PAT May Safety Newsletter

Parks & Trails Safety News

May 2023

Remember: "There is No Compromise to Safety."

Shout Out to District 7 Staff Who Make Safety a Part of Everyday Life.

DNR employee operating Skid Steer lifting dirt

Area 3B/MN Valley is fortunate to have someone that can do it all and do it safely. Pat Schneider (Labor Trades Equipment (LTE)) has a great safety presence and dedication. Pat starts his day with an hour warm up including a thorough stretching regiment. Pat has a multitude of tasks which include working on the Minnesota Valley State Trail in a skid steer, picking up trash, or assisting the Watertown crew with some technical projects. Daily as a safety leader, Pat always uses the proper PPE including his tick protection. Pat can be counted on to make sure everyone he is working with has their proper PPE. Pat’s ability to think through difficult projects and come up with safe solutions is something his supervisor greatly appreciates. Pat often works alone but makes every effort to have someone assist him instead of attempting to do something on his own that could be unsafe. Every workplace should have an employee like him.

Thanks Pat Schneider, for being a safely leader.

Fort Snelling State Park shop parking lot turned to Ice Rink after Winter rainstorm.

William O’Brien State Park has a great winter operations crew recognized for their outstanding work plowing, grooming, and responding to emergencies this winter season. Consistent daily communication with staff played a key role in their success. The staff removed 90.3 inches of snow creating 20+ foot snow piles.

Ski trail groomers worked through deep snow, winching UTV’s up hills. The crew made great operational choices after rainstorm events that created very icy conditions. Staff also extracted two injured skiers off the trail system in a safe and efficient manner. There were no vehicle or staff incidents and there was efficient emergency response on the ski trails. Winter operations crew take pride in their work, and it showed this winter with a great showcase for all the park visitors.

Thanks to the crew: Wayne Boerner, Tom Popsun, Eric Reed, Alex Yaeger, Elizabeth Nelson, and Wylie Larson for their dedication to safety.

Karl Peterson clearing trees post Winter Storm in woods.

Afton State Park would like to recognize Karl Peterson for his dedication to safety. As a member of the Parks and Trails Safety Committee over the past year, Karl is a confident, vocal safety leader for all park staff. He sets a great example in his day-to-day work. His dedication to safety has been especially important during a record snowfall season capped off by a storm that brought down hundreds of trees across the park. Countless hours were spent in the plow truck, tool cat, or with a shovel in-hand moving snow. An estimated 200 trees and limbs have also been cleared from Afton's trails since April 1st. All of this work has been accomplished without a single equipment incident or personal injury; and this is thanks in large part to the same commitment to safety among staff that Karl promotes through his work.

Thanks to Karl Peterson for advocating for not only his personal safety, but also for the wellbeing of both his coworkers and the public who visits the park.

DNR Worker using Chainsaw to cut Tree Ring Disc

Fort Snelling State Park (FSSP) would like to recognize Phil Stub for his great safety work ethic. Phil is a Parks and Trails Associate who has worked at the DNR for over 18 years. This year, like most years at FSSP, the park is experiencing a major flooding event. Phil has been our main source of information for all things related to planning and executing operations at the park during flood stages. He has safely led his coworkers in equipment operation, navigating the park when a flood is imminent, properly wearing PPE, and preparing resources for deployment all while keeping an upbeat and humorous demeanor. Phil leads by example at the park and all staff look to him for support during times of uncertainty.

Thanks to Phil Stub for his continued safety work ethic and leadership towards coworkers and the public for making sure everyone is safe.

STAY CONNECTED AND UP TO DATE

Teams Page - DNR P&T 2023 Safety Engagement - Information found under
General Tab - Files - Monthly Safety Shout Outs

Parks and Trails Accidents and Injuries, Lessons Learned
May 30th, 2023, Note: "No Fault" and "Near Miss/Close Call" incidents are not counted in our incident rate data, but may be reported in this table.

