SAFETY COMMITTE MEETING MINUTES

March 29, 2007

The RU Safety Committee met Thursday, March 29, 2007 in the Planning and Construction Conference Room in the Dave Armstrong Complex at 1:30 pm. Mr. Tom Smithwick, RU Safety Manager, presided.

Present: Mr. Tom Smithwick, Mr. Todd Branscome, Mr. Stephen McCardle, Ms. Beth Johnson, Mr. Hank Kirouac, Mrs. Dianne Clark, Mr. Doug Gardner

Absent: Ms. Joey Sword, Mr. Jorge Coartney, Mr. Larry Brown, Mr Keith Nunn

1. Announcements: Mr. Smithwick had a few announcements before beginning the meeting:

• There will be a quarterly meeting of this committee with the next meeting scheduled for late June.
• We should familiarize ourselves with the safety web site.
• Mrs. Diane Clark agreed to accept the position of secretary of the Safety Committee.

2. The Slips Trips and Falls Program was discussed at great length: Mr. Smithwick noted that he is currently working on expanding this program. Currently, an accident prevention program is in place that Mr. Smithwick teaches which includes a section on slips, trips, and falls. The new training in slips, trips, and falls will be done at the same time the annual fire extinguisher training is done.

a. It was mentioned that fire extinguisher training should be conducted in every department on campus once per year. Right now, fire extinguisher training is focused primarily on housekeeping and maintenance. It is Mr. Smithwick’s intention to expand fire extinguisher training to other departments on campus.

b. Mr. Smithwick noted that almost half of accidents on campus come from the two classes of accidents called: “slips trips and falls” and “struck, struck by, caught between objects.”

c. Mr. Kirouac noted that 60 pairs of ice grips were bought for housekeepers to help avoid slips and falls and added that people wearing slip resistant shoes is a must.

d. Mr. Smithwick will meet with Mr Kirouac to set up a time to conduct JSAs in the Housekeeping Department.

e. Mr. Smithwick will meet with Mr. McCardle to look at training needs in the Dining Halls. Although Dining Services is contracted out, the Safety Office will conduct some basic safety training in the Dining Services, such as fire safety and accident prevention.

3. Accident Reports for this quarter were discussed: It was noted that 85% of all accidents are due to unsafe acts, and 15% of all accidents are due to unsafe conditions.

a. Methods to decrease back injuries were discussed. Quote from Tom Smithwick: “Your back is not a crane so use your brain to avoid a strain.”

b. Mr. Smithwick noted that more accident investigations should be done with all accidents, and this process will begin soon.

c. The Safety Office has completed a safety orientation training class and will be giving it to new hires in the housekeeping and maintenance departments starting in May.

4. Employee Safety Concerns: There were none reported to the Safety Committee.

5. Hepatitis B vaccines for the EMS squad: This is required for employees who have a potential risk of being exposed to blood. The EMS squad is composed of students, but this is a mute point now because all incoming freshmen are required to have this vaccine before entering school.

6. The Status of the Emergence Response Plans and Training was discussed:

a. Mr. Branscome noted:

• Terrorism Training will start in the next couple of weeks. Executive Order 44 requires all employees to have this.
• Pandemic Flu Plan is in draft form and is in the President’s Office for review. The training class is ready
• Emergency Preparedness Training is complete and he is ready to teach these classes.
• COOP- this is due to the Governor’s office on April 2, 2007. More training will be coming out with mandates from the state government.

b. Mr. Branscome noted that it is a class 4 misdemeanor if a person does not evacuate a building when the fire alarm sounds.

7. Methods to increase safety awareness at RU was discussed: Mr. Smithwick asked everyone present for ideas on how to expand safety awareness.

a. It was suggested by Mr. Kirouac that a safety column be put in the Tartan and add a safety tip with each column.

b. The possibility of a safety email newsletter such as the Police Department uses was also suggested. Mr. Smithwick will look into this.

c. Mr. Smithwick noted that he is against games and incentives as a method to decrease accidents because people won’t report accidents for fear of losing an incentive.

8. New Business:

a. It was noted that Clean Harbor is the new Hazardous Waste contractor that will be picking up our waste. This pick up will occur soon.

b. It was discussed as to how students with a disability are moved from a building if the elevator that may have been in use when the student entered, is shut down for some reason. There is an evacuation plan in place in case of an emergency, but there is not a plan in place if an elevator should become unusable. Mr. Smithwick will discuss this with Mr. Branscome and Mr. Gardner.

The meeting was adjourned at 3 p.m.