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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes_Safety_02/10/1997 F rf yP �� G ��A ; � ° � VILLAGE OF TEQUESTA �� Pos[ Office 13oa 3273 • 3�? Tequesta Dri��c ���� � o` Teques[a. Plorid�i 33�tC9-0273 • (561) 7%�-6200 's � `` o� 1'ax <SC1) �7�-C203 6 � ;.� .. 4 `� � COU y vILLA�E OF TEQ�TES'!'� SAFETY �ONIIVIITTEE 1l�IEE�ING I�INUTES �EB�UARY 1Q, �947 I, CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL The Tequesta Safety Committee held its regular meeting at the Village Hall, 357 Tequesta Drive, Tequesta, Florida, on Monday, February 10, 1997. The meeting was called to order at 2:12 P.M. by Chairman Tom Hall, Water System Manager. Committeemembers present were: William Allen, Archie Garrett, Joanne McCabe, Village Clerk Joann Manganiello, Lieutenant Bob Garlo sitting in for Police Chief Stephen Allison, and Fire Chief James Weinand. Absent from the meetina were Code Enforcement Officer Dave Davis, Bob Pieris, and Public Works Director Gary Preston. II. APPROVAL OF AGENDA James Weinand made a motion to accept the agenda as submitted. Motion was seconded by William Allen. The vote on the motion was: Tom Hall - for William Allen - for Bob Garlo - for Archie Garrett - for Joanne McCabe - for Joann Manganiello - for James Weinand - for KccPded Paper Safety Committee Meeting Minutes February 10; 1997 Page 2 The motion was therefore passed and adopted and the Agenda was approved as submitted. III. APPROVAL OF PREVIOUS MEETING MINUTES James Weinand made a motion to approve the minutes of the January 13, 1997 meeting as submitted. Motian was seconded by William Allen. The vote on the motion was: Tom Hall - for William Allen - for Bob Garlo - for Archie Garrett - for Joanne McCabe - for Joann Manganiello - for James Wein�nd - �or The motion was therefore passed and adopted and the minutes were approved as submitted. N. OLD BUSINESS A) Discuss Revised Draft Drug-Free Workplace Policy Chairman Hall reported �hat comments had been received from Department Heads and the Village Manager, and had been forwarded on to the Village Attorney's office for inclusion in a final draft of the Drug-Free Workplace Policy. The final draft had been typed and forwarded to the Village Manager, wha would send a copy to each bargaining unit. B) Discuss Safety Inspection Checklist Chairman Hall explained that an attempt had been made to devise a generalized inspection checklist so that supervisors could go through their work area once a m.onth to assess any noticeable hazards. This document would provide proof that those types of events were taking place. The person utilizing this checklist for general Safety Committee Meeting Minutes February 10, 1997 Page 3 ---------------- employees would be the supervisor immediately under the department head; in the Police department it would be used by middle management; and in the Fire Department it wo uld be the resp onsibility of lie In t he Finance Department, it would be the duty of Mr. Kascavelis or he could appoint someone Fire Chief Weinand commented that he did not feel this checklist was appropriate for day-to-day operations in his departznent. An example discussed was item 15: Floors free of oi1 and water. Chief Weinand explained that there was oil and water on the floor each day, so that this item would always be a violation. In response to Chairman �Iall's suggestion that a small pan be placed under trucks to catch drips, Chief Weinand explained that had been tried and did not work because the pans got shifted out af place by the wind and run over by the truck�. Chief Weinand expressed concern that the person filling out the farm might not know all of the necessary procedures. Ch�irman Hall explained that training would need to be given, and that with a generic form not everythinq would be appropriate to all departments, bu.t that the process of inspection and filling out the form would make people more safety conscious. Discussion ensued regarding generic items as opposed to site specific items for each department. Lt. Garlo commented that Police and Fire had different concerns than other departments. Village Clerk Man.ganiello suggested that true gene�ic items be listed at the top af the checklist. Chairman Hall recommended that each department use the checklist as a starting point to create their own site specific checklist and to bring it to the next meeting for discussion and recomm.endation to the Village Manager. The form could then be in�luded in the safety manual, along with safety procedures. Chairman Hall commented that in the event of an accident � the Committee could see any department's policies in the manual and make recommendations for training. Chief Weinand expressed concern that some liability would be created if the person filling out the checklist was not prope�ly trained; and that some of the checklist Safety Committee