LOSS CONTROL & COMPLIANCE MANAGER

The season for most of us is finished - others are still “fighting” it! The majority are thinking only about vacations - and when those are over it is back to work to repair and get everything in shape for another year. We, here at CHAPP, are already getting ready for next year and thought we would send our thanks for a good past season and give you some “food for thought” for the ever “shortening” summer.......

Heat and humidity is wicked this time of year! As the heat index rises with the long, hot days of summer, please remind your supervisors to monitor all workers and make sure that adequate water is available for drinking. One CHAPP employer last season found out the dangers of the heat as they suffered the tragedy of losing a worker to heat prostration. We have hand-outs here at CHAPP in English and Spanish that describe symptoms and treatment of the different levels of heat illness - please call our office if you would like copies for your employees.

Now that school is out child labor issues start to surface! Please remember that Florida’s child labor law is tougher than Federal law so the state standards are what we have to follow when employing minors (anyone under 18 - with some exceptions.) Two important issues are proof of age (which must be maintained at the job site) and different age groups have type-of-work and hours-of-work restrictions. The Florida Department of Labor has information on their web site that should answer any questions http://www2.myflorida.com/les/compliance/childlabor/default.html or you can contact our office to discuss your concerns!

At this time of year farm tractor work is in full swing! Please remember that OSHA has a training requirement for new farm tractor (and field-use fork lift trucks) drivers before using the equipment and an annual training requirement for all employees who drive farm tractors. This training should be documented in the employee’s file and maintained in case of a tractor related accident. We have several training handouts available (in both English and Spanish) and our staff would be happy to assist you in setting up a program - please contact our office to discuss your needs! (ref. 29 CFR 1928.51 and 29 CFR 1928 Subpart C Appendix A)

With summer comes our daily thunderstorms and lightning! Lightning strikes kill 75 - 100 people annually in the United States and we are lucky enough to live and work in Florida - the lightning “capitol”! Please make sure your employees are aware of the dangers of lightning and your supervisors monitor the weather daily to plan their activities. This time of year thunderstorms are a daily occurrence - and a safety hazard to field workers. Training hand-outs are available here at CHAPP to help your employees with lightning awareness!

Coming in September is the annual Florida Agricultural Seminar on September 19th and 20th in Orlando. We should have registration forms in early August - please call if you would like one!

We would appreciate any ideas for topics, comments on our information, and any questions you may have! Please call us at (800)242-7898 or e-mail us at wes@chappinc.com . Remember: working safely pays dividends!