Author: CIO

Foot Protection

Foot protection means guarding your toes, ankles and feet from injury. Believe it or not, your feet have 26 bones for support and 38 joints for movement — in each foot. Feet also have blood vessels, ligaments, muscles and nerves, which is why it hurts when you stub your toe or drop something on your foot. Your feet are a critical part of your body that you use everyday and, in some cases, enable you to do your job effectively.

Protective footwear worn in the workplace is designed to protect the foot from physical hazards such as falling objects, stepping on sharp objects, heat and cold, wet and slippery surfaces, or exposure to corrosive chemicals.

There are two major categories of work-related foot injuries.

1. Foot injuries from punctures, crushing, sprains, and lacerations. They account for 10 percent of all reported disabling injuries.
2. Foot injuries resulting from slips, trips, and falls. They account for 15 percent of all reported disabling injuries. Slips and falls do not always result in a foot injury but lack of attention to foot safety plays an important role in their occurrence.

What should workers know when buying footwear for work? Good footwear should have the following qualities:

• The inner side of the shoe must be straight from the heel to the end of the big toe.
• The shoe must grip the heel firmly.
• The forepart must allow freedom of movement for the toes.
• The shoe must have a fastening across the instep to prevent the foot from slipping when walking.
• The shoe must have a low, wide-based heel; flat shoes are recommended.

People buying footwear for work should take the following advice:

• Do not expect that footwear that is too tight will stretch with wear.
• Have both feet measured when buying shoes. Feet normally differ in size.
• Buy shoes to fit the bigger foot.
• Buy shoes late in the afternoon when feet are likely to be swollen to their maximum size.
• Consider purchasing shock-absorbing insoles when a job requires walking or standing on hard surfaces.

Questions:

1. What time of day should you buy your work boots?
2. How many bones are in each foot for support?

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Distracted Driving Kills and Maims

Maintaining focus on the driving task is of the utmost importance when operating a motor vehicle.  Engaging in tasks that require a visual-manual interaction, such as reaching for a phone, dialing, and texting, increases the risk of getting into a crash by 300%.  80% of all crashes, and 65% of all near-collisions occur within 3 seconds of a driver distraction.

There are 4 types of distractions that increase crash risk while driving:

1. Manual – involves touching something, like dialing a phone or changing radio stations.
2. Visual – involves looking at something, like a phone display or a billboard.
3. Auditory – involves listening to something, like a conversation or music.
4. Cognitive – involves thinking about something than driving the vehicle.

How to reduce Distracted Driving

• Adjust seat positions and mirrors before you begin driving.
• Before driving, become familiar with your vehicle controls, A/C, windshield wipers, etc.
• Avoid eating and drinking while driving.
• Do not answer or initiate cell phone calls without pulling over to the side of road safely and stopping.
• Never text while driving.
• Never speed.  In is XPAT policy that you drive all company vehicles at 5 mph UNDER the posted speed limit.

You can read more of XPAT’s policies on Driving by downloading the Employee Handbook here.  Remember that policies are just words on a piece of paper, and mean nothing if everyone doesn’t follow them!  No XPAT job is so important that you can’t get to and from the job safely.

Conclusion

Distracted Driving costs lives, causes injuries and property damage.  Stay alert and drive defensively at all times.  The life you save is your own!

Questions

1. Name a type of distraction that leads to distracted driving.
2. How will you reduce distractions?

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Fighting Fatigue

Fatigue is the condition of being physically or mentally tired or exhausted. Extreme fatigue can lead to uncontrolled and involuntary shutdown of the brain.

Fortunately, there are ways to fight fatigue:

• Get eight hours of sleep before starting work.  (I know that’s all but impossible, but try!)
• Sleep at the same time each day. If you rotate shifts, establish clockwise rotations (from day to evening to night). Clockwise rotating makes it easier to go to sleep when a worker goes to bed.
• Take all scheduled work breaks. A snack or exercise during the break will refresh them.
• When trying to sleep during the daytime, find a cool, dark, quiet location. Use earplugs, soft music, or a fan to block out noise.
• See your doctor about sleep disorders, medications for illness, and using bright light on the job or during waking hours.
• Eat a well-balanced diet beginning the “day” with high protein foods and ending with carbohydrates. Do not eat great quantities before bedtime; they may cause trouble sleeping.
• Avoid caffeine, alcohol, and cigarettes. These substances cause sleep disturbances.
• Walking, stretching, and aerobics can help a person stay awake. Exercise will give you stamina and help you to fall asleep later.
• Work carefully and very methodically, always following proper procedures.

