Getting on the Road? Get off the Phone!

As we wrap up National Safety Month and get ready for the July 4th holiday weekend, it is fitting to focus on the National Safety Council's (NSC's) fourth and final major safety topic for this month - cell phones and driving. The NSC cites that nearly one out of every four vehicle crashes involve cell phone use, and that 62% of drivers recognize that talking on a cell phone is a very serious threat to their personal safety, yet more than two out of every three drivers admit to talking on their cell phone while driving in the past month (according to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety Survey, 2010). Well, I think it is time we each take control of what is happening in our own vehicles. Here are some helpful tips as you head on that road trip this weekend:

If tempted to use your cell phone while driving:

• Change your voice mail to indicate that you are driving and will call back when safely parked
• Put your phone in your trunk or glove compartment
• Set your phone to silent
• If you need to contact someone, pull over to a safe location and place your vehicle in Park first

If you are a passenger and the driver wants to use their cell phone:

• Tell the driver you are uncomfortable with their cell phone use
• Offer to dial the number and relay a message

If you are speaking on the phone to someone who is driving:

• Tell the person you will call them back later
• Ask the person to call you when he or she is parked in a safe location

Have a safe and wonderful weekend!

Fall-Proof Tips to Prevent Slips & Trips

Falls are one of the leading causes of unintentional injuries in the U.S. and can be permanently debilitating, even fatal, to those ages 55 and older. Thankfully, slips, trips, and falls are also among the most preventable accidents. As a part of National Safety Month, the National Safety Council (NSC) is offering the following tips to ensure that you and your workers stay on solid ground this summer:

• Clean up all spills immediately and stay off freshly mopped floors
• Secure electrical and phone cords out of traffic areas
• Remove small throw rugs or use non-skid mats
• Wear shoes with good support and slip-resistant soles
• Arrange furniture to provide open walking pathways
• Install handrails on all staircases on both sides
• Ensure adequate lighting both indoors and out
  

Take the Wheel: On Teen Driving

Doesn't it seem like as soon as school lets out teens are suddenly everywhere-freed from their homework and extra-curricular activities? Well, not only are they at the local pools and malls, but they are also behind the wheel. Teen Driving is another one of the National Safety Council's (NSC's) core topics for National Safety Month. The organization cites that each day, there are more than 15 crashes involving drivers between the ages of 15 to 20, and adds that according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration two out of three people killed in crashes are people other than the teen driver, including their passengers, occupants of other vehicles, motorcyclists, bicyclists, and pedestrians. The NSC offers the following suggestions to parents and guardians of teens to help reduce their accident risk:

1. Set a Nighttime Driving Restriction (e.g. no driving past 10 p.m.)
2. Set a Passenger Restriction (e.g. no more than one other teen passenger)
3. Ban Mobile Phone Usage while Driving
4. Forbid Alcohol Consumption
5. Insist on Seat Belts for all Passengers

These five tips when enforced should go a long way to ensure that our teens stay safe not only this summer, but throughout the rest of the year.

Preventing Overexertion

One of the hot topics the National Safety Council (NSC) is focusing on as a part of National Safety Month is overexertion. The organization cites that overexertion is the third leading cause of unintentional injuries treated in emergency departments. The most common overexertion injuries are sprains and strains, most commonly of the lower back. Here are some simple prevention tips from the NSC that can help keep your workers from overdoing it on the job:

• Place objects as close to you as possible
• Always keep your body positioned square to your work (your toes should always point in the same direction as your nose)
• Limit the amount of weight you carry--once you are unable to maintain the posture outlined above, the load is too heavy for you
• Give yourself enough room to work in a neutral position
• Keep all tools in good working condition, since many overexertion injuries happen when people overcompensate for worn or broken tools
• Take frequent, short breaks to avoid repetitive stress injuries, which happen when muscles are not given proper time to recover

Of course, everyone should also keep these tips in mind when off the job, as well, since 'tis the season for do-it-yourself gardening, and mulching is a big culprit when it comes to overexertion!

June is National Safety Month

Can you believe it? School is out in a couple of short weeks, and with the summertime comes additional safety issues that come into play more prominently than during the rest of the year. So, it is fitting that June is National Safety Month. This month, Arbill is teaming up with the National Safety Council to bring you some timely information that will help keep your workers safe both on the job and away from work. Small reminders that heighten safety awareness can go a long way to keep employees focused and ultimately prevent injuries. Check back here in the coming weeks for info on the following topics: Preventing Overexertion, Teen Driving; Preventing Slips, Trips & Falls; and On the Road, Off the Phone.

