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SLIP, TRIP AND FALL HAZARDS Get a Grip on Winter Slips and Falls S lip, trip and fall hazards are present 12 months of the year, but the stakes go up during the winter months, when ice forms on walkways, ladders and work platforms. Slips occur when there is insufficient friction between your feet (with or without shoes) and walking surfaces. Some contributors to slips include weather hazards such as snow and ice or rain; inappropriate footwear, such as shoes with worn out soles; and moving from a dry surface to a wet surface. Here are some tips to pass on to your workers to reduce the likelihood of winter slips, trips and falls, from the Workers’ Safety & Compensation Commission of the Northwest Territories: Don’t rush. Take your time. Take shorter strides and point your feet slightly outwards to improve your balance. Wear proper-fitting footwear that is appropriate for your work tasks. When using mats, keep them from moving with pressure-sensitive adhesive. When walking on ice or snow-covered surfaces, keep one hand free to balance or break a fall. Watch out for ice ruts. Pay attention and take your time when moving down from equipment or platforms. Practice good housekeeping. For example, clean up snow near doorways before it melts and creates a slipping hazard. Read More on Page 2 SAFETY IN THE WORKPLACE: If You See Something, Say Something 2 POLICIES AND PRACTICES: Slips, Trips and Falls Inspection Checklist 3 SCORECARD: Recent OSHA Cases & Fines 4 SAFETY TALKS: Monthly Safety Topics 5-6 FOCUS ON SITTING: Expert Says Hazards of Sitting Too Much May be Over-Sensationalized 7 PICTURE THIS: Have Ladder, Will Travel 8 SEVEN STATISTICS: Winter Tiredness 8 IN THIS ISSUE FEATURE: Get a Grip on Winter Slips and Falls Practical, Engaging Guidance & Tools To Manage Safety Compliance & Training ~ Since 1929 FEBRUARY 2015 86 th Year SafetySmart_Feb_2015.indd 1 1/14/2015 12:06:50 PM

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Slip, trip and fall hazardS Get a Grip on Winter Slips and FallsS lip, trip and fall hazards are present 12

months of the year, but the stakes go up during the winter months, when ice forms on walkways, ladders and work platforms.

Slips occur when there is insufficient friction between your feet (with or without shoes) and walking surfaces. Some contributors to slips include weather hazards such as snow and ice or rain; inappropriate footwear, such as shoes with worn out soles; and moving from a dry surface to a wet surface.

Here are some tips to pass on to your workers to reduce the likelihood of winter slips, trips and falls, from the Workers’ Safety & Compensation Commission of the Northwest Territories:

�� Don’t rush. Take your time.

�� Take shorter strides and point your feet slightly outwards to improve your balance.

��Wear proper-fitting footwear that is appropriate for your work tasks.

��When using mats, keep them from moving with pressure-sensitive adhesive.

��When walking on ice or snow-covered surfaces, keep one hand free to balance or break a fall. Watch out for ice ruts.

�� Pay attention and take your time when moving down from equipment or platforms.

�� Practice good housekeeping. For example, clean up snow near doorways before it melts and creates a slipping hazard.

Read More on Page 2

Safety in the workplace: if you See Something, Say Something 2

policieS and practiceS: Slips, trips and falls inspection checklist 3

Scorecard: recent oSha cases & fines 4

Safety talkS: Monthly Safety topics 5-6

focUS on Sitting: expert Says hazards of Sitting too Much May be over-Sensationalized 7

pictUre thiS: have ladder, will travel 8

Seven StatiSticS: winter tiredness 8

IN THIS ISSUE

FeatuRe: get a grip on winter Slips and falls

Practical, Engaging Guidance & Tools To Manage Safety Compliance & Training ~ Since 1929

FeBRuaRy 201586th year

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ABOUT US

SafetySmart is published by Bongarde Holdings Inc. and is intended for in-house use only. Commercial reproduction is a violation of our copyright agreement. This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information on the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting or other professional services. If legal or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought.

