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Maintaining a clean, organized, and safe environment is the first and the most important step in preventing falls due to slips and trips.
This includes:
- Cleaning all spills immediately
- Marking spills and wet areas
- Mopping or sweeping debris from the floor
- Removing obstacles and always keeping walkways free of clutter
- Securing (tacking, taping, etc.) mats, rugs and carpets that do not lay flat
- Always closing file cabinet or storage drawers
- Covering cables that may cross through a walkway
- Keeping working areas and walkways well lit
- Replacing used light bulbs and faulty switches
Learning How to Fall
- Tuck in your chin, turn your head to the side, and throw an arm up. It is better to land on your arm than on your head
- While falling, twist or roll your body to the side. It is better to land on your buttocks and side than on your back
- Keep your wrists, elbows and knees bent. Do not try to break the fall with your hands or elbows. When falling, the objective is to have as many square inches of your body contact the surface as possible, thus, spreading out the impact of the fall
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Distractions can come in several forms:
Manual distractions- hands come off the wheel while holding or typing on a device
Visual distractions- eyes come off the road
Cognitive distractions - mind wanders off while operating a vehicle
- Cellular phone use of any type leads to a significant increase driver response time
- The more intense and complex the conversation, the greater likelihood that the operator will overlook traffic conditions and put him or herself in a dangerous situation
- Familiarity and experience with using a cell phone bears no relation to the distracting effects described above
- The use of headsets have shown not to impact these safety issues A study published by the National Safety Council has shown that driver distraction is the same with either a hand-held or hands-free phone
Strategy to manage texting
- We are wired to immediately respond to alerts from our phones – It is important to avoid this temptation at all costs
- Both the iPhone and Android have Do Not Disturb settings which allow the user to eliminate text messages without blocking all calls
- It is not OK to text when your vehicle is stopped at a traffic light
Strategy to reduce the risk of distraction from mobile phone calls
- Avoid all calls during high-risk driving activities (poor weather, city traffic, less familiar routes)
- Save important or potentially stressful conversations for non-driving situations
- Plan calls and time for calls outside of normal driving hours
- Use iPhone / Android settings to whitelist calle
- Let people know that you will check messages at certain times during the day (when you are not driving)
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At Manhattan Beer Distributors, safe driving is of paramount importance to us. Whether you are driving in a Commercial vehicle or in your personal car, safe driving habits should always be applied:
- Maintain a minimum distance of 3 seconds between yourself and vehicles in front of you (6 seconds in bad weather)
- Never use electronic devices while driving, as they are a distraction. Never take your eyes off the road
- Scan the road frequently
- Look out for the “other guy”…..drive defensively!
- Avoid being in someone’s blind spot
- Check mirrors and your speed frequently…speed limits are established for road design and potential weather conditions
- Avoid school zones whenever possible; obey speed limit, right of way to buses, pedestrians, and children
- Signal your intended move at least 100 feet before turning or changing lanes
- Yield immediately for Emergency vehicles by pulling safely over to the right side of the road
- Leave a few feet between yourself and stopped vehicles-make sure their rear tires on the pavement are visible
- Count at least 3 seconds before accelerating from a stopped position as traffic begins to move
- Always use caution before entering intersections where a STOP sign or red light are not present
- Establish eye contact with pedestrians to make them aware of your presence
- Establish eye contact with all drivers in multiple STOP intersections before proceeding…give the right of way, away
- Perform circle of safety test each time you return to your vehicle and before pulling from parked position
- Park with enough room in front of the vehicle so you can pull straight out of a parked position….avoid backing as much as possible
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GIVE FORKLIFT SAFETY A BOOST
Follow these forklift safety guidelines. The life that’s saved may be your own.
