This month we had TWO winners for our April Good Catch.
Our employee Anne walked outside of an industrial plant and started down a set of stairs when she realized that she had stepped in some sort of “sludge”. Not knowing what it was, she grabbed the handrail (to prevent slipping/falling) and removed herself from the area. She then wiped her feet off in grass to remove the residue and started asking questions to determine what the substance was. After finding out the sludge was a caustic/acidic spill, she immediately notified the plant EHS team and avoided the area. She later noticed that it ate some of the tread off her boots! Thank GOD she didn’t slip or fall in this spill!
Our employee Emily was evaluating a lab task for ergonomic concerns, but in the middle of the evaluation she noticed that mouse urine and feces were dropping down from the elevated shelf, which could have landed on the employee. Mouse droppings and urine can expose people to a potentially life-threatening disease called “Hantavirus” and also cause allergic reactions, so exposure must be taken seriously! Emily engaged an industrial hygienist to help evaluate this exposure, in addition to the ergonomic concerns, so both risks can be mitigated.