To order a subscription to SafetySmart for $397/12 months, please call our customer service center at 1-800-667-9300, fax us at 1-250-493-1970 or visit our website at www.SafetySmart.com. Publications Mail #40065442. Printed in Canada.

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ELECTRONIC PUBLISHERS FOU

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EDITORIALEXCELLENCEAWARDWINNER

It’s also important for workers to exercise extra caution when carrying objects across slippery surfaces, because of the possibility of losing their balance. They should not make abrupt turns and should ask for help when carrying heavy or bulky items across snowy/icy surfaces.

Winter slip hazards can exist even in areas that do not usually experience snowfall. For example, leaves on the ground can

also create slipping hazards. Workplace walkways should be kept clear of leaves and workers should be discouraged from taking shortcuts across areas where leaves may fall and accumulate.

Encourage your workers to report slippery walkways or platforms so that they can be salted before someone slips and falls.

ManaGinG editoRDAVE DUNCAN

Safety in the workplace

if you See Something, Say Something

Candace Carnahan has a simple safety message created from painful personal experience: “If you see something

(that’s unsafe in the workplace), say something.”

Carnahan only wishes someone had said something to her, or countless other co-workers who routinely took a shortcut by stepping over an unguarded conveyor belt at a New Brunswick paper mill. It was something she had done without consequence until Aug. 11, 1999, when the then 21-year-old student caught her left foot between two rollers.

Not only was the conveyor unguarded, but its emergency stop function wasn’t working, so the powerful machine kept drawing her foot and lower leg further into the tiny space between the rollers. Carnahan says she felt “like I was on fire from my feet up” while she watched horrified co-workers “who looked green” reacting to her horrific injury.

Her foot could not be saved. She required surgical amputation of her left foot and the lower portion of her leg.

“One second, one step, changed everything,” she says. “When you take a risk, it’s not your risk to take. Others will suffer.”

Carnahan grew up in a “shortcut sort of home” where things such as wearing seatbelts in a vehicle received little consideration.

At work, she says workers were fed a safety-first message, but everyone walked over the unguarded conveyor and no one said a thing.

Carnahan said her horrible experience taught her how fragile life can be and that tomorrow isn’t a guarantee for anyone.

“What can we change to eliminate fatalities and injuries?

Candace Carnahan

What can we do to change our (safety) culture? The most important thing to change is our minds,” she said. “The first step in not getting hurt is, simply understanding that you can be hurt.”

Carnahan says one of the most frightening things she sees all the time is people logging onto their cell phones and paying no attention to what’s happening around them.

“People log out of life when they log onto their phones,” she adds.

Carnahan notes that too many North Americans are dying as a result of work-related injuries.

“We need to do better. We need to do one thing safer.”

Editor’s note: Candace Carnahan runs Candace Carnahan Motivational Speaking Inc. She travels internationally telling her story and imploring people to not turn their backs on unsafe behaviors in the workplace.

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February 2015 | SafetySmart.com

policieS and practiceSSlips, trips and Falls inspection ChecklistEditor’s Note: Use this slips, trips and falls checklist from the Montana State Fund to manage the hazards associated with snow and ice, among other things.

Inspector: Date:

Provide written comments on back for all items checked “No”

