At Labor Works, temporary staffing and light industrial labor, we believe that part of what sets us apart from other temp-agencies is our commitment to the safety of our temporary workers as well as your full-time employees. Worker and employee safety has been one of the main pillars of our business since day one and we strive to expand our safety protocol every year. Recently, we have begun an internal employee newsletter to help cultivate a strong culture of safety within Labor Works; we believe there is information in these newsletters that apply not only to our company, but that can also apply to additional employers across the country. Thus, we would like to share some of what our newsletters have to say with all of our readers.
Labor Works Safety Newsletter
ISSUE 1
“Disasters Don’t Plan Ahead. You Can.”
We have decided to try something new and give a LW Safety Newsletter a test run… The purpose of this newsletter is to help cultivate a strong culture of safety within Labor Works. Every. Single. Person. in the company has a role to play in ensuring safety for our employees.
We want to provide you with specialized information on different safety issues in the workplace so that you can be better informed. Hopefully by doing so, you will know what you can do to lessen and or prevent future injuries.
Each month will focus on certain safety issues. In this month’s issue, we will be discussing National Preparedness Month and Fall Prevention. Please see page 4 to view next month’s topics, and if you have anything to contribute, please submit your entry! We would love to hear your thoughts and suggestions!
SEPTEMBER IS NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS MONTH
According to Ready.gov, this September, National Preparedness Month (NPM), will focus on planning, with an overarching theme, “Disasters Don’t Plan Ahead. You Can.”
We should all take action to prepare! We are able to help first responders in our community by training how to respond during an emergency and what to do when disaster strikes – where we live, work, and visit. Be the help until help arrives! To learn more, visit www.ready.gov/september.
EMPLOYEE NEWSLETTER
“Extreme heat exposure is the leading cause of death among weather- related hazards.”
BE PREPARED….THERE’S AN APP FOR THAT!
Some disasters include various weather conditions, such as extreme heat. NIOSH (National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health) and OSHA (Occupational Safety & Health Administration), recently paired up to redesign an app that uses temperature & humidity to measure heat index values.
NIOSH Director, John Howard states that “This app puts lifesaving information at the fingertips of both supervisors and workers to inform them when they need to take precautions to stay safe at the worksite.”
The National Safety Council says that “According to OSHA, extreme heat exposure is the leading cause of death among weather-related hazards, prompting more than 65,000 emergency room visits annually.”
This free app is available for download on iTunes & Google Play – just search “OSHA Heat Safety Tool.”
WHEN THINGS GET HOT, PLAY IT COOL
NIOSH RECOMMENDS THE FOLLOWING TO HELP WORKERS STAY SAFE IN HOT CONDITIONS:
Limit exposure time and/or increase recovery time in cool conditions.
Provide an adequate supply of cool water & encourage frequent consumption.
Increase the number of workers per task.
Provide workers & supervisors with heat stress training.
I know that our Louisville Account Managers take bottled water to our construction sites when it’s extremely hot out. While summer may be winding down, the temperatures are still up. Please think of ways your branch can help our employees in all extreme weather conditions.
SEPT.22-28: FALL PREVENTION AWARENESS WEEK
Fall Prevention Awareness Week was originally formed to recognize the critical issue of falls being the leading cause of deaths, injuries, and hospital admissions for trauma among older adults. However, I thought this was appropriate for our safety newsletter because slips, trips, and falls make up the majority of general industry accidents and most could have been prevented. According to the United States Department of Labor:
– 15% of all accidental deaths; second leading cause behind motor vehicles
• ~12,000/year
– One of most frequently-reported injuries
• ~25% of reported claims/year
– Over 17% of all disabling occupational injuries result from
Sept.22-28 is Fall Prevention Awareness Week, while Sept. 22 is the first day of Autumn, aka Fall…
falls
If you have any questions about our commitment to safety or if you would simply like to partner with us for your staffing needs please click the button below and find out how Labor Works can fulfill your temp labor needs.