May 2019 IVES Update Newsletter

In this edition, we'll be covering the following topics:

• How good storytelling can move people to action.
• $9M Settlement after Forklift Accident.
• JCB Teletruk Goes Electric.
• Ask Bob: Our tech guru addresses a question on aerial platform storage safety.
• Safety Culture.
• Man crushed to death after tree falls on excavator.
• Last chance to register!
• What's Wrong With This? Photo and answer.
• A selection of interesting articles.
• New testimonials from our wonderful clients.

But first, check out all the places we are delivering training this month...
 

How good storytelling can move people to action

We all love stories. Whether they come from books, movies, plays or part of talks, stories capture our attention and move us unlike any other kind of communication.

Why is that? For one, our life is a story. Although it might not have all the unusual events that occur in a novel, your life still contains the basic elements of a story, which is merely a narrative or explanation of something that happened.

I’ve seen the power of a story move people. When I became a safety and health coordinator in the nuclear industry, I was responsible for a sitewide management training program called Safety Management Accountability Training.

I wasn’t getting much support from the vice presidents and other managers. So, I asked my boss if I could give a short presentation at the quarterly senior-management meeting.

Instead of showing statistics about safety, I started my presentation by passing around a wallet-sized picture of my daughter, Amber. She was a toddler at the time and had just started walking. It was an atypical start to what I’m sure everyone thought would be a more information-based presentation. (Yes, I was nervous about beginning this way.)

Next, I told a story about Amber falling down a few steps. She was injured seriously enough to be taken to the hospital, but, thankfully, recovered completely. I had meant to replace a temporary barrier in front of the stairway with a permanent one, but had been busy at work and kept putting it off.

After everyone saw Amber’s picture, I explained that although I love my daughter deeply, I still allowed my hectic work schedule to override a more important responsibility I had as Amber’s father: to protect her.

Then, boldly, but with tact, I tied in what happened with Amber to what was happening with the SMAT program and senior management support. It worked brilliantly. The engineering vice president became a “SMAT champion” and, from that day forward, I garnered all the support and resources I needed.

You, too, can use stories – both at work and home – to move your audience to action, whether it’s through a one-on-one encounter or in front of a large group. The stories you tell don’t just have to be about accidents to show how important it is to work safely. Sure, if told well, accident stories can have a strong impact on your audience. However, stories about overcoming hardship, humorous turnarounds, surprise successes and many other events that happen throughout our lives are powerful tools, too.

Here are three tips to help you better use stories:

1. Capture your own. Pay attention to events in your life that you might be able to use. The best stories to inspire or instruct are true. I sometimes write down a brief description when something happens to me that I might be able to use as a story. Just a word or two often is enough of a reminder.
    
2. Read or listen to books on storytelling. Two of my recent favorites are “The Storyteller’s Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don’t” by Carmine Gallo, and “Tell to Win: Connect, Persuade, and Triumph with the Hidden Power of Story” by Peter Guber.
    
3. Practice your storytelling skills. Tell stories to yourself out loud when no one is around. Also, pay attention to how people respond when you tell a story. You’ll be surprised how much purposely practicing can improve your skills.

Business magnate Richard Branson said, “The art of storytelling can be used to drive change.” That change also can be inside us. The stories we tell ourselves about our own lives can have a profound effect on how we feel and act. If you put a positive spin on your life events, they can inspire you to take positive action. Likewise, with people we interact with, a story well told can have a powerful influence.

Richard Hawk helps safety professionals become better leaders through his keynotes, workshops, articles and books so they can create vibrant safety cultures. His popular “Mindfully Safe” keynote teaches employees how to focus better and improve their situational awareness, a key skill to preventing incidents. To contact Richard, visit makesafetyfun.com.

Source: www.safetyandhealthmagazine.com

$9M Settlement after Forklift Accident

A man whose leg was amputated after being run over by a forklift twice has settled for USD 9 million in his lawsuit against a series of companies and the staffing agency that assigned him to the warehouse where he was injured.

