Please... don't forget to support your Regional Safety Councils by joining their membership ranks and participating in their scheduled events.  For membership applications, see the Quick Links to the right.

 

 

 

The Western Piedmont Safety Council awarded their Lifesaving Award to three individuals at it's August meeting at the Smokey Bountain Smokehouse & Creamery. Those in the picture are, from left, Doug Brookshire - Safety Director for Bernhardt Furniture and Chairman of the Western Piedmont Safety Council; Charlie Steelman - an employee of Tyson Foods in Wilkesboro; Henry Steelman - an employee of Louisiana Pacific - Roaring River; Justin Billings - an employee of Louisiana Pacific - Roaring River; and Dennis Parnell - Director of Safety Education with the North Carolina Industrial Commission in Raleigh. 

 

Charlie and Henry Steelman received a Life Saver Award from the Western Piedmont Safety Council for saving the life of a man who had fallen out of his boat on March 23, 2009 on W. Kerr Scott Reservoir.  Justin Billings received a Life Saver Award for his actions to help save the life of a woman whose car had gone into the river in Roaring River, NC on February 19, 2009. 

 

The Western Piedmont Safety Council covers 8 counties and is sponsored by the N.C. Industrial Commission. The objective of the WPSC is to promote safety in industry, home, and public places with special emphasis placed upon industrial safety.            
 

 

If you have a lifesaving experience you believe would qualify for this award, please contact your Regional Safety Council for more information.
 

NCIC Video Library 

Due to recent budget requirements, we will discontinue our video library on December 1, 2009.

 

At this time, we are not sure if this will be permanent or short term. Once a decision has been made, we will inform you.

 

We apologize for any inconvenience. 

Remember these four steps to safety
 
Prevent accidents on the job by staying S-A-F-E, which stands for:
Stay alert.
Pay attention to your work. Avoid becoming complacent or taking shortcuts, no matter how many times you've done a job. Be prepared for the unexpected.

Ask questions.
Don't take anything for granted. Check with your supervisor when you are unsure about a substance, procedure, or piece of equipment. If you're not sure if something is a hazard, ask. If something seems wrong, but you're not sure what, ask. Never let a safety question go unanswered!

Focus on safety problems.
Take time to look for hazards. Inspect your work area, tools, equipment, and materials before you start every job. Anticipate potential problems and be prepared to deal with any problems that arise while you work.
 

 

E liminate hazards.
Take responsibility for your safety. Follow safety rules. Used assigned PPE. Keep your work area neat and safe. Remove or repair safety hazards you're trained to handle, and report the ones you can't correct to your supervisor.
Make safety an important part of your job-every minute of every day.

For more information, please give Dennis a call at 919-218-3000 or email Dennis.
 

I must admit,....I am not as prepared for the monthly newsletter as I usually am. I sometimes have 3 or 4 newsletter topics going on at the same time; jotting down comments whenever possible and even calling my home phone to leave myself a note about a nifty quote I heard. I honestly refrain from trying to drive and write stuff down while talking on the cell phone. If it's too detailed, I pull over or ask someone if I can call back. It's not worth the risk and chance of getting into an accident.
 

