Page 15 - Occupational Health & Safety, October 2017

day, but many staffers came in at 7 a.m. (As Safety, explaining the situation was not nearly as effective as the workers’ comp bills for one broken wrist.) I volunteered at one workplace to come in ear- ly and distribute sand to the front and side doorways myself—it saved me more injury paperwork to manage. Management origi- nally did not want to pay the $12 for sand. By the second winter storm, and thousands of dollars from falls, they were more eager to be proactive.
■ Budget. Plan ahead for those employees who require cold weather gear such as gloves, hats, liners, glare protection, coats, etc. Then add extra to it for real crisis situations that may need heavy machinery to place employees on the roof or for clearing parking lots. Make sure you consider well ahead those winter weather safety needs and budget/order them long before needed. It may include food for those extra long shifts, emergency generators, transporta- tion costs, specialty shoes/cleats, or contractors. High-hazard con- fined space or fall protection needs? Look back, then plan ahead.
■ Emergency backup power and fire protection. In extremely cold or severe weather, do you have the extra fire protection need-
ed if water freezes up? Are you ensuring fire watches and walk- throughs are happening and making sure space heaters are not used or used only with approval? Do you have emergency backup power? Has it been tested, and do personnel know how to activate it if it is not automatic (smaller operations). How about dead bat- teries on vehicles and lighting, including flashlights using batter- ies? Do you know what is subject to damage if it freezes? (Think of computer components, monitors, etc. Can you protect them from power surges due to ice-coated power lines?)
■ Don’t add to the situation. Help employees adapt safely in cold weather situations. A great example was a young, enthusiastic safety officer who was advising others to use a “red drinking cup” to distribute ice melt or salt/sand (this was a health care environment) Can you think of a better way than to potentially poison someone thinking it is a drinking cup? In unusual circumstances especially, safety personnel have to slow down and do/say the correct things. We all want the employees to get the job done—safely. That in- cludes protecting the public.
■ Communication. Add in two backups in case of a widespread
WINTER HAZARDS CHECKLIST
o YES oNO o YES oNO o YES oNO
o YES oNO o YES oNO
o YES oNO o YES oNO o YES oNO o YES oNO
o YES oNO o YES oNO
o YES oNO o YES oNO
As part of your general safety program, has your facility been comprehensively evaluated by a trained/knowledgeable safety or emergency management professional for potential cold weather-related hazards from natural or man-made situations that will adversely impact your work site? From the mild to the wild, each workplace has potential.
Has an in-depth evaluation been done of historical events for the area, such as long power outages, ice storms, blizzards, freezing rain, sleet, fire, busted water lines that coat streets with ice, or cause chemical leaks—looking for trends or specific equipment/processes needed to continue operations? What about if there is no heat? Prioritize your plan to fit the need.
Were departmental managers included in the analysis of the hazard potential? Is the documented and updated regularly? Be reasonable; the chances of deep snowdrifts in Florida or Texas are rare, but the chance of a work interrupting event from a wide- reaching ice storm can be high. If you are new to the area, ask longtime residents; they are more than willing to help. Pull your safety committee into the discussions, too, since they work in many different areas. Ask what they did not have last time and make a note of it.
Do you have an established media relations policy and how information will be released in the event of a catastrophic cold situation? Do include the list of approved contacts so that other employees can defer to them. Write up pre-planned press releases ahead of time and have ready to ‘tweak” for the situation. This ensures calm response in an uncertain and stressful time. Was this trend analysis for several years? This includes any seasonal issues or special unique hazards (major chemical transport, high-hazard production nearby, grid overload and brownout due to extremely cold temps, etc.)?
Do your policies reflect the corporate site closing in adverse situations, such as ice storms or blizzard situations or the coldest temperatures ever recorded? Is this related regularly to employees?
Do you have backups of all data on a regular basis? Are backups for power available for emergency operations such as health care? Have they been tested? Really?
Do you have a comprehensive COOP (Continuity of Operations) plan? Is this in print and available in remote locations if needed? Who is in charge of it?
As part of the plan, do you have a list of approved vendors for super-fast replacements to get back into production? Include things such as equipment, additional temporary employees, office furniture/supplies, new temporary locations, computers, etc. Plan for the worst, hope for the best, but be ready.
Was the specific need for emergency equipment documented and provided? Are emergency numbers clearly posted for use? Is anyone double checking?
Is an employee call back plan in place with various methods of contact to keep employees informed? Social media, local news channels, special phone-in for messages, call back trees by department, text and emails, and Facebook pages all help get the message out in a timely manner. Coordinate with your local law enforcement agency, as well, for road closure.
Do you maintain contact with viable resources in your area to keep up to date on emergency management? DOT, large power companies, other utilities have massive impacts on your employees’ being able to work.
Is the entire plan evaluated and updated on a regular basis? Is it documented, and are employees advised of the changes? Nochecklistisasubstituteforacomprehensivesafetyoremergencypreparednessprogram,butitservesasanadditionaltoolin improving compliance.
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