Safety & Risk Management

July 8, 2024 – Safety Moments

Heat related illnesses can become a serious risk to employee safety. Exposure to abnormal or prolonged amounts of heat and humidity without relief or adequate fluid intake can cause various types of heat-related illness.

Downloading the OSHA NIOSH Heat Safety Tool app onto your smartphone will give you fingertip access to the symptoms and first aid treatment for all of the heat related illnesses. Incorporating the right foods and beverages into your diet can help you beat the heat all summer long.

July 1, 2024 – Safety Moments

Many of us have likely been deemed to be essential employees in the event of a regional disaster. But being essential at work is difficult when you are essential at home as well.

The document below discusses how to prepare for power outages during wildfires, earthquakes and highwater.

De-Escalation

According to the Department of Homeland Security, De-Escalation is “the use of communication or other techniques during an encounter to stabilize, slow or reduce the intensity of a potentially violent situation without using physical force, or with a reduction in force.”

Always be aware of your verbal communications and body language. Remain respectful, calm and courteous. Always listen and show a willingness to understand without judging.

Credit: Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency

May 2024 – Eye Protection

Safety glasses protect your eyes from dust and flying particles and can save your sight if you wear actual SAFETY glasses. All safety glasses must have the ANSI Z87 marking on either the lens or frame. Employees are encouraged to care and maintain their PPE in a sanitary condition.

New! Prescription safety glasses benefit is here. Eligible employees will be notified directly by NCTD. For more information, click on the read more button.

Vol 1 | Issue 6 – Safety Moments

This week, we’ll talk about ergonomics and proper body mechanics. There are many types of ergonomic stressors.

As supervisors and managers, it is up to us to provide meaningful solutions to these ergonomic issues before a workplace injury occurs. In this document, we covered some common ergonomic issues and how to resolve them.

Vol 1 | Issue 5 – Safety Moments

This week, we’ll be exploring ways to continuously improve our driving performance since driving is part of our work duties. Today’s topic is to keep your head up. When you are driving to you have to purposefully account for this and lift your gaze a bit and look at what is happening about 15 seconds ahead of you. This gives you time to see an upcoming hazard and more importantly time to process it and respond to it.

Stay vigilant against distractions and keep in mind the tips listed in the to make you a better driver.

April 2024 – Solar Eclipse

A solar eclipse will be visible (weather permitting) across nearly all North America. While the central arc will be well east of California, experts say that San Diego will get a partial eclipse of about 55%. Viewers will see the most exciting moments between 10:45 and 11:45 a.m., with the eclipse concluding at 12:23 p.m. when the moon leaves the sun’s edge.

The eclipse may cause additional hazards in our work. Not only could it be a distraction to employees, but many people may be stopped along roadways or in unsafe locations during the eclipse.

Vol 1 | Issue 4 – Safety Moments

This week’s theme is proper PPE, keeping in mind that proper PPE is not just wearing it but ensuring that
it is appropriate and in good working condition.

No matter what PPE is being used, everyone needs to make sure that it is in good condition prior to use.

Vol 1 | Issue 3 – Safety Moments

What is hierarchy of controls? The hierarchy of controls is a method of identifying and ranking safeguards to protect workers from hazards. They are arranged from the most to least effective and include elimination, substitution, engineering controls, administrative controls and personal protective equipment. Often, to control a hazard, more than one method is needed to best protect workers.

Often, to control a hazard, more than one method is needed to best protect workers. Considering feasibility is important to know how well it can protect workers and whether it can be implemented successfully.

Vol 1 | Issue 2 – Safety Moments

What is situational awareness? Situational awareness means understanding what is going on around you. Gathering the right information (all that is needed, but not too much), being able to analyze it, and making projections based on the analysis. In the best of all worlds, it also means being able to do something with the information (i.e., it is useful information).

In our context, situational awareness is an on-the-job safety skill that is critical for hazard identification, effective decision making, and accident prevention.

Vol 1 – Safety Moments

With the onset of spring, this week’s topics are related to all of nature’s hazards that come out this time of year.

Topics:
Snakes
Poisinous Plants
Spiders
Insects
Other Common Wildlife

March 2024 – Daylight Saving Time is Coming!

It’s never too early to think about the upcoming time change. Daylight Saving Time starts on Sunday, March 10.

In addition to being rather annoying to manually reset any clocks that don’t automatically change, the start of Daylight-Saving Time in spring is particularly noted for its significant health and safety effects.

February 2024 – Prohibitions on Tampering

It is against NCTD policy for any employee or contractor employee to tamper with or alter any safety related equipment.

COASTER and SPRINTER are both regulated by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) which prohibits any employee, regardless of craft, from tampering with safety devices in 49 CFR 218.55.