Employee Safety Committee Meeting
Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2005 @ Faculty House
Attending: George Aitken, Janet Bartlett, Cheryl Brewer, Bob Briggs, Kim Brown, Cosmo Catalano, Adriana Cozzolino, Judy Kocsis, Gary Lohnes, Joe Moran, Dennis Richard
Absent: Michael Chapman, Kris Maloney, Pete Mazzacco, Michelle Migdal, Norm Parker, Judi Willette
Old Business:
- Employee exposure to chemical hazards at sciences: Joe reported that Anne Skinner is out of town and he will meet with her when she returns.
- Congestion on Lab Campus Drive: Joe remarked that there is probably no good solution to the problem. Most of the parked vehicles are either B&G or contractor service vehicles and there is no other place for them to park.
- First aid kits: pending.
- Stetson Court and Park Street parking: Joe and Kim will send a letter to the town regarding various concerns expressed to the Committee such as parking too close to crosswalks, etc.
New Business:
Incident Reports submitted to the committee this month:
- A B&G electrician pulled a shoulder muscle reaching around objects to drill into the ceiling. Follow-up: operator error: should have moved objects out of the way.
- A custodian suffered a strained right elbow from chopping ice for two hours. Follow-up: Employee was cautioned to take more frequent breaks.
- A Dining Services employee suffered a cut thumb while cutting veggies. Follow-up: improper positioning of hand while cutting.
- A custodian slipped and fell down a set of stairs. Follow-up: true accident due to weather conditions.
- An OIT technician suffered a through-and-through hand cut while cutting zip ties with a knife. Follow-up: use of a different tool was recommended.
- A custodian suffered a lower back injury after slipping and falling on an ice patch on the walkway from Driscoll to the heating plant. It is a difficult walkway to maintain and it is under consideration to close it during the winter. Follow-up: true accident.
Additional New Business:
- Kim reported that she had received an email from Jesup regarding concerns with the safety issues of wireless computing. Joe remarked that the issue would be addressed by the Campus-Wide Safety Committee with input from Jesup.
- Joe reported there had been concerns over the stairs in Driscoll. Tom Mahar has taken pictures, sent them to Irene and response in pending.
- Joe reported that a section of the ice melting grid in the parking garage is not working. Barr and Barr is pursuing the issue. For now, using ice melt.
- Joe reported that the new sidewalk treatment seems to be working, though it is difficult to accurately assess. Moreover, we haven't experienced a wide variety of snow/ice conditions as yet this season. However, the decrease in sand tracked into the buildings is a noticeable improvement.
Dining Services Safety Committee:
- There was no report from Jodi.
Next meetings:
- Tuesday, February 15, noon, Faculty House
- Tuesday, March 22, noon, B&G
- Tuesday, April 19, noon, Faculty House
Return to Employee Safety Committee
