AEM Pictorial Database On-line

The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) has completed phase one of a database of “industry recognized” pictorial illustrations for voluntary use in the design of equipment safety signs, manuals and other training materials. AEM developed this database to promote greater consistency and clarity among pictorial images so they are more recognizable by industry workers, thus enhancing safety. The pictorials are offered free of charge to anyone, saving manufacturers and others the time and cost of developing their own graphics.

Safety Certificate On-line (SAFE-T-KAP)

Need a certificate to recognize employees, safety trainers, or safety program attendees? Florida AgSafe has one all ready for you to use. We call it the SAFE-T-KAP Award for recognizing someone for special efforts in promoting “Safe Actions For Everyone Thru Knowledge, Awareness, and Practice.”

Tailgate Training Materials

The Labor Occupational Health Program of the University of California at Berkeley has made available several tailgate trainings. Although designed for construction safety, many of the same items or issues are applicable to agriculture. Topics include such items as: lifting; portable power tools; hand vibrations; fall protection; ladders; and electrical safety. Tailgate trainings and case studies are in English and Spanish.

Chemical Safety Activities for Children

Sharon Pahlman, 4-H Agent with Maryland Extension, has developed several activities for teaching children about household and farm chemical safety. The activities and instructions and suggestions are at: http://extension.umd.edu/local/Caroline/. Click on Chemical Safety Information.

Every activity is presented to help children learn about the hazards associated with the misuse of household and farm chemicals. Teens and adults will find the resources useful and easy to adapt to working with children in 4-H programs, scouts and many other opportunities.

Included are a board game, bingo, concentration game, pre-post tests, and evaluations.

Farm Safety Day Camp Applications

The Progressive Agriculture Foundation Farm Safety Day Camp program trains and provides the resources that local communities need to conduct one-day safety programs for children. The programs are age-appropriate, hands-on, fun, and safe! While the basic program reaches children ages 8 to 13, safety days may also be conducted for 4- to 7-year-olds or even entire families. Applications for a camp in 2008 are due in July of 2007. It is not too early to begin planning in order to get community partners together to support a camp.

Risk Management Training Materials

The Nonprofit Risk Management Center is a source for tools, advice and training to control risks...so you can focus on your nonprofit's mission.

Included is a safety program for keeping employees and volunteers safe. There are also training materials to learn more about developing business continuity plans.

OSHA's Top Ten Safety Violations for 2006

OSHA's top 10 most violated standards for fiscal year 2006 are listed below. Each one is followed by the number of the applicable OSHA standard,and each one is linked to a quickcard or other OSHA resource document.

1. Scaffolding--General Requirements (1926.451)

2. Duty to Have Fall Protection (1926.501)

3. Hazard Communication (1910.1200)

4. Respiratory Protection (1910.134)

5. Lockout/Tagout (1910.147)

6. Powered Industrial Trucks (1910.178)

7. Electrical--Wiring Methods, Components, and Equipment for General Use (1910.305)

8. Machine Guarding--General Requirements (1910.212)

9. Ladders (1926.1053)

10. Electrical--General Requirements (1910.303)

OSHA Standards can be accessed at www.osha.gov. For a complete listing of OSHA’s Quickcards see: http://www.osha.gov/OshDoc/quickcards.html. Most are in Spanish also.

NIOSH Fatal Occupational Injury Cost Fact Sheets

A new series of fact sheets on the NIOSH Traumatic Occupational Injury Web page estimates the cost to society of a workplace fatality using the cost-of-illness approach. This approach combines the direct and indirect costs to produce an overall cost of an occupational fatal injury. Fact sheets are available for ten industry groupings, including agriculture, forestry and fishing; mining; construction; services; manufacturing; transportation, communications, electric, gas and sanitary services; wholesale trade; retail trade; finance, insurance, and real estate; and public administration.

Special Issue of American Journal of Industrial Medicine Focuses on Effects of Long Work Hours

The November issue of the American Journal of Industrial Medicine features a special section on various aspects of research on long work hours, health, and safety. This collection of articles is a response to the "2004 Long Work Hour Conference," sponsored by NIOSH and the University of Maryland School of Nursing.

Cool Weather and Holiday Safety Reminders

(Reminders from past issues of SN&N – Why do we repeat them? Because the same things seem to happen each holiday season!)

Seasonal Electrical Safety Reminders from Electrical Safety Foundation international (ESFI)

A few reminders are in order now that people are using electrical heat tape, space heaters, fireplaces, oil heaters, wood burning stoves and furnaces:

• Home Heating Safety from the Red Cross
• Home Fire Safety Checklist -- Includes checklists for supplemental heating sources. Also add this tip to the list of recommendations: Never use charcoal grills indoors as a source of heat!
• Wood-Fueled Home Heating Systems - Which is Best?
• Safe Home Use of Firewood
• Chain Saw Safety (publication; PowerPoint)

Many manufactured homes burn as the result of improperly installed heat tape.