Meeting Minutes February 10, 1997 Page 4 ---------------- items covered more than one point so that it was difficult to answer the whole question. Discussion ensued. A suggestion was made that a space be provided for explanation for t hose types of questi or to make each item a separate question. Ms. McCabe suggested a committee of three to inspect all departments once a manth for generic items, so that the answers would not be the opinion of only one person. Ms. Manganiello questioned whether the once-a-month timing was a requirement, to which Chairman Hall responded that he had picked once a month as the timing since that would give time for policies to become lax and filling out the checklist would be a reminder to alert employees and make them safety conscious again. It was decided that employees on the committee would take the checklist back to their departments and work with their supervisars to add, delete, and make changes so that their checklist would contain items specific to their situation. Lt. Garlo commented that many items specific to the Police Department were already addressed by the Police department in their Department Procedure Manual, and expressed concern that items would be duplicated. Chairman Hall explained that the intent was to cover general safety items, and in case of an accident the Safety Committee would have to review the inciden� and review the site specific applicable policy and perhaps make recommendations for policy change; and that the intent was not to dictate how a department should be run. A standardized vehicle checklist was discussed. Ms. Manganiello suggested that possibly Police department procedures could be an attachment to the generalized checklist. Chairman Hall advised that the safety manual, when developed, would contain a section for each department including their checklist, and that periodic recommendations could be made by the Safety Committee. Fire Chief Wein.and s�.ggested that once a month someone in the Police and Fire departments could look over all vehicles, in addition to their other vehicle check5, to provide a check and balance system. Mr. Hall suggested Safety Committee Meeting Minutes February 10, 1997 Page 5 ---------------- that the Department head could use the checklist perhaps semiannually to do a followup on the supervisor's reports . The im.portance of filling out the forms was stressed, since in case of an accident there cou be a major liability if no records existed. During discussion of vehicle maintenance, Chief Weinand stressed that an employee must have a feeling of safety when driving a Village vehicle, and must be assured that maintenance was up to date, and stated that there must be a way to check to be sure maintenance needs reported to a supervisor were done. Another comment was that an employee should not be jeopardized, and also that lack of maintenance could become a violation of a State statute. Chief Weinand suggested that the Safety manual should address what constitutes grounding a vehicle. The procedure for keeping checklists was discussed. Chief Weinand asked whether the supervisor would keep a copy and forward a copy to the Safety Committee to assure that the supervisor was doing his job. Chairman Hall commented that the Safety Committee did not have the power to police a supervisor to make sure he did his job, to which Chief Weinand responded that it was the duty of the Safety Committee to make sure each employee had a safe place in which to work, and if the supervisor was not doing his job, then safety could be jeopardized. Chief Vdeinand suggested that copies of quarterly reports come to the Committee. Discussion ensued regarding vehicle maintenance and whether an employee had a right to refuse to drive a vehicle if repeated requests for maintenance items had been ignored by their supervisor. It was agreed that a mechanism was needed to get violations corrected. Chief Weinand con�rnented that he would like to see a form created which would be a request for maintenance and would go through channels with comments at each step regarding what action was done. A suggestion was made that the statement "Correcti ve ac�ion taken: on (date)" could be included for each item specified. Ms . Manganiello commented that there must be a way to assure that problems were corrected in as short a time as Safety Committee Meeting Minutes February 10, 1997 Page 6 ---------------- possible. Chief Weinand suggested that instead of putting that information on the checklist that a generic two-part Corrective Action Needed farm could be de velo p ed�one co py__o_ f w hich would be tur ned in to the _ department head and the other to go the Safety Committee, so that the Committee could follow action taken. The Committee would also see multiple requests for action on the same item since they would receive a copy each time the form was filled out. The Committee