Out Loud Blog

I recently returned from a week-long vacation in Utah and Arizona, where I spent hours almost every day hiking in canyons, the desert and/or at high elevation, all while camping in some remote areas.

While I was happy to get away from it all (no cell phone reception? Check. Traveling without a computer for once? Check. Forgetting about the “real world”? Check!), the nature of the trip meant that safety could never fully leave my mind.

From wearing UPF-protective clothing to save my skin from the hazards of the desert sun to carrying liters of water, consuming enough salt, always carrying a headlamp, never hiking alone and focusing on hygiene while preparing meals at far-flung campsites, I found that part of my brain was still in “safety mode.”

My trip ended at the Grand Canyon, which felt like being at Disneyland compared to the more remote locations I’d just come from. Even so, attention to safety was especially important here — particularly when it came to hiking down into the canyon, where the temperature could transition from “cool” to “warm” to “sweltering” by 8am.

My first hike was a short one, only about a mile down the South Kaibab trail, which is steeper than the Bright Angel trail and does not have any access to water. My husband and I had barely begun when we were stopped by two park employees who proceeded to give us the third degree: How much water were we carrying? Did it have electrolytes? How far were we hiking? Were we aware of the windy conditions? And on and on.

We were a bit surprised to be stopped like that, but even so, we appreciated the questions. While we were well-prepared for our hike, many others on the trail weren’t. We noticed people hiking past our 1-mile turnaround point wearing flip-flops and carrying tiny water bottles — or no water at all. Worse, it was still the hot part of the day, so they presumably were going to make the grueling hike up in the heat without enough water.

When we later hiked 3 miles down the Bright Angel trail, no rangers interrogated us, perhaps in part because this trail has some rest stops with running water. Even so, others definitely could have benefited from the third degree. Like the woman who approached us to ask for a “just a drop” of our water during the hike back up to the rim. She’d hiked as far as we had but had brought no water at all. Clearly, she was struggling. We offered more water but she took only the drop she asked for, which she claimed was enough to wet her mouth and keep her going to the top.

That woman, along with many unprepared hikers we passed that day, managed to make it back to the rim without having to be rescued by rangers. But that’s not the case for everyone, particularly those optimists who think they can hike all the way from the rim to the river and back in one day.

The National Park Service FAQ page about hiking in the Grand Canyon makes it clear that preparation is key:

“Depending on how prepared you are, your trip can be a vacation or a challenge, a revelation or an ordeal. The majority of Grand Canyon hikers are here for the first time, and although many are avid hikers, they find that hiking the Grand Canyon is very different from most other hiking experiences. They tend to react to the experience in one of two ways, either they can’t wait to get back, or they swear they will never do it again.”

Because I had enough water and food, and because I rested in the shade on the way up and paced myself, my hiking experience in the Grand Canyon was a pleasant one. The same goes for my vacation in general — I’m happy to report that I came home with little more than a few mosquito bites. And while I learned that taking a vacation from the real world can be refreshing, it’s never a good idea to leave safety at home.

I spent the week talking to doctors about the many things we think of as “fun” that land us in the emergency room. Barbecues, fireworks, lawn work and gardening, pools, softball, boats and jet skis… You name the activity and they’ve seen someone come through the emergency room doors with an injury related to it.

As I spoke with them, I thought of the dumb things I’ve done during summertime activities: mowing the grass in flip flops; neglecting to clear the grass of sticks, toys and rocks before mowing (casualty: two basement windows); riding on the boat of sailors more inexperienced than me, and that’s saying something; reaching under bushes to clear debris without looking to see what else might be under there (hard to say who was more startled, me or the rather large snake I disturbed - I’d say me, since the snake did not run away screaming at the top of its lungs); allowing friends to barbecue while drinking; leaving a kiddie pool sitting full and unattended in my backyard for several days; unloading hundreds of pounds of dirt and stones on the very first nice day of spring…

Any one of these activities could have resulted in serious injury or death to myself or others. I know better; I write about safety every day. I can’t allow summer to lull me into a “do as I say, not as I do” attitude. For me, the “Aha! moment” was the snake.

