Working Safely
By: Steve Sayer
April 22, 2010
Principle 6 of an injury andillness prevention – investigations
from meatingplace.com – The online home of POULTRY and meatingplace magazines
(The views and opinions expressed in this blog are strictly those of the author.)
Just past 1:30 AM, an employee reached into the cockpit of a forklift to shift it into forward gear. This resulted with an employee being pinned against a trailer that ultimately steam-rolled over him; shattering his fibula, shredding his knee and ankle ligaments and brutally bruising his torso. The worker was discovered at approximately 1:50 AM.
That horrific forklift accident occurred shortly after 30 employees were safety certified to operate such vehicles. Nearly 20 percent of this USDA-inspected establishment’s workforce was safety certified and authorized to drive forklifts. The ensuing investigation by OSHA and the establishment concluded, among other details, that an unsafe act was performed by an employee.
Don your deerstalker cap, light-up your mahogany calabash pipe, grab your magnifying glasses, forensic brushes, cameras and unleash the bloodhounds as we track down the perpetrator(s) that more than likely left perceptible trails of evidence.
You don’t have to be employed by Scotland Yard to be successful; you just need to be as scrupulous as a Sherlock, with keen insights, when applicable, from some dear Watsons to get it precise. The goal of any accident investigation is to determine its origin and identify corrective actions needed to preclude future occurrences. Inductive studies are intermittently needed to expose subterfuge events.
Osha statistics evince that the predominance of accidents do not result with an injury. However, an accident can connote property and equipment damage, including loss of prized production time. Most incidents implicate unsafe acts, faulty procedures and dimly veiled hazards. Near misses must also be fingerprinted. A near miss is an occurrence that could have resulted with an injury or damage to property.
Incident scenes should be inspected immediately while the evidence is fresh, and before the dear Watsons who’ve witnessed the episode disappear or forget key details and conditions at the scene.
Stratagems for accident investigations:
* Brilliant deductions – Focus on causes and hazards. Were there unsafe procedures, acts, or conditions? Decipher what caused the accident itself; not just the injury. Document details graphically. Employ sketches, photos and record measurements when germane.
* Cross examinations – Perform interviews covertly. Question eyewitness individually with a trusted witness. Talk to anyone who has knowledge of the incident. Collect signed statements when facts are blurred or there’s an element of controversy.
By applying these strategies to your incident investigations, you’ll discover that your inquiries will become quite elementary while contemporaneously abridging harbingering sequels.
Prominent lessons surfaced from this forklift accident when the investigation concluded. OSHA magnified the lessons learned with a spirited $24,000.00 fine. Who and what else was responsible? Based on clues given, what preventive measures do you think were needed to circumvent a parallel event?
I’ll post my hypothesis Friday morning.
Steve Sayer
Official Meatingplace bloger
ALNews Columnist
More News From The Meatingplace!
Industry News – AM
Salt issue is well in hand, but feds want credit: Analyst
By Lisa M. Keefe on 4/22/2010
Meat processors, along with manufacturers in other categories, already have made strides in reducing the amount of sodium in their finished goods. But, public health groups and some government agencies are looking for ways to look like they’re pushing the changes, says Justin Wilson, senior research analyst with Center for Consumer Freedom, a Washington-based lobbying group.
“The entire vertical supply chain has already done what [these agencies are] asking for — reduce salt consumption,” Wilson told Meatingplace. “They should have been perfectly happy with the fact that the food industry already has taken steps to reduce sodium.”
Wilson’s observations echoed that of the American Meat Institute, which distributed a press release Tuesday that said the “Institute of Medicine’s recommendations [released earlier] to expand reduced sodium food options is consistent with efforts already under way voluntarily by U.S. meat and poultry industry.” The IOM is the health arm of the National Academy of Sciences.
Companies stake their claim
Companies that recently have publicly pledged to expand their low-sodium options include Kraft, Sara Lee, ConAgra and Sadler’s Smokehouse.
Although a report in the Washington Post said the Food and Drug Administration was planning on regulating sodium content in foods, the agency said the newspaper was “mistaken,” that it has not begun “the process of regulating the amount of sodium in foods.” But Wilson notes that a move to put sodium on policy’s front burner would not be a surprise. He pointed to the development of regulations regarding trans fats in food, and noted that in that case, too, the food processing industry was on its way to removing the trans fats when the city of New York and the federal government made a priority of reducing their use, through labeling requirements and other efforts.
“What we saw with New York City cracking down on trans fats was that they knew that the food industry had largely positioned itself to move away from trans fats. It had been in the works for years. They decided it was advantageous for them to step in and easily take credit for something the food industry was already going to do,” Wilson says.
More of a fight
One difference in the two examples, he says, is that the existence of trans fats in food has no useful role in nutrition, while salt, in proper amounts, is key to human health. The sodium issue, then, is likely to get more push-back from consumer groups.
If the issue turns contentious, it will simply drag out a process that would take a long time under the best of circumstances, Wilson observes. So while processors need to watch the issue carefully, no immediate changes will be necessary &$0151; except, possibly, in New York City where the National Salt Reduction Initiative is asking for a voluntary 25 percent reduction of sodium in restaurant meals over the next five years.
“What I really think is happening is that, basically, rather than let the food insutry get a PR boost from people who are saying, ‘Hey, thanks for lowering salt,’ they are creating the impression that the food industry is being goaded into it,” Wilson says.
What to do now
What processors should do in the meantime, he says, is exactly what they’ve been doing: “I think they should be doing what they’ve been doing for many, many, many years, which is coming to market with a salt-free or low-salt version, and a full-salt version, and letting consumers choose,” Wilson said.
Industry News – AM
Burger King tests brunch menu
By Tom Johnston on 4/22/2010
Burger King Corp. said it is testing a new brunch menu that includes a new breakfast sandwich and a mimosa — minus the champagne.
A spokeswoman confirmed to Meatingplace that the company is trying the brunch menu in Massachusetts, Florida and western Canada.
The fare includes a Ciabatta Breakfast Sandwich that features scrambled egg, cheese, ham, bacon, tomato and sauce on a ciabatta roll. Also on the menu is a mimosa combining orange juice and Sprite.
The sandwich and mimosa are priced at $2.99 and $1.99, respectively. Test units also are serving Whoppers for breakfast.
BK’s brunch test follows its recent rollout of a $1 breakfast sandwich meant to compete with McDonald’s Sausage McMuffin.
Industry News – AM
Casual-dining chain adds ‘glam’ to burgers
By Ann Bagel Storck on 4/22/2010
In this article:
Casual-dining chain the Cheesecake Factory announced it has added to its menu six new Glamburgers, hamburgers inspired by different U.S. regions.
The Glamburgers include the Memphis Burger, topped with barbecue pork, cheddar and coleslaw, and the Sonoma Burger, featuring herbed goat cheese, oven-roasted tomatoes, arugula and red onion.
The Cheesecake Factory also is sponsoring a contest through May 31 that will allow participants to create customized virtual burgers online and enter those burgers in the Great Glamburger Challenge, through which one customer’s Glamburger will be added to the Cheesecake Factory menu for one year, among other prizes.
