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Minutes 04-12-99 MINUTES OF THE SAFETY COMMITTEE MEETING HELD IN THE FIRE/POLICE TRAINING ROOM, CITY HALL BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA MONDAY, APRIL 12, 1999 AT 10:00 A.M. PRESENT Wally Majors, Chairman Recreation Mark Bobich Utilities Administration & EWTP Bob Borden Fire Rescue Chris Gamble Golf Course A. D. Henehan, Jr. Library Barbara Madden City Clerk’s Office Chuck Magazine, Vice Chair Risk Management Hugh McCaffrey Communications Eugene Ruffolo Utilities WWTP Sharon Tierney ITS ABSENT David Egnor Police Bob Lee Public Works Dorothy Mack Human Resources Dan Nobile Finance/Warehouse Mike Rumpf Planning & Development Norman Turner Parks I. SAFETY COMMITTEE EDUCATION AND TRAINING PROGRAM Safety Awards Presentation (moved to Old Business) II. CALL TO ORDER Chairman Majors called the meeting to order at 10:05 a.m. III. ROLL CALL The Recording Secretary called the roll. A quorum was declared present. IV. ACCEPTANCE OF MINUTES Chairman Majors asked if the members had an opportunity to review the minutes of the March 8, 1999 meeting. MEETING MINUTES SAFETY COMMITTEE MEETING BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA APRIL 12, 1999 Motion Vice Chair Magazine moved that the Minutes of the March 8, 1999 meeting be approved. Motion seconded by Mr. Bobich. Motion unanimously carried. V. OLD BUSINESS A. Safety Awards Presentation Vice Chair Magazine presented to the members for viewing the plaques that the City received from the Safety Council. Vice Chair Magazine stated three municipalities received awards and Boynton Beach was the only municipality to receive two awards and Motorola was the only other entity to receive the same two awards. Vice Chair Magazine noted that the City received awards for excellence for vehicle safety and worker safety. Vice Chair Magazine stated that the City has reduced its preventable accidents between the years 1997 to 1998 by 40% and OSHA reportable accidents from the same time period were reduced by 60%. Vice Chair Magazine said that the plaques would be placed in the trophy case in the front lobby of City Hall. Vice Chair Magazine said he would like to purchase a trophy case solely for safety awards to be placed in the City Hall lobby. Vice Chair Magazine said that everyone in the City should be congratulated for contributing to make these awards possible. Chairman Majors expressed the Board’s gratitude to Vice Chair Magazine and his staff for spearheading this effort. Chairman Majors said the City should be proud of these accomplishments. Vice Chair Magazine informed members that the Mayor and Commissioners were present at the award ceremonies and that the Mayor accepted the awards on behalf of the City. B. Fire Drills Assistant Fire Marshal Borden had no report. C. Safety Newsletter Vice Chair Magazine said that the newsletter is receiving a lot of recognition around the country. Vice Chair Magazine stated he continually looks for articles and noted there is a regular contribution from the Fire Department and that the “heart-safe” recipes are very popular. Vice Chair Magazine informed members that the City Newsletter is also available on the Internet and the unofficial rock 'n roll calendar is also on the City’s web site. 2 MEETING MINUTES SAFETY COMMITTEE MEETING BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA APRIL 12, 1999 D. “Proud to be a Safe Worker” Awards There were none this month, but Assistant Fire Marshal Borden said he would have one for next month and would follow through with Vice Chair Magazine. E. Departmental Inspections & Safety Meetings Vice Chair Magazine said he was not pleased with the scheduling of departmental safety meetings and inspections and that many, many departments have held none to date this year. Vice Chair Magazine distributed the matrix for the Departmental Meetings and Inspections for the Board’s review. Vice Chair Magazine noted that since the City has adopted the Architecture for Excellence and the formation of various teams, that safety meetings should be conducted in conjunction with those meetings on a regular basis. Vice Chair Magazine stressed that every department must hold safety meetings and that documentation of the meetings must be sent to Risk Management. Vice Chair Magazine said that the regularity of the safety meetings for the first quarter this year are worse than last year and noted departments that are in an administrative office environment only have to have meetings and inspections on a quarterly basis. Vice Chair Magazine said that over the last year there has been a major impact on safety in the City and these efforts should continue. It was suggested that the City could institute some type of prize or award for departments that hold regular meetings and inspections and Vice Chair Magazine said he is looking into this. Also, Vice Chair Magazine said he would like to attend departmental safety meetings for the purpose of distributing some type of prize. Mr. Bobich suggested that each department could include this in their budgets next year. F. Safe Driver Program 1. Defensive Driver Course Vice Chair Magazine stated that two classes have been scheduled for April and had handouts available if any member needed them. Vice Chair Magazine said he would no longer schedule six to eight classes per month, but would keep it limited to two to three per month. 