safety

2024 Safety Award Winners

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We’re excited to announce our 2024 Portage County Safety Award Winners!

We’ll be celebrating and honoring our winners at our next luncheon on Thursday, May 9, 2024, 11:30am-1:00pm, at the Ravenna Elks. Click here to register to attend.

2024 Safety Champion – Renee Onesti, Director of Operations, Kent Elastomer Products: Renee Onesti has continually promoted workplace safety well beyond her daily tasks & job description. She has served on the Portage County Steering Committee for over 15 years helping to develop, coordinate, and facilitate literally hundreds of training events throughout Portage County, including multiple county-wide workplace health & safety expos.  She collaborates with other safety professionals to help solve safety issues beyond the four walls of her company.  She has spoken many times to improve safety, including on the main stage at the Ohio Safety Congress and Expo in Columbus, the largest free safety event in the nation.  A safety champion is one who goes above and beyond the call of duty to promote safety. Renee exemplifies what it means to be a safety champion!

2024 Safety Improvement Award – Diane Conner, Safety Manager, Miller Transfer and Rigging: Diane Conner has been instrumental in elevating the Safety Department and overall safety culture at Miller Transfer and Rigging since she arrived 2 years ago. Diane has created a collaborative and accountable safety department that has improved the company’s overall corporate culture. Last year (2023) preventable Accidents significantly decreased and overall CSA score (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Scorecard) improved by 11%. Accident frequency based on miles driven and total accidents were down 40% vs last year. As a result of Diane’s hard work, Miller Transfer and Rigging was recognized by the SC&RA for these great safety accomplishments.

2024 Safety Innovation Award – The Pyrotek Aurora Plant Safety Team: After noticing that only 5% of employees actually participated in safety or recognized risks. The local Pyrotek plant in Aurora rolled out a new safety program called Find It – Fix It. The program allows employees that find a safety issue to fix it themselves. Once a safety issue is discovered, a member of the Safety Team will verify the hazard and confirm that it was fixed by the employee. FiFI reports are reviewed monthly and the most impactful fix is recognized. In 9 months, participation rate is over 70%, they’ve seen a reduction in maintenance request & labor costs, and over 250 safety issues have been found and fixed by employees. As a result of the Aurora plant’s success, Pyrotek corporation is now in the process of rolling out their Find It – Fix It program at their other locations.

2024 Community Safety Award – The Portage County EMA: Through their Site Assisted Visit (SAV) program, the LEPC visits businesses in Portage County that report annually in compliance with EPCRA. This program has identified many chemical improvements and reporting corrections (both favorable and unfavorable to the business). It provides insight to first responders on the facility type, capabilities, the location, and potential severity of hazardous chemicals. In a typical year the LEPC visits four to eight companies within Portage County to ensure compliance, readiness and help improve the company’s own safety plans. Through this program there have been improvements in employee safety, preparedness for first responders and prevention of environmental incidents.Ryan Shackelford and his team deserve all the credit for developing this program and not only providing all the benefits listed above for Portage County, but also for developing a program that has worked so well that is has been adopted by several other counties within Ohio and a few LEPC’s from other States.

5 Safety Tips for the 2024 Solar Eclipse

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Witnessing a solar eclipse can be an incredible experience, but it’s crucial to prioritize safety. Here are five safety tips for the 2024 solar eclipse:

  1. Use certified solar viewing glasses: Never look directly at the sun without proper eye protection, even during an eclipse. Purchase ISO-certified solar viewing glasses from reputable vendors to protect your eyes from harmful solar radiation. Regular sunglasses are not sufficient for viewing the sun.
  2. Avoid looking at the sun through unfiltered cameras or telescopes: Using cameras, binoculars, or telescopes without proper solar filters can cause serious eye damage or blindness. If you want to capture the eclipse, make sure to attach a solar filter to your camera lens or telescope.
  3. Beware of traffic and crowds: Solar eclipses often attract large crowds of spectators, leading to traffic congestion and crowded viewing areas. Plan your travel and arrival time accordingly to avoid getting stuck in traffic jams or overwhelmed by crowds. Consider arriving at your chosen viewing location early to secure a good spot and minimize stress.
  4. Plan ahead, arrive early, and top-off your fuel tank: Expect large crowds and potential traffic congestion at popular viewing locations. Plan your travel route in advance, and arrive early to secure a good viewing spot. Consider alternative viewing locations away from major cities to avoid overcrowding. Top-off your fuel tank just in case you get stuck in traffic.
  5. Have a communication plan: Establish a communication plan with loved ones in case there are cell phone service disruptions, etc.  Ensure everyone knows how to reach each other and where to meet up if necessary. Keep your cell phone charged and consider bringing a portable charger to stay connected throughout the day.

