The First Facility Management Blog

Ordinary Coffee Spilled On The Stairs Turned Them Into A Deathtrap! Those Stairs Were … DEADLY WHEN WET. Starring Slick DeMise. Rated P for PERILOUS. Is this an advertisement for the latest direct-to-video horror movie? No, it is text from the front of a Safety Stuffer (at far right) released by the Mechanical Contractors Association (MCA) of Chicago and United Association Local Union (LU) 597.

Safety Stuffers are small flyers being dispersed with weekly paychecks to LU 597 workers employed by member contractors of MCA Chicago. The back of the safety flyer mentioned above reveals the rest of the message: “Please, clean up spills as soon as possible.”

Twenty-six different stuffers are being distributed, each conveying its safety message in the form of a scary movie ad, complete with eerie illustrations. The Safety Stuffers are sponsored by the LU 597/MCA Joint Safety Committee.

Another Safety Stuffer (above left) has this to say:
Front: A Frayed, Worn-Out Fall Protection Rope … Thank Goodness She Inspected It Before Using It! THE FATAL FLAW. She Caught It – Before It Could Kill! Starring Maria Diligent. Rated O for OBSERVANT.
Back: Please, inspect all equipment before you use it.

“The Safety Stuffers remind workers to observe important safety measures on the job,” said Stephen Lamb, executive vice president of MCA Chicago. Mechanical contractors install and service heating, ventilating, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVACR) systems, as well as fire sprinklers, plumbing, and process piping. “We have the safest workforce in the industry, and the Stuffers help to keep them that way.”

“The Safety Stuffers cover a wide variety of vitally important worksite issues,” said James Buchanan, business manager of LU 597. “There are Safety Stuffers for appropriate lifting techniques, proper ladder usage, personal protective equipment, lockout/tagout procedures, ergonomics, fire safety, and more. There are even Stuffers that address sexual harassment and workplace violence.”

Nehlsen Communications, a marketing and public relations agency in Moline, IL, helped MCA Chicago to develop the Safety Stuffers. “Safety is a huge issue to all of our construction clients,” said Nancy Nehlsen, president of the agency. “We have to find ways to get workers’ attention and make them be constantly aware of safety measures on the job. Today’s workforce is used to the Internet and high-energy video games, and they like their information quick and engaging. If you can’t excite their interest, you’ve lost them. So we made each Safety Stuffer eye-catching and entertaining, and kept the text short, for maximum impact.”

While the current Safety Stuffers employ scary movie themes, a previous round of the cautionary print pieces used playful innuendo to catch the attention of workers. Examples include:
Front: Pucker up those lips and…
Back: …learn CPR. It could save a life.

Front: It’s easier to return a wink when your eyes are in your head.
Back: Wear your safety glasses.

Increased Safety Awareness
“The Safety Stuffers are just one of many educational tools used by MCA Chicago and Local Union 597 to increase safety awareness,” Buchanan of LU 597 said. “For example, we also hold Toolbox Talks at worksites. At the start of each workday, workers gather so the foreman can share the day’s prepared safety advice. Because all the workers hear the talks, everybody is on the same page, safety-wise. The talks remind them to work together and watch out for each other.”

In addition to increasing safety awareness, Safety Stuffers and Toolbox Talks show that the employer regularly educates workers about safety. “If employers can prove they keep employees informed about safety, that can count in their favor in the event of a lawsuit,” Lamb noted.

The Mechanical Contractors Association teaches numerous safety courses in their own Construction Education Institute, a learning institute with course offerings for all levels in the mechanical construction industry.

American Society of Home Inspectors’ Top 10 Tips for Busy Homeowners

For facility managers that own homes, it can seem like the job never ends. Many of the issues that affect facilities must also be addressed at home, although often on a much smaller scale.

For a busy homeowner, remembering to clean out the gutters and downspouts may be at the end of the weekend to-do list, however, it’s the first line of defense against the holiday season’s harsh winter weather. To help put home care into perspective during the holidays, the American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI) created a top 10 list to give busy homeowners a snapshot of the items they can address today to ensure the safety of their home and family tomorrow.