What about you? What “Aha! moment” have you experienced this summer?

They were 21, 16, 14 years old. Some of them were sisters or friends. All of them are lost.

Earlier this week, the ASSE Safety 2011 expo booths were dismantled, the conference room doors pulled closed and the 4,500+ attendees returned home, but spirit of safety — and the role ASSE played in the nation’s occupational safety evolution — lives on, thanks in part to a special display that brought to life a tragic event in the nation’s workplace safety history.

These shirts (on loan to ASSE from the Remember the Fire Triangle Coalition) are replicas of the shirtwaists workers were producing when a catastrophic fire broke out in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory on March 25, 1911. Dozens and dozens of workers — many of them women and children — were trapped in the building and unable to escape the blaze. On that day, 146 workers died in a tragedy that ultimately led to the creation of ASSE and prompted workplace safety improvements.

ASSE’s display is a tangible reminder of the real people who lost their lives simply because they went to work that day. These replicated shirts include sashes that bear the names of actual victims of the fire. The back of each sash lists the victim’s age. ASSE displayed shirts bearing the names of sisters side by side.

Over the last 100 years, new safety legislation, the formation of organizations like ASSE, the fostering of safety professionals, the birth of OSHA in 1971 and a heightened focus on the right for all American workers to have access to safe, healthy workplaces has changed the landscape of occupational safety and health. We still have work to do to better protect workers, but for now, these pieces of cloth drive home the waste and the tragedy that occurs when safety doesn’t come first.

To see more photos of these shirts, visit EHS Today’s Facebook page.

Related Articles: A Century of Safety with ASSE and ASSE Remembers Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire.

The American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) Safety 2011 conference and expo, held June 12-15 in Chicago, honors both the past and the future.

ASSE, which was founded in response to the deadly Triangle Shirtwaist Fire of 1911, turns 100 this year, an anniversary that prompts the society and its members to celebrate the strides made in occupational safety in the last century. But in addition to looking back and seeing how far the safety profession has come, it’s also a time to consider the future — particularly the future of the safety professional.

For example, take the group of college students who crowded the EHS Today booth during yesterday’s opening reception on the expo floor. They wanted to pick up copies of our June issue, which features ASSE President Darryl C. Hill on the cover. It was the perfect opportunity for us to steer these students toward the Future Leaders in EHS scholarship application.

This program, sponsored jointly by EHS Today and PureSafety, supports and encourages EHS students as they respond to the challenges of the 21st century workplace and lead the way in keeping tomorrow’s workers safe, healthy and on the job. The program offers a $5,000 scholarship along with resources and expertise to universities and students.

Last year’s winner, Jason Townsell, wrote in his application: “EHS has proven to be one of the most important emerging fields of this decade. With more and more people being drawn to the field, appropriate education is a must.” (Read more about Jason and why the judges selected him here. Jason is also a guest blogger for this blog; scroll through the archives to read more from him as well as Tran Huynh, a Future Leader runner-up.)

Young EHS leaders like Jason, Tran, and our other 2010 runner-up, Beau Middaugh, are shining examples of what the safety profession has to honor in the future. For more information about this program, or to learn how to apply, visit the Future Leaders in EHS page.

If you’re here in Chicago this week, the EHS Today team hopes to see you at the show. What’s more, we hope to see you in the future — as the occupational safety profession builds upon these last 100 years and grows stronger in the century to come.

Ever since a catastrophic earthquake and tsunami struck Japan, damaged the Fukushima Daiichi power plant and led to some occupational radiation exposure, the subject of protecting industrial workers from radiation has become a hot-button issue – an issue that safety professionals cannot in good conscience look past.