When you’re fatigued you will make errors in judgment. Your mind or eyes can be off task and you can make a critical error.  Studies show that after being up and working for 20 hours, your awareness is the same as an individual with a .08 blood alcohol setting, (legally drunk).

Conclusion:

Get plenty of rest, eat right, and limit caffeine, alcohol, and tobacco.

Questions:

1. What’s the most important thing you can do to fight fatigue?
2. How many hours of sleep a day do you need?

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Hydraulic Hoses & Leaks

Hydraulic hose assemblies are not designed to leak–though they do. And when they do, something is wrong. Leaks from high-pressure hydraulic lines are not just messy, they are dangerous.  Leaks create slip and fall hazards, fire danger, and they contaminate the environment.  Leaks can cause skin burns  and, under high pressure, can penetrate the skin. The most common causes of leaking hoses are abrasions and improper assembly. If you work with hydraulic hoses, you should become skilled at anticipating problems, preventing them and fixing them.

Preventing Problems:

• Prevent abrasion by using hoses of the correct length and diameter.
• Run the hose in the manner specified by the machine manufacturer, making sure it is supported and restrained by all provided hangers and/or brackets.
• If chaffing guards were originally installed but missing, they must be replaced.
• Do not ignore a damaged outer jacket. This allows moisture to attack the exposed hose reinforcement, leading to rust. Corrosion could lead to hose failure.

The Wrong Way to Find and Fix Leaks:

• What do you do when you find a leaking fitting?
• Find a wrench and give the fitting another turn?  That extra turn could cause a greater leak or cause the fitting to fail entirely.
• Do not use your hand to find the leak.
• Use a piece of cardboard or wood instead.
• Hydraulic fluid is hot and can burn the skin.
• A  pinhole leak, under pressure, could actually inject fluid under your skin, causing poisoning, infection, and threaten life and limb.

Test for Tightness:

• Before doing this, shut the machine off and bleed hydraulic pressure from the line.
• If the fitting threads were to strip or a connection were to fail under pressure, injury or fire could result from the sudden release of hot oil.
• The usual cause of a leak at a fitting is improper assembly or damage.

Make sure that:

1. Both ends are clean inside and out, and that no physical damage has occurred; 
2. New seals are used and they have been cleaned and lubricated before installation;
3. Fittings are not over-tightened–which can distort seals and ferrules, causing metal fatigue or cracking flared ends;
4. Fittings are compatible. There are many different thread ends, and some may almost go together properly, but not quite.

Proper Assembly Of Hose Ends Is Important. Hoses that come apart under pressure can whip back with great force and release a lot of hot oil. If the failure occurs at a fitting, the usual reason is improper crimping, an incorrectly cut hose, or a stem that was not inserted into the hose all the way. If you assemble your own hoses, check your crimping dies for wear. On some types of crimping machines, if the dies become worn, the crimp is looser than it should be. Screw type hose clamps are not to be used on pressurized hydraulic hoses.

People who work with any type of fluid piping system know it takes clean, careful workmanship to prevent dangerous leaks. If you see a leak, report it.

Questions:

1. List a “wrong way” to find & fix a leak.
2. What is the usual cause of a leak at a fitting?

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Industrial Dermatitis

Industrial dermatitis is an umbrella term that covers a whole variety of skin disorders. If your skin is itchy, or feels bumpy and looks red with a rash, you may have industrial dermatitis.

Dermatitis is caused by chemical residues on the skin, friction, pressure or the secondary effects of abra­sions, wounds, bruises, the introduction of foreign bodies into the skin; heat, cold, water, sunlight, non-iodizing radiation and electricity; plants (poison ivy) and bacterial hazards, all can cause dermatitis.

