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Please Send Your Safety Suggestions!
Send an e-mail.
Your ideas will be treated seriously, and addressed.
While not every idea can be acted upon, the District Safety Committee will get back to you with a response.
Responses to Recent Safety Suggestions
Dec. 30, 2011
Suggestion: At the intersection of the canal with Pacheco Boulevard, place a fence around the siphon outlet to prevent someone from driving into the canal.
Response: Thank you for noticing the potential for accidents at this location. Bollards have been placed around the siphon to prevent vehicle accidents.
Suggestion: Install a wash rack at the Antioch Service Center to prevent mud from building up and creating a slip hazard. This suggested wash rack would be covered like the wash rack in the Concord yard.
Response: This situation was thoroughly researched, including discussions with the Superintendent and Supervisor in the area. Antioch already has high-pressure washers and an area to wash vehicles. Adding a cover, like the one in Concord, would do nothing to prevent mud build-up. In Concord, the cover’s sole purpose is to reduce the amount of rainwater that enters the wash rack area drain. The drain is connected to the sanitary sewer system, and the wash rack cover complies with Central Contra Costa Sanitary District code, which prohibits excess rainwater from running into their sanitary sewer system. In Antioch, the wash area drain is not connected to a sanitary sewer system and drainage is handled differently, therefore a cover is not needed.
Mud builds up in both locations when muddy vehicles are being washed. It is recommended that employees wash down the mud as soon as it starts to build up and when they are finished washing a vehicle. Keeping the wash areas clean will prevent slip hazards.
Suggestion: Have a qualified operator operate the crane at Middle River Pump Station to assist Tenera.
Response: This situation has been addressed. The crane has been modified, a procedure has been developed, and Tenera staff members have been trained on crane operation. Thank you for this suggestion.
Suggestion: Install equipment to allow emergency cell phone calls to be made from Bollman's underground areas.
Response: Getting full cell phone coverage can be very tricky and unpredictable. At Bollman, the Plant Operators have portable radios with better coverage and “person down” features. Employees who need to use these radios while they are at the plant can obtain them from the Control Operators. This situation also highlights the importance of employees signing in and coordinating through the Supervisor or Senior Operator at the site.
Suggestion: Paint yellow markings in front of the District Center driveway entry to mark it clearly for crossing motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians.
Response: This suggestion was discussed with the City of Concord. At this time, City staff does not feel this is warranted or necessary. The driveway is currently consistent with all the other driveways in the area. Instead, the District has posted some warning signs in the area.
Suggestion: Mark off a fire lane or no parking lane next to the District Center wash rack to keep the Piney Woods gate area clear.
Response: This situation has been researched. At this time, it appears that the area can be kept clear without marking the area. Supervisors have been notified of the need to keep the area clear, and they are working with their employees to do this. If it continues to be an issue, other options will be considered.
Suggestion: Provide fall protection around deep excavations. Procure or lease trench boxes with guardrails.
Response: To meet this need, barricades were purchased to be mounted to traffic cones that are placed around a trench. These barricades do not provide fall protection, but they do provide a warning and keep people aware of their proximity to an open hole. Crews have started using these barricades when doing excavations, and additional units are being purchased.
Suggestion: Place “Hard Hat Required” signs on doors leading out to the process areas at the Bollman Water Treatment Plant.
Response: Thank you for this suggestion. Signage has been installed at key locations of access to the process areas.
Suggestion: Request that supervisors attend one of the Safety Committee meetings.
Response: This suggestion is being addressed. Several supervisors have recently attended Safety Committee meetings.
Suggestion: Investigate term limits for Safety Committee members. Is a two-year term too long? Should members be allowed to continue beyond two years if they are inclined to do so?
Response: Members discussed various options for this suggestion and concluded that the current term-limit is adequate and does not need modification.
Suggestion: Improve the safety recognition web page.
Response: The Public Affairs Department is working on adding photos of recognition recipients to the safety web page.
Suggestion: Improve Safety Recognition program.
Response: The program has been enhanced to include several tiers of recognition, and the GM has signed the revised Safety Recognition Program Administrative Procedure. The program will be rolled out in January 2012.
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December 12, 2011
Suggestion: Revisit policies that encourage sick people to come to work.
Response: The goal of the District’s sick leave policies is to discourage the misuse of sick leave. Employees are not encouraged to come to work sick because that can spread illness while hindering their ability to recuperate. So far, the sick leave policies seem to be working well and in fact, based on their judicious use of sick leave, many employees participate in the optional program that allows them to sell back some of their sick leave when they qualify to do so. At this time, the best course of action is to maintain the current policies and encourage employees to be considerate of their colleagues and use good judgment regarding their sick leave.
Suggestion: Put photos of Safety Committee members on bulletin boards and websites.
Response: Each safety committee will be asked to take an electronic picture and send it to Public Affairs. The pictures will then be posted on the Safety page of the employee website, where they can be easily updated and accessible to everyone.
