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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes 2007-01-01 DISPOSITION DATE "1Jaz aw 4 TOWN OF ITHACA FETY COMMITTEE nda ebrau 2, 2007, 8:00 a.m. Publi mks Facility 3 .proval of December 1, 2006, Minutes. . view Any Incidents or Accidents. 3. Discussion of OSHA Training and Forms Need for PPE. r . Ilil 'ssion on Shoe Allowance. 5. Discussion on PERMA Conference. Y i ghk DISPOSITION DATE I> TO WN OF ITHACA Safety Committee February2, 2007,8:00 a.m. Public Works Facility Present: Fred Noteboom, Creig Hebdon,Judy Drake,Jon Munson, Creig Hebdon, Kristie Rice, and Dave Boyes, Start: 8:07 a.m. The December 12, 2007, meeting minutes were approved. Incidents and Accidents Since the last meeting, vehicle 27 was involved in an accident. There were no injuries or damages (to speak of). Someone ran into the back of the vehicle. Our vehicle has no damages. Judy Drake explained that since the year 2000, the Town has paid out$62,000 for 39 claims. The next rating from PERMA will be in April. OSHA Training and Forms The Public Works Department coordinated with PESH to have a 10-hour training for Construction Workers. PESH does these types of training for free. The people who took the training said it was a good training. We still have some other training to fulfill our annual training requirement. During that training, it came to our attention that there is a form that is required to be filled out and kept on file that we do not have. This form is supposed to detail what Personal Protective Equipment(PPE) employees need for each job. When this Committee was writing the Safety Manual, we felt that it would be very hard to do a form like this because of many different jobs the Public Works Department does. Gail Kroll will put together a form with most of the jobs that the employees perform. •A, Shoe Allowance In 2006, the Safety Committee recommended that the Shoe Allowance be raised,based on the receipts received from the workers. This was supposed to go to the Personnel Committee,but was deferred. The recommendation will be presented to the Personnel Committee at February 15th. We will be asking for$25 more a year. We will review the allowance again in three years. PERMA Conference The PERMA conference is scheduled for May 24th and 25th. We would like to send Dave Boyes or Jon Munson this year. All other members of the Committee have already been to the conference. Miscellaneous Creig Hebdon and Kristie Rice were asked if the Town Hall safety checklist has been completed. It has not. Creig will get a list of the sections of Town Hall to be added to the checklist, and Gail will enter them on the computer. Fred Noteboom said that most of the things that were checked off on the Public Works Facility's list have been corrected. Dave said that he would like to be included when the Town Hall inspection is done. Judy said that there is a lip on the Tioga Street door and asked if a orange strip could be added. We will look into this since the building is a historical building and there are certain things that cannot be put on it. Gail and Judy attended a free seminar on Worker's Compensation. This was an informative seminar. It made us realize that when we fill out our accident reports,they need to be in more detail and completed the same day as the accident/incident. The Town will have to go to the Red Cross to get the CPR/First Aid training. There is a sign up sheet at the Public Works Facility to see who is interested. The meeting was adjourned at 9:30 a.m. ghk reowv DISPOSITION DATE 4/4/ TOWN OF ITHACA SAFETY COMMITTEE Friday,April 6,2007, 8:00 a.m. Public Works Facility 1. Approval of February 2, 2007, Minutes. 2. Review Any Incidents or Accidents. 3. Review Trainings for 2007. 4. Review NYMIR Inspection. 5. Set up Time for Town Hall Walk Through. 6. Discussion of Cell Phones. 7. Discussion Violence in the Workplace Act Assessment. ghk �IWO 4044 110k9 ..X1190 Irrosvk Z414"• OWN 4110 Safety Committee Minutes, April 6, 2007 Page 1 DISPOSITION DATE TOWN OF ITHACA � Safety Committee Friday,April 6,2007, 8:00 AM Public Works Facility Present: Fred Noteboom,Judy Drake,Creig Hebdon,Kristie Rice,Jon Munson, Dave Boyes. 1. Minutes: The February 2, 2007 minutes were approved. a. Did the PPE form Gail was going to work on get completed? (Will need to follow up with Gail on this later.) 2. Incidents/Accidents: No items to discuss. 3. Review Training for 2007: Discussed the training completed, all items covered for PWF for 2007. Jon Munson will continue in 2007 doing the seasonal staff safety training. Creig needs to add to the seasonal safety training he does for the interns, a piece on theft of the survey equipment. Students shouldn't leave the survey equipment set up and unattended. 