Take Five for Goal Zero
From the ES&H section
Fermilab Today, Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Take Five: Safe, healthy and green
Nancy Grossman, head of the ES&H section, wrote this week’s column.
We are in the middle of a shutdown for maintenance of our accelerator complex. Now more than ever, we need to work together and help each other to do our jobs safely and responsibly. We want to meet Goal Zero: no injuries, minimal environmental impact.
Too many times when we start a task, we think “I should …”, but then we don’t do it. “I should get the right tool, should get help, should think more about this task, should put on better gloves.” We all know such situations.
Our Take Five for Goal Zero program is a reminder to pause and do the right thing. I hope the Take Five theme will stick in your head and remind you to think before starting a job: Is the work area clear and safe? Do I have the right tools and personal protective equipment? Does the task team know the plan and the things that could go wrong? How can I minimize the environmental impact? If something does not look right or is not going as planned, stop the work and Take Five to think about what is happening.
We have set up a Web page that we hope will help you apply the Take Five principles. This is your Web page. Here you can submit questions and share with your colleagues links to Web pages that make it easier for all of us to be safe, healthy and environmentally conscious. Please send me your suggestions for improvements and additional links through the Q&A form.
This summer, we also offer our new fitness program “Accelerate to a Healthy Lifestyle: Exercise!” The goal is to exercise three days per week for 30 minutes. I encourage you to sign up and log your hours. Submit your log sheets and win a prize. For more information, check out this flyer.
On Monday, June 29, we will host a Summer ES&H Fair in the atrium of Wilson Hall. It will feature information on our Take Five program as well as booths on topics such as Earth-friendly gardening, recycling, bicycle and motorcycle safety, prevention of heat stroke and sunburn and fire safety. Several booths will offer raffles and free items.
Remember to Take Five and get moving for a safe, healthy and green summer.