Conducting a Footwear Hazard Assessment

Did you know that under the OSHA Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) standard, employers are required to perform a “hazard assessment” of the workplace to identify and control physical and health hazards?  This is to ensure the greatest possible protection for employees in the workplace, which will help in establishing and maintaining a safe and healthful work environment for employees.  

Inclement weather steel toe boots

In a previous blog, I spoke about the footwear requirements for Public Works, so now I would like to dig a little deeper into the actual footwear hazard assessment. 

Many tasks in Public Works involve manual lifting or handling of heavy tools and materials. Foot injuries frequently occur when heavy objects are dropped, resulting in bruises, dislocations, fractures or crushes. Shoes, rubber boots, etc. reinforced with steel toes and/or soles will help prevent foot injuries from impact of falling objects, stepping on sharp objects, or exposure to blades of power tools.

Determining if Foot Protection is Needed or Required

The assessment is an important element of a PPE program because it produces the information needed to select the appropriate PPE for any hazards present or likely to be present at a particular workplace.  Foot protection must be worn when there is a hazard of the following:

• Falling or rolling objects
• Punctures
• Stubbing or banging
• Chemical or corrosive contact
• Electrical shock
• Burns
• Slips and falls

 

Steel toe work boot

What's Involved in Performing a Hazard Assessment?

Since this is a performance-oriented standard, employers must act in a reasonably prudent manner in determining when and how employees, who are exposed to foot injury hazards, are to be protected.  When doing a hazard assessment, you should consider the employee’s task, the likelihood that an employee would be injured without PPE, and the severity of a potential injury. 

After you do a hazard assessment (which can be a simple form or checklist), of course you should document that you have done it!  You can go to the following OSHA link for a checklist version of the PPE assessment, but you can also create your own form. OSHA PPE Check List

Determining Type of Footwear

Once the Public Works hazard assessment is complete, you should select protective footwear based on the assessment. For example:

• Steel-toed shoes/boots to resist impact from any falling or rolling objects
• Sole puncture protection to protect against any sharp or pointed objects that may penetrate the foot
• Metatarsal guards to resist impact that might occur above the toes
• Chemical resistant footwear in areas with potential chemical or corrosive splashes
• Electric shock resistance for work where accidental contact with live electrical conductors can occur

Summary                  

OSHA requires that you implement a PPE program to help you systematically assess the hazards in the workplace and select the appropriate PPE that will protect workers from those hazards.  There is no workplace where a worker is immune to foot injury.  However, the hazards differ according to the workplace and the types of tasks the worker does. The first step in developing a strategy to reduce foot problems is to identify the relevant hazards at the workplace.  Such hazards should be assessed in each workplace, no matter how safe or how dangerous it may seem.

By Jackie Torgerson 

Dealing with Frozen Water Lines? Do not use electric current to thaw the lines!

The downside of low snowfall amounts is the threat of deeper frost and potential for frozen water lines. Thawing these frozen water lines with electric current, produced by a welder, has been used in the past by Minnesota Cities. This process uses electrical resistance, which heats the metal water pipes to the point the frozen water melts. Because of the risk for property damage, the practice of using electric current is not recommended.

These two pictures illustrate what can happen when things go wrong. These homes in Minnesota sustained property damage from fire and damage to household equipment. In addition, some of the damage occurred in the adjacent property, unknown at the time to the welder operator. And even though the “contractor” was operating the welder, the city was partially liable.

Alternative Method (hot water pulse machine)

The method used to replace the “welder” most frequently involves a hot water pulse machine, which uses a stream of hot water to melt the frozen water line. On occasions when this process does not work, temporary water lines are used by connecting to a neighbor’s water line, unit the Spring thaw.  

By Joe Ingebrand

Changing Plow Wear Blades/Cutting Edge

City of Staples pallet jack/jig

The plowing season has just begun.  The community counts on city staff to make roads safe and passable for day-to-day commerce, holiday travel, emergency response and more.  Losing a co-worker to injury means longer hours for those still on the clock and, at times, delays getting the job done. 

City of Pelican Rapids floor jack/jig

Plow blades weigh from approximately 40 to 125 pounds, depending on the type and length of the blade used.  Minimizing risk factors now is a pro-active way to reduce back and other injuries throughout the season.  Check out what some cities in Minnesota are doing to protect their employees.  If you've got an idea to share please let us know and we'll post it here for everyone to see!

Many cities have successfully developed a system to move the replacement blade into position and lift it using some type of jacking device. Most often this is a floor jack with a jig inserted in the jack that holds the blade in an upright position.  Other types of jack devices include:  motorcycle lift, transmission jack, pallet jack, or a device specially designed for this purpose.

Moving new and old wear blades around the shop can be accomplished by the using a cart like this made by the City of Crosby.

City of Crosby

Manually lifting the blade into place can contribute to sprain/strain injuries, and even amputations. Using equipment to lift and support the blade can reduce the ergonomic risk factors which include: excessive weight, excessive force, contact stress, and awkward postures.

By Joe Ingebrand

Safety Footwear in Public Works: Protecting Your “Wheels”

Who pays for it?.................Federal OSHA is somewhat clear in that steel toed footwear and prescription eye wear can be exempt items that the employer may not need to pay for.  However, MN OSHA takes a more stringent approach in that they require employers to pay for all necessary personal protective equipment (PPE), including safety shoes (Minnesota Statutes 182.655 subd. 10a).  So, if safety or steel toed boots are part of the employee's personal protective equipment, then the employer would need to pay the minimal cost of PPE that is of a type necessary for the job being performed.  If employees want a more expensive PPE, the employer has the option to pay the entire cost or have the employee pay the difference between the minimum type necessary to provide the protection and the option the employee is selecting.    The employee should not have to pay 100% on their own, and if they do, this could be a non-serious citation by an OSHA inspector.

