Safety News: Hearing Protection

Approximately 22 million American workers suffer from some sort of hearing loss. Once you lose, even partial, hearing you can’t get it back. To help prevent hearing damage to workers on the job, you need to take steps to assess noise levels in the work environment, and institute administrative, engineering, and PPE (personal protective equipment) practices for your municipality.

Administrative Controls:

First, determine what work areas or types of work create unacceptable noise levels. Areas like rooms with loud machines or workers using mowers, weed eaters, and jackhammers. Most everybody has a smartphone nowadays; some apps can be downloaded onto a phone that gives very accurate decibel readings. Any work area or job where a worker is exposed to 85 decibels or more in 8 hours must have a Hearing Conservation plan. Second, the workers need to be advised of these hearing hazards and trained on how to protect themselves from the hazards. Third, signs need to be placed in hearing hazard work areas and on equipment reminding workers to take precautions, like wearing appropriate hearing protection. Finally, employers must provide hearing protection and any required engineering controls. Employers can also seek assistance in determining if employees have hearing issues by having them tested. Many of our Oklahoma Career Techs have mobile hearing testing units they can bring to your municipality.

Engineering Controls:

Noisy work environments may need to have special sound-reducing wall and floor materials installed, or doors to dampen sound. Signs must be placed in obvious areas to warn of hearing hazard conditions.

PPE (personal protective equipment):

Workers required to wear PPE in the form of earplugs or earmuffs must be supplied with this equipment at no cost to themselves. This PPE must be readily accessible and come in several different types (disposable earplugs, re-useable earplugs, and earmuffs); individuals have different tastes and comfort levels. Employees need to be trained about how to use and maintain the pipe. Supervisors are responsible for making sure workers are properly using their PPE and following safety procedures when working in high-noise rooms or with high-noise equipment.

A worker’s compensation claim for hearing loss can be very expensive, and other dangers to workers and co-workers alike can increase the risk of injury or damage to equipment. At least do the basics – determine where high noise situations are, provide controls, and provide PPE, and supervise its use, to protect your workers.

BodyCam and DashCam Cloud Services Might Be Worth the Cost

Police departments are hesitant to spend thousands of dollars a year to use Axon or Watchguard’s cloud services to store their data. The services are pricey and police departments often find they can build their own solutions on-site for less, even just storing bodycam videos on removable hard drives or an extra PC. 

OMAG wants departments to reconsider the cloud. These services are hosted online in always-on top-tier data centers around the country and protected from threats like hackers and tornadoes. 

The cloud storage allows an officer to dock their bodycam and the video is automatically uploaded without any manual steps. From there, the cloud software reminds the officer to flag and retain video that may have been part of an incident, while alerting supervisors about officers that need to flag their videos. Videos not related to an incident are automatically expired and deleted, saving storage space. When the time comes to redact, edit, or share a video, there are built-in tools that make this process easier for a Chief or PIO. Most importantly, these systems are redundantly backed up in the cloud and protected against crashes or tornadoes, stored according to CJIS compliance requirements, and secure from hackers and viruses. Plus, you’re upgraded automatically by the vendor, so you never have to upgrade servers again. 

All of this is audited and logged so that each video adheres to chain of custody and follows federal and State standards. 

Dashcam and bodycam is digital evidence. Much like physical evidence must be properly cared for, digital evidence needs its own “locker” and to adhere to chain of custody and auditing requirements. On-site, these systems are more complex to manage, if you even have the right software. While you might save money, you won’t save time, and you may not be compliant either.

OMAG's Police Liability Update (May 2023)

OMAG In Action (Volume 5)

Spring Claims Reductions

Spring is around the corner. As we enter this season with excitement about more daylight and warmer weather, we also see our members encounter seasonal exposures. As we get into the stormy season, we know that more mowing and weed eating will be occurring on City properties and right of ways. We typically see an increase of claims for damages caused by mowers/weed eaters throwing rocks or debris. Make sure to point the blower from the mower and the weed eater away from roadways or parking areas or wait until these areas are not as congested.

Also, with additional rainfall expected make sure to check newly filled areas where road work has occurred, as well as clear out debris from storm water grates to minimize chances of a roadway or property being flooded.

Do Your Citizens Know to Call the City BEFORE Incurring Plumbing Charges????

Most citizens who file claims for reimbursement of plumbing charges are unaware that they must notify the City before incurring those charges or they will not be reimbursed the plumbing bill even if the issue is with the city’s sewer line.  When should they contact the City/Town to report a sewer issue? 