To avoid industrial dermatitis, observe these simple do’s and don’ts.

• DO wash thoroughly before and after possible contact with irritants. Include all exposed skin — not just the hands.
• DO wear clean clothes.
• DO wear gloves and protective clothing.
• DO use barrier creams when appropriate.
• DO protect yourself from the elements when working out of doors.
• DON’T touch an unfamiliar substance until you find out what precautions should be taken.
• DON’T wash with gasoline or other solvents or with harsh soaps or abrasives.
• DON’T wipe grime off with dirty rags.
• DON’T ignore skin irritations. Get immediate medical help if a rash appears.

Conclusion:

It’s your skin, you have to live with it, so take care of it and it will take care of you.

Questions:

1. Industrial dermatitis is normally cause by what kind of residues on the skin?
2. You can always wash your hands in gasoline and other solvents? True or False?

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UltraViolet Eye Protection

The American Academy of Ophthalmology reminds Americans of the importance of protecting their eyes from the sun’s harmful rays by wearing sunglasses and wide-brimmed hats. One of the greatest threats to your eyes is invisible UV light. Long-term exposure to invisible ultraviolet radiation can damage our eyes and lead to vision loss. Everyone is at risk, especially children.

Like your skin, your eyes never recover from UV exposure. Studies show that exposure to bright sunlight may increase the risk of developing cataracts and age-related macular degeneration, both leading causes of vision loss among older adults. UV exposure, wind, and dust can also cause apterygial, benign growths on the eye’s surface. The more exposure to bright light, the greater the chance of developing these eye conditions.

“Sun damage to eyes can occur anytime during the year, not just in the summertime,” said Richard Bensinger, MD, a comprehensive ophthalmologist in Seattle, Wash. “Although July is designated as UV Safety Month, you should protect your eyes from damage all year long.”

Generally, UV light is at the greatest level at midday (10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.), but you need to protect your eyes whenever you’re outside for a prolonged period, even when it’s gray and overcast. Your eyes can be harmed by UV light sources other than the sun, such as welding lamps or tanning lights. So remember to wear eye protection when using these sources of invisible, high-energy UV rays.

Conclusion:

When outside, always wear UV protective eye glasses.

Questions:

1. What is the greatest threat to your eyes?
2. UV Light is at the greatest level when?

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It’s getting really hot out there.  Ya’ll look out for each other out there, OK?

KIDNEY STONES

Six years ago, we had 2 employees suffer from kidney stones.  This condition is extremely painful, and can be life threatening.  However, it is a condition that in most cases, can be avoided.  Dehydration and a diet high in sugar, dairy, and fatty proteins can contribute to the likelihood that you will suffer a kidney stone.  Even though the hottest months are still ahead of us, now is the time to get in the habit of staying hydrated, year round.

I suffered through a kidney stone attack over 30 years ago while building a house outside of Mountain Home, Texas.  We started framing in July, and it was hot.  We were living on location working 15 hour days, and not eating the right kind of foods.  Don’t make the same mistake that I made.

Working in hot weather we should all be aware of these tips to prevent heat stress.  Remember physical activity at high temperatures can directly affect health and indirectly be the cause of incidents.

WHAT IS HEAT STRESS?

It’s a signal that says the body is having difficulty maintaining it’s narrow temperature range. The heart pumps faster, blood is diverted from internal organs to the skin, breathing rate increases, sweating increases, all in an attempt to transfer more heat to the outside air and cool the skin by evaporation of sweat. If the body can’t keep up then the person suffers effects ranging from heat cramps to heat exhaustion, and finally to heat stroke.

DRY CLOTHES AND SKIN DON’T MEAN YOU’RE NOT SWEATING!

In dry climates you might not feel wet or sticky, but you are still sweating. On a very warm day you can lose as much as two quarts (1/2 gallon) of fluid.

