Employee Safety Committee Minutes Sept. 21, 2004

Employee Safety Committee Meeting

Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2004 @ Faculty House

Attending: George Aitken, Cheryl Brewer, Bob Briggs, Kim Brown, Cosmo Catalano, Adriana Cozzolino, Judy Kocsis, Kris Maloney, Pete Mazzacco, Joe Moran, Norm Parker

Absent: Janet Bartlett, Michael Chapman, Gary Lohnes, Michelle Migdal, Dennis Richard, Judi Willette

Old Business:

CPR course offering: Bob reported he has scheduled courses for the evenings of Nov 3 and 10 from 6-10 PM. It was decided that because the Wellness Fair is Nov 10 and that it might be a good venue through which to generate interest in the CPR course, Bob would try to change the Nov 10 class to Nov 17.
Sit Safe, etc. programs: Cosmo will contact Dr. May regarding his availability this fall.
Expiration of terms: Kim Brown will be the new Chair of the Committee.
Wooden steps at 63 Park: Joe reported that stairs at the mailroom and at the AMT classroom are getting friction strips applied and that a new epoxy paint with non-skid properties will be tried at other locations.

New Business:
Accident Reports submitted to the committee this month:

An employee suffered a bruised foot when a menu board fell on it. Follow up: true accident.
An employee suffered a cut right hand while dislodging a container from a dishwasher. Follow-up: true accident.
An employee suffered a strained elbow lifting a tool bag. Follow up: lighten the load.
An employee suffered a cut finger while cleaning a slicer. Follow-up: employee¹s first day of work, improperly trained.
An employee suffered a cut thumb while changing a light bulb. Follow up: true accident.
An employee suffered a strained back while moving furniture. Follow up: review procedures.
An employee suffered a cut finger on the trailer door of the mailroom. Follow up: true accident, however a new door stop is being installed.
An employee suffered a strained knee carrying a table up some stairs. Follow up: true accident.
An employee suffered a cut finger on a mirror on a door in a dorm. Follow up: the mirror has been removed.
An employee suffered a hurt foot while removing books from a shelf when the shelf unit fell. Follow up: true accident.
An employee suffered a foot injury from a dropped chemical containment unit. Follow up: true accident.
An employee was injured while running up a stairway to check a mousetrap. Follow up: walk.

Additional New Business:

Kris reported that the fall walking challenge will take place from Oct 8-Nov 5. Participants will be required to take the Blue Cross-Blue Shield Personal Health Assessment (for which one receives a $15 gift certificate). It is hoped that the results of the Personal Health Assessments will give the college some statistical indicators of common health problems that could be addressed.
Joe reported that there had been problems with the Dodd air handler which are being addressed with new belts and a soft start feature that should lengthen the belt life.
Joe asked Pete if there had been any concerns at Security since the closing of the Health Center. Pete replied that so far there had been none, but it was early in the semester.
Kim asked if there were guidelines regarding employees transporting another ill employee home or to the hospital. Joe responded that generally speaking, anything more than a cut warrants a call to 911.
Cheryl commented that since it was the start of a new academic year, it would be appropriate for committee members to remind their departments (and inform new employees) about our existence. There will be a campus-wide informational mailing about the Committee, Joe and Bob will handle the shops and Cosmo will do an informational email to the faculty.

Dining Services Safety Committee:

Jody reported that there had been concerns expressed regarding winter plowing for early deliveries at Driscoll. Joe responded that Marty should verify plowing times with Dave Fitzgerald.
Jody reported there were concerns about crowding particularly at Greylock because of the extra staffing made up from former Baxter employees. He said he was asking for more precise concerns for his next meeting. Joe cautioned it was important to separate mere complaints of inconvenience from true safety concerns.
Jody reported that Bob and Mark want to put together a procedure/safety book for all Dining Services units. Joe expressed concern both that Dining Services needs to review College procedures with new employees, and that the new Dining Services manual did not conflict with and in fact would incorporate College procedures.

Next meeting: Tuesday, Oct. 19, noon at the Faculty House.

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