Noah hasn’t chosen his career path yet but is very interested in auto mechanics. He is working part-time in a private garage, learning the basics of the trade. In my discussions with him I am concerned that he is possibly being used as cheap labour which rings all kinds of bells with me.

Is he being taught the correct way of doing things or is he being shown how to take shortcuts for maximum profit? What training has he been given regarding the use of equipment such as car lifts, the use of chemicals/solvents, electrical equipment, compressed air, the dangers of gas/diesel exhaust? The list goes on.

Never does something become so important as when it affects one personally. I will do my best to educate him on looking after himself.

The key word is education, regardless of the trade or profession. Learning something for the first time occurs much faster than unlearning it and relearning something new. Once something is learned incorrectly, it becomes very difficult to change a bad habit. The main, evidence-backed time frame for habit-breaking, suggests it can take anywhere from 18 to 254 days. In other words, to set expectations appropriately, it can take anywhere from two months to eight months to build a new behavior, not 18 days.

That is why employer training and patience are key when it comes to training new and young employees as well as long-time, mature employees who have done the same thing over and over for years.

Health and safety training helps create a safer work environment where employees are better able to focus on tasks without worrying about their personal safety. This enhanced focus will result in higher work output and an increase in productivity and profits. An added bonus is worker satisfaction and higher morale; whereby, workers will put forth their best efforts. Both workplace parties are rewarded; workers, whose employers ensure their safety, will reward those employers with loyalty and higher performance.

I reflect on my own path when I was nineteen and entering post-secondary education. The last thing I thought about was my mortality; I was young and had my life ahead of me. Noah is now at that crossroads. From my vantage point, I want only for him to live a long, fulfilled life free from worry, pain, or any barriers to achieving that.

Watch for next month’s Blog published in the first week of December.

Sincerely,

Carola Mittag

Consultant and Editor for Mentor Safety Consultants Inc.

The post HE’S AN ADULT NOW appeared first on Mentor Safety Consultants - A Safety Co Partner.

On these walks I regularly see roofers at work. All too often the workers are young, students perhaps or those with minimal education and doing a job that is both hard and hard on the body. Naturally I wonder what kind of training they’ve been given. How often I shudder when I see them working without the personal protective equipment needed for the job. Worse still are the workers who are wearing their safety harnesses, however, attached to nothing. Usually, the ropes and lanyards are lying on the roof.

Three hazards in one:

1. The workers are wearing harnesses that hamper them but aren’t doing the job for which they are intended because they’re not attached to a lifeline.
2. The ropes and lanyards just lying on the roof are a tripping hazard.
3. Worker lack of understanding of the purpose of the PPE and frustration, maybe even anger that the equipment is more of a bother than a help.

Then I look at the vehicles that these workers have arrived in. In most cases, and this is not precise research, but an observation over years, these vehicles do not identify the roofing company. That tells me that the owners do not take pride in their company, do not want to be identified by showing their name on their vehicles and are avoiding possibly being reported to the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development (MLITSD) by passersby.

Twice this summer I confronted onsite workers asking why they weren’t wearing their lifelines. In the first instance it was actually the owner/supervisor who told me that they would attach once the shingle packs had been offloaded the lifting device. The building being re-shingled was a three-story commercial establishment with a steep pitch. The workers had their harnesses on and were carrying the heavy shingle packs up the incline while having to step over the lifelines laying on the roof. I walked away and when I passed later in the day, not one of the workers was attached to a lifeline but hey, they had their harnesses on. Yes, I called the MLITSD.

I’m willing to bet dollars to donuts that the workers had working at heights training to satisfy Ministry requirements; however, the supervisors did not have the training to know what their personal liability was in the event of a tragic accident.

It’s all about knowing the facts, having responsible owners who value their employees and provide the right training, equipment and supervision. Those are the employers who proudly display their logos and brands on their vehicles. Those are the employers potential workers should be looking for to keep them healthy and safe.

If you’re not comfortable with it, DON’T DO IT!

Watch for next month’s Blog published in the first week of November.

Sincerely,

Carola Mittag

Consultant and Editor for Mentor Safety Consultants Inc.

The post JUST WALKING BY appeared first on Mentor Safety Consultants - A Safety Co Partner.

