No matter what your line of work, you may be exposed to risky hazards. It’s almost inevitable. This session will provide a basic workplace safety orientation so that you can leave for home in one piece while enhancing the quality of your time at work. We’ll discuss how to prevent some of the more common injuries that result from poor safety practices and how to control and react to some of the more severe hazards in your workplace.

By the end of this training session, you will be able to:

• Recognize your role in maintaining a safe workplace, and get important safety information from a variety of sources;
• Follow good housekeeping practices, and understand the importance of good housekeeping for preventing workplace accidents;
• Use proper ergonomics and safe lifting practices to prevent musculoskeletal injuries;
• Prepare for and respond to emergencies, including fires, natural disasters, accidents, and workplace violence;
• Identify hazardous chemicals, locate information about them, and handle them safely;
• Work safely around dangerous machinery; and
• Select, use, inspect, store, and maintain the protective clothing and equipment you need to work safely.

Knowledge Check 1

Before we begin this session, let’s see how much you already know about safety. Select True or False for each statement.

• True or False—Keeping your work area organized is a matter of personal preference that has little impact on safety.

― The correct answer is False.

• True or False—If you see a coworker taking risks on the job, you should speak up.

― The correct answer is True.

• True or False—During an emergency, the first thing you should do is call 911.

― The correct answer is True.

How did you do? Did you get all the right answers. If not, don’t worry. We’ll go over this information and a lot more during the session.

Your Role

Before we get into the nuts and bolts of the different elements of workplace safety, let’s talk about YOUR role when it comes to staying safe. Whether you work in construction, health care, transportation, or business, it is your responsibility to help keep yourself and others from getting injured or ill at work.

• Take the time to learn all the aspects of your job and the risks associated with whatever roles and responsibilities you have. You can’t learn everything on the first day, so have patience! You are new!
• Never take shortcuts. Taking the extra measures to stay safe may feel like a time-consuming hassle, but it is an absolute must. For instance, find the right step stools or ladders when it comes to reaching for items on a shelf instead of standing on a box
• Do your part by reporting any incidents and near misses that occur, including any unsafe conditions you see so they can be corrected.
• When you see a fellow employee taking risks, don’t be shy about addressing it—for his or her sake and the sake of the whole. Thoughtless accidents can traumatize and sap the morale of an entire workplace.
• Ask someone for help whenever you are not sure of a certain safety procedure. Since you are new, you will have questions. Count on it. Your supervisors should be more than willing to give you the answers.

Finding Safety Information

There are several sources where you can obtain information about workplace safety in your facility.

Every workplace should have a safety bulletin board that contains the OSHA safety poster as well as notices of safety goals and program updates. OSHA stands for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration—the federal organization that encourages, oversees, and enforces workplace safety. The OSHA poster outlines your workplace safety rights and responsibilities, as well as your employer’s responsibility for providing a safe workplace.

Many workplaces, especially those that have high-risk jobs such as construction sites, have safety committees—which regularly monitor and update safety issues. These committees should have a safety officer— someone who is in charge of maintaining your workplace’s emergency supplies and first-aid kits—and is there to help train and answer any questions or concerns you might have.

There should be a wealth of safety information available to you, such as hazardous materials lists and safety data sheets, as well as a written emergency action plan that should outline evacuation procedures. You can always ask your supervisor for specific safety information.

Remember what we said about your role when it comes to safety. Be proactive—maintain an attitude of safety with your coworkers, encourage good housekeeping, and don’t be afraid to help your workplace improve safety by making suggestions. Your workplace should have safety suggestion forms available to you.

Distribute the OSHA example of a simple safety suggestion form.

Good Housekeeping— The Key to Staying Safe

Perhaps the best contribution you can make to the safety of your workplace is simple, good housekeeping. This means keeping your workspace clean, organized, and clutter-free. Good housekeeping affects nearly every aspect of workplace safety, including:

• Slipping, tripping, and falling;
• Enabling proper ergonomics to avoid muscle injuries;
• Fire prevention, including electrical hazards;
• Emergency response and evacuation;
• Dealing with accidents;
• Working with hazardous chemicals; and
• Working with dangerous equipment.

