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Driving Towards Disaster!

No matter where you are, or where you are heading, you may have experienced our topic of discussion today and that is distracted driving. We’ve all seen it play out before, from the person sitting at the front of the traffic light who needs to be alerted from someone behind as they sit comfortably at the intersections pole position, to the more serious infraction of not being able to stay in one driving lane. One thing is for sure and that as technology continues to evolve so does the frequency of distracted driving issues. It would be nice to have all distracted driving issues come to end after taking a moment to address and discuss this ongoing epidemic, but the reality is there will be a high likelihood of this continuing to be an issue for the foreseeable future. So lets take a moment today and discuss one of the main distractions we see on a daily basis while driving…. Texting!

Texting is the Most Dangerous Type of Distracted Driving

According to the CDC there are 3 types of driving distractions:

Visual: a distraction that diverts your eyes from the road
Manual: something that causes you to take your hands off the wheel
Cognitive: anything that takes your mental focus off the road

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has determined that texting while driving is the most dangerous type of distracted driving. This is mostly because texting combines all 3 types of driving distractions at once: visual, manual and cognitive.

Pictured above is the fatal aftermath of a distracted driving incident in California, the driver was sentenced to a year in jail after the crash that killed two people. Scenes like the above are a grizzly reminder of what can potentially happen if we become complacent and allow ourselves to become distracted behind the wheel of an automobile.

According to a Cambridge Mobile Telematics survey, most drivers are more afraid of distracted drivers than drunk drivers, but curbing the problem isn’t easy.

Distracted driving has become an epidemic, but do people believe that it is even more dangerous than drunk driving? According to our recent survey of more than 700 drivers, the answer is yes; 63 percent of respondents noted they are more afraid of distracted drivers than drunk drivers.

Each day, roughly 9 people are killed in crashes caused by distracted drivers – equating to about 3,285 deaths a year. When compared to the number of people killed in drunk driving-related crashes in 2016 (10,497) that number is smaller, driving while distracted is actually more dangerous. Texting and driving at 55 miles per hour is the equivalent of driving the length of a football field with eyes closed. Even more, it takes the average sober driver .54 seconds to hit the brake. For a driver who’s been drinking, add four feet to their reaction time, but add 70 feet for someone who has been texting. Wanna read more? Click the link: www.cmtelematics.com/blog/distracted-driving-vs-drunk-driving-fear-solutions/

At the end of the day nobody wants to become part of a statistic, Trivent Safety Consulting understands the risks and inherit dangers of every day driving and has developed a defensive driving course to help bring awareness and discussion to the forefront of what most us take for granted on a daily basis. Interested in learning more? Contact us today so we can heighten awareness and provide valuable training to your team. We can help inform and build a safety culture for you and your work force!

By: Scott Seppers

TIME TO POST YOUR RECORDS

In case you were unaware or have let the time get away from you and you forgot, here’s your friendly reminder from your friends at Trivent Safety. It’s time for you to conspicuously post your OSHA 300A logs for your employees to review. These logs need to be posted from February 1^st until the last day of April. This is not a new rule and is different from the electronic recordkeeping rule which is also about to become a priority. Every company required to maintain injury/illness logs must post this document. OSHA 300A forms, in addition to being posted conspicuously, need to be electronically filed with OSHA by March 2^nd. This requirement is for establishments that have 250 or more employees or for companies in certain industries with 20 – 249 employees. To review the list and see if you company is required to report, please follow this link OSHA. If you have any questions regarding electronic recordkeeping OSHA has a good FAQ page or feel free to call us (800) 819-6092.

Some changes to the recordkeeping rule that should be noted. Establishments with 250 or more employees no longer are required to electronically submit their 300 or 301 forms along with their 300A. These establishments are required to maintain the hard copy throughout the year and have available upon request but again, you are not required to submit them electronically.

In years past, electronic documents needed to be filed in July. This has changed and March 2^nd is the date that you are required to have the 300A filed. Failure to meet this deadline is considered nonreporting and could result in an OSHA citation.

Please ensure that you post a hardcopy of your 300A by February 1^st and for those companies that are required to, upload the 300A electronically to OSHA.

If you have questions regarding this or any safety needs, feel free to call us.

To Train Or Not To Train?

“The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The second best time is today.” This particular saying has stood out to me over time and I often think of it when I think about when the best time is to conduct training. As a previous iron worker general foreman I can relate to the feeling of second guessing and thinking of possible scenarios that could have taken place prior to an accident ever occurring. The game of playing hind-site is never very productive and has yet to change the outcome of any incident I have ever known. The one thing that has always remained true, is the question one might ask him or herself “Could this have been prevented with better training?” After an accident you may feel that the best time for training, would have been prior to any accident ever occurring. I think it is safe to say that no one wants to see people get hurt on the job site and at the same time it has been very difficult to acquire experienced professionals. So what is the answer to this issue? At the end of the day, the solution to a lack of experience is a well informed and trained work force.

“The solution to a lack of experience is a well informed and trained work force.”

With that said, where should we begin?

Fall Protection is a high priority for those who have workers that are exposed.

After a quick review of the statistic graph above it would seem that fall protection training would be a good place to start for those who have workers exposed to falls. Trivent Safety Consulting offers a variety of fall protection courses from a 4-hour fall protection awareness course, to the rigid standards of the EM-385 that encompasses three days of fall protection training and rescue. We also offer customized training courses for our clients and can develop specific training that can focus on sub-part topics. Some clients prefer to have a greater deal of emphasis placed on specific topics due to their employees exposure rates. Some examples of such courses that we have developed in the past are Sub-part P excavation competent person training, along with Sub-part AA confined space competent person training. At Trivent we pride ourselves on being able to create training that meets the requirements of each standard and the needs of our clients. A well informed work force in construction leads to a safer more productive work environment and in addition can lead to increased employee moral. “The proof is in the pudding” as they say, and the statistics are shown to confirm the end result.

So when is the best time to train your work force? If you can relate to the old proverb it would be a considerable amount of time before there ever was an issue. The second best time is today! Contact us today and let Trivent Safety Consulting be a part in developing your work force and safety culture for your company. Remember luck is never considered a strategy, but proper training and policy development is. Let us help you achieve your goals!

Author: Scott Seppers

Meet The Trainer: Scott Seppers

Scott Seppers brings over 20 years of experience in vertical construction to the Trivent Safety team. He began his career in construction in 1998 working with a large international steel erection company. Over the course of working with iron Scott would evolve his skill set from apprentice iron worker up to the level of General Foreman. During this time, he went from learning the trade to teaching the trade to others, it was then that he discovered his passion for teaching and mentoring the next generation of iron workers. Not only with the trade, but in job site safety. His field experience / leadership as a general foreman with planning and managing work and developing multiple safety solutions for issues in the field as they occur are some of the strengths Scott brings to the Trivent team.

Scott has lived in Colorado for 37 years now and considers himself to be a “transplant native” a term which he has made for himself due to the fact he has been a resident for so many years and could not imagine living anywhere else. Like many others that were raised in the early 80’s, he attributes his hard work ethic and attention to detail to his father who showed him through his actions that any work needing to be done needs to be done right the first time.

Scott’s philosophy is that issues always arise in construction and it is up to us as individuals on how we receive them and create the solutions to move forward in a safe productive manner.

When Scott isn’t hard at work, he can be found enjoying time with his wife Kristie and their 1-year old son Benjamin. They enjoy a wide variety of extracurricular activities that Colorado has to offer and are frequently out enjoying the many offerings. From concerts and other live events to spending quality time together as a family, they enjoy the state we live in. One of Scott’s passions is Halloween. If you ever have the opportunity, I highly recommend going past his house during the month of October. The extravagant decorations are a site to see.

Scott is looking forward to playing a part in helping and developing solutions to potential problems for our clients in the future. Whether it be a simple question regarding fall protection, or developing your site specific safety plan, Scott can be counted on to help move you in the right direction.

OSHA Site Inspections

Have you ever wondered what might happen if OSHA was to stop by on a project your working on, more importantly have you ever had a moment that caused you to pause and ask yourself if the task you were involved with was being performed as safely as possible? If you’re like me, than the answer is a resounding yes, but the unknown of what might be discovered on such an inspection can be paralyzing. It is for reasons like this many people take an out of site out of mind approach and for better lack of term bury their heads in the sand and ignore where there might be safety issues. Unfortunately though ignoring a potential problem doesn’t make it go away, but can often lead to unintended consequences such as general acceptance to a potential hazard that has been left by the way side. OSHA states ” If your employer is covered by the Occupational Safety and Health Act, you have the right to request an OSHA inspection. OSHA also may make requested inspections. Inspections can cover the entire workplace or just a few operations. OSHA calls its inspectors “compliance officers.”

