Employee Training...What New Hires Need to Know
This article is based on a panel discussion featuring Gary Kearn, loss control manager for The Scoular Co., Salina, KS (785-823-6301/www.scoular. com), and Brandon Dills, safety director at Co-Mark Inc., Cheney, KS (316-542-3435).
They spoke in August at a Safety and Regulatory Workshop sponsored by the Kansas Grain and Feed Association in Salina.
OSHA requires certain minimum levels of training before new employees start work. And beyond the OSHA requirements, there are peculiarities to working in a grain elevator in general and at your specific elevator in particular that they�ll have to learn.
New employee training takes place on three levels:
1. General safety rules and procedures for the facility.
2. Specific procedures for working in grain elevators � for example, what to do in the event of a choked leg.
3. Training on special procedures a specific employee might be expected to perform such as confined space entry.
Required Topics
Certain topics must be covered in new employee orientation, regardless of the workplace or whether or not it�s a grain elevator or feed mill. Here�s a list:
� The location of the OSHA 3165 poster, which is required to hang in the workplace and covers general rules regarding job safety and health protection.
� How and when to report occupational injuries and illnesses.
� OSHA Form 200 (changing to Form 300 next year), which contains a log of the previous year�s occupational injuries and illnesses and must be posted during the month of February.
� An initial safety orientation on the company�s rules and procedures, including disciplinary actions that result from not following those rules.
� A job safety analysis for the particular job that the new employee will perform.
� The facility�s emergency action and fire prevention plans, including the new employee�s responsibilities in the event of an emergency.
� An assessment of potential hazards present in the employee�s work area.
� What personal protective equipment (PPE) is required under which situations.
� OSHA�s respiratory protection program and the employee�s rights and responsibilities.
� Rules for confined space entry.
� The facility�s lockout/tagout plan.
� How to contact medical services when necessary and basic first aid for injured workers.
� Portable fire extinguishers � where they are located and how to use them, if the employee is authorized.
� The safe operation of powered industrial trucks (fork lifts), if the employee will be required to use one.
� Electrical safety � the basics, if the employee won�t be doing electrical maintenance and repair, and more specific procedures for employees who will be working with the electrical systems.
� The company�s policy on access to employee exposure and medical records.
� The facility�s hazard communications program and how it works, including the location of Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDSs).
� Rules regarding various walking and working surfaces.
� Rules with regard to machine guarding and keeping it in place.
� Rules covering the use and storage of hand-powered tools.
� Rules with regard to welding, cutting, and brazing.
� If present on the property, rules for safe handling and storage of anhydrous ammonia and other chemicals.
In-Depth Topics
Once the basics are covered, it�s time for in-depth training covering procedures specific to grain elevators and feed mills.
� The company�s general rules � these set the tone for what you expect from employees, clarifies each employee�s personal responsibilities, and clearly states the consequences of not following the rules.
� Emergency procedures � what the employee must do in the event of various types of emergencies, the location of exits and the emergency meeting location for employees, the location of the written emergency action plan, and how to use the alarm systems.
� Fire prevention � what are the hazards? Stress the importance of preventive maintenance and dust-related housekeeping.
� Occupational noise � how to know your level of exposure to ear-damaging noise, the use of proper PPE, and how your �hearing conservation program� works.
� Process safety management for any hazardous chemicals that may be handled on the property.
� Personal protective equipment � what is required depends on what hazards are present. New employees should try out PPE and select what works best for them, in keeping with OSHA requirements for equipment protecting eyes, hearing, lungs, head, hands, and feet.
� Permit-required confined spaces � how to recognize them, how to fill out entry permits, and how and when to reclassify a confined space.
� The control of hazardous energy � lockout/tagout procedures, who may work on the electrical system, who is affected by these rules, and control procedures for electrical equipment.
� Medical services � how and when to report emergencies and first aid for various situations and locations around the facility. This is a good area for some hands-on practice.
� Portable fire extinguishers � how to use them properly, and when to recognize when an early-stage fire can be handled by employees and when the fire department needs to be called in.
� Powered industrial trucks � extensive safety training is required for employees who use fork lifts and/or front-end loaders, and employee knowledge must be reviewed and tested annually. Basic safety rules should be stressed for employees who must work around powered industrial trucks, as well.
� Bloodborne pathogens � this isn�t normally a concern for elevator and feed mill workers, unless an injury causes exposure to bodily fluids. Some training should be provided on safe cleanup procedures in the event of an injury.
� The Hazard Communications program � what is found on an MSDS and where it is located, rules governing the labeling of containers of hazardous materials.
� Walking and working surfaces � the importance of keeping them clean and orderly and keeping exits clear of obstructions.
� The importance of machine guarding, stressing that guarding must always be in place for operating machines.
� The use of hand-held power tools � the importance of never bypassing safety devices. Even if employees bring in their own tools, you are responsible for the safety of those tools and how they use them.
� Welding, cutting, and brazing � potential hazards, acceptable conditions for performing these jobs, what PPE is required, and how to fill out and file a hot work permit form.
� OSHA Worker Protection Standard � certification training for the use and handling of restricted use pesticides, essential for any employee involved in custom application or fumigation.
� Bin entry � perhaps one of the most critical issues for the grain industry in terms of preventing fatalities on the job.
Grain Handling Standard
Employees working in grain handling facilities need to have a thorough understanding of the contents of OSHA�s Grain Handling Standard.
The standard covers such areas as hot work permits, bin entry, the obligations of contractor employees to obey facility rules, housekeeping and dust accumulation, preventive maintenance, emergency action plan, emergency escape, and safe use of grain stream processing equipment, including legs and dryers.
A variety of safety training resources are available through trade organizations such as the Grain Elevator and Processing Society (GEAPS/612-339-4625/www. geaps.org) and the National Grain and Feed Association (NGFA/202-289-0873/www.ngfa.org).
Other sources of training materials include some state associations such as Kansas Grain and Feed Association (KGFA/785-234-0461/www.kgfa-kcfa.org), OSHA�s on-line web site (www.osha.gov), and your insurance company.
Written by Ed Zdrojewski, editor
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