Technological advances have helped industrial hazard protections reach new levels of sophistication, with developments that include cutting-edge fall protection equipment, anti-scratch safety glasses and gadgets like robots that bring a whole new sense of safety. Less sophisticated systems, meanwhile, largely have been left behind.

It is important, however, to remember that we cannot throw out the proverbial baby with the bathwater as some “unsophisticated” protective measures remain valid. One of these, the ALARA principle, remains the most simple and effective principle of worker protection from radiation.

The ALARA Principle

The ALARA (as low as reasonably possible) principle is a widely used and effective method of controlling exposure to radioactive material. ALARA represents the concept of limiting employee radiation exposure to levels as low as possible.

The principle consists of three basic components of protection: 1) limiting the time of exposure; 2) maintaining an as-far-as-feasible distance from radiation sources; and 3) shielding from radiation. Although the application may vary depending on the specific exposure, the ALARA concept is applicable to any process that involves exposure or potential exposure to radiation.

Limiting the Time of Exposure

The first aspect of controlling exposure to radiation is limiting the time of exposure. This is accomplished through adequate planning both from a production and safety analysis point of view. With proper planning, worker rotations can be scheduled to limit exposure to any one employee, and the project can be divided into smaller portions in order to limit exposure.

Proper planning also allows for potential concerns regarding production and safety to be identified and mitigated, thus allowing for a more efficient operation.

A Safe Distance

Next, the ALARA Principle calls for maintaining a distance from the hazard that is as far as feasible.

In order for distances of diminished exposure to be established, appropriate radiation-level monitoring must take place. After monitoring is performed, establishing a perimeter outside of the exposure zone in which non-essential and non-shielded persons are prohibited from entering will effectively limit employee exposure.

Mandating that employees maintain a safe distance from radiation sources through the utilization of these controlled access zones will go far in preventing exposure.

Shielding from Radiation

The final component to be implemented in the ALARA principle is shielding persons who may be exposed to the radiation.

In the same manner that the use of personal protective equipment must follow the utilization of engineering and administrative controls, shielding employees follows the aforementioned controls of limiting exposure and maintaining a safe distance. The method of shielding will be determined by the specific type and amount of radiation; however, as a rule, the material used will be the densest material as available.

While new, sophisticated methods and equipment might offer the promise of improved safety performance, sometimes it’s the old standby techniques – such as limiting exposure, maintaining distance and shielding – that best create a solid foundation for worker safety.

EHS Today guest blogger Jason Townsell was named the 2010 Future Leader in EHS. He works as an assistant safety manager/trainer for LA World Airports (LAWA) Airport Development Group.

Related Articles

AIHce: The Power (and Pitfalls) of Fear Surrounding Nuclear Incidents

How Will Japan’s Crisis Affect U.S. Nuclear Safety?

Understanding Radiation Exposure and the Health Risks in Japan

“Every organization is designed to get the results they get.” How apropos is this quote taken from Dave Hanna’s book on organizational design. Three quotes from Massey management tell the tale.

First, Ex CEO Don Blankenship’s quote taken from the April 7, 2010 Cincinnati Enquirer, “ I think that I’ve proven that we run safer mines – you know, most of the time – and accidents sometime happen.” This statement was made after the Upper Big Branch (UBB) disaster where 29 workers were killed. Does this statement reflect the mindset that safety is of the upmost importance? Not a chance. Safety is not something you do most of the time and accepting that accidents sometime happen is a recipe for disaster which is what the UBB explosion was.

Next, in response to the report by an independent investigative panel Massey stated, “Our experts continue to study the UBB explosion and our goal is to find answers and technologies that ultimately make mining SAFER.” (emphasis added) What is wrong with this statement? If Massey was truly committed to running a safe operation they would have stated, “…ultimately making mines SAFE.” SAFER is not SAFE. I guess if the next Massey disaster only kills 20 workers they met their objective of running a SAFER operation than the one that killed 29. There is only one approach and that is to MAKE MINING SAFE period, not SAFER.

