Stop The Bleed, Save a Life

Written by

The American Society of Safety Professionals South Plains chapter met for their monthly meeting. They support occupational safety and health professionals in their efforts to prevent workplace injuries, illness, and fatalities. On August 20, 2019 hosted special guest Melissa Kemp, DHSc, PA-C, focused on the Stop-the-Bleed program that is meant to help during a bleeding emergency. While it was a brief overview, the information was invaluable.

The Stop-the-Bleed program is a national awareness campaign and call-to-action by the American College of Surgeons. It’s intended to encourage bystanders to become trained, equipped, and empowered to help in a bleeding emergency before help arrives. It was developed to create a protocol to decrease the mortality rate of intentional mass casualty events or active shooter events. The idea is to train bystanders in techniques to control bleeding in emergency situations. The training course is 90 minutes and includes a formal presentation and a hands-on practice of direct pressure application, wound packing, and use of a tourniquet.

Dr. Kemp discussed how Stop-the-Bleed helps save a life by taking simple actions immediately after the trauma and following the ABCs: Alert, Bleeding, Compression. When it is safe to do so, alert 911. If you’re not safe, then you can’t help, so make sure the scene is secure. Then identify the bleed on the victim. Is it life-threatening? Is there pooling, bleeding through, or limb deformities? Remove any bulky clothing that may absorb the blood, and in case the victim is bleeding from areas that could be hidden. Add compression to the wound. There are three areas of the body and how to apply compression: limbs, junctional, and body. A tourniquet can be applied to the limbs 2-3 inches above the wound and not on the joint. It should only be taken off by a medical professional. In the junctional areas (neck, torso, groin, armpit), pack the wound with clean gauze and apply pressure. Don’t apply too much pressure that you can’t tell that the bleeding has stopped. Part of the program is to train bystanders, who are first on the scene, to stop the bleeding and aid victims with life threatening injuries until medical professionals can arrive. For more information, you can visit https://www.dhs.gov/stopthebleed.

The ASSP South Plains Chapter also discussed their fundraiser that they will be posting on their website and their efforts to help the community of Lubbock. The South Plains Chapter meets every third Tuesday of the month. For more information, visit https://southplains.assp.org/.

Pools & Chemical safety: a case study on how HAZWOPER Training can help

Written by

This week as we step into summer and get ready to relax by the pool let’s talk chemical safety. Many industries work around or near chemicals and/or hazardous materials all day. These chemicals might not be dangerous by themselves or when contained, but what will you do if there is a leak? Is there someone trained on your staff to start the HAZWOPER procedures before 911 gets there? Today I will tell you about an event that happened on May 26th 2017, then I will tell you how HAZWOPER training could have changed the chain of events from this day.

•   On May 26th, 2017, a spill of pool chemicals, which give off vapors when exposed to air, forced the evacuation of a fitness center. The employee who spilled the chemicals breathed the vapors, then became ill. The manager of the facility called 911, who had them evacuate the facility. Then they waited for emergency response to arrive, assess the situation and ultimately call their hazmat team in. Luckily no one was seriously hurt.

•   This is how one person with HAZWOPER training could have changed the events of that day. Let’s say one of the effected employee(s) had taken an OSHA 40 Hour HAZWOPER 29 CFR 1910.120 training course. The effected employee(s) would have known they needed proper respiratory protection while working with the chemicals to prevent a chemical exposure. If a spill still occurred they would have known how to properly contain the spill, evacuate the building, start cleaning the spill, start decontaminating the area, notify the proper authorities, and help prevent employee(s) from getting sick.

This case was a very small glimpse into how HAZWOPER training can prevent and help in the event of an accidental spill and/or leakage. Fortunately, no one at the fitness club was seriously injured, but that is not always the case. Especially when dealing with highly reactive chemicals like chlorine. If you would like to find out more about HAZWOPER training or join us for our next open enrollment class please visit our HAZWOPER Training Registration page or call us at 806-783-9944.

Don’t Wait for the Fines!

Written by

 

Although uncomfortable, the question, “What is the price of an employee’s life?” comes up regularly on the job site and even-though you might not be looking at it in those words… OSHA, insurance, and the lawyers, will.

On Oct. 21, 2016, a construction worker in California entered a drainage shaft to clean out mud and debris. He descended 10 feet into the shaft, but lost consciousness due to the oxygen-deficient atmosphere. Indication are, that he fell from the bucket of the mini crawler crane he was being lowered in, and fell 40 feet; ultimately, drowning in one foot of water. He was not provided with fall protection or an air supplied respirator. On May 15, 2017 OSHA closed its investigation fining the employee’s company $337,700 and the sub-contractor $14,870. Had the company trained and outfitted him appropriately; they would have been able to save the life of a good employee; still have a good name; and have only spent a minimum of $260 in Fall Protection Training and equipment.

Don’t wait for the fines. They can be costly in more ways than just money. On May 24th, we will be having an open enrollment class for Fall Protection. The cost is $130 and the course is taught with interactive elements to ensure everyone leaves with a solid understanding of proper Fall Protection and Prevention. Please join us in our initiative to keep employees safe, reduce accidents, and reduce the occurrence of costly fines on your job site.

Fall Protection Competent Person Training

 

 

Resources:

https://ohsonline.com/articles/2017/05/15/confined-space-fatality.aspx

OSHA Regulation on Crystalline Silica are changing!

Written by

 “Approximately 2 million U.S. workers remain potentially exposed to respirable crystalline silica” according to the CDC.

If you haven’t heard OSHA regulations regarding Crystalline Silica are changing. Even though, OSHA has delayed enforcement till Sept 23, 2017, R2M Engineering would like to advise you this regulation is still citable if your company is found non-compliant during an inspection conducted before Sept 23, 2017. For more information on this subject or how to improve the safety of your workers please contact R2M Engineering at www.r2meng.com or 806-783-9944

 

Department of Labor, United States of America

News Release

U.S. Department of Labor  |  April 6, 2017

OSHA to delay enforcing crystalline silica standard in the construction industry

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration today announced a delay in enforcement of the crystalline silica standard that applies to the construction industry to conduct additional outreach and provide educational materials and guidance for employers.

The agency has determined that additional guidance is necessary due to the unique nature of the requirements in the construction standard. Originally scheduled to begin June 23, 2017, enforcement will now begin Sept. 23, 2017.

OSHA expects employers in the construction industry to continue to take steps either to come into compliance with the new permissible exposure limit, or to implement specific dust controls for certain operations as provided in Table 1 of the standard. Construction employers should also continue to prepare to implement the standard’s other requirements, including exposure assessment, medical surveillance and employee training.

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA’s role is to ensure these conditions for America’s working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance. For more information, visit www.osha.gov.

sources:

https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USDOL/bulletins/192ac7a

https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6405a1.htm