Gribbins Insulation

What are Bloodborne Pathogens?

Bloodborne pathogens are infectious microorganisms in human blood that can cause disease in humans. These pathogens include, but are not limited to, hepatitis B (HBV), hepatitis C (HCV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Needlesticks and other sharps-related injuries may expose workers to bloodborne pathogens, as well as something as simple as caring for an injured employee.

Our exposure control plan is how you will protect yourself and others from coming in contact with bloodborne pathogens. The exposure control plan consists of 5 sections.

Training and Medical Services

• Foreman & supervision will be trained in First Aid. This training addresses the issue of bloodborne pathogens as it relates to administering First-Aid.
• Bloodborne pathogen training will be yearly provided after the initial first aid CPR training
• A copy of Gribbins bloodborne pathogen program is available in the Safety Manual.
• The hepatitis B vaccine, post-exposure evaluation and follow-up visits are available to all employees, at no cost to the employee, if he/she has had a potential occupational exposure.

Protective Equipment

• First aid kits shall contain latex or nitrile gloves, that are required to be worn if administering first aid to any person.
• Gauze pads are supplied to act as barriers when rendering first aid as well as plastic mouthpieces to be used if administering CPR

Hygiene Practices

• After First-Aid is provided to any injured person, the person rendering First-Aid shall wash his/her hands with soap and water as soon as possible. If hand washing facilities are not available, utilize antiseptic hand cleaner in conjunction with clean cloth/paper towels. (When hand cleaners are used, hands must still be washed with soap and water as soon as feasible.)

Medical Records

• A record will be kept on any employee with an occupational exposure in accordance with CFR 1910.1020. These medical records will be kept for the duration of employment plus 30 years
• Records will be available to the employee upon request.
• Transfer of records will only be done with the written consent of the employee.

Housekeeping

• All equipment or environmental surfaces shall be cleaned and decontaminated after contact with blood or other infectious materials and be sealed in the bio-hazard bag.

It is important to remember that if you are not trained in first aid and blood-borne pathogens then you should not render aid to another person because you may be putting yourself at risk as well. If at any point you get another individual’s blood on you, you should report it to the safety department immediately.

Explain dangers

The hazards of working in confined spaces are often not recognized until it’s too late. For example:

• Four workers died from hydrogen sulphide poisoning in a sewage holding tank.
• A worker was killed by carbon monoxide gas from a gasoline-powered pump used to drain a pit.
• A worker was caught in a mixing tank which was inadvertently started while he was inside.

Identify controls

In the Confined Spaces Standard (1910.146), “confined space” means a space that:

• Is large enough and so configured that an employee can bodily enter and perform assigned work; and
• Has limited or restricted means for entry or exit (for example, tanks, vessels, silos, storage bins, hoppers, vaults, and pits are spaces that may have limited means of entry.); and
• Is not designed for continuous employee occupancy.

In chemical and petrochemical plants, confined spaces include tanks, vessels, pipes, sumps, and pits.

Confined spaces in heavy industrial plants can be roasters, digesters, boilers, ID/FD Fans, mixers, bins, trenches/excavations and conveyors.

Sewage-handling and water-treatment plants include various kinds of confined spaces, from settling and holding tanks to maintenance holes and wells below floor level.

In general construction, confined spaces include vaults, maintenance holes, tanks, and other spaces that meet the criteria of the definition.

Physical hazards such as live electrical conductors, operating equipment, stored energy, pressurized pipes, noise, and heat sources must be controlled in confined spaces through lockout and tag-out (LOTO). You must also control other dangers, including those you may introduce into the space by the work being performed. Such hazards include hazardous dusts, chemical vapors, engine exhaust, and welding fumes.

Other spaces that may not fall under the definition of confined space but need to be assessed and controlled include

• basements
• halls
• small rooms
• tunnels
• crawl spaces

These spaces must be adequately ventilated to ensure hazardous materials and atmospheres are not present and do not accumulate from the work being performed. Workers have been overcome and killed by solvent and adhesive vapors in small, poorly ventilated rooms.

If at any time you are unsure if a space shall be considered to be a confined space, contact the safety department.

Date of Incident: 05/17/2022

Gribbins scaffolding crew was asked to make some modifications to existing hanging scaffolding by adding additional pans into a scaffold deck. The location of the scaffolding was approximately 30’ off the ground on the northside of the CSM Furnace Baghouse. The employee was wearing a tool belt, with 5-tools tethered to his tool belt. Employee accessed the existing scaffold to begin work, and kneeled down onto the scaffolding. As the employee kneeled down, a wrench inside of his belt was pushed up/out of his tool belt and fell out. The tether came out of the tethering tape which secured it to the tool itself. The wrench fell approximately 30’ to ground level. Fortunately, no other individuals were in the area at the time the tool fell. The crew did not have the area below barricaded.

Contributing Factors

• It was unknown to employee that the tool tether was not sufficiently secured due to tape being exposed to heat.
• Area below was not barricaded, preventing others from working under overhead work.

Corrective Preventative/Actions

• Stand down was held with crew and management to discuss incident and review corrective actions, red danger tape requirements, and proper tool inspection/verification.
• Gribbins Insulation requires danger tape shall be installed prior to erecting, modifying, or dismantling scaffolding.
• Re-training of scaffolding crew on tool inspections (specifically verifying tool tether securement-TESTING)
• Providing scaffolding crew with key ring type attachment eliminating tethering tape for specific tools.