Finally, in the same response to the independent investigative report they say, “We have been examining where improvements in methane monitoring can be made and we HOPE (emphasis added) to develop some better technologies as a result of our investigation.” How is that for rock solid determination. They HOPE to develop improved technologies. Again, a Company truly committed to safety would take the approach that they WILL develop improved technologies.

One can clearly see from examining these three quotes that indeed Massey Energy is perfectly designed to get the results they get. Those results left 29 miners dead on May 5, 2010.

Dr. R. D. Fulwiler, CIH, CSHM

Technology Leadership Associates

Cincinnati, OH

A company with a strong safety culture will typically experience fewer at-risk behaviors and will consequently experience lower accident rates, lower turnover, lower absenteeism and higher productivity. While the advantages of a strong safety culture are obvious, how can companies establish this type of culture?

Consider the following:

Establish and define safety responsibilities for all levels of the organization. Safety is a line management function, and the culture needs to be driven from the top down. Hold managers and supervisors accountable for visibly being involved. Lead by example.

Stress the importance of timely reporting. This includes reporting all injuries, first aid issues and near misses to management. Educate employees on trends, the accident pyramid and the importance of reporting all incidents. If underreporting has existed in the organization, prepare management for a probable initial increase in incidents and a temporary rise in rates. Assure them it will level off and then decline as the system changes take hold. Remember, paying for one doctor’s visit and one tetanus shot as a preventive measure is better than paying for an injury with an infection and possible lost time.

Evaluate, and if needed, rebuild systems. This includes considering rebuilding procedures for doing work, employee safety training, company disciplinary policies or safety and health policies. Remember the 3 “Es” of safety: engineer, educate, and enforce.

Ensure the safety committee is functioning appropriately. Do you have the best balance of upper management and employee representation? Does the safety committee have the authority to enact safety ideas or changes? The safety committee should be trained and have an incident investigation system ready to ensure that it is done timely, completely and effectively. It should get to the root causes and avoid blaming workers involved.

Meet regulatory standards. The regulations set out by OSHA, MSHA or state OSHA and other government agencies exist to protect employees. They are only the minimum standards or a starting point. While they are essential, you should aim higher. As safety professionals, we need to be familiar with all of the regulatory requirements and tailor our safety training and programs accordingly.

Observe behaviors. Safety observations, inspections or audits should be performed regularly. These actions should be completed by the safety manager, supervisors, safety committee or a combination of these team members. The data collected should be used to track whether additional safety training or work evaluation is needed, or to target specific areas for corrective actions and or safety improvement planning.

Safety observations to consider include: the position of workers (if they are near danger zones such as moving parts, machines, traffic, etc.); ergonomics (repetitive motion, bad work positioning); personal protective equipment (lack of proper PPE or the required evaluation of equipment selected for the work being done); tools and equipment (are workers using the right tool for the work being done?); and housekeeping (a messy work area is not a safe area).

When observing a work task being performed in a hazardous way, make sure the work stops safely and then initiate a conversation with the worker. First, be sure to comment on the safe behavior the worker is exhibiting. Discuss possible results and consequences of his or her unsafe act and urge the worker to think of a safer way to do the work. Get this employee’s buy-in on how to do the work safely. Finally, answer any questions the worker may have about safety.

Most of all, once the unsafe action has been resolved, thank the worker for his or her time and for working safely.

Robert Guerra has 28 years of experience as a safety professional with an extensive background in providing safety program administration, supervision and training for field personnel and safety inspection services for construction projects. He has supported safety for construction of highways, buildings, airports and oil well sites. Guerra currently serves as a senior principal technical specialist in the Los Angeles office of Parson Brinckerhoff (PB), a global infrastructure strategic consulting, engineering and program/construction management organization. He is a Certified Safety Executive; a Certified Safety Manager and Hazardous Materials Supervisor with the World Safety Organization (WSO); a Certified Safety and Health Manager with the National Safety Management Society (NSMS); and a member of the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE).