Minutes 01-14-02MINUTES OF THE SAFETY COMMITTEE MEETING HELD IN THE
FIRE/POLICE TRAINING ROOM, CITY HALL, BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA
ON MONDAY, JANUARY 14, 2002 at 10:00 A.M.
Present
Carisse Weise, Chairperson
Tom Balfe, Vice Chair
John Bebensee
Chuck Magazine
Bill Coup
Gary Ezzell
Eric Falstad
Dorothy Mack
Barbara Madden
Larry Quinn
Ron Rudy
Tina Smith
Sharon Tierney
Kim Williams
Absent
Tom McCabe
Mike Rumpf
Rodney Vickey
City Manager
Parks
Recreation
Risk Management
Library
Utilities/WWTP
Golf Course
Human Resources
City Clerk's Office
Public Works
Fire/EMS
Utilities/EWTP
ITS
Communications
Police
Development
Finance/Warehouse
I. Call to Order
Chairperson Weise called the meeting to order at 10:05 a.m.
II. Roll Call
The Recording Secretary called the roll and a quorum was present.
IlL Acceptance of Minutes of December 10, 2001 Regular Meeting
Motion
Mr. Magazine moved to approve the minutes of the December 10, 2001 meeting.
The motion was seconded by Mr. Coup and unanimously carried.
Meeting Minutes
Safety Committee Meeting
Boynton Beach, FL
January 14, 2002
IV.
Safety Committee Education and Training Program:
"Safety - Everyone's Responsibility"
None
Mr. Magazine stated that he received a safety-orientation video for new municipal
employees from the Florida League of Cities. He will present the video at next
month's meeting. Mr. Magazine will be working with Human Resources to
arrange for the video to be shown to all new employees.
V. Old Business
A. Fire Drills
Chairperson Weise announced that Deputy Fire Marshal Borden is no longer a
member of the Safety Committee. EMS Chief Ron Rudy, who will serve as the
Department's liaison to the Safety Committee, and the City Incident Review
Board, has replaced him. Deputy Fire Marshal Borden will serve as an alternate.
Lt. Chris Wandell will continue to serve as the team leader for the Department's
Safety Committee. Chairperson Weise welcomed Lt. Wandell to the meeting.
Chief Rudy will speak with Deputy Fire Marshal Borden regarding fire drills and
will report back at the next meeting.
B. "Proud to be a Safe Worker" Awards
None
C. Departmental Inspections & Safety Meetings (Magazine)
Mr. Magazine will e-mail reports when they have been completed, which will be a
year-end review for the entire City.
D. Defensive Driver Course
The registration form for the course was distributed. There are no classes
scheduled for February. There are two more classes-remaining in January and
four in March. The course must be taken by.all departments.
E. Incident Review Board Referrals
None
2
Meeting Minutes
Safety Committee Meeting
Boynton Beach, FL
January 14, 2002
F. Wellness Program (Magazine)
It is anticipated that the program will begin in February. A representative will be
present at the gym twice a month beginning in February. Brochures will also be
distributed.
G. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Policy
Chairperson Weise reported that the City Manager has overruled the motion that
this Board adopted at its December meeting to allow the Building Inspectors to
be exempt from wearing safety footwear. The requirement has been reinstated.
a. Utilities Department Proposed Change (Smith)
Ms. Smith distributed photos of the heavy equipment that is operated by the
Utilities Department. Two types of vehicles have lap belts and the other two
vehicles have no safety belts. Ms. Smith said wearing a hard hat seems
pointless, since the vehicles are equipped with roll cages to support the weight of
the vehicles. The hats only interfere with the operator's vision. The machine
being operated is a loader, a Libear and a combination machine.
Mr. Magazine suggested that a work order be placed with vehicle maintenance to
determine if safety belts could be installed, Ms. Smith did not think this would be
possible because the controls for the Libear are in the armrest and one of the
armrests is stationary into the machine. Ms. Smith will follow through with Mr.
Bobich on the work order for the vehicles.
Mr. Magazine noted that the purpose of the headgear is to protect the head. Mr.
Magazine suggested trying different types of headgear to determine which one
works best within the cab. He suggested that the headgear should include a
strap to keep it in place.
Chairperson Weise inquired if the cabs were equipped with safety glass, and Ms.
Smith stated that they were; she was not certain about the Libear. Ms. Smith
stated that the vehicle operators keep their safety hats with them in the vehicles
and when they are not in the vehicle, they put them on. Ms, Smith said that they
were never told that it was a City policy that headgear had to be worn inside the
equipment. Mr. Magazine responded that it is the Safety Coordinator's
responsibility to make sure that all staff is informed of the safety requirements.
