news & notes BE A HAZARD DETECTIVE Uncover potential accidents before they happen. Follow these tips to help you hunt down hazards: Use your head. Your first line of defense against hazards is your brain. Think ahead all day. Anticipating trouble is the best way to prevent it. Think about: - What you’re working with. What are the hazards associated with these materials? What do you know about these hazards? - What you’ll be doing. Which procedures and rules should you follow? Are there any special precautions you need to take? - What could go wrong? What kinds of problems could arise while you’re working? What problems have you experienced in the past? Use all your senses. Your eyes, ears, and nose can help you identify and avoid hazards, too.     - Examine all the substances, equipment, and situations that are part of your job.     - Look for unsafe conditions and unsafe acts.     - Listen for strange sounds in machinery and equipment that can signal trouble. - Be alert  to anything that simply doesn’t look, smell, or feel right.     Act sensibly. Once you’ve identified potential safety problems, take appropriate action: - Use assigned protective equipment. - Follow  safety rules and job procedures. - Fix  any problem you are trained to handle. - Report things you can’t fix yourself. Hazard ID      What you can do to make the workplace safe      June is National Safety Month. What better time to think about the job hazards against which you need to protect yourself? The main thing to remember about safety hazards is that you must be constantly alert to them. Here are three steps for identifying and eliminating hazards: 1.  Determine the hazards. Examine the substances, equipment, and situations that are part of your job. Look for possible hazards, such as fire and explo- sion, electrical shock or burn, chemical exposure, and slips or trips. Look for hazardous conditions. Also be aware of unsafe acts—yours or your co- workers’. Be alert to anything that doesn’t seem right. When you identify a hazard, take action to eliminate or minimize it: •  Use proper personal protective equipment (PPE). •  Correct hazardous conditions if you can; report them if you can’t. •  Don’t stop asking questions until the hazard has been eliminated or con- trolled. 2.  Take responsibility. Take hazard identification and accident prevention seriously: •  If you find something wrong, do something about it—don’t assume some- one else will take care of it.     •  No matter how many times you’ve done a job, concentrate on what you’re doing and keep alert to hazards. •  Be careful with the use of alcohol and even over-the-counter drugs. They can make you less aware of hazards. 3.  Work smart. The company’s safety program is designed to take the dangers out of the workplace as long as you do your part: •  Pay attention at all safety meetings and training sessions. •  Look for things that could go wrong. •  Report all unsafe conditions immediately. •  Know the approved company procedures for using substances and equipment.     •  Wear assigned PPE—no excuses, no exceptions! •  Don’t remove or tamper with any machine guards or other safety devices. •  Practice safe housekeeping and keep your work area neat and clean. All Safety Products, Inc. www.AllSafetyProducts.biz  Jul '04