Certification Requirements & Application
What 4 topics must safety committee members be trained in annually?
- Committee operations/Roles and responsibilities
- Hazard Identification
- Accident/Incident Investigation
- Drug and Alcohol Awareness
What is the minimum number of members permitted on a safety committee?
4
Must be equal representation of employer/employee reps (if only 4). You must reasonably represent all activities in the workplace
Define a hazard
Anything with the potential to threat to life, health, property, or the environment.
Define an accident/incident?
Any unplanned event that results in personal injury, damage to property/equipment, or an event that has the potential to result in such consequences.
Name 4 drugs of abuse...
- Hallucinogens
- Designer Drugs
- Over the Counter (OTC)
- Opioids
How many members must be present at the monthly safety committee meeting?
At least a quorum (50% + 1)
The meeting will not be counted towards your 12 meetings/year if the quorum is not present.
What 3 positions are there on the safety committee?
- Chairperson: Prepare meeting agenda, arrange meeting time, place & date, set schedule for meetings, review previous minutes and materials for meetings, and conduct the meeting.
- Secretary: Record minutes, distribute minutes to members, post minutes, and report status of recommendations.
-Committee Members
Name methods workplace hazards can be identified?
- Informal daily inspection/walk-through
- Formal monthly inspections
- Outside professional inspections
- Job safety analysis (JSA)
- Job observations
- Review loss data
- Workers' comp loss runs
- OSHA logs
What tools are needed to conduct a proper accident investigation?
- Checklist/form
- Camera
- Required PPE
- Measuring device
- Note pad
5168 Pennsylvanian's fell into this group of people in 2021
What is... the number of Pennsylvanians that died from opioid overdoses in PA in 2021.
- 1 in 4 people have substance use disorder in their families
- 1 in 4 people with substance use disorder will die as a result
How long must training records, and all other safety committee documents be kept on file?
5 years
How long must a committee member serve?
At least 1 year
1) Flammable or combustible liquids- Improper use and storage
2) Storage of combustible materials
3) Faulty electrical equipment
4) Space heaters
5) Smoking
6) Hot work
Why do we investigate workplace incidents?
- Determine the root cause- look at direct cause and contributing factors.
- Prevent similar occurrences by implementing corrective actions.
- Document facts
- Provide cost data
- Reinforce commitment to safety
What is the number one way to minimize the use of drugs and alcohol at work?
A Drug Free Workplace program.
What are the 3 purposes of your safety committee?
- Prevent accidents and illness in the workplace
- Regularly bring the employer and employees together in a cooperative effort to promote safety in the workplace
- Detect and correct hazards before an incident occurs
What documents are needed for each meeting?
- Agenda
- Sign-in sheet
- Minutes
- Accident investigations
All documents dated specifically for each meeting. The agenda must be distributed prior to the meeting and minutes must be posted following the meeting.
If you see a hazard you should:
A) Report it immediately
B) Try and fix it yourself
C) Assume it's obvious and someone else probably reported it
A) Report it immediately
The recurrence of accidents of a particular type or those with common causes shows:
A) Carelessness of the operators or personnel in that section
B) The need of more warning and hazard signs in that area
C) Area(s) needing special accident prevention emphasis
C) Area(s) needing special accident prevention emphasis.
The following list are examples of what?
- OxyContin
- Percocet
- Codeine
- Methadone
- Fentanyl
Opioids
- Opioids are extremely common- perhaps more than you realize. The CDC defines opioids as "a class of drugs used to reduce pain." If you're using a painkiller, chances are it can be defined as an opioid.
Who established safety committees in Pennsylvania? In what year?
Governor Ridge in 1993
- 5% premium discount for maintaining a certified committee
- 100,000+ committees in PA covering 1,500,000+ employees.
Define an "Employer" representative?
Authority or responsibility to select or hire an employee, remove or terminate an employee, or to direct or control employees and subcontractors.
The Hierarchy of Controls is a method of identifying and ranking safeguards to protect workers from hazards. They are arranged from the most to least effective. Can you name all 5 control methods?
1) Elimination
2) Substitution
3) Engineering Controls
4) Administrative Controls
5) PPE
What is one of the most common mistakes made when completing an incident investigation?
Pre-judging and placing blame
What are the signs and symptoms of drug/alcohol abuse?
- Abrupt changes in behavior
- Unusual outbreaks of temper
- Changes in mood
- Acting paranoid or confused
- Not taking responsibility for their actions
- Change in attitude
- Withdrawing from family and friends