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May 2022 Newsletter

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Welcome to our monthly newsletter for May 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. The Real Reason Employees Hate Safety Programs: Article by Safeopedia.
  2. Heat Stress Toolbox Talk: A short video by Ally Safety. (7:25)
  3. Stay Cool! Article by Ohio BWC.
  4. Leading vs. Lagging Indicators: [Audio] Justin Deflumeri, MS, GSP, Owner of Optimal Safety Inspections, joined us to chat about leading vs.lagging indicators. Justin also shares fun stories on how he often makes safety fun and more engaging. (23:38)
  5. ANSI/ISEA standard on workplace first aid kits gets update: Article by Safety + Health Magazine.
  6. OSHA Heat Stress Standard: May 2022 Safety & Hygiene Corner.
  7. Don’t saw off safety: Safety Tips by Safety + Health Magazine.
  8. Ohio BWC Distance Learning: March-June 2022.
  9. 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. The Rebate is Back!!! Renew or enroll by July 31st to qualify for the rebate. Click here to learn how to join now or here for rebate qualifications.
  2. In-Person Meetings/Luncheons Restart July 14th! Starting July 14, 2022, the Portage County Safety Council will meet in-person every second Thursday, 11:30am-1:00pm, at The Ravenna Elks, located at 776 E. Freedom St in Ravenna, OH. Lunch will be $20 for members, $25 for non-members.
  3. FY23 In-Person Sponsorships are Now Available! Sponsorship of a Portage County Safety Council meeting is a cost-effective way to get your business noticed! Follow the link for more info.
  4. Next Virtual Meeting – May 26, 2022: Machine Guarding: Back to the Basics, presented by Brian Basbagill, CSP, Senior Consultant, Safex. Sponsored by Metis Construction.

Mental Health Awareness Resources:

  1. Free Campaign Poster: Feel free to download, print and display at your workplace! The poster is 11×17 and in PDF.
  2. Mental Health Resource Guide: Provided by the Mental Health & Recovery Board of Portage County, this is a comprehensive guide to local mental health resources.
  3. Community Resource Guide: Provided by Portage County Jobs & Family Services, this is a comprehensive guide to local community resources that includes other services such as food, housing, clothing, basic needs and emergency type services, etc.
  4. Local Mental Health Fact Sheets: A list of community resources & facts sheets provided by the Mental Health & Recovery Board of Portage County.
  5. Let’s Talk About PTSD. Kelly Younkins, a Clinical Consultant and a Clinical Supervisor for Family & Community Services, Inc., joined us to talk about PTSD for Mental Health Awareness Month. (37:20)
  6. Let’s Talk About Suicide. Katie Cretella, Director of Clinical Services, Trumbull County Mental Health & Recovery Board, joined us to talk about suicide for Mental Health Awareness Month. (23:30)

OSHA Heat Stress Standard: May 2022 Safety & Hygiene Corner

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Q: Does OSHA currently have a heat stress standard?

A: Not at this time, but they will use the General Duty Clause to issue citations.

On October 27, 2021, OSHA published an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) for Heat Injury and Illness Prevention in Outdoor and Indoor Work Settings in the Federal Register. With this publication, OSHA is beginning the rulemaking process to consider a heat-specific workplace standard. A standard specific to heat-related injury and illness prevention would more clearly set forth employer obligations and the measures necessary to more effectively protect employees from hazardous heat. The ultimate goal is to prevent and reduce the number of occupational injuries, illnesses, and fatalities caused by exposure to hazardous heat.

The publication of the ANPRM initiated a public comment period allowing OSHA to gather information, diverse perspectives and technical expertise on issues that might be considered in developing a heat standard. These issues include the scope of a standard, heat stress thresholds for workers across various industries, heat acclimatization planning, and heat exposure monitoring, as well as the nature, types, and effectiveness of controls that may be required as part of a standard.

The publication of this ANPRM has no impact on OSHA’s current enforcement policies.

*Brought to you by the Ohio BWC safety consultants.

May 2021 Newsletter

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Welcome to our monthly newsletter for May 2021!

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. Recharge Your Workers’ Compensation Program (Live). This is a live recording of our Virtual Safety Council meeting on Thursday, February 25, 2021. The topic was Recharge Your Workers’ Compensation Program  and it was presented by Debbie O’Connell &  Wendy Sergent, Regional Managers, 1-888-OhioComp. This presentation contains information on Ohio BWC incentive programs.  Video
  2. [Safety Talk] Floods. Here’s some safety tips from Ready.gov on how to prepare for and what to do during a flood! (5:11)
  3. [Safety Blast] Hydroplaning. Lori Cook, Traffic Safety Advisor for AAA East Central NEO gives us a few tips on how to prevent hydroplaning! (2:05) 
  4. JSA & JHA Basics (Live). This is a live recording of the 4th of 4 Safety Crash Course – Part 1 presentations at our monthly workplace safety luncheon on February 13, 2020. The topic was JSA & JHA Basics and it was presented by Debbie O’Connell, Regional Account Manager, 1-888-OhioComp. Click here to view the power point. (11:41)
  5. Fall Protection Interview. Nic Coia interviews Eric White, Construction Safety Consultant for the Ohio BWC, for an in-depth conversation on fall protection! (15:09)
  6. May 19, 2021 – Free Hearing Screening. Provided by UH Portage Medical Center
  7. Certified Respirators: May Safety & Hygiene Corner.
  8. Ohio BWC Distance Learning in May 2021
  9. 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. FY22 Update: The Ohio BWC has decided to extend the virtual Ohio Safety Council program for another year. This means there will be no rebate for FY22. In addition, the CY2021 semi-annual reports and CEO attendance will no longer be required.
  2. FY22 Renewal Notice: 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! Renew today to LEVEL UP IN SAFETY!
  3. May 27, 2021 – Reducing the Risk of Accidents Through Effective Fleet Safety Controls, presented by Timothy Brewster, Director, Loss Prevention & Recovery Unit, National Interstate Insurance Company.

MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS MONTH RESOURCES:

  1. How Stress Affects the Body. Video] Dr. Aubree Brachna of Peak Family Chiropractic in Akron, OH, joined us to talk about how stress affects the body! (54:08)
  2. When to Know You Need Help. [Video] Jennifer Parmenter, Clinical Counseling Supervisor at Family & Community Services, joined us to talk about how stress is affecting us since the pandemic. She also gives us advice on when to know we need help beyond self-care and our personal support systems. (45:37)
  3. How to Talk to Employees About Stress. [Video] Stress at work during COVID-19 is at an all-time high! Nearly half of our members said stress likely causes them to occasionally work unsafely and well over half (59%) said their companies rarely or never talk about it to employees. Luci Payne and Barb Furst of IMPACT Solutions joined us to discuss how we can talk to employees about stress. (46:10)
  4. Dealing with Stress at Work Since COVID-19. [Video] Clinical Consultant, Kelly Bako Younkins, joined us to talk about dealing with stress at work since COVID-19. (58:41)
  5. How Stressed are Your Employees? [Video] To get an idea of how stressed local employees have been since COVID-19, the Portage County Safety Council surveyed its members in late October 2020. In this video, we discuss the eye-opening but not surprising results. (19:40) Power Point.

COVID-19 RESOURCES:

  1. OSHA’s COVID-19 F.A.Q.’s
  2. Ohio Dept of Health COVID-19 Dashboard
  3. Portage County Health District’s COVID-19 Page
  4. CDC COVID-19 Page
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Certified Respirators: May 2021 Safety & Hygiene Corner

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Question: How do you know if your respirators, including those intended for use in healthcare settings, are certified by the CDC/NIOSH?

Answer: NIOSH-approved respirators have an approval label on or within the packaging of the respirator (i.e. on the box itself and/or within the users’ instructions). Additionally, an abbreviated approval is on the filtering facepiece respirator (FFR) itself. You can verify the approval number on the NIOSH Certified Equipment List (CEL) or the NIOSH Trusted-Source page to determine if the respirator has been approved by NIOSH. NIOSH-approved FFRs will always have one the following designations: N95, N99, N100, R95, R99, R100, P95, P99, P100.