2. “A Safety First City” Stickers No report. 3 MEETING MINUTES SAFETY COMMITTEE MEETING BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA APRIL 12, 1999 G. Hazardous Communication Project Team Ms. Tierney stated that Mr. Hughes and Vice Chair Magazine discussed limiting access to this information to the Intranet (City only), as opposed to the Internet. Mr. Bobich stated he was under the impression that the information was going to be limited to the City employees only. Vice Chair Magazine said there had been discussion about putting this information on the Internet. Assistant Fire Marshal Borden noted that employees have the right to know and this information should be available to the employees. H. Safety Award Distribution Vice Chair Magazine inquired if all departments have received their safety awards. I. Safety Belt Use Project Team Vice Chair Magazine stated that the stickers and buttons were distributed to the Utilities Department, Public Works and the Parks Department. Mr. Bobich said he has run out of the stickers and has requested more from Risk Management. Vice Chair Magazine stated that the EXCEL Team is reviewing the standard operating guidelines on seatbelt usage and the following is being considered: ? First Offense - Written Reprimand ? Second Offense - Suspension ? Third Offense - Termination Vice Chair Magazine said he should know this afternoon if the City would adopt this policy. Discussion continued on how these guidelines could be enforced. Vice Chair Magazine stated that these guidelines were printed in the newsletter in March. Assistant Fire Marshal Borden noted that not all employees read the newsletter and the newsletter is not an acceptable means of notification to employees. It was noted that the guidelines are contained in the APM and that employees are responsible for knowing the contents of the APM and are not responsible for knowing the contents of the newsletter. Chairman Majors noted that it is the responsibility of this Board to encourage the wearing of seatbelts by all employees. 4 MEETING MINUTES SAFETY COMMITTEE MEETING BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA APRIL 12, 1999 VI. NEW BUSINESS A. Incident Review Board Referral 1. Oceanfront Park Boardwalk Slip & Fall Risks Chairman Majors stated that Mr. George Evans, the City’s Beach Supervisor, was present at today’s meeting to give an update on the condition of the boardwalk at the beach. Mr. Evans informed members that the boardwalk at the beach is made from recycled plastic and presented a sample slab to the Board, which in itself is an environmental achievement. Mr. Evans stated the major problem with the boardwalk is the slippage and certain areas of the boardwalk are painted with non-slip paint, but it does not last. However, the places that are not painted are where people are slipping and falling. Chairman Majors inquired if sand was painted in and Mr. Evans said it was not. Mr. Evans said a primer is placed down and a special paint is applied on top of the primer. Mr. Evans said that Bill DeBeck attended a trade show in Ft. Lauderdale and there was a company present that had paint available that was warranted for five years. Mr. DeBeck said the company would be applying the paint to a section of the boardwalk as a test. Mr. Evans also stated that as the paint wears down the surface becomes slippery. Also whenever sand or water accumulates on the boardwalk it becomes slippery and people fall. Also, most people do not wear proper shoes for plastic surface. However, there is no way you can control what people wear for shoes at the beach. Mr. Evans stated that approximately 300,000 people use the beach yearly, which is a tremendous amount of foot traffic in the same area. Mr. Evans stated if the new paint can solve the problem of slippage, the entire boardwalk should be painted and was told that this paint would adhere to any type surface. Mr. Evans told members that the last person who fell on the boardwalk has now instituted a claim against the City, which Vice Chair Magazine confirmed. Mr. Evans explained that the sand on the beach is not beach sand, but is silt, which is real fine. Vice Chair Magazine inquired if the boardwalk is swept at the end of the day and Mr. Evans said this was not feasible and there was not enough staff to perform this function daily due to the large volume of people and the wind blowing sand onto the boardwalk. Also, wetting down the boardwalk in the evening would serve no purpose. 