IAFF Local 1460 Web Site
Marietta Risk Management Policy
MARIETTA FIRE AND EMERGENCY SERVICES
AUC 1600
DATE: May 9, 1996
TO: All Personnel
FROM: Chief of the Department
RE: Safety Policy: City of Marietta/BLW
SAFETY POLICY: CITY OF MARIETTA/BLW
The City of Marietta/BLW has a sincere concern for the welfare and safety of its
employees and the public it serves. It acknowledges its obligation as an employer, too
provide safe working conditions for employees and, to provide a safe environment for the public that uses our services. In accordance with that conviction, we have created a full-time staff to develop and administer an aggressive occupational safety program for the City/BLW work force.
Each department is responsible for an accident prevention program for their specific operations. The Risk Manager is responsible for coordinating and guiding the overall
safety program. The Risk Manager is not expected to exceed his staff administrative responsibility to perform line functions that are properly a responsibility of management and supervision. Department heads and immediate supervisors are responsible for expanding their management and supervisory practices to incorporate safety-engineering principles in all supervisory efforts.
Department heads and supervisory personnel at all levels of the City/BLW work force are directed to make safety a matter of continuing concern, equal in importance to all other operational considerations. They are expected to cooperate with and assist the Risk Manager to implement safety policies, and to develop and administer an effective department safety program. Their responsibility encompasses the adoption of work standards designed to attain a work environment free of potential hazards, and work procedures that may produce injuries and property damage.
To reach that goal, management and supervisory personnel must:
1. Provide informed leadership and adequate supervision of the City/BLW work force.
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2. Provide adequate job training and continuing safety instruction to all employees.
3. Develop reasonable, practical, safe job procedures for City operations and enforce them.
4. Secure prompt and adequate medical care to minimize the severity of injuries and safeguard the physical and mental welfare of employees.
5. Continuously review work practices and conditions of the work environment to seek improvement.
The Purchasing Manager and all staff members participating in the development of specifications for new equipment are directed to provide the Risk Manager and using department heads an opportunity to participate in the design of specifications to ensure that adequate and reasonable safety engineering considerations are included.
All employees are charged with responsibility for cooperation with, and support of, safety program objectives. All employees are expected, as a condition of employment, to adopt the concept that the safe way to perform a task is the most efficient, and the only acceptable way to perform it.
Safety records shall be measured along with all other phases of supervisor and employee performance. Therefore, it is absolutely essential that such records be complete and accurate and that all accidents be fully reported.
The City of Marietta/BLW will make every reasonable effort to provide and maintain a safe and healthy workplace, safe equipment, proper materials to work with, and to establish and enforce safe work methods and practices at all times.
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1. RESPONSIBIELITIEES
A. Risk Manager
The Risk Manager (RM) is responsible for the development, organization, coordination and implementation of safety programs and safety education. Responsibilities also include work-site inspections, hazard reduction and/or elimination and accident/injury investigations, reporting and management.
The Risk Manager will advise the Director of Human Resources (DHR), Department Heads, supervisors, and employees of unsafe conditions, problems related to accident prevention, and recommendations for loss control.
B. Department Head
The Department Head is responsible for fulfillment of departmental objectives and the health and welfare of each employee in the department. In the adopted safety policy, the highest priority has been placed on employee safety which is the responsibility of the respective administrator.
C. Supervisor
Supervisors are responsible for thoroughly instructing their personnel in the safe practices to be observed in their work situations. They will consistently enforce safety standards and requirements. Supervisors will act positively to eliminate any potential hazards within the activities under their jurisdiction and will set the example of good safety practice. Safety records shall be measured along with other phases of supervisor performance. The principal duties of supervisors in discharging responsibilities for safety are as follows:
1. Enforces all safety regulations in effect and make employees aware that violations of safety rules will not be tolerated. Supervisors have the authority to recommend the suspension of an employee who willfully and knowingly disobeys the rules.
2. Make sure all injuries are reported promptly and treated properly, and all accidents are reported even if injury is not apparent.
3. Conduct thorough investigations of all accidents and take necessary steps to prevent recurrence through employee safety education, operating procedures, or modification of equipment.
4. Provide employees with complete safety instructions regarding duties prior to the employees' actually starting to work.
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5. Conduct regular safety checks, including a careful examination of all new and relocated equipment before it is placed in operation.
6. Properly maintain equipment and issue instructions for the elimination of fire and safety hazards.
7. Continuously inspect for unsafe practices and conditions and promptly undertake any necessary corrective actions.
8. Develop and administer an effective program of good housekeeping and maintain high standards of personal and operational cleanliness throughout all operations.
