Eugene/Springfield Water Pollution Control Facility 1984-1991

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Section I~: SAFETY PROGRAM Page 75 sessions, and schedules and conducts Safety Com- mittee meetings. He or she also schedules the all- staff quarterly safety training session and helps ^ ACCIDENT REPORTING All accidents must be reported to the affected supervisor, and reports must be prepared for acci- dents that require treatment at a medical facility. Employees are asked to record all minor injuries (including cuts and scrapes) in a "Minor Injury Accident Log." Documenting minor accidents is important because wastewater treatment plant workers have more exposure to infectious bacteria. Theloghelps toensurejobaccidentclaimsarepaid and is useful in reviewing patterns and causes of minor accidents. Spotting trends helps identify future training needs. ^ TRAINING Safety training helps promote safety awareness, bothonandoff the job. Anal1-plant safety training session is held each quarter for all Wastewater plant employees, and each work section holds a monthlymeeting.Sessfons emphasize subjects that are useful to employees, both on and off the job. Examples of past topics include "Back Care and Lifting Techniques" and "Explosive Devices:' ^ SAFETY INSPECTIONS As part of the overall effort to ensure a safe work environment, monthly safety inspections are held in each work area, except in office areas, which are inspected semi-annually. Supervisors participate inthe bi-monthly inspections, and inspection du- ties are rotated among the crews. A "Safety Inspection Form" provides a checklist to ^ SAFETY PROGRAM AUDIT In 1989, the Wastewater Division director re- quested anaudit of the division's safety program to measure its overall effectiveness and to identify program strengths andweaknesses. The audit team included the safetyprogramcoordinator, theCity's each work section select job-related safety topics for their monthly sessions. Accident investigation is one of the primary func- tions of the safety subcommittee. A thorough in- vestigation is performed for any accident that requires medical treatment. The supervisor of an injured employee first notifies a member of the subcommittee. The subcommittee then forms an ad hoc investigation team to review the accident and interview the injured employee and witnesses. The purposes of the investigation are to determine the cause of the accident and to develop recom- mendations that will help prevent or reduce the chances of a similar accident. The team's recom- mendations are forwarded to the Safety Commit- tee. Outside trainers are hired as needed to ensure quality training. However, in-house staff is often used as a training resource. For example, two em- ployees at the plant are certified first-aid instruc- tors and can provide training on a variety of first- aid topics. ensure important aspects are covered. Once com- ments and corrective recommendations are noted on the form and work area supervisors have signed it, the form is routed to the safety program coordi- nator, who compiles a monthly summary report. The report is submitted to the Wastewater Divi- sion director and to the Accident Control Group II Safety Committee. loss-control analyst, and a safety committee mem- berfrom the Public Works Maintenance Division. The final audit was completed and submitted to the division director in June 199Q. r-:~