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March 2023 • Safety & Health Information for Wisconsin Employers & Organizations  

Headlines

• March Is Ladder Safety Month
• Stand Up for Grain Safety Week Is March 27-31
• March Is Workplace Eye Wellness Month
• March Safety, Health & Wellness Campaign Roundup
• A Look Ahead
• About Dave Leix, CSP, Safety Corner's Editor

March Is Ladder Safety Month

The American Ladder Institute (ALI) is dedicating March as Ladder Safety Month with a focus on different themes each week:

• Week One: Choosing Your Ladder
• Week Two: Safety Before the First Step (Inspection and Set Up)
• Week Three: Safety While Climbing
• Week Four: Safety at the Top

The U.S. sees more than 164,000 emergency room-treated injuries and 300 deaths caused by falls from ladders every year. Ladder safety violations are No. 3 in the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) list of top violations in 2021 and 2022. 

The ALI has a variety of safe ladder use resources, training and worker educational materials available to the public. In addition, OSHA has ladder safety resources covering areas such as training and safe-use compliance.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and its National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) have a mobile app available to promote ladder safety.

Additional CDC/NIOSH historical Ladder Safety Month resources can be accessed at the Ladders Safety Month Resources page Resources cover safety toolbox and safety huddle training materials and ideas.

The CDC/NIOSH Ladder Safety Month campaign's resource also have four topics throughout March:

• March 1-11: Overall Importance of Ladder Safety
• March 12-18: Ladder Safety at Work
• March 19-25 Ladder Safety at Home
• March 26-April 1: Ladder Inspection and Disposal

Stand Up for Grain Safety Week Is March 27-31

The OSHA alliance with the grain industry will be conducting its annual Stand Up for Grain Safety Week during the last full week of March. Employers, workers, educators, agents and other stakeholders in the farm and agriculture industry are encouraged to take part in the week. Each year, employees across the industry sustain injury or death due to preventable hazards associated with grain storage and handling. Purdue University's Agriculture Safety & Health Program reports that incidents in agricultural confined spaces/grain entrapment accounted for at least 23 fatal and 36 non-fatal cases in 2021.  OSHA and grain industry alliance members plan free daily webinars during the week, but advance registration is required.  Webinars start at 10 a.m. Central Standard Time (CST): Monday: Grain Safety Week Kickoff Tuesday: Forklifts and Miscellaneous Powered Industrial Trucks (PITs). Spanish Session: 2 p.m. CST Wednesday Preventive Maintenance. Bonus Session: 2 p.m. Emerging Health Issues Thursday: Heat Stress & Extreme Weather. Spanish Session: 2 p.m. CST Friday: Anhydrous Ammonia & Fumigation     The alliance is a 5-year agreement between OSHA and the following grain industry organizations: National Grain and Feed Association Grain Elevator and Processing Society      Grain Handling Safety Council  Grain Bin Safety Week Reminder As a reminder, Nationwide Insurance has been collaborating with grain industry leaders and agricultural professionals since 2014 to host Grain Bin Safety Week, (was February 19-25 this year) to highlight dangers of working in and around grain bins and the importance of implementing and following safe work procedures. Nationwide Insurance partners with agricultural safety and training organizations to award emergency first responders with grain rescue tubes and hands-on rescue training equipment for local fire departments. The Nominate Your Fire Department Contest runs from January 1 through April 30. To nominate a department:  Online:  Fill out an online form Via email: gbswinfo@nationwide.com or Mail to: NECAS, Grain Bin Safety Week Contest, 8342 NICC Dr., Peosta, IA 52068 Stand Up for Grain Safety Week coincides with grain bin inventories being seasonally emptied and bins cleaned out in anticipation for next season's crops.

March Is Workplace Eye Wellness Month

Prevent Blindness has made March Workplace Eye Wellness Month to highlight the importance of prioritizing vision protection at the workplace. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports there were 15,730 eye injuries involving days away from work in 2020.  

Proper eye protection is critical to help prevent significant eye injuries at work. Examples of personal protective equipment (PPE) include safety glasses with side shields for workers in areas with particles, flying objects or dust, as well as a variety of specialized equipment for workers near hazardous radiation. Learn more at the Prevention Blindness website. Additional Prevention Blindness resources include:

• Healthy Eyes Vision Wellness Program to promote vision care services at work
• Eye Safety Fact Sheets 
• Digital Devices and Your Eyes 
• Healthy Eyes Educational Series 
• Focus On Eye Health Expert Series

Additionally, the American Optometric Association and its Wisconsin affiliate offer eye safety resources including:

• Patients & Public
• Glossary of Eye and Vision Conditions
• Wisconsin Optometric Association website
• Computer Vision Syndrome

March Safety, Health & Wellness Campaign Roundup

March offers a host of additional public or industry-led safety, health, and wellness campaigns. Visit the following organizations' websites for each's pertinent details of interest:

• March 3: National  Employee Appreciation Day
• March 5-11: Women in Construction Week
• March 6-11 Wisconsin Flood Safety Awareness Week
• March 12-18: Patient-Worker Safety Awareness Week
• March 19-25: National Poison Prevention Week
• March 20-26: National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week
• Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month
• Brain Injury Awareness Month
• National Nutrition Month

A Look Ahead

The changing season ushers in potential tornados and severe weather events during April. Wisconsin's annual Tornado and Severe Weather Awareness Week/Month is April 17-21, 2023. The annual Statewide Tornado-Severe Thunderstorms and Lighting community sirens emergency action plans (EAP) drills are tentatively set for 1:45 p.m. and 6:45 p.m. Thursday, Apr. 20. April also is Distracted Driving and Work Zone Safety month as we move toward the summer road construction season. More to follow as we approach April.

About Dave Leix, CSP, Safety Corner's Editor

Dave Leix is a Certified Safety Professional (CSP) and Safety & Risk Manager for the State of Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD) – Worker's Compensation Division. Dave brings over 40 years of professional safety and health (EHS) consulting and managerial experience to a wide variety of customers and clients. Read more about Dave on the DWD website.