• If they see, hear, or smell anything that may be a sewage overflow or backup.

• Hear gurgling noises from the toilets or drains

• Notice a strong sewer smell but see no evidence of a sewage backup or overflow

• Experience slow drains throughout the house

These are all signs that the city’s sewer main line may be about to back up or overflow.  Citizens should be advised to call the City’s emergency number or the non-emergency police department number so that the person on call can be contacted.  If the work crew determines there is no issue in the city’s sewer line, the homeowner will then need to contact a plumber to determine if there is an issue in the house line. 

Problem items that contribute to sewer backups and blockages include:

• Disposable or “flushable” wipes

• Condoms, feminine products (tampons), and other personal hygiene products

• FOG – fats, oils and grease.  These materials harden and create blockages both in the house line and the main sewer line.  Running hot water and soap down the drain DOES NOT prevent grease build-up and blockages. 

·         Food scraps.  Anything with a fat content can contribute to grease-clogged pipes.  Wipe all greasy, oily, creamy, or buttery food residue from dishes before you wash them.

The City’s sanitary sewer department cleans miles of sanitary sewer lines each year but they still need the citizens to help in preventing sewer overflows.

PUMP for Nursing Mother's Act

The PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act was passed in December 2022; it becomes effective April 28, 2023.  Under the PUMP Act, employers must provide all nursing mothers 1) a reasonable break time to express breast milk; and 2) a private location, other than a restroom, that is shielded from view and free from intrusion. Nursing mothers are covered by the PUMP Act for up to one year after childbirth. Employers with fewer than 50 employees are excused from coverage only if compliance would impose an undue hardship on the employer’s business.

The PUMP Act also contains a mandatory reporting provision that requires an employee to notify her employer if she believes the employer is non-compliant with the PUMP Act. The employer then has 10 days from the date of notification to remedy the situation. An employer waives the 10-day notification period if the employee is terminated for making the request or opposing the employer’s refusal to gain compliance.

Get Your Own Domain

Rather than having townofanytownok@yahoo.com, OMAG strongly recommends that cities and towns in Oklahoma get their own domain. This is the portion of the email address to the right of the @ sign. Just like we're @omag.org, you too can have your own domain, and, what's more, it's free!

A few years ago, Yahoo had a billion accounts hacked. Unprotected free email addresses are a cybersecurity risk, and we see cities lose money to scammers in old free email. It's probably time for a change…

Municipal governments are entitled to a free .gov domain. It improves security, helps identify government websites, and improves communication with your citizens. The process is simple and OMAG Technology Services will even help.

What's in a name? 

The government does have some standards. You can't pick "CacheIsMoreThanOKItsAwesome.gov". While we agree,  maybe something like "CityOfCacheOK.gov" or even "CacheOK.gov". The standard requires that you have the name of the Municipality and the 2-letter State abbreviation. Adding "CityOf" or "TownOf" is optional.

To get started, send an email to itsupport@omag.org (or again, omag.gov) and we'll walk you through the steps. OMAG can even help you after you get your domain with the IT needs.

Next steps 

Using a professional domain usually means you need to pay for email and websites, but OMAG has helped cities and towns, and the price isn't as high as you think. For a town of 10 staff, professional, cybersecure email is less than $100 per month. A simple website is about $20 per month. These systems are in the cloud, secure, and professional and definitely worth the cost. You get what you pay for, after all!

Email us at itsupport@omag.org today, and ask about our help in getting a free .gov domain!

Dealing with Difficult Employees

Dealing with difficult employees – a challenge leaders consistently share with me. It’s a simple but painful problem that has plagued leaders since the beginning of time.

The first step toward solving this challenge is to ask is “have I done everything I can to help the difficult employee?” Based on my work with leaders at all levels, the answer to that question is usually a resounding ‘no.’ Here’s what I mean.

Most managers react the same way when realizing one of their people is a problem. They find someone to share their frustration. On a courageous day, the leader might make a subtle comment to the difficult employee, or if timing is lucky, include something in an upcoming employee review.

What leaders rarely do is sit down with that employee to clearly set expectations, clarify those expectations through regular touchpoints, and give feedback about what’s going well and what’s not.