- Never exceed the recommended load limit and always wear a seatbelt
- Always perform a visual and operational check before use
- Know the vehicle’s blind spots
- Stay alert for any obstructions in your path
- Keep pedestrians and workers away while operating the forklift
- Use back-up alarms, warning lights and mirro
- If someone crosses your path, stop, lower the load and wait until the person is gone before driving
- Never block a fire exit or stairway with the forklift
- Inform your supervisor immediately if you encounter any problems or issues with the vehicle
- Stay in the forklift in the event it overturns – don’t jump off
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Overexertion may be thought of as the feeling after a hard workout. Actually, overexertion is a major cause of the inflammation of joints and ligaments that results from excessive physical effort. Lifting, pulling, pushing, turning, holding, carrying, wielding, and throwing represent the potential causes of non-impact injuries due to overexertion.
At Manhattan Beer Distributors, we train and encourage our employees to protect themselves from overexertion by practicing these basics:
- Stretch and warm up before lifting
- Never bend or twist the back when lifting
- Never lift with arms extended
- Make sure your footing is solid
- Lift with your legs, not your back
- Limit the amount of weight you carry
- Get help to carry heavy, bulky or large loads
- Allow enough space to work in a neutral position
- Take short rests in between strenuous activities
- At work, report any discomfort or injury experienced when working
- Stretching at the beginning of the day helps to prevent injuries. Your warm up will let you ease comfortably into the workday, whether at work or at home
- Keeping in shape builds muscle strength and supports better posture that helps prevent back strain and pain
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It Never Hurts to LIFT RIGHT
Lifting objects the right way can save a lifetime of hurt. Keep these 8 safe lifting tips in mind the next time you need to pick up something heavy:
- Make sure you have a good grip before lifting
- Keep the item close to your body
- Ensure your feet are close to the load
- Stand in a stable position
- Have handling aids around in case they’re needed
- Don’t twist your back or bend in a sideways direction
- Lift with your legs – not your back
- Avoid lifting or lowering from an awkward position
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Handling Kegs
- A full keg weighs 160 lbs.
- Kegs should be tilted or rolled out of the truck onto a pad to catch them
- Only 1 keg should be put on a handcart at a time – especially when going down steps
- Handle kegs in a slow, careful manner
Handling Cases
- Cases should not be stacked over the handcart support bar
- Over-stacking of cases makes the handcart difficult to control
- Avoid twisting when stacking cases at a customer’s site
- Move your feet instead of twisting your back
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Heat stress from exertion or hot environments places workers at risk for illnesses such as heat stroke, heat exhaustion, or heat cramps.
Protect Yourself
Avoid heavy exertion, extreme heat, sun exposure, and high humidity when possible. When these cannot be avoided, take the following preventative steps:
- Monitor your physical condition and that of your coworkers for signs or symptoms of heat illnesses
- Wear light-colored, loose-fitting, breathable clothing such as cotton
- Avoid non-breathable synthetic clothing
- Gradually build up to heavy work
- Schedule heavy work during the coolest parts of day
- Take more breaks when doing heavier work, and in high heat and humidity
- Take breaks in the shade or a cool area
- Drink water frequently. Drink enough water that you never become thirsty
- Be aware that protective clothing or personal protective equipment may increase the risk of heat-related illnesses
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PPE is used to reduce or minimize the exposure or contact to injurious physical, chemical, ergonomic, or biological agents. A hazard cannot be eliminated by PPE, but the risk of injury can be reduced. For example, wearing hearing protection reduces the likelihood of hearing damage when the ear plugs or muffs are appropriate for the kind of noise exposure and they are used properly. However, hearing protection does not eliminate the noise.
At Manhattan Beer Distributors, the safety of our employees is our number one priority. In the United States, nearly two million disabling work-related injuries occur every year, with over 25% of them involving the head, eyes, hands, and feet. Our goal at Manhattan Beer Distributors is to avoid these work-related injuries by providing our employees with the personal protective equipment their jobs require and training them on the safe use and maintenance of that equipment.
Manhattan Beer Distributors provides all employees with personal protective equipment for eyes, face, head, hands, feet, and full body, including protective eyewear, hard hats, respiratory devices, gloves, safety vests and safety footwear. Besides training our employees in the use of this equipment, we coach and counsel the employee on how to adjust the personal protective equipment so that it fits comfortably while still providing the required protection.
