january

Space Heaters: January 2023 Safety & Hygiene Corner

/ portagecsc

Q: Can our employees use space heaters at work?

A: It depends! Space heaters, AKA portable electric heaters, although not ideal, are often found in the work environments.  Some employers prohibit them, but if you decide to allow, there are a few things to keep in mind:

  1. Your local fire department may prohibit them, so check with your local Fire Marshall first
  2. They must be  approved by a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory  like UL or FM.

OSHA’s Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL) Program – Current List of NRTLs | Occupational Safety and Health Administration

  • They must be listed and labeled for commercial or industrial use (not listed for household use)
  • They should be located so that they cannot be easily overturned
  • If they tip over, they should automatically shut off
  • Because of the amount of electric current drawn by space heaters, they MUST be used only where they can be plugged directly into outlets – NO EXTENSION CORDS OR POWERSTRIPS
  • Must be 3 feet or more away from all combustibles
  • The room must be occupied, turn them off when they leave
  • They should be inspected frequently.  Check the outlet, check the plug and the heater itself.

That’s a lot of requirements, but if you allow them all must occur.  The NFPA has a lot of resources and fact sheets Safety with heating equipment | NFPA and don’t be afraid to call your local fire department or your State Fire Marshal.

It’s a good idea to share this information with your employees because it pertains to home usage as well.  Check out the https://dfs.dps.mo.gov/safetytips/space-heater-safety.php

Stay Warm and Safe!

*Brought to you by the Ohio BWC safety consultants.

January 2022 Newsletter

/ pcscmgr

Welcome to our monthly newsletter for January 2022!

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. Need to Know OSHA Recordkeeping Tips and Deadlines: Article by Safex.
  2. Oh, the weather outside is frightful – winter weather slips and falls: Article by Ohio BWC.
  3. Sharing the road with snowplows: Article by Family Safety & Health Magazine.
  4. Protect against the cold: Tips for employers and workers: Article by Safety + Health Magazine.
  5. How To Remove Snow From A Roof: Video by Ace Hardware.
  6. Ergo for Mechanics: January 2022 Safety & Hygiene Corner.
  7. Ohio BWC Distance Learning: January-March 2022.
  8. PCSC Podcasts: Our podcasts are available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pandora, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, iHeartRadio, Podbean, Stitcher, & TuneIn/Alexa! Access local & relevant workplace safety information right through your phone! Subscribe today!

PCSC NEWS:

  1. Ohio Safety Congress 2022: OSC22 will be online again this year and will take place March 9-10, 2022. Follow the link for more info.
  2. OSC22 Preview Podcast Series: We’re excited to announce that a handful of speakers will be joining us on our podcast to preview their OSC22 presentations! A new episode will be released every Monday starting January 24th until the week of the event. Simply search for the “Portage County Safety Council” on your favorite podcast app to listen any time.
  3. Workplace Wellness Month: January 2022 is our official workplace wellness month! We’ll be releasing a related podcast every week in January to help you promote health & wellness to your employees.
  4. Join today to level up in safety! 16 live virtual meetings with on-demand access, free access to 2 semi-annual statewide safety summits and more will be included in this year’s membership! IT’S NOT TOO LATE TO JOIN!!!

Closing Out Wellness Month

/ portagecsc

As we close out Wellness Month, we wanted to provide our members a list of free resources to them improve the health & wellness of their employees!

Wellness Month Podcasts:

Wellness Resources:

  • Engaging Your Workforce in Wellness: Engaging Your Workforce in Wellness is a 24-page toolkit promoting the benefits of employee health & wellness programs and providing employers with evidence-based strategies. 
  • Healthy Workers are Safer Workers Campaign: This campaign was created to help employers reduce workplace injuries by promoting worker health & wellness!The campaign page contains links to free campaign tools and relevant workplace wellness resources to help your company promote & improve worker health!
  • Workplace Wellness Podcast Library: The Portage County Safety Council has teamed up with other organizations to create several workplace wellness related podcasts. These podcasts are great resources of information and are perfect for company newsletters, team meeting icebreakers or toolbox talks! All of these podcast episodes are available not only through our website but also through your favorite podcast app such as iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, Podbean, & Stitcher! 
  • Health Talks: We teamed up with University Hospitals Portage Medical Center to create several podcast Health Talks to help employers promote worker health! These talks are straight to the point and are only 3-5 minutes – perfect to get health & wellness info on the go! Again, all of these podcast episodes are available not only through our website but also through your favorite podcast app such as iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, Podbean, & Stitcher!

