Workplace Safety
Newsletter
Inside this Issue:
Summer Safety Tips
Doctor’s Office Caution
Outdoors/Heat
Intersection Caution
Poster Contest
Spring Poem
Safe Driving DVD’s
Volume 5, Issue 1
June 2010
Summer Safety Tips for Work and Home
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About the Workplace
Safety Committee
The Bucknell Workplace Safety
Committee has prepared this newsletter to provide safety and healthrelated information to our colleagues.
We welcome your safety concerns,
questions and suggestions. Please
address these to:
safetyworks@bucknell.edu
Committee members:
Lori Barth, Office of the General
Counsel
Linda Bennett, Office of the General Counsel
Margaret Brody, Chem Lab
Rex Cutchall, Facilities
Eileen DeSantis, Human
Resources
Pete Findeis, Chem Lab
Todd Fogle, Library & IT
Trish Haire, Human Resources
Danielle Kraus, Athletics
Lisa Lapp, Public Safety
Jeff Loss, Facilities
Darlene McBryan, EH & S
Jim McCormick, EH & S
Pam Mitchell, Library & IT
Kelly Pastuszek, Athletics
Mary Schramm, Facilities
Chris Small, Facilities
Gina Stockdale, Events Mgt
Bob Ulmer, Public Safety
Now that spring clean-up is upon us and summer is right around the corner you may be preparing to
tackle seasonal projects both at work and at home. Before you begin, think about any special precautions you should take given the project at hand.
* Plan your jobs; think about potential hazards and how to prevent them from becoming dangerous.
* Be prepared; know how you’ll handle an emergency.
* Don’t overdo it; know your own physical limits and beware of heat stroke, pulled or strained
muscles, and general overexertion.
* Practice safe lifting. Your back can go out just as easily lifting a box as it can a piece of furniture.
* Think safety.
Eight safety tips to keep in mind if you will be lifting heavy objects
1) Stand close to the load and center yourself over it with your feet shoulder width apart.
2) Tighten your abdominal muscles.
3) Keeping your back straight, bend your knees and squat down to the floor.
4) Get a good grasp on the load with both hands.
5) Keeping the load close to your body use your leg muscles to stand up lifting the load off the floor.
6) Your back should remain straight throughout lifting, using only the muscles in the legs to lift the
load.
7) Do not twist your body when moving the load. Instead take small steps with your feet turning until
you are in the correct position.
8) Again bend at the knees using only your leg muscles and place the load in the appropriate spot.
Working with Power Tools such as clippers, trimmers, chain saws,
mowers, leaf blowers, etc.
1) Read manuals to be thoroughly familiar with operating instructions.
2) Leave all guards in place-they are there to protect you.
3) Turn off machinery and allow it to cool before refueling.
4) Don’t smoke around gasoline-powered equipment.
5) Avoid loose clothing, long hair, or jewelry that could get caught in
moving parts.
6) Wear recommended PPE such as gloves, sturdy shoes or boots
with nonskid soles, and safety goggles to protect eyes from flying particles.
7) Wear hearing protection to guard against excessive noise.
BLR Safety Library
Have you ever considered?
How many of us have to sign in at a doctor’s office or use the pen at the counter
to sign forms? Have you ever considered how many germs might be covering
that pen (note: you’re in a doctor’s office where sick people visit)? Next time,
bring your own pen to write your name and fill out forms, or use a hand
sanitizer shortly afterward. http://www.buzzle.com/articles/health-and-safetytips.html
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Working Outdoors in the Heat
Safe Driving DVD’s
Two new dvd’s are available for viewing by any
employee or department.
Before you Turn the Key
is a 20 minute dvd explaining the importance of knowing how to operate the
specific vehicle you are
about to drive; adjusting
seats, mirrors, knowing how
to operate the wipers, etc.
Distracted Driving is a 20
minute dvd reminding us of
the dangers of cell phones,
texting, eating, etc. while
driving.
Contact Lori Barth at 71149
if you would like to borrow
either of these dvd’s.
When you’re going to work outside in hot weather, try to build up your tolerance slowly. Be especially
careful if you’re overweight or have high blood pressure, as heat may affect you more than most.
Avoid hot foods and alcohol before going to work outside. Do, however, drink water, and keep drinking
water periodically as you work. If there’s no risk of insects or getting clothes caught in machinery,
loose, light-colored clothes will be more comfortable. It’s also a good idea to wear a hat with a brim.
Whether you’re working at home or at work, keep an eye on your co-workers’ symptoms, as well as
your own. Sometimes people may not realize they’re in trouble or may not be able to do anything
about it. If the heat makes you feel tired and weak, take a break. You could be having the first symptoms of a worse condition. If the problem is heat cramps, rest and place wet towels firmly on the
cramping muscles. Slowly drink water. Heat exhaustion is more serious. Get to a cool place immediately if you experience: weakness, sweating, dizziness, headache, and a pale or flushed appearance.
Loosen your clothing and drink water slowly. Apply cool compresses to the body and elevate the feet 8 to 12 inches. If a fan is
available, turn it on. Heat stroke is the most dangerous type of
heat stress. The body stops sweating and can’t cool itself, so temp
rises quickly. Call for help for symptoms like chills, confusion, fatigue, dry, hot, reddish skin, nausea, cramps, and weakness. While
waiting, keep the victim in a cool spot and if possible, cool the
person down with a hose. Drink water. Don’t, however, give fluids
to an unconscious person. Weather itself can be a hazard when
you work outdoors. Dress for conditions, and pay attention to your
body. BLR Safety Library
Look Before Driving Through Intersection
If you are the driver in the first vehicle sitting at a red traffic light, what do you do when the light turns
green? Do you step on the gas and zoom through the intersection or do you look both ways before entering
the "danger" zone? Each year there are over 1,000 deaths and 90,000 injuries in the United States caused
by vehicles running red lights and thus ramming into that first car edging its way through the intersection. If
you are the first vehicle at a red light, always look both ways before crossing the intersection. http://
www.buzzle.com/articles/health-and-safety-tips.html
Available from our Lending Library:
Videos:
 Fire Safety—Everyone’s
Job—13 minutes
 Safe Lifting and Carrying—12 minutes
 Drive Safely—12 minutes
Handbooks:
 Slips, Trips and Falls
 Safe Winter Driving
 Back safety—
Lift well, Live well
 Holiday Stress
 Ergonomics—Solving the
Puzzle
Please call x71149 for more
information about these
videos and handbooks.
Poster Contest
Spring, Where Are You?
Do you have an idea for a safety slogan and/or a
safety message that would apply to our entire
campus? Would you like to win a prize? If so,
please submit your idea electronically in a pdf
format or hand drawn to Lori Barth in the Office of
the General Counsel by mail or email to
lbarth@bucknell.edu. The winning ideas will be
printed as an 11x17 poster and distributed across
campus. We will be awarding three top prizes of
Lewisburg Gift Certificates in the amount of
$50.00 each. Deadline for submission is July 1,
2010.
I remember when you came around
The winter weather it wouldn’t last
The snowy fields and icy roads
would soon be a thing of the past
I remember when, you shed your
tears and
made our grass so green
The beautiful flowers that you made bloom so nice
Was the reason we called you spring
These last few weeks I’ve begun to wonder
Have you decided to trade places with fall?
These chilly nights and windy sights
Do you really care at all?
I still have hope you’ll show your face
For you have never let me down
Please come back and take your place
And brighten up our town.
By Rex Cutchall
Workplace Safety Committee Member