Signs that a respirator may be counterfeit:

  • No markings at all on the filtering facepiece respirator
  • No approval (TC) number on filtering facepiece respirator or headband
  • No NIOSH markings
  • NIOSH spelled incorrectly
  • Presence of decorative fabric or other decorative add-ons (e.g., sequins)
  • Claims for the of approval for children (NIOSH does not approve any type of respiratory protection for children)
  • Filtering facepiece respirator has ear loops instead of headbands

*Provided by the Ohio BWC safety consultants.

May 2020 Newsletter

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Welcome to our monthly newsletter for May 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!

SAFETY RESOURCES:

  1. [Safety Crash Course] Bloodborne Pathogens (Live). This is a live recording of the 1st of 3 Safety Crash Course – Part 2 presentations at our monthly workplace safety luncheon on March 5, 2020. The topic was Bloodborne Pathogens Basics and it was presented by Brenda Allen, Certified Trainer, Swift First Aid. (14:56)
  2. [Safety Talk] Thunderstorms & Lightening. Here’s some safety tips from Ready.gov on what to do during thunderstorms & lightening! (3:25)
  3. [Safety Talk] Floods. Here’s some safety tips from Ready.gov on how to prepare for and what to do during a flood! (5:11)
  4. [Safety Talk] Power Outages. Here’s some safety tips from Ready.gov on how to prepare for and what to do during a power outage! (4:33)
  5. May’s Safety Update from the Ohio BWC Library. Each edition provides up-to-date news & safety information.
  6. First Aid Response Times: May’s Safety & Hygiene Corner.
  7. PCSC Podcasts: Our podcasts are now available on iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, Podbean, Stitcher & You Tube! local & relevant workplace safety information right through your phone! Subscribe today!

PCSC NEWS:

  1. FY20 Refund Notice: Deadline to respond is June 1, 2020. Any unclaimed refunds will be adsorbed back into the PCSC to support future programming. Follow link for more info.
  2. Get Outside campaign posters (11×17) & flyers (8.5×11) by Portage Parks have been downloaded well over 300 times! Follow links to download and print your own!
  3. COVID-19 Program Updates: The latest program updates from the PCSC as a result of COVID-19. More info coming soon!
  4. Event Cancellations: All PCSC events have been cancelled through June 2020.

WORKPLACE WELLNESS:

  1. Overcoming Loneliness During COVID-19. According to the U.S. Health Resources & Services Administration, “loneliness and social isolation can be as damaging to health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day!” As the COVID-19 crisis continues, we asked Jennifer Parmenter, Clinical Counseling Supervisor at Family & Community Services, Inc., in Kent, OH, to call in to give us some tips on how to overcome loneliness & avoid its deadly consequences! (56:32)
  2. How to Take Care of Your Mental Health During COVID-19. Jennifer Parmenter, Clinical Counseling Supervisor at Family & Community Services, Inc., in Kent, OH, called in to give us some tips on how to take care of ourselves and our mental health during the COVID-19 crisis! (28:37)
  3. Staying Active at Home During the Lockdown. Leslee Keegan of I’m Power Fitness Center in Ravenna, OH, called in to give us tips on how to stay active at home during the COVID-19 lockdown! Check out her Facebook page for more info today! (12:31)
  4. How Stress Affects Workplace Safety. Is stress really a safety concern? In this episode, Mike & Nic chat about stress before & during the COVID-19 pandemic and how it significantly impacts your workforce, even in regards to safety! (22:52)

GET OUTSIDE CAMPAIGN:

 

 

First Aid Response Times: May’s Safety & Hygiene Corner

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Question: What is OSHA’s current interpretation of the response times for first aid in response to life-threatening bleeding, including active shooter incidents?

