Week 1 November Toolbox Talk Hand Injuries
As of November 2024, VSC has had 9 hand injuries ranging from amputation, lacerations, not wearing proper PPE for the task at hand and improper hand placement. This number accounts for about 53% of our accidents throughout the company. The more serious injuries were amputations from power tools.
It’s critical that you keep your fingers and hands out of the way and protected when working with dangerous tools and machinery. A serious injury to your fingers or hands can result in a negative impact on your ability to work and your quality of life.
The most common causes of hand injuries on the jobsite are:
- Carelessness
- Lack of awareness
- Disregard for safety procedures
- Distractions
Hand protection best practices
- Use tools to remove your hands from the line of fire when doing a work task that could result in injury to your hands or fingers. Using tools such as push sticks when using a table saw is an example of how you can remove your hands from the line of fire.
- Avoid using fixed open blade knives. Always use a safety knife that limits the amount of blade that is exposed as well as has a safety feature that can retract the blade when pressure is let off the handle.
- Never put your hand in an area where you cannot see it.
- Always wear the proper hand protection for the task you are doing. Understand the limitations of your gloves and what tasks they are appropriate for.
- Never work on an energized piece of equipment. Lock and tag out the equipment to ensure there will not be an unintentional start-up while you are working on that piece of equipment.
- Be aware of your surroundings and what others are doing.
- Always ensure you are standing properly while using the power machine keeping your hands out of rotating machinery.
- Ensuring you are properly trained on the equipment you are using.
- If you have to ask yourself is this position correct or you feel uncomfortable, stop immediately and ask your foreman for clarification.
Week 2 November Toolbox Talk- Fighting Fatigue
Fatigue is the condition of being physically or mentally tired or exhausted. Extreme fatigue can lead to uncontrolled and involuntary shutdown of the brain.
Fortunately, there are ways to fight fatigue:
- Get eight hours of sleep before starting work.
- Sleep at the same time each day. If they rotate shifts, establish clockwise rotations (from day to evening to night). Clockwise rotating makes it easier to go to sleep when a worker goes to bed.
- Take all scheduled work breaks. A snack or exercise during the break will refresh them.
- When trying to sleep during the daytime, find a cool, dark, quiet location. Use earplugs, soft music, or a fan to block out noise.
- See their doctor about sleep disorders, medications for illness, and using bright light on the job or during waking hours.
- Eat a well-balanced diet beginning the “day” with high protein foods and ending with carbohydrates. Do not eat great quantities before bedtime; they may cause trouble sleeping.
- Avoid caffeine, alcohol, and cigarettes. These substances cause sleep disturbances.
- Walking, stretching, and aerobics can help a person stay awake. Exercise will give you stamina and help you to fall asleep later.
- Work carefully and very methodically, always following proper procedures.
When you’re fatigued you will make errors in judgment. Your mind or eyes can be off task and you can make a critical error.
Week 3 November Toolbox Talk- Lifting
Do you realize you may be risking serious injury many times a day and not even know it? Well, it’s true if you don’t lift correctly. Improper lifting may cause back injuries that can take months and even years to heal. Sometimes they are permanent and disabling. A little know how, however, can enable you to lift correctly.
PREPARING TO LIFT
Give the load the once-over. If it looks too heavy, don’t be afraid to ask for help. Be sure you’re wearing safety shoes. There is always the chance of dropping something on your toes. If the object has rough or sharp edges, wear a good, tough pair of work gloves. They’ll give you a good grip and protect your hands.
MAKING THE LIFT
Crouch down with the load between your legs and get a good grip on the object. As you rise, lift with your legs, keeping your back vertical and the load as close to your body as possible. If you must place the load to your left or to your right, don’t twist your body. Move your feet instead. When you have to lower a load, simply reverse the knees bent, back vertical procedure.
LET’S REVIEW
Let’s quickly review what we said about lifting:
1. Don’t lift more than you can handle. Ask for help with heavy loads.
2. Wear safety shoes.
3. If the object is rough or sharp, wear gloves.
4. Lift with your legs and not your back.
5. Keep the load close to your body.
6. Don’t twist your body when placing a load to one side or the other. Move your feet instead.
When it comes to lifting, don’t break your back. Instead, lift right and give your back a break.
Remember to stretch in the mornings or before you begin activity, as the weather starts to get cooler our bodies react differently and by stretching can be the difference between injuring yourself or maintaining a good healthy lifestyle.
Week 4 November Toolbox Talk- It’s not my Fault!
It’s not my Fault!
How many times have you heard a child (of any age) exclaim “it’s not my fault!” or “it wasn’t me!”?
Whether or not these statements are true is beside the point, what we are talking about is how we conduct ourselves and what image we project to those around us.
A responsible, conscientious person will say “it’s not my fault, but it’s my problem”.
These individuals identify themselves by their actions; they pickup that piece of garbage on the ground, they’re quick to lend a co-worker a hand or show them a better, safer way. They step up and take the high road any chance they get.
Why? Because to these people, they see an opportunity every time a situation presents itself. An opportunity to eliminate a trip hazard, an opportunity to lighten the load for a co-worker or to help them keep out of harms way.
They may not be a supervisor or a lead hand, but they lead by example, they answer to themselves.
When you hear “Ah…somebody’s bound to get “, they are that somebody, for them there’s always something to do, always an opportunity. When you get enough of these people working together (there’s never enough, always looking for new members) you get a company of people that do the right things, follow safe work procedures, help and look out for each other and co-workers throughout the site.
They project an image of accountability and carry a reputation for getting things done and asking “what else can we help you with”. If this sounds familiar, keep up the good work! If this sounds like an opportunity, Welcome aboard!
We’re always looking for new members!