With Thanksgiving now an afterthought, our focus turns to the last big holiday season of the year and the first holiday of next year.  Yes, believe it or not, 2023 is just a few weeks away.  As we prepare to celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, or maybe even Kwanzaa with our families, it is not the time to let our guard down.  There’s no doubt that winter is a magical time filled with cozy fires, warm cocoa, and tons of holiday joy. But if you’re not taking extra precautions during the holiday season, your winter wonderland can quickly turn into a towering inferno. Falls and fires are all too common in the US during this time of year.  As everyone knows safety is our core value and that doesn’t just apply when you are on the clock, we care about your well-being 24 hours a day, 7 days a week!  

Today we will cover three key points that will help prevent turning the upcoming holiday season into a disaster.  Those key points are:

1. Avoid common fire hazards with decorations
2. Take precautions with Christmas trees
3. Exercise safe practices with decorating

1. Avoid common fire hazards while decorating.

Decorative lights bring holiday cheer for sure, but if the proper attention isn’t given, they can start a fire in the blink of an eye. Use indoor lights indoors and outdoor lights outdoors, and always turn them off when leaving the house or going to bed. Be sure to replace light sets that have broken sockets or frayed wires.  Test light strings and powered decorations in a safe area to avoid starting a fire.  Avoid overloading electrical circuits, and always use a GFCI outlet for your decorations.  Ensure not to run cords under rugs or furniture, out of windows, or across walkways and sidewalks. According to the NFPA, fires caused by candles spike during the holiday season.  The top three days for home fires started by candles are Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve, and New Year’s Day. To avoid a disaster, keep candles at least a foot away from anything flammable. Lastly, ensure candles are in stable holders that can’t be easily knocked over, and never leave burning candles unattended. 

2. Take precautions with Christmas trees.

Christmas trees can go up in flames in a matter of moments, especially if they are dry and brittle.  If your family chooses to have a live Christmas tree, make sure to have the tree vendor cut off about 2″ of the trunk to expose fresh wood for better water absorption, and make sure there’s always water in the tree stand. If you opt for an artificial tree, check that it’s labeled “fire resistant.” If your artificial tree has lights permanently installed, make sure to inspect them before turning it on.   Keep your tree at least three feet away from radiators or fireplaces, and never operate a space heater next to any tree or flammable decorations.

3. Exercise safe practices when decorating.

According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, they were over 12,000 trips to the hospital last year for folks who were working on their holiday lights and decorations.  During the holiday season, there is an average of 160 decorating-related injuries daily, and more than half of those injuries are associated with falls. When installing decorations, never use furniture as a ladder.  When using a ladder, inspect it before you use it, set it up properly, and don’t stand on parts of the ladder that you shouldn’t.  Standing on that top rung to get that extra foot or two isn’t worth it!  If you plan on getting onto your roof to install Christmas lights, don’t take a complacent approach.  One misstep can land you in the emergency room or worse. Don’t access your roof when there is snow, ice, or rain.  A slippery roof is your worst enemy!  We all want that winter wonderland look but don’t sacrifice your safety.

While the holidays are an exciting time, this time of year can turn disastrous in a split second.  We only brushed the surface of the hazards that can be present.  Hazards associated with cooking, eating, shopping, and stress are other things to be mindful of.  With a little awareness and planning, we can all have a safe and joyous holiday season.

If you want more information on those topics, reach out to the Ontivity safety team at safety@ontivity.com, and we will get you taken care of. 

While many of us have different job responsibilities and assigned tasks, there is one thing we all share –the road! Even though we should always practice safe driving practices, regardless of the season, driving safely in winter weather can be a bit more challenging. Even for the most experienced driver. Driving in snow, sleet, or ice requires heightened focus and patience. It’s easy to forget after months of mild conditions that snow and ice demand careful driving and special preparation for your vehicle. But when 17 percent of all vehicle crashes occur during winter, it’s clear that we all need to take this subject seriously and give it the added attention it needs.

Today we will cover three key points that will help us all get to and from work safely during the winter months. Those key points are:

1. Plan for the unexpected

Driving safely begins before you even get on the road. A bad weather accident can happen whether you’re on a two-hour drive or a short hop to a dentist appointment. Therefore, we should always be prepared for the unexpected. Allowing ourselves extra time to complete our drive, keeping an eye out on the weather forecasts, and planning our route to include an alternate route are all crucial. If you live in a rural or mountainous area where you could become stranded, ensure your vehicle is properly equipped with the necessary survival gear. Once again, plan for the unexpected.

2. Complete a thorough pre-trip inspection

Pre-trip inspections are always important, but if there is one time you don’t want to go thru the motions, it’s during the winter. The last thing you want to have to happen is finding issues with critical parts of your vehicle in the middle of an ice or snowstorm. During your pre-inspection, walk around and take time to clear your car of snow, ice or dirt from the windows, forward sensors, headlights, taillights, and backup camera. Critical equipment can take a beating when the temperature drops. Pay special attention to your battery, cooling system, tires, windshield wipers, and reservoir. Failure to do so can result in a mechanical failure and or accident.

3. Take it slow

Now that we have prepared ourselves and our vehicle to hit the road let’s talk about some safe driving tips. Failure to keep in the proper lane or running off the road” and “driving too fast for conditions” are the two of the most frequent poor driver behaviors, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Bad weather makes these behaviors exponentially more dangerous, so take additional precautions on the road. Drive slowly because accelerating, stopping, and turning take longer on snow-covered or icy roads. Leave more distance than usual between your vehicle and the one just ahead of you to give yourself at least 10 seconds to come to a complete stop. Be careful when driving over bridges and roadways that aren’t exposed to sunlight – they are often icy when other areas are not. If visibility is severely limited due to a whiteout, pull off the road to a safe place and do not drive until conditions improve. Avoid pulling off onto the shoulder unless it is an absolute emergency. Limited visibility means other vehicles can’t see yours on the shoulder.

Remember, you are your car’s best safety feature. Take precautions to ensure you arrive safely at your destination. If you become stranded in an unfamiliar area, do not leave your car. Light flares in the front and behind the car, and make sure the exhaust pipe is not blocked by snow, mud, or objects. Winter driving takes extra preparation and alertness. Remember, we share the road, and some drivers don’t take safety as seriously as we do. Do your part and make sure you arrive alive!

We encourage anyone who has questions or feedback please contact us at safety@ontivity.com.
Stay Safe!

We are nearing the end of the 4th quarter and as we all know the end of the year can be a difficult time for everyone. Thanksgiving is just around the corner which means the other holidays are not far behind. We have family coming to town and holiday shopping to get done. All our customers are pushing to get their jobs finished so they can finish the year strong and meet their 4th quarter goals. Many areas of the country are already experiencing extreme cold weather and difficult site access. There is a lot going on and sometimes it can feel like it is all piling up on top of us. Stress is common and happens to all of us from time to time, but it doesn’t always have to be a negative thing. This is a topic that we feel important to bring it to the forefront of everyone’s minds as stress will impact our overall health, wellness and safety.

Here are three ways to help manage stress in the workplace.

1. Communicate
    
   Communication is always key in any aspect of safety, but sometimes it can be hard to communicate when you are experiencing stress. People who are feeling stressed can become angry or frustrated at little things making it difficult for the crew to work as a team. Or some people hold their stress inside letting it build to unhealthy levels. Reaching out to your team each morning and doing a wellness check at the start of the day can give the opportunity for someone dealing with stress or other issues to communicate or express themselves. Just a simple, “How are you doing this morning?” can really go a long way for someone that doesn’t know how to talk about what they are feeling. Doing a wellness check during our morning safety meetings could help avoid possible incidents by identifying stress as a possible hazard. And on the opposite side of this conversation, if you are not feeling 100%, this is a good time to bring it up to the team. Many stressful situations can be helped simply by getting it out and talking about it.

2. Focus on the task at hand
    
   Statistics show a direct correlation between an increase in workplace stress to an increase in workplace incidents. There is a well-known proverb that says, “Be careful of your thoughts, for your thoughts become your words. Be careful of your words, for your words become your actions. Be careful of your actions, for your actions become your habits. Be careful of your habits, for your habits become your character.” If we deal with stress day in and day out without finding ways to manage it, the stress can begin to manage us. Or we can get into the habit of letting the stress distract us from the tasks in front of us. This can lead to negative thoughts that lead to unsafe actions. With stress, simple tasks can become difficult and even dangerous because our focus is elsewhere. Studies have shown that learning to focus on what is in front of you can help relieve stress rather than cause it to grow. Work is full of stressors and will always be full of stressors. If we don’t learn to keep our focus on the task at hand, we will struggle. This, of course is easier said than done and just like anything else takes practice.