• Recommendations for safe use of heat tapes to prevent fires
• How to Install Heat Tape for Manufactured Housing, by My Great Home (an on-line resource for manufactured and modular home owners)

Tips for Use of CO Detectors

1. Carbon monoxide detectors do NOT function as smoke detectors.

2. Smoke detectors do NOT work as carbon monoxide detectors.

3. Select detector(s) listed by a qualified, independent testing laboratory.

4. Follow manufacturer's recommendations for placement in your home.

5. Treat all activations as real, and get the activation checked out by a professional.

6. Evacuate everyone from your home immediately, leaving the door open for ventilation on your way out.

7. Notify the fire service from a neighbor's home.

8. Test CO detectors at least once a month, following the manufacturer's instructions.

9. Replace CO detectors and batteries according to the manufacturer's instructions. The U.S. Fire Administration has many publications that can be ordered free of charge.

10. Carbon-monoxide detectors signal the presence of an invisible, odorless and tasteless gas that kills some 500 Americans a year.

Turkey Fryers

With the holidays coming up, many people may be planning to cook a turkey by using a turkey fryer. Turkey fryers need to be used under strict supervision and with extreme caution. They pose the dangers of fire, tipping over and spilling hot oil (which could seriously burn any person or pet nearby), as well as causing burns by coming into contact with their hot metal surface.

• Safety measures for using turkey fryers are available at the Underwriters Laboratories, Inc. (UL) site. Included is a video segment showing the hazards, including how quickly a fire can start. A segment at the end of the video includes soundbites in Spanish.

There are no standards for turkey fryers, and UL has not approved any models. Note that various components may be UL approved, which may be misleading in that it makes people think the entire unit is UL approved. See Consumer Reports -- in the search block, type ‘turkey fryers’.

Reminder for Fire Safety during the Holidays

• U.S. Fire Administration's Holiday Fire Prevention page
• U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission's Fireworks Safety Publications (English and Spanish)

Additional Fire Prevention Tips

• Countertop appliances can be surprisingly hazardous. If cords are allowed to hang or tangle, blenders, toasters and such can be inadvertently pulled off the counter and, in the case of deep-fat fryers, cause serious injury.
• Irons not only cause fires, they cause injuries. "Irons are a heavy appliance and most household incidents occur when they fall on people, children more often than not," says John Drengenberg of Underwriters Laboratories. "They should be unplugged and put away when not in use."
• Space heaters cause roughly 10 percent of residential fires. "Give space heaters space," says Capt. Ronel Brown, spokesman for Louisville (Ky.) Fire and Rescue. "Make sure you place them at least 3 feet away from anything that can burn -- and never use them to dry damp clothes or anything else." Because they use liquid fuel, kerosene space heaters can be especially dangerous. Never refuel a kerosene heater indoors or while it's hot.
• Candles are increasingly popular, and candle-related fires have increased accordingly. Place candles at least 3 feet away from anything flammable -- and well out of reach of pets and children. Never leave them unattended.
• Fireplaces should be checked by a professional for cracks in the chimney flue and excessive buildup of creosote, a combustible waste product of wood fires. Never use paper or unseasoned wood in a fireplace.
• Clothes dryers cause more fires than any other appliance or power tool, resulting in 10 deaths and $84 million in property damage in an average year. The main problem: Lint buildup in the exhaust hose causes the dryer to overheat. Clean the lint trap after every load. Vacuum out the exhaust hose once a year. If your hose is made of ribbed vinyl, replace it with aluminum pipe that won't kink or catch fire.
• Smoke alarms cut your chance of dying in a house fire by half. There are three types, but only one detects both smoke and flames in a timely fashion. Ionization alarms excel at detecting fast-flaming fires caused by paper or flammable liquids. Photoelectric alarms are best at detecting smoke, like that produced in slow-starting fires in bedding and upholstery.
• Escape ladders should be placed near a window of any bedroom above ground level.
• Fire extinguishers are recommended for the kitchen, laundry room and garage. Make sure your extinguisher has an ABC rating, meaning it can fight fires caused by paper, wood, cloth, flammable liquids and electrical short circuits.

Safe Toy-buying

The Consumer Product Safety Commission and other agencies wish to make sure all toy shoppers are aware of this year’s top toy safety tips to help reduce injuries and deaths. Posters in English and Spanish are available.