Volume 1, Issue 2 | September 2021
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In this Issue:
Florida's Latest Data on Safety, Health & Sustainability • COVID Resource Center • OSHA Update • What is PPE? • Workplace Mental Health • Fall Protection Training Discount
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A Message from Florida Chamber Safety Council
Executive Director Jason Mozo, J.D.
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Greetings!
I hope our first issue of Strength in Numbers: The Florida EHS Briefing in August found you well informed on current and future Safety, Health, and Sustainability related items!
In 2019 alone, there were 5,333 workers that died on the job providing for their families and loved ones that were recorded. On average, there are more than 100 a week or about 15 deaths every day in the workplace. Out of the 5,333 fatalities, 880 were a direct result of falls. That equates to 2.41 deaths every single day, 1 every 12 hours, that occurs when a worker falls due to lack of proper training, planning and equipment.
OSHA requires that Fall Protection be provided at elevations of four feet in General Industry workplaces, five feet in shipyards, six feet in the Construction Industry and eight feet in longshoring operations. In addition, OSHA requires that Fall Protection be provided when working over dangerous equipment and machinery, regardless of the fall distance.
Falls are the #1 most common cause of fatalities in the workplace, which in turn are also the #1 cited violations from OSHA. These fatalities are a result of falling as low as even 3ft to higher heights. The statistics are based on workplace fatalities, but keep in mind these happen even more in private settings such as at your home while being on vacation and numerous other activities outside of the workplace.
September is Fall Protection Awareness Month here at the Florida Chamber Safety Council and we are offering special discounted Fall Protection Safety Trainings to all companies across Florida. These trainings will consist of what is required under OSHA Standards, best practices, hands-on demonstrations on Fall Protection/Arrest Systems, Proper Inspections, Hazard Recognition, and more.
Let’s work together to bring Fall Protection Safety Awareness to you and your staff - not only for the workplace but for our lives outside of work. It all starts with providing the proper training. Training saves lives, period!
Our goal is to assure our teams that we all go home safely to our families and loved ones every single day. Nothing is more important! Always remember, Safety is No Accident!
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Upcoming Florida Chamber Safety Council Trainings
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Fall Protection for Your Employees
Book your Fall Protection Group Training during the month of September to receive 30% off for trainings of up to 10 participants and 40% off trainings for more than 10 participants.
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Competent Person Fall Protection
November 3, 2021
8:00am - 4:30pm
Of the 1,950 workplace deaths that occurred in Florida from 2011 to 2018, nearly 22% of them were due to a trip, slip or fall. During this course students will learn the skills to assess and control fall hazards, properly use, inspect and maintain fall protection equipment, and review and understand all OSHA standards relating to Fall Protection requirements.
*Upon completion participants will earn .65 CEU's
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Incident Investigation: Root Cause Analysis
November 10, 2021
8:00am - 4:30pm
During this course participants learn how to uncover the who, what, why, when and how of each incident, and how to analyze data to prevent injuries, property damage and financial losses.
*Upon completion participants will earn .65 CEU's
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Learn more about the COVID-19 Delta Variant
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- The Delta variant is 2x more contagious than previous variants.
- Some data suggest the Delta variant might cause more severe illness than previous strains in unvaccinated persons.
- Unvaccinated people remain the greatest concern. The greatest risk of transmission is among unvaccinated people who are much more likely to contract and therefore transmit the virus.
- Fully vaccinated people with Delta variant breakthrough infections can spread the virus to others. However, vaccinated people appear to be infectious for a shorter period.
FDA grants full approval of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine
On August 23, the Food and Drug Administration announced that it has approved Pfizer and BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine for people 16 and older, making it the first to be fully approved for use in the United States. Read the full news release here.
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Florida's Latest Data on Safety,
Health & Sustainability
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Construction Fatalities by Event Types, 2011-2018
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The Florida Chamber Safety Council Florida Workplace Safety Report released in 2020, was complied with workplace safety data from the State of Florida. The data above demonstrate an increase in the top four construction fatalities event types. The highest number of construction fatalities were caused by falls, slips and trips with 209 deaths. From 2011-2018 there was a total of 522 construction event fatalities, 40% of which was due to falls, slips and trips.
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FALLS ARE THE LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH IN CONSTRUCTION. In 2018, there were 320 fatal falls to a lower level out of 1,008 construction fatalities (BLS data). These deaths are preventable.
Since 2012, OSHA has partnered with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA) - Construction Sector on the Fall Prevention Campaign to raise awareness among workers and employers about common fall hazards in construction, and how falls from ladders, scaffolds and roofs can be prevented.
