FOTOFAX JANUARY, 1977
Safety Items Sold at
Discount in Stores
By R. S. Minnick
Purchasing & Materials Control Supervisor
During 1976, many employees took
advantage of various safety items offered
for sale at discount prices through Employ
ees Sales. The Company buys and sells to
employees at its cost, less shipping charges,
items considered beneficial to safety off-
the-job. Hand, fire and eye protection
items were major purchases in 1976 as
shown when 249 pairs of gloves, 238
smoke detectors, 142 fire extinguishers,
and 80 pairs of safety glasses were sold.
Employees are encouraged to take
advantage of this service. Items now
offered at a savings for your protec
tion are:
Need To Be Ordered
1. Ear protector (muff type)
2. Large fire extinguisher
3. Smoke detectors
4. Safety gas cans
/
r
5. Heat alarms
6. Welding helmets
7. Safety shoes (2 styles in stock)
In Stock
1. First Aid Kit
2. Snake bite kit
3. Small fire extinguisher
4. Safety glasses (sun and clear)
5. Gloves
6. Ear plugs
7. Smoke detector battery (for old type)
8. Respirators
9. Deicer (pressure cans)
RHYTHM Promotes Safe
Handling of Materials
By G. A. Masterson
Production Staff Assistant
The Du Pont Company has adopted a
new program to promote safe handling of
hazardous materials- during transit. It's
called RHYTHM. It stands for Remember
How You Treat Hazardous Materials.
On any given day, 50,000 tons of
Du Pont material is in some form of distri
bution throughout the world. About 30%
of that is classified as hazardous (about
600 Du Pont products fall in the hazardous
classification). Under U.S. Department of
Transportation (DOT) regulations, each of
these poses an unreasonable risk to health,
safety or property while in transit.
The RHYTHM program is not a com
plete new interest with Du Pont since
we've always had strict procedures for
handling and transporting hazardous mater
ials safely. But it does represent a fresh,
all inclusive approach.
New OSHA Method of
Injury Reporting
Causes Differences
By G. E. Johnson
Safety Engineer
In the December, 1976 issue of Fotofax,
a new on-the-job injury reporting system
adopted by Du Pont was explained. The
new system, based on the Occupational
Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSHA),
classifies some injuries differently than
the ANSI standards used previously by
Du Pont.
Some major differences in the new
reporting system include:
• Lost time (days) are counted only if
the day is a scheduled work day.
(Lost Workday Case)
• All injuries occurring on Company
property during a scheduled work
day are now subject to classification.
This includes the parking lot and
lunch room, exempted previously.
• Any restricted motion is now classi
fied as a Medical Treatment Case.
This means that a splint, cast or sling
would now be at least a MTC.
• All fractures or broken bones are at
least a Medical Treatment Case. In
the old system they were at least a
Sub-Major.
• All activities on Company property
during lunch time are now subject
to classification. The old system
exempted most lunch time activities.
• Employees under a doctor's observa
tion, who miss a scheduled work day,
are subject to classification as a
Limited Workday Case.
Don Windsor, Public Affairs Dept.,
explained the reasoning behind OSHA
changes. He said, "The U. S. Government
saw the need for a broader base of injury
classification to provide more pertinent
records for determining ways to prevent
injuries."
Under the new system, the employer
still has the responsibility for classifying
injuries. There are merely new guidelines
for him to follow.
Everyone who handles a hazardous
material from the shipper, to the carrier,
to the receiver is involved in the RHYTHM
program. Here's how . . .
• The Shipper — He's responsible for
seeing that hazardous materials are
correctly classified, packaged, labeled,
marked, and shipping papers proper
ly prepared.
• The Carrier — He's responsible for
picking up hazardous materials in an
appropriate conveyance (verified by
the shipper) and transporting them
safely to the receiver. Agents and
truckers are also responsible for
notifying Du Pont personnel in
emergencies involving spillage, leak
age, accidents, etc.
• The Receiver — He's responsible for
safety of people (vendor, carrier and
Du Pont employees) and the protec
tion of facilities and equipment at
receipt and unloading of hazardous
materials.
Continued on Page 8