July 12, 1999 Volume 21, No. 17

Three Staff Members Create Safety Primer for Custodians Introducing the User-Friendly Custodial Safety Manual to a gathering of more than 50 custodial supervisors and environmental safety specialists from about 30 colleges will be the focus of the Custodial Safety Conference to be held at Ithaca College July 26. The manual, made possible by a $50,000 grant from the Hazard Abatement Board of the New York State Department of Labor, was produced by Ithaca College staff members Rick Couture, assistant director of facilities services; Peg Dillingham, assistant director of life safety; and Kris Colongeli Hamill, project director and student publicity coordinator. The manual addresses the problem of how institutions can deal with complicated safety regulations in light of a wide range of reading abilities among employees. "The manual is intended to be a preventive guide that makes it easier for everybody, including people who don’t have trouble reading, to quickly understand complex state and federal safety regulations as well as implement safety guidelines for various custodial tasks," says Hamill. "Through clear language and attractive graphics, we’re talking about workplace safety in the context of literacy sensitivity. That’s unique to the safety field." Designed so that it can be carried handily by custodians making their rounds and quickly found in an emergency, the User-Friendly Custodial Manual is a primer on dealing with such safety issues as chemical exposure, back safety, hazard communication, and accident prevention. The final section outlines the proper responses to various emergencies. "The state labor board has taken the manual to national OSHA meetings, and it’s been well received by various labor boards from surrounding states," Hamill says. "Custodial supervisors and safety specialists are excited because nothing else focuses on safety concerns for custodians with a wide variety of reading levels. We hope custodians can comfortably use this manual to do their jobs well and keep from getting injured." In addition to the safety manual, the conference will offer sessions on workers’ compensation issues in higher education, product labeling and storage, reducing injuries in the workplace, literacy in the workplace, preventing chemical exposure, and dealing with blood pathogens. Student clinicians Tom Bishop ’99 and Anita Patel ’99, under the supervision of associate professor of physical therapy Katherine Beissner, will present a specially designed four-station workshop on back safety. Individuals attending the conference will receive a free copy of the manual; an electronic version will also be available for each institution. The conference is being sponsored by Ithaca College and the Hazard Abatement Board of the New York State Department of Labor. Photo: Linda McLain and Richard Bradford demonstrate proper lifting techniques. (Photo by Peter Ozolins)