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Minutes 07-14-08 MINUTES OF THE SAFETY COMMITTEE REGULAR MEETING HELD ON MONDAY, JULY 14, 2008, AT 10:00 A.M. IN THE FIRE/POLICE TRAINING ROOM, BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA Present: Mark Bobich, Chair Chuck Magazine, Vice Chair Catherine Cherry-Guberman, Secretary Julie Alibrandi Ray Altman Chris Mitchell Angelena Michael Chris Mitchell Barbara Scott Samantha Sidlower Jody Rivers Scott Wahlin Risk Management Risk Management City Clerk Finance Fire Rescue Development Public Works Development Police ITS/GIS Recreation and Parks Golf Course Absent: Pam Welsh/Carisse Lejeune Maibet Rosado/Dorothy Mack Mike Taylor/Gary Ezell Mike Naughton/Karen Abramson City Manager Human Resources Utilities Library I. Call to Order The meeting was called to order at 10:01 a.m. II. Roll Call The Recording Secretary called the roll and determined a quorum was present. Bevis Pigott representing Utilities was introduced to the members. III. Acceptance of Minutes of 06/09/2008 regular meeting Motion Ms. Rivers moved to approve the minutes. Vice Chair Magazine requested a change to the minutes to reflect he was out of town due to the birth of his grandson, not grandchild. Ms. Michael seconded the motion to approve the minutes as amended. The motion unanimously passed. 1 Meeting Minutes Safety Committee Boynton Beach July 14, 2008 IV. Safety Committee Education and Training Program - Safety Video A short video entittled "Slips, Trips and Falls" was shown depicting how easy it is for them to occur. It was reported more truck drivers are hurt by slips, trips and falls than by motor vehicle accidents and more than twice as many slips and trips occur to office workers than non-office workers. Employee carelessness was the number one cause and poor housekeeping in the workplace was also cited as one of the major causes of injuries. A fall is caused by an unexpected change in traction between two surfaces. Each year more than two million employees are hurt or killed from slips and falls. They are the leading cause of injury or death. More police officers are injured by them than any other occupation. Employees were encouraged, during emergencies, to stay alert for traction stealing conditions and remember ART, (Awareness, Responsibility and Traction) can help protect employees and prevent injuries to others. The cost, on average, for an injury of this nature averaged over $9,400. Management cooperation was important, but the major component was the individual employees. Employees were encouraged to look for subtle, yet serious hazards and meet the OSHA housekeeping standards. Committee members were encouraged to pass this information along to their departments because slips, trips, and falls were serious and cost the City money. Additionally, the City had the added liability of trying to avert these injuries with the general public. The Code Enforcement parking lot was rocky and noted as a place where injuries could easily occur. It was pointed out a decision about paving it would not be made until October. In the meantime, employees were encouraged to walk on the sidewalk. V. Old Business A. Fire Drills A live fire drill was scheduled for Recreation and Parks on July 18th. Ms. Rivers reported there was an incident at Intracoastal Park where the fire alarm sounded, but the women playing Bridge did not want to leave. B. Proud to be a Safe Worker Awards None. C. Departmental Inspections & Safety Meetings 2 Meeting Minutes Safety Committee Boynton Beach July 14, 2008 These reports were located on the City's shared drive, and Chair Bobich advised he was conducting his own inspections and follow up. Vice Chair Magazine advised, if a member sees a safety issue that needed to be addressed to notify the department directly and then Risk Management if the item was not corrected. D. Defensive Driver Course 1. Solid Waste drivers, special class (not yet requested) This class as been set up; however, nobody has called. Ms. Michael will check with Mr. Quinn to determine the reason for the delay. 2. Frequency from every 3 years to every 2 years There was discussion about requiring the course to be taken every two years as opposed to three. Many employees had forgotten some of the information they learned and there were many instances with drivers hitting City vehicles. The Fire Department used a two year cycle for some of their driver requirements and they were considering alternating that class with the Defensive Driver class each year. The original intent of the course was to adhere to a State mandate. By doing so, discounts were offered to municipalities; however, there would be no further discounts and there were no statistics available to see if there was a correlation between the time the accident occurred from the time the employee took the course. Although most of the accidents involved the public hitting the City vehicles, the Police Department, in particular, had the highest rates. Taking the course could help improve insight, and perhaps avoid an accident. Members were asked to bring the issue to the departments and report back at the next meeting. E. Incident