Transportation Costs Amplify Market Conditions

While many people are getting ready to hit the road for the holiday weekend, it seems fitting to end my month of pricing blogs with an early post containing a word or two on transportation costs. For the past couple of weeks I have blogged about how commodity pricing and supply shortages have led Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) manufacturers to announce price increases. It seems that every year for the past few years around the unofficial start of the summer season Americans have grappled with rising prices at the pump. This year is no different, as skyrocketing fuel costs have affected everything from air freight to ground delivery to the point where some manufacturers have begun to levy fuel surcharges. At this time, these added fees have not directly affected the cost of Arbill's safety products. We will monitor the situation closely, as always, in an effort to continue to provide our customers with the highest quality and value across the whole spectrum of Arbill's safety solutions. Have a great holiday weekend and drive safely!

Leather & Nitrile Also Rising

Last week I blogged about cotton and latex, two key commodities used in Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) manufacturing. Leather and nitrile are two more commodities on which the safety industry relies, and the pricing of each is also on the rise. The short explanation for rising leather prices is a shortage of raw materials (hides). More specifically:

• Cattle populations in South America are down due to a drop in demand for the past two years during which farmers found it more profitable to raise crops versus cattle
• Although cattle herd production picked up when demand did late last year, current populations cannot support today's demand, and it will likely be two to three years until the market catches up

As far as nitrile is concerned, I addressed this raw material back in my April 12 blog and what I foretold is coming to pass. Nitrile is in short supply, and therefore many of our thin-walled safety glove manufacturers have announced price increases. As always, the Arbill Operations team is monitoring the commodities markets and is committed to sourcing high-quality products at the best value, as well as ensuring that our customers do not experience any supply interruptions.

Cotton and Latex Prices Rise, Manufacturers Follow

Almost daily, we can read news headlines and price indices that show increasing commodity prices. These levels are well beyond the initial 2011 expectations. Raw materials, such as cotton and latex have been particularly hard hit. The U.S. cotton projections for 2011/2012 include lower supplies relative to last season therefore the forecast range for the average price received by producers is a record 95.0 to 115.0 cents per pound. World cotton projections show a sharp increase in production, mainly reflecting higher import demand by China. Latex prices have risen more than 8% since the beginning of 2011, and continue to fluctuate with predictions that they still have not peaked. These market dynamics have resulted in all major PPE manufacturers announcing price increases for the second time this year with most not guaranteeing pricing beyond a three-month horizon. Arbill understands the impact that cost increases can place on your business and we will continue to drive initiatives that focus on cost reduction reduction opportunities while keeping your employees safe. I will continue to update you on the commodities markets and how is is affecting the safety supply chain for the remainder of the month of May.

Now Available: Easy Reference Guide to Chemical Hazards

I recently became aware that the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has made its popular Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards available for download with the ability to create a disc with CD-ROM software. The Pocket Guide is intended as a source of general industrial hygiene information for workers, employers, and occupational health professionals, to assist them in recognizing and controlling occupational chemical hazards.

The 677 chemicals or substance groupings that are contained in the guide include all substances for which NIOSH has Recommended Exposure Limits (RELs) as well as those with Permissible Exposure Limits (PELs) as defined in the OSHA General Industry Air Contaminants Standard (29 CFR 1910.1000). Information covered in the guide includes chemical name and structure, Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) registry number, Registry of Toxic Effects of Chemical Substances (RTECS) number, U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) identification and guide numbers, and synonyms and trade names for each chemical compound. All of this information is listed in an abbreviated tabular form, making the guide very user friendly.

You can access the guide at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npg, or download the NIOSH Guide to Chemical Hazards zip file, which contains a condensed version of the pocket guide at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2010-168c/. This is a great, free tool for every worker to have.

Create A Visual Workplace

Consider your garage or storage area. I am sure that you've noticed that when your tools, equipment, and miscellaneous boxes are visually organized that there is a) a much greater chance that you will be able to complete tasks and find stored materials in an expedient manner, and b) much less of a chance that you are going to trip over something in the process. The same idea can be applied to the workplace to help keep people safe. We call this "creating a visual workplace" by employing the following 5Ss:

• Sort (organization)
• Set in order (orderliness)
  
• Shine (cleanliness)
• Standardize (standardized cleanup)
• Sustain (sustaining the discipline)

Organize the workplace for success and safety, visually identify processes and expectations, and develop an intuitive workplace that is clean, well-organized, and efficient, all of which leads to improved workplace safety. Your workers are worth it!