By following these safety tips, you can make the most of your experience witnessing the 2024 solar eclipse while prioritizing your well-being and the well-being of those around you.

The All-New Annual Safety Awards!

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Every year the Portage County Safety Council will recognize a few individuals, teams, programs, projects and/or organizations that go above & beyond to improve safety! 

The all-new Safety Awards program will be held annually at our May luncheon. Nominees must be either employed by a Portage County Safety Council member organization or work in Portage County.

Awards will be considered in the following categories:

  1. SAFETY CHAMPION:  An individual who goes above and beyond their typical work duties to improve and to promote workplace safety beyond their organization.
  • SAFETY IMPROVEMENT:  An individual, team, program, project, or organization that has made a significant improvement to their organization’s safety performance or has significantly contributed to the improved safety performance of others.
  • SAFETY INNOVATION:  An individual, team, program, project, or organization that has created new practical safety measures (tools, PPE, equipment, processes, procedures, etc.) that has improved or enhanced workplace safety.

NOMINATIONS: To nominate an individual, team, program, project, or organization for one of the safety awards mentioned above, please complete this online Safety Awards Nomination Form prior to Friday, March 22nd, 2024.

DEADLINE: Friday, March 22, 2024.

CEREMONY DATE/LOCATION: May 9, 2024, 11:30am-1:00pm, at the Ravenna Elks.

*All awards are subject to change

January 30, 2024 – OSHA Recordkeeping Workshop

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Changes are coming in January 2024

With the current online reporting requirement, it is more important than ever to have your OSHA 300 log accurate. Those responsible for creating, updating and signing the OSHA Recordkeeping documents should join us. Public employers who fall under PERRP requirements will obtain valuable knowledge about logs and submission as well.

Objectives:

  • Review of OSHA recordkeeping requirements for workplace injuries and illnesses;
  • Examine the correct use of the OSHA recordkeeping forms;
  • Demonstrate how to complete the OSHA 300 Log
  • Discuss OSHA online reporting rule and how to comply (with new 2024 changes)

Details:

  • Tuesday, January 30, 2024
  • Our Lady of the Cedars, 507 S. Cleveland Massillon Rd., Fairlawn OH 44333
  • Registration and breakfast begin at 8:30 AM
  • Workshop begins at 9:00 – 11:30 AM
  • Costs: $23.00

This event qualifies as a regular meeting credit for members of the five sponsoring safety councils. Members of other safety councils may receive an external training credit. Fulfills the two-hour training requirement for Group-Experience Rating Program or Group-Retrospective Rating Program. Certificates will be provided.

Click here for more information or to register.

This event is hosted by the Safety Councils of Summit, Stark, Green, Medina and Portage counties.

Space Heaters: January 2023 Safety & Hygiene Corner

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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.

Celebrating 2022

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Hello Everyone!


As many of you know, every year at this time I like to reflect on the year coming to an end and celebrate everything we have accomplished together as a safety council. Once again I was blown away!

Thank you for your continued participation and support of our safety council. I hope as you review the highlights below, you will be just as excited as I was. I am truly thankful for each and every one of you and look forward to another great year in 2023!

2022 HIGHLIGHTS

TRAINING EVENTS

  • We hosted 16 total training events in 2022!
  • 9 virtual training events.
  • 6 monthly in-person luncheons.
  • Hosted a two-day OSHA 10 General Industry in-person training in October where 34 participants completed the training receiving their OSHA 10 card.

PODCASTS

  • 42 episodes were published in 2022, totaling 13.62 hours (817m) of original workplace safety content. 
  • We partnered with the Ohio Safety Congress and the NE Ohio Safety Expo for the first time ever to create & publish Podcast Previews with their speakers. As a result, we were able to interview best selling authors, national level speakers and university professors from all over the nation. 
  • All time stats: 270 episodes published, totaling 75.98 hours (4,559m) of original workplace safety & health content, downloaded in over 55 nations!

VIDEO CONTENT

  • Published 20 workplace safety related videos that are available on our YouTube channel and website.
  • 6,623 watch time minutes on YouTube.

