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Minutes 11-10-03 MINUTES OF THE SAFETY COMMITTEE MEETING HELD IN THE FIRE/POLICE TRAINING ROOM, CITY HALL, BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA, ON MONDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2003 AT 10:00 A.M. Present Tom Balfe, Chairman John Bebensee, Vice Chair Barbara Madden, Secretary Bill Coup Dominic DeMauro Eric Falstad Carisse LeJeune Brenda LeVant Dorothy Mack Chuck Magazine Mike Rumpf Tim Valentine Parks Recreation City Clerk Library Warehouse Golf Course City Manager Communications Human Resources Risk Development Fire Department Absent Mark Bobich Glenda Hall Glendon Morgan Barbara Scott Utilities Public Works ITS Police/Code Compliance I. Call to Order Chairman Balfe called the meeting to order at 10:05 a.m. II. Roll Call The Secretary called the roll and declared that a quorum was present. III. Acceptance of Minutes of October 13, 2003 Regular Meeting Motion Mr. Magazine moved to approve the minutes. Motion seconded by Ms. Mack and unanimously carried. IV. Safety Committee Education and Training Program Chairman Balfe announced that Mr. DeMauro had a new safety vest for members to consider as a replacement for the current vests used by City Meeting Minutes Safety Committee Meeting Boynton Beach, FL November 10, 2003 employees. Mr. DeMauro said that the Company that makes the vest asked him to present it to the Safety Committee for consideration. Mr. DeMauro demonstrated the salient points of the vest that is battery operated and compared it to the current vest. Considering the price of $29.00, versus $5.60 for the current vest, members agreed that the City should remain with the current vest. Motion Mr. Magazine moved that the City continue purchasing the vests that it currently purchases. Motion seconded by Mr. Coup and unanimously carried. V. Old Business A. Fire Drills None to report Ms. Madden reported that the fire alarms went off in the main lobby of City Hall around 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, November 4th when the election results were being returned by the poll workers. Mr. Magazine stated that this is the third time that this particular alarm has gone off, and he will check into it further. Mr. Magazine stated that someone is supposed to be coming in to check the entire alarm system in the City Hall Complex. Mr. Coup announced that the fire alarm at the Library recently went off in the morning as well. B. "Proud to be a Safe Worker" Awards - None C. Departmental Inspections & Safety Meetings Mr. Magazine said they should be ready sometime next week. D. Defensive Driver Course Mr. Magazine announced that ITS has finalized their review of the program that he has been considering and has approved it. He was not certain when it would be on line, but anticipates that it should be up and running in January 2004. This is a system that has been in use throughout the country for many years and is called the Smith System. The program is an audio/visual program and earphones have already been purchased. E. Incident Review Board Referrals Chairman Balfe reported that there were three referrals. 2 Meeting Minutes Safety Committee Meeting Boynton Beach, FL November 10, 2003 (1) The first one involves knocking over a wall of a dumpster enclosure with a roll off container on Buttonwood Lane, which is in the Sandlewood Development. Chairman Balfe noted that the walls were flimsy, they had no reinforcements and have been there since the development was first built. Mr. Magazine suggested that someone from the Code Compliance Division or Sanitation should go over and check on this to determine whether the walls are secure. The driver of the truck recalled that the wall was leaning, and he picked up the roll-off, emptied it, and put it back down. A woman informed him that when he picked up the container he knocked the wall down. There were no marks or scratches on the container. The driver of the truck stated that the walls were very flimsy. Mr. Rumpf noted that the Code states that the walls must be brick and mortar. Division Chief Valentine pointed out that the roll offs are heavy and could vibrate the ground once they are emptied and placed back on the ground. Members felt that the enclosure should have some kind of tie beam or reinforcement to keep it secure to the ground. Chairman Balfe inquired if this was a matter for Code Compliance to look into. Mr. Rumpf stated that if Code inspected the dumpster, they could (1) determine whether it was constructed properly in the first place, (2) if the poor condition of the walls were due to aging, and (3) whether or not it was permitted. Mr. Quinn had previously gone out to Sandlewood because of a similar problem, and he noted how flimsy the walls were and that the walls rocked when you pushed on them. Chairman Balfe said that he would get together with Larry Quinn to determine a course of action. (2) The next incident deals with a Facilities' employee who had to step onto the back of a vehicle by stepping onto the bumper since the vehicle is 30" off the ground. They are recommending that another step be added to the truck that could be a folding step. When that employee stepped off the ground onto the back of the truck, he felt a pull in his lower right abdomen area. He reported the incident; however, nothing has happened since that time. Mr. Magazine recommended sending this to Fleet Administration to address this. Mr. Magazine pointed out that it might not be possible to place a step on this vehicle. He said another option would be to carry a step stool to use in order to get