Union County Safety Council Newsletter

July 2019 EDITION

Sponsor

Your Union County Safety Council Officers, October 2018 - September 2019

President—Brian Dostanko (Human Resources Director, City of Marysville (937-645-7366)

Vice-President—Robert “Cricket” McClintock (Union Rural Electric) (937-537-0400)

Secretary—Rachel Gwilliams (Honda Trading America Corp) (937-644-8033)

Safety Manager—Angie Venable (Union County Chamber of Commerce) (937-642-6279)

Information - Cooperation - Motivation

June Recap Residential Electrical Safety

July 10 Lunch and Learn

11:15 a.m.– 940 London Ave

Speaker: Tracy Thompson, BWC Industrial/Construction Safety Consultant

Our Lunch Sponsor: Honda Marysville

When you plug an appliance into a receptacle, are you aware of how easily it is to insert or remove? Residential electrical fires account for an estimated 51,000 fires each year with nearly 500 deaths and $1.3 billion in property damage. Receptacles alone are involved in 5,300 reported fires annually which claim up to 40 lives and 110 injuries. 65% of residential fire deaths occur at homes with NO working smoke detectors. Additionally, receptacle outlets account for approximately 3,900 injures treated in hospital emergency rooms each year. About a third of these injures occur when young children insert metal objects, such as hair pins and keys, into the outlet, resulting in electric shock or burn injuries to the hand or finger. So you should always install tamper-resistant receptacles in a home with small children. Using multiple appliances with a plug strip increases the risk of an electrical shock and/or fire. An example that is common to homes today would be a TV, home entertainment system, computer or other electronics all plugged into one surge strip. Outlets with poor internal contacts or loose wire terminals may become overheated and emit sparks. Even a receptacle with nothing plugged into it may run hot if it is passing current through to other outlets on the same circuit. Have a qualified electrician replace receptacles which feel hot, emit smoke or sparks, those with loose fitting plugs or those where plugged-in lamps flicker or fail to light. Using lightbulbs that exceed the fixtures rating is also a hazard. The heat produced by the lamp is proportionate to the wattage. So, the higher the wattage, the more heat produced. This can lead to a fire or your electrical device reaching its end of life. Wiring that is older than 25 years, depending on use and environment can dry out and have stress cracks in the insulation. Circuit breakers located in damp basements have a high failure rate after 25 years. If your house was built prior to 1976, have GFCI receptacles installed within 6’ of a sink, basement, outdoors, and inside garages. If you have GFCI receptacles in your home, but do not test them as directed on the front of the receptacle, have the new self-test type installed. Electric extension cords can also be hazardous. About 4,000 injuries are treated annually in hospital emergency rooms. About half involve lacerations, contusions, or sprains from tripping over the cord. Young children can receive electrical burns to the mouth. About 3,300 residential fires happen annually due to short circuits, overloading, damage to the cord, and/or misuse.

. . . some of our fellow Safety Council members have perfect attendance?

Bulk Transit Corp. Custom Staffing Inc, - Marysville Franke’s Wood Products Kale Marketing Inc. KNS Services Inc. Patterson Pools LLC Scott’s Miracle-Gro Company Select Sires, Inc. Sumitomo Electric Wiring Systems U-CO Industries, Inc. Union County Family YMCA

Today’s Lunch Sponsor is . . .

Honda Marysville Honda Marysville is the Honda dealership located right here in town. Not only do they provide a wide variety of new and used Honda products, (and Honda merchandise) but they also provide all levels of service for Honda products. Honda Marysville is also very active in local charity efforts. They sponsor such activities such as The Honda Marysville Run 4 Kids 5K Run/Walk, 2019 Marysville Ride for Kids, Marysville Charity Car Show, Pelotonia 2019, Rock the Clock, Honda & Hounds Pet Wellness Expo, In Christy’s Shoes, and Impact60. #givewhereyoulive

BWC Education and Training Services Sites

BWC offers classes at 14 sites around Ohio. One of those sites happens to be the Union County Services Building here in Marysville. Below are the classes currently being offered at this location. To register, visit www.bwclearningcenter.com or call 614-995-8622 between

7:30am and 5:30pm Monday through Friday. You must provide your Ohio workers’ compensation policy number.

In many parts of the country, tornado season is in full swing. So it is a good time for employers to evaluate their workplace emergency action plan to determine readiness for any disaster—natural and man-made. Most people cannot think clearly in a crisis. That is why regular, hands-on drills should be part of any emergency plan. It is always easier to prepare for an emergency than have to explain why you didn’t when someone is injured or killed. An emergency action plan should be tailored to the organization; buildings that house hazardous materials, for example, might have a more complex plan than an office building. The plan has to work for all employees, regardless of their physical abilities, and it must be applicable to multiple types of disasters. When dealing with fire, a bomb threat, workplace violence event, gas leak, or hazardous materials spill, it is best to evacuate. Threats that call for sheltering in place include external hazmat incidents and weather events. We need to be prepared for a disaster at home, too. Windows, when used as escape routes, can mean the difference between life and death in the event of a fire or other natural disaster—but only if family members know what to do. How prepared are you to escape a fire? You will likely have little time to think, which is why it is essential to develop and test an escape plan at least twice a year with everyone in the home.

If Disaster Strikes, Are You Ready? (www.nsc.org)

OSHA has a new webpage on measles, a highly-contagious, potentially serious illness with more than 1,000 confirmed cases in 28 states in 2019, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Workers in child care and health care, laboratories, and environmental services and those who travel abroad have the greatest risk of exposure and infection. The webpage provides information about preventing and reducing workers’ measles exposure, along with information on vaccination and treatment.

OSHA Publishes Webpage On Measles Prevention

(www.osha.gov)