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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2013 New York State Municipal Workers' Compensation Alliance SLIPS AND FALLS There aze various ways to suffer slips and falls while working. You can slip and lose your balance, you can trip over objects left improperly in your walkway, or you can simply fall from an elevated position above the ground. To avoid slips and falls, be on the lookout for foreign substances on walk ways. Watch for deposits of water, grease, oil, sawdust, mud, ice or debris. Even small quantities aze enough to make you fall. Do not go too fast, walk safely and avoid changing directions too sharply. Bewaze of tripping hazazds: trash, unused materials, any object left in azeas designed for pedestrian traffic invites falls. Extension cords, tools, and other items should be removed or properly barricaded off. If equipment or supplies aze left in walkways, remove it. Keep passageways clean of debris by using trash barrels, but if you use them and miss, PICK IT UP! Walk where you are supposed to walk. Short cuts through machine areas invite accidents. Concentrate on your path -horseplay and inattention leave you vulnerable to unsafe conditions. The worst falls are from elevated positions like scaffolding, stairways and ladders. They can result in serious injuries and death. Weaz proper footweaz. If you work in the office, and want to weaz high-heels or open toes during bad weather or winter, weaz boots or tennis shoes until you get to the office. If you leave the office to go to a work azea where no open-toes or heels aze required, change your shoes or DON"T GO! When climbing, use a ladder of proper length that is in good condition. Keep it placed on a firm surface. Keep the ladder's base one foot away from the wall for every four feet of height. Do not overreach-always have control of your balance when working from a ladder. Never climb a ladder with your hands full, and always carry tools in proper carrying devices. Make sure the ladder extends three feet above the landing and is properly tied off. Never over-reach when on a ladder. If you cannot reach the spot you aze trying to access without keeping your entire chest azea between the rails- MOVE THE LADDER. Never use a chair or stool that is not designed for use as a ladder or step-stool. Never use a wheeled chair or boxes, or any other makeshift item to stand on. Slips and falls occur every day. The extent of injuries and their recurrence can be minimized through proper safety knowledge and attitudes. Practice safety...DO NOT learn it "by accident". Date Reviewed: Employee Name Employee Signature Supervisors Initials Know the Facts about Backs Badr injuries era the most common workplace injury, second only • Get a firm footing and keep your feet parted, one alongside to the common cold as the most frequent exase for missing work. and one behind the object. Your rear foot will help in the While there's still no cure for the common cold, them are ways to upward thrust of the Lift avoid back injuries. • Center the object as well as your body weight. Let your whole body bear the weight, not just your back. Fans about back iMfaries • Let your legs do the work. Your leg muscles are several times To help prevenE back injuries, you must understand what causes stronger than arty other muscle in your 6ady. them, Contrary to popular belief, anyone an be at risk for back • Gri the o act firmly wkh the palms of your hands around the injury, not only workers who liR heavy objects. Your physical corner of the object Keep your arms and elbows tucked into health has a lot to do wkh protection against back injury, the sides of your body. ' Poe bedY ~ ~ Y~ ~ tiD ~ its • Do not arch your back. This makes the nerve roots open to balance cmr 6e upset if you sk ar stand in an unnatural position, pinching and can cease strains in weaker muscles. tvrist abruptly w awkwardly, or UR something incorrectly. • Poor muscle tone. Weak, under-exerdsed muscles rob the • Avoid twisting Your back. If you need to lift and then taco, back of its support and increase the chance of injury. point one foot in the direction you want to ge before you lift. To put an object down, follow the same procedwes in reverse. • Extra weight. Excess weight ran exaggerate the curve of the • Warm up before you Uft. Limber muscles are less Ukely to snap spine and strain the back. or tear. Afive-minute stretching program at the start of the • High heels. These deepen the curve of the lower back and day an prevent marry injuries. force the pelvis to make up for this by