Here we are, a few days into 2010 and we are all already busy placing appointments and workshops on the yearly calendar.  I want to thank everyone that allowed us to come into your place of business to provide safety training in 2009.

Usually between Christmas Eve and New Years Day it is a slow time for us and we take time off to be with friends and family, just like many of you.  Some companies shut down, some work with a skeleton staff because it's just a slow time for most of us.  As the year winds to a close, a lot us start to go through files, papers, and all sorts of office stuff to make room for the new year.  We clean our desks, closets and try to make it to the company dumpster while there's still room to throw everything in.

Be careful of what you are throwing away.  Identity theft is on the rise and you might accidently give personal information away for those willing to "dumpster dive".  Using a shredding company or investing in a quality personal shredder is important these days.  It's been awhile since I've used a shredder but the one I have incorporates a few safety features.  First, the machine will not allow more than 5 sheets at a time so the feeder slot is pretty small.  I've tried to get my fingers in there (with the power off of course) just to see if it was possible.  It isn't,...at least on my machine.  The second safety feature is the way it locks onto the top of my trash can.  If the can were to tip over, the machine would stay securely fastened.  The third safety feature is the triggering mechanism itself.  There is a little flap inside the blades that has to be depressed for the machine to automatically start.  Not by my finger, but by the material being shredded.  I realize that something small could just happen to hit the flap and start it, but at least there's a small window of chance.

While many safety features on machines are aimed at preventing an injury, if you purposely bypass them, you will get hurt.  Some of the instructions that came with my shredder listed several (what I would think are) common sense safety do's and don'ts.  Do use a properly grounded outlet.  Do not use near water.  See?  Common sense.  What I thought would have be listed wasn't.  You've seen comedy television where someone's tie gets caught in a machine haven't you?  Well, it's not listed as a safety "don't".  The instructions say nothing about loose clothing or long hair; both could cause some serious problems if stuck in a shredder.

Now that I've rambled on about shredding and the reason why shredders are used, let's move on to a related topic.  What if during the cleaning of your office, you realize that you've thrown away 2010 notes thinking they were old, outdated 2009 notes?  Sure, I can see everyone nodding their head up and down.  Yes, we've all had to go searching in the trash for something that was mistakenly tossed.  If I could sum this part of the article up, I would say to really look at what you are tossing into the garbage.  Maybe creating three stacks before you actually get rid of stuff.  One stack for the "keepers", one stack for the "positive trash", and another for the "I need to make sure" stack. 

There's a commercial out now that has two guys sitting in their driveways going through their respective trash cans.  One of them asks what the other is looking for and the reply is "a Barbie hair brush".  Something small no doubt, and the worse part is that it's from a brand new gift a little girl received and is crying up a storm because it's "gone".  The things a dad does for their little girls.

Again, I ask you if you are guilty of having to do the search?  How about on a larger scale? I recently had a similar experience only this was not a normal trash can and it wasn't for a $1 play part.  My son attended the last scout meeting of the year at the church and it was a pizza type party.  Two hours of sheer bliss (for them).  I was busy at home napping when my wife woke me up from beauty sleep and announced that she had tried to fish a garbage bag out of the church dumpster.  When I asked why,....it went like this:  "You're son is very upset and scared to tell you that he took his dental retainer out and placed it on a napkin to eat and when they cleaned up, it was thrown away."  He didn't remember until two hours later that it happened.  Since my wife couldn't retrieve the garbage, I was asked to go try.  Seeing as how I was looking at a few hundred dollars in the trash, I popped up and drove over to the church.  I climbed in and started my journey into never never land.  So I thought.  About 5 minutes into the various display inside the dumpster, my wife pulls up and yells: "We found it, it was in a paper cup at the house."  I didn't know whether to be upset or relieved.  Just before climbing out, my wife decides to frighten me by yelling to "stop" !!!  She wanted to get a cell phone photo first.  She said I looked like a possum peering over the railing.  Funny, real funny.

Being more educated in safety than I was long ago, I did have on steel toed boots and gloves to protect myself.  I did take a shower upon arriving home.  I can say that my "tie or long hair" did not get caught in the system.  I had on long pants and a jacket with sleeves.  Like I mentioned previously, be careful of what you throw away.  It could be worth money, time and identity.  Dumpster diving can be dangerous.  Lots of goop and sharp objects.  Not to mention, you'll need to have a good story for the police if they arrive.  I had mine planned.

The Central Piedmont Safety Council (CPSC) elected new officers at its December 3^rd annual meeting in Greensboro.   The Nominating Committee presented a slate of officers   at the November meeting that was approved and formally voted upon at the annual meeting.   The following board members will take office in January:

Barbara Cassidy, Chair.  Cassidy is the Safety/Loss Control Analyst with Forsyth County Risk Management where she is responsible for coordinating the safety education and training for the county's 2300 employees as well as conducting safety audits of county facilities and revising/updating risk management policies.  She has served on the CPSC for four years and served as Vice Chair for the last two years.   Cassidy has been active in safety for the last seven years and is also a member of the board of directors of the North Carolina Association of Local Government Safety Officials (NCALGESO).   Cassidy recently was awarded the H.S. Shine Baucom Award at the 2009 Statewide Safety Conference and the 2009 Directors Award from the NC Industrial Commission, NC Safety Conference and Central Piedmont Safety Council.

Tim Long, Vice Chair.   Long has fifteen years of experience in truck fleet safety and has been with Epes Transport Systems for the last nine years.  He is a member of the NC Trucking Association Safety Management Council and served for two years on the Steering Committee and two years as Chair of the Road Safety Patrol.  Long is also a member of the North American Transportation Management Institute.  He has been a member of the CPSC for eight years and has served on the board for two years. 

Joyce Dillow, Secretary.   Dillow has over twenty years of Safety/Training & Security experience and is currently the Director of Human Resources/Safety/Security/Training at Piedmont Chemical Industries where she is responsible for five plant locations in three states (NC, SC & TN).  Dillow is the past president of the High Point Area Personnel Association and a current member of the Chair City Toastmasters.  She is a small business committee member of the High Point Chamber of Commerce and the Society of Human Resources (SHRM).  Dillow is also a certified CPR and First Aid trainer. 

After the election, the CPSC Board of Directors expressed their appreciation and gratitude to Ray Liguori for his leadership and service as Chair of the board for the last two years.   Chair Liguori presented a Certificate of Appreciation to Tom Thompson who is retiring from the board in January.  Thompson commented that after serving more than 15 years on the board he feels like he is leaving the CPSC in good hands.