Worker Safety and Chemical Disinfectants

Using Disinfect Spray in Iran

With the widespread concern over the coronavirus, more people are talking about and using chemical disinfection. 

From a worker safety perspective here are some basic things to know about disinfection.
Disinfectants are intended to kill microorganisms. They may also be hazardous to humans and the environment, especially when concentrated.

The use of disinfectants can impact worker safety both directly and indirectly. Direct exposure to a hazardous chemical may result when a disinfectant is used inappropriately (for example, if a worker fails to wear personal protective equipment when diluting a concentrated chemical).

Indirect impact on worker safety can occur as a result of an exposure to viable pathogens when an inappropriate product is selected (for example, if a disinfectant or product that kills vegetative bacteria only was used against a non-enveloped virus), or if an effective product is used inappropriately (for example, diluted too much).

Workers should learn about the products required for disinfection of the agents with which they will be working, including recommended directions for use (including application method, contact time, personal protective equipment, precautions, first aid, and disposal) as well as chemical characteristics (such as the toxicity, chemical compatibility, storage stability, active ingredient identity and concentration).

Much of this information is provided on the product label. Some manufacturers may also be willing to share reports of efficacy testing for their products.

How to Build A Vegetable Garden The Wildlife Can't Get Into

You and your family can build a simple vegetable garden that is keeps animals out!

Our Squirrel Proof Vegetable Garden  After  4 Years Is Still Holding Up!

If you and your family want to enjoy fresh vegetables but can't because the squirrels are eating your garden. Where I live there are a lot of wildlife like squirrels, rabbits, and birds to name a few. This simple garden will keep these animals out.

This design is for 8'x 1' x 4' garden. I reused a lot of wood I had lying around. Here is what you need.

Canoeing on the Mill Pond, Speed River, Hespeler, Ontario, March 25, 2020

A great healthy activity for the whole family. We did not have much of a winter so the pond is already shallow. Stay along the outside of the pond and enjoy the beauty. Parking at lot at the end of Spring Street. The dock may or may not be in. Does not matter you can enter your canoe in at Little Riverside Park, which starts at the end of Spring Street. Simply beautiful. Dylan and Paul Langan

How effective are your health and safety committee objectives?

It is no secret that one of the main ways to measure the effectiveness of your health and safety committee is to assess the quality of objectives they set and complete each year.

I have often heard it said that since the health and safety committee is meeting all the legislative requirements, they are working effectively. Certainly complying to the legislative requirements for health and safety committees is important. However, meeting occupational health and safety legislation is just a minimum requirement for measuring committee success and it does not measure how effective the committee is in the workplace.

Read the whole article at: https://www.thesafetymag.com/ca/news/opinion/how-effective-are-your-health-and-safety-committee-objectives/187099

Is Your Workplace Inspection Checklist a Shopping List?

Throughout my career in health and safety I have promoted the idea of not necessarily adding new elements to your safety program but doing the existing elements effectively.

Workplace inspections are an essential, proactive part of an overall safety program that has been in place for decades.

Have you audited the effectiveness of your workplace inspection procedures (WPIs)? Do you have an audit tool that could measure WPI effectiveness? What critical points should be on the audit checklist? Click HERE to read the rest of the article.

Miracle In Preston - The Story of the Preston Springs Hotel

Preston Spring Hotel Book

The Miracle in Preston - Story of Preston Springs Hotel. In 2000 I published this small booklet. At that time the Preston Springs Hotel was bought and considerable renovations were being done. Unfortunately the owners went bankrupt. CLICK HERE to read and download the book.