Beat the Heat. Help Prevent the ill Effects of Heat Stress and kidney stones by:

• Drinking water frequently and moderately (every 15-30 minutes — about a glassful). Due to the fact that most of us already consume excessive salt in our diets; salt tablets are NOT recommended for general use.
• Resting frequently
• Eat lightly with small meals several times a day.  Meals low in fat and high in protein and potassium are the best.  Limit your dairy intake.  Do not drink soda and limit caffeine consumption.
• Utilizing the ventilation or fans in enclosed areas
• Remembering that it takes about 1-2 weeks for the body to adjust to the heat; this adaptation to heat is quickly lost — so your body will need time to adjust after any time off, also.
• Limit alcohol consumption. Many cases of heat stroke have occurred the day after a “night on the town.”
• When you can, wear lighter colored thinner cotton clothes & FR’s and keep your shirt on — desert nomads don’t wear all those clothes for nothing!

Conclusion:

Follow these tips above to beat the heat this summer.

Questions:

1. How often should you drink water?
2. How much fluid can you lose on a warm day?
3. What type of meals are best?

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Hearing Protection

Most of us take hearing for granted.  When we go home at the end of a workday, and when we get up in the morning, we expect to hear.  Our amazingly sensitive ears can distinguish 400,000 different sounds and can detect sounds so quiet that they cause the eardrum to vibrate less than 1/80,000,000 of an inch.  That remarkable sensitivity doesn’t have a lifetime guarantee though.  In order to maintain hearing sensitivity, it must be protected.

Consider yourself at risk if noise affects you in one of the following ways:

• You have to shout above noise to make yourself heard.
• You have difficulty hearing normal sounds for several hours after exposure to noise.
• You have ringing in your ears for several hours after exposure to noise.

Is your workplace dangerously loud?  Ask yourself: Is normal conversation difficult because of the noise?  Have co-workers also complained about the noise?  If so, then you need to protect your hearing by wearing ear plugs.

Ear Plugs decrease the pressure of the sound before it reaches the eardrum and are the best line of defense against noise when you can’t reduce exposures to safe levels through engineering controls.  You must reduce your exposure to below 85 decibels per 8 hour period to mitigate damage to your hearing.  Properly fitted earplugs will reduce noise levels 15 to 30 decibels, but must totally block the ear canal to be effective.

Conclusion:

Wear ear plugs at all times when equipment and machinery is running!  What you do today, will save your hearing for tomorrow.

Questions:

1. Properly fitted ear plugs reduce the decibel level by how much?
2. If you cannot conduct a normal conversation, then you need to be wearing ear protection.  True of False?

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Anyone who has working in the oil fields for very long knows that the most dangerous part of your job, is driving to and from from the job location.  What you may not know, is how stacked the deck is against you, IF you speed.

Facts:

1. In 2012 there were 9.8 million traffic crashes, of which over 35,000 were fatal.  Another 2.09 million people were injured.
2. For every 3.7 miles per hour you travel OVER the posted speed limit, your chances of dying DOUBLE.
3. You will survive a head-on crash IF the closing speed is under 50.  Think about that for a second.  That means each vehicle can only be going 25 mph to survive.  This also assumes that you have your seat belt on.
4. 90% of all vehicle accidents are driver caused.
5. Distracted Driving KILLS.  Texting while driving is essentially the same as driving drunk.

