Are Your Prepared for Summer?

As we swing into the summer season, kids are getting out of school, which means more people are on vacation. Are you one of the many people who will be covering others with added responsibilities while a coworker goes on vacation? The added stress of extra responsibilities and subsequent fatigue from working long hours are a couple of the things you should be aware of when it comes to the summer time. Stress and work fatigue can lead to mistakes and that can mean an increase in injuries. Some things you can do to relieve the stress and fatigue at work are take regular breaks, stretch to loosen muscles, and walk to relax your mind. If possible, don’t try to take on extra projects that you won’t be able to complete within a reasonable deadline.

Reviewing your schedule and knowing your limits are important in maintaining good work habits. And step up your visual awareness of your coworkers. When you are watching out for each other, you are more likely to notice if someone else is not working at their normal pace or with the attention they usually have. Lack of energy, slowing pace, and tiredness are just a few of the signs you can look for to tell that a coworker may need a break.

To help offset the busy workloads, companies increase their hiring of temporary to full time employees during the summer months or bring in interns.  More young adults age 14 to 24 years are hired during the summer or as they enter the work force for the first time after graduating from college. Young adults often give the attitude of invincibility because they are young and strong.  However, inexperience and carelessness can lead to cutting corners in safety.  To help increase awareness, young workers may need more supervision and training than other employees.  It is also good to include training for experienced employees on awareness when working with new and younger workers.  This applies particularly to working minors who have restrictions on specific types of work and hours.

Look out for your coworkers and ask them to look out for you and others.  This helps build camaraderie in the workplace while reminding others that there are added stresses in the summer months because of added workloads and other safety attention such as younger workers being hired.  Can you think of other things in your company that need special awareness during the summer months?

Handling Severe Weather Emergencies

This year we have been seeing a record number of tornadoes across the southeast and many of us are aware of the devastation from those areas hit hard. But do you know what to do if severe storms approach while you are working? If you haven't already done so, now is a good time to review your company's safety and emergency action plans. Things to review include contact people to notify in case of emergencies and who will make the decisions to stop work during severe weather. You will want to know your evacuation routes out of the building, and evacuation routes and alternate roads out of the area.

When working outdoors while severe weather approaches, certain equipment will need to be secured in place. Lighter objects will need to be moved to an enclosed location where high winds will prevent them from blowing around. In some cases, adding locks or boarding windows may be necessary. Excavation areas, elevated work areas, electrical hazards, and other high hazard areas also have special security measures to protect from unauthorized people entering these areas after a storm and to prevent these hazards from causing unnecessary injury during severe storms.

In preparation of incremental weather, you can take preventative steps. For example, check your engineering controls in advance to make sure they are operating appropriately and make repairs as needed. Have emergency supplies on hand and copy your current evacuation route and emergency contact information to a location you can access when it is needed. Know your timetables for preparing to leave a job site in an emergency so you can allow the appropriate time to stop work, secure the site, and leave. And be aware that certain activities must continue even during severe weather. Specific preparations may be needed for handling long-term delays in power or backing up data storage.

Whether you work indoors or outdoors, consider your coworker's safety as well as your own. Keep aware that some storms can come extremely fast. You may be the first person to notice incremental weather moving into the area and your notification could save others from injury or worse. By reviewing your company's emergency action plan, you will be refreshed on those actions you must take and be better prepared to handle the situation.

Do you have experiences to share from handling incremental weather on the job?