area/item yes no N/A

Parking Lots

Well illuminated

Free from potholes or disturbed asphalt

Vehicle parking is properly marked

Curbing and speed bumps are brightly colored

Drain grates or utility hatches are brightly colored

Walkway routes are properly marked

Snow and ice are sufficiently controlled

outdoor Walkways

Surfaces are level, free of cracks, bulges, or settling

Drainage is adequate and does not accumulate on walkway

Walkways are illuminated well

Surfaces are free of debris

Snow and ice are sufficiently removed

Bike racks or bikes are not intruding into walkway

Landscaping does not intrude into walkway

indoor Walkways

Surfaces are level, free of cracks, bulges, tears, breaks

Carpets are flat and firmly fastened

Surface changes do not have gaps

Entryway mats are in place as needed

Materials are stored out of the walkway

Hoses and cords are stored out of the walkway

Stairways

Stairs are uniform and in good repair

Handrails are provided, secured, and maintained

Treads have non-slip material

Stairwells are well illuminated

Landings and stairways are free of debris

Signs and art are not distracting

Running and jumping is not an observed behavior

Break Rooms, Bathrooms, Lunch Rooms

Floor surfaces are not slippery

Floors are free of water

Wet floors are barricaded

Buckets, mops, brooms, kept out of walking area

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Scorecard

Recent oSHa Cases & FinesREGION 2DuPont Plant Cited for failure to protect workers from hazardous chemicals. Hazardous chemicals known to cause severe burns, along with respiratory and reproductive health issues, leaked out of a tanker truck, exposing workers to health risks. OSHA responded to a complaint and found 11 health and safety violations. Eight serious violations were cited under OSHA’s process safety management standard. Two repeat violations cited by OSHA include failure to perform an analysis addressing hazards related to the storage and transportation of chemicals and failure to perform inspections and tests on the equipment used in chemical processes. OSHA is proposing $120,300 in fines. [DuPont Chamber Works, Deepwater, NJ, Dec. 1, 2014].

REGION 3 Dollar Tree Stores Cited for Continuing to Expose Workers to Hazards in Delaware. OSHA is proposing $103,000 in penalties after inspectors observed an employee being struck by falling boxes. OSHA cited one willful violation for improper storage of boxes and one repeat violation for failure to keep the work area around electrical panels clear of obstructions. [Dollar Tree Stores, Inc., New Castle, DE., Dec. 17, 2014].

REGION 4 Metal Stamping Company Issued $68,000 in Proposed Fines for 14 safety and health violations. OSHA cited 12 serious violations for exposing workers to crushing and struck-by hazards as a result of not anchoring storage rack shelving to the floor and for failure to protect employees from amputations by requiring them to work with dangerous equipment lacking necessary guards. Other violations include failure to develop procedures to prevent accidental machine startup; failure to train workers on occupational noise hazards; exposing workers to arc blasts by not ensuring unused circuit breaker openings were closed in electrical cabinets; failure to evaluate forklift operators’ job performance at least every three years; and failure to post a copy of the workplace noise standard in a place visible to workers. [Guyoung Tech USA Inc., Evergreen, AL, Dec. 2, 2014].

REGION 5 OSHA Issues Two Willful Violations to Ohio Automotive Parts Manufacturer for amputation hazards. A June 2014 inspection brought two willful violations for failure to ensure that machinery would not unintentionally operate while workers changed molds; and failure to conduct audits of the procedures used to ensure that employees did not work with live machinery. The violations carry $140,000 in proposed fines. OSHA says the company entered into a settlement agreement to abate hazards after being cited for 11 violations in October 2013, but it violated that agreement by providing false documentation and assurances that hazards related to hydraulic presses had been corrected. The company produces motor vehicle interior trimmings for Toyota, General Motors and other vehicle manufacturers. [Formed Fiber Technologies LLC, Sidney, OH, Dec. 17, 2014].

Proposed Penalties of $241,680 Set after worker was hurt in machinery entanglement incident. A worker suffered a serious hand and arm injury on his 25th birthday while clearing birdseed from an industrial mixing tank. OSHA later cited the company for three willful, one repeat and four serious violations. The three willful violations relate to failure to lock out energy sources to protect workers from contact with rotating machine parts; failure to conduct periodic inspection of written protocols related to locking out machinery; and failure to train workers on lockout procedures; The repeat violation was cited for failure to provide machine guarding on another piece of equipment that was not involved in the injury incident, while four serious safety violations were also cited for failure to provide eye protection; use of damaged electrical cords; failure to provide fire extinguisher education; and for having unmarked exits. [Wagner’s LLC, Milford, IL, Dec. 2, 2014].