9. Provide safety equipment and protective devices for each job based on knowledge of applicable standards or on recommendations of the RM.
10. Conduct safety briefings at organizational meetings and encourage the use of employee safety suggestions.
11. Train employees on the safe use of all assigned equipment.
12. Give full support to all safety procedures, activities, and programs.
D. Employee
Each employee, as part of the comprehensive Loss Control Management Program, is expected to place safe work practices and identification of unsafe conditions as the highest priority while performing other daily tasks. Each employee's safety commitment must include, but is not limited to, the following:
1. Using the safety equipment which has been provided for use in performing daily work assignments.
2. Wearing the prescribed uniform and safety shoes as required.
3. Not operating equipment for which training or orientation has not been received.
4. Warning coworkers of unsafe conditions or practices they are engaged in which could lead to or cause an accident.
5. Reporting defective equipment immediately to a supervisor.
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6. Reporting dangerous or unsafe conditions that exist in the workplace as well as throughout the City/BLW. This includes defective sidewalks, broken curbs, hanging tree limbs, loose handrails, manholes, sunken basins and sewers, missing or damaged traffic signs or signals.
7. Reporting unsafe conditions resulting from City/BLW work that could present a hazard to the public.
8. Reporting of all injuries and accidents regardless of severity.
9. Taking care not to abuse tools and equipment, so that these items will be in usable condition for as long as possible and in the best possible condition while being used.
I. SAFETY VIOLATIONS
Violation of these rules or practices may result in disciplinary action, up to and including dismissal, depending on the severity or frequency of violations (ref. Chapter10, City of Marietta/BLW Personnel Rules and Regulations).
H. HOW To MANAGE AN UNSAFE CONDITION
The following options are listed in order of their effectiveness:
After identifying the problem:
1. Eliminating the hazard by removal of the machine, method, material, or
structure.
2. Providing control of the hazard enclosing or guarding the point of hazard at the source.
3. Training personnel on what to do when confronted with a hazardous condition and providing safe avoidance procedures.
4. Providing and ensuring the use of personal protective equipment to shield employees from the hazard.
The most effective way to avoid hazardous conditions is to engineer them out of the job. Department Heads, managers, and supervisors may utilize the assistance of the
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RM in the early stages of program planning, equipment specification writing, and site inspection.
At no time should protective devices or safety practices be set aside to get done " sooner" or "cheaper."
IV. DRIVING RULES AND REGULATIONS
All drivers of City/BLW vehicles, and those using their personal vehicles in pursuit of City/BLW business, will comply with all applicable laws of the state, and any additional regulations of the City/BLW, Emergency vehicles in authorized emergency status are exempt from the usual motor vehicle laws and rules, but are required to exercise due caution and care in travel.
A. Parking
1. Municipal vehicles are not to park- in "NO PARKING" zones except in emergency situations or in the required performance of official duties. At those times a vehicle is parked in a "NO PARKING" zone, emergency blinkers will be turned on.
2. No City/BLW vehicle is to be left unattended with the ignition key left in the ignition.
3. All City/BLW vehicles should be locked when not in use.
4. Before the initial use of an assigned vehicle each day, the driver will perform any inspections required by law and routine inspections, including walking around the vehicle to inspect for damage, inoperable lights, loose hardware, under inflated tires, leaking fluids or any other condition which may create an unsafe situation.
5. Any deficiencies encountered will be reported to a supervisor immediately. It will be the supervisor's responsibility to ensure that appropriate action is taken to correct the problem.
6. All City/BLW employees, when parking City/BLW-owned vehicles are required to back into parking spaces whenever possible.
B. Equipment
1. Safety belts will be won at all times by vehicle occupants.
2. Vehicles with moveable windshields are to have these windshields in the "up"
position while in operation.
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3. Portable or detachable doors may not be removed from vehicles unless:
a. It is a necessity in order to perform the job.
b. Mirrors remain usable when the doors are off.
Similarly, vehicle doors are not to be tied open or closed.
4. Turn signals will be utilized by all drivers at all times in ample time to warn oncoming or following vehicles of the intent.
5. Drivers will ensure that windows, headlights, taillights, and windshield wipers are clean and operational at all times.
6. Tailgates will be up and locked when vehicles so equipped are in motion. If a vehicle's function requires that the tailgate remain in the open position, red flags will be attached to the outward comers of the gate.
7. In any case, the driver of a vehicle is responsible for ensuring that all necessary conditions are met on the vehicle before it is operated.
