Document gEydkGXqN703z07VNDJQ1dBye

SAFJSTT COMMITTEES Unsafe conditions and practices The conditions responsible for most acci dents are readily apparent and may be de tected and corrected by application of common sense and knowledge of the opera tions and equipment involved The ma jority of accidents anse from lack of guards, defective electrical equipment, and hazardous stairs and platforms These cir cumstances are readily apparent Bnd con trollable through organized effort In addition to the physical hazards of the plant, the inspection committee should be on the watch for such unsafe practices as 1 Operation of machines at unsafe speeds 2 Removal or nullification of machine guards 3 Use of defective took or equipment or makeshift tools, failure to secure needed tools 4 Overloading, overcrowding, bad storage or handling 5 Working under suspended loads, near open hatches, riding loads, creating plant traffic hazards 8 Repairing or adjusting equipment in motion, under pressure, electrically charged, or containing dangerous mate rials 7 Failure to use, or use of inadequate, badly adapted, or wrongly chosen, per sonal protective equipment or safety de vices 8 Poor housekeeping and failure to remedy unsanitary or unhealthful conditions 9 Horseplay Paper work for the inspection committee should be cut to a minimum Check lists are useful for helping the inspection com mittee to cover details, but since check lists cannot be all-inclusive, they should not be relied upon entirely in general inspections The inspection committee can also de velop report forms to simplify the problem of summarizing findings at the end of a tour When these findings have been thor oughly discussed with the safety director, recommendations can then be made with the understanding that the safety director or his assistants will follow through to a decision (Fig 3-8) No attempt is made here to specify the frequency of inspections, the equipment needed for certain kinds, or the exact form and manner for securing the best results. Such problems are properly the business of the individual plant and of the committee members themselves An inspection com mittee which develops a program immedi ately applicable to its own plant will have a better program and will be more interested in it than one which attempts to use a ready-made setup Safety Committees in Municipal Governments Safety programs in municipal govern ment are often earned out through a gen eral or central safety committee Such a committee is usually composed of depart ment heads and supervisors ' To carry out the work of a general com mittee of this type, small special subcom mittees are formed, such as an eye protec tion committee, an attendance committee, and a rules committee The function of these subcommittees is to create interest in and carry out the vanous phases of the safety program For example, the eye pro tection committee may specify when eye protection is to be worn and put on drives when there is a letdown in the weanng of eye protection They can make recommenda tions for those who need prescription glasses Promoting Safety Committee Activity The ultimate success of any safety pro gram. be it on the broad company basis or on the more restricted committee level, is controlled in great measure by two impor tant factors first, mamtaming interest and, second, giving recognition to employees who render a service to safety Maintaining interest There are many ways of maintaining in terest among safety committeemen To be gin with, the men selected to serve on the committee must have the interest of the safety work at heart Then, to maintain that interest requires constant effort on the part of the chairman, the safety engineer, and the general safety committee or the central organization Members of safety committees should be given something to do other than mere reporting of unsafe con ditions and practices They should be given a more active part m the work and made to feel that the success of the committee depends upon the individual support of each 3-13