4. Review NYMIR Inspection: Town has changed Liability insurance carrier to New York Municipal Insurance Reciprocal. Tom Weisbeck, Sr. Loss Control Specialist, met with Fred and Judy to do an initial loss control walk through of the facilities. Tom was overall very impressed with the Town's operations. Judy read off the few items Tom wrote that the Town needs to address. The Fire Extinguishers at the Public Works Facility have since been inspected. Fred discussed with provider to make sure we get the extinguishers inspected on time. The used oil storage in the maintenance shop has been addressed. The guard for the table saw has been put back on and staff has been told not to remove it. If something is causing it not to function the way it should when it is on, then that should be fixed rather than removing the guard. The suggested policy wording changes were referred to Personnel Committee. 5. Set up time for walk through at Town Hall: Scheduled for Wednesday,May 16th. Joe Hulbert and Dave Boyes will do the walk through. Kristie/Creig will get revised form to Gail prior to that date. 6. Discuss Cell Phone use: Fred's concern was 2 fold. 1) Employees automatically grabbing their cell phone to answer it when they aren't in a safe place to do so e.g.:around equipment. 2) Seasonal staff,especially the younger generation that is so use to txt messaging. Much discussion about the need to use the phones just for town business, since they are more effective than the radios. Final resolve was no new policy,but a practice: Seasonal staff only use while on break, otherwise stored in lunch box. Safety Committee Minutes, April 6, 2007 Page 2 R'ular staff made aware during training that they shouldn't use around quipment,because it is unsafe. Limit personal calls when possible. 7. Discussion of new Violence in the Workplace Act assessment: Discussed what constitutes violence in the workplace. Discussed need to establish a way for employees to report acts of violence. It was decided to utilize our current "incident report" versus developing any new form. Any action that causes injury is a reportable incident on our PESH 900 log, same as any other injury that occurs at work. This new law will be another item that PESH inspectors will be looking for when they do an inspection. Do we have it as a written policy,assessments done, and the annual training documented. Discussed sending out to the employees an assessment/questionnaire to get their opinion of areas of concern. Judy will prepare the questionnaire and have it reviewed by the safety committee before sending out to the staff. Ideal situation is that they would be returned prior to the June 1st meeting, so they could be reviewed then. Committee is already aware that there will be conflicting views at Town Hall regarding safety of the open door by the Town Clerks window. As noted in the NYMIR evaluation that door should be locked and visitors should not have carte blanch access to the building. Other topics: Safety Toed Shoe Allowance: Was referred to Town Board at the$125 level for 2008 budget. However,since that meeting the Town is in the process of undergoing an IRS audit. One item they were looking for is taxable fringe benefits that are not being taxed. One item is the boot allowance the way we currently do it. Personnel Committee will be discussing this and the entire audit further. Items for June 1st: Review Incidents/Accidents Review TH walk through Review Workplace Questionnaire Report on PERMA conference DISPOSITION DATE 12,tC''.." P A, P.....„,„......3. 441 TOWN OF ITHACA SAFETY COMMITTEE Friday,June 1, 2007, 8:00 a.m. Public Works Facility 1. Approval of April 6, 2007, Minutes. 2. Review Any Incidents or Accidents. 3. Review Town Hall Walk Through. 4. Review Workplace Questionnaire. 5. Report on PERMA Conference. ghk Safety1**/* Committee Minutes,June 1,2007 Page 1 41 g DISPOSITION DATE V 9 TOWN OF ITHACA Safety Committee Friday,June 1, 2007, 8:00 AM Public Works Facility Present: Fred Noteboom,Judy Drake,Creig Hebdon, Kristie Rice. Minutes: The April 6, 2007, minutes will be approved at the next meeting. Accident and Incidents There were two accidents to report since the last meeting. One person,Public Works Department, injured his back by trying to pull a ladder out of a hole that already had some backfill in it. It is not typical to have the ladder there at that time. The other accident occurred when a person, Town Hall, caught their hand in a folding chair. There was one incident to report on,which prompted the fire alarm to go off and Town Hall was evacuated. The Maintenance Workers were grinding the old paint off of the railings (so they could be repainted), and, for some reason,the dust set off the fire alarm. Creig Hebdon said that it took the fire department four minutes to respond. There were two (newer) employees who did not know where the meeting place was, although they "followed the rest of the people". One issue that did arise was that the front doors to Town Hall were not locked and someone could have gone inside the building. After a discussion,it was felt that the key should be chained to the door, and the Town Clerk's Office personnel should be responsible for making sure the doors are locked. Town Hall Walkthrough This did not get done, although the Committee reviewed the checklists that were made for Town Hall. We will have it rescheduled and put it on the Public Works Department's daily schedule. Review Workplace Questionnaire The Committee reviewed a draft workplace questionnaire for Town employees to fill out. Judy Drake will make changes, etc. This will be reviewed again at the next meeting. Alk‘ Safety Committee Minutes,June 1, 2007 Page 2 PERMA Conference Jon Munson went to the conference,but was not in work today, so this will have to be put on the agenda for next time. The meeting was adjourned at 9:30 a.m. The next meeting will be August 3, 2007. 