SportsTurf

October 2012

SportsTurf provides current, practical and technical content on issues relevant to sports turf managers, including facilities managers. Most readers are athletic field managers from the professional level through parks and recreation, universities.

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Facility&Operations | ByKevin Mercer Environmental management and employee safety I equipment safety guards, oil levels and grease fittings. It occurred to me that this magazine would be a great vehicle to share valuable in- formation about how employee safety is tied into sustainable environmental management. Most environmental issues typically fall under the Environmental Protection Agency umbrella; but there is another organization that we have all heard of, the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA). Do we take it for granted or worse yet, do we give any thought? OSHA's Code of Federal Regulations can help guide us to a safe workplace. We all have to follow these federal regulations. Here are a few CFR regulations that pertain to sports turf managers; see http://www.osha. gov/ to be in 100% compliance. HAZARDOUS COMMUNICATIONS TRAINING the Right To Know Training annually with their signatures for record keeping and have Right To Know Station visible with Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) on all products current and up to date yearly. Your Right to Know Station should be located in a central location within your shop area. Train your employees to know where to find any MSDS for any chemical on a moment's notice. Also explain labeling for potential health hazards from single word labeling: • CAUTION means the pesticide prod- uct is slightly toxic if eaten, absorbed through the skin, inhaled, or it causes slight eye or skin irritation. • WARNING indicates the pesticide It is the law to give all of your employees product is moderately toxic if eaten, ab- sorbed through the skin, inhaled, or it causes moderate eye or skin irritation. • DANGER means that the pesticide product is highly toxic by at least one route 18 SportsTurf | October 2012 RECENTLY NOTICED some of the good habits that my two assis- tants have instilled in the crew in re- gards to Personal Protective Equipment, such as checking over the of exposure. It may be corrosive, causing ir- reversible damage to the skin or eyes. Alter- natively, it may be highly toxic if eaten, absorbed through the skin, or inhaled. If this is the case, then the word "POISON" must also be included in red letters on the front panel of the product label. You should train your employees to sharp instruments or devices found in the area of the field. • Although saliva has not been impli- cated in HIV transmission, mouthpieces, resuscitation bags, or other ventilation de- vices should be available for use to mini- mize the need for emergency direct mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. • Athletic trainers/coaches with bleeding or oozing skin conditions should refrain from all direct care until the condition resolves. • Contaminated towels, dressings, and know how to react in case of a spill for health or the environment in a safe and productive way. Do you know what chemi- cals in your shop are labeled "Danger"? You might be surprised to find out that for most of us it is windshield washing fluid. For more information on MSDS training please go to http://www.osha.gov/html/ faq-hazcom.html. BLOOD BORNE PATHOGENS & HAZARDOUS SPILL TRAINING by OSHA include: • Routine use of latex gloves or other pre- cautions to prevent skin and mucous-mem- brane exposure when contact with blood or other body fluids is anticipated. • If bleeding is profuse and requires the assistance of a supervising adult, latex gloves should be donned and pressure applied to the wound, keeping the injury above the level of the heart if possible. Medical care should be sought. • Immediately wash hands and other Some preventable measures as indicated other articles containing body fluids should be properly disposed of or disinfected. A spill of fuel, oil, pesticides or chemicals more than a gallon is classified as a haz- ardous spill. To avoid harm to health and en- vironment you should train and document preventable measures for all kinds of spills. Also plan and prepare for the worst and hope it never happens. Maps indicating emergency exit routes for each building should be posted by the elevator and exits on each floor to aid you in locating emergency TOP 11 national EPA VIOLATIONS skin surfaces if contaminated (in contact) with blood or other body fluids. Wash hands immediately after removing gloves. • The bloodied portion of the athlete's uniform must be properly disinfected, or the uniform changed before the athlete may par- ticipate. • Clean all blood-contaminated surfaces and equipment with a solution made from 1-100 dilution of household bleach or other disinfectant before competition resumes. Use a new mixture for each event, and discard the mixture after each event. • Practice proper disposal procedures to prevent injuries caused by needles and other 1.Waste label not properly filled out (on both sides, need complete information). 2.Weekly inspection of the satellite accumu- lation or main/central accumulation area NOT being performed. 3.Full container remaining in a satellite ac- cumulation area for more than 3 days. 4. More than one container per waste stream (type of waste). 5.No impervious base (secondary container requirement). All waste containers must be stored in a compatible secondary container in order to contain spills. 6.Required annual training NOT docu- mented (Hazardous waste and spill re- sponse training). 7.Open waste container. 8.Satellite accumulation area not under control of the staff generating the waste. 9. Spillage or leakage of waste (including contamination on the container). 10.Failure to determine waste as hazardous. (e.g., it is clearly waste like but there is no waste label.) 11.Satellite accumulation area NOT at or near the site of generation. (e.g., Not across or down the hall, or if it is, use secondary containers to transport.) www.sportsturfonline.com

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