5 MEETING MINUTES SAFETY COMMITTEE MEETING BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA APRIL 12, 1999 Vice Chair Magazine inquired when the painting of the boardwalk would take place and Mr. Evans said he would follow through with Mr. DeBeck. Mr. Evans said the beach is now utilized much later in the day because of daylight savings time and people come to the beach after school hours. Also, many people frequent the beach when there are no lifeguards on duty. Mr. Evans informed members that this new paint is supposed to adhere to any type surface. Mr. Evans reminded members that the old boardwalk was made of wood and there was a tremendous amount of splinters and many lawsuits resulted from splinters. Mr. Henehan inquired if there were any other alternatives besides the painting and Mr. Evans responded there was none. Mr. Bobich inquired if signs were posted. Mr. Evans stated if signs were posted the City is acknowledging that a problem exists and inviting law suits. Mr. Evans stated that Boynton Beach has the greatest volume of visitors in the area and it is important that the entire boardwalk be painted and maintained on a regular basis. Vice Chair Magazine requested that Mr. Evans follow through with Mr. DeBeck as soon as possible and report back to the safety committee when the painting will take place, hopefully as soon as possible before school lets out. Vice Chair Magazine inquired if the new paint has been used at other boardwalks and/or beaches, but Mr. Evans did not know. Vice Chair Magazine requested Mr. Evans asked Mr. DeBeck if the company has any experience at other beaches and boardwalks in order to determine the results. Vice Chair Magazine said it would be beneficial to determine that the product works and has been used at other boardwalks. If the product is already successful, there would be no need to test it and it could be applied to the entire boardwalk. Vice Chair Magazine inquired if the park would have to be closed down during the painting and Mr. Evans said it could be done in sections and there was no need to close the park. However, Mr. Evans did not think there would be a problem if the beach had to be closed for one day since this is the slow season. Chairman Majors thanked Mr. Evans for his report. The question was asked why there are no containers on the beach for tar removal that are present on other beaches. Mr. Evans said there used to be tar removal containers but traffic at the beach increased to such a degree that it was no longer feasible to have the containers. Mr. McCaffrey stated that the tar removal containers at the Ft. Lauderdale Beach contain mineral spirits. Mr. Evans said that baby oil is also effective in removing tar. 6 MEETING MINUTES SAFETY COMMITTEE MEETING BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA APRIL 12, 1999 B. Code Compliance PPE Requirements Vice Chair Magazine stated that the Code Compliance Department requested that the Safety Committee review their PPE requirements. Mr. Blasie stated that the Code Compliance Department, after reviewing the requirements in APM 12.01.17, advised Risk Management that these requirements to do not apply to their Department. Vice Chair Magazine read into the record a memorandum from Mr. Scott Blasie setting forth this request and how they arrived at this determination (a copy of which is attached to the original minutes). Vice Chair Magazine said that a motion from the Board would be necessary to amend the attachment to APM 12.01.17 to delete these requirements for the Code Compliance Department. Assistant Fire Marshal Borden thought more discussion would be necessary regarding this request. Vice Chair Magazine stated that it is up to each individual department to make their recommendation to this committee regarding that particular department’s requirements. The question was asked if Code Compliance ever had any preventable injuries and Vice Chair Magazine stated there were none. After discussion, it was determined that Mr. Blasie was the best judge of what the Department’s requirements should be. Vice Chair Magazine stated this request arose as a result of Code Compliance ordering uniforms and a certain type of shoe and this is when it was discovered that safety shoes would be required in accordance with the APM. Mr. Blasie stated that safety shoes were not necessary in the performance of their jobs. Motion Assistant Fire Marshal Borden moved to accept the request of the Code Compliance Department that the requirements in APM 12.01.17 be deleted for Code Compliance Officers and that their department be exempt from these requirements. Motion seconded by Mr. Ruffolo. Mr. Bobich thought that other departments have made changes to the PPE requirements. Assistant Fire Marshal Borden stated that Mr. Blasie is aware of his department’s requirements and this Board could rely upon his determination for proper equipment for his employees. Concerns were also expressed that this might set a precedent for other departments. Vice Chair Magazine noted this is a recommendation to the Safety Committee and each request would be considered on an individual basis. Motion carried 9-1 (Mr. McCaffrey dissenting). 7 MEETING MINUTES SAFETY COMMITTEE MEETING BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA APRIL 12, 1999 VII. ANNOUNCEMENTS ? Vice Chair Magazine announced a training by the National Safety Council for th “Coaching the Lift Truck Operator—Train the Trainer” to be held on April 15 th ? Vice Chair Magazine announced Loss Control Applications to be held on April 29. Vice Chair Magazine had the flyers available for anyone that might be interested in attending. VIII. NEXT MEETING DATE: Monday, May 10, 1999, 10:00 a.m. IX. ADJOURNMENT Motion Mr. Bobich moved that the meeting adjourn. The meeting properly adjourned at 11:05 a.m. Respectfully submitted, _____________________________ Barbara M. Madden Recording Secretary (one tape) 8