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The Role of the Employee in
ES&H
By Mike Grissom
“Responsibility for promoting and
maintaining a safe and healthy workplace and for protection of the
natural environment rests with every individual who works on the SLAC
site.” —Burton Richter
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Employees and subcontractors
may need a variety of PPE in the course of their work. (Photo
courtesy of Jack Fry) |
This quote is a timely reminder given
accident rates have been rising. Here are three things all of us should
do every day to meet this challenge.
Be Aware of Work Hazards
Be aware of hazards related to your work.
John Turek, Industrial Safety Engineer (SHA), suggests the following
simple steps:
1. Think about the work you are about to
do.
2. Decide if it is safe. If not, then
stop. Rethink what you are doing so it can be done safely, then go
ahead.
3. If you are not sure if you can proceed
safely, ask for help. Your supervisor, department head, associate
director, and the experts at ES&H can all help make your work and life
at SLAC safer.
Take Advantage of Job-Focused Information
As a part of the Lab’s on-going efforts to
reduce accidents and injuries, a variety of information has been
prepared specific to different kinds of jobs:
1. Office Workers.
People working mainly at desks throughout the day tend to have injuries
and accidents such as repetitive stress or back injuries. See the
Medical website for information on ergonomics:
http://www-group.slac.stanford.edu/esh/medical/
2. Researchers.
Researchers tend to have both general accidents (back injuries) and ones
specific to their fields, for instance chemical burns or electrical
shocks. Pay special attention to using the personal protective equipment
(PPE) specific to your field. See:
http://www.slac.stanford.edu/esh/forms/ppehaz.pdf
3. Industrial Workers.
People in industrial jobs such as machinists and carpenters tend to have
accidents involving equipment specific to their field, in addition to
general injuries such as back strain. Pay special attention to using
equipment properly and following approved procedures, and using the
right PPE for your work. See the Job Hazard Analysis and Mitigation
process:
https://www-internal.slac.stanford.edu/esh/SLACsafety/jham/
Remember Your Responsibility for Safety
At times we all can feel rushed in our
work or not foresee every possible hazard. That is when we need to look
out for one another. Remember that if you see someone working unsafely,
you have both the duty and authority to stop them, respectfully, in
order to avoid or prevent an accident. The bottom line is each of us is
responsible for our own safety as employees at SLAC.
Future TIP articles will provide details
about how individuals can participate in specific programs, for example
the SLAC Integrated Safety Management System (ISMS). Details about the
program are available on the Web:
www.slac.stanford.edu/esh/isms/
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