SAFETY ADVISORY COMMITTEE

April 20, 2006

EMU Umpqua Room

Attendees: Michelle Wygle, Kay Coots, Dana Winitzky, Tom Hicks, Anne Mattson, Sue Martinez, Hall O’Regan, Mark Maguire, Michelle Gillette, Kathy Viscarra, Bob Beals, Steve Pelkey

March minutes were approved.

Accident and injury reports were reviewed and discussed.

There were time five loss claims in March.

Kathy asked if one or two DPS officers were involved with the recent altercation. Tom said that two officers were injured and have returned to work.

The committee recommended the purchase of an adjustable stainless steel table for prep work in Food Services to help avoid time loss due to low back strains.

Old Business

Kay checked with Jerry Dominy and found that he does not use the Physical Plant Association publication for custodial services benchmarking. Alternately, Bob felt it would be very beneficial to purchase the publication and would be interested in sharing the $100 cost with other department(s) that are also members of the organization.

Michelle G. distributed a revised copy of the slips/trips/falls report. She has added data from 2003, job type, and time loss claims. Although slips/trips/falls occur in the office setting, the more severe claims based on time loss tend to be in occupations involving food services, custodial services, trades, and grounds crews. Another factor to consider is age at injury. The average age of state employees now 45, compared to 42 three years ago.

Subcommittees

Michelle W., Sue, Kathy, Michele G, and Kay volunteered to serve on a slips/trips/falls subcommittee to discuss and recommend prevention strategies. Steve suggested that they contact Tim King for a copy of his sidewalk survey.

Kay said that along these lines the State’s Risk Management department is encouraging that agencies place greater emphasis on increasing awareness training and evaluating safety risks. They recommend focusing on areas such as lighting in stairwells, striping stairs, adding handrails etc. in order to reduce accidents and worker’s compensation costs. Tom suggested that the SAC Inspection subcommittee help to evaluate and target these areas.

New Business

Kay called a small subcommittee together in response to an indoor air quality complaint at Oregon Hall. Dana and Gary joined Kay in inspecting the building. They found that the computer indicated carbon dioxide levels were OK; however, the data was not accurate. The air intake was not operating properly and the same air had been circulating for about a month or longer. The fan was running, but the belt had broken and fresh air was not being circulated. The ducts are also being checked. A consultant was hired to check the air quality and found that carbon dioxide levels were a little high. A second consultant was hired to review the data and make a site evaluation. The report is not back yet, but an initial verbal assessment was that there is no health risk and improvements can be made to provide a more comfortable working environment.

The next Safety Advisory Committee meeting will be held in the EMU Umpqua Room on May 18^th, 9:00 – 10:00 a.m.

S.T.E.P. Team Minutes: http://facilities.uoregon.edu/safety/step/minutes.html

Return to Safety Advisory Committee

Contact:
Kay Coots R.S., CSP
Environmental Health and Safety Director
Phone: (541) 346-5421
E-Mail: kcoots@uoregon.edu