“Homes are the centers of activity during the holidays,” said Frank Lesh, 2007 ASHI president. “You can’t take them for granted or take unnecessary risks – even if you want your house to be the brightest, most festive on the street. By following these simple tips you can help protect your home against the rigors of winter and the pitfalls of the season.”

Top 10 Holiday Survival Tips

According to the American Institute of Stress, 54% of Americans are concerned about the level of stress in their everyday lives. To help reduce holiday stress for busy homeowners, ASHI compiled the following tips for holiday home survival:

Water Sources

• Clean your gutters and downspouts – Gutters and downspouts play an important role in diverting water away from foundation walls. Clean them before the winter weather sets in to keep your basement dry and leak free.
• Drain exterior water lines – Prevent frozen pipes by removing, draining and storing outdoor hoses. Open the outside faucets to allow water to drain and leave them open so that any water remaining in the pipe can expand without causing the pipe to break.
• Treat your garbage disposal to a hot water bath – Cooking for large family gatherings or holiday parties can put extra stress on everyday appliances such as garbage disposals. Prevent plumbing problems and costly repairs by flushing the garbage disposal with one pot of hot water and a half cup of baking soda before and after the holidays.

Fire, Ventilation and Heat

• Inspect your home heating systems – Nearly half (44%) of all home heating fires occur in December. Remember to schedule a professional inspection of your home’s heating systems, including furnaces, boilers, fireplaces and water heaters before winter weather sets in. In addition, stock up on furnace filters and change them regularly. If your home is heated by a hot-water radiator, bleed the valves by opening them slightly. When water appears, close them.
• Recaulk and weather-strip your doors and windows – According to the Department of Energy, the cost to heat an average home is approximately $1,400 annually. Save money and energy by checking caulking for decay around doors, windows, corner boards and joints. Recaulk and add weather-stripping as needed.
• Trim back tree limbs – Carbon monoxide poisoning is most common during winter months, particularly because of increased use of fireplaces and furnaces. Protect your family by identifying overgrown tree limbs hanging over the chimney or flue, as blockages could affect the draft and create higher carbon monoxide levels within a home. Homeowners should also consider installing a battery-operated carbon monoxide detector. Batteries should be replaced in the spring and fall.
• Keep a fire extinguisher handy– Unattended cooking is the leading cause of home fires in the United States. Make sure to place your fire extinguishers away from potential fire sources. If you’re cooking in the kitchen, for instance, place the fire extinguisher away from the stove to ensure that you can reach the extinguisher in the event of an emergency.

Electrical

• Test your electrical circuit shut-off switch – Plug outdoor decorations into circuits protected by ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs). Ensure that the circuit shuts-off properly by using a nightlight or radio. Click the circuit button. If it clicks and the nightlight or radio stays on, the circuit has not shut off. Consider contacting an ASHI Certified Inspector to evaluate the problem.
• Practice ladder safety – Falls account for an average of 5.1 million injuries and nearly 6,000 deaths a year. Before you hang the Christmas lights, wrap pipe insulation around your ladder beams (the vertical members that the rungs are attached to). The insulation will help prevent the ladder from slipping and provide insulation against electrical shock.
• Use extension cords sparingly– Remember to avoid using extension cords when possible. If you use them, do not run them across hallways or doorways, under carpeting or furniture or through walls. Never staple them in place.

ASHI’s Maintenance Checklist

Homeowners interested in tips for caring for their home year-round can request ASHI’s general maintenance checklist – an overview of the areas of the home that should be evaluated throughout the year – by contacting a local ASHI Certified Inspector.

Most office workers don’t realize that much of the information they deal with on a daily basis can put them and their company at risk for identity theft if not properly destroyed. With this message in mind, Fellowes, Inc. has launched a series of light hearted videos which strive to educate consumers about the dangers of identity theft in the workplace, including the release of any kind of confidential information whether it’s company trade secrets or the social security numbers and addresses of employees, customers and vendors.

The first video uses humor to emphasize the need to shred all proprietary information before disposal. It chronicles an imaginary story of a company payroll sheet, which includes social security numbers that are mistakenly placed in a company restaurant menu drawer. A link to this video is provided below:

The second feature can be viewed here: