- Is your alarm system designed based on the level and type of hazards present at the site? Is it monitored and updated as needed?
- Does your alarm system include compliance with ADA and needs for visual as well as audible alarms? Are supervisors aware of those on site who are hearing-impaired?
- Are all employees advised as to what the sounds mean? What about visitors and contractors?
- Are employees advised as to actions needed to respond to the alarm, such as evacuation, special PPE, sheltering in place, safe locations for workplace violence situations, etc.?
- Is each sound specific to the hazard and do employees understand how to get additional information if needed?
- Are employees who wear hearing protection still able to hear the warning sounds? Is an alternative, such as having a watch person in place, available in the event there are problems?
- Are employees aware of potential for disciplinary action for disabling alarms that are required, such as a forklift’s back-up alarm or turning down the intercom system?
- Ensure that warning alarms are in working order or that a back-up system is available.
- Make sure that training is repeated often. Employees that are not familiar with the sounds may become confused and wait to hear further instructions or may simply ignore the alarm and do nothing.
Many workplaces have situations where employees must respond in a certain way when they hear a certain sound. In a world where we frequently hear bells, buzzers, beeps and other tones, the message may get lost or ignored. The following checklist, based on the article The Sounds of Safety by Linda Sherrard, is a reminder to ensure that our alarm system is appropriate for our needs and that employees understand the message being sent.
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At IAMU, we understand that meeting regulatory reporting requirements is important but can be overwhelming at times. IAMU is committed to helping our members with regulatory reporting requirements. We are working with the professionals at Consortia Consulting who can provide their expert services to assist you in completing your necessary reports.
For more information on the regulatory reporting services, contact Krista Allen at Consortia. You may reach her at eefiling@iamu.org or by phone at 402.441.1684. For more on regulatory reporting requirements and deadlines, check out the IAMU website, which includes calendars that show month-by-month the required state and federal reports due that month. The calendars show:
For the gas calendar, click here. For the electric calendar, click here. Save the Date!
Two Hands-on Pumps & Mechanical Maintenance Workshops presented by Larry Trout will be held in Ankeny on February 22nd. Register online at IAMU’s website here. Space is limited to the first 20 registrations at each location. The registration fee is $115/person (members), $160/person (non-members). Lunch will be provided. For more information, contact Steve Marsh at 800-810-4268 or smarsh@iamu.org. The deadline for earning Continuing Education Units (CEUs) for water treatment, water distribution and/or wastewater license renewal is March 31, 2017.
What’s more:
Remember: Only 20% of the required CEUs can be earned in safety.
Safety CEU courses are denoted in red when reviewing your CEUs on IDNR’s Operator Certification Database and can be accessed on the agency’s website. If you are unsure whether future courses you plan to attend meet your CEU requirements are safety courses, please check with the course provider or Laurie Sharp at laurie.sharp@dnr.iowa.gov or 515-725-0284. IAMU Non-Safety CEU Workshops
For more information or questions, please email Jill Soenen at jsoenen@iamu.org or call 515-289-1999. In December we sent a Tool Box Talk entitled Labor Law Posters in which we encouraged you to update your posters by ordering them directly free of charge through the Iowa Division of Labor website.
We were given misinformation. In subsequent communications, it came to our attention that due to budgetary concerns the Iowa Division of Labor had temporarily discontinued their practice of sending the posters through the mail. In addition, they are unable to fulfill outstanding orders. Printing of an updated All-in-One poster has been stalled due to an injunction on the Overtime Rule. No indication was made as to how soon this situation might be resolved. Information regarding the litigation on the Overtime Rule is available at this link: https://www.dol.gov/whd/overtime/final2016/litigation.htm. We have been given no approximation as to when the updated posters will be available, but it is doubtful they will be mailed once printed. Going forward, however, individual posters are available (pdf format) for printing on their website using this link: https://www.iowaworkforcedevelopment.gov/required-employer-posters. We apologize for any inconvenience you may have incurred while trying to secure these posters. Registration is now open for the 2017 Gas Pipeline Welder Qualification Workshop.
Designed for beginning and advanced welding, these workshops are for gas distribution system welders who work for municipal utilities or welding contractors. Included will be the opportunity to perform one or more of the pipeline welding procedures in the IAMU procedures manual. Instructions on current welding techniques will be given throughout both sessions. For more information, and to register, please click here. |
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