We’ll continue to highlight housekeeping duties throughout the session because they affect so many aspects of workplace safety.

Slips, Trips, and Falls

How many times have you taken a tumble? While slips, trips, and falls are all too common, most of the time there’s a simple, careless reason why they occur. Preventing them is very much a product of making a conscious effort to be careful, through proper housekeeping and self-awareness.

• Common slip, trip, and fall hazards such as carelessly placed loose tools, improperly stacked boxes, and other storage containers, and spills that aren’t promptly cleaned, can all be remedied with good housekeeping. Even seemingly little things such as opening a drawer without c losing it can cause injuries.
• While you may understand the importance of good housekeeping and practice it, your coworkers may not. Therefore, it’s important that you always be aware of your surroundings and use every safety precaution available to you to keep from falling—from using handrails, to avoiding wet or cluttered walkways, to using proper ladder safety.
• While our popular culture relishes the funny aspects of a good slip, trip, or fall, the reality is they cause major injuries and should be taken seriously—so be mindful!

Preventing Injuries from Poor Ergonomics

Unlike workplace accidents that result from slips, trips, and falls, ergonomic injuries tend to develop over a longer term from poor work practices that result in musculoskeletal disorders, otherwise known as MSDs. MSDs usually take the form of back pain, tendinitis, or nerve disorders like carpal tunnel syndrome.

Injuries from poor ergonomics are preventable with some minor adjustments.

Always adjust your workspace to fit your body type … do NOT adjust your body to fit your workspace—which will cause continuous awkward body positions, such as slouching, twisting, bending, or stretching for items. Work tables, desks, and chairs should all be at the correct height, for example.

Preventing Injuries from Poor Ergonomics

• Use good housekeeping by always having your workspace organized so all your work items are easily within reach. Also, staying organized means having the right tools for the job. Using the wrong tools forces you into awkward positions or makes you use excessive force to complete tasks.
• If your job requires you to stand for long periods of time, use a neutral position to maintain your body’s natural position. Try not to slouch, and keep your feet planted shoulder-width apart.
• Take regular breaks, especially if your work requires repetitive motions. Your body can only take so much, so don’t deny this to yourself. This gives your muscles and tendons time to rest and recharge. If you can, take the time to do some stretching exercises to keep your muscles limber and relaxed. To learn some simple ergonomic stretching exercises you can use throughout your workday.
• When lifting heavy loads, always try to use material-handling equipment or ask for help. When you have to lift heavy items, always let your legs do the lifting by bending at the knees, holding the load close to your body and standing up with your back straight. Never lift with your back.

Once again, preventing injuries from poor ergonomics is controllable. Make the effort to keep yourself injury-free, use the right tools for the job, and report to your supervisor any flaw in your workplace, which requires you to put yourself at risk.

Knowledge Check 2

Let’s pause to see how well you are remembering what you’ve learned. For each of these questions, select all the answers that apply.

• Where should you go for safety information about your workplace?
• Your supervisor, the Internet, the bulletin board, or the safety committee.

― There are many sources of safety information available to you, including bulletin boards, your supervisor, the safety committee, safety data sheets, and many others. Although the Internet can be a great resource for many kinds of information, it’s not the best place to find safety information specific to your workplace.

How does good housekeeping help to maintain a safe workplace?

• It helps to prevent fires; it helps to prevent slips, trips, and falls; it helps with emergency response and evacuation; it helps to prevent musculoskeletal injuries; or it helps with chemical safety.

― Good housekeeping contributes to workplace safety in all of these ways, along with many others. Maintaining a clean, organized workplace is an essential part of staying safe on the job.

Let’s continue to the next slide and evaluate some workplace safety scenarios.

Knowledge Check 2 (cont.)

Which of these situations are examples of good ergonomics? John needs to reach an item on a high shelf, so he uses a step stool.

― That’s good ergonomics.

Maria needs a hammer but doesn’t have one nearby, so she uses a flashlight like a hammer instead.