As mentioned earlier with so many topics and items that are up for review it can be a little overwhelming when thinking about compliance to the standards and how far they range. Some examples to think about are, qualified riggers and signal people, anyone involved with rigging or signaling overhead loads with cranes is required to have qualified rigger and signal person training. Scaffolds, who is the competent person who is over seeing the construction and maintenance of scaffolding on the project? Is the scaffold being inspected and signed off ready for use each day? Is the forklift operator certified to run the equipment? Employees working at heights, have they received fall protection training? These are just a few examples that can be up for review on an inspection, not to mention the administrative portion that can be conducted before the site walk inspection begins.

“Trivent Safety Consulting wants to help you start the new year and project as safe as possible.”

So how can we be prepared and know that are projects are in compliance and assigned tasks are being performed as safely as possible? Frequent site inspections that refer to the OSHA compliance standards on any and all topics that are applicable to the project your working on. Site inspections are a great tool to use on construction sites. They can develop a picture for you on how things are looking safety wise on the project and can also reveal areas for improvement where training is needed. You may be asking yourself “how can I conduct frequent site inspections based on the OSHA compliance standards if I don’t know all of them?”

Trivent Safety Consulting wants to help you start the new year and project as safe as possible. We are offering one free site inspection per company from now till the end of January. This inspection is OSHA based and will hit all topics of construction and compliance that are applicable to your project. Any recognized deficiency’s will come with a picture of that deficiency and why it is in violation of the standard. If a lack of training or policy is discovered one of our professionals can help you address and correct the situation in a timely manner. We also offer onsite safety representation to help you work through and establish a safer work site. All reports are 100% confidential to the requesting company. Contact us today and take advantage of this free no obligation inspection and see what we can do for you in the future to provide a safe and informed work force on the job site!

Author: Scott Seppers

Remember What’s Important

As we come to the end of 2018 and prepare for the new year,lets stop for a moment and remember what’s important. We go about our daily lives and we are so focused on the things we do each day that sometimes we forget to remember what we’re doing and why. Whether you’re an executive on Wall Street, a construction worker on a project in Denver, or a janitor at the local high school, it’s important that we don’t forget the reason we do what we do. For each of us,that may be something different.

The two most important people in my life are the reason I do the things that I do. They’re the two that support me in my life decisions and make it all worth it. My wife and daughter are what is important to me. I’ll be the first to admit that I take them for granted, I am not always as appreciative as I should be for the sacrifices they make, I don’t always remember what is important. There are a lot of us out there that do this. We work long hours, we travel for days, weeks or even months at a time. Leaving them home to deal with the day to day chores that never stop even though we’re gone. When I’m home, I help, I do laundry and dishes. I read bed time stories to our daughter, I take out the trash. I also can take off with little notice at all. My wife has always been supportive of what I do and how I operate. For me, work has and will always be important to me. I love what I do and wouldn’t change it for anything. I enjoy the daily challenges, I have fun with the people I meet in classes, and I love helping companies move to the next level with their safety.

That’s why I try to remember and say thank you and I love you. Not just during the holidays, but all year.

I get wrapped up in the day to day of my work. I get up before the sun and can at times work after it has set. People that know me, know that it’s not uncommon for me to be up at 1 am working on something. It may be the next proposal that needs to go out, or the presentation I’m doing later in the week, I am probably working on it while the others in my house sleep. They know that at any point during the night, they can find me in my office or somewhere else in the house doing my thing. Having a family that not only understands that but can appreciate it is important. My routines are not always easy on my family. The hours I keep, the traveling, the focus I put elsewhere. That’s why I try to remember and say thank you and I love you. Not just during the holidays, but all year. I want them to know that I wouldn’t be able to do what I do, if I didn’t have their support and understanding.

As a safety professional, I stress to the people I work with why it’s important for them to do what they do safely. Reminding them that they have people in their lives that expect them to come home each day. When they sit through a class I teach, or when we talk on a job that I’m visiting, I always try to help them remember that safety isn’t only for their benefit, but also for the loved ones in their lives. My job isn’t necessarily dangerous, not in the same way as being an iron worker or a glazier or any of the other countless trades on a job site. But I still need to stop and remember why I do what I do and remember the people in my life that are important.