Mr. Coup suggested that before the Board took any action on this request that
the City Manager's opinion should be determined. Mr. Magazine pointed out that
the purpose of the hardhat was to protect the employee from being injured. He
could not support the request
3
Meeting Minutes
Safety Committee Meeting
Boynton Beach, FL
January14,2002
Mr. Ezzell noted that at the last meeting Ms. Smith stated there was no room to
wear a hat in the equipment. Ms. Smith said that she has since lowered all the
seats to prevent the operator's head from hitting the top of the cab. There is now
two to three feet of clearance in every machine. If the purpose of not wearing the
hat is due to obstruction of vision, Mr. Magazine said there are many styles of
hats available that would have a smaller brim so as not to obstruct one's view.
Ms. Smith pointed out that she is unaware of any incidents reported while a
person was operating a vehicle inside the cab without a hardhat.
Mr. Magazine stated that wearing a hardhat is an ANSI requirement.
Chairperson Weise suggested that the item be tabled until the next meeting. This
would afford Ms. Smith an opportunity to get together with Warehouse personnel
to determine if there is a hardhat available that wouldn't obstruct the vision. If no
suitable hat is located, the Board, at its next meeting, could take a vote. Ms.
Smith will follow through with Chairperson Weise's suggestion.
b. Other Proposed Changes
None
H. City Garage Safety Issue - Police (Magazine)
Mr. Magazine said that he met with Chief Gage. BeCause there is a lack of
storage facilities for the officers to keep their gear in the City Hall Complex, the
officers have to take their equipment back and forth to work. This requires
transferring the equipment from the Officer's personal vehicle to the police
vehicle, which is done in the garage. Chief Gage will be disseminating
information to the Officers not to spend time in the garage talking while
transferring their equipment in order to move traffic along. There is not much else
that can be done to alleviate the situation until the City can provide locker space.
Chief Gage will try to have the officers get in and out of the garage as quickly as
possible without blocking access to the garage.
Mr. Magazine also pointed out that there is no parking allowed on the ramp in the
garage.
I. Other
Mr. Magazine distributed a form entitled "Safety Footwear Checklist", which sets
forth the requirements for reimbursement by the Finance Department for the
purchase of safety footwear. The-form has been distributed to the applicable
departments and must be completed and submitted to the Finance Department in
order to be reimbursed.
4
Meeting Minutes
Safety Committee Meeting
Boynton Beach, FL
January 14, 2002
VI. New Business
A. Departmental Safety Issues
None
B. Other
Chairperson Weise said she would like the Safety Committee to have a focus this
year, which will be Safety SOPs (Standard Operational Procedures). There are
missing SOPs for safety issues within the City. Chairperson Weise suggested
that the Safety Coordinators review their department's operating procedures and
determine if the department has safety procedures. If a department does have
safety procedures, please review them to make sure they are up-to-date. If
anyone feels that their department needs SOPs that would be beneficial to their
department, please bring them back to the Safety Committee.
All operating procedures for all the departments will be reviewed. Adoption of
updated SOPs for Facilities, Public Works and Utilities will probably be quite
involved and may be done departmentally. The Safety Committee can review
other departments that do not have extensive issues. This will be on the agenda
for the next meeting. The new Safety Manuals should be distributed very shortly.
With regard to evacuation for non-fire emergencies within City Hall, Randy
Northrop is working on a ring-down system, where the main answering points in
each department would be notified. It is mandatory that all MAPs be manned
and should not be answered by an answering machine. A test will be performed
to determine which MAPs don't answer their phones.
Ms. Mack reported that some employees have lost their I.D. badges and this is a
security issue. Any employee that has lost his/her I.D. badge must contact Janet
Wooten in the Police Department. There is a $5.00 fee for replacement of the
badge. Also when a badge is lost or stolen it must be reported to the Police
Department immediately. Ms. Mack stated that employees are not reporting
when they lose their badges. Mr. Magazine stated that if any employee is not
wearing their photo I.D. badge, they should be stopped and escorted out of the
building.
If someone has lost their Proximity Badge, and keeps utilizing a visitor's pass,
Mr. Magazine requested that he be advised immediately. Chairperson Weise will
speak with Mr. Penn to request that the receptionist keep a list of employees that
ask for a Proximity Badge. Employee must report that they have lost their
Proximity Badges immediately so that they could be deactivated to prevent
unauthorized entry into City Hall.
5
Meeting Minutes
Safety Committee Meeting
Boynton Beach, FL
January 14, 2002
Vii. Announcements
The schedule of classes for the Palm Beach County Safety Council for January
and February was distributed. Mr. Magazine reported that he is trying to bring a
program to the City for DOT training on the roadways. As soon as this is
finalized, he will report back to the Committee.
VIII. Next Meeting Date: Monday, February 11, 2002
VIII. Adjournment
There being no further business, the meeting properly adjourned at 10:45 a.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Barbara M. Madden
Recording Secretary
(one tape)
(Janua~ 16,2002)
6