Safety Dates for 2008
by Kirk Lloyd, Risk Management Services, Inc.

Most of us will soon be making notes on our shiny new 2008 calendars. Birthdays and anniversaries will be marked for the upcoming year, along with important business and production dates. We would like to suggest some additional entries to help keep your safety and compliance efforts on track. Here are a few possibilities to consider:

• Establish safety goals. Very early in the New Year is a great time to set the goal at ZERO injuries for the upcoming season. If you have employees all year, talk to them about this on the first workday of 2008. After all, a goal isn’t much good until it’s communicated! If employees only work part of the year, add a reminder to yourself for the appropriate time to include this in a seasonal worker orientation meeting.

• Schedule quarterly safety inspections. Did you remember that OSHA requires employers to conduct a quarterly self-inspection on every place of employment in Oregon? It’s a really useful practice. If you look at your own facilities with a critical eye, you will probably find opportunities for improvement. If your business has a safety committee, the committee members should be involved in quarterly inspections. If you are exempt from the safety committee requirement, any knowledgeable person can complete the inspections. Think strategically about the best time in each quarter to conduct these, then get those target dates entered for the whole year.
• Complete OSHA 300 Log. The 2007 OSHA 300 Log of Occupational Injuries must be finished in January. The summary portion (form 300A) must be posted by February 1, 2008. This is required for any employer who has over 10 employees at one time, even if only for a very short time. The form may not seem terribly important, but it is often the very first thing that a compliance officer will ask to see. Be prepared so you can make a good initial impression.
• Equipment operator classes. All tractor and forklift drivers are required to receive refresher training sessions at least annually to meet OSHA standards. Sometimes employers tell me that it seems awkward to train experienced equipment operators who may know more about the work than their boss does. Don’t let this stop you from conducting those classes! I have been involved in some great training sessions where experienced operators have shared their stories with the younger or less experienced workers, or with each other. Set the dates and give this a chance to happen!
• Respirator fit testing. Respiratory protection rules for agriculture were recently changed to be similar to the industrial code. With a few exceptions, if you have employees who use respirators at work they will need to receive an annual fit test. Employers may have this done professionally, or they may purchase fit testing kits for a do-it-yourself approach. (Most safety supply catalogs and websites will offer the necessary equipment.) If these tests were done last year, mark the anniversary date from that. If it’s been over a year, or has never been done, select a date to do this well before the first anticipated use of respirators in 2008.
• Participate in Farm Safety Week. National Farm Safety and Health Week will be September 17 through 27 in 2008. The Agri-Business Council of Oregon is making plans to mark Farm Safety Week with special activities. Of course, safety must be part of every day and every week, all year long. But we hope all ABC members will join us in efforts to raise awareness about important issues of farm safety during this nationally proclaimed week.

Best wishes for a productive and injury-free year! Safety articles will continue to appear in Ag Link throughout 2008.

If you have suggestions for topics that would be of broad interest to our members, or have had experiences that you would like to share through this column, please feel free to contact Kirk Lloyd at Risk Management Resources, Inc.
Telephone 503-371-9554 in Salem or
email RiskMgt4Ag@aol.com to contact Kirk.

return to top