Greetings!

What a wonderful fall it has been! We are excited to have a new President, Dr. Charles E. Kupchella. We are also very proud of the UND football team for their victory over the Bison.

The feature article of this issue of Spotlight on Safety is on winter weather driving and procedures for notifying faculty and staff regarding the closing of the University during severe weather conditions. You will also find other useful information on Y2K, government fleet accident statistics, Halloween safety and what you can do to protect your back from injury.

Laboratory Safety During the Y2K Transition

Each laboratory on campus needs to address potential safety and health problems that may arise from disruptions or major outages of basic services such as electricity, telecommunications, water or other basic supplies. For a list of potential problems and recommended preparations, all lab personnel should visit this website for important Y2K lab safety information: www.operations.und.nodak.edu/Op/safety/y2k/y2k.html

Did You Know?

Did you know that government fleets have almost triple the amount of accidents per one million miles driven than vehicles in the private sector? A survey done by the National Association of Fleet Administrators (NAFA) compared accident ratios per million miles driven for corporate, utilities, law enforcement and government fleets. The accident ratio for corporate fleets was 6.90, utilities reported 5.99, law enforcement reported 7.87 and government fleets reported an accident ratio of 15.09. Comparing the government rate to the rest, the losses experienced become more significant. Lets try to get that accident ratio down by buckling up and driving safely. Remember, it is ND law and UND policy that you wear your seat belt when in State Fleet vehicles.

Halloween Safety

Although Halloween is an exciting time for children, the eagerly anticipated costumes, candy and trick-or-treating can also pose safety hazards. The following tips can help make your Halloween a trick-free treat:

Allow your child to trick-or-treat only at the homes of friends or neighbors you know personally.
Make sure your child's costume (including wig and mask) is flame resistant.
Apply reflective tape to your child's ankles and wrists to ensure your child is visible in the dark. Additionally, give your child a flashlight to help guide his or her way.
Avoid masks, scarves and hats that obscure vision or restrict breathing.
Inspect all of your child's treats before allowing him or her to sample any.
Consider throwing a Halloween party for your child and his or her friends instead of extended trick-or-treating.
To reduce the potential of a knife injury, consider painting your pumpkin instead of carving it.

Protect Your Back

Your back is always on the job, even when you're lying down. No wonder four out of five people suffer from back pain at some point in their lives. To protect yourself from a back injury, follow these tips:

Do not store heavy items on the floor or bottom shelf. Waist height is the best zone for commonly moved materials.
Use mechanical lifting aids whenever possible.
When lifting is required, position the item directly in front of yourself. Hold the load as close to your body as possible.
Bend your knees and keep your back straight while lifting.
Do not twist or bend while carrying a load.
Get help to handle heavy or bulky loads. Plan the work with a partner, and do not start moving until you are certain the other person is ready.

Preventing a back injury can be as simple as employing safe lifting and material handling
techniques (mentioned above), exercising regularly, eating a balanced diet and having good posture.

How do I Know if the University is Closed?

In the event of severe weather, official closing of the University or cancellation of classes will be announced after 6:30 a.m. over local radio and television stations. The announcement will be repeated on successive news broadcasts.

Other means of informing employees are currently in the works. The use of voice mail, e-mail, UND's home web page and UND cable channel 3 will all likely be used to inform employees of
University weather reports this winter.

During severe weather, the University may be closed for the entire day or part of the day. Information regarding the opening of the University will be included in the news broadcasts whenever possible. If the re-opening of the University cannot be included in the broadcasts that closed the University, the return to normal working conditions will be announced later in the same manner as the closing was announced.

Winter Weather Driving

During winter travel, it is essential to have a winter weather survival kit in your vehicle. A survival kit should include, at least, the following items:

high energy food;
boots;
blanket;
heat source (candle, etc.);
colored cloth or flare.

When using a state vehicle during winter weather, a survival kit may be requested from the Transportation Department. In addition to a winter weather kit, cellular phones are highly recommended during winter travel.

If you are stranded in severe winter weather, always stay with your vehicle until help arrives.

Please be aware that severe winter weather may be arriving soon. Don't get caught by an unexpected storm, start preparing now.

Safety Manual Update

The development of the University's Safety and Loss Control Manual is well underway. The following is a list of policies that have been approved for the manual:

Animals on Campus	Fire Reporting
Audit/Inspection	Handling Emergencies
Bloodborne Pathogens	University Closing
Drugs and Alcohol	Emergency Preparedness-Winter Storms
Housekeeping	Emergency Preparedness-Tornado
Incident Reporting	Emergency Preparedness-Hazardous Materials
Lifting	Emergency Preparedness-Radioactive Materials
Material Handling	Emergency Preparedness-Biohazardous Materials
Weapons	Emergency Preparedness-Bomb Threat
Sharps	Non-Motorized Vehicles

Copies of the above policies can be requested from the Safety Office by contacting us at 7-3341, or can be viewed on the web: http://www.operations.und.nodak.edu/Op/safety/. As policies are approved, they will be added to our website, so check back often for new policies. New policies coming up for approval are: Welding, Cutting, Brazing; Plan Review; Compressed Gases; Material Safety Data Sheets; Mower Safety, Public Walkways, Vehicle Safety; Vehicle Safety – Accidents; Defensive Driving Class and Winter Weather Driving.

For More Information:








University of North Dakota
Box 9031
Grand Forks, ND 58202
Phone: (701)777-3341
Fax: (701)777-4132