January 2020 Newsletter

/ portagecsc

Welcome to our monthly newsletter for January 2020!

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!

WORKPLACE WELLNESS RESOURCES:

  1. Healthy Workers are Safer Workers (Live Campaign Launch). This is a live recording of our Healthy Workers are Safer Workers campaign launch at our monthly workplace safety luncheon on January 9, 2020. (10:17) Click here for the power point.
  2. Free Campaign Poster: View, download or print your own to display at your facility!
  3. Engaging Your Workers in Wellness: Free 24-page workplace wellness toolkit for employers by the PCSC!
  4. Mindfulness in the Workplace. We caught up with Jennifer Stefanak, Market Well-Being Partner at Mercy Health, to chat about mindfulness at work after her presentation at the Northeast Ohio Safety Expo! (12:08)
  5. Small Changes Can Make Big Improvements. We caught up with personal trainer, Lisa Kelleman-McClain, owner of Build A Body Personal Training LLC, at the 2019 SCSC Wellness Conference in Akron, to talk about workplace wellness! (10:02)

SAFETY RESOURCES:

  1. January’s Safety Update from the Ohio BWC Library. Each edition provides up-to-date news & safety information.
  2. Guarding eStop Buttons: January’s Safety & Hygiene Corner.
  3. OSHA’s Shifting Focus on Leading Indicators; A Leap Towards Innovation in Safety. Article by Ving!
  4. [Bonus Training] Mirror Neurons: Hardwired for Empathy (Live) Here’s an excerpt of a recent live training on mirror neurons from trainer Mike Thompson. Although the training is addressed to workers in social services, it’s relevant to all staff, especially those who provide one-on-one care, coaching or case management. We hope you enjoy this free bonus training! (12:56)
  5. PCSC Podcasts: Our podcasts are now available on iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, Podbean, & Stitcher! local & relevant workplace safety information right through your phone! Subscribe today!

PCSC NEWS:

  • Reports are due January 15th! All PCSC members are required to complete the 2019 Second Half Semi-Annual Report regardless of eligibility status. Please do so by the end of the day on Wednesday, January 15, 2020. Failure to do so may disqualify your company from the annual safety awards and rebate.
  • NEXT MEETING: Thursday, February 13, 2020, 11:30am-1:00pm. The topic will be Safety Crash Course – Part 1 [LOTO, PPE, Forklift/PIT, JHA/JSA], and it will be presented by the PCSC Steering Committee. RSVP deadline is 12pm on Monday, February 10th.
  • 5,000 Downloads! The PCSC Podcast has now been downloaded over 5,000 times! Thank you for listening & promoting! If you enjoy these podcast, please leave  aposiitve review on your favorite podcast app today!
  • Workplace Wellness Month Continues! Workplace Wellness month continue throughout January at the PCSC! We’ll be releasing a related podcast every Monday of the month.
  • Notice: March Meeting Date Change! Due to OSC 2020, our regularly scheduled March meeting will now be on March 5th, 2020. Please advise all staff planning to attend.

EXTERNAL TRAINING CREDIT OPPORTUNITIES

*Click here for ETC guidelines.

PROGRAM UPDATES:

  • 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.
  • Rebate Fact Sheet: Have a question regarding rebate requirements? Check out this fact sheet from the Ohio BWC.

January is Workplace Wellness Month

/ portagecsc

PCSC Members:

We’re teaming up with SCSC to promote workplace wellness throughout the month of January!

At our monthly meeting on Thursday, January 9, 2020, we’ll be officially launching our new Healthy Workers are Safer Workers Campaign which provides employers with free campaign tools and workplace wellness resources aimed at helping them improve worker health!

We’ll be giving away 100 free campaign posters to those in attendance! Click here to download a free electronic copy today!