As we finish December, look around you and at the people that are in your lives. Thank them for being there for you and supporting you each day. Then try and take that into 2019 and not wait until next December. The people in our life that we love should hear it more often than during the holidays. When you have a good day at work and don’t get hurt, remember it then. If you see something at work that could have been serious, remember it then. Have a safe day and a great rest of 2018. From my family to yours, thank you.

#family #merrychristmas

BUSINESS OWNER & MANAGER CHARGED WITH MANSLAUGHTER

Earlier this year, in San Francisco there were two people charged with involuntary manslaughter in the death of an employee that was crushed while operating a forklift that he had not been formally trained or certified to operate. All powered industrial truck operators must be trained and certified in accordance with OSHA 1926.602 (d). Alfred Lee, owner of Good View Roofing and Building Supply Corp., and manager Alan Chan were charged with manslaughter in the death of employee Hua Quing Ruan. The accident occurred two years earlier in 2016 when the 60-year-old worker tipped over the forklift while attempting to load a bag of mortar mix while traveling down a loading dock ramp with a wooden pallet into a customer’s car. In transit the bag fell off the pallet and blocked the front wheel of the forklift. The worker then attempted to back away from the fallen mortar bag and backed off the side of the ramp and tipped the lift over. Surveillance video shows the employee trying to jump out of the way of the falling lift, however he was not able to get clear and was hit and crushed by the lift.

According to the Cal/OSHA investigators the employee was not wearing his seat belt and it played a significant factor in his death. In addition, the employee had no formal forklift training and was not certified to operate the lift. “When employers take workplace safety shortcuts, it’s employees that suffer,” District Attorney George Gascón said in a statement.

OSHA says, 70 percent of workplace accidents can be avoided with proper training and safety procedures. NIOSH states that the three most common types of injuries occur when: A forklift overturns; workers are struck, crushed, or pinned by a forklift; and workers fall from a forklift.

Tips on how to avoid accidents and near misses when operating a forklift:

• Give your forklift a thorough inspection prior to use
• Only operate a forklift if you are authorized to do so
• Always use your seatbelt
• Become familiar with the features and functions of each forklift you operate
• Only pick up a load when you are sure it is stable
• Know and do not exceed the rated load capacity of your forklift
• Understand and know how to use your load capacity chart

NOT KNOWING THIS …

CAN LEAD TO THIS!

Requirements for Retraining and
Refresher training is required when:

• There has been an unsafe operation
• An accident or near miss
• An evaluation indicates that the operator is not capable of performing the assigned duties
• A new type of truck has been introduced into the workplace
• There has been three years since operators last evaluation

It is unfortunate events like this one that illustration the importance of getting your people the training they need to do the job as informed, safe workers. It has been said that the OSHA standards have been written in the blood of those that have come before us, before a standard was developed. Always be sure that workers who use heavy equipment have the experience and training needed to operate their machine safely. Lets protect our workers and the neighboring trades onsite from needless incidents and accidents that are preventable by receiving proper training!

NEED YOUR PEOPLE CERTIFIED?

communication forkliftoperator forkliftsafety OSHA OSHA1926.602d safety safetytraining signal person telehandlers training

Are Your Riggers Qualified?

Quick question for you, do you know what the total sling capacity of two ½” EIPS / IWRC wire rope slings choked at 45 degrees is good for? More importantly does the person you have rigging for you know the answer? The answer may surprise or potentially scare you. If the answer is no, then this is where you want to contact Trivent Safety Consulting and get signed up for the next qualified rigger and signal person training course. Subpart CC requires qualified rigger & signal persons while rigging and signaling construction loads. Our trainers at Trivent Safety Consulting have over 20 years of field experience when it comes to rigging and signaling cranes. We have developed a training course that can get your workers up to speed on how to properly rig materials and flag / signal a crane properly!