Our goal is to get each employee home safely to their families at the end of each day. Personal Protective Equipment plays a huge part in accomplishing that goal
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How to Prevent Objects from Falling?
- All elevated objects and tools need to be secured, tied down or put away from the edges.
- Ensuring safe ways of raising and lowering objects
- Arresting the fall by providing safety nets, covering pedestrian walks and providing overhead protection
How to Protect People around You
- Keeping everything away from edges
- Securing tools and product and fixating them
- Keeping the work area clean and tidy
- Good housekeeping, keep tools and other materials away from edges, railings, and other elevated surfaces. Always stack product on flat surfaces and secure them, if necessary, to avoid movement
- When working, be aware of your surroundings and watch that you don’t inadvertently knock or hit something off the level you are working on down to the level below
- Proper product stacking to prevent tipping, store objects and equipment at least six feet away from an edge
If you are moving product from one place to another, make sure that you take care of the following:
- Secure and balance product before lifting it
- Take into account the weight and the external factors like wind
- Make sure that the equipment that you use is fully operational
- Establish a ‘no-go’ zone while you move the objects
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Our work requires us to push and pull carts, wheeled equipment and other objects. Recognize the risks related to pushing and pulling and understand how to minimize your risk of injury.
Push rather than pull
Whenever possible, push a load instead of pulling it:
- Pushing utilizes your strong leg muscles, instead of your weaker arm muscles
- If you pull a cart it can run over your feet
- If you pull a load while facing the direction of travel, your arm is stretched behind your body, placing your shoulder and back in an awkward position
- If you pull a load while walking backwards you’re more likely to slip or trip and fall
Use good techniques
Good techniques reduce the risk of injury.
- Plan your path of travel. Make sure it is free of obstructions, slippery surfaces, etc.
- Keep your elbows in as close to your body as possible and forearms at elbow height
- Initiate the push smoothly using your strong leg muscles, not your arms and shoulders
- Always try to push “straight on” to the load
- Avoid leaning too far forward when pushing
- Avoid moving too fast. Pace yourself
Handles and push-point heights
- Handles and other push points should be at a comfortable height for you to avoid bending over or reaching too high
- Consider if handles can be modified to better suit your needs
- For pushing, the handle should be located between your elbow and hip. For pulling, the handle should be located between your hip and knee
Other considerations
- Make sure the load is stable. Do not try to catch a falling load
- For an object not on wheels, consider safely rotating the object back and forth in a forward direction, instead of pushing it
- Minimize the distance the loads need to be moved
- Reduce the size and weight of loads, when possible
- Notify your supervisor if equipment maintenance is required
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Safety Signs are designed to provide information in regards to specific hazards that could harm employees or the public, or to property damage. Manhattan Beer Distributors provides employees with the safety sign training to ensure that they recognize and use caution around potentially dangerous circumstances or areas
Safety signs are separated by two specific categories, Danger and Caution.
Danger signs, all employees are instructed that danger signs indicate immediate danger and that special precautions are necessary. Danger signs will always be in the colors of red, black, and white.
Caution signs, are used only to warn against potential hazards or to caution against unsafe practices. Caution signs have yellow backgrounds with black letters.
Safety Instruction signs are used where there is a need for general instructions and suggestions relative to safety measures. All of our signs are furnished with rounded or blunt corners and are free of sharp edges, burrs, splinters, or other sharp projections. All shall be affixed so that there are no heads of bolts or other fastening devices that could constitute a hazard. Safety Instruction signs shall be green with white letters.
Our signs are all worded in a way that makes them easy to read and concise. We aim to ensure that our signs contain sufficient information regarding the hazard and are easily understood. We also make sure our sign messages are positive rather than negative in their suggestion of a potential danger or caution. All signs conform to standard size and verbiage to ensure that all of our employees are clear as to what the nature of the safety issue is in the area.
Keeping our employees safe is our top priority at Manhattan Beer Distributors, and proper signage is a key part of our safety culture.