3. Promote positive stress
    
   Positive stress is when you perceive a stressful situation as an opportunity that will lead to a good outcome. An example of what positive stress could be getting a promotion. You are assigned with more difficult tasks and new responsibilities. Positive stress is about challenging yourself without overwhelming yourself or expending all your resources. This type of stress can help you grow as a person. We know there are challenges ahead but we have expectations that we will have a good outcome because we have a positive attitude. Every day we are faced with stress in the workplace, from learning a new customer’s standards for site builds to weather that slows down our progress and puts us behind schedule. How we look at the obstacles in front of us can determine how our day will play out. Are we allowing ourselves to have negative or positive stress due to our circumstances? Using our first two reminders – Communicate and Focus on the task at hand. This will ultimately help us turn our work stress into positive stress. When our team is negative, everyone is negative. But when the team is positive and motivated, that’s when the work gets done, and it gets done safely. 

We also want to remind everyone that through many healthcare providers have confidential resources and support. For our Ontivity team, our healthcare provider does offer confidential resources and support.

Since late in 2011, October has been recognized as National Substance Abuse month. The statistics are staggering as it relates to substance abuse within the construction industry. We all know that a job in construction is very challenging, both physically and mentally. Therefore, many in the construction industry resort to drugs and alcohol to cope with stress or to self-medicate physical pain.

The topic of Substance Abuse is often an uncomfortable conversation. The truth is that each of us have been personally affected by substance abuse in one way or another. Whether you, a friend, or family member have in the past or are currently struggling with substance abuse; we want everyone on the call today to know there are options available to get help.

The U.S. Department of Labor has reported that drug and alcohol abuse in the workplace causes 65 percent of on-the-job accidents and that 38 percent to 50 percent of all worker’s compensation claims are related to the abuse of alcohol or drugs in the workplace. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 1,293 fatal work injuries from unintentional overdoses from 2011 to 2018. Of the fatal unintentional overdoses, 41 percent were from nonmedical drugs and 32 percent were from prescription drugs, alcohol, and medicines. Overall, individuals in the construction industry have nearly twice the rate of substance abuse as the national average.

At the Ontivity family of companies, we understand the risk that comes within our industry. We have folks that are working at-height, operating heavy equipment, and working within high voltage electrical panels every day. These are all tasks that require the upmost attention. Couple that with any form of substance abuse and that equates to fatal consequences.

It is because of the staggering statistics and the inherent risks associated with substance abuse that our main message that we want to drive home is that there are options at your disposal to get help. If you or your family member is currently enrolled or participating in our member benefits, there are options available through our insurance to get treatment. If not, there are alternative options available as well. Either way, we encourage you to reach out to your local HR department so they can help get you the information you need. Know that by reaching out, your information, condition, or current struggle will be kept in confidence and will not result in punitive consequences. We take these matters very seriously and ultimately want to know that each and every member of our team have every opportunity to reach our fullest potential.

JHA stands for Job Hazard Assessment. The intent of a JHA is to identify hazards for the days scope of work and find solutions to mitigate or control those hazards as a group. As part of this safety message, we would like to discuss three reminders to aid in properly executing a JHA while on site…

1. Complete a JHA at the beginning of each workday and/or job.

It is important to remember that the JHA is a tool aimed at assessing hazards and establishing means to mitigate those hazards. The JHA must be completed at the beginning of each workday and/or the beginning of every job. When used properly, the JHA can make a huge difference not only when it comes to safety but can also be used to help a crew get organized. It can also be beneficial when identifying the equipment needed to get the job done for the day, serve as a nice reminder to hang up your safety sign, or perform a pre-use inspection on your fall protection equipment prior to working at height.

2. Identify all hazards and perform safety inspections

While completing the JHA we must take the time to identify all the hazards associated with the scope of work, site terrain, the area surrounding the site, and weather conditions. This may also include the use of a third party for crane or drilling service. Simply putting “Slips, Trips, and Falls” on the JHA does not suffice as properly identifying all of the risks. It is also important to remember to inspect all equipment such as: ropes and rigging, tower harnesses including positioning and fall arrest lanyards, as well as tools and equipment. Keep in mind that any modification to a tool, piece of equipment, or piece of safety equipment, whether intentional or not, automatically red tags the item meaning it has to be taken out of service unless it is approved by the manufacturer. 