Suggestion: Stop connection between safety and discipline.
Response: For the past several years, the District has kept safety investigations completely separate from workplace investigations.
Safety investigations (also called root cause analyses) focus on determining the cause of an accident or near-miss and the actions that can be taken to prevent similar incidents in the future. Disciplinary action is never included in safety investigations.
The actions surrounding an accident or near-miss can become the subject of another type of investigation – a workplace investigation. This type of investigation is conducted in accordance with MOU and District policy provisions, including the right for investigated employees to have union representation. When the findings of a workplace investigation conclude that there has been misconduct, disciplinary action may result, with the appropriate level of discipline being applied based on the specific investigation findings. In cases where the misconduct is safety-related, the District communicates the outcomes of disciplinary actions to employees to provide context for the basis of each action.
Both types of investigation are essential to maintaining a safe workplace in the best interests of the District and all its employees.
Suggestion: Review and evaluate the discipline policy for safety infractions.
Response: The District's Administrative Procedure IV-1 (Disciplinary Actions) has only one reference to safety - cause of action #6 provides for disciplinary action for violation or disregard of published safety rules or common safety practices. The District applies the appropriate level of discipline when misconduct is confirmed through a workplace investigation, and that is in accordance with the same approach and levels of discipline for other disciplinary causes of action.
Suggestion: Provide Preventive Physical Therapy
Response: This issue has been previously researched and addressed. There is no credible evidence that preventive physical therapy reduces the incidents of Workers' Compensation claims being filed. As a result, the District has not pursued this approach.
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November 2011:
Suggestion: Can the District stock LED clip-on hard hat headlights and window squeegees in Stores? The headlights would help with visibility on job sites, and squeegees would be useful when there is lots of dew or condensation on vehicle windows in the early morning.
Response: These are excellent and practical suggestions. Both items are now available in Stores.
Suggestion: Grounds/Canal Maintenance quarterly inspection forms need to be changed to require people to stay 300 feet away from tractor mowers and 50 feet away from weed eaters.
Response: This is an excellent suggestion. It has been implemented, and the forms have been updated on the hard drive.
Suggestion: Obtain ergonomic chairs for Control Operators.
Response: Proper ergonomics are crucial to staying injury free. Ergonomic chairs have been obtained for Control Operators.
Suggestion: Provide operator certification to Watershed staff for Little Giant Crane.
Response: To ensure safety during the operation of complex machinery, only regular users of the Little Giant Crane (East County Canal Maintenance equipment operators) should be certified.
Suggestion: Put a throw bag on every truck.
Response: A throw bag is a rescue device with a length of rope stuffed loosely into a bag so it can pay out through the top when the bag is thrown to a swimmer. These devices can be used to safely rescue people in waterways, such as the canal or a reservoir. Throw bags have been added to all CCWD Canal Maintenance trucks.
Suggestion: Provide safety shoes every six months.
Response: Employees who have damaged safety shoes and need replacements before the shoes are one year old can return the damaged shoes to the District safety officer and obtain a shoe voucher for a replacement pair.
Suggestion: Keep slippery surfaces dry and clear of obstacles.
Response: We all know to be extra cautious in areas where the surface is slippery, but it is easy to forget to take precautions. As a reminder, this information is now included in safety trainings.
Suggestion: Use PFDs with emergency whistles.
Response: This is a good suggestion that will enhance safety. The requirement for whistles will be included in the safety handbook.
Suggestion: Pave the dirt area inside the Water Gate at District Center to eliminate a slippery surface in wet weather.
Response: This area has been paved to ensure the safety of people using the Water Gate in wet weather.
Suggestion: Provide hard hats with brims, windbreakers and sunscreen to prevent skin cancer.
Response: Brimmed hard hats and sunscreen are available in Stores to employees who need them. While windbreakers are not available, long-sleeved T-shirts are available and can be worn to protect arms from the sun.
Suggestion: Offer more CPR training to office staff.
Response: The frequency of CPR training has been increased from once a year to twice a year. The twice-a-year schedule will continue for as long as needed.
Suggestion: Increase participation at the site committee level and work with chairs to prepare agendas and tracking.
Response: A member of the management team has been assigned to attend the Concord Maintenance and East County Site Safety Committee meetings to encourage participation, increase focus and track results.
Suggestion: Increase hands-on training for confined-space entries.
Response: To address this request, training on this topic was conducted in June 2011. The District’s goal is to hold future trainings annually.
Suggestion: Maintain weed eaters on a weekly basis.
Response: Weed eaters and other power tools should be maintained per manufacturers’ instructions. This requirement has been added to the District’s Safe Practices Handbook.
Suggestion: Offer a peer training program for Welding/Safety Certification.
Response: To address this request, this program was offered in August 2011 by Butch Martinez and Dan Relei. Thank you, Butch and Dan, for a job well done.
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