The holiday season is over, some have enjoyed some time off over the holidays, others have had a brief break from the daily rigors of work and related stress — it is time to get back into our regular routine and focus on our day to-day jobs/duties.
What is workplace safety? Workplace safety is about preventing injuries and protecting the health of our Soldiers, Department of the Army Civilians and our contractors by ensuring safe and healthy workplaces, whether it is in our main building or in the middle of Afghanistan.
"It’s about protecting USACE’s most valuable asset — you. By protecting you, our workplace safety program assists our commander and USACE in “getting the job done” and completing our assigned missions," said Victor Taylor, chief of Safety at Huntsville Center.
Taylor said each duty day brings its own unique set of hazards to the workplace. Because of our daily routines, it’s easy to get complacent and not recognize these hazards. A proactive workplace safety program reduces risks by identifying the hazards and developing control measures before accidents occur. It also looks at the relationships between employees, their duties, equipment and tools, and working environment. The workplace safety program manages the following hazards, to mention a few:
Electrical (shock/short circuit, fire)
Ergonomics (strain, human error)
Fire/heat burns (burns, smoke inhalation)
Slips, trips and falls (ladders, equipment)
Mechanical (vibration, amputations)
Noise (hearing damage, stress)
Material handling (failure to follow correct guidance)
Power tools (improper use or storage)
Visibility (lack of proper lighting, obstructed vision)
Weather (snow, rain, wind, or ice that increases or creates a hazard)
William Eggleston, a safety engineer with the Center's Safety Office said sometimes all that is required to maintain a safe work environment is using a little common sense. Many accidents in the workplace can be prevented by implementing an element of on-the-job safety.
"Think about safety as you go about your day. Not paying attention to what you are doing can also cause problems. For instance, falls remain one of the most common workplace accidents throughout the world not just in the U.S., with three of the top five workplace violations reported by Occupational Safety and Health Administration involving accidents caused by working at dangerous heights," Eggleston said.
"The top workplace safety violations in 2012 were fall protection, hazard communication, scaffolding protection, respiratory protection and ladder safety standards in the U.S., according to OSHA," Eggleston said.
Eggleston said beyond simply following regulations, the real challenge is adopting a culture that values safety and seeks to reduce risks whenever possible, even if it means delaying construction until deficiencies can be corrected.
Taylor said workplace safety applies to everyone. Employees need to stay alert and aware at all times to avoid accidents, while supervisors need to know the most common causes for workplace accidents and be able to spot the risk factors early to prevent one.
"Part of the goal of the workplace safety program is to prevent accidents and injuries by complying with OSHA standards and effectively using Composite Risk Management. This program specifically targets our assigned Soldiers and Department of Army Civilians performing non-combat roles during training, contingency operations, field operations, and office and industrial operations. We want to make 2014 our safest year ever. We need our entire workforce to help us reach this goal," Taylor said.