According to a report in Law.com, the settlement was reached between Charles Jones and Mill Corp., Newman & Company, and Bridgeview Paper Company, United States Recycling and staffing agency Corestaff Inc.

Jones was run over twice by a forklift operated by Mill Corp. employee Emmitt Johnson at the Newman & Company warehouse in North Philadelphia in July 2015.

"Mr. Johnson readily admits that, when he ran over Charles, he was not looking where he was going, but instead was operating the forklift in reverse while counting bales of stacked material," Jones’ papers said. "He admits he never sounded his horn and never brought the forklift to a stop before reversing around the corner. He admits that his conduct was ‘inexcusable from a safety standpoint’. In sum, Mr. Johnson admits that he violated all basic rules of forklift safety on the date of this tragedy, as a direct result of which he did not see Charles and ran him over."

"This was much more than a simple forklift accident case. Defendants raised numerous, workplace-specific defenses that we targeted and attacked throughout discovery," says Jones’ attorney, Andrew Duffy. "We are pleased that Mr. Jones will now receive the care he requires as well as the compensation he deserves."

After the accident, Jones underwent nine surgeries in an effort to save his leg, but in the end, was forced to undergo a below-the-knee amputation.

Source: www.forkliftaction.com

JCB Teletruk Goes Electric

JCB has expanded its Teletruk range with the launch of an electric model.

JCB’s new JCB 30-19E is the first electric-powered model in the Teletruk range and its launch opens up new opportunities for a machine which has revolutionized operations in builders’ merchants, ports, recycling centers and industrial facilities around the world.

Until now, Teletruks have been powered by diesel and LPG and used predominantly in outdoor applications. With the launch of the new electric model, the Teletruk now becomes suited for a wealth of tasks inside buildings as well as outside – offering a new generation of customers the cost and space-saving advantages enjoyed by users over the past two decades.

JCB chief innovation officer Tim Burnhope says: "When the JCB Teletruk was first launched, it challenged conventional thinking and, as well as offering a better way of doing things, it disrupted an established, mature market."

"It was an innovation with true purpose and one which brought real advantages to our customers."

"We are hugely excited at the opportunities presented with the launch of an electric-powered Teletruk because it opens up so many new markets for us."

JCB industrial general manager Paul Murray says the company originally developed the Teletruk in response to market requirements for a lift truck with the ability to load a wide range of delivery vehicles quickly and safely in the most space-efficient way.

"With the launch of the JCB 30-19E, JCB has responded to the demands of the market for an electric-powered Teletruk that can operate both inside and outside a building," he adds.

Source: www.forkliftaction.com

Ask Bob

Q. An employee reported that an aerial platform was left in the air over a sidewalk. Their concern is what keeps the boom from dropping and hurting someone. I contacted the manufacturer and found that they do have safeties if the lift was to lose pressure all of a sudden. But what is OSHA's guidelines on this? I cannot find anything that outright tells me you cannot leave the platform up. Thank you for your help.

A. I have not seen a single manufacturer in my experience that says “Store the equipment in the up position”. All MOMs (Manufacturer’s Operating Manual) say park the unit in the stowed position (i.e. lowered, retracted, etc.)

So, remember, it’s never a problem until it’s a problem.

Also nobody has addressed the side force rating??? If the machine is left up in the air and the wind goes above the rated wind rating of the machine, it could potentially tip over.

Anyways, the MOM says park it completely retracted, lowered, etc…

Safety Culture

To develop an effective safe use program that complies with new ANSI requirements, it’s important to perform a risk assessment before starting work.

The updated and approved ANSI/CSA standards bring with them a boatload of change. One key aspect every employer needs to be aware of is jobsite risk assessment.