onto the truck. Chairman Balfe said that he would speak with Bob Lee and report back to the Committee. (3) Chairman Balfe reported that a firefighter, while cleaning behind the seat of vehicle #803, was poked in the back of his left hand with a needle. Someone had left the needle behind the seat of this vehicle. Division Chief 3 Meeting Minutes Safety Committee Meeting Boynton Beach, FL November 10, 2003 Valentine reported that vehicle #803 is an engine. As a result of this incident, Division Chief Valentine stated that they have purchased automated retractable syringes. The way these new retractable needles work is when the needle is pulled out of the catheter that is left inside the patient, the needle retracts to prevent anyone from being stuck. They are no longer using the old type needle in almost all cases. However, this new needle is not available when a very small needle is needed. Division Chief Valentine said as a result of this incident, there is now mandated training, because this is a very serious situation. Leaving a needle in an apparatus is criminal and if it is ever determined who did it, that person would be terminated. This is unacceptable and unprofessional. The person that was exposed must now go through six months of testing to determine if he was exposed to anything and is now under a great deal of stress. Ms. LeJeune inquired why the person that was stuck was not wearing gloves at the time and Division Chief Valentine said that the gloves would not have prevented him from being stuck. Mr. Magazine stated that he met with Chief Bingham on this and the Fire Department is very concerned. Mr. Magazine did not think that there was any further action that the Safety Committee needed to take since the Fire Department is rectifying this with new type needles and introducing additional safeguards. Mr. Magazine requested that Division Chief Valentine report back to the Committee in two or three months to inform the Committee on how the new needles are working out. Division Chief Valentine also stated that the person who was stuck with the needle is taking the necessary medicine. Mr. Magazine noted that someone had thrown the needle away. If the needle had been saved, it could have been sent to a laboratory for testing, which could have relieved the injured employee from a great deal of anguish. Chief Bingham was going to speak with his staff to ensure that this never happens again. F. Shoe Policy for Office Staff Ms. LeJeune noted that the City has a policy that states "no sandals." She would like to leave it up to individual Department Directors to determine the shoes that their employees wear are appropriate. It would be up to the Department Director to determine if an employee should be sent home to change. The Department Director would be held directly responsible for not enforcing the shoe policy if the employee is injured. 4 Meeting Minutes Safety Committee Meeting Boynton Beach, FL November 10, 2003 Mr. Magazine noted that the Safety Committee is responsible for Personal Protective Equipment and a dress code is not the responsibility of this Committee. Motion Ms. LeJeune moved that it be up to individual Department Directors to determine whether the shoes that their employees wear are appropriate or a sandal. It would then be up to the Department Director to determine if an employee should be sent home to change. It would also be the responsibility of the Department Director that if that employee gets injured as a result of wearing an improper shoe, the Department Director would be held directly responsible for not enforcing the dress code in their department. Motion seconded by Mr. Magazine and unanimously carried. VI. New Business A. Departmental Safety Issues Ms. LeJeune reported on an incident last Thursday when it was raining very hard. When an employee entered City Hall that employee shook a wet item on the floor causing water to remain on the floor and the next employee who entered City Hall, slipped and fell. The person that fell hurt her knee, hip and pulled a muscle in her back and was transported to Pinecrest. Ms. LeJeune reported that Assistant City Manager Hawkins felt that the floors to the main entrance were a safety hazard, not only when it was raining, but also when the floors are waxed. He thought that it was the Safety Committee's responsibility to come up with some recommendations to make the slippery hallways safer. Mr. Hawkins recalled that there used to be runners laid out in the past and questioned why runners were not being used on rainy days. Also, Ms. LeJeune stated that there is a leak from the ceiling that spills onto the stairs in the lobby leading to the second floor. Facilities indicated that they cannot fix the leak. To avoid injury, cones were placed on the steps warning people that the steps were wet. Mr. DeMauro noted that this has been an ongoing problem. Mr. DeMauro recommended that Facilities be given a directive to hire a roofing company to fix the leaking roof. Mr. Magazine stated that it was not the roof that leaked; it was the windows. Mr. DeMauro inquired if mats were utilized, who would put them down every time it rained. Ms. LeJeune felt it was Facilities responsibility to do this. Chairman Balfe suggested placing permanent runners down. Mr. Magazine felt that a different type of flooring was needed. Mr. Magazine will speak with Facilities and make it known that this is coming as a 5 Meeting Minutes Safety Committee Meeting Boynton Beach, FL November 10, 2003 recommendation from the Safety Committee. He will speak to Facilities about the roof, the flooring and the steps. Mr. Magazine