Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/449123
18 • FEBRUARY 2015 • WORLD FENCE NEWS in the pages of World Fence News, the most effective drowning prevention method is to have a proper isolation fence completely surrounding the pool, with self-closing and self-latch- ing gates in good operating order. One item to pay special attention to is that picket spacing which might be suf- fi cient to prevent a child from going through the fence won't stop many smaller dogs and wildlife. You may need to go to tighter picket spacing if you have a smaller breed of dog.) Not only children, but pets and wildlife can also be pool drowning victims continued from page 14 According to the Cox story, not all dogs can handle the water. Many bulldog breeders and rescue groups will not place these dogs with families who have unfenced pools. The breed's front-heavy design makes swimming diffi cult, if not impossible, for these dogs (and similar breeds) who tire quickly and can drown easily. Even dogs who love to swim can be at risk of drowning if left unsuper- vised, which is why it's a good idea to teach them how to fi nd the pool steps just in case, the article noted. This can be done by having one person help the dog in the water while another stands on the steps encourag- ing the animal to fi nd and use the exit. Five tips to improve your ability to spot hazards BY CARL POTTER, CSP, CMC AND DEB POTTER, PHD, CMC Have you ever found yourself reading an incident report concerning an injury to a worker or damage to equipment and wondered "how in the world did that happen?" More than likely it happened because someone didn't recognize a hazard. Hazards are the source of personal injuries and damage to vehi- cles, equipment and property. Hazards abound at home, work and play. The problem: We don't see them until they hurt us! It's no joke when someone says "I didn't see it coming!" Rec- ognizing a hazard requires a trained brain that quickly analyzes the risk and the conse- quences posed by the situation. It's not unusual to fi nd that a work- er involved in an incident was trained to control hazards associated with his or her work, but had not been specifi - cally trained to see the hazards. This is all a part of the gap between know- ing and doing: people know what to do when they recognize the hazard; they just don't see it. Hazard control is the key to pre- venting injuries and damage, yet to control the hazard, employees at all levels must be trained to recognize them. When you consider this, you'll start to see the problem in many plac- es. (Carl shares the following event that occurred while he was on a trip.) "I was on a business trip to Dallas and happened to look out of my hotel room window. I observed a group of workers cleaning the side of a build- ing across the parking lot. It was ob- vious the workers were clueless to the danger they had placed themselves in. "The challenge for these workers was the distance between the park- ing lot and the building to be cleaned with a pressure washer. Add to this the need to raise and lower the worker operating the pressure washing wand. We often talk about human ingenuity. Well, workers can be quite innovative and get the job done yet put them- selves in a precarious situation with- out even recognizing it. "These workers had parked a mo- bile scissor lift in the parking spaces parallel to the side- walk and the build- ing. The building was approximately 12 feet from the scissor lift. Em- ploying a 2-by-12 wood board about 16 feet long, they lashed one end to the fl oor of the scissor lift. "This resembled a diving board, if you can imagine. Being astute inno- vators of equipment, they positioned three large workers as counter balanc- es to hang on the outside of the guard- rail of the lift. Being safety minded, the employee with the wand in his hand was standing at the end of the "diving board" wearing fall protection that was clipped onto the basket of the lift 12 feet away. (And yes, I am sure the lanyard employed a de-accelera- tor.) Got the picture? "Being a studious safety profes- sional, I quickly went downstairs and walked toward these hard working, creative gentlemen. As I approached, I said, 'I am not with OSHA, but as a certifi ed safety professional it is my duty to stop your operation.' They all got wide-eyed. It was obvious that they heard 'OSHA' and misinterpret- ed. They stopped working abruptly, continued on page 26 The degree to which you perceive that you have control over the consequences of a situation is known as the "locus of control" or LOC. People generally have a strong internal or external safety LOC. One of the fi rst things you can do to train yourself to see hazards is to consider your LOC. 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