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Kansas Field Office gets motivated to find and fix workplace hazards

by Patrick Morgan

Safe + Sound graphic that identifies workplace hazards and how to fix them.

TOPEKA, Kansas— GSA’s Kansas Field Office participated in the Occupational Safety and Healthy Administration’s Safe Sound Week August 15-21.   

Safe + Sound Week is a nationwide event held each August to recognize the successes of workplace health and safety programs, and offer information and ideas on how to keep America's workers safe.

Bill McClain, director of the Kansas Field Office, acknowledges that the first line of defense in identifying safety issues is often the building service contract personnel who are walking the buildings and grounds daily. Also, leadership has to ensure they are promoting an environment that encourages contract employees to observe and report hazards they encounter.

“One activity I’d like for us to cover this year is to push extra reminders and messages to leadership and building service contractors — mainly janitorial, and operations and maintenance,” McClain said. “They help us identify and control sources of potential injuries or illness in our federal buildings.”   

According to OSHA, successful safety and health programs can proactively identify and manage workplace hazards before they cause injury or illness, improving sustainability and the bottom line. Participating in Safe + Sound Week can help get your program started, energize an existing one, or provide a chance to recognize your safety successes.

“We should never be solely reliant on the annual regional OSH inspections to find and report all safety hazards,” McClain said. “If you find a safety hazard in real time, report it and fix it!”

Examples of building hazards that employees and contractors should be looking and observing for include:

  • Improperly stored or open chemicals.
  • Non-approved appliances / space heaters.
  • Improper or damaged extension cords and power strip usage.
  • Slip hazards.
  • Machine guarding.
  • Trip hazards.
  • Sources of excessive noise.
  • Vehicle/traffic hazards.
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Last updated: Sep 2, 2022
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