Follow these steps:
- PLAN ahead to get the job done safely
- PROVIDE the right equipment
- TRAIN everyone to use the equipment safely
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Using Personal Protection Equipment (PPE)
on the Worksite
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Having the right tools is important for any job, and having the right personal protective equipment is just as important. Proper PPE helps us perform our jobs properly and safely. At any job site, you should be given the appropriate PPE for the task at no cost to you.
You should be trained on how to use your PPE, particularly for anything you are not familiar with. PPE should be in good working condition every time you use it and should be inspected regularly. If there are any defects, the PPE must be replaced.
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Workplace Mental Health & Wellness
with Dr. Aaron Weiner
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Stop wasting your time! Learn to approach solvable vs. unsolvable problems differently
There are two types of problems you will encounter in life: solvable problems and unsolvable problems. This sounds incredibly basic, but you’d be surprised how often we tend to confuse one for the other! And the punchline is that each type of problem requires a different approach – if you get it wrong, the result is a tremendous amount of stress and frustration.
Let’s start with solvable problems. The solution to solvable problems is to…solve them. However, what we see time and time again, both in the workplace and the personal realm, is that people choose to avoid or tolerate solvable problems instead of solving them, using workarounds and other avoidance tactics to get by instead of getting to the root problem. The reason for this usually is that solving the problem will require some amount of discomfort or effort – more discomfort or effort than the workaround takes. However, in the long run, you’ll end up being far more inconvenienced by the problem sticking around for weeks, months, or years. Examples of this can be inefficient workflows in the office, avoiding resolving a family conflict, or putting off examining a chronic medical problem.
Unsolvable problems require the exact opposite approach. Trying to solve a problem that has no solution (control something, or someone, that you can’t control) is like throwing yourself a brick wall over and over again - you’ll end up wasting your time, hurt, and frustrated. The solution to coping with these problems is not to resolve them, but to learn to accept them – while the problem itself is out of your control, your reaction to it is not.
The trick is to learn to distinguish between the two, allowing you to approach each type of problem as effectively as possible. Give it some thought – are you avoiding and working around a problem that you could solve with some extra effort or brainstorming? Or are you constantly trying to push a boulder up a hill, working on a problem that is outside your sphere of influence?
Learn more and book one of our sessions with Dr. Aaron Weiner topics include mindfulness & meditation, recognizing mental health problems and more.
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Florida Chamber Safety Council Advisory Board Testimonial
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"The Florida Chamber Safety Council has been very helpful with recent safety initiatives. Our team members have continued to talk about how engaging he was in the First Aid and Blood Borne Pathogen classes. Executive Director, Jason Mozo has spent time walking facilities with me and offering best practices. We are looking forward to the continued partnership through the development of a world-class emergency action plan training program. The expertise and customer-centric service have been great!"
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Don't Miss Florida's Premier Event on
Safety, Health and Sustainability
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2021 Southeastern Leadership Conference on
Safety, Health + Sustainability Recap
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The Small Business Handbook is a great resource for small businesses, including information on how to start a Safety Management and Health program, checklists, requirements and more.
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The manual contains ALL required safety and health training that are mandated for employers to provide for their employees.
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Florida is ranked 23rd in the nation for the most fatalities in the workplace. Assuring a safe and healthy workplace is vital to lower these fatality rates, and it all starts at the top with establishing a safety culture within your organization.
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Up to 40% Off Heat Stress Prevention Training
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In 2019, falls resulted in 880 workplace fatalities. This means, every single day there were 2.41 deaths (1 death every 12 hours) due to falls in the workplace. Join the Florida Chamber Safety Council as we educate organizations all across Florida on the OSHA Standards and Requirements and best safest practices to lower workplace injuries and eliminate fatalities. The Florida Chamber Safety Council is dedicated to keeping Florida's workers safe and has declared September Fall Protection Month.
The Florida Chamber Safety Council is offering discounted group Fall Protection Training during the month of September. *Book your group Fall protection Training during the month of September to receive 30% off for trainings of up to 10 participants and 40% off trainings for more than 10 participants.
*Fall Protection Training must be booked in September and scheduled within 90 days of booking to be eligible for the discount.
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Online, On-Demand Trainings Now Available
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The Florida Chamber Safety Council offers an array of training options to meet the needs our your business. We offer public, private and online trainings to all safety and human resources professionals who are interested in keeping their workplaces and employees safe. All trainings can also be tailored and customized for your individual company’s needs on any safety subject and conducted at your location.
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Florida Chamber Safety Advisory Board
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Thank You to the Visionary Companies and Leaders who are Working Together to Create a Culture of Safety, Healthy and Sustainability across Florida
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