In 2024, UW Facilities is focusing on a different safety topic for each quarter. These topics were identified from the last five years of UWF Online Accident Reports (OARS):
- Ergonomic solutions (Q1)
- Safe driving (Q2)
- Avoiding slips, trips and falls (Q3)
- Avoiding contact with objects (Q4)
Each UWF shop or area will implement one initiative in Q1, and then one initiative a month from Q2 to Q4. These can be trainings, completing safety checklists, ergonomics testing or other items. The links below are a starting point for supervisors to develop initiatives for their shop or area.
Q2: Safe driving
April – Distracted driving/driving safety
Videos that can be shared during your team meetings:
- Avoiding Distracted Driving video - National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST)
- Safe Backing video - Colorado DOT
- Safety Toolbox Talks: Safe Driving video
Articles that can be printed and posted on safety bulletin boards or distributed to your workers:
- Driving while distracted - UW Facilities Blog
- Older Drivers in the Workplace (pdf) - CDC
- A safe drive - Family Safety & Health Magazine
- Make good ergo part of your drive to work - Family Safety & Health Magazine
- Don't drive aggressively - Family Safety & Health Magazine
- How Wellness Affects Our Daily Driving Behaviors - Driven to Wellness
- Managing Fatigue For the Fleet Safety Professional - Network of Employers for Traffic Safety
- Motor Vehicle Safety Talks - Safety Talk Ideas
- How to Eliminate Blind Spots When Driving - DriveSafe Online
- Pedestrian and Motorist Shared Safety Responsibility - Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles
- Safety at Work: Vehicle Backing Safety Fact Sheet - Texas Department of Insurance
The UW Safe Driving Course is required in order to drive a University vehicle. It’s also a good refresher for those who have previously taken the course:
May – Other modes of transportation
Bicycle
- Bicycle Safer Journey video - Federal Highway Administration
- Traffic And Safety Tips for Bicyclists video - Bike League
- Bicycle Safety (multiple shorts videos) - 511 SF Bay
- Bicycle Safety (helmets, avoid crashes, sharing the road) - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- 10 Ways to Stay Safe While Cycling - People Powered Movement
- 31 Ideas for Staying Safe While Biking - SafeWise
- Electric Bike Safety - Scripps
- 9 Electric Bike Safety Tips - Naval Postgraduate School
- UW biking rules & safety - Transportation Services
- Driving Safety: Share the Road (bicycles) - Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles
- Coexisting with Bicyclists: 10 Rules for Drivers - Edmunds
- Washington Bicycle and Vehicle Laws - Washington Bikes
June – Pedestrian safety
- Walkability Checklist (pdf) - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
- National Pedestrian Safety Month Resource Guide (pdf) - NHTSA
- Pedestrian Safety – Focus on Older Adults (pdf) - NHTSA
- 19 Pedestrian Safety Tips for Drivers (pdf) - NW Regional Spinal Cord Injury System
- Driving Safety: Pedestrian Safety - Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles
- Test Your Awareness video
L&I Simple Solutions Overwhelmed? Start here!
L&I Ergonomics Idea Bank - Use this tool to find solutions by industry and/or risk factor. It provides access to Industry Guidelines, Success Stories, Tip Sheets and Checklists, Tools and Equipment, L&I Resources, and Other Publications.
Educational materials
- Five minute General Ergonomics Safety Talk (pdf) - Naval Postgraduate School. Suitable for both trades and office workers.
- A Five-Step Ergonomics Process: Finding and Fixing Strain and Sprain Hazards (pptx) - WA L&I. Training suitable for those wanting to identify specific work tasks and modify them.
- Common Sprains & Strains Hazards in Your Workplace and Some Solution Ideas (pptx) - WA L&I
- How to Control Repetitive Hand and Wrist Tasks (pptx) - WA L&I
- Preventing Overexertion Injuries (pptx) - WA L&I
- One-Handed Lifting Guidelines (pdf) - Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation
Ergonomic evaluation tools
- Caution Zone Checklist (pdf) - WA L&I
- Hazard Zone Checklist (pdf) - WA L&I
- Lifting calculator app - Oregon OSHA
- Push/Pull/Carry Calculator - WorkSafeBC
- One-handed Lifting/Lowering Evaluation Tool (xlsx) - Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation
- Push/Pull Guidelines tool - Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation
Office and remote office
- Office Ergonomics training course - WA L&I
- Office Lighting and Computer Use for Eye Comfort training course - WA L&I
- Sit-Stand Workstations, Help for Workers training course - WA L&I
- Sit-Stand Workstations, Help for Employers - WA L&I
Working from home offices? Here's some information to help stay comfortable and productive:
- Ergonomics for remote workers (pptx) - WA L&I
- Home Office Self-Assessment (pdf) - WA L&I
- Work from home options (pdf) - WA L&I
- Don't bend, don't break: Setting up a safe and healthy workspace for teleworking (F417-289-000) (pdf) - WA L&I
UW EH&S ergonomics resources
- Watch the Ergonomics Instructional Videos for detailed instructions on setting up your workstation.
