Safety News & Notes, Jul 2004

Vol 5., No. 7, July 2004

Contents

Thoughts & Quotes
Florida State & County Agricultural Response Teams Trainings
Lightning Rods & Structural Lightning Safety
Ladder Safety Reminders
Aquaculture Safety: On-Line Materials for Producers
Example of Need for Producers to Have a Biosecurity Plan
Homeland Security Information on EDEN
NIOSH DVD on Workplace Violence
Homeland Security Alerts on NOAA Weather Radio
Back to School Safety -- Backpacks, Buses, & Biking
About Safety News & Notes

THOUGHTS & QUOTES

".....merely by giving following drivers better information,

not by requiring that they somehow be reformed."

The above quote was from Dr. William Haddon (1979) when he and his colleagues studied the effect that placing a brake light in the middle of the rear windshield of cars had on reducing rear-end collisions. They found that rear-end collisions were reduced by more than half and the average repair cost in the case of collisions that did occur was reduced by more than a third.

This light has become known as the Dole Light since its use was mandated by then (1983-1988) Transportation Secretary Elizabeth Dole.

This quote keeps coming back to me when thinking about safety. Another example of 'providing better information' is the dotted white lines when there are multiple left turn lanes. These guide motorists to stay in their lane as they are making the turn and helps to keep '2 particles of matter from attempting to occupy the same place at the same time!'

When thinking about improving safety at work or at home, think in terms of measures that can be taken to provide people with better information. For example, turn signals are a means for letting others know your intentions. Also, for machine operators and ground crews, standard hand signals allow clear communication. (You can find these signals in Safer Tractor Operations for Agricultural Employers.)

Trivia Question: What group of drivers was studied? [Answer]

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Florida State & County Agricultural Response Teams Trainings

The Florida State Agricultural Response Team (SART) is an interagency, coordinated effort dedicated to effectively communicating and planning for agriculturally-related emergencies and disasters that will occur within the State of Florida. The team's mission is to develop and implement procedures and train participants to facilitate a safe, environmentally sound and efficient response to agricultural emergencies on the county, district and state levels. The Florida State Agricultural Response Team (SART) is an interagency, coordinated effort dedicated to effectively communicating and planning for agriculturally-related emergencies and disasters that will occur within the State of Florida. The team's mission is to develop and implement procedures and train participants to facilitate a safe, environmentally sound and efficient response to agricultural emergencies on the county, district and state levels.

Trainings are being held in August and September in three locations. See http://www.flsart.org for information and details. Trainings are free, but you must register.

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Lightning Rods & Structural Lightning Safety

An agent recently had an inquiry as to the installation of lightning rods. The National Lightning Safety Institute (NLSI) addresses this question at:

<http://www.lightningsafety.com/nlsi_lhm/InstallRods.html>.

The article discusses the difference in today's structures and the avenues that lightning may cause damage to a residence. It also informs people to have vendors claims checked out by an independent third party source.

Other useful information on Structural Lightning Safety from NLSI can be found at:

<http://www.lightningsafety.com/nlsi_lhm.html>.

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Ladder Safety Reminders

Two ladder-related incidences with faculty members in our department lead me to issue some ladder use safety reminders. One of the injuries involved an over-night hospital stay.

One occurred while accessing the attic in the garage while the other was sawing a tree limb.

A ladder safety checklist:

http://www.cdc.gov/nasd/docs/d001501-d001600/d001509/12.html

Portable ladder safety:

http://www.cdc.gov/nasd/docs/d000801-d000900/d000877/d000877.pdf

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Aquaculture Safety: On-line Materials for Producers

"Safety for Fish Farm Workers" -- a video in English and Spanish can be viewed on NASD at:

http://www.cdc.gov/nasd/videos/v001401-v001500/v001433.html

This video, produced by Catfish Farmers of America and the Arkansas State University, covers hazards posed by many kinds of equipment and environments encountered by fish farm workers, including tractors, PTO shafts, electrical hazards, night operations, seine reels, boom trucks, handling boats, handling catfish, batteries, cooling systems, and hydraulics.

"Spawn, Spat, and Sprains" is a production of Alaska Sea Grant College Program. ** It is the only book on the market that describes the dangers faced by shellfish farmers and salmon hatchery workers at the aquaculture worksite, and tells how to reduce the chance of injury. Marine safety experts wrote the manual in response to numerous requests from the industry. Chapters include physical and chemical hazards, proper lifting techniques, airplane and boat safety, basic first aid, electrical hazards, fire fighting, cold water survival, and coping with bears.

Although written for Alaskan aquaculture, many of the problems addressed are the same regardless of type of fish or area of the country.

