Jim Peterson

We've all heard the tale that ends with "... and he ended up right under the truck!" Although these stories are good for a laugh, the reality is there is nothing amusing about a spill that incapacitates a member of the squad.

Indeed, there are multiple costs associated with slip-and-fall accidents, everything from emotional, to occupational, to financial. While many companies can tell you how much it costs to install a new flooring surface in the apparatus bay, I'm here to explain the cost of not installing a safe floor coating.

First, a little bit of background to illustrate why this issue is so important. Did you know that slip-and-fall accidents are:

• The second leading cause of death, injury, and disability in the workplace?
• The third leading cause of workers' compensation claims?
• The number one cause of workplace accidents?
• More likely to kill a worker than any other kind of accident?
• Responsible for 65 percent of lost work time?
• Responsible for more lawsuits against employers than any other type of accident?
• Responsible for more visits to the emergency room than all other accidents combined, with an average cost of $28,000?
• Responsible for more on-the-job deaths than any other accident?
• Responsible for an average of 17,000 deaths each year?

(Source: Andrew Kim Law Firm, PLLC)

Pay Now Or Later

When it comes to floor safety, the common adage is, "You can pay now or you can pay later." It is usually less expensive to take the steps required to prevent an accident than it is to pay for the cost of such things as workers' compensation, disability, medical, and possible legal fees and judgments.

"But Jim," you're probably thinking, "we're a tight-knit squad. We take care of our own. Nobody here is going to sue if they fall." Are you certain about that? Let's examine the case of a church parishioner in Boca Raton, Florida.

In 2009, Andrea Thompson, 34, slipped on the newly installed sidewalk outside of her church, severely injuring her knee. She had to undergo four surgeries, including a knee replacement, and doctors say she might require two future knee replacements. She may never regain full mobility. Thompson sued the Diocese of Palm Beach, which owns the church, and this past January a jury awarded her a total of $2.6 million.

You read that right: $2.6 million.

As reported by the Daily Business Review in Miami, Thompson was forced to leave her job and take a sedentary, lower-paying position. During the discovery phase of the trial, the jury learned that a subcontractor failed to apply a nonskid material on the new sidewalk that would have made it safer for pedestrians. The jury award included $600,000 for past and future medical costs, $87,000 for lost wages to date, and an additional $1.9 million for future lost wages and pain and suffering.

Soon after the accident, a contractor was seen applying a clear nonskid coating to the sidewalk-something that clearly should

By Alan M. Petrillo

Technology has allowed self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) makers to build a number of important elements into their face pieces that give firefighters instant ability to make decisions based on the data they receive.

Face pieces offer cross-contamination protection, have heads-up display (HUD) features that show the amount of pressure left in the air bottle, and incorporate elements such as breathing sensors and radio communication modules.

Protection, Comfort, Visibility

Jeff Emery, director of marketing and product management for Scott Safety, says that for Scott's face pieces the first goal is to provide firefighters with the highest level of protection possible. "That's mission number one for our face piece because respiratory protection is critical," Emery says. "There were significant changes to face pieces after [National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1981, Standard on Open-Circuit Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) for Emergency Services (2013 ed.)] was issued, where there was an increase in testing for high temperatures and radiant heat that meant new lenses made from advanced materials. The new lens materials gave our face piece a big improvement in survivability in a catastrophic event and also reduce the incidents of crazing and spider webbing at higher temperatures."

1 Scott Safety's AV3000HT face piece has an EPIC 3RI radio interface, shown here with a voice amplification unit on the right side, that uses a wireless Bluetooth connection to a lapel microphone, allowing it to connect to a variety of radios. (Photo courtesy of Scott Safety.)

Ben Mauti, fire service market manager for MSA North America, says MSA designed its G1 face piece from scratch by working with firefighters to incorporate their experiences with all types of face pieces. "Our first focus was the fit of our G1 face piece," Mauti points out. "Our medium face piece is designed to comfortably fit most firefighters and is ¾ of a pound lighter than our previous face piece. We removed the electronics and battery from the face piece, which makes it lighter and more comfortable to wear and has less physiological stress for the firefighter."

The next attribute of the G1 face piece is its "extremely wide field of view," Mauti says, "because there are no accessories attached to the face piece to block the firefighter's view." The G1 face piece provides cross contamination protection through an exhalation valve that prevents spit and sweat from getting into the regulator, he adds, and is made up of two parts. "There's one airflow path when the regulator is hooked up to the face piece and a secondary flow path, an open port design, to allow the firefighter to breath without exhalation resistance when in a standby mode."

The G1 face piece places a mechanical speech diaphragm in the breathing zone in front of a firefighter's mouth, with two microphones lining up with the open breathing port. "There is nothing in between the speech and the two microphones picking it up," Mauti says. "It's part of the regulator, so when you click it into the face piece, it's right there. The voice then gets broadcast off a speaker amplifier on the SCBA's

Citing threats to public safety, the head of Vancouver’s firefighters union announced Tuesday that the union opposes a proposal to build the nation’s largest rail-to-ship oil transfer terminal at the Port of Vancouver. The city is “not staffed appropriately” and “we don’t have the training, and we don’t have the equipment to effectively respond to an emergency at the oil terminal,” Mark Johnston, president the Vancouver Firefighters Union IAFF Local 452, told port commissioners during the port’s regular public meeting.
- PUB DATE: 10/13/2015 11:38:25 AM - SOURCE: Vancouver Columbian

Citing threats to public safety, the head of Vancouver’s firefighters union announced Tuesday that the union opposes a proposal to build the nation’s largest rail-to-ship oil transfer terminal at the Port of Vancouver. The city is “not staffed appropriately” and “we don’t have the training, and we don’t have the equipment to effectively respond to an emergency at the oil terminal,” Mark Johnston, president the Vancouver Firefighters Union IAFF Local 452, told port commissioners during the port’s regular public meeting.
- PUB DATE: 10/13/2015 11:38:25 AM - SOURCE: Vancouver Columbian

Citing threats to public safety, the head of Vancouver’s firefighters union announced Tuesday that the union opposes a proposal to build the nation’s largest rail-to-ship oil transfer terminal at the Port of Vancouver. The city is “not staffed appropriately” and “we don’t have the training, and we don’t have the equipment to effectively respond to an emergency at the oil terminal,” Mark Johnston, president the Vancouver Firefighters Union IAFF Local 452, told port commissioners during the port’s regular public meeting.
- PUB DATE: 10/13/2015 11:38:25 AM - SOURCE: Vancouver Columbian