- Computer Workstation Adjustment Guidelines (pdf)
- Creating a Work or Home-Based Ergonomic Workspace with Peter Johnson (pdf)
- Guide for Selecting Office Ergonomic Furniture and Equipment (pdf)
- Sit-Stand Workstations Focus Sheet (pdf)
- Ergonomic tips for your home office
Other ergonomics resources
- Groundskeeping Ergonomics (pdf) - University of California EH&S
- Preventing knee injuries - Oregon OSHA
- eLCOSH search results for "ergonomics" – Electronic Library of Construction Occupational Safety & Health
Construction and trade content
- NIOSH Lifting Equation App: NLE Calc - NIOSH free mobile application (app) for smartphones and other mobile devices that can help workers stay safe when manually lifting objects. The NLE Calc app is based on the Revised NIOSH Lifting Equation (RNLE), an internationally recognized standard for safe lifting. NLE Calc determines a score based on the data users enter about a lifting task and provides recommendations to help users optimize the task, or perform it differently, in order to prevent injury.
- Elements of Ergonomics Programs - NIOSH. A step-by-step guide by NIOSH to creating, implementing, and maintaining an ergonomics program.
- Portable Power Tools Training Guide - eLCOSH
- Portable Power Tools Checklist - eLCOSH
- Hand/Arm Vibration Training Guide - eLCOSH
- Hand-Arm Vibration Checklist - eLCOSH
- Choose Hand Safety: Employer Training Guide for Preventing Hand Injuries and Disorders (pdf) - Choose Hand Safety
- Easy Ergonomics: A Guide to Selecting Non-Powered Hand Tools (pdf) - Choose Hand Safety
- Checklist for Hand Tool Selection (pdf) - Choose Hand Safety
- Training Guide – Hand Tools (pdf) and Herramientas de Mano – Guia de Capacitation (Spanish version) (pdf) – Labor Occupational Health Program, University of California Berkeley
- Safety Walk Around Checklist – Hand Tools (pdf) and Herramientas de Mano – Lista de Chequeo (Spanish version) (pdf) – Labor Occupational Health Program, University of California Berkeley
- Hand Tool Safety (pdf) – Ohio Bureau of Workers Compensation
- Simple Solutions: Ergonomics for Construction Workers “Practical Ideas to Help Reduce the Risk of Repetitive Stress Injury in Common Construction Tasks” - DHHS and NIOSH, 2007
- Easy Ergonomics – Section II: Common Factors That Contribute to the Development of MSDs (pdf) - State of California, 1999
- Calculator for Analyzing Lifting Operations (pdf) - Washington State Department of Labor and Industries
- Roadway Safety Awareness Program: Trainee Booklet - eLCOSH
- Preventing Musculoskeletal Disorders in Construction Workers - eLCOSH
- Ergonomics Awareness Training for Construction Workers Outline of a 2-hr Master Ergonomic Training Curriculum - eLCOSH
- Reducing Sprains and Strains In Construction Through Worker Participation - eLCOSH
- Construction Ergonomics Checklist - eLCOSH
- Hazard Checklist: Portable Hand Tools and Equipment - eLCOSH
- Hazard Checklist: Portable Power-Operated Tools & Equipment - eLCOSH
- Ergonomic Guidelines for Manual Material Handling (pdf) - California Department of Industrial Relations, 2007
- Checklist for the Prevention of Manual Handling Risks – European Agency for Safety and Health at Work
- Recommended Ergonomic Assessment Tools – ErgoPlus
Materials developed by NIOSH’s Mining Division with potential application for construction:
- Ergonomics and Risk Factor Awareness Training for Miners - Torma-Krajewski et al., NIOSH, 2008
- Ergonomics Processes: Implementation Guide and Tools for the Mining IndustryTorma-Krajewski et al., NIOSH, 2009
- Practical Demonstrations of Ergonomic PrinciplesMoore et al., NIOSH, 2011
Other
- UWF Stretch and Flex Poster (pdf)
- Maintenance Workers (pdf) - Texas Women's University