Union County Safety Council Newsletter

May 2019 EDITION

Sponsor

Your Union County Safety Council Officers, October 2018 - September 2019

President—Brian Dostanko (Human Resources Director, City of Marysville (937-645-7366)

Vice-President—Robert “Cricket” McClintock (Union Rural Electric) (937-537-0400)

Secretary—Rachel Gwilliams (Honda Trading America Corp) (937-644-8033)

Safety Manager—Angie Venable (Union County Chamber of Commerce) (937-642-6279)

Information - Cooperation - Motivation

April Recap Annual Awards Banquet

May 8 Lunch and Learn

11:15 a.m.– Union Rural Electric, 15461 US Highway 36 Speaker: Brad Gilbert, Union County EMA

Our Lunch Sponsor: Honda Federal Credit Union

The Ohio Bureau of Workers Compensation (BWC) recognized 43 Union County businesses for their success in preventing employee injuries at the Annual Union County Safety Council Awards Banquet. Those companies were: Advanced Technology Products, Allen Township, At Grade, Inc., Bridges CAP, Budget Blinds of Marysville, City of Marysville, Continental ContiTech, Custom Staffing Marysville, Dayton Power & Light Company, Edgewater Place Inc., Elwood Staffing Services Inc., Evolution Ag LLC, Franke’s Wood Products, Genric Inc., Honda Federal Credit Union, Honda Marysville, Honda of America Mfg., Inc., Honda R&D Americas, Inc., Honda Trading America Corp., Kale Marketing Inc., KG Agri Products, Inc., KNS Services Inc., Macoho America, Inc., Marysville Newspapers, Inc., Marysville Public Library, Memorial Gables, Memorial Health, Nissin International Transport USA Inc., Patterson Pools LLC, Printz Plumbing & Heating, Road & Rail Services, Inc., Stratosphere Quality LLC, Sumitomo Electric Wiring Systems, Thomas & Marker Construction Co., Trancy Logistic America, UCO Industries Inc., Union County Board of Developmental Disabilities, Union County Health Department, Union Rural Electric Cooperative, Velocys, Inc., Village of Plain City, Village of Richwood, and Washington Township. Receiving the President’s Award for outstanding service to the Safety Council as well as demonstrating excellent workplace safety was Bulk Transit Corporation. Guest speaker for the evening was Mr. Dave Caperton. Dave has a background in teaching and stand-up comedy as well as 20-plus years as an international keynote speaker, business owner, entrepreneur, and executive coach. Dave shared with the crowd that our mission was to change the world by making it a more positive place. Sound impossible? Actually, it is not. Just by doing small things you can make a big impact. Because, you see, it is not the big things you do once in awhile, but the little things you do consistently that make a difference. For example, when you smile, genuinely smile, others will respond in kind. Perception is reality. You have to have the right mindset in order to have the right attitude. The most important tool for safety that we have is our mindset. A poor mindset can lead to accidents or illnesses, but yet a positive mindset can lead to happiness, health, and success by believing you can overcome any obstacle or difficulty. A positive mindset will enhance your motivation when carrying out tasks and working on goals. You are also more likely to inspire and motivate others around you. Through your passion, you can influence those around you. Be sure to never quit. Especially when things get tough. If you stick with something, you will eventually see a result.

The choices you make will affect your life.

To Our Award Winners, Congratulations! And a special shout-out to The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company for co-sponsoring

our guest speaker and to Bulk Transit Corporation for their donation that lowered everyone’s dinner cost.

THANK YOU!!

Warm Weather Means More Work Zones (www.bwc.state.oh.us)

After the long winter months, the orange barrels of roadwork zones are a rite of spring in Ohio. Along with these orange barrels come road crews with lots of workers. Recent statistics from the Nation Highway Safety Administration show we can all think about work zone safety a bit more. For example, from 2016 to 2017, there was a 2% increase in total work zone fatalities and an increase from 668 to 710 total work zone crashes. In 2017 there were 710 fatal crashes resulting in 799 deaths in work zones. Most of the fatalities were motorists, but 132 of them were worker fatalities. As drivers, we can all do our part to protect ourselves and the men and women working in already hazardous conditions. The following tips can help prevent accidents and save lives.

Stay alert and minimize distractions—avoid changing the radio station, using a mobile phone, eating, or other distractions that can remove your concentration from the road

Keep your headlights on—improve visibility, especially in bad weather conditions, by keeping your headlights on

Pay attention to the road—watch traffic around you and be prepared to react Merge into the proper lane—merge well before you reach the lane closure Do not tailgate—follow other vehicles at a safe distance Change lanes safely—change lanes only where pavement markings indicate and

only when traffic conditions permit Expect the unexpected—workers, work vehicles or equipment may enter your

lane without warning Be patient—impatience often leads to erratic and dangerous driving

Bring Safety Home (www.nsc.org)

Natural and man-made disasters can strike at any time, so it is important for families to have a planned response. Part of this plan should include having an emergency supply kit in an accessible area to help you survive during the emergency and to withstand the aftermath. A supply kit should include:

Tool kit First aid kit Cellphone and portable charger Whistle to signal for help Flashlight and extra batteries One gallon of water per person per day, at least a three-day supply Battery-powered radio with extra batteries to listen to weather alerts Three-day supply of nonperishable food Garbage bags and hand sanitizer Plastic sheeting and tape in case of leaks or broken windows

Emergency kits should be checked every six months for expired items. Whether on the road, at home, or at work, having a plan, can save your life and the lives of your loved ones.

Are You Prepared? (www.nsc.org)

Establish an Emergency Action Plan While we cannot know when a disaster will strike, we can be prepared to keep employees safe. Having an emergency action plan enables an organization to navigate before, during and after emergencies occur. In 2017, weather-related events in the US resulted in 592 deaths and 4,270 injuries. As an employer, you can make all of the difference by having a plan in place.

What Information Should You Include? Organizations with more than 11 employees are required by OSHA to have a written emergency preparedness plan that includes a process for notifying employees and authorities, an evacuation plan for every level of your facility, a plan to account for every employee after a disaster, and contact information for safety leaders. The plan should be posted in areas easily accessible to all employees and it should be updated frequently. OSHA also requires at least one employee for every shift to be trained in first aid if the nearest hospital is farther than three to four minutes from the business.

Create an Emergency Preparedness Committee Engaging employees starts with forming an emergency preparedness committee. This committee could be a sub-committee of the organization’s safety committee or a standalone committee, depending on how robust the organization’s safety management system is. Committee members can help develop and update and implement a plan to keep your employees safe. These volunteers make sure employees are properly trained, identify roles, help implement procedures, and communicate to the whole organization.