EXTRACURRICULAR

  • Mental Health Awareness Campaign: In the spring, we collaborated with Family & Community Services, Kelly Younkins Clinical Consultant & Trumbull County Mental Health & Recovery Board to create & promote our very first official Mental Health Awareness campaign for Mental Health Awareness Month in May.
  • Holiday Food Drive: We hosted a holiday food drive at our December luncheon to help those in need. All the non-perishable food donations went to the Center of Hope food pantry in Ravenna. 

We hope you all have a great, safe & happy New Year!

December 2022 Newsletter

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Welcome to our monthly newsletter for December 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. Hazard vs. Risk Assessment: What’s the difference? We caught up with Mark Eitzman, Safety and Project Manager at Integrated Mill Systems, for a post-presentation interview after this month’s workplace safety luncheon. Mark did a great job as always, presenting on Staying Safe Around Automation. (8:46)
  2. [Safety Blast] Christmas Driving Safety Tips: Lori Cook, Traffic Safety Advisor for AAA East Central NEO gives us some tips on how to stay safe driving for Christmas! (4:15)
  3. [Safety Blast] Driving Safe on New Years! Lori Cook, Traffic Safety Advisor for AAA East Central NEO, reminds us to drive safe when celebrating New Years! (3:58)
  4. Working Safely from Elevated Heights: Article by Incident Prevention.
  5. Cold Weather Safety: A short video by Ally Safety. (5:57)
  6. Sign Blindness Is Real – Here’s What You Can Do About It: Article by Safeopedia.
  7. BLS: On-the-job deaths jump 8.9% in 2021, again rising above 5,000: Article by Safety + Health Magazine.
  8. Loading/Uploading Wheels: December 2022 Safety & Hygiene Corner.
  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. Next In-Person Meeting: January 12, 2023 – OSHA Recordkeeping: Are you ready to post and submit your logs online? Presented by Cari Gray, Industrial Safety Consultant, Ohio BWC.,11:30am-1:00pm, at The Ravenna Elks, located at 776 N. Freedom St in Ravenna, OH. Lunch is $20 for members, $25 for non-member
  2. Only 1 FY23 Sponsorship is Still Available! Sponsorship of a Portage County Safety Council meeting is a cost-effective way to get your business noticed! Only 1 is still available through June 2023. Follow the link for more info.

COMMUNITY NEWS:

  • [Community Spotlight] US Safety Gear Opens in Streetsboro: One of our sponsors, US Safety Gear, hosted a grand opening for their new retail store in Streetsboro, OH. We were honored to participate in the ribbon cutting ceremony with two other safety council members! Afterwards, we caught up with Niki Leeworthy, their Territory Sales Rep, to learn more about what they do. (3:19)

GFCI Importance: November 2022 Safety & Hygiene Corner

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Question: What is the importance of ground-fault circuit interrupters (GFCI) and where should they be located in my workplace?

Answer:

Ground-fault circuit interrupters (GFCI) are important because they are used to protect people from electrical shock hazards caused by malfunctioning electrical appliances. For example, if a person is using a defective electrical appliance and also touching a wet surface or very conductive surface, the person could become part of the grounding pathway for the fault current. The GFCI would detect this current imbalance and disconnect electricity within 20-30 milliseconds before the dangerous electrical current could pass through the person’s body which could cause serious electrical shock or death.

Depending on the workplace and work being done, GFCIs could be required/needed in several areas. According to OSHA 29 CFR 1910.304(b)(3)(i): All 125-volt, single-phase, 15- and 20-ampere receptacles installed in bathrooms or on rooftops shall have ground-fault circuit-interrupter protection for personnel.

Other areas where GFCI protection should be located in your workplace include: kitchens, outdoor areas, within 6 feet of water sources (sinks, showers, etc.), laundry areas, locker rooms, garages, service bays and any other areas exposed to moisture. Vending machines require GCFI protection regardless of being hard wired, plug and cord connected, voltage current or frequency rating. Additionally, temporary wiring installations (including extension cords) used by personnel doing construction-like activities require GFCI’s protection.

Per equipment instructions these devices should be tested monthly. You can document with logs or procedures, that GFCIs are tested monthly and promptly replace those found defective.

If you need assistance with determining where GFCI protection is needed in your facility, contact your assigned BWC safety consultant.

*Provided by the Ohio BWC safety consultants.