announced that he placed a rack of plastic umbrella bags in the front lobby that he obtained from Bethesda Hospital. He has ordered more racks for the second floor. Ms. LeJeune inquired if it should be mandatory that an employee who enters City Hall must utilize the plastic umbrella bags. Mr. DeMauro pointed out that people would still be entering with wet clothes that would drip onto the floor. Mr. Magazine did not think that mandating this would work. Mr. Magazine reported that he has received all the responses from DMV for the MVR check and is in the process of assembling the information. Department heads that have employees with suspended, revoked or expired licenses have already been notified. In most instances it involved employees who forgot to renew their licenses or could not meet their financial responsibilities for insurance. There were 22 employees in the latter category that cannot drive City vehicles until they provide the proper documentation. Mr. Magazine will also be notifying Department heads by the end of the week of employees who have received moving violations so that they can be apprised of the driving records of their employees B. Other, City Personnel Riding on the Back of City Vehicles Chairman Balfe read the applicable policy from the Safety Manual as it pertains to City employees riding on the back of City vehicles: "Passengers shall not be allowed to ride in the bed of pick-up trucks except as allowed under Florida State Statutes and only if the following conditions are met: (1) no loose tools or equipment are in the bed area; (2) all passengers must sit in the bed of the truck with their backs against the cab; (3) legs and arms will remain inside the bed at all times; (4) travel will not occur on an Interstate, major highway, or for lengthy trips; and (5) only when it is reasonably safe to do so." Mr. Magazine noted that City Manager Bressner spotted some people riding in the bed of a City truck and he did not think this was proper procedure. Mr. Magazine informed Mr. Bressner that the City follows the State Statute that permits this; however, Mr. Bressner recommended that the City adopt a stricter policy, which is allowed. Mr. DeMauro inquired why this practice was allowed, and Mr. Magazine noted that the City has purchased pick-ups that are large enough to carry a crew in the cab. Mr. Magazine stated that this same situation came up a few years ago and several departments requested that this practice be allowed because they could 6 Meeting Minutes Safety Committee Meeting Boynton Beach, FL November 10, 2003 not transport an entire crew to a site without employing additional vehicles. Mr. Magazine pointed out that the reason the State Statute allows this is to accommodate the migrant workers. City Manager Bressner has asked that the Safety Committee revisit the practice and come up with a recommendation. Members felt that employees should not be allowed to ride in the back of pick-up trucks. Chairman Balfe recommended that the Safety Manual be amended to prohibit any person from riding in the back of a pick-up truck. Motion Mr. Magazine moved to direct the Vice Chairman, who is responsible for updating and revising the Safety Manual, to change that portion of the Safety Manual to state that it is forbidden to carry passengers in the bed of any kind of a pick-up truck. Motion seconded by Ms. LeJeune and unanimously carried. Mr. Magazine will send an email to all departments notifying them of this change. Vice Chairman Bebensee stated that he is still waiting to hear from Mr. Jordan of Human Resources so that he can finalize the Safety Manual. Mr. Magazine will contact Mr. Jordan to check on the status of the Safety Manual. VII. Announcements Mr. Magazine announced that the Safety Council of Palm Beach County would be holding their Annual Holiday Luncheon on Thursday, December 4, 2003 at 12 noon at the Crazy Buffet on Palm Beach Lakes Boulevard in West Palm Beach. The City is a member and, therefore, the fee will only be $20 per person. Members felt that it would be a good idea to schedule the December meeting at the same time so that they could attend the Holiday Luncheon. Mr. Magazine stated that if anyone wished to attend, they would have to pay for the meal themselves or request to be reimbursed by their Department since this is a safety meeting. There will be a speaker and the topic will be "Producing Safety Outcomes with Limited Resources." Motion Mr. DeMauro moved that the regular scheduled meeting for December be moved to December 4, 2003 at 11:30 a.m. at the Crazy Buffet. Motion seconded by Ms. LeJeune and unanimously carried. Mr. DeMauro pointed out that there are policies and procedures in place to cover the expense of a meeting-luncheon and to submit the flyer to your supervisor for 7 Meeting Minutes Safety Committee Meeting Boynton Beach, FL November 10, 2003 payment. Only one representative from each Department would be permitted to attend. Chairman Balfe will poll all the members to determine how many people will be attending and notify Mr. Magazine, who in turn will make the appropriate reservations. Chairman Balfe will arrange for a van to transport members from City Hall. Persons attending were advised to meet at the front lobby of City Hall at 11:00 a.m. that day. VIII. Next Meeting Date: Monday, December 4, 2003 at 11:30 a.m. at Crazy Buffet, 2030 Palm Beach Lakes Boulevard, West Palm Beach - Lunch cost $20.00 IX. Adjournment There being no further business, the meeting properly adjourned at 11:05 a.m. Respectfully submitted, Barbara M. Madden Recording Secretary (November 12, 2003) 8