― That’s bad ergonomics.

Karen needs to lift a heavy container, so she asks a coworker to help her.

― That’s good ergonomics.

Anthony needs to complete a large order on a tight deadline, so he works all day without a break.

― That’s bad ergonomics

Carlos needs to use several different items throughout the day, so he arranges his work area to place them all close together.

― That’s good ergonomics.

Good ergonomics means avoiding unnecessary reaching and awkward postures, always using the correct tool for the job, using safe lifting practices, setting up your work area so that everything you need is within easy reach, and taking periodic rest breaks throughout the day.

Preventing Fires

In the workplace, it’s all too easy for a fire to start. There are many hazards that exist in all types of workplaces, so let’s just take a moment to touch on how to keep some of the more common fire hazards under control.

Most fires can be prevented by simply using good judgment—whether it’s using machinery correctly, extinguishing cigarettes properly, or just keeping your workspace organized.

To prevent electrical fires, only use approved electrical equipment for the environment you work in. Never overload circuits and outlets, and always check cords and plugs for wear or damage. If any appliance or electrical equipment smells strange, investigate it. Unusual odors can be the first sign of danger.

When working with flammable materials, only work with them in well-ventilated areas. Otherwise, their vapors can collect and ignite if brought up to their ignition temperature. When dispensing flammable materials, make sure the containers are properly grounded and bonded to prevent a static electricity spark that could ignite an explosion.

Storing materials such as flammable liquids properly not only means storing them as far away from possible ignition sources such as hot machinery— but making sure their containers are in good shape and are regularly checked for damage and leaks to prevent spills, which could be ignited by something like a discarded, lit cigarette.

Remember, stay organized and clean your workspace regularly. This means keeping dust under control, properly disposing of rags contaminated with flammable substances, and regularly disposing of combustible materials such as cardboard, paper, or wood so they don’t accumulate.

Evacuating During Emergencies

Let’s discuss what to do in case you are unable to prevent a fire or other workplace emergency. An emergency is any unexpected, potentially harmful event such as an accident, a hazardous material spill, a natural disaster, or an incident involving a violent act. These events may seem pretty rare, but workplace emergencies are responsible for killing hundreds of workers and injuring thousands more every year. Select the numbers in the lower left for more information on how to react to an emergency.

• In most serious emergencies, you will almost always be asked to evacuate. First, though, being prepared is a must. Know your evacuation routes and make sure you practice them thoroughly to avoid disorganization and panic when the real thing happens. Practicing emergency evacuation is also a great time to practice good housekeeping by making sure all your routes and fire exits are completely clear of clutter.
• When evacuating during an actual emergency, the idea is to take flight and escape to safety as quickly as possible. Sound the alarm, or if someone else has sounded the alarm, evacuate and listen for further instructions. Use the exit routes you practiced during your practice drills, and never use elevators. Once you are safe, immediately call 911 and head to your predetermined assembly area.
• During a fire, sometimes you will make the decision to fight the fire instead of fleeing. But only fight fires if the fire is small and easily contained, the exits are accessible and to your back, there is a proper fire extinguisher nearby, and you know how to use it.
• In some cases, when it’s too dangerous to go outside—for example, when a tornado is touching down—instead of evacuating, you will be instructed to evacuate to a safe place within the building. This is called “sheltering in place.” You should know where designated shelter-in-place areas are located and which one you should go to if instructed.

Workplace Violence

Let’s talk briefly about what is hopefully a rare occurrence in your workplace—an act of violence. Workplace violence is any act or threat of physical violence, harassment, intimidation, or other threatening, disruptive behavior that occurs at your workplace.

• While it may seem like a rare occurrence, violence is actually one of the leading causes of death in the workplace.
• Workplace violence can strike anywhere, anytime, and no one is immune to it—whether the violent act comes from a coworker or from someone outside your workplace—such as ex-employees, those who have relationships with employees, thieves—even terrorists.
• Just as with other workplace emergencies, reacting to violent acts in the workplace will normally involve evacuation and calling 911. Unlike most emergencies, if dealing with ongoing violence such as an active shooter, while escaping should be your first option, you may be forced to hide out, or in extreme cases, take action against the aggressor. Your individual workplace should have its own policy regarding how to react to an ongoing violent incident. Make sure you know it.