Speaking of "risk", how many of you back up your computer files? I imagine most of you have someone in the building taking care of the business materials and making sure back ups are made daily and maybe even storing this offsite. You may not think back up files are made, but they are. It's just that you can't get to them unless you're a pro in hacking computers. Our section has strived for over 80 years to prevent accidents. One of those nifty quotes that popped into my brain last week was: "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." Not sure,...but I know it went something like that.
  At the Nance home, we have three computers (that work). One is the regular desktop style that you don't move. It has the big/bulky CRT monitor that looks like a TV (I refuse to spend the money on a flat LCD until the one I have explodes). It's primarily the PC (that's "Personal Computer") that the kids use - games, research, games, emails, and then some games. The PC works fine but is years behind technology. Then my wife has one she uses for her school work (she's a high school teacher). She's always doing lesson plans, checking student homework, emailing other teachers about meetings, etc. It's very convenient for her and allows her to do some work in the comfort of the home instead of staying late at school every day. The third PC is mine. The one I'm using now.
  My original laptop decided to take a trip south without me about three weeks ago. I lost everything. But wait, there's more!!!! Yes, I made a backup of my files; however, I did that about 3 months ago and really hadn't thought of doing it again. The IT department in Raleigh told me to bring it in and they would see what they could do. I was really hoping I could recover important documents, safety photos, power points, etc., but it was not meant to be. The laptop was "re-imaged", or in my words, "wiped clean". By the way, we call them laptops but I rarely see one actually on a person's lap. I was disappointed but I knew I had backups at home; six CD's worth and some memory sticks. Problem is, the re-imaged laptop would not recognize the files. Neither would the backup laptop. Rats!!! Sure, I thought of other words like "Hamster", "Dang It" and maybe a few more.
  Where is all this going? Simple. Make back ups of your files now. Tonight when you get home. Just like someone who is bypassing a machine guard or another safety rule, sooner or later it will bite you back and it will be painful. I spend hours recreating presentations and other required files that I must keep. My brain was like Jell-O several nights in a row. Even though some photos are gone and lost forever, I have been able to find replacements. We have all heard the phrase, "There is a silver lining in every cloud", and I guess in my case, it caused me to do what I had been putting off. For example; the topic Blood Borne Pathogens has not changed too much in the past several years but I get drained of presenting the same power points over and over so I usually have 6 to 8 different ones to mix it up. I knew I needed to redo many of our topics and I was trying to find the time during training sessions to do it. The laptop crash caused me to buckle down after hours and over the weekends to do just that; refresh myself with many of the topics and also refresh the power points. Like seeing a movie for the fifth time and noticing things you didn't see or hear before. It's like an "Ah-Ha" moment. Or perhaps a cool new accident prevention idea that will also save expenses. Then you want to share it with others, try it out.
  The average computer user doesn't think much about problems that can arise with a computer until a problem actually does occur. That sort of sounds like some upper management folks I used to work with. Once a failure happens, repairs can be both costly and time-consuming. As with a good safety program, preventive measures are the best tools to keep things on track! Prevent a catastrophe and get those files backed up as soon as possible.

Editor's note: Michael Nance is the NCIC Blue Ridge, Southern & Western Piedmont areas Safety Representative. If you are interested in having one of our programs in your area, please give Michael a call at 919-218-9047 or email him at Michael.Nance@ic.nc.gov
 

How to make the most of National Preparedness Month, September 2009
 

 

Get a kit: Everyone should have an emergency kit at home and at work with basic supplies. At minimum, emergency kits should include: first aid supplies, water, food, flashlight and batteries, battery powered or hand crank radio, and NOAA Weather Radio. Families should be prepared for a minimum of 72 hours following a disaster. For a complete supply list visit: http://www.ready.gov/america/getakit/

 

 

 

 

 

Ten ways organization helps you succeed
 
Why bother spending all that time getting organized on the job?

 

Because being organized helps you:

 

1. Save time. When you know what you're going to do and how you're going to do it, and when you have all the materials and equipment you need before you start, you won't waste time once you get going.
2. Avoid stress. Instead of running around looking for the things you need and facing all kinds of frustrations while you're busy trying to get a job done, you'll have everything all lined up waiting for you when you need it.
3. Anticipate needs, problems, and choices. When you organize, you're better able to anticipate what is required to do a job well, what problems you might face, and what options you might have. Instead of jumping in blind, you'll go into the job with your eyes open, prepared for anything that might arise.
4. Make better decisions. Because you've organized and anticipated, you'll be able to make better decisions faster as you work.
5. Be more efficient and productive. You won't waste time and energy or have to backtrack to deal with something you forgot.
6. Make sure priorities are met. You'll have organized your tasks in the logical order that allows you to meet your priorities.
7. Handle challenges and problems more effectively. You'll be able to handle challenges or problems while you work because you'll already have the resources to deal with unexpected events.
8. Evaluate progress. Because you've already planned out your work, you'll know how well you're getting along and how much more you have to do. That will help you keep on schedule and finish your work on time.
9. Meet goals. An organized approach to your work ensures that you will meet-or even exceed-your goals.
10. Achieve better results. Finally, being organized helps you achieve better results, which is the basis for professional success and personal satisfaction.

 

Answers:
(1) Report (2) Small (3) Label (4) Suspicious (5) Personal protective equipment (PPE) (6) Supervisor (7) Confined (8) Wet (9) Leg (10) Pinch

 

WE ARE WORKING FOR YOU!