Review Board Referrals None. F. Near Miss Accident Reporting System - Fire (Altman) Chair Bobich reported he had been working out the details of this program with ITS trying to keep reports confidential. It was determined the program would have to be a standalone reporting system, separate from the City. There were also other policies regarding the Safety Manual being worked on that may relate to the issue. Accordingly, this item would remain on the agenda until the Safety Manual Revisions were moved forward. G. Fire Alarm System in City Hall Complex - Status 3 Meeting Minutes Safety Committee Boynton Beach July 14, 2008 Chair Bobich explained there was a problem with the East Wing Fire Alarm. They were investigating the cause of the alarms sounding, but its origin was still unknown. Facilities was working with ITS on the matter and those improvements were planned, but not installed. He reported the work done at Fire Station NO.1 was complete. There was brief discussion whether the City was looking to replace or repair the alarm equipment. Chair Bobich explained they were looking to do both, depending on where it was located. It was also noted if the City's current fire alarm system was in a private building, the City would shut them down. There was a meeting scheduled in September with Facilities and Fire regarding the matter. Ray Altman would also be notified of the meeting. H. Other None. VI. New Business A. Departmental Safety Issues Mr. Altman explained the Fire Department had purchased wood to construct a room inside a house. The wood was supposed to be fire resistant and would be used for a burn exercise: however, the wood they were to burn grew mold. He put on a hazmat suit and the home was decontaminated with a fungicide. He distributed photos showing how prolific the mold growth was. He advised mold spores were everywhere and were hazardous. B. Other Vice Chair Magazine the City was moving forward with the CDL physicals and would start first with Public Works, Utilities and then Recreation and Parks. The physical would take about 10 minutes and they would schedule blocks of time for them to be taken. It was up to the departments to schedule the physicals ahead of time. Twenty physicals could be done in one day and they anticipated having the testing completed by the first of the year. New employees would take their physicals when they were hired and the exam was valid for three years. Ms. Rivers commented they encouraged their employees to obtain the license to be in line for promotion. She inquired if those individuals would be tested and was advised only the CDL drivers and CDL license holders on the City's list would have the physicals. It was noted, part of the physical tested for drugs and alcohol. Vice Chair Magazine also explained any employee called upon during an emergency to drive needed to be put on the list. There is no exemption during a declared emergency. The federal regulations required drivers holding the CDL license to be tested. 4 Meeting Minutes Safety Committee Boynton Beach July 14, 2008 On another matter, there had been heat related incidents with employees. Vice Chair Magazine emphasized it is the responsibility of the supervisor to ensure the employees were hydrated. If an employee refused to follow the requirement, it was a disciplinary matter. Employees should not be incurring heat injuries. It is dangerous working in the heat. The City has everything they need in the warehouse and information was sent out describing the symptoms. Vice Chair Magazine requested the members distribute the information to their departments and employees. VII. Announcements Mr. Altman had a letter to Chief Bingham regarding an initiative sponsored by the National Fire Protection Association, the Fire Chiefs Association, the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation and the National Volunteer Fire Council. The letter congratulated Chief Bingham, Deputy Chief Carter and the Boynton Beach Fire Rescue for their commitment to Firefighter Safety by signing the National Fire Service Seat Belt Pledge. They achieved 100% participation in the seat belt pledge, which would reduce firefighter injuries and death should a crash occur. A certificate was included. This issue was taken very seriously and the organization wanted every fire department in the nation to take the pledge. Some firefighter fatalities had occurred because there were no seatbelts. The Fire Department would be recognized nationally. City employees were also required to wear seatbelts. Vice Chair Magazine announced the City had over 81 % compliance with the mandate; however statewide, if compliance was over 85%, the State could receive up to $30M more in federal funding for highway safety. After the last "Click it or Ticket" campaign, the percentage rose 1 % and it was hoped the percentage would continue to increase. VIII. Next Meeting Date: Monday, August 11, 2008,10:00 a.m. IX. Adjournment There was no further business to discuss. Motion Vice Chair Magazine moved to adjourn. Ms. Rivers seconded the motion that unanimously passed. The meeting adjourned at 10:55 a.m. Catherine Cherry Recording Secretary 071708 071808 5