 

Identify Controls

Here are some examples of what you can do to reduce or prevent MSDs. Manual handling of tools and materials

• Plan ahead to minimize material handling.
• Use carts, dollies, hoists, or other mechanical handling devices.
• Use ladder hoists, gin poles, daisy chains, or cranes to move materials on or off roofs.
• Use chain falls, motorized buggies, carrying handles, or extension handles for carrying large or awkward materials such as drywall.
• Break loads into smaller units. For instance, put cement in bags weighing less than 50 lb.
• Exercise and stretch before starting work.
• Get another person to help you lift heavy objects or awkward loads.
• Use proper lifting techniques. Lift with your legs, do not bend over and lift with your back, and keep the load close to your body.

Work at ground or floor level

• Use tables, benches, or stands to bring work to waist height.
• Store materials at waist height.
• Change positions (e.g., sit, stoop, or kneel with kneepads).

Overhead work

• Use drywall lifts, materials lifts, duct jacks, scissors lifts, and extension poles or stands for tools when doing overhead work.
• Make use of adjustable scaffolds, aerial work platforms, or other work platforms to decrease awkward postures.

Kneeling

• Use high-quality kneepads.
• Wear pants with kneepad pockets.
• Take short rest and stretch breaks.
• Kneel on pad, such as rubber insulation.

Hand tools

• Use handles that are more comfortable and give you a better grip.
• Select hand tools that are designed for a neutral wrist posture and that reduce the amount of force required.
• Use tools that are low torque, low kickback, and lightweight.
• Maintain your power tools regularly so that they run with low vibration.
• Use vibration-absorbing padding on grips and handles.

 

Explain Dangers

Dust is found in many places on a jobsite and can be hazardous to your health. This hazard varies depending on the type of dust, the amount of dust inhaled, the size of particulate, and how well your lungs are able to remove the dust. Inhaling dust over many years can cause

• Fibrosis (hardening of the lungs, making it difficult to breathe)
• Cancer of the lungs, abdomen, and nose. Even inhaling dusts over a couple of days or months can cause effects on the nervous system allergic reactions such as hay fever or more serious reactions such as asthma.

Examples of jobs that create dust include

• cutting concrete, wood, or other materials
• scoring/cutting tile
• mixing mortar
• pouring dry cement
• grinding
• knocking or bumping into dusty materials
• loading, unloading, or transporting dusty materials.

Identify Controls

Prevent dusts from getting into the air by

• spraying water on the workpiece before cutting, pouring material, etc.
• spraying water on the ground before sweeping.
• If wet-sweeping is not possible, use a vacuum.
• using a dust collector for tools or equipment if available.

Consider different ways of doing the job that could reduce the amount of dust created. For instance, you could

• use low-speed rather than high-speed grinders
• order blocks in various sizes to minimize the need for cutting
• use pre-mixed cement or mortar
• shorten the distance that material is dropped or tossed when pouring or shoveling dusty materials
• stand opposite to the direction of the dust cloud.

Prevent dust accumulation by cleaning the work area frequently throughout the shift. Wash your hands before eating, drinking, or smoking and at the end of your shift.

Use personal protective equipment when it is not possible to prevent dust from getting into the air. Consult the safety data sheet (SDS) of the product.

 

Explain Dangers

We all know the dangers associated with distracted driving. But what about the distractions caused by mobile devices on worksites? Working on a busy jobsite or operating tools and heavy machinery requires your full concentration. Inattention or distraction can result in injury to yourself, injury to others, damage to property, or even death.

Operating a mobile device diverts your attention away from the task at hand or the hazards around you. If you’re engaged in a phone conversation, your mind is on something other than your work or your safety. You may even find yourself removing your safety glasses, gloves, hearing protection, or hard hat in order to access your mobile device.

Remember: It’s not just you. Your co-workers can also become distracted, putting you in danger.

Identify Controls

To protect against the distractions caused by the use of mobile devices on worksites, follow the guidelines below:

• Never use your mobile device on a worksite unless authorized by your supervisor. That includes talking, texting, emailing, playing games, etc.
• Never use your mobile device while operating any tools, machinery, equipment, or vehicles or while performing activities that require your full attention.
• Don’t use your mobile device while receiving work instructions or safety-related information.
• Wait until your lunch or rest break to use your mobile device for personal calls or other activities. But only use it in specially designated safe work areas, such as a site trailer or break room.
• Never operate a mobile device near flammable fumes or liquid, or when you’re in a flammable environment.
• Turn off your mobile device completely when working. If your ringer goes off, it may startle you or someone in the area.
• Let your calls go straight to voicemail when you’re working. You can retrieve them at a more convenient time.
• To reduce the temptation to use mobile devices on the worksite, ask workers to keep them in their vehicles or store them in a lockbox at the site trailer while they are working.
• If you have an urgent matter that requires keeping in contact with family members, bring it to the attention of your supervisor and work out a plan so that the communication can be done in a safe manner.
• If you need to access important work-related information on your mobile device, stop any work activities, inform your supervisor, and move to a safe work area.
• For supervisors, communication is part of the job. However, they should limit their mobile device use to the site trailer, site office, or other designated safe work areas away from general work activities. They should not make or take calls while directing activities on the site.