BWC

Tick Bite First Aid: June 2019 Safety & Hygiene Corner

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Question: What is the first aid for a tick bite?

Answer:   Most tick bites are painless and cause only minor signs and symptoms, such as redness, swelling or a sore on the skin. But some ticks transmit bacteria that cause illnesses, including Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever. In general, to transmit Lyme disease a tick needs to be attached for at least 36 hours. Other infections can be transferred in a few hours or even a few minutes says the Mayo Clinic.

First Aid:

  • Remove the tick promptly and carefully.Use fine-tipped forceps or tweezers to grasp the tick as close to your skin as possible. Gently pull out the tick using a slow and steady upward motion. Avoid twisting or squeezing the tick. Don’t handle the tick with bare hands. Experts don’t recommend using petroleum jelly, fingernail polish or a hot match to remove a tick.
  • If possible, seal the tick in a container.Put the container in a freezer. Your doctor may want to see the tick if you develop new symptoms.
  • Wash your hands and the bite site.Use warm water and soap, rubbing alcohol, or an iodine scrub.

When to seek emergency care: Call 911 or your local emergency number if you develop:

  • A severe headache
  • Difficulty breathing
  • Paralysis
  • Heart palpitations

When to contact your doctor

  • If you can’t completely remove the tick.
  • The rash gets bigger.
  • You develop flu-like signs and symptoms. You think the bite site is infected.  You think you were bitten by a deer tick.

 

Brought to you by Ohio BWC safety consultants.

June 13, 2019 – Drones-Commercial uses, Regulations and Best Practices

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Greetings Safety Council Members!

Our next meeting is Thursday, June 13, 2019, 11:30am-1:00pm, at the Ravenna Elks Club which is located at 776 N Freedom St in Ravenna.  The official meeting notice is attached. PLEASE NOTE: This will be our last monthly meeting of FY19 and last chance to earn an Attendance and/or CEO Credit!

Our topic for this month is…

Drones-Commercial uses, Regulations and Best Practices, presented by Josh Grappy, UAS Program Coordinator, Ohio BWC.

DESCRIPTION: This presentation discusses the various industries currently using drones for increased efficiency and safety.  Also discussed are the current FAA regulations required to operate commercially and the best practices involved to ensure safe operation.  Additional topics include how BWC is using drones and the types of assistance they can provide to Ohio employers interested in creating their own drone program.

SPEAKER: Josh oversees the Unmanned Aircraft Systems program for the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation. The UAS program uses drones to document catastrophic workplace accidents investigated by the Safety Violations Investigation Unit. Additionally, the program provides information to Ohio employers on how to implement UAS within their own businesses in a safe and responsible way. Josh also works as a Digital Forensic Analyst within the Special Investigations Department and is a 17 year BWC employee.

This training is ideal for safety managers!

Come enjoy a delicious meal catered by “Guido’s”. Cost for lunch is still just $15/person for members and $20 for non-members. ($5 fee will be charge for walk-ins including members who do not RSVP by deadline). Please note: no shows will be invoiced.

Please RSVP no later than 12pm on Monday, June 10, 2019.

CLICK HERE TO RSVP NOW

Please make your check payable to: “Portage County Safety Council.” Cost for lunch is still just $15/person for members and $20 for non-members (there’s a $5 fee for walk-ins including members who do not RSVP by deadline).

This Meeting is Sponsored By

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May 2019 Stand-Down Training Events by the Ohio BWC

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Please Note: these are not PCSC sponsored events but they do qualify for 1 external training credit for PCSC members.

Click here to view in a Word doc.

Learn fall protection and prevention! Attend a BWC stand-down event

In 2017, there were 971 construction fatalities nationwide; 366 of them resulted from falls from elevation.

Additionally, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) again lists fall protection in construction as its most frequently cited standard.

To raise awareness and reduce injuries and fatalities, OSHA promotes its annual National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls. The stand-down encourages employers across the nation to hold events in conjunction with the multi-day event, May 6-10 this year. As always, the stand-down encourages employers to pause during their workday for topic discussions, safety demonstrations, and trainings in hazard recognition and fall prevention.

We have scheduled four FREE training events open to the public during the week of the stand-down. We’ve listed information for each below.

 

Garfield Heights event

  • When: 8 a.m. to Noon May 7
  • Where: BWC’s Garfield Heights Service Office – 4800 E. 131st, Garfield Heights, OH 44131
  • Event details: Presentations by experts from T. Allen Incorporated, The Albert M. Higley Co., Werner Ladder, Honeywell and the Cleveland OSHA Area Office
  • Register: Visit the BWC Learning Center and enter Stand-Down Event in the search field then enroll for the Garfield Heights event.

 

Mansfield event

  • When: 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. May 7
  • Where: MHS Industrial Supply – 70 Sawyer Parkway, Mansfield, OH 44903
  • Event details: Presentation by experts from FallTech; co-hosted by MHS Industrial Supply
  • Register: Visit the BWC Learning Center and enter Stand-Down Event in the search field then enroll for the Mansfield event.

 

Pickerington event

  • When: 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. May 10
  • Where: BWC’s Ohio Center for Occupational Safety and Health – 13430 Yarmouth Drive, Pickerington, OH 43147
  • Event details: Presentations by experts from Guardian Fall Protection with Pure Safety, LBJ Inc. and the Columbus OSHA Area Office
  • Register: Visit the BWC Learning Center and enter Stand-Down Event in the search field then enroll for the Pickerington event.