So, instead of writing a lengthy Blog this month, I thought I’d share with you the following plaques which are a memorial to real people who tragically lost their lives in workplace accidents. I have only included a sampling of the 100 workers memorialized. This sampling demonstrates that workplace accidents do not discriminate between age, gender, occupation, or types of accidents.

In each case, a person died leaving behind a spouse, a sibling, a parent, or a child. They went to work on the morning of their deaths never dreaming that they would not see their loved ones again.

Gallery – 100 Worker Monument Simcoe Park, Toronto Ontario.

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As I stood reading each plaque, I was amazed and pleased to see how many people stopped and took the time to read the stories. Those memorialized have left a legacy however brief and tragic. May you and your families be spared that pain and loss in order to leave a happy and lasting legacy.

Watch for next month’s Blog published in the first week of October.

Sincerely,

Carola Mittag

Consultant and Editor for Mentor Safety Consultants Inc.

The post LABOUR DAY appeared first on Mentor Safety Consultants - A Safety Co Partner.

To satisfy my curiosity I did a little, very superficial online research as to why men grow beards. “As modern men reassess, and reconstruct their own sense of masculinity, they still can’t help but wonder: do women like beards? The beard has remained a constant sign of rugged, manly pride. Not just that, but it’s also become a key fashion accessory: big hipster bushes; designer stubble; outdoorsy-type hunter-gatherer growth; ridiculous Guinness Book of World Record-level moustaches; and intelligent professor-like beards. According to science, they can be a symbol of alpha male dominance, social status, and a means of sending sexy (or if you’re beard’s a mess, un-sexy) signals to prospective suitors.” FASHIONBEANS

More and more people are required to wear respirators to protect them at work. The critical question becomes is proper protection provided by a respirator when a worker sports a beard? The bottom line is that facial hair between the skin and face seal of the respirator will interfere with the seal of the respirator. Facial hair represents an unacceptable risk of breaking the mask’s face seal. Really, the worker needs to be clean-shaven. 

Workers have become creative when trying to integrate having a beard and wearing a protective respirator; anywhere, from putting Vaseline on the sealing surface of the respirator or the beard to using athletic bands and clips to confine the hair.

Employers and workers must adhere to the CSA Z94.4 which states that tight-fitting respirators are not permitted to be worn by employees who have facial hair that comes between the sealing surface of the facepiece and the face or that interferes with the valve function. Below is the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) poster which helps workers determine which facial hairstyles are acceptable to use with filtering facepiece respirators.

While I might find beards attractive, I understand that sporting a beard does require men to be more attentive to their grooming habits as well as the impact their facial hair can have in the workplace.

MENTOR SAFETY experts will help you ensure that your respirators are correct for the job, your workers are fitted properly for utmost protection, and that your legislative requirements are being met.

Call us @ 519-870-6930 to book your Respiratory PPE Fit Test (Qualitative)

Or fill out this form to schedule:
https://forms.office.com/r/qfgR7UeaEt

Watch for next month’s Blog published in the first week of August.

Sincerely,

Carola Mittag

Consultant and Editor for Mentor Safety Consultants Inc.

The post BEARDS appeared first on Mentor Safety Consultants - A Safety Co Partner.

I came across the words “productive conflict” which caught my attention. Isn’t all of life really about productive conflict? Just in choosing this topic I thought that I had mastered productive conflict for this month by selecting it over the many other topics.

When people organize to challenge and change their lives for the better both personally, or in the workplace, it can only be beneficial. Enter “productive conflict”.

At this time of year, this may be in the form of New Year’s resolutions which, if we’re honest, are short-lived and notoriously unsuccessful. We know that making changes to our lifestyle “would” be productive but are conflicted because it would mean making changes that are uncomfortable and require hard work. While we know that the long-term benefits will be positive, we are reluctant because our bad habits conflict with the productivity aspect.

It is no different in the workplace. All change is difficult and requires participation by everyone to be effective. When employers and employees alike challenge themselves to make changes then, because of and in spite of “productive conflict”, positive changes can occur to everyone’s benefit. I believe that productive conflict is a powerful tool that supports the Internal Responsibility System.

Every idea that is put forward must be challenged for its value and merit. If an employer makes a suggestion for changing the way something is done this may very well conflict with the way workers have done things in the past and they may be reluctant to change. At this point, it is only at the conflict stage. It is up to the employer to turn this negative into a productive outcome through creativity and sometimes incentive for making the suggested change.