Month	Type	Injury / Accident	Description	Lessons Learned
April	Staff	Other Personal	Employee removing a piece of barbed wire fence from brush. Wire slipped when pulling on it and punctured through the leather gloves causing a small cut.	Use a tool or device to grip wire. Potentially a second pair of gloves to add thickness. Use chain and equipment to pull wire free. Good wound care and make sure tetanus shots are up to date. Review JSA
April	Staff	Cut / scrape / bruise	Employee cut wrist above gloves while using a utility knife to break down boxes.	PPE was used but cut was made drawing towards individual.
May	Vehicle	Backing	Employee was backing into site and pulled back to far hitting a small tree.	No Spotter or pre-walk around
May	Staff	Other Personal	Employee was cleaning grease off metal to prepare for paint. Employee was wearing long-sleeved shirt, rubber gloves and eye protection. Employees sleeve became saturated, and the paint thinner came in contact with his skin causing a slight chemical burn. Employee washed hands, removed clothing. No ER visits necessary. Gone the next morning.	Employee was following proper procedures for work. Less paint thinner more often could have resulted in less contact with the chemical, but all PPE was being worn.
May	Vehicle	Backing	Employee backed a Tool cat into a parked DNR truck.	Employee focused on mirrors only and was not aware of surroundings. Did not use a spotter.
May	Staff	Strain / sprain	Employee was repairing docks all day using a hole saw. Wrist spun with the powerhead causing the back of hand and wrist pain.	Use two hands while using hole saw. Vary tasks during the day.
May	Staff	Struck By/Impact Against	Employee was stacking brush. Employee was wearing safety glasses, but a small branch slipped under the safety glasses and caused an abrasion on the employee's eye.	Evaluate safety glasses for close fit and increase awareness with the small, wispy branches that are part of this task.
May	Vehicle	Struck By/Impact Against	Small pea sized rock hit and cracked windshield from on-coming vehicle.	Avoidance of high traffic areas and avoid gravel roads when feasible.
May	Staff	Strain / sprain	Employee was placing / opening 15 water fountains throughout the park during the day. Employee had to kneel down to do this regularly. On the 13th water fountain when employee stood up, his knee had a loud pop. Witness heard it 10' away. Employee continued to work thru the day, and next day and it still hurt.	Employee did start day stretching and was using knee pads, but likely should take more breaks if doing something repetitively for a period of time.
May	Vehicle	Backing	Employee backed a park truck into a gate post damaging the box and taillight.	Use spotters, 360 walk around, employee could have driven forward to a safer spot to turn around.
May	Vehicle	Vehicle / Other	Employee threw a small rock with a mower and hit a 5th wheel camper trailer causing damage to siding.	Don't mow near people/vehicles; aim discharge away from people/vehicles.
May	Staff	Struck By/Impact Against	CCMI employee was sharpening chain with leather gloves on. Chain cut through the leather and nicked their knuckle resulting in a cut. While inspecting the cut, the employee got lightheaded and fainted. Due to location of employee, employee fell face first into the side of a trailer. Employee was taken to emergency room and has a broken nose, broken hand (from fainting fall) and cut on other hand.	Reminder of how fast an incident can go from relatively minor to serious in a matter of seconds. Suggestion to staff that they sit in a chair with arm rests while dressing a minor wound or cut.
May	Staff	Bite-Tick	It was reported on Monday, May 29th that Employee had removed a tick on Wednesday, May 24th which now appears to be inflamed and red. Employee stated the only place they could have gotten a tick would be at work. Employee had two forms of tick protection during all their shifts. It is assumed the tick was not attached for more than 24 hours. Employee was given Corvel Nurse line number and has a telemedicine appointment set up.	Employee was following policy and had 2 forms of protection on. Do tick checks more often.
May	Staff	Bite-Tick	Employee found an embedded wood tick after working in the field.	Employee was following policy and had 2 forms of protection on. Do tick checks more often.

2023 DNR Parks and Trails Accident/Incident Rate

Includes 2020, 2021, 2022 Comparison Results as of May 30th, 2023.

New 2023 Goal - 66 incidents or less. We have 39 incidents to date.

2023 Comparison Graph of State Park Incidents from 2020 to May 30, 2023, currently 39 incidents to date.

June is National Safety Month

June National Safety Month Sign, an nsc initiative.

Stay Safe at Work and Home

Lifetime odds dying in a fall 1 in 98.

Learn more about how to prevent slips, trips and falls and other causes of preventable injury and death.

Join the National Safety Council in observing National Safety month and help keep each other safe from the workplace to anyplace.

By clicking the link below you can sign up to receive materials for four weekly topics associated with National Safety month: Emergency Preparedness, Slips/Trips/Falls, Heat Related Illness, Hazard Recognition. These materials can be used to share with staff during daily/weekly conversations, and also go towards our MN SAFE goal of reducing slips/trips/falls.

https://www.nsc.org/faforms/national-safety-month-materials