Handling Accidents

How often have you experienced an injury or illness at work, or at least witnessed an accident? Regardless of your line of work, it is quite likely that at some point you will have to deal with an emergency involving an illness or injury.

When it comes to accidents, the first thing you want to do, if possible, is to get to a safe place and get out of harm’s way. This will allow you to assess the situation and proceed.

Whether your coworker was involved in an accident or is suffering from a sudden illness such as a heart attack or heatstroke, call 911 immediately. If anything beyond very simple first aid is required, always get emergency medical services, or EMS, or other professionals involved right away.

Stabilize those who are very sick or have sustained a major injury—don’t attempt to move those with serious injuries as you could make the injury worse.

If you have the proper training, provide first aid wherever possible. First-aid kits should be located throughout your workplace.

Following an accident, a safety committee should quickly take action to assess the situation to prevent any further injuries. Once changes have been made, it’s important that the changes are followed up on to make sure future injuries are prevented, and the changes are incorporated into your workplace’s injury and illness prevention plan.

Knowledge Check 3

We’ve reached the halfway point of our training session, so it’s time to see how much you are learning. Choose the correct answers for each question.

• Which conditions must be met before you try to fight a fire in the workplace?
• You caused the fire, you have been trained to use a fire extinguisher, the fire is small and easily contained, you are on the safety committee, or the exits are accessible and to your back.

― You should only attempt to fight a fire yourself if there is a fire extinguisher nearby and you have been trained to use it, the fire is small and easily contained, and the exits are accessible and to your back. If any of these conditions are not met, evacuate and seek professional help.

• What is the first action you should take during an emergency?
• Call 911, shelter in place, give first-aid to anyone who is injured, get to a safe place, or notify the safety committee.

― During an emergency, the first thing you should do is get to a safe place. Once you are safe, you can call 911 and give first aid if you are trained to do so.

• During an incident of workplace violence, when should you attempt to fight the attacker?
• As soon as you can, when you can’t evacuate the workplace, only as a last resort, never, or if someone has been injured.

― You should only attempt to fight or disarm an attacker as a last resort, if you can’t escape to safety or hide from the attacker.

We’ve been over your role when it comes to workplace safety and where to find important safety information in the workplace. We’ve also discussed how to prevent injuries from slips, trips, and falls, poor ergonomics, and how to prevent fires—all while using good housekeeping to do it. Then we talked about what to do in case of an emergency.

Now, let’s continue our session by discussing how to work safely around dangerous machinery and hazardous chemicals, before closing with a word about the importance of personal protective equipment, or PPE.

Working with Hazardous Chemicals

Hazardous chemicals are used in many work environments—ranging from common products like cleaning fluids, to paints, to gasoline. But if not handled properly, these substances can cause serious injuries or illnesses.

You need to know how to identify them. Even if you don’t work directly with hazardous chemicals, you need to be able to recognize them just in case there’s an incident which involves one.

This means knowing exactly which chemicals are used in your workplace and knowing their risks. Your workplace should have a list of every chemical in the facility and their associated risks, including safety data sheets, or SDSs—which you have the right to review any time you want. SDSs contain detailed information about each hazardous material you work with, including what to do in emergencies involving the substance. Always review the SDS before working with a hazardous chemical for the first time.

Labels are another important source of chemical safety information. Container labels must all contain a variety of safety information, including the chemical’s identity, name and address of manufacturer or importer, and specific hazards, including the degree of hazard. Always check the label before handling any hazardous substance.

Know how to store and handle hazardous substances. This includes storing and handling them only in cool, dry areas with proper ventilation, and away from ignition sources such as lit cigarettes.

Just like with many aspects of proper safety, using good housekeeping practices can greatly reduce the risk for dangerous incidents with hazardous chemicals by always discarding soaked rags in approved, closed containers and quickly returning them to their proper storage place. Never store them where they are improperly stacked or blocking exits.

