Being Mindful of Safety Equipment with Ericka Baxter

NSSGA Podcast

Senior Environmental Director for the Central West region of CRH, Ericka Baxter, joins Libby for today's episode. Ericka takes this opportunity to talk about environmental safety and health, and share a story about an oil spill at one of CRH's locations that was handled extremely well.

Episode Highlights:

• There are a lot of safety concerns when it comes to environmental matters, especially when dealing with oil and fuel

• At one of CRH's sites, a contractor's truck blew a hydraulic hose
• Thanks to the fact that the contractor and the site supervisor both had well prepared spill kits available and knew where they were, the spill was contained
• It's extremely important to have a spill kit that is well prepared, and to know what and where your safety equipment is
• Spill kits must be checked regularly as some products within them have shelf lives, and when they are used they must be filled up again

Toolbox Talk Discussion Questions:

• Do you know off the top of your head where your safety equipment is? Do you know for sure that none of the materials are expired?
• How are we doing as a company at checking safety equipment? What ways could we improve?
• Does anyone have a story about equipment preparedness?

Quotes:

“One of my locations did a fantastic job of handling an oil spill.”

“How many times have we walked by those yellow containers? We don't look at them, we don't even notice them. And that's one of the most important things that we can have to be prepared to handle a spill.”

“It's so important to be prepared.”

“Go check those spill kits. And when you use them, fill them back up.”

“Be mindful about your equipment, whether that is your safety equipment for your follow up systems or if it's your spill kits, whether it's human safety and health, environmental safety and health.”

Links:

National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association website