The complete book can be downloaded from:

http://www.uaf.edu/seagrant/Pubs_Videos/pubs/AN-17.pdf

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** Sea Grant is a university-based program that is part of a national network of Sea Grant programs in all the coastal and Great Lakes states. These programs fund marine research, provide advisory services, and distribute information about seas and coasts.

Sea Grant provides funding to scientific researchers and graduate students. Sea Grant advisory service is for fishermen, boat operators, tour guides, the seafood industry, and pretty much anyone else who makes a living from or enjoys U.S. waters. Sea Grant programs produce and distribute a variety of publications for the general public, K-12 educators, fishermen, and others.

Sea grant scientists, marine advisory agents, resource specialists, and communicators are dedicated to understanding how our marine ecosystem works, finding ways to benefit from and maintain the bounty of our beautiful seas and coasts, and passing that knowledge on to the general public.

Florida Sea Grant

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Example of Need for Producers to Have a Biosecurity Plan

A recent example (see press release below) reminds us of the necessity for producers to be aware of the need to develop and implement a comprehensive farm/ranch biosecurity plan that includes a current inventory of all hazardous materials. If the farmer in this case had that inventory - he and the regulatory agencies would have known immediately what materials were there and where they were located.

This also re-enforces the need for producers to have all chemicals stored in a properly constructed, marked, located.... hazardous material storage cabinet, room or building.

News article posted Tuesday, June 29, 2004.

Poisoning of Cows Accidental

SEATTLE - Improper storage rather than sabotage or ecoterrorism caused a toxic compound to sicken and kill several dairy cows near Seattle, investigators say. "Our investigation has determined there was no crime involved," FBI agent Roberta A. Burroughs said Sunday. "It looks like there was some material that was stored in the barn, corroded through (its container) and probably dripped down on the cows."

With that determination, the Joint Terrorism Task Force of local, state and federal agencies was set to close the case on the poisoning of cows at the dairy farm of John Koopman near Enumclaw, about 35 miles southeast of Seattle, she said.

Koopman, who previously told reporters he knew of no chemicals on his property that might have caused the poisoning, said Sunday that the situation was overly dramatized in news reports.

"It's been real traumatic. My life has just been turned upside down," he said. "The media blew this thing up. The feds were just doing their job."

Koopman said he discovered a reddish-black substance that was causing blisters and burns on the backs of 10 cows while milking on June 6.

Last week, Food and Drug Administration scientists found the substance was "a strong oxidizing chromium compound" and determined that milk from Koopman's cows was free from risk to the public.

-- The Associated Press

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Homeland Security Information on EDEN

Homeland Security information, including resources for educators is available at:

http://www.agctr.lsu.edu/eden/

Check this site periodically for updates with the most current information.

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NIOSH DVD on Workplace Violence

New DVD on Workplace Violence Offers Resources, Recommendations for Safety Measures on the Job

There have been instances of workplace violence in agribusiness in Florida and in other states. A new training and educational DVD from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) provides employers, employees, safety professionals, and others with recommendations and resources for preventing work-related homicides and assaults.

Violence on the Job discusses practical measures for identifying risk factors for violence at work, and taking strategic action to keep employees safe. It is based on extensive NIOSH research, supplemented with information from other authoritative sources.

Homicide in the workplace is the third leading cause of job-related fatalities, and the second leading cause of job-related fatalities for women. Each week in the U.S., 17 employees on average are murdered at work, and 33,000 on average are assaulted. Factors that place workers at risk for violence in the workplace include interacting with the public, exchanging money, delivering services or goods, working late at night or during early morning hours, working alone, guarding valuables or property, and dealing with violent people or volatile situations.

"The DVD format offers exciting new capabilities as an engaging, interactive, and effective tool for safety and health education in the workplace," said NIOSH Director John Howard, M.D. "We are confident that this new DVD will help meet an ongoing demand by businesses and employees for information they can use to keep their workplaces safe from acts of violence."

Included in the new DVD are:

A 21-minute training and education program designed to engage a wide variety of workplace audiences.
A bonus video on a program in New York State for preventing workplace violence in state drug treatment facilities. The case study includes discussions by a labor representative and a management representative who were instrumental in developing and implementing the program.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) guidelines for preventing workplace violence in health care workplaces, late-night retail settings, and taxicab services.
Access to additional materials and resources on preventing workplace violence.

Violence on the Job, DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 2004-100d, can be downloaded or viewed as streaming video at:

http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/video/violence.html

Copies can be ordered at no charge from the toll-free NIOSH information number, 1-800-35-NIOSH. For additional information about NIOSH recommendations for preventing workplace violence, visit the NIOSH Web page:

http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/injury/traumaviolence.html

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Homeland Security Alerts on NOAA Weather Radio

The National Weather Service and US Dept. of Homeland Security have
signed an agreement to provide Homeland Security alerts on NOAA weather radio.
Read more at: <http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/display?content=3724>.