Answer: OSHA’s current interpretations of the response times for first aid in response to life-threatening bleeding are addressed in letters of interpretation. These letters state in part:

In workplaces where serious accidents such as those involving falls, suffocation, electrocution, or amputation are possible, emergency medical services must be available within 3-4 minutes, if there is no employee on the site who is trained to render first aid…While the standards do not prescribe a number of minutes, OSHA has long interpreted the term “near proximity” to mean that emergency care must be available within no more than 3-4 minutes from the workplace, an interpretation that has been upheld by the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission and by federal courts…The basic purpose of these [first aid] standards is to assure that adequate first aid is available in the critical minutes between the occurrence of an injury and the availability of physician or hospital care for the injured employee… Medical literature establishes that, for serious injuries such as those involving stopped breathing, cardiac arrest, or uncontrolled bleeding, first aid treatment must be provided within the first few minutes to avoid permanent medical impairment or death…

These time limits are maximums. OSHA does not prohibit but encourages shorter response times when feasible. In order for OSHA standards to more comprehensively address response times to uncontrolled bleeding, it would entail a notice of proposed rulemaking and comment effort.

These recommendations are consistent with the National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA) Standard 1710, Standard for the Organization and Deployment of Fire Suppression Operations, Emergency Medical Operations, and Special Operations to the Public by Career Fire Departments. This standard requires that emergency medical services ideally respond within one minute of turnout, that first responders take 4 minutes to get to the scene, and that other units should arrive within 8 minutes.

*Provided by the Ohio BWC safety consultants.

1st Place – May 2019 Stand Down for Safety Challenge!

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The Portage County Safety Council took 1st place in the 2019 regional safety council “Stand Down for Safety” Challenge!

23.9% of PCSC member companies participated resulting in 10,587 individuals trained in the month of May!

A special thank you to Keith Greathouse (pictured far right) from the Ohio BWC Canton Service Office and Bridgette Frank (pictured far left) from the OSHA Cleveland Area office for hosting this contest and joining us in July to celebrate!

Winner - May Stand Down Challenge 7-11-19

 

May 2019 Newsletter

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Welcome to our monthly newsletter for May 2019!

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. Confined Space Rescue Plan. Is 911 your only confined space rescue plan? If so, this episode is a must for you! Pat McCon joins Nic to talk about the importance of having a confined spaces rescue plan! Pat advises companies not to assume your local fire dept can help in the case of a confined space emergency. For more insight, listen today! (9:11)
  2. Drugs in the Workplace. Dr. Amanda Burke, Prevention Specialist at Townhall II, stayed over with us after her presentation to chat about drugs in the workplace! (15:27)
  3. Interview with Dr. Don Maple. We caught up with Dr. Don Maple of Corporate Health Testing at the Portage County Workplace Health & Safety Expo to chat about safety issues he commonly sees at facilities across the state! (4:38)
  4. May’s Safety Update from the Ohio BWC Library. Each edition provides up-to-date news & safety information.
  5. How Drone Safety Technology Can Improve Safety. Article provided by Ving!
  6. Health Talk: The Power of Mindful Eating. In this month’s Health Talk, Mindy Gusz, Community Outreach Coordinator at University Hospitals Portage Medical Center, shares about the power of mindful eating! (3:35)
  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:

  • NEXT MEETING: Thursday, June 13, 2019, 11:30am-1:00pm. The topic will be Drones-Commercial uses, Regulations and Best Practices, presented by Josh Grappy, UAS Program Coordinator, Ohio BWC. . RSVP deadline is 12pm on Monday, June 10th.
  • The PCSC won Honorable Mention – 2018 Safety Council of the Year! Out of 82 Ohio Safety Councils, the PCSC was ranked 7th!
  • FY19 Ends on June 30, 2019! All membership dues and prepaid lunch options should be renewed prior to July’s luncheon.
  • External Training Credit Deadline is Monday, June 24, 2019! Anyone seeking to use an external training credit to meet the 10 minimum attendance credits must submit the certificate of completion no late than 6/24/19 in order to qualify for credit.
  • FY20 starts July 1, 2019! Members enrolling for the first time must submit Enrollment Form by July 31, 2019, in order to qualify for FY20 rebate program.

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!