Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Safety Considerations
Protect Workers and Their Families
The following article is a condensation from the "Safety News Alert" newsletter from BLR (http://www.blr.com). It provides information on ways to prevent chemical contamination.
It would be tragic if a worker's family member became ill because of chemical contamination brought home from the workplace. Train your workers to prevent the spread of contamination.
Safety consultant Fred Rine says about workplace safety: "If employees don't understand the ‘why,' not just the ‘how,' they'll never get beyond a certain point. You need to motivate them by reminding them that the reason to work safely is to protect their lives and their families."
Safety consultant Fred Rine says about workplace safety: "If employees don't understand the ‘why,' not just the ‘how,' they'll never get beyond a certain point. You need to motivate them by reminding them that the reason to work safely is to protect their lives and their families."
That brings us to today's topic. One of the ways employees can help protect their own as well as their family's lives is to make sure they don't bring chemical contamination home with them.
Chemical hazards can easily move from the workplace to home and harm loved ones.
Chemical hazards can easily move from the workplace to home and harm loved ones.
Contamination can be carried home on:
- Work clothes
- Tools and equipment
- Work-related materials such as boxes, bags, or scrap brought from work
- Workers' bodies, if they don't wash carefully at the end of a shift.
Simple Rules Protect Families
A few simple rules can protect employees' families from contamination:
- Always remove contaminated clothing and PPE before going home.
- Wear gloves when removing contaminated clothing.
- Remove clothes from the upper body before those on the lower body.
- Shower or wash thoroughly with soap and water, and change clothes before going home.
- Never keep work clothes and PPE in the same locker with street clothes if you work with or around chemicals.
- Place contaminated work clothes and equipment in the proper place for decontamination or disposal.
- Never wash contaminated work clothes with family laundry.
- Don't ever bring home items from the work area such as tools, boxes, etc.
Also remind employees to be aware of the signs of exposure to any chemicals in your workplace so that they can recognize those symptoms in family members. Point out that because children's bodies are small, they may be more easily affected by even small amounts of a chemical.
And be sure to tell workers that if they think a hazardous chemical they work with could be affecting someone in their family, they should immediately consult their doctor and notify their supervisor as well.
Labels: Safety Compliance, Safety Management
# posted by The Duraclean Team @ 2:04 PM 
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