USF SafetyFlorida News

USF SafetyFlorida is open for business amid COVID-19

The Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has significantly impacted the way we conduct consultation visits. While we are cautiously transitioning back into offering full-service visits, virtual visits have become the best option to protect our consultants and employers. Employers are looking for ways to keep their business afloat while maintaining their employees’ safety and their customers. Virtual visits, while unorthodox and with a few challenges present many benefits.

In early April 2020, the USF SafetyFlorida Consultation Program marketed and launched its Virtual Visit Program (VVP). This program has allowed us to continue to provide small employers the support and resources needed to protect their employees. We’ve adopted Microsoft Teams to conduct virtual visits, which has proven instrumental in reaching our client base due to its flexibility and ease of use.

Convenience: Consultations can be conducted virtually anywhere with our state-of-the-art video conferencing tools.

Improved safety: Consultants are better able to accommodate members of vulnerable populations by working remotely. This contributes to reduced risk of exposure for all parties involved, and follows the recommendations established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Reduction of backlog: Visits conducted virtually lead to faster service and increased access to the consultant, which significantly reduces our backlog.

Reduced cost: Business travel costs, which include transportation time, lodging, and meals, have been eliminated.

As with all new processes, lessons continued to be learned and adaptation implemented. Our commitment to Florida’s small business community has not wavered, and we intend to use every resource available to us to help employers provide safer workplaces in Florida.

We encourage you to join more than 12,000 subscribers who rely on our e-newsletter and our On-Site Magazine to receive OSHA updates and informative safety and health information. Stay up to date with our program by subscribing to our monthly emails. To subscribe, visit usfsafetyflorida.com.

USF SafetyFlorida continues to make worker safety a priority

The University of South Florida (USF) SafetyFlorida Consultation Program’s primary goal is to assist Florida’s small and medium-sized businesses with reducing occupational-related injuries, illnesses and fatalities through hazard identification, compliance assistance and establishing effective safety and health programs.

We continue to focus on providing small and medium sized-businesses with enriched, free outreach training, educational seminars, virtual webinars, and a plethora of helpful tools and resources.

The programs marketing and outreach efforts have been applied to employers and workers in multiple industries, with special attention to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) local and national emphasis programs designed to address hazards or industries that pose a particular risk to workers. We frequently partner with various other organizations to deliver state-of-the art training, provide educational resources and conduct safety and health presentations.

During fiscal year 2019-2020, USF SafetyFlorida in conjunction with its partners offered complimentary activities to high-hazard industries to help sustain stronger and healthier communities.

The following activities listed highlight the program’s outreach initiatives offered in FY 2020: • Active Threat Preparedness Training • Confined Space in Construction Seminar • Florida Building Maintenance Showcase • Hurricane Preparedness Webinar • Heat Illness Awareness Webinar • National Fall Safety Stand-Down • Re-opening America during COVID-19 Webinar • Safe + Sound Week • SARS CoV2 for Health Care Workers: Qualitative Respiratory Fit Testing Webinar • Safety and Health Management & Its impact on Safety Culture Webinar • Silica in Construction Symposium • Workers’ Memorial Day Virtual Learning Experience • Workplace Ergonomics Workshop

Collectively, all trainings combined yielded a total of 798 attendees. We are here to support you! Please contact Thalia Barber, USF SafetyFlorida Communications and Marketing Officer at tbarber3@usf.edu or Nicholas Girod, USF SafetyFlorida Communications and Marketing Specialist at ngirod@usf.edu via email with any training suggestions you may have.

USF SafetyFlorida’s Mylene Kellerman delving into Workplace Ergonomic hazards at the Workplace Ergonomics Workshop.

Top 10 most frequently cited OSHA standards violated in FY 2019

The cited standards for fiscal year 2019 (October 1, 2018, through September 30, 2019) consisted of the following:

• Fall protection, General Requirements (29 CFR 1926.501) • Hazard communication standard, general industry (29 CFR 1910.1200) • Scaffolding, general requirements, construction (29 CFR 1926.451) • Control of hazardous energy (lockout/tagout), general industry (29 CFR 1910.147) • Respiratory protection, general industry (29 CFR 1910.134) • Ladders, construction (29 CFR 1926.1053) • Powered industrial trucks, general industry (29 CFR 1910.178) • Fall Protection – Training Requirements (29 CFR 1926.503) • Machinery and Machine Guarding, general requirements (29 CFR 1910.212) • Personal Protective and Lifesaving Equipment – Eye and Face Protection (29 CFR 1926.102)

Safety & Health Management and its Impact on Safety Culture Webinar

As you know, Safety & Health Program’s (SHP) foster a proactive approach to identifying and mitigating workplace hazards. Having an effective safety program is not only beneficial to management, but also to workers. USF SafetyFlorida Consultant and Safety Supervisor along with Vergie Bain, Ft Lauderdale OSHA Area Compliance Specialist, explored best practices in management leadership, worker participation and identifying and abating hazards with small employers in Florida. The workshop was held virtually and with 89 in attendance.

Participants were happy to report this webinar as a success. Even in the wake of a pandemic, USF SafetyFlorida continues support Florida’s small employers through quality virtual learning opportunities.

Run, Hide, Fight: How to Survive an Active Shooter Scenario

According to a gun violence research group, 2019 yielded the highest number of mass shootings than any previous year. Tragically, there were 28 instances which resulted in 247 deaths related to active shooter scenarios according to Federal Bureau of Investigations. USF SafetyFlorida, Department of Homeland Security and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement proudly partnered to provide this vital training to Florida’s small business owners and the University community. Events of the past years, and even current, have called attention to the need to be better prepared for a wide range of emergencies.

Throughout a series of presentations, led by Gary Warren, Protective Security Advisor U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Robert Marlowe, Assistant Emergency Planner of USF Emergency Management and Marlon Gayden, University Police Officer explored recognizing potential workplace violence indicators, the actions to take when confronted with an active shooter, how to assist responding law enforcement officials, identifying and mitigating risk factors, actions to take to prevent and prepare for potential active shooter incidents, how to execute an active shooter preparedness plan. There were 75 participants in attendance throughout the series.

Form & Function: Workplace Ergonomics with William Tomlin and Michelle Gonzalez

Workers in many different industries and occupations can be exposed to risk factors at work, such as lifting heavy items, bending, reaching overhead, pushing and pulling heavy loads, working in awkward body postures and performing the same or similar tasks repetitively. Exposure to these known risk factors for Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) increases a worker’s risk of injury.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) in 2013, MSD cases accounted for 33% of all worker injury and illnesses. Through a joint effort, USF SafetyFlorida and Jacksonville OSHA Area Office sought to provide small business owners, employers, employees, managers, supervisors, and safety and health personnel across all industries the tools to recognize, evaluate and control musculoskeletal and nerve disorders.

Through a two (2) hour presentation, USF SafetyFlorida’s William Tomlin and Jacksonville OSHA Area Office Director Michelle Gonzalez examined ergonomic principles and effective strategies to recognize, evaluate, and control workplace conditions that cause or contribute to musculoskeletal and nerve disorders as well as applicable OSHA standards, compliance policies and guidelines.

Participants included small business owners, employers, employees, managers, supervisors, and safety and health personnel across all industries.