Temporary Worker’s Electrical Shock Injury Brings OSHA Visit and fines. OSHA opened an investigation after a 24-year-old temporary maintenance employee suffered severe burns from electrical shock while on assignment for Parallel Employment Group

of Wisconsin Inc. While working at the Arvato Digital Services LLC distribution center in Pleasant Prairie, WI, the worker came in contact with an energized electrical source and suffered severe burns that left the employee unable to work for more than four months. The injury came while the temporary worker was attempting to troubleshoot an electrical failure on a heat-sealing machine. Arvato Digital Services was issued one willful and 10 serious safety violations carrying $124,000 in proposed fines. The violations include willful failure to implement electrical safety practices for workers; failure to train temporary employees in electrical safety; exposing workers to operating machine parts on conveyors and press equipment; failure to require PPE for people working near exposed, energized electrical parts; failure to develop procedures to safely de-energize circuits and equipment; and failure to ensure stored energy capacitors were grounded. Parallel Employment Group was cited for failure to train employees in electrical safety-related work practices, including wearing electric arc flash and shock protection equipment; failure to train temp employees in electrical safety and exposing workers to operating machinery parts on conveyors and press equipment. The employment agency was issued proposed fines totaling $26,000. [Arvato Digital Services LLC, Pleasant Prairie, WI, and Parallel Employment Group of Wisconsin Inc., Oak Creek, WI, Dec. 2, 2014].

Company Issued $188,400 in Proposed Fines in worker’s death. OSHA conducted an investigation after a 27-year-old worker collapsed in a rail car and later died. It was learned that the company did not have equipment or trained personnel to perform rescues of workers who encountered hazards in confined spaces. OSHA cited seven willful and 14 serious violations, many involving permit-required confined space safety regulations. OSHA says the company failed to monitor permit-required confined spaces; allowed entry when atmospheric conditions were unacceptable; did not provide PPE, including self-contained breathing apparatus and respirators; failed to remove defective respirators from use; and failed to designate trained rescue employees and use a retrieval system attached to the worker to aid in rescue. Other violations include failure to comply with respiratory protection requirements; maintain rescue equipment; ensure ventilation equipment was used properly; and provide fall protection for workers who were performing tasks at least 15 feet above ground while on top of rail cars. [Environmental Remediation and Recovery Inc., Mounds, IL, Dec. 4, 2014].

REGION 6OSHA Inspection Finds Workers Being Exposed to Amputation and Electrical Hazards at El Paso, TX, plant. Responding to employee complaints, OSHA conducted an inspection of a stamped metal components fabricating company and cited 41 violations carrying $181,900 in proposed penalties. These included failure to provide adequate machine guarding; properly inspect power presses; and utilize proper procedures to de-energize equipment during maintenance, including punch presses. The employer also failed to implement an effective hearing conservation program for noise levels in excess of 85 decibels; did not provide proper maintenance on conductors with damaged insulation; and exposed workers to live electrical parts. Other violations included failure to assess the need for personal protective equipment; educate workers on the voluntary use of respiratory protection; implement a written hazard communication program; and certify training of forklift operators. Additionally, the employer was issued a hazard letter addressing slip hazards and obstructions in aisles and walkways. [D&D Manufacturing Inc., El Paso, TX, Dec. 3, 2014].

REGION 7Fall Hazards Bring $140,000 in Proposed Fines to Nebraska company. OSHA cited two willful violations for failure to provide required fall protection and fall protection training to four workers completing a residential roofing job. The company has been placed in OSHA’s Severe Violator Enforcement Program. OSHA says Affordable Exteriors Inc. has consistently broken the law by failing to provide fall protection to employees working on roofs. The company has been cited on five occasions within the past 10 years. [Affordable Exteriors Inc., Omaha, NE, Dec. 1, 2014]

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Slips n T201502-01SAFETY TALKS HANDOUT

don’t Slip up at WorkA moment of distraction is all it took for Terrence’s foot to catch at the walkway’s edge, causing him to stumble. He recovered his balance but it was a close thing!

