Safety First! September 2019

Safety First Newsletter,

BMSA's Safety First! 
September 2019
New OSHA Guidance To Improve Safety And Health
 
A new webpage launched by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration on  Leading Indicators for Safety and Health aims to help employers use leading indicators to improve safety and health outcomes in the workplace. The  guidance can help companies, especially small- and medium-sized businesses, learn how to use leading indicators. The benefits of leading indicators include preventing workplace injuries and illnesses, reducing costs associated with incidents, improving productivity and overall organizational performance, optimizing safety and health performance, and increasing worker participation. "Leading indicators are a valuable tool, regardless of whether you have a safety or health program, what you have included in your program, or what stage you may be at in your program," according to the guide.
 
(Source: NLBMDA Workplace Safety & Risk Management Update, August, 2019)
Fire Prevention Not a Once-a-Year Responsibility
How often do you think about fire prevention? Weekly? Monthly? Yearly? On the off chance you come across an article on the subject?  Unless your answer to that question is "daily," you have some work to do.
That might sound dramatic, but the U.S. Fire Administration received more than 100,000 reports of nonresidential building fires each year from 2014-2016. In those incidents, about 90 deaths, 1,350 injuries, and $2.4 billion in property damage costs were reported. That last figure is about 20 percent of the total dollar loss from all fires.
Some fires have common causes - cooking, faulty electrical wiring, or smoking, for example. But others come from less obvious sources.
 
Here are just a few:
  • Dust and debris piles near heat sources or electrical outlets
  • Oily rags stored in the open or in a container that isn't sealed
  • Overheated electrical equipment or appliances

While you should review your overall fire safety plan a couple times a year, you should constantly be on the lookout for fire risks. This sounds like a big task, but if you integrate it into your business's everyday procedures, the time commitment will be minimal. Update your cleaning checklists to include inspection of any new potential hazards you've identified. You and your employees will barely notice a change in routine, but your fire risk management strategy will be much more effective.

 

Read more here.

 

(Source: Federated Insurance Risk Management, August 2019)

Crunch Time For Drug And Alcohol Clearinghouse Preparation
Only months remain before the Commercial Driver's License (CDL) Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse deadline arrives.
The rule creating the clearinghouse was published in December 2016, giving motor carriers three years to prepare for implementation. Years have turned into months, and the time is running short for carriers to integrate the processes into their DOT drug and alcohol testing program.
Effective January 6, 2020, the rule requires employers and their service agents to populate the clearinghouse with:
  • Their employees' DOT drug and alcohol violations under Part 382 of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations, and
  • Verification of a CDL driver's completed steps in the DOT return-to-duty process.
In addition, once the clearinghouse is launched, motor carriers must request queries on applicants and existing CDL drivers using the database. However, before the process can begin, motor carriers must take certain steps.
Click here to view the Clearinghouse checklist.
(Source: J.J Keller, July 2019)
Stay Connected With BMSA! 

Quote of the Day
No job is so important and no service so urgent - that we cannot take time to perform our work safely.

- AT&T Bell System Safety Creed 1939
If you would like to receive daily safety quotes click here.
(Source: inspiresafety.com, August 2019)
Calendar of Events
2019-2020
 
Sept. 25-27:
Leadership Graduates Roundtable
(Greenville, SC)
Sept. 29 - Oct. 1:
Roundtable #1
(Charlotte, NC)
 
Oct. 8-9:
2-Day Blue Print Reading & Material Take-Off Workshop
(North Charleston, SC)
 
Oct. 8-10:
NLBMDA ProDealer Industry Summit
(Colorado Springs, CO)
Oct. 9-11:
CFO Roundtable
(North Myrtle Beach, SC)
 
Oct. 10-11:
Operations Manager Roundtable A
(Hilton Head, SC)
 
Oct. 16-18:
Roundtable #3
(Charlotte, NC)
Oct. 24-25:
Sales Manager Roundtable
(Hilton Head, SC)
Nov. 6-8:
Roundtable #7
(Raleigh, NC)
Nov. 7-8:
Operations Manager Roundtable B
(Charlotte, NC)
Nov. 14-15: 
Purchasing Manager Roundtable #1
(Asheville, NC)
Nov. 19:
BMSA Marketing & PR Boot Camp
(Charlotte, NC)
Nov. 20:
BMSA Executive Committee Meeting
(Charlotte, NC)
N0v. 21:
BMSA Board Of Directors Meeting
(Charlotte, NC)
Dec. 4-6: 
Roundtable #5
(Charlotte, NC)
Feb. 5-6, 2020:
BMSA's Annual Learning
Exchange & LBM Expo
(Hickory, NC)
July 23-26, 2020:
BMSA's Summer Conference
(Myrtle Beach, SC)