8. If the vehicle does not have a tailgate, but is loaded, the driver of the vehicle will ensure that the load is secure on the truck and that overhangs are properly marked in accordance with applicable state and local laws.
C. Special Equipment
1. Special equipment such as tractors, hi-lifts, high rangers, graders, plows, cranes, or any unit which has special devices added for specific types of work, will require formal instruction prior to use by a driver. This special training will include the following:
a. Explanation of and demonstration of all control devices.
b. Explanation and demonstration of all safety equipment.
c. Knowledge of maintenance items such as fuel, water, oil, or other minimum
operating needs of the unit.
d. Demonstration of operation.
e. New driver operation under supervision with testing.
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f. Instruction in driving to and from, or on and off a trailer, parking procedures and method for securing. A report of this training is to be submitted to the DHR for each trainee, for review by the RM and inclusion in the employee's personnel records.
2. Passengers will ride only in seats specifically designed for passengers on special equipment.
3. Operators will always look around and have a person guiding them when backing (Guide required for in-street work).
4. Construction-type equipment will travel at less than 20 MPH without exception. This equipment will use the right lane except when a left turn is required. Right-of-way will be given to all other motor vehicles. Headlights will be on at all times when driving down the street. A Triangular, orange-colored slow moving vehicle sign will be displayed on the rear of the vehicle.
5. Use of special equipment without training on record and authorization will result in disciplinary action.
D. General
1. Backing tip vehicles without a clear view of the area back of the rear end will be done only with the assistance of a guide. If a second person is in the vehicle, he will get out and guide the vehicle back using the appropriate hand and voice signals. If the driver is alone, he will get out of the vehicle and inspect the area behind before backing. Strict caution is to be observed.
2. Riding on the sides, toot boxes, tailgates, load bed, or roof of any truck is prohibited. Further, standing in the back of any truck is not permitted. Riders will be seated only in seats specifically designed for riding.
3. Drivers will carry their State driver's license at all times when operating motor vehicles. Suspension or loss of driving privileges may result in separation of employment.
4. Each employee who operates a City/BLW vehicle regularly or occasionally is required to report any suspension or revocation of his license to his supervisor. Failure of any employee to report a change in license status will result in disciplinary action.
5. Riding on running boards of trucks is strictly prohibited.
6. Except in authorized emergencies, posted speed limits will be strictly adhered to.
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7. Drivers will direct their full attention to driving only. Inspections of streets, trees, signs, etc. will be made by a second person other than the driver.
8. During periods of limited visibility or any time windshield wipers are in use, vehicle headlights will be turned on.
9. All drivers will receive periodic review of their in-car driving ability by authorized personnel.
10. Consumption of, or being under the influence of alcoholic beverages, narcotics, or prescribed medication which might adversely affect driving performance is strictly prohibited.
11. Trailers are to be fastened securely to hitches. Safety pins in pintle locks will be used. Safety chains will be crossed under the hitch and securely fastened before moving the vehicle.
12. All items to be transported, either in a truck or trailer, which move around during transport will be secured. People and tools will not be in the same compartment.
13. No more than three (3) persons will ride in the front seat of any vehicle. Where only two single seats exist, there is to be only one rider per seat.
V. SAFETY EOUIPMENT
It is the City/BLW's intent to provide all necessary personal protective equipment
required in performing routine operations. Those items include, but are not limited to:
Welding clothing and Shields
Special Application Tools
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Request for equipment not immediately available should be directed to the responsible supervisor. Failure to use available and required personal protective equipment is the employees' responsibility.
Additional Safety Equipment
Other protective equipment is provided in order to protect employees from unnecessary exposures. This includes barricades, cones, warning signs, warning lights, and may include other specialty items. Consult with a supervisor for more information.
VI. HEARING PROTECTION
Excessive noise can destroy the ability to hear, and may also put stress on other parts of the body, including the heart.
a. Protection against the effects of noise exposure shall be provided when the sound levels exceed those shown in table A when measured on the A scale of a standard sound level meter at slow response.
TABLE A: PERMISSIBLE NOISE EXPOSURE
Sound Level
Duration Per Day Hours DBA Slow Response
8 90
6 92
4 95
3 97
2 100
1 1/2 102
1 105
1/2 110
1/4 or less 115
b. Approved hearing protection shall be worn in accordance with Table A or in any other areas or situations posted or required by supervision.
c. Required protective hearing devices shall be readily avoidable to employees at all times.
d. The manufacturer's recommended care and use of protective hearing devices shall be followed.