Terrence is not the only one who trips at work. Slips and trips are the leading causes of accidents across industries. In this Safety Talk, you will learn what causes slips and trips and how to prevent them.

WHat Can Go WRonGIn general, slips and trips happen when you lose your footing and slide unintentionally or catch your foot on an object and stumble.

There is any number of reasons why you might slip or trip in the workplace. A trip can be caused by damaged steps, uneven surfaces, or rumpled carpets, while a slip might be caused by slick floors, sloped walking surfaces, or ice and snow.

Both of these types of accidents can cause serious injuries—such as sprained ankles, broken arms, or even fatal head injuries—and happen anywhere in your facility.

So how can you prevent a slip or a trip at work?

HoW to PRoteCt youRSeLFPrevention is the key to protecting yourself from slips and trips. Terrence may have never tripped on that walkway if the edges had been smooth and even.

What else could he, and you, do to prevent trips in the future?

�� Keep it clean! Make sure to put away tools and throw away trash in work areas and high-traffic areas in and around your facility.

�� Watch where you walk! Keep an eye on walkways or paths to avoid obstacles or detour around icy patches.

�� Light it up! Turn on the lights when walking into a room and make sure to replace burnt out bulbs.

To prevent slips, you and Terrence can:

�� Clean it up! Wipe up small spills if you can. Larger spills should be marked and the appropriate person informed.

�� Help protect others! Offer ideas and recommendations to help improve existing safety practices.

�� Step it up! Wear the right shoes for the job to help prevent slips. You may need to wear hard or soft soles, depending on the facility’s walking surfaces. Not sure what’s appropriate? Ask your supervisor for advice.

FinaL WoRdRemember the walkway that Terrence tripped over? Well, it’s now smooth, after some maintenance, so that others don’t hurt themselves by tripping on it. Terrence is doing what he can to prevent slips and trips at his facility by using the suggestions made in this Safety Talk. You can too!

Meeting material to go: Safety meeting materials such as presentation tips, PowerPoint

presentations, quiz answers and more are downloadable at: www.SafetySmart.com

1. Slips and trips are the leading causes of accidents across industries. True False

2. Trips happen when you lose your footing and slide. True False

3. Keeping working and walking areas clean can reduce tripping/slipping hazards. True False

4. What can cause a slip? a. Uneven floorsb. Slick floorsc. Damaged steps

What Would you do?The marble floor in your facility has just been waxed and is slippery. What can you do to prevent yourself from slipping as you walk across the room?

Quiz answers: 1. True, 2. False, 3. True, 4. B

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Falls n T201502-02

don’t take Falls LightlyFalls are the stuff of some of the best jokes told around the water cooler. However, falls can cause serious injury, and sometimes death, making them no laughing matter.

In this Safety Talk, you’ll learn what causes falls, how you can prevent them, and how to fall properly.

WHat Can Go WRonGYou don’t need to drop from a height to fall. Slipping on a wet surface or tripping over an object can also cause falls. Another cause of falls is you. Strange as it may seem, not paying attention to where you are going, carrying too many things in your arms, or rushing around, are all things that you do that can lead to a nasty fall.

Additionally, falls involve three forces— friction, momentum, and gravity. Knowing how they work can help you prevent falls in the future.

�� Friction—or surface resistance—is what keeps you from slipping. You slip when there isn’t enough of it between your shoe and the ground (which is why you slide on ice or wet floors).

�� Momentum—or mass in motion—is at work when you trip. You might be stopped by an object, but momentum carries your body forward.

�� Gravity—or the force that pulls us towards the earth—is what also pulls you to the ground when you fall.

Now that we know the mechanics of a fall, let’s look at how we can prevent them!

HoW to PRoteCt youRSeLFPreventing a fall in the first place is always the best measure. To prevent a fall, follow these three tips:

�� Stick to safe walking routes: Established traffic routes are typically kept clear of obstacles, such as ice or debris. Try to stick to these pathways and do not take shortcuts.

�� Use the handrails: Handholds for support can help keep you from falling if you slip or trip on steps or stairs.

�� Climb correctly: Use the right equipment, such as a step stool or ladder, to reach higher surfaces.

There are times though, that no matter what you do, a fall will happen. Knowing what to do when you fall can help reduce the severity of an injury. So, if you do fall, minimize the impact by relaxing your muscles and landing on a soft, fleshy part of your body.

FinaL WoRdWhile falls are commonplace, they can still cause serious injury or death. Take them seriously or you may face some debilitating consequences.

Meeting material to go: Safety meeting materials such as presentation tips, PowerPoint

presentations, quiz answers and more are downloadable at: www.SafetySmart.com

1. You don’t need to drop from a height to fall. True False

2. Three forces involved in falls are friction, momentum, and gravity. True False

3. You can protect yourself from falls by using handrails when climbing or descending stairs. True False

4. To fall properly, you must do the following:

a. Relax your muscles

b. Relax your muscles and fall on a soft body part

c. Relax your muscles and duck your head.

What Would you do?The folder you need to complete a project is on the top shelf of a large cabinet. You spy a chair in the room and know that the janitor keeps a step stool in the closet down the hall. What should you do to get the folder down?

SAFETY TALKS HANDOUT

Quiz answers: 1. True, 2. True, 3. True, 4. B

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February 2015 | SafetySmart.com

focUS on: Sitting

expert Says Hazards of Sitting too Much May be over-Sensationalized

A lmost everyone has heard statements such as “Sitting at work is killing you,” or “Sitting is the new smoking,”

or perhaps worst of all, “If you sit at a desk for hours a day, exercising won’t counteract the negative effects of sitting.”

If your job involves considerable sitting, it’s natural to feel anxious about what it may be doing to your health. The bad news is that, yes, sitting is associated with some negative health effects, according to Dr. David Antle, research director and senior ergonomist at EWJ Works International in Edmonton, AB. But the good news is that if you lead an active lifestyle, with plenty of exercise, he says you can counteract many of the negative effects of too much sitting.

Antle says there are some truths and myths about so called occupational sitting disease, including a certain amount of fear-mongering suggesting that no matter how much exercise one engages in outside of work, he or she is going to run into life-threatening health problems from sitting at work.

“Sitting at work is associated with the risk of becoming overweight or obese, but biomedical research suggests that occupational sitting is not associated with Type II (adult-onset) diabetes,” he says.

Nor is sitting directly associated with an increased risk for cardiovascular disease, according to Antle.

There is some evidence that occupational sitting does pose an increased cancer risk for women (not men), but more gender-based research is required to determine to what extent this belief is true, he says.

Antle notes that the health scares associated with occupational sitting have led to a push for using standing workstations or treadmill desks.

“The biggest myth with a standing desk is that it will benefit your cardiovascular health and increase physical activity. Standing office work burns no more calories than seated office work.”

Standing for hours at a time carries its own set of problems, including causing back pain, lower limb pain and vascular disorders such as varicose veins, he says.

Exercise-based workstations, such as treadmill desks, have pros and cons, according to Antle. On the plus side, they can burn up to 100 calories an hour and provide some cardiovascular benefits. But on the negative side, they can create fatigue and musculoskeletal discomfort—which tend to limit their practical use to a maximum of about 90 minutes a day—and cause reductions in speed and accuracy of tasks.

Here’s the bottom line: Antle says people who have desk jobs can minimize the health effects of sitting by performing at

least 150 minutes of aerobic exercise per week, in segments of at least 10 consecutive minutes. The key here is aerobic exercise, which gets your heart pumping. A leisurely walking pace won’t cut it.

Here are some other suggestions from Antle to help employers reduce the risks associated with too much sitting:

�� Place photocopiers and printers in a central location that requires workers to get up and walk a bit to access them.

�� Place break rooms in central locations.

�� Place hard copy documents and resources in a central library, away from offices.

�� Provide workers with wireless headsets and encourage them to stand while taking or making telephone calls.

�� Provide workers with periodic breaks in which they will be required to stand or walk around.

