Welcome to the JSABuilder news & resource page!

Welcome to the JSABuilder news and resource page! Formatted as a blog, we have set this page up to function as a collection of resources, news and pertinent safety information. We are excited to dialogue with you about workplace safety and provide you with resources and information to use in building a safer workplace, as well as share tips on how to use the JSABuilder program. Over the course of the next few months, we will be loading in past articles from the JSABuilder quarterly Safety Analysis Newsletter, as well as beginning to publish additional new content, videos, safety links and reviews. Please join us, leave a comment or view some of the resource links embedded in our posts. We look forward to the conversation!

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BSEE Safety Alert – recent GOM incident

The U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) Gulf of Mexico OCS Region recently issued a Safety Alert regarding a fatality that occurred during platform well plug and abandonment activities. The findings indicated supervision, operational, equipment and organization errors. While the work team had conducted a pre-shift JSA meeting, the meeting did not address all potential hazards (including the fatal hole into which the worker fell), was not attended by all involved parties (including the worker who was later fatally injured) and did not included a unique, signed JSA document.

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Are you, Fit-for-Work?

The spring allergy season is upon us! Many of us – and our coworkers – may be taking prescription or over the counter drugs to combat allergy symptoms, and many of these drugs have side effects. For example, we all know anti-histamines are known to cause drowsiness. While anti-histamines may not impair the safe performance of certain jobs, such as data entry, other jobs, such as certain equipment operators, may find it paramount to consider a worker’s “fit-for-work” status as they evaluate the level of drowsiness, alertness or mental impairment caused by the drugs.

Quite often, this evaluation may result in assigning the worker a different set of duties than normal for the day, to ensure no one’s safety is jeopardized. Occasionally, it may mean requiring the worker to take a mandatory rest day and be discharged from the work site for the day.

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Spell check

One of the most common requests we receive is for a JSABuilder “spell check” tool. While this is not something we currently offer, you may find it useful to use the Mozilla Firefox web browser to perform your spell checks. Firefox (generally) automatically performs a spell check of entries you make in any program you have open in Firefox, and is available as a free download. JSABuilder cannot and does not explicitly endorse Firefox or other programs; however, we feel our users may find this information useful as they develop their JSAs.

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OSHA – Injury and Illness Prevention Plans: The Numbers Speak for Themselves

According to statistics provided in OSHA’s January 2012 Injury and Illness Prevention Program White Paper, workplace deaths and reported occupational injuries have dropped by more than 60% since the Occupational Safety and Health Act was signed into law in 1970. However, every day, more than 12 workers die on the job (over 4,500/year), and every year, more than 4.1 million workers suffer a serious job-related injury or illness. In addition to the enormous financial, physical and emotional burden a workplace injury or death places on the individual’s family, the negative impact to the employer is also substantial.

Sources quoted by OSHA, including the Liberty Mutual Research Institute and the National Academy of Social Insurance (NASI), estimate that the direct costs to employers for occupational injuries, illnesses and deaths were $53 billion in 2008, and annual workers’ compensation benefits paid for all compensable injuries and illnesses were approximately $58 billion in 2009. NASI further reported that the total costs paid by employers for workers’ compensation increased from $60 billion in 2000 to $74 billion in 2009.

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OSHA White Paper – Injury and Illness Prevention Plans

In January 2012, OSHA published a white paper highlighting the importance of implementing an injury and illness prevention program (IIPP). OSHA describes IIPP as “a proactive process to help employers find and fix workplace hazards…before injuries, illnesses or deaths occur.” Identification and control of workplace hazards is critical to an effective IIPP, but even more important are management commitment and active employee involvement. While an IIPP is more comprehensive than a single JSA, the goals and process are similar, and JSAs can serve as a foundation for an effective IIPP. This quarter’s Case Studies were shared in the OSHA paper and present us with a great overview of the many benefits of having an effective IIPP.

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Splash Protection Required

Task: The injection of an oxidizing agent into a groundwater remediation injection well.

Incident: An unexpected failure of a pipe fitting resulted in the sudden release of pressure, causing an oxidizing agent to spray into a well technician’s face. Although the technician was wearing safety glasses, the pressure caused the oxidizing agent to spray under the safety glasses and into the technician’s eyes. The technician was immediately helped by others to an eye-wash station where his eyes were flushed with water and he was checked for injuries. As a precautionary measure, the employee was taken to an emergency room.

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Asthma & Allergies

Asthma is one of our country’s most common health problems, perpetuated by environmental allergies and irritants. Help your employees stay in top shape by minimizing and reducing their contact with the following:

1. Cigarette smoke – if you don’t have a non-smoking policy already, consider starting one or designate a confined smoking area.

2. Cockroaches – limit food and trash sitting out unattended, and maintain a sanitary work environment.

3. Dust mites – install bare floors where possible, vacuum offices regularly, and try to keep offices under 50% relative humidity.

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Noise & Hearing Loss Prevention

Many of us don’t worry about our ears when it comes to the occasional hammering of construction next door or attending a rock concert. But what if you work in an environment with excessive levels of noise? What is considered a dangerous level? Did you know that repeated exposure to loud noises can cause permanent hearing loss? The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) offers the following:
 

• Remove hazardous noise from the workplace whenever possible.
• Engineering controls are the most effective way to limit or prevent hazardous noise.

• When unable to reduce or eliminate noise levels, choose appropriate hearing protection (expandable foam plugs fit all, pre-molded plugs are reusable, canal caps can hang around your neck while it’s quiet, and earmuffs protect the entire outer ear).

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A Lost Time Injury

The Task: Remove a mobile generator from a storage shed for transportation to well sites, where it is used to power equipment.

The Facts: The generator weighs about 100 lbs, has only two wheels, and no ergonomically designed lifting handle. Workers must utilize the frame to lift & move the generator. The generator is stored amongst other equipment in the storage shed, making access difficult. A job safety analysis was not performed in advance.

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Ladder Safety

The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries cautions that the risk of ladder falls can increase during the holiday season when workers are hanging and removing holiday decorations. They recommend the following ladder safety tips:

• Carefully inspect the ladder for defects, cracks and corrosion before use. Tag and remove from service any ladders deemed unsafe.

• Make sure the ladder’s feet have slip-resistant pads.

• Use a fiberglass ladder around electricity.

• When setting up a ladder, look for a location with firm, level footing and a rigid support for the top of the ladder.

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