Vivi's Safety Corner - October 2011

by: ESD Safety Coordinator Vivi Fissekidou (x5610)

Winter is upon us. It’s time to adjust our clocks and adjust our thinking.

1. Near Miss Reporting Reminder:

What's a near miss?

A near miss is an event or an unsafe condition that could cause an accident or injury.

Reporting a a near miss helps facilitate safe practices in the work place, provides the division with valuable information and helps prevent future accidents and injuries. To report a near miss use the ESD online feedback form.

Any concerns you have should be discussed with your Supervisor, Work Lead, or the Division Safety Coordinator  (Vafissekidou@lbl.gov, X5610).

Near Misses and /or concerns may also be reported at the online EH&S Safety Concerns program.

How do I correct a near miss?

Determine if you can safely take action to resolve the problem yourself utilizing integrated safety management. If you or your supervisor/Work Lead/PI and the Division Safety Coordinator cannot safely take action, please elevate your concerns through Safety Line Management to enlist additional resources to ensure resolution. Please report any actions taken or recommended actions to resolve a near miss on the ESD feedback form.

The information you report will automatically be sent to the Division Safety Coordinator and reported through to Safety Line Management.

The Division Management reviews reported near misses to ensure that corrective actions are followed through and reported to LBNL safety line management as required. Further comments and information may be requested of the person reporting the near miss to ensure that complete and accurate information is collected.

2. Winter Safety Reminders:

• The sun is coming up later and going down earlier now. When you are out walking, be aware that drivers may not see you. Wear something reflective or light colored clothing. When you step into traffic, don’t assume drivers can see you.
• Improve your chances of seeing pedestrians. Now is a good time to change your wiper blades and clean the inside of your car windows. Keep a cloth or paper towel handy to wipe the condensation from your windshield. Don’t use your hand. It puts oil on the glass and makes the matter worse.
• On windy days, watch for falling branches. More importantly, watch for the debris that has already fallen. Walking under a tree that has dropped twigs, seed pods or acorns is like walking on ball bearings. It’s a great way to break a hip or a wrist.
• Fire up your furnace for an hour, and then change the filter. It probably needs changing, but you want to catch all the dust you can when you start the furnace for the first time. A brand new filter does not trap dust as well as one that has seen a few hours/days of use. 
• Change the batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Keep the ones that still have some life. Christmas is coming and you can use them to run the kid’s games until you get to the store and get the batteries you forgot to buy.
• Take a look at your shoes and imagine walking on our hallway floor when it’s wet. Will you be safe?
• Pack your umbrella into your backpack or briefcase now. You will need it sooner than you think.
• Take a look at your space heater before you plug it in. Is the wire still in good shape? Did a family of spiders move in during the summer? Is it even legal to use? It must have a three-prong cord and a tip switch or you cannot operate it here at the Lab.
• As mentioned at the top, Daylight Savings Time ends November 6th. Be sure to set your clocks back an hour before you go to bed, unless they adjust automatically.