tilting backward. • Personal factors. Stress, arodety and depression an cause The push is on muscles to tighten and throw your back into a spasm. Always push, do not pull, your load. One foot should be behind the other with your weight balanced between them. Keep your spine Don't back down on fitness straight and use your lag muscles to move the load. If you havc to The harder you work, the less likely you will be to have a back pull, be careful. Vou an strain your neck, shoulder or back. injury. Take the following into consideration: ErgenOmitS t0 the reSCU! • Perform tasks to strengthen the appropriate muscles and Ergonomic experts try to find the easiest way to do work to help redutt the likelihood of injury. Avoid manual tasks that your relieve stress on your body, espedaUy your back. Small improve- Dody isn't used to. menu can greatly reduce your chances of back injury. For example, • Exercise the abdominal and leg muscles. The stronger they if you bend over to retrieve a part from a bin, place the bin at a are, the Less your back has to work. higher level. This way, you do not have to bend so much. Try to proper posture is also beneficial. The PoUowing guidelirres an help: reduce or avoid repetitive motions. Muscle fatigue can lead to over- exertion, which is responsible for onrfourth of all work injuries. • Lying down. Lying tr the kart stressful position for the lower back Take a break or temporarily change tasks to regain strength. Lie on your side, on a firm mattress, with your knees bent Be Careful while carrying • Standing. Try to keep your ears, shoulders and hips in a Before you start carrying a toad, plan where you will walk. The path straight Une. should be dear of obstacles w that you don t slip ar fall. If egmpment • Sittirg. Keep your feet flat on the floor. Adjust the chair wch as a dolly is available, uu it Take extra are on platforms, ramps height so that Your eUwws are even with the work surface. and loading dodo. If you can't see in front of you, get help. Make sure you have lower back support. When you carry a load, remember to balance it. Try to divide Watch your every move smaller loads into two and tarry them at your sides, one in each The best way to avoid back injury is to pay attention any time load backwardh it canythrow~off your balance load. Never carry a you lift, tarty, reach or push. While everyone has a favorite lifting technique, came basic rules apply: Within reach • Deride whether you can lift the object alone or will need help. Keep supplies you use regularly at an easy-to-reach height. If you • Keep the object or load dose to you. need to reach for an item, use a ladder or a step stool To lift • If you have to squat, keep your back straight. Bend at the something from the floor to above waist level, carefully lift the waist, hips or knees. Never lock your knees. Load halfway, then change your grip to lift the item higher. •zaor wn•Nr Afety c°°"~ Back Safety ~ Vol. 2 ~ 00007-8168 ~ 28650.0000 Ihis inJorm•tion N ropy,ght Grove °rd is Jor NSC memb•n' InM•ar uu only. BACK INJURY PREVENTION TIPS Most of you have probably heard that in order to lift safely, you must lift properly. You're told to "bend your knees not your back," and "don't twist as you lift." This is good advice but sometimes seems to go against human nature. Yet, there are actions you can take to help you lift properly. 1. Get as close to the load as possible. The further the load is from the center line of your body, the greater the strain imposed on your back. If need be, squat down to lift the load and pull it between your legs. This gets it closer to the center of your body and helps prevent the need to bend at the waist. However, since your leg muscles are the lazgest muscles in your body, they are the biggest energy consumers. Repeated squatting can be very fatiguing, and reduces a person's ability to lift in this manner for any length of time. In addition to lifting the load, you are also hoisting the majority of your body weight. For repeated lifting, other strategies must be used. 2. Avoid picking up heavy objects placed below your knees. Try to see that heavy objects aze placed and stored above knee level and below shoulder level. If you suspect the load is too heavy to be lifted comfortably, do not chance it. Use a mechanical aid, break the load down into its component parts, or get help. The most common cause of back iniurv is overloadine. 3. Keep your back straight. This means don't bend at the waist when reaching to lift an object. Keep the natural azch in your lower back, which distributes the load evenly over the surface of spinal disks, and is less stressful than if the disk is pinched between vertebras. Bending principally from the hips is acceptable if you maintain the arch in your back, rather than bending at the waist. 4. Glue your hand to your thigh. If you carry a load in one hand, such as when carrying a tool box, place your free hand on the outside of your thigh and mentally "glue" it into position. This will help you maintain correct back alignment rather than lifting and tilting to one side. When carrying a heavy load, side bending can be just as stressful to the spine as bending forwazd. 5. Tighten your stomach muscles. This technique helps prevent your spine from twisting. If you lift a load and need to place it off to one side, turn by moving your feet. After repeated lifts you might find yourself getting a bit sloppy and forgetting to move your feet. You can overcome this tendency if the place you set the load down is at least one step away from where it is lifted. If you weaz a back support belt, weaz it low on your trunk and loosen it when you are not lifting. 6. Stay in good physical condition. A protruding stomach is an extra load carried away from the center line of the body, and prevents you from keeping a lifted object close-the number one rule for back care. When you bend at the waist to lift, due to the leverage principal, the load is up to 10 times heavier than its actual weight. A "pot belly" puts extra, stressful weight on the spine. 7. Stretch and loosen up before work. Reseazch has shown that trunk flexibility and mobility is significantly lower in the morning than later in the day, increasing the number and severity of back strains at this time. A few minutes of stretching can warm up cold stiff muscles and tendons and help you avoid an injury. All professional athletes know this-"industrial athletes" should too! WINTER SLIP & FALL SAFETY TIPS When ice is present, avoid walking directly on the ice. If you cannot avoid, please do the following: •Take short steps or shuffle for stability. •Watch where you are stepping! •Keep both hands free for balance, rather than in your pockets. •DO NOT CARRY anything over slippery areas. •Bend slightly, walk flat-footed with your center of gravity directly over the feet as much as possible. •Be prepared to fall. •If you fall, roll with the fall. Try to twist and. roll backwards, rather than falling forward. •Relax as much as possible when you begin to fall. •Bend your back and head forward so you won't slam your head on the pavement as your feet shoot out from under you. IMMEDIATE DANGER RISK of DANGER WARNING SIGNS If you find yourseff in If you find yourself in ,,,a,y need help tf• risk of danger but are immediate danger during not being immediately • Their behavior is unusually aggressive, 3 a shooting incident within threatened... odd or scary your work center Escape .They make threats of violence or from the scene or Hide Secure Yourself and retribution (serious or joking) Out. your Location Once secured, position yourself in a • They are distraught or show signs of D u ring suicide ESCAPE Ian our route, place clear of direct fire. You should • p y be able to observe the ingress and Theyre overfieard making comments of leave your stuff behind plannedfintended violence and exit with your hands egress routes. This will include the visible. Security Forces process of Sheltering in place and .There is a gang/cult ideation Mitigating the vulnerabilities to the The fi ht or dorm acts of violence personnel may mistake Y 9 Pe you for the shooter. room. Mitigation will start with locking on the installation the doors and windows and barricading the access. Turn off the • There is a presence of weapons (guns, lights and make your location appear knives, suspicious objects) If you HIDE OUT contact 911 unoccupied. Monitor communications as soon as possible. i.e. phone, computer, radio. Account for Personnel and Report INFORMATION By whatever means you have available contact your Unit Control Center As a LAST RESORT...TAKEACT/ON (UCC) or Chain of Command (CoC) If you find yourseff in and inform them of your location, Provide to Security Forces: IMMINENT DANGER status and the personnel present. ? Your Location take action. Attempt to Stay Put ? Number of shooters incapacitate or act with Until the authorities instruct you to ? Shooter's Location physical aggression move or ou have been released DO and throw items at the y ? Description of the Shooter active shooter. NOT MOVE. Persons milling about ? Type of weapons involved increase confusion and the likelihood of injury. ? Shooters direction of movement