Safety News

DO YOU HAVE WORK STOP AUTHORITY?

The OSHA general duty clause, Section 5(a)(1) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act, requires that each employer furnishes to each of its employees a workplace that is free from recognized hazards that are causing or likely to cause death or serious physical harm.

Keep your workplace safe by creating a Stop Work Authority (SWA) program.

What is Stop Work Authority (SWA)?

Stop Work Authority empowers workers to halt work when a perceived unsafe condition, behavior, or hazard arises. Basically, if something on the job site becomes too unsafe or hazardous, workers have an obligation to stop work while the hazard is corrected.

Are you working SAFER?

If a hazard presents itself, use the SAFER technique

Stop work

Asses the situation

File a report

Eradicate Hazard

Resume

1. Stop work – When a worker perceives an unsafe condition, hazard, or behavior on the job site, they have an obligation to stop work or intervene on behalf of another person at risk. If the danger is immediate, stop work immediately and begin the SAFER sequence. If the danger is not imminent, report the hazard to a supervisor and clarify that it is a SWA request. 2. Asses the situation – stop work activities and make the area as safe as possible by recognizing the hazards, removing workers from the site, reporting the incident to a supervisor, and stabilizing the situation.

3. File a report – Your company should have an official SWA authorization form. This helps record what actions were taken to mitigate the hazard to prevent future injuries. If the request is valid, a SWA authorization form will need to be filled out before resuming work.

4. Eradicate the hazard – the unsafe conditions, hazards, or behaviors will be corrected according to the plans outlined in the SWA authorization form. The work areas that are affected will need to be inspected by a qualified professional to ensure that all hazards have been successfully resolved.

5. Resume – once the hazards have been recorded, removed, corrected, and inspected, workers will be educated on what actions were taken, and work should be resumed.

For supervisors:

Managers and supervisors will need to follow up on the report, using the information in the SWA form to prevent future hazards and ensure that the same hazard does not happen again. Furthermore, management should outline all findings during the inspection to the rest of the management team so policies may be improved upon if necessary.

The SAFER technique keeps your workers safe while improving your organization’s efficiency at the same time. Proper recording and the reflecting of these incidents will help improve workflow for future events. It also keeps your company in line with OSHA standards.

The material above was provided by Onsitesafety.com S

TIPS FOR YOUR 2022 CAREER GOALS

Spencer Grady-Pawl

You don’t need a ladder to reach your goals—you just need persistence and a plan.

On the NextGen online training, “Setting Your 2022 Career Goals,” Ryan Connell, Director of Commercial Pricing at the Defense Department’s Defense Contract Management Agency and TEDx speaker, shared advice on how to set goals, stick to them, update them and take your career where you want it to be.

Check some of his advice below, or watch the training on demand for the full experience.

• Set your goals.

• Success looks different for everybody. Decide what it looks like for you, and pursue that.

Being honest with yourself about what you want to achieve is key.

• Find an area you excel and become the go-to person.

• By creating a brand or identity for yourself, you establish value both within your organization and to others who might be seeking someone with a skill set like yours.

• “It’s time for a new job when you stop learning at the

job you have.”

• It can be hard to move on, but sometimes it is the right thing to do. If you find yourself stagnating in your current position, it may be time to find another opportunity where you can gain new skills and knowledge.

• Build a network.

• Forming meaningful professional relationships with coworkers and peers is the key to advancing in your career. People in your network can alert you to jobs, recommend you for open positions, and offer advice and perspective on your goals.

• Don’t be afraid to modify your goals.

• “Every new challenge or position I’ve found myself in has led to a modification of what my career goals were,” said Connell. Adjusting your goals doesn’t mean giving up on old ones; it means revising your aims to better reflect your current situation. Moving to a supervisory role, for example, can shift your goals from a focus on yourself to multiplying your impact through effective leadership.

• Get help from leadership.

• If you have skills or resume gaps, communicating that to your supervisor or organizational leadership gives them the chance to present you with opportunities to work on those skills or take on new challenges that will expand your resume.

• Be self-aware.

• Know your strengths and weaknesses. Know what works for you, what motivates you, and what differentiates you. Your path to success and achieving your goals will be unique, just like you.

Texas Water Utilities Association 44th Annual Panhandle Regional School April 5 - 7, 2022 Held at the Amarillo Civic Center, 401 S. Buchanan Amarillo, Texas

WATER COURSES WASTEWATER COURSES WATER/WASTEWATER/OTHER COURSES

Basic Water Basic Wastewater Management Surface Water Production II Wastewater Treatment Utility Safety Ground Water Production Wastewater Collection Calculations

Water Distribution Activated Sludge Pump and Motor *Wastewater Lab Chlorine & Chlorine Systems

*Wastewater Lab will be held at the City of Amarillo’s Environmental Laboratory at 4001 S. Osage St.

TO REGISTER PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE PanhandleRegion.com Join TWUA and pay the member price and get all the benefits of being a TWUA Member, call 512-459-3124 Pre-Registration Fee - TWUA MEMBERSHIP WILL BE VERIFIED!

Course TWUA Member Non-Member

All Courses $280 $380

Late / On-Site Registration Fee After 4/28/22

Course TWUA Member Non-Member All Courses $330 $430

On-Site Registration at the door will begin on Tuesday at 7:15 am. Pre-Registered students can pick up their name badge and information packets from the registration booth. Registration fee includes training manuals, snacks, refreshments, and noon meals.

TESTING INFORMATION

Anyone wanting to take a TCEQ paper exam at the conclusion of the school will be required to fill out the on-line Occupational Licensing Electronic Application (OLEA) 30 days prior to attending classes. Visit TCEQ website for more information. All exams will be given on Thursday at 1:00 pm. *Photo ID Required for all exams*

All Exam Fees are $111, pay on-line at TCEQ website or by check payable to TCEQ!

HEADQUARTERS HOTEL

Embassy Suites by Hilton Amarillo Downtown

For Reservations call 806-803-5500

Make sure to mention that you will be attending the TWUA Regional School to receive the special discount rate.