would be able to track trends that would need recommendations for change. Ms. McCabe described a similar form used for inspections, which required that the copy be znatched to the original when action was completed. Ms. Manganiello questioned whether the Safety Committee would need to meet monthly to review these forms. Chief Weinand commented that if meetings were only held quarterly that the forms might be matched up by that time. A suggestion was made that one person in each department be designated to bring chronic problems to the attention of the Safety Committee instead of the Committee trying to identify problems. Ms. Manganiello suggested that one person on the Safety Committee could be designated to accept the safety violation forms and after a time certain that person could call a Committee meeting to discuss problems listed on outstanding forms. Lt. Garlo of�ered an alternative of having each department designate such a person. Chairman Hall suggested that the Committee members begin the process by taking the current form back to their department5 for changes and adaptation to specific needs. Mr. Allen pointed out that his department already had an extensive vehicle checklist and the same material would be duplicated on this new checklist. A suggestion was made that on the Safety Inspection Checklist a note could be made to state: Vehicle inspection form - see attached. Corrective action comments could cover either form. Ms. McCabe stated that she would bring a corrective action form to the next meeting which could be modified. Chairman Hall requested copies of checklists used by all Safety Committee Meeting Minutes February 10, 1997 Page 7 ---------------- departments. Chief weinand commented that the vehicle checklist should be generic for any department. V. NEW BUSIN�SS A) Discuss Safety Committee Objectives Chairman Hall directed attention to a handout he had recently received at a class on Safety Committees, and provided the following overview: Four goals for successful Safety Committees: 1) Solving Safety Problems 2) Increasing Safety Communication 3) Improving employee participation in safety 4) Education and Training After identification of a problem, responsibilities of the Committee included: 1) Assigning members to review the problem 2) Allowing time away from routine job 3) Makinq specific recommendations Obligations of management after receiving recommendations from the Committee included: 1) Review options 2) Make the decision on implementatian 3) Always provide feedback whether recommendations can be implemented or not The majority of the safety effort should be targeted at reducing unsafe acts; so that the Committee could devote most of their time to: 1) Improving safety awaren.ess 2) Insuring safety performance of all employees 3) Improving safety training Chairman Hall commented that the Committee's job was not Safety Committee Meeting Minutes February 10, 1997 Page 8 ---------------- to police the Village: that supervisors were in charge of safety; that the Committee must have copies of each department's policies and procedures to refer to when it was necessary to review an accident, and t hat the Safet Commi�tee would need safety training to become knowledgeable. Items for further train.ing could include vehicle safety, use of tools, ergonomics, office safety, etc. Discussion ensued regarding how safe working conditions for all employees could be assured without policing. Chief Weinand commented that the corrective action form discussed earlier in the meeting would let the employee know that action would be taken. Chairman Hall commented that the Safety Committee should help develop safety � programs and that the Committee would need by-laws for operation. Ms. Manganielio suggested that at a minimum, safety training programs should be held twice each year, and explained that the Safety Council would come to the Village and hold training programs on site. An option would be for one person to attend outside training and bring back the information. Chief Weinand commented that Fire Department personnel cauld provide training on CPR and proper use of fire extinguishers, and that the Police Department could also provide in-house training on some items. Chairman Hall suggested recammendation ta the Village Manager that another safety training program by the Fire Department be held so that employees who were not able to attend the last one could attend. B) Di�cuss Supervisory Rales in Safety Chairman Hall reviewed the handout titled Supervisor Responsibilities, and requested that each member of the Committee think about the information provided for later discussion. Chairman Hall commented that supervisors were the most logical choice to be in charge of safety since they worked directly with employees and had knowledge of inethods, practices and conditions in the Village. Mr. Hall stressed the importance o� fol].owup for all items listed in the handout. Chairman Hall suggested that a copy of the form could be included in the polic�r manual, and recommended that Committeemembers Safety Committee Meeting Minutes February 10, 1997 � Page 9 ---------------- take the form to their supervisor� for discussion and study. Mr. Hall commented that supervisors' responsibilities would be discussed at the next meeting. C) Review Accident of January 27, 1997 Chairman Hall explained that a video had been made recreating an accident which had happened when an employee attempted to change the oil in a pressure cleaner. Because the playback feature on the camcorder was not working properly the video could not be shown at this meeting, but would be shown at a later date. Mr. Ha11 described the video, relating that the machine had been described and the accident re-enacted. The employee's hand struck the edge of a frame mounted on the machine, resulting in. a gash which required six stitches. The employee had made suggestions to prevent future similar accidents: Use a longer rachet handle; or reverse so that pushing action would be toward the ground; or use his foot to push. His supervisor had filled out an accident investigation form, which was provided for review. The form was briefly reviewed. Chief Weinand and Lt. Garlo both reported that their departments used narrative forms for this type of situation. A standardized form was discussed. Chief Weinand questioned whe�her the Committee would be criticizing operations of a department, to which Mr. Hall responded that the Committee would not be criticizing but would be making recommendations to the department as to how to avoid future accidents. � suggestion was made that a Safety Committee comment sheet which wouid list any recommended action could be attached to each supervisor's accident investigation report, or if everything appeared to be in order, recommended action would be stated as none. Chief Weinand suggested that room for comments by the Department head be included on. the form. Lt. Garlo commented that there had been an accident in his department and questioned whether he should have repor�ed it to the Committee for their review. Chairman Hall explained that the program was not yet established. Chief Weinand gave an example of a policy change that Safety Committee Meeting Minutes February 10, 1997 Page 10 ---------------- might be recommended by the Committee: If the Committee saw several accidents in a year in.volving changing oil on different type� of machines, after evaluating the medical costs and seriousness of the accidents, the Committee could recommend that all machines be taken out ta have the oil changed rather than having employees do that job. Chairman Hall indicated that he would incorporate the suggestions and provide a new draft Supervisor's Accident Investigation Report at the next meeting. Other comments were to include space to show that review had been done by the Safety Committee; and to show a time line of when the accident occurred, when the reviews were done by the supervisor and the department head, and when the form came ta the Safety Committee. Mr. Allen reported the form had worked very well in his department. Discussion ensued, indicating that all Committeemembers felt the form would work well for their departments. Ms. Manganiello commented that the most important thing for the Safety Committee was ta assure that there was follow through. Ms. McCabe suggested that an ann.ouncem.ent could be made in the newsletter that there was a form for corrective action, so that e�.ployees would know about the form. Ms. Manganiello commented that the form would need to be approved by the Village Manager. VI. ANY OTHER MATTERS A) Set Date and Time for Next Meeting Chairman Hall announced that he would send a notice to the Comm.itteemembers of the date and time of the next meeting, which was planned to be held in approximately six weeks. Committeemembers requested that the agenda be provided earlier in the future. Chairman Hall stated that he would have the video transferred to VHS format so that it could be re�viewed at the next meeting, and the Committee agreed with Mr. Hall's suggestion that this tape be kept and other information added so that it would always be available for review by the Committee. Safety Committee Meeting Minutes February 10, 1997 Page 11 ---------------- VII. ADJOURNMENT William Allen made a motion to adiourn the meeting. The motion was seconded by Bob Garlo. The vote on the motion was: Tom Hall - for William Allen - for Bob Garlo - for Archie Garrett - for Joanne McCabe - for Joann Manganiello - for James Weinand - for The motion was therefore passed and adopted and the meeting was adjourned at 3:39 P.M. Respectfully submitted, .. j_ t_ � ..�.� � � �'�--c��-� � \ Betty Laur Recording Secretary ATTEST: Tom Hall Chairman DATE APPROVED: 2- �-98