You should also know how to react to hazardous chemicals in case there’s a spill. While your workplace may have its own specific spill response procedure— generally, you should evacuate just like any other emergency and report it immediately. Never try to clean up hazardous chemical spills unless you have thorough training.

Working with Dangerous Machinery

If you work around machines or equipment that are capable of unexpectedly starting up or releasing hazardous energy, you should know that this type of equipment can cause serious injuries—even death.

• Make sure your machinery is always protected by the proper engineering safeguards, and never try to bypass them. Safeguards include things like barriers around hazardous parts of the machine, sensors that shut down the machine if a body part gets too close, and two-handed controls that force you to stay out of the danger zone in order to operate the machine.
• Never leave machines unattended with parts still moving. Remember that parts may still be moving after the machine has been turned off.
• Never wear loose items while operating machines—things that dangle and get caught such as loose clothing, jewelry, or long hair.
• Never operate equipment unless you have a full understanding of the machine you are working on. If you have any questions, ask someone who knows—never guess.
• If you have any concerns with how your equipment is operating, report it to a supervisor and shut it down.
• When shutting down hazardous equipment for service or maintenance, you must lock out its power source and alert others that the equipment should not be used, a procedure known as “lockout/tagout.”

The Importance of PPE

Just like wearing a helmet on a motorcycle, or a seat belt in a car, wearing personal protective equipment, or PPE, at work should be second nature. There are so many types of PPE, depending on the type of work you do— from safety helmets to goggles, to high visibility clothing to respiratory protective equipment. PPE is used when other safety measures, like engineering controls and safe work practices, don’t provide enough protection from the hazards you face. If you are required to wear PPE on the job, your employer must provide it free of charge.

• Make sure your PPE fits you—meaning that it is comfortable and completely covers the parts of your body that should be protected. If your PPE doesn’t fit, gets in your way while you work, or doesn’t protect you as it should, notify your supervisor so that he or she can help you adjust your equipment or find a different size. Poorly fitting PPE can be very dangerous, so don’t hesitate to speak up.
• Also make sure you are thoroughly trained on how to use it and know how to check for flaws. Inspect your PPE every time you use it, and if it is damaged or in poor condition, do not use it. Tell your supervisor so that he or she will find you a replacement.
• And, always store and maintain your PPE according to your workplace’s procedures.

Knowledge Check 4

Now we’ve come to the end of this session on safety for new employees, so it’s time to see how much you’ve learned about this second half of the session. Following this short quiz, we’ll wrap up with some key points to remember.

Choose the correct answers for each question.

• Where can you find detailed information about the hazardous chemicals in your workplace?
• Safety data sheets, hazardous material list, container labels, bulletin board, or company safety plan.

– Detailed information can be found on safety data sheets. The container label also contains important information, but it is less detailed than the SDS.

• Select the safe practices to follow when working around machinery.
• Locking out the power source during maintenance, tying back long hair, removing guards when they get in the way, or shutting down equipment that seems to be malfunctioning.

– You should never remove or try to bypass machine safeguards. Locking out the power source during maintenance, tying back long hair, and shutting down malfunctioning equipment are all important machine safety practices.

 

Knowledge Check 4

What should you do if your PPE gets in your way while you work?

• Take it off and work carefully without it, tell your supervisor, use it anyway, or try to modify it to make it work better.

– If your PPE gets in your way, tell your supervisor. He or she may be able to help you adjust it or find different equipment that works better for you.

Key Points to Remember

Let’s review the key points we’ve covered during this session:

• Good housekeeping may be the best path to staying safe.
• Avoid shortcuts. Taking short cuts at work is a recipe for disaster.
• Be vigilant. Always be aware of the risks in every job you tackle, and know how to avoid them.
• Set a good example. Work safely, and encourage others to do the same.
• Take the initiative. Report unsafe conditions immediately and make suggestions to improve health and safety.
• As a new employee, you may be more unfamiliar with your workplace’s safety procedures than others—so ask questions!