�� Hold walking meetings.

�� Encourage workers to communicate with workers face-to-face instead of sending emails or using telephones.

�� Consider offering exercise classes or group walking sessions during longer breaks.

“Increased movement at the workplace remains important to achieving and maintaining health, but those workplace initiatives do not necessarily require high levels of activity. Increases in brisk walking, even for multiple short bouts, during a workday, in combination with proper leisure-time physical activity, are able to improve many health indicators.”

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world of SafetyuS department of Labor Files Lawsuit against uS Postal Service

The US Department of Labor (DOL) has filed a lawsuit against the US Postal Service after a mail handler was fired following a work-related injury at a US Postal Service facility in Sharonville, OH. The DOL says the worker was terminated a few days after being transported to a medical facility for treatment of a workplace injury. The lawsuit seeks restoration of lost pay and benefits totaling $9,000.

“The postal service terminated this employee for working unsafely, despite statements from co-workers and witnesses contradicting that story,” says Nick Walters, regional administrator for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in Chicago. “No worker should be subject to such treatment. The department will do everything to prevent this type of unlawful retaliation.”

The DOL’s lawsuit alleges that the employee was emptying containers onto a conveyor belt for sorting and processing when the door on a container unexpectedly opened and hit the worker’s head. A supervisor brought the employee to a hospital for treatment. Five days later the worker was terminated for allegedly working in an unsafe manner.

In addition to back wages, the suit is calling for disciplinary information to be removed from the worker’s file. The worker is not seeking reinstatement. The lawsuit also requests that the US Postal Service post whistleblower rights information at the mail distribution facility where the termination occurred.

pictUre thiS

Have Ladder, Will travel

Most drivers are distracted by their cell phones, but this motorist has moved this hazard several rungs up the

scale while dealing with the dual tasks of driving and trying to keep control of the long ladder being transported in entirely the wrong type of vehicle. Plenty of scenarios could play out here, none of them good. The driver could lose control of either the ladder or the vehicle, with terrible consequences, or the ladder could make contact with other stationary or moving objects, possibly turning into a lethal weapon as it kicked back into the driver’s path. The driver reportedly was riding the center line in an attempt to avoid having the ladder contact tree branches. (Naval Safety Center)

Seven StatiSticS

Winter tiredness

I f you find it harder to get out of bed at 6 a.m. in February than in June, you probably aren’t imagining things. Dr.

Michael Terman, a sleep disorder specialist at Columbia University Medical Center, says about 50 percent of North Americans feel foggy and dragged out for the first few hours after awakening in winter darkness. He says workers are more prone to making errors and suffering injuries while they are in this state of grogginess.

Here are seven statistics related to fatigue during the winter months:

1. Daily exposure to 30 to 90 minutes of blue or short wavelength light during dark winter mornings is as effective as taking antidepressant drugs in treating seasonal affective disorder, a form of depression that affects some people during the winter. (Daniel Kripke, Journal of Affective Disorders)

2. Exposure to sunlight increases your body’s production of serotonin, thereby brightening your mood. One way of getting more sun exposure is to park your vehicle as far as possible from work, stores, or other places, so that you are forced to walk in sunlight for a few minutes.

3. Here is one cause of insomnia that you may not have considered: Waking up at night and turning on a bright light, even for a short time, can make it difficult to return to sleep quickly. (Adam Fletcher, organizational psychologist and expert on fatigue and sleep loss)

4. Exercising after work has two benefits: It can reduce early evening tiredness during the winter months and it can also improve sleep quality. (National Health Service, UK)

5. Increasing consumption of these two things in your diet during the winter months will leave you feeling more alert and energetic: fruits and vegetables. (National Health Service, UK)

6. In the winter, when daylight hours are short, your body produces more melatonin, a hormone that makes people sleepy.

7. If you are feeling fatigued at the end of your work shift and need to drive home in cold weather, here is one thing you should know: Blasting the heat in your vehicle could lull you into an unintended sleep while you are behind the wheel.

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