The American Rental Association, Association of Equipment Manufacturers, IPAF and Scaffold & Access Industry Association created a document, Statement of Best Practices for Workplace Risk Assessment and Mobile Elevating Work Platform Equipment Selection, to provide a reference guide and relevant information for the industry. The document, free of charge from any of the mentioned associations, is a thorough guide that covers everything from definitions to selecting the right equipment for the job at hand.

Steps to follow

The guide states: “A workplace risk assessment focuses on job tasks as a way to identify hazards. It examines the relationship between the worker, the task, the tools and the work environment. After identifying uncontrolled hazards, it is important to take steps to eliminate or reduce the risk to an acceptable level. On larger construction projects, a workplace risk assessment may be called a job hazard analysis (JHA). Identifying hazards and assessing risks, regardless of the scope or size of your project, must be completed before work begins.”

Starting a jobsite risk assessment begins with defining the task at hand; what work needs to be done and where is the jobsite location? Will equipment need to be transported?

Next, an appropriate mobile elevating work platform must be selected to perform the required work. Things to consider when choosing a MEWP include: what working heights will need to be reached, ground conditions, site access, load capacities and proximity to people and things like power lines.

Once the above measures have been put in place, procedures and methods needed to control them must be implemented. These include: selecting the correct PPE; understanding fall arrest systems; providing proper training for operators, occupants, supervisors and maintenance personnel.

Also imperative is for employers to have a rescue from height plan. If a MEWP fails, a user must follow the manufacturer’s directions, which are in the operator’s manual on the MEWP. If an operator falls from the platform while operating the machinery, a rescue plan will be required. Many OEMs and associations state that a rescue plan must be put in writing and be a part of the company’s training manual.

Lastly, users must communicate the results of the risk assessment to all parties involved and review and adjust as necessary.

Source: Access, Lift & Handlers Magazine April 2019

Man crushed to death after tree falls on excavator

A 58-year-old man was killed Saturday afternoon near Union after a tree fell on the excavator he was inside of, the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office said.

The Union Fire Protection District, Marengo Fire Protection District and McHenry County Sheriff’s Office responded around 1:45 p.m. Saturday to the 8100 block of Leech Road in Coral Township, which is about three miles southeast of Union.

Emergency crews found a 58-year-old Rochelle man that had been seriously injured after a large tree fell on top of his excavator, crushing him, the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office said.

A Flight For Life medical helicopter was dispatched to the scene but later canceled. The man was pronounced dead at the scene.

The McHenry County Coroner’s Office was called to the scene and an autopsy is pending. The man’s name is being withheld by officials pending notification to his next of kin.
No additional information has been released by authorities.

Source: www.lakemchenryscanner.com

What's Wrong With This? Photo

Can you tell what's going wrong in this photo?

Have a photo you'd like to share? Send it to us!

Answer to Last Month's WWWT? Photo

Here's what our Director of Training, Rob Vetter had to say about it:

It appears that our research staff for the IVES Update found a photo for this installment of “What’s Wrong With This” that has issues going on that are so obvious it almost seems like it was staged!
 
First and most obvious, a man on a ladder is climbing upward from the work platform of a scissor lift which is, of course, a definite no-no.
 
Second, the man on the ladder appears to be heading for either the roof or to a position high enough above the work platform and/or ground to make the use of a personal fall protection system necessary, yet none is visible.
 
Next, the unit itself is positioned on a trailer that presumably was used to transport the scissor lift to the work location. I suppose one could split hairs here as to whether this is actually an issue because the ANSI and CSA standards state that one must “not operate a MEWP…from a position on…trailers” and since these fellows are not actually elevating the work platform; are they “operating” the unit? We would argue that since they are using the unit to access an elevated work location, which is the very purpose of a MEWP, they are operating it from a position on a trailer.  
 
Finally, it appears that no attempt was made to erect barriers to keep pedestrians and/or vehicle traffic a safe distance away from the unit. If one of the several vehicles near the MEWP were to even nudge it, the ladder and the man on it, are definitely coming down.

Have a photo you'd like to share? Send it to us!