72,a., DISPOSITION DATE /44 TOWN OF ITHACA SAFETY COMMITTEE Friday,August 3, 2007, 8:00 a.m. Public Works Facility 1. Approval of April 6, 2007, and June 1, 2007, Minutes. 2. Review Any Incidents or Accidents. 3. Review Town Hall Walk Through. 4. Review Workplace Questionnaires. 5. Review PERMA Conference. ghk Kam. Safety Committee Minutes, August 3,2007 Page '0 4 TOWN OF ITHACA Safety Committee Friday, August 3,2007,8:00 AM Public Works Facility Present: Dave Boyes,Jon Munson,Judy Drake,Creig Hebdon, Kristie Rice. Minutes: The June 1,2007, minutes will be approved at the next meeting. PERMA Conference Jon Munson(and his wife) attended the PERMA Conference this year. Jon went to the Highway Safety Seminar. He said that his wife went too, and was impressed with the seminar. She learned a lot about highway safety and how hard it really is working on the roads. Jon said that he learned that the majority of deaths in the field involve trucks backing up. The Committee discussed the fact that the Town has backup cameras in all the 10-wheelers. Dave Boyes and Jon agreed that the cameras are good when doing brush. Jon said the presenters were good. Jon said they also attended a seminar on nutrition. The presenter was good, and pointed out foods that are really not good for you, such as granola. They also attended the health fair. Accident and Incidents The Committee discussed an(almost) incident on Pine Tree Road. The crews were working on the PEW trail and needed flagging. A driver almost hit our flagger before she came to a stop. The flagger was holding the flag up to stop her. There were three other accidents: Again this year, there was an injury due to using hedge trimmers. Fred Noteboom said that from now on,chaps will be worn. Another injury was a back injury caused by getting out of a truck. The third accident happened while putting a radiator in the vehicle. The radiator slipped and cut a hand (the hand required stitches). The committee talked about that mechanics should have gloves on and that the Town should buy them. Town Hall Walk Through This will be discussed next time. 4 1•..A \ afety Committee Minutes, August 3, 2007 Page 2 Workplace Questionnaires The Committee reviewed the workplace questionnaires. There were many comments regarding the PEZ service area. Judy and Gail will work on summarizing the questionnaires and send a report to the Town Board. Miscellaneous Dave said that there is a lot of brush on Hanshaw Road. This seems to be a problem in other locations throughout Town. This is a safety concern. Gail Kroll informed the Committee that the Public Works Committee has discussed this and that Cathy Valentino, Fred Noteboom and Susan Brock will be getting together to see what can be done regarding the brush. The Public Works Committee was concerned about safety for pedestrians and cyclist, along with drainage issues. The meeting as adjourned at 9:20 a.m. Next Meeting Agenda: Walk through Town Hall. Workplace questionnaires' summary Dangerous Intersections Violence in the work place policy i<0 DISPOSITION DATE t/4/ TOWN OF ITHACA SAFETY COMMITTEE Friday, September 28,2007,8:00 a.m. Public Works Facility 1. Approval of August 3, 2007,Minutes. 2. Review Any Incidents or Accidents. 411 3. Review Town Hall Walk Through. 4. Review Workplace Questionnaires Summary. 5. Discussion on Dangerous Intersections Project. 6. Review Violence in the Work Place Policy. 0411 ghk Safety Committee Minutes,September 28, 2007 Page 1 9 DIS'OSITION DALE TOWN OF ITHACA Safety Committee Friday,September 28,2007, 8:00 AM Public Works Facility Present: Fred Noteboom, Dave Boyes,Jon Munson,Judy Drake,Creig Hebdon,and Kristie Rice. Minutes: The August 3, 2007, minutes will be approved at the next meeting. Incidents and Accidents The HAVAC system in Town Hall has been releasing odors into the building. This caused at least one person to have a difficult time breathing and eyes burning. The Maintenance Work will be changing the filters in the system next week. He will also schedule to have the duct work cleaned out. There was a discussion regarding allowing employees (at Town Hall) to get assistance with problems because all problems are to go through the Town Engineer and he sometimes does not feel problems are warranted. Town Hall Walk Through Dave Boyes and Joe Hulbert completed the walk through for Town Hall. Dave said that there were only some things that needed to be corrected. They are noted on the walk through sheet. The list worked well. The Committee discussed the problems in the parking lot. Because the entrance on Aurora Street has been left open, drivers are starting to go through trying to "beat the light". The Committee discussed getting a gate for the Aurora Street side that would have to lift up (using an eye) or be controlled remotely,like a garage door opener. The Committee discussed the fire extinguisher and that the Town should look into another company, as the current one is not timely. Judy Drake said that Town Hall will have their bi-annual safety training in October. 