In addition to the campaign launch, we’ll be publishing a new workplace wellness podcast every Monday throughout to month! Once released, these episodes will be available through all of our podcast channels on iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, Podbean, & Stitcher!

To learn more, click here to listen to the January is Workplace Wellness Month podcast announcement today!

 

Jan 9, 2020 – Reboot Your Health

/ portagecsc

Greetings Safety Council Members!

Our next meeting is Thursday, January 9, 2020, 11:30am-1:00pm, at the Ravenna Elks Club which is located at 776 N Freedom St in Ravenna. Sponsored By US Safety Gear

January is Workplace Wellness Month!!!

Our topic for this month is…

Reboot Your Health, presented by Dr. Aubree Jones, D.C., Peak Health & Wellness.

Dr. Aubree Jones is a native of Chautauqua County, New York. She graduated from Falconer Central school in 2008 and continued her studies at the University of Mount Union in Alliance, OH earning her Bachelors of Science in Exercise Physiology in 2012. Dr. Aubree then went on to earn her Doctorate in Chiropractic from New York Chiropractic College in 2016.                                                                                             

Please RSVP online no later than 12pm on Monday, January 6. Cash, credit cards and checks are accepted at the door. Please make your check payable to: “Portage County Safety Council.” Please note: $5 fee will be charge for walk-ins including members who do not RSVP by deadline, no shows will be invoiced. Invoicing at the door is no longer available.

CLICK HERE TO RSVP NOW

 

 

January 2019 Newsletter

/ portagecsc

Welcome to the 14th edition of our new 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. Episode 71 – Training Common Sense to Improve Winter Safety. Cari Gray, Safety Consultant for the Ohio BWC, shares why it’s important to train workers in what appears to be common sense during the winter weather season! (7:10)
  2. Episode 60 – Safety Talk: How to Avoid Slips, Trips & Falls in Winter Weather Conditions. Cari Gray, Safety Consultant Specialist for the Ohio BWC, called in to share some tips on how to avoid slips, trips & falls in winter conditions! (7:20)
  3. Episode 56 – Safety Blast: Winter Walking-Working Surfaces Standard. Cai Gray, Safety Consultant Specialist for the Ohio BWC, gives us a snapshot of OSHA’s walking-working surfaces standards in regards to inclement winter weather often experienced in Northeast Ohio and beyond! (2:19)
  4. January’s Safety Update from the Ohio BWC Library. Each edition provides up-to-date news & safety information.
  5. Is Your Internal Communications Plan Ready for a Crisis? Article provided by Ving!
  6. The Ohio BWC has launched their Be Safe Ohio website! BeSafeOhio.com provides relevant safety information for both home & work. This campaign focuses on 3 key areas: 1) Slips, trips & falls 2)Overexertion & 3)Safe Driving.
  7. 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:

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!

WINTER SAFETY:

  1. Episode 71 – Training Common Sense to Improve Winter Safety. Cari Gray, Safety Consultant for the Ohio BWC, shares why it’s important to train workers in what appears to be common sense during the winter weather season! (7:10)
  2. Episode 60 – Safety Talk: How to Avoid Slips, Trips & Falls in Winter Weather Conditions. Cari Gray, Safety Consultant Specialist for the Ohio BWC, called in to share some tips on how to avoid slips, trips & falls in winter conditions! (7:20)
  3. Episode 11 – How to Stay Safe Driving in the Winter. In this interview, Lori Cook, Traffic Safety Advisor for AAA East Central NEO joins us to discuss how to stay safe driving in winter weather. (13:11)
  4. Episode 10 – Safety Talk: Winter Driving Safety. Lori Cook, Traffic Safety Advisor for AAA East Central NEO shares how to stay safe on the road in the winter. (7:18) This episode would make a great tool box talk!
  5. Episode 9 – How to Prepare Your Vehicle for the Winter. Vince Stropko and Lori Cook of AAA East Central NEO join us on this Safety Chat to discuss how to prepare your vehicle(s) for the winter. (11:02)
  6. Episode 8 – Safety Talk: Winter Vehicle Prep. Vince Stropko, Approved Auto Repair Rep for AAA East Central NEO, provides tips on how to prep your vehicle for that frigid Northeast Ohio winter! (3:15) This episode would make a great tool box talk!