According to the National Safety Council, one out of four vehicle accidents can be blamed on poor backing techniques. Backing accidents cause 500 deaths and 15,000 injuries per year. The use of safe vehicle backing tips by employers and employees can help prevent accidents while on the job.
 
•         Get to know the blind spots of a vehicle. In a medium-sized truck, blind spots can extend up to 16 feet in front and 160 feet behind a vehicle. Drivers need to remember that mirrors can never give the whole picture while backing.
•         Think in advance. Drivers should not put themselves into unnecessary backing situations. It is better to drive around the block rather than back up to a missed turn.
•         Park defensively. Drivers must choose easy-exit parking spaces that do not crowd neighboring vehicles and park their vehicle in the center of the parking space.
•         When parking in a parking lot, a driver should back into it (if local ordinances permit) so that when leaving the vehicle can pull forward into the lot.
•         Do a walk-around. Walking around a vehicle gives a driver firsthand view of the backing area and any limitations. They can check for children, soft or muddy areas, potholes, tire hazards, and other dangers.
•         Know the clearances. When performing a walk-around, drivers can check for obstructions, low-hanging trees and wires, and any other potential clearance-related problems.
•         Every backing situation is new and different. Sometimes a driver visits the same location several times a day and should be watchful each visit for changes and any new obstacles.
•         Use a spotter. A driver should use another person to help them when backing. The driver and spotter should use hand signals instead of verbal ones and make sure they understand the signals of each other. Do not have the spotter walking backwards while giving instructions.
•         When a driver spots for themselves, they need to return to the vehicle and start backing within a few seconds after finishing the walk-around. This will allow very little time for people and/or obstacles to change behind the vehicle. Backing without a spotter should only take place after a driver has as much information about the area as possible. A back up alarm can help warn away pedestrians and drivers of other vehicles who may try to enter the area the vehicle is backing into.
 Long-Term Solutions to Safe Backing:
 
•         Installation of rear-vision camera systems in vehicles eliminates rear blind spots. Investing in a rear-vision camera system for vehicles can put drivers in full visual control of the rear of a vehicle (currently in use in off-road Trucks at the Washington Works job in WV).
•         No amount of forward-driving experience can help a driver with backing a truck or other vehicles. All drivers need to practice, practice, practice in safe surroundings until they become familiar with the way the vehicle backs up compared to the direction the steering wheel is turned.

Inevitably lifting is something most of us will do during a regular days work. It is important we use proper lifting techniques whenever lifting or placing objects.   As we discuss in our morning safety meetings the importance of using the proper Personal Protective Equipment.  It is equally important to plan out the route we intend to take while carrying an object and make sure all trip hazards have been properly mitigated. Properly positioning your feet shoulder width apart, bending your knees, lift with your legs, and lifting the objects close to your body will help protect yourself from straining or even throwing your back out. The RECON policy is, anytime an object weighs over fifty pounds there needs to be a second person to assist in lifting.  

Fire extinguishers are an important safety device.  Here are some guidelines for the inspection and use of them.
 
•         When inspecting an extinguisher make sure that they are charged, the pin is in place and that the body is not rusted or corroded.
•         Extinguishers on equipment should be inspected daily and documented on the daily equipment checklist.
•         In addition to the daily inspections each extinguisher should have a tag for a monthly inspection as well as an annual inspection sticker showing that the unit has been serviced and inspected by an official fire protection company.
•         Remember that we should only be using fire extinguishers for emergency egress purposes, not to fight fires. This is the fire departments job.
•         If the situation arises, remember the acronym P.A.S.S.  Pull the pin. Aim, Squeeze, and Sweep.
•         Ensure that you have the correct fire extinguisher for the type of fire.

Class A fire extinguishers are meant to put out fires that involve what are called ordinary combustibles. This includes wood, paper and products made of similar materials. The symbol for a class A fire extinguisher is a capital A in black surrounded by a green background. There is also a numerical rating on any class A fire extinguisher. The numerical rating refers to the amount of extinguishing agent kept in the extinguisher and how much fire it can put out.  
 
A class B fire extinguisher is specifically formulated to put out fires that involve flammable liquids. This includes oil, gasoline and grease. These fire extinguishers also have a numerical rating, but the rating is the number of square feet of flammable liquid that a non-expert should be able to put out with the extinguisher. The symbol for a class B fire extinguisher is a capital letter B surrounded by a red background.
 

Class C fire extinguishers are meant to put out electrical fires. Fires that involve live wires or electrical outlets should be put out using class C extinguishers. There is no a numerical rating, but the C indicates that the chemical agent isn't conductive, which means there is no risk of you getting shocked while putting out the fire. The symbol is a capital letter C surrounded by a blue background.
            

Class D fire extinguishers are meant to be used on specific, flammable metals. Metals like magnesium, which can burn at extremely high temperatures, can be put with class D extinguishers. Class D extinguishers are marked by a capital D set in a yellow star.

Equipment inspections are vital to the longevity of our equipment and production.  We implemented some extra precautions when inspecting our equipment.  These extra measures may seem like overkill but they have served us well.

 
•         In addition to just the operator performing the inspections we also have a member of the oversight inspecting the equipment.  This adds an extra set of eyes that may find something that the operator missed.
•         We are performing the morning inspections before work gets under way and also performing a post lunch inspection.  This post lunch inspection has been very effective as we have found items that needed to be addressed that were not present in the morning or had developed during operation of the equipment during that time.
•         Once a week the vendor sends their mechanic to address any thing that we have identified during the week as well as an inspection from top to bottom.  This has also worked well.  On a couple of occasions the mechanic has identified something that was not noticed during the regular daily inspections.