When employees suggest changes for more efficient work processes, the need for better equipment, or improved safety protocols these may conflict with an employer’s view that everything is just fine. Here we are at the conflict stage. The employees are challenged to demonstrate that the suggested improvements will result in improved efficiency. This turns the conflict into productivity.

Remember the Staples commercials from years ago where the red EASY button was available and when pressed, it solved everyone’s problems? Well, I’m not telling you it’s going to be easy; I’m telling you productive conflict will be worth it.

How we challenge each other and ourselves and how those challenges are met in every aspect of our lives hinge upon productive conflict.

Watch for next month’s Blog published in the first week of February.

Sincerely,

Carola Mittag

Consultant and Editor for Mentor Safety Consultants Inc.

The post Productive Conflict appeared first on Mentor Safety Consultants - A Safety Co Partner.

This is because you have two eyes that observe the world from two different positions. It’s a matter of parallax. (If you do this with a little kid you’ll appear like a magician to them.)

The parallax aspect is useful in comparing points of view and one’s place in a given situation. Parallax arises due to change in viewpoint occurring due to motion of the observer, of the observed, or of both.

Long ago, an ancient Chinese sage expressed parallax this way:

You can’t talk about the ocean with a frog who lives in a well. He is bounded by the space he inhabits.

You can’t talk about ice with an insect who is born and dies in June. He is bounded by a single season.

You can’t talk about the meaning of life with a person who is certain he knows everything there is to know. He is bounded by his own beliefs.

I can understand another person’s point of view even though it differs from mine. Why? Each individual sees something from a different perspective.

I can understand another person’s point of view even though it differs from mine. Why? Each individual sees something from a different perspective.

Last month I wrote about finding a root cause for an incident or accident to prevent a possible recurrence with a potentially tragic outcome. This month I want to focus on the importance of interviewing witnesses to an incident or accident as part of thorough investigations.

Whenever I taught an accident investigation course I went through a very simple exercise with the class. Standing in front of the participants, I let a pencil fall to the floor. Then I asked one person to my right to describe what he/she saw. They may have said that they saw my hip hit the desk which caused the pencil to roll off. Then I asked a person to my left to describe what they saw. They may have said that my hand brushed the pencil causing it to fall to the floor. The person on the other side may not have seen this because my torso blocked their view. The person directly in front of me saw me throw the pencil to the floor. It’s all a matter of perspective.

The whole point of the exercise was to demonstrate that it is important to interview multiple witnesses with varying perspectives and information relevant to the incident.

“the facts ma’am, just the facts”

1. Interview witnesses separately, so that their recall is their own and not influenced by another person’s observation which may cause the first person to change their report.
2. Each witness saw the incident from a different viewpoint depending on where they were standing when the incident happened. Note – even though the witness report should strictly detail factual observation, individuals may “colour” their report based on personal experiences, knowledge, opinions and attitudes.
3. Interviews, to gather testimonial evidence, should be conducted as soon as possible after an incident to ensure accuracy of memory (memories fade over time).

Witnesses may be anyone with information relevant to the incident/accident including:

• People directly involved
• Supervisors
• Others at the workplace
• External people such as material experts

Effective witness interviews require patience to:

• Focus on preventing future accidents (not on blame),
• Ensure everyone involved is aware of the investigation and the need for confidentiality,
• Respect the needs of persons interviewed and preparation.

Written, testimonial witness evidence is generally admissible in court; whereas, oral testimony or hearsay, a statement about what a witness heard someone else say, is not admissible in court.

Witness evidence is critical to establishing a root cause for an incident or accident. It is up to the interviewer to direct the witnesses to stick to “the facts, ma’am, just the facts!”

While parallax may sound like the name of some prehistoric creature, it is in fact a displacement or difference in the apparent position of an object viewed along two different lines of sight. A trained investigative interviewer will want to gather witness evidence from all lines of sight.

While checking the location of my index finger against the twelve on the clock on the far wall, the big hand just jumped an hour. LUNCHTIME!

Watch for next month’s Blog published in the first week of June.

Sincerely,

Carola Mittag

Consultant and Editor for Mentor Safety Consultants Inc.

The post PARALLAX appeared first on Mentor Safety Consultants - A Safety Co Partner.