Safety Committee Meeting Minutes for December 2, 2008

Safety Committee  Minutes 

Date: 12/2/08 

Attending:  Kay Bauman, Ann Aliotta, Denise Courts, Patrick Williams, Janet Brooks, Candace McDaniel 

Guest:  Karen Bays 

Agenda: 

I. Review of Department of Labor Inspection at Edmond 

Discussion: 

On October 30, 2008, the Edmond library experienced a safety and health inspection by the Department of Labor that resulted in a citation.  No imminent hazards were found.   

The inspector met with Karen Bays on the 30th for several hours and toured that facility.  Following that meeting, the inspector met with Kellie Hoffman and Denise Courts at Downtown for another four hours reviewing the safety manual, training records and worker’s comp reports. 

Karen Bays and Denise Courts reviewed their discussions with the inspector.  The majority of the deficiencies found were administrative and require a review of the safety manual by the committee.   

As a result of the inspection and suggestions by the Department of Labor, we will add annual training for all employees for hazard communication.   

It was also suggested that we add training for all employees for fire extinguisher use.  This training is mandatory only if MLS requires employees to use fire extinguishers.  After discussion, the committee decided that we should add the training topic to the new hire training requirements, but the system does not require any employee to use a fire extinguisher if they do not feel competent doing so. 

We also talked about the Emergency Operating Procedure.  Currently, the procedure is written to be generic in nature and covers procedures for catastrophic incidents.  Each library location should have emergency plans for their facility to include evacuation routes and procedures as well emergency reporting.   

The Lockout/Tagout program requires some revision to include specific equipment covered under the plan.  Patrick will work on the needed documentation. 

A few days following the DOL inspection, we had a visit from CompSource (the carrier of MLS worker’s compensation insurance).  This was a routine annual visit and review of our safety procedures.  For the reporting year 10/2007 – 10/2008, the system had (9) reportable injuries.  

The Department of Labor typically uses the injury report as a flag for inspections.  Any facility with a high percentage of employee injuries could be targeted for inspection at any time. 

The CompSource evaluation shows the majority of our reportable injuries are a result of the employee’s failure to be aware of their surroundings and take appropriate care while performing their tasks.  It was recommended that all employees receive training on personable responsibility and safety awareness.   

Our response to the DOL inspection is due by 1/16/09.  The committee will meet again in January to review our progress. 

Meeting adjourned:  11:30AM   Next Meeting: 1/13/09  10:00AM