Smart Inventory Management Improves Client Balance Sheets

A trend we have noted since the economic downturn, and particularly since the cash crisis, is the growing attention companies are paying to cash flow and balance sheet in addition to income statement and purchase price when it comes to their safety suppliers. In other words, Arbill customers have been placing a heavier reliance on supply chain support in keeping their employees safe. We have responded by successfully partnering with our client accounts to streamline their inventories. Arbill has a variety of inventory solutions to meet each client's unique needs, and this has been a great asset for us to minimize client risk - ultimately resulting in strengthening their organizations' balance sheets. Looking forward, I believe supply chain support services demand will keep growing as organizations continue to seek ways to streamline overall.

Nitrile Supply Status

Nitrile, a compound commonly used in thin-walled safety gloves, and also as a coating for abrasion protection, may soon be in short supply. This development is attributable to cuts in operating rates in Japan due to March's massive earthquake and the resulting power outages and transport difficulties. Japan has traditionally been one of the largest sources of nitrile in the global market, along with China and Taiwan. We are monitoring the situation and taking proactive steps to ensure that Arbill's product supply is not negatively impacted. This includes:

• Reviewing our inventory levels of nitrile-containing products
• Increasing stock levels of these items

The Arbill operations team is monitoring this and any other supply-related situations that may develop closely, and is committed to ensuring that our customers do not experience any supply interruptions.

Safety MarketWatch - Japan Update

Arbill and our manufacturers worldwide have been and are continuing to evaluate the impact to the Safety supply chain as a result of the Japan earthquake. As with any major natural disaster, this event is fluid and conditions are ever changing. Although the general manufacturing sector is experiencing some effects due to the shutdown of Japanese factories, I am glad to report that as of today, Arbill is not impacted in its ability to supply safety products for the following reasons:

• Arbill does not purchase any safety products in the regions impacted by the earthquake
• Large domestic manufacturers of safety products have already begun to increase productions of products (such as respirators and adhesive bandages) that may be used in the Japan clean-up efforts in order to address increased demand
• Arbill has strong relationships with a wide variety of domestic manufacturers, allowing for alternative and/or substitution of "like" products if and when required
• Inventory levels and production forecasts of Arbill's suppliers remain on target to date

Likewise, Arbill is not projecting a significant impact to our Arbill-manufactured TruLine product supply, since none of our factories are in regions affected by the earthquake. We are, however, taking the following steps proactively as a part of our business contingency planning efforts:

• Reviewing inventory levels
• Increasing safety stock levels on critical items
• Placing production orders in advance of normal schedules where feasible
• Preparing to scale our TruLine factories as needed

Please be assured that we are monitoring this situation closely and will continue to take proactive measures to ensure that our customers do not experience any supply interruptions. I will be posting weekly updates here, which will include Arbill's perspective on any shifts in market conditions.

Warmest regards,
Julie

Love Your Workers? Love Their Hearts!

Valentine's Day is a good time to think about heart health and safety. A staggering statistic I recently came across (courtesy of OSHA) is that 13% of all workplace fatalities result from Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) - when heart function ceases abruptly and without any warning. Pretty scary - not only for the employee experiencing SCA, but for those around him/her in the workplace. As an employer or safety manager, the best policy is to prepare your workplace in two ways:

1. Equip your workplace with accessible Automatic External Defibrillators (AEDs). Defibrillation within three (3) minutes raises a victim's chance of survival to more than 70%. Local EMS can rarely respond that quickly.
2. Train your employees in both Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and AED usage.

Another smart move is to create awareness in the workplace of SCA risk factors so that employees take control of their own heart health. Factors include:

• History of early heart disease, heart attack, or cardiac death in the family
• Unexplained fainting or near-fainting after heart palpitations
• Chest pain, shortness of breath, or fainting with exertion during heavy activity/listing
• Heart failure or heart attack
• Weak heart muscle or a low cardiac Ejection Fraction (EF) or percentage of blood pumped out of the pumping chamber during each heartbeat. Low is less than 40%
• Other cardiac risk factors, including high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, smoking, and high cholesterol

Happy Valentines Day, and love your heart!

Keeping Your Feet in Winter

Whoa, it's cold in the Northeast! Slip and Fall injuries are the third largest cause of workplace injuries, according to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, and they increase in the winter due to the snow, ice, and salt that is plentiful around this time of year. The following tips will help to keep you and your workers safe this season:

• Remove the snow from the bottom of your shoes before entering a building
• Slow down and take smaller steps
• Wear shoes with rubber soles that have good traction
  
• Be aware of surface conditions where you are walking; and walk around (versus through - no matter how "snow proof" your boots are) patches of snow and ice when possible
• Give yourself extra time to get to where you are going so you can walk more slowly
• Avoid the temptation to walk with your hands in your pockets-your arms are necessary to restore balance if you should slip
• Use handrails whenever possible

Keep your footing, keep safe, and keep warm!

Julie