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VII. TRAINING
Each department has the responsibility of providing on-the-job training to each employee on the topics that will enable the employee to do his job safely an efficiently. This training shall include:
1. Orientation to department and overall City/BLW safety and health rules
2. Procedure for reporting on-the-job injuries
3. Workers' Compensation claims process4. Requirements for use of vehicles5. Reporting of unsafe conditions
In addition, specialized training must be offered in the use of tools and equipment in order to maximize the capabilities of the equipment, prolong its usable life, and to prevent accidents.
VIII. USE OF HARD HATS
1. Hard hats will be worn by City/BLW personnel when involved in the following situations:
a. Present, for any reason, on construction sites where hard hat signs are posted.
b. All water, sewer, street, electrical, and construction operations where work is being done with lifting equipment; underground or aboveground level where personnel are working above other workers; or where the potential for head injury exists.
c. All tree cutting operations, weed eating, tractor mowing, or other operations where there is a danger of flying objects.
d. In locations damaged by disaster, fire, flood, or other causes which could result in structural damage or falling material.
e. Persons working near high-voltage electrical hazards.
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IX. ACCIDENT, INJURY, AND INCIDENT REPORTING
In the event of an accident or injury to a City/BLW employee, injury to a citizen by City/BLW operations, or damage to property related to City/BLW operations, the Department Manager and the RM will be notified immediately, including any fatalities occurring on City/BLW property whether an employee or not. Rapid notification is vital to the proper management of the incident and causes the necessary procedural steps to be taken.
Those involved are to remain calm and in control of the situation, to make the necessary requests for emergency assistance and to collect vital information so that effective case management can take place.
Emergency assistance is obtained by calling 91 1. The same phone number applies to police, fire, ambulance, and all other types of emergency assistance. The work phone number of the RM should also be available to all City/BLW employees. There should be no hesitation or reluctance about calling for information or to advise of an unusual or serious circumstance. The RM is responsible for proper handling of the details of such cases.
X. ON-THE-JOB INJURY PROCEDURES
The following procedures apply to all employees, both full and part-time.
In addition to these procedures special provisions, which pertain to police and fire
personnel and are mandated by ordinances, apply.
Whenever other questions arise which are not covered herein, these questions should be referred to the RM.
A. Procedures - Time of Injury
The employee, or if employee is not available, the appropriate supervisor, must report all occupational injuries, accidents, and illnesses to the Department Head or his designee by the end of the work day in which an accident, injury or, illness occurs. After normal working hours or on weekends, a report must be filed with the Department Head or his designee by 12:00 noon the following work day.
The City/BLW may consider as invalid any report not made within the designated time frame, and may result in a loss of benefits. If the injury is serious, request ambulance assistance by calling 91 1. You are required to visit one of the providers listed on the panel of approved providers posted in your department.
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B. Lost Time
If you find you will be off work beyond the day the injury occurred, your injury is considered a "lost-time injury." You are only permitted to be off work on a job-related injury if the doctor has certified your time off prior to the taking of the time.
C. Follow-up Visits
Employees are required to attend all scheduled follow-up visits unless other arrangements have been made and approved by the RM. Individuals who miss follow-up appointments and have not returned to their jobs because of their injury may lose their continuing benefits and also be considered absent without permission from their jobs.
Individuals who have been hospitalized for job-related injuries must call or report their status to their Department Manager immediately upon discharge from the hospital.
Each appointment for treatment of a return visit is to be considered the end of your period of care unless new instructions are given by the treating physician. Failure to keep appointments or to report status immediately after such visits is the same as not showing up for work and not calling in.
D. Consultations
Employees may change physicians once from the posted panel of physicians without permission. However, employees are to notify the RM of the change prior to the visit to the physician. No consultation will be paid for under any circumstance unless a complete medical report is submitted from that consultant.
E. Bills, Medical Reports, Etc.
All documents received that relate to an on the job injury must be submitted to the RM. Do not assume that bills you receive at your residence are copies and that originals have been sent to the City/BLW for payment. Do not give your health insurance card to health care providers for treatment of an on-the-job injury.
E. Light Duty
Occasionally, light duty is available so that employees may return to work sooner. This duty is available only with the consent of the individual's supervisor, the department head, and the RM. Light duty may be assigned in a department other than. the employee's home department. If no light duty is available, the employee must remain off the job until released by a doctor for full duty.
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G. Return to Work
No employee may return to work- from an injury involving lost time without a doctor's release. Departments should immediately notify the RM of the employee's return.