Bryan McClure & Scott Seppers erecting steel in 1998

Here is how you determine the answer to the original question:

½” EIPS IWRC wire rope sling in a choked configuration has a rated capacity of 3800lbs. At 45 degrees we have a listed sling multiplier of 1.41
3800 X 1.41 = 5358 combined rated lifting capacity.
Would you like to learn more? Follow our link to our next upcoming qualified rigger and signal person class!

cranes OSHA rigger trained rigging safety signal person training

Understanding OSHA and OSHA Standards

How many of you out there have been on a project or in a facility and the word spread that OSHA was there? For most employers when this happens, the reactions tend to be the same, and what they do is consistent, shut down and stop working. My question to you is, why? I’m not an advocate for stopping work unless you absolutely must. OSHA has a job to do and so do you. Why shut down if you’re not doing anything wrong? The reason is fear, fear of the unknown when OSHA shows up. Why are they here? Am I doing something wrong? Are there any violations? Our pulse begins to race, we may start sweating, our blood pressure rises. All are physiological responses to stress and fear.

Now instead of shutting down our projects because of the unknown, wouldn’t it be better if we’re aware and know the realities of our projects? Do you know the standards that govern your projects? The whole reason OSHA is around is for the development and enforcement of the construction and general industry standards. Standards that were created to help ensure employees go home safe each day.

I’m sure everyone has heard of them, maybe some of you have even read them. Though, most people go their entire career without knowing the rules we’re supposed to follow. As a safety professional, it’s been my responsibility to understand the rules that applied to the people I work with. To help my teams work within these rules and still be productive. These rules are the 1926 Construction and the 1910 General Industry standards. I’m not going to tell you that I’ve read them all, I’m also not going to tell you that I agree with everything that is in the standards. Some of the standards are old and antiquated. Others are written in such a manner that it’s very difficult to understand or to follow. Unfortunately, though, these are the laws we’re given, and we need to learn how to work safely while following them.

To help alleviate our fear and run a safe project, a better understanding of these standards and regulations should be a priority for all employers. You need to understand what rules you are required to follow and what affects your employees. Once you understand what affects your employees, I strongly recommend that you spend the time to educate them on the rules and standards as well.

Fear is a very powerful emotion and can lead us all to make bad choices. The more education and training we can give our employees will lower the fear, which hopefully, will lead to better decisions on our projects and in turn lead to a safer employee and project.

We do not need to fear OSHA showing up on our projects or at our place of business. We need to understand the rules and mitigate the hazards. This understanding comes from training, training and more training.

If you would like to know what OSHA is looking for on your projects, call us at 1(800) 819-6092. We can come to your site to perform a mock OSHA inspection. The first inspection is always free!

inspections OSHA safety training

OSHA UPDATES

Silica Rule for Construction, Maritime and General Industry Compliance

OSHA’s silica rule for construction has been in effect for over 2 years now and businesses were to comply by June 23, 2017, one year after the effective date, and General Industry and Maritime had additional time before total compliance was required on June 23, 2018. For those of you still struggling with how to comply with the standard or need training call us at (800) 819-6092. OSHA also has a variety of resources available on their website to help you with compliance, including videos and a frequently asked question section SILICA

Recordkeeping Rule: When and How to Submit OSHA Form 300A

The rule requires certain high-hazard businesses with 20 to 249 employees to electronically submit their OSHA Form 300A (Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses) and all businesses with 250 or more employees to also electronically submit their OSHA 300A form. OSHA is no longer requiring or accepting the 300 or 301 Forms from businesses with 250 or more employees as previously required. This is one change to the original rule that was released in 2016. The 2019 forms are due by March 2. RECORDKEEPING

Extension in Compliance Date for the General Industry Beryllium Standard

On August 8, OSHA issued a final rule to extend the compliance date for supporting requirements in the general industry beryllium standard to December 12, 2018. This extension affects provisions for methods of compliance, work areas, personal protective clothing, hygiene facilities and practices, housekeeping, communications, and recordkeeping. The compliance date extension does not affect the compliance dates for other requirements of the general industry beryllium standard. OSHA expects to complete revisions to its beryllium standards by the end of fiscal year 2019. BERYLLIUM

Excavation in construction

Another big area that OSHA will be focusing on is trenching and excavation hazards in construction; the agency’s goal is to abate 1,400 of these hazards in fiscal year 2019. As always, the focus is to ensure that employers are protecting their employees before allowing them to work in a trench or excavation. EXCAVATION

Self Reporting Injuries and Fatalities

In addition, responding to employers self-reporting of injuries will continue to increase the amount of unprogrammed (unplanned) inspections OSHA conducts. OSHA states that they are seeking 42 new full-time employees for enforcement. They are also looking to add 32 employees for areas such as compliance assistance, outreach and the Voluntary Protection Programs. REPORTING

OSHA safety