
This is one of the reasons we don't allow cell phone use out in the production areas when working on the
equipment. It only takes a second or two for distractions to take a fatal turn.

The National Safety Council has gotten behind a complete ban on all cell phone use while driving.
Cleveland, Ohio recently banned texting while driving with fines up to $500 for third-time offenders.

Luck runs out but safety is good for life. ~Author Unknown

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IBOEHS
 Show Me the Science - Why Wash Your Hands?
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

How germs get onto hands and make people sick

Feces (poop) from people or animals is an important source of germs like Salmonella, E. coli O157, and
norovirus that cause diarrhea, and it can spread some respiratory infections like adenovirus and hand-
foot-mouth disease. These kinds of germs can get onto hands after people use the toilet or change a
diaper, but also in less obvious ways, like after handling raw meats that have invisible amounts of
animal poop on them. A single gram of human feceswhich is about the weight of a paper clipcan
contain one trillion germs. Germs can also get onto hands if people touch any object that has germs on
it because someone coughed or sneezed on it or was touched by some other contaminated object. When
these germs get onto hands and are not washed off, they can be passed from person to person and make
people sick.

Washing hands prevents illnesses and spread of infections to others

Handwashing with soap removes germs from hands. This helps prevent infections because:
People frequently touch their eyes, nose, and mouth without even realizing it. Germs can get
into the body through the eyes, nose and mouth and make us sick.
Germs from unwashed hands can get into foods and drinks while people prepare or consume
them. Germs can multiply in some types of foods or drinks, under certain conditions, and make
people sick.
Germs from unwashed hands can be transferred to other objects, like handrails, table tops, or
toys, and then transferred to another persons hands.
Removing germs through handwashing therefore helps prevent diarrhea and respiratory
infections and may even help prevent skin and eye infections.

Teaching people about handwashing helps them and their communities stay healthy. Handwashing
education in the community:
Reduces the number of people who get sick with diarrhea by 31%
Reduces diarrheal illness in people with weakened immune systems by 58%
Reduces respiratory illnesses, like colds, in the general population by 16-21%

Not washing hands harms children around the world

About 1.8 million children under the age of 5 die each year from diarrheal diseases and pneumonia, the
top two killers of young children around the world.
Handwashing with soap could protect about 1 out of every 3 young children who get sick with
diarrhea and almost 1 out of 5 young children with respiratory infections like pneumonia.
Although people around the world clean their hands with water, very few use soap to wash their
hands. Washing hands with soap removes germs much more effectively.
Handwashing education and access to soap in schools can help improve attendance
Good handwashing early in life may help improve child development in some settings

Handwashing helps battle the rise in antibiotic resistance

Preventing sickness reduces the amount of antibiotics people use and the likelihood that antibiotic
resistance will develop. Handwashing can prevent about 30% of diarrhea-related sicknesses and about
20% of respiratory infections (e.g., colds). Antibiotics often are prescribed unnecessarily for these
health issues. Reducing the number of these infections by washing hands frequently helps prevent the
overuse of antibioticsthe single most important factor leading to antibiotic resistance around the
 world. Handwashing can also prevent people from getting sick with germs that are already resistant to
antibiotics and that can be difficult to treat.
Seven Common Accident Causes
Safety Toolbox Talks

Consider this statistic: 80 out of every 100 accidents are the fault of the person involved in the incident.
Unsafe acts cause four times as many accidents and injuries as unsafe conditions.

Accidents occur for many reasons. In most industries people tend to look for "things" to blame when an
accident happens, because it's easier than looking for "root causes," such as those listed below. Consider
the underlying accident causes described. Have you been guilty of any of these attitudes or behaviors? If
so, you may have not been injuredbut next time you may not be so lucky.

1. Taking Shortcuts: Every day we make decisions we hope will make the job faster and more
efficient. But do time savers ever risk your own safety, or that of other crew members? Short cuts
that reduce your safety on the job are not shortcuts but an increased chance for injury.

2. Being Over-Confident: Confidence is a good thing. Overconfidence is too much of a good thing.
"It'll never happen to me" is an attitude that can lead to improper procedures, tools, or methods in
your work. Any of these can lead to an injury.

3. Starting a Task with Incomplete Instructions: To do the job safely and right the first time you need
complete information. Have you ever seen a worker sent to do a job, having been given only a
part of the job's instructions? Don't be shy about asking for explanations about work procedures
and safety precautions. It isn't dumb to ask questions; it's dumb not to.

4. Poor Housekeeping: When clients, managers or safety professionals walk through your work site,
housekeeping is an accurate indicator of everyone's attitude about quality, production and safety.
Poor housekeeping creates hazards of all types. A well maintained area sets a standard for others
to follow. Good housekeeping involves both pride and safety.

5. Ignoring Safety Procedures: Purposely failing to observe safety procedures can endanger you and
your co-workers. You are being paid to follow the company safety policies-not to make your own
rules. Being "casual" about safety can lead to a casualty!

6. Mental Distractions from Work: Having a bad day at home and worrying about it at work is a
hazardous combination. Dropping your 'mental' guard can pull your focus away from safe work
procedures. You can also be distracted when you're busy working and a friend comes by to talk
while you are trying to work. Don't become a statistic because you took your eyes off the
machine "just for a minute."

7. Failure to Pre-Plan the Work: There is a lot of talk today about Job Hazard Analysis. JHA's are an
effective way to figure out the smartest ways to work safely and effectively. Being hasty in
starting a task, or not thinking through the process can put you in harms way. Instead, Plan Your
Work and then Work Your Plan.

"It is better to be careful 100 times than to get killed once." Mark Twain
IBOEHS
IBOEHS is teaming with American Certification Services Global Programs in the offering of ISO
9001:2015 Quality Management Certification

OSHA
Reminder do not remove the OSHA 300A yet, it must remain posted through the month of April.

EPA
President Trump directs EPA to review and revise Clean Power Plan

EPA and DOT to reexamine automobile and light truck emission standards for 2022-2025 models.

CDC
Accounting for 1 in every 4 deaths, heart disease is the leading cause of death for women in the United
States. CDC is encouraging each state to initiate the WISEWOMAN (Well-Integrated Screening and
Evaluation for WOMen Across the Nation) program was created to help women understand and reduce
their risk for heart disease and stroke by providing services to promote lasting heart-healthy lifestyles.
Working with low-income, uninsured and underinsured women aged 40 to 64 years, the program
provides heart disease and stroke risk factor screenings and services that promote healthy behaviors.
The WISEWOMAN program currently consists of 21 programs in 19 states and 2 tribal organizations,
and is administered through CDCs Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention (DHDSP).

I.B.OE.H.S.
Apr May Jun 2017 Vol. 15, Issue 2

1818 W Washington * OFallon, IL 62269 USA

(618) 698-4832 * www.IBOEHS.org