40,, ,s1' Safety Committee Minutes, September 28, 2007 Page 2 y Employee Security Survey Judy handed out the final tally and comment sheets to all members of the Committee. Areas of concern at the Public Works Facility included lighting, which is being addressed and problems in the field with the public. Judy said that there will be a training session on December 7th,which will include diversity training and "customer relations" training. Areas of concern at Town Hall included lighting in the parking lot,the visitor system,the PEZ area counter space, confrontation with co-workers,and the locking the doors. Locking the doors has been address. Judy said that the NIMER(the Town's Insurance Company)reported that the man-door should be locked. The Committee agreed that a report, along with a copy of the final tally and comment sheets, should be given to the Town Board. We will present this to the Town Board at their October 15th meeting. We will revisit this issue at a later date to see if progress has been made. Dangerous Intersections Creig Hebdon said that he has not had time to work on this, so we will put this on the next meetings agenda. The next meeting has been moved from December 7th to November 30th. Items to be included in the agenda: Incidents and Accidents Dangerous Intersections The meeting was adjourned at 9:30 a.m. ghk uwUJIJJUN UATE TOWN OF ITHACA Safety Committee November 30, 2007, 8:00 a.m. Present: Fred Noteboom,Judy Drake,Jon Munson,and Kristie Rice Guest: Peter Archbold,PERMA The meeting started at 8:10 a.m. The September minutes were approved. Incidents and Accidents There are no incidents or accidents since the last meeting. There was a discussion regarding the billing for Workers Compensation and some concerns. Bolton Point is new on the Town's Workers Compensation. Peter Archbold said that he might want to do an inspection at Bolton Point. Judy has met with them to discuss how claims are to be reported. The Committee discussed how other municipalities handle confined space. Fred will talk to them and see what their policies are. Dangerous Intersections This will be discussed at the next meeting as Creig is not at the meeting today. The Committee discussed where we are at with that and this will be a 2008 goal for the Committee to make progress on taking care of the ones we can. Goals for 2008 1. Alternative Training: The Committee needs to find other ways to do training that will make it more interested. Peter explained a new program that PERMA has that is available on-line. It is an interactive training and there are about 20 different topics and they are getting more all the time. Peter said that there is a quiz at the end and then you receive a certificate, although you do have to use the same computer to finish the course. The on-line program might be good for new hires. We will look into this. 2. Review the Safety Manual. 3. Work out a tailgate meeting schedule. 4. Move ahead on a schedule for fixing some of the identified dangerous intersections. Miscellaneous The Committee discussed the latest PERMA inspection. We had a 615 which is almost perfect. It was noted on the inspection that the Town does not have a pre- employment physical policy. Judy said that we do,but the Public Works Department's Personnel Manual is not up-to-date. The Committee discussed the accomplishment achieved in 2007. 1. We completed the Building Safety Inspection form and both Town Hall and the Public Works Facility were inspected. Gail will continue coordinate the inspections in April and October and; 2. Violence in the workplace questionnaires were completed by Town employees. The Committee discussed some of the comments from that survey. They include that the Department Heads do not want the door (by the Town Clerk's office) locked,although that was a concern for some at Town Hall. Judy said that the fire alarm can be heard in all areas of Town Hall. There was a discussion regarding the lack of lighting in the parking lot. In the winter it is not as bad as the summer when the leaves are on the trees. The Committee discussed that when something needs to be fixed at Town Hall, the requests should be sent to Joe Hulbert, Maintenance Worker. This can be done by e-mail,etc. The heating system at Town Hall needs to be looked at. Meeting Dates for 2008 The Committee decided that if the Safety Manual is going to be reviewed, we should meet monthly. We will continue to meet the first Friday of each month, with the exception of July—no meeting that month. Peter said that he liked the way we conduct our meeting. There is a lot of discussion and suggestions. He also told the Committee about some electrical safety changes from OSHA. NYSEG has a live wire training that we might want to look into. The meeting was adjourned at 10:00 a.m.