H. Release of Medical Information
Employees may be requested to sign a release of medical information in order for the City/BLW and its agents to obtain pertinent medical information from private care providers or hospitals. This information is vital to the continuation and/or payment of benefits to which you may be entitled.
I. Eye Injuries
Due to the sensitive nature of eye injuries, employees with these problems should be transported directly to an emergency medical care facility, or in non-emergency cases during normal working hours, a department head should call for an immediate appointment with an ophthalmologist.
K. Completion of First Report of Injury or Illness Form
The Department Head must file the FIRST REPORT OF INJURY OR ILLNESS form with the Department of Human Resources within two eight-hour work days after the accident, injury, or illness occurred or by 5:00 p.m. on the Monday following an incident that occurred over the immediately preceding weekend (including accidents involving employees assigned to shifts).
This form should be completed and signed by someone who had knowledge of the incident, other than the injured employee. Assistance, including additional copies of the form, are available from the Human Resources Department.
L. Accident Investigation Report
In addition to, and as a supplement to the FIRST REPORT OF INJURY OR ILLNESS form, an Accident Investigation Report must be completed and signed by the injured employee's supervisor and given to the department head with a copy to the RM. He will be informed of any serious occurrence immediately.
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M. Purchasing Procedures and Safety
The Department Heads are to ensure that equipment, commodities and services that are purchased for use by City/BLW employees conform to industry standards, Federal, State, and local codes, and manufacturing requirements.
A great deal of responsibility can be transferred to manufacturers and distributors of supplies and equipment used to protect employees from the risks related to use of such supplies and equipment. For this reason, the following general statement may be used in the standard purchasing documents for all purchases under contract:
"The equipment you would supply to the City of Marietta/BLW must comply with all requirements and standards as specified by the federal government's Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1971. All guards and protectors and appropriate markings will be in place before delivery. Items not meeting OSHA specifications will be refused. Supplier may be required, at his expense, to provide training to City/BLW employees in the operation of this item, and its maintenance at the convenience of the City of Marietta WBLW. "
Specialized equipment usually is constructed with components that are designed, built or tested to standards prepared by Underwriters Laboratories (UL), American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), American Society of Mechanical Engineers(ASME), or American National Standards Institute (ANSI) to name a few. Such specification requirements will serve to reaffirm not only the commitment to safety of the employees, but the usable life of the equipment and it appropriateness for the job.
N. Contract Specifications
Procedurally, contract specifications should be reviewed by the RM to ensure compliance with all safety, insurance and procedural inclusions that affect employees and public liability.
XI. OFFICE SAFFTY
Office work is more dangerous than is commonly supposed and many accidents occur during ordinary office routine.
1. Every employee shall be responsible to see that his own desk and work area is clean and orderly. Pick up items such as pencils or paper cups that are strewn around. Good housekeeping is the key to a safe office environment.
2. Keep an eye open for loose or threadbare floor coverings..
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3. Be extra cautious when you come up to a door that can be opened in your direction. Take it easy when pushing open such a door and slow down when coming to a "blind" corner.
4. Haste when walking between desks can result in bruises and falls. Keep electrical cords out of aisle ways.
5. All file, desk, and table drawers shall be kept closed when not in use. As soon as you leave them, close them. Never open more than one file drawer at a time.
6. Overloading the top drawer of unsecured file cabinets has caused many an injury. If unfamiliar with file cabinets, test the drawers and be careful not to pull them out to full extension. There may be no locking device on inexpensive or older models.
7. Office tables, desks, and chairs must be maintained in good condition and free from sharp corners, projecting edges, wobbly legs, etc..
8. Tilting chairs can be hazardous when improperly used and care should be taken to ensure that they are in good working condition.
9. Never use chairs, desks, or other office furniture as a makeshift ladder. Always use a step ladder. Do not overreach and lose your balance.
10. Message spindles can all too frequently cause puncture wounds to hands and arms. When used, the point shall be protected by a suitable blunt cover, or preferably the point should be bent to a horizontal angle.
11. Keep the blades of paper cutters closed when not in use.
12. Scissors, paper cutters, and similar office devices can easily cause minor, but painful injuries. Report such injuries at once to supervisor and take precautions to avoid infection.
13. Keep you hands clear of electric typewriter carriages.
14. Paper can cut. Use a sponge or other wetting devices to seal envelopes. Use rubber finger guards when working with stacks of paper.
15. Keep paper clips, thumb tacks, and pins in a place where they can not injure you. Keep razor blades and "X-acto" blades covered.
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