 

Youngstown event

  • When: 7:30 – 9 a.m. May 7
  • Where: Boak & Sons, Incorporated – 75 Victoria Road, Austintown, OH 44515
  • Event details: Presentation by experts from 3M and a drop demonstration truck; co-hosted by Boak & Sons, Incorporated
  • Register: Email David Costantino or call 330-301-5825; email David Loughner or call 216-538-9720

We may add more events in the coming weeks. Also, don’t forget the BWC Library offers an extensive collection of audiovisual materials related to fall hazards and fall prevention. Additionally, we offer year-round classes throughout Ohio to address fall protection requirements.

It’s not too late for your company or organization to plan a stand-down event. We’re here if you need help planning your activity. Just call 1-800-644-6292 for assistance.

 

 

 

May 2019 ‘Stand-Down to Prevent Falls’ Challenge

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What: In honor of OSHA’s “National Stand‐down to Prevent Falls” the BWC Canton/Cambridge Service Offices are hosting a Safety Council Challenge. We want to encourage every Safety Council member to perform safety training on preventing falls.

It’s easy. Training materials are linked below (or you can use your own) and all you need to do is:

  1. Perform the training to as many employees as possible (but 100% is not required to participate in this challenge)
  2. Document your attendance (keep it for your own records) and
  3. Submit the information (Click here for the form) to your safety council by Monday, June 3, 2019.
  • When: The entire month of May
  • Who: Every Profession – Industry, Healthcare, Construction, Service or any others
  • Where: Your own facility or in the field at your jobsite
  • Why: Falls are the number one reason for fatalities in Construction, but it doesn’t stop there. Every employer has a risk of employees slipping, tripping or falling. It may be the Ohio weather or the fact that all employees walk at some point during the work day. The risk is there, so the Safety Council challenge is for you to “stand‐down” and talk about it. Any employer can hold a stand‐down by taking a break to focus on “Fall Hazards” in your specific workplace and reinforcing the importance of “Fall Prevention”. It’s an opportunity for employers to have a conversation with employees about hazards, protective methods, and the company’s safety policies and goals. It can also be an opportunity for employees to talk to management about fall hazards they see.

The council with the highest member participation percentage will be presented with an award at a regular meeting!

Links to more information, training materials, training events, resources & more!

 

 

April 2019 Newsletter

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Welcome to the 17th edition of our monthly newsletter!

Our goal for the newsletter is to connect our members to relevant safety resources, all linked together in one convenient location every month. We hope you find this resource useful and valuable!

Please share with your colleagues!

SAFETY RESOURCES:

  1. Using Virtual Reality to Improve Safety. Can virtual reality help improve workplace safety? Eric Irwin, Founder of Speculr thinks so! We caught up with him at the 2019 Ohio Safety Congress in Columbus to discuss how he’s using virtual reality technology to help companies improve their safety performance! (11:52)
  2. Exoskeletons & Ergonomic Risk Reduction.Is Sci-Fi coming to life to help improve workplace safety? We caught up with Jason Gillette, Ph.D., Associate Professor at Iowa State University, at the 2019 Ohio Safety Congress in Columbus to discuss how exoskeletons can help reduce ergonomic risks at work! (9:10)
  3. Confined Spaces. We caught up with Glenn McGinley before his presentation at the Northeast Ohio Safety Expo to chat about confined spaces! Glenn is the Director of the Public Employment Risk Reduction Program (PERRP) at The Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation. (14:32)
  4. Crisis Communications (Live Training). This episode is a live recording of our monthly workplace safety luncheon on Feb. 14, 2019. The topic was Crisis Communications & Crisis Management and it was presented by Thom Fladung, Managing Partner at Hennes Communications. (47:20)
  5. April’s Safety Update from the Ohio BWC Library. Each edition provides up-to-date news & safety information.
  6. Tornado Safety from Ready.gov.
  7. Tornado Safety Checklist from the Red Cross.
  8. Emergency Action Plan Checklist from OSHA.
  9. Protecting Yourself While Removing Post-Disaster Debris From Your Home or Business. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)
  10. PCSC Podcasts: Our podcasts are now available on iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, Podbean, & Stitcher! Access local & relevant workplace safety information right through your phone! Subscribe today!

PCSC NEWS:

  • NEXT MEETING: Thursday, May 9, 2019, 11:30am-1:00pm. This meeting will be our Annual Safety Awards & CEO Day! Our keynote speaker will be Coach Frank Hall, Chardon Schools & The Coach Hall Foundation. . RSVP deadline is 12pm on Monday, May 6th.
  • The PCSC is a 2018 Safety Council of the Year Finalist! Out of 82 Ohio Safety Councils, the PCSC is ranked in the top 14! We’ll find out more next month! Keep your fingers crossed we place in the top 3!
  • The Portage County Safety Council Podcast has published over 1,000 minutes (or 17 hours) of workplace safety & health content!
  • New Podcast Archives! We’re excited to announce that new free PCSC Podcast archives are now available on our website under the “Podcasts” tab! You can now easily search for podcasts by topic, format or episode number. 

EXTERNAL TRAINING CREDIT OPPORTUNITIES:
Please Note: these are not PCSC sponsored events but do qualify for 1 external training credit for PCSC members.

PROGRAM UPDATES:

  • BWC Updates: These are the power points presented by BWC Representative Nic Coia at our monthly meetings.
  • Monthly Meeting Power Points. We post them on our website after the presenters send them to us and give us permission to publish. If the speaker provides additional info, we’ll post it there as well.
  • External Training Credit Opportunities: We post them on our blog as outside organizations send them to us. A maximum of 2 external training credits are allowed per program year to help members earn the 10 minimum attendance credits required by the rebate. Please Note: ETC certificates of completion must be submitted by June 30 every year in order to qualify. Click here for ETC guidelines.
  • Rebate Participation Spreadsheet. Rebate eligible members can review how close they are to fulfilling the minimum rebate eligibility requirements by reviewing the Participation Spreadsheet which is typically updated on a monthly basis. Please Note: new monthly updates for FY19 are currently available!