Safety Tips: Here Are Five Weeks of Daily Ideas

Reprinted from the Sept./Oct. 2014 GRAIN JOURNAL

So, you want to keep safety in front of your employees, but you don’t have a lot of time to communicate with your employees. Just one activity per day can have an impact. Here is a list of one idea per day over five work weeks, plus a few bonus ideas.

Week One

Monday: Inspect the tools you use. If you are picking something up from a scoop shovel, to a flashlight, to your hardhat or safety glasses, give them a once over to make sure that there are no defects or damage to whatever you are about to use.

Tuesday: Think your work through. Even if you have done today’s job a hundred times, plan your work, and communicate what you are working on and where you are working, especially if it involves a lockout/tagout.

Wednesday: Make sure that you have your lockout lock or tag with you, so that you won’t be tempted to “just this once” turn something off that should be locked out or tagged out.

Thursday: Come prepared to work. Get a good night’s rest, so that you are alert while you are working.

Friday: Have proper personal protective equipment. Is you hardhat older than your school age kids? It is time to replace it. Make sure that your respirator fits and is appropriate for the job you are doing today.

Week Two

Monday: Don’t jog the leg. It is against OSHA rules, and it is downright dangerous.

Tuesday: Report items that need maintenance. If you see a belt out of alignment or hear a bucket banging, make a note of it, so it gets repaired or adjusted.

Wednesday: Look for broken conduit. Look up or down at the conduit to make sure that there are no breaks, elbow covers missing, or other damage. Then report any problem.

Thursday: Watch how you lift heavier loads. You know to bend your knees and keep your back straight. Monitor yourself, to make sure that you are lifting to save your back.

Friday: Look for signs of overgreasing or undergreasing. You shouldn’t have piles of gunk under the zerks or bearings. Look to see if there has been the proper amount of grease used. Is the schedule for greasing and lubrication current?

Week Three

Monday: Look at the magnahelic gauges on your dust collection systems. Is the pressure drop within the acceptable range?

Tuesday: Look in the out-of-the-way places for accumulation of grain dust.

Wednesday: Electrical rooms should have all doors to the electrical boxes closed. Electrical rooms are not broom closets; there shouldn’t be anything stored in them.

Thursday: Inspect ladders, both portable and fixed, to make sure that they are not damaged. You know, all the rungs in good shape, not deformed or missing.

Friday: How are the guard rails in your plant? Make sure that they are securely anchored and undamaged.

Week Four

Monday: Report near misses to prevent accidents in the future. Near misses predict future problems.

Tuesday: If you are using a rope for anything, inspect it first, and make sure that it is stout enough for your use.Take it down, when you are finished with it.

Wednesday: Look at your shoes. Are they “talking” to you? Are the soles racing slicks? Don’t trip over your own feet!

Thursday: Don’t reuse containers. Chemical containers must be labeled, so that everyone knows what is in the container. Make sure that what is in the container is what is on the label.

Friday: Where are your fire extinguishers? Are they in the right place? When were they inspected? Are they appropriate for the area?

Week Five

Monday: Know where the required permit forms are kept. Lockout/tagout, hot work, and confined space permits are important. Know where the forms are kept and how to use them.

Tuesday: Ask if you don’t know. If you have questions about a job assignment, ask for more information. Don’t risk getting hurt, because you didn’t understand the work procedure.

Wednesday: Report accidents as soon as possible after they happen. They are easier to investigate, easier to treat – especially first aid cases, and you may prevent someone else from being hurt.

Thursday: Wear your seatbelt! Make sure that you get home alive.

Friday: Only trained drivers should be using a forktruck. The same goes for front end loaders, trucks, and switch engines.

Bonus Ideas:

1. Use a blue light, blue flag, or derailer, if you will be working on rail tracks. These have saved many lives.

2. If you use welding gases, make sure to store the cylinders properly. Full cylinders need to be separate from empty ones, and you have to keep oxygen separate from acetylene. Be sure to secure the cylinders. They shouldn’t be in the elevator.

3. If you have construction at your work, don’t be a gawker. Be aware of your surroundings, keep an eye out for equipment such as cranes, and keep a safe distance from them.

4. Please, no horseplay at work. A prank can get out of hand and result in an injury.

Prepared by Lynn Larsen, retired president of Safety Solutions Inc.