Who needs it?..............OSHA 29CFR 1910.136 addresses foot protection as part of personal protective equipment.  The general requirement is that the employer must ensure that each affected employee uses protective footwear when working in areas where there is a danger of foot injuries due to falling or rolling objects, or objects piercing the sole, and where such employee's feet are exposed to electrical hazards.  Whether full time, part time or seasonal, public works employees who encounter these types of hazards need protective footwear.  Generally these hazards are found in a large portion of the work public works employees do, so it is important to make sure their feet are well protected.

No “blue suede shoes” allowed………It is also important to note that safety footwear must meet ANSI minimum compression and impact performance standards in ANSI Z41-1991 (American National Standard for Personal Protection-Protective Footwear) or provide equivalent protection.  All ANSI approved footwear has a protective toe and offers impact and compression protection, but that doesn't mean that the type and amount of protection is the same.  Different footwear protects in different ways, so it is important to check the product’s labeling or consult the manufacturer to make sure the footwear will protect the user from the hazards they face.

What we’ve seen…………..One common trend that I see in public works as I travel around the state is that many cities are allowing public works employees to wear inappropriate footwear while on the job.  Often times, I see employees wearing tennis shoes instead of steel toed work boots.  This is not considered a best practice based upon the type of work that public works employees do.  A work boot would certainly offer greater protection of the feet and toes, and typically provides greater traction to help reduce slips and falls.  It’s important to make sure that proper footwear is being worn for the work being done, and a simple footwear policy would take care of this.  So, if you don’t already have a policy in place that addresses proper footwear, I would encourage you to consider developing one.

Do you ever really think about your feet on the job in public works?  Well, each year at least 120,000 workers certainly do.  That’s because each of them suffered an accidental foot injury while on the job.  And what are most of them thinking about?  Chances are it’s the realization that their accident could have been prevented by using common safety sense and wearing the appropriate protective footwear.

Give us a call or drop an email…………..If you have questions related to protective footwear, don’t hesitate to contact the loss control consultant assigned to your city.

By Jackie Torgerson

A Walk in the Park

For many years the annual Safety and Loss Control Workshops have been a harbinger of spring for Minnesota municipalities.  Over the years a wealth of information has been developed for members in the form of risk management memos on a wide range of park and recreation topics.  These memos have been available on the LMC website and from the League's Loss Control Consultants.  Now they are available in one handy guide.  Park and Recreational Loss Control Guide 

Parks and recreational facilities can be one of your city’s most visible assets.  Learn how to protect your parks and prevent injuries among park and recreation employees with LMCIT’s all new and comprehensive Parks & Recreational Loss Control Guide.  The Guide contains an overview of key risk management concepts and specific advice for managing many common programs and events such as snow hills, ice skating or swimming facilities, trails, skateparks, parades, sports leagues, and more. It also contains links to sample policies, checklists, and forms to make your life easier.

by Cheryl Brennan

There’s an App for That!

Ever wonder if there was an easier way to find those pesky problem areas in your city?  There’s an app for that.  There are a number of apps designed to aid Public Works in tracking the areas that need repairs and/or attention.

How does it work?
The most popular app is SeeClickFix  The city would need to establish a portal with SeeClickFix, and then notify their residents of the availability.  The residents would have to download the app on their smart phone and report any issues to the Public Works Department.

What do the citizens report?
The citizens can report anything from downed trees or graffiti to potholes or sidewalk cracks via this app.

Why do we need this?
With the diminishing resources we all deal with as a public entity, it is more important than ever to do more with less.  This creates more tasks for fewer people in less time, which then makes it more difficult for the Public Works Departments to identify all of the problem areas throughout the city.  The app can make the citizens their “eyes and ears”.

Not a fan of the app?
There are a number of additional apps available that provide the same service as SeeClickFix.  Here is a short, but certainly not comprehensive list of the available apps:

• Cartegraph 
• CitySourced 
• ConnectedBits

By: Tara A. Bursey

Accessing vehicle for repairs or inspection - by Joe Ingebrand

 A previous blog focused on safety as it relates to getting in and out of equipment that is being operated, and reviewed the importance of using the “three points of contact” when entering and exiting the cab.

 Another area where cities experience slip/fall injuries is when equipment is being repaired or inspected.

You’ve probable done it yourself, climbed up on the dump box to see if the box is empty, or stood on a wheel to clean the windshield, both of these scenarios can and have led to slip/fall injuries.

Whether it’s in the shop, or in the street, climbing on and around equipment can be dangerous. Fortunately, improvements have been made by manufactures, designing better steps and walkways on equipment, and by cities utilize portable steps, wheel steps, built-in steps or ladders to access equipment.   

Here are a few ideas utilized by other Minnesota cities we have seen used throughout the state of Minnesota.  See if you can find any ideas that might work for you on existing equipment, or to consider when purchasing                                       equipment in the future. 

           



                 
Below: Step added to specialty equipment where needed: belly plow, snow blower attachment, or anti-slip material on a surface that is slippery.