What you can do to make driving safer

1. Slow Down.  XPAT’s Fleet Safety Policy states that all employees driving company vehicles MUST drive 5 mph UNDER the posted speed limit.  (I realize that sometimes this is impossible, and I don’t want you to cause an incident or get run over, but there should NEVER be a reason to go over the posted speed limit).
2. Raise your gaze.  Most people tend to stare at the bumper of the car in front of them when driving, but what you should be doing is looking five or six cars ahead of you.
3. Remember the 3 second rule.  Always be prepared for the car in front of you to stop, slow down or hit unexpected road debris.  Pick a fixed point that’s even with the vehicle in front of you, like a road sign, and start counting. If you reach that spot before your hit three, you’re driving too close to the vehicle in front of you.  Increase the 3 seconds to 4 or 5 seconds if weather conditions are bad.
4. Avoid target fixation.  If an accident seems imminent, don’t focus on the obstacle you are trying to avoid colliding with.  You’re more likely to do this when you’re tired, on your cell phone or under the influence of alcohol. Focus instead on your escape route.  Almost anything is better than the impact of a collision.  If you must hit something, hit something that doesn’t endanger human life — an object that you know you can push over or push down as you slow, such as safety cones. Avoid ‘sudden stop items,’ such as tree or utility poles, at all costs.
5. Remember the four R’s:  Read the road ahead, reduce your speed, drive to the right, and ride off of the road.
6. Steer into a slide:  A great way to help you remember the rule that you should always turn into a slide: A vehicle always turns better than it stops. If you find your vehicle sliding, with your foot off the brake, go in the direction of the skid or slide. Then steer the wheel to avoid any obstacles. Once out of harm’s way, use a little bit of power on the gas pedal and steer the wheel back into a straight position.
7. Keep your hands at 10 and 2 o’clock when you turn:  When turning the car, many drivers put their right or left hand on the inside of the wheel to get leverage. However, doing that can be dangerous. If you’re in an accident and the airbag engages, the force of the explosion would push your fists into your face at about 100 mph.
8. Check your tire pressure and tread: Blowouts on the road can be terrifying and even deadly. You should monitor your tire pressure at least once a week. When your tire pressure is at its optimum level, you’re better able to safely drive around obstacles because the vehicle will perform the way you want it to.
9. Take driving seriously:  The act of driving deserves 100 percent of your focus. If you’re glancing down to read a text, fishing around in the console for pen or talking on your cell phone, you’re not being a responsible driver.

Conclusion:

Slow down, and always allow enough time to get to and from the job site WITHOUT speeding.  Speeding is against company policy and will not be tolerated.  XPAT’s policy is to drive 5 mph UNDER the posted speed.  Remember, TX Highway 72 and US Hwy 285 are the MOST dangerous roads in Texas.  Do not become another statistic!

Questions:

1. It is XPAT policy to drive 5 mph under the posted speed.  True or False?
2. You double your chance of dying in a vehicle accident for every ______ mph over the posted speed.

By submitting this form, I agree to follow XPAT’s Fleet Safety Policy and realize that if I don’t, I will be written up and subject to disciplinary action.

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Objects and tools dropped from higher levels is a serious hazard for many worksites. In 2016, there were 255 workplace fatalities due to falling objects in the United States according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Furthermore, OSHA estimates that over 50,000 “struck-by a falling object” incidents occur each year on job sites alone.

Objects as small as a bolt can cause serious injury or even death when dropped from a higher level and striking an employee working on the ground. Outside of injuries and deaths, dropped objects are responsible for a large cost to employers due to property damage incidents as well.

Actions to Take to Prevent Dropped Object Incidents

Eliminate the hazard: Remove objects and tools from higher levels, scaffolding, or aerial lifts that do not need to be there. Removing objects that can pose a hazard to people working below is the best option to prevent a dropped object incident.

Engineering controls: Barricade zones below higher work levels to prevent personnel from walking into the line of fire of a dropped object. Install toe boards on higher work levels to make sure objects and tools cannot easily slide off an edge to a lower level. Place nets or some type of protective barrier above ground level workers if there is continuous work being performed above a work area. Another engineering control is the use of tethers or anchors for tools and objects that are being used on a higher work level. This limits the object from falling.

PPE: Anytime there are overhead hazards present on a jobsite hardhats need to be worn. PPE is always a last line of defense. Wearing a hardhat will only limit the damage a dropped object does, not prevent it from happening. Rely on eliminating the hazard or installing engineering controls to reduce the chance of objects striking ground personnel not PPE.

Look at all work areas where a dropped object incident can happen. Situations such as using aerial lifts and working on scaffolds pose obvious hazards, but try to identify less obvious hazards. An example could be a large wrench sitting on the edge of a piece of equipment that has a mechanic working underneath or even a hot cup of coffee on top of a file cabinet. Paying attention to the smaller hazards translates to larger changes in the safety of your work site.

XPAT Policy is that anytime anything is dropped, (tool, nut, etc), it must be reported immediately to the company official on-site & the Operations Department at your earliest convenience. No exceptions.

Questions:

1. What is the best way to remove a falling object hazard?
2. Name an engineering control to prevent falling objects?

By submitting this form, I agree to abide by XPAT’s policy of reporting any and all dropped objects.

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