As ridiculously obvious as that sounds from the outside looking in, it rarely happens. Leaders (and others for that matter) don’t relish the idea of delivering feedback, especially when it has to do with difficult behavior. Instead, leaders hesitate, procrastinate, even abdicate their responsibilities, hoping that the situation will somehow change on its own. Guess what? It rarely does. And by not responding, the leader is essentially sending the message that the difficult behavior is acceptable.

Consider this, feedback is a gift. Whether it’s positive and encouraging or it directs change. The difficult employee likely is unclear about what’s expected, or unaware of how their behavior is difficult. Taking time to have a candid conversation, while encouraging the team member positions you to do everything you can to help difficult employee become successful. And that’s what you want, right? For help with difficult conversations, reach out to Professional Development and Training Analyst Lori Mueller.

Cemeteries

To citizens, a cemetery serves two purposes, (1) the burial of loved ones and (2) a place where the living memorializes the dead. Markers tell about the individual who died and provide information about the society that the individual lived in. When cemeteries are ignored and allowed to deteriorate, and markers are damaged or destroyed, society loses vital information about the past.

Cemetery maintenance and preservation are performed out of respect for those who are buried. Maintenance is simple but may not be easy. Keeping the grass mowed, trees trimmed, and good lighting enhances the overall look of the cemetery and discourages vandalism. Proper use of tools such as power mowers and weed eaters must be applied in cemetery maintenance. Careless use of equipment can scar and break tombstones, especially older ones made of softer stones. To minimize damage to old stones, grass should be pulled by hand. When power mowers and weed eaters are used, guards should be in place to deflect debris. It is best to use a mulching mower so there is no outward discarding of debris. Any cracked or broken stone should be addressed immediately to minimize further damage to the stone.

Lighting is essential to maintain security in a cemetery. Lights should be checked regularly and changed if needed. Good lighting reduces the chance of vandalism. It is cheaper to change a bulb than repair vandalized stones. A well-lit cemetery draws the public to keep an eye on the cemetery which deters vandalism. Regular checks of the cemetery are required. Look for stones that have cracked or been damaged or destroyed.  Check fences for needed repairs and vandalism. Address any defects as soon as possible.

The establishment of a continuous, maintenance program is the most effective preservation activity that can be performed by a municipality. A well-kept cemetery will discourage unwanted behavior within your site. A comprehensive plan that includes, maintenance, landscaping, training, and funding of a permanent work force will help ensure the continued preservation of any cemetery.

To citizens, a cemetery serves two purposes, (1) the burial of loved ones and (2) a place where the living memorialize the dead. Cemeteries and their symbols guide us into the past. Markers tell us not only about the individual who died, but the marker’s appearance and placement provides information about the society from which the individual departed. The symbols and text inscribed on markers contain important information for understanding the past. When cemeteries are ignored and allowed to deteriorate, and markers are damaged or destroyed, society loses important information about the past. Ultimately, an important part of ourselves is lost.

Maintenance and preservation of our cemeteries go hand in hand and is performed out of respect for those who are buried. Maintenance is simple, but may not be easy. Keeping the grass mowed, trees trimmed, and good lighting not only enhances the overall look of the cemetery to the general public but also discourages vandalism. Proper use of tools to keep cemeteries free of grass and limbs must be observed diligently in cemetery maintenance. Power mowers and weed eaters, when carelessly used, have and can still scar and break tombstones, especially old ones since they are usually made of softer stone. So, to minimize damage to old stones, grass near these stones should be pulled by hand. When power mowers and weed eaters are used guards should be in place to deflect any debris that is being thrown that may cause damage to the stones. When mowing, it is best to use a mulching mower when possible since there is not an outward discarding of debris. Any cracked or broken stone should be addressed immediately so to minimize further damage to the stone.

Lighting is also essential to maintain security in a cemetery. Lights should be checked regularly and changed if needed. Good lighting reduces the chance of vandalism. It is cheaper to change a bulb than repair vandalized stones. A well-lit cemetery draws the public to keep an eye on the cemetery which deters vandalism. A regular check of the cemetery is also essential. Look for stones that have cracked, been damaged or destroyed, and address the defects as soon as possible. Also, check fences for needed repairs and vandalism.

Day-to-day, periodic, and long-term maintenance are essential components of a long-term plan to ensure the continued preservation of any cemetery. The establishment of a continuous maintenance program is the most effective preservation activity that can be performed by a municipality. A well-kept cemetery will discourage unwanted behavior within your site. A plan that includes, maintenance, landscaping, training, and funding of a permanent work force will help preserve your cemetery.