3. Ensure all personnel on site review and sign the JHA.

After identifying all of the hazards associated with the scope of work, you must gather all personnel on site and review job tasks or scope of work to be completed that day, potential hazards, preventative measures, evacuation route, and each team member’s roles and responsibilities in the event of an emergency. Every teammate and visitor must review and sign the JHA before being allowed to enter the job site. In the event the scope of work or site conditions change, you must stop work, revise the JHA, and review it with the team before returning to work.

Being a great safety leader isn’t easy. Frankly, in some cases it might be intimidating and uncomfortable. Speaking up for safety can be challenging when we are faced with looming deadlines, the desire to get home after an extended out of market assignment or when in the presence of someone that has been doing their job for a very long time. The best safety leaders motivate teammates to always take their safety and the safety of other serious. You know these folks, some are sitting right next to you right now. Others are in supervisory roles which you might only see on brief occasions. These are people who not only follow safety protocols to the letter but speak up in a constructive way when they see that others could be doing something in un safer manner.

The courage to put safety first can be scary. Scary because we are afraid to be ridiculed, called names, or be the one that slows down a job. The fact of the matter is we need everyone to consider themselves safety leaders regardless of your position in the company. Everyone from civil crews to electricians and even our own family members play a critical role in safety. When we all consider ourselves safety leaders and speak up for safety, we are truly living our core value of Safety. To dig a little deeper into some of the details around being a safety leader, we want to cover three key points.

1. Have the courage to speak
2. Lead by example
3. Know that safety leaders are not just managers
   

1. Have the courage to speak up

Silence is not golden. Silence is dangerous. As human beings, we have a ridiculous amount of fear or uncertainty to speak up, especially when it comes to safety. We don’t want to be wrong, hold up progress or be the reason we must stay another night out of town. Everyone has the right to speak up when it comes to safety, and none should be uncertain about raising our hand for clarifications. Now there can be times when speaking up in the wrong way can make good intentions come across in the wrong way. We are all professionals and are expected to always act that way. If the only reason you want to call someone out is to be critical or flat out rude, then you’re going about this the wrong way. Remember, you catch more flies with honey! When we see unmitigated risks and keep quiet, we don’t have our family member’s best interest at heart. When we don’t ask for a 2nd opinion in times of uncertainty, we could be allowing a compliance violation to occur right before our eyes. Just because someone has been doing a certain task or using a specific tool for a long period of time without incident doesn’t always equate to doing a job safely or within compliance. Have the courage to ask the tough questions and get the answers you (or maybe even they) need. When new tasks or tools are presented and we just aren’t sure how to execute safely, have the courage to ask for help. Asking for help is not a sign of incompetency or weakness, it’s an attribute of a strong leader! The few minutes it takes to get clarification might just be the difference in going home safe or not at all.

2. Lead by example

This bullet point is easy to cover. Simply put safety leaders walk the walk and don’t just talk the talk.
Whether you are in the office, training session, or on a work site, demonstrating a strong commitment to safety is imperative. Workers will be less likely to develop bad habits or find shortcuts around the rules and procedures when they see people that are considered leaders following the rules. Supervisors should always show, rather than just tell their workers how to follow through on safety procedures. If we see our leaders breaking our own safety rules, the the team won’t take safety seriously either. Since people are relying on leadership to guide them in the right direction, it’s only logical that we all follow suit in identifying unsafe workplace behaviors.

3. Know that safety leaders are not just managers or supervisors

The most common misconception is that safety leadership is made up solely of upper management or executives. Any member of a team can be a leader if they are able to influence the activity of the team in a way that ensures safety practices and policies are met by everyone. In truth, safety leaders are the individuals with the greatest understanding of the importance of safety, and who can inspire and communicate with their fellow teammates. You become a leader when you repeatedly do the right thing and inspire others to follow suit. A key characteristic for safety leadership is the real commitment to help people stay safe. This genuine concern, along with the ability to inspire others to show that same concern, and follow safety regulations, is vastly different than someone commanding workers to follow the rules.

So, the next time you see something unsafe or just unsure about a situation have the courage to make the choice to be be a safety leader!