Save the Date: 
October 23 - 31 is Red Ribbon Week!
First Aid/CPR Training

August 11 th
9 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

120 Carlanna Lake Road, Upstairs Training Center.

Please sign-up by emailing:   Ginny@tss-safety.com

  Need a training for your team? Schedule one today!
UPCOMING
TRAININGS
webinar training stock
Distracted Driving
Presenter: David Martin
August 7, 2018
$29 per person
What are the common distractions and hazards? Back to school means kids walking! What does your company policy say about corporate vehicles and phone use? (45 min)
 
You, the D.E.R.
By: Jo McGuire
August 14, 2018
$75 per person
If you receive the drug & alcohol testing results for your company, you are required to know the responsibilities outlined in 49 CFR Part 40. We'll cover the rules, random selection, document retention and much more! Certificates of completion will be given for attending this course.  (90 min)

Signs & Symptoms for Supervisors
By: Jo McGuire
August 21, 2018
$129 First Person / $89 Second Person
    How do you determine whether a Reasonable Cause situation exists in the workplace? This training will not only make the parameters clear to you but will also discuss the latest trends in employee substance use, how to approach the employee, document the situation, drug testing protocols and what the expectations are for record-keeping.  (120 min)
All webinars are
10:00 am AK Time
1:00 pm CS Time
To register, please email:
or call:  877-225-1431
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How Safe are School Busses?
Eric Bartholomew, CPC, BAT
TSS, Inc.

   Just how safe is a school bus?  According to NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration), the school bus is simply the safest vehicle on the roadways today! 
   Statistically, a child is much safer taking a bus to school, than riding in a car.  Students are 70% more likely to make it to school safely in a school bus than by car.
   School busses are designed to be highly visible - hence flashing red lights, cross-view mirrors, stop-sign arms, and of course the classic yellow color.   School buses offer protective seating, high crush standards, and rollover protection features.
   Of course, there are laws designed to protect all who ride a school bus:  it is illegal to pass a school bus while it is dropping off or picking up passengers, regardless of the direction of approach.
What about seat belts?   While seat belts have been required in passenger automobiles since 1968, and virtually every state has a seatbelt law, you will not find seat belts in the passenger seats in school buses.  Why is this?  Simply put, school buses are designed to protect riders without the need for seatbelts in every seat.  School buses are heavier and distribute crash forces differently than passenger cars and trucks.  NHTSA has dictated that school buses use "compartmentalization" to protect passengers.  Via compartmentalization, riders are protected from crashes by strong, closely-spaced seats that have energy-absorbing seat backs.     Smaller busses may be required to have individual seat belts if those buses are similar in size to a passenger truck or car.
Additionally, school bus drivers are required to submit to the rigorous drug testing standards for U.S. Department of Transportation, safety-sensitive employees under the Omnibus Safety in Transportation Act of 1991.
   When you entrust your child to a school bus ride, the school system is complying with federal guidelines to ensure that your child arrives safely, which is good to know for all of us with children in our lives!
For more information on safety training or topics, please contact david@tss-safety.com 
SAFETY CORNER: Watch out in School Zones
By David Martin, Safety Coordinator, TSS, Inc.

   As summer passes into autumn, school zones can suddenly become a very congested and confusing place to be. School buses are picking up and dropping off, kids are hurrying to get to school before the bell rings, parents are in a rush to drop their kids off before going to work. We all know how that can be, both before and after school.
   As the sun sets earlier and daylight decreases, keeping yourself calm, aware of your surroundings and alert to where kids MAY be is even more important.
According to the National Safety Council more kids are hit by cars in school zones than in any other location. Some steps you can take to help keep school zones safe include:
  • Don't double park; it blocks visibility for other children and vehicles
  • Don't load or unload children across the street from the school
  • Carpool to reduce the number of vehicles at the school
   According to research by the National Safety Council, most of the children who lose their lives in bus-related incidents are 4 to 7 years old, and they're walking. They are hit by the bus, or by a motorist illegally passing a stopped bus. A few precautions go a long way toward keeping children safe:
  • Don't block the crosswalk when stopped at a red light or waiting to make a turn, forcing pedestrians to go around you; this could put them in the path of moving traffic
  • In a school zone when flashers are blinking, stop and yield to pedestrians crossing the crosswalk or intersection
  • Always stop for a school patrol officer or crossing guard holding up a stop sign
  • Take extra care to look out for children in school zones, near playgrounds and parks, and in all residential areas
  • Don't honk or rev your engine to scare a pedestrian, even if you have the right of way
  • Never pass a vehicle stopped for pedestrians
  • Always use extreme caution to avoid striking pedestrians wherever they may be, no matter who has the right of way
   For more tips or safety trainings, please contact david@tss-safety.com and remember, Safety is NO ACCIDENT!
D.O.T. & You

   Exactly what does D.O.T. say about retrieving the past drug and alcohol testing records of your new hires?
ยง 40.25 Must an employer check on the drug and alcohol testing record of employees they are intending to hire to perform safety-sensitive duties?
 (a) Yes, as an employer, you must, after obtaining an employee's written consent, request the information about the employee listed in paragraph (b) of this section. This requirement applies only to employees seeking to begin performing safety-sensitive duties for you for the first time (i.e., a new hire, or employee transfers into a safety-sensitive position). If the employee refuses to provide this written consent, you must not permit the employee to perform safety-sensitive functions.
 (b) You must request the information listed in this paragraph (b) from DOT-regulated employers who have employed the employee during any period during the two years before the date of the employee's application or transfer:
   (1) Alcohol tests with a result of 0.04 or higher alcohol concentration;
   (2) Verified positive drug tests;
   (3) Refusals to be tested (including verified adulterated or substituted drug test results);
   (4) Other violations of DOT agency drug and alcohol testing regulations; and
   (5) With respect to any employee who violated a DOT drug and alcohol regulation, documentation of the employee's successful completion of DOT return-to-duty requirements (including follow-up tests). If the previous employer does not have information about the return-do-duty process (e.g., an employer who did not hire an employee who tested positive on a pre-employment test), you must seek to obtain this information from the employee.
 (c) The information obtained from a previous employer includes any drug or alcohol test information obtained from previous employers under this section or other applicable DOT agency regulations.
 (d) If feasible, you must obtain and review this information before the employee first performs safety-sensitive functions. If this is not feasible, you must obtain and review the information as soon as possible. However, you must not permit the employee to perform safety-sensitive functions after 30 days from the date on which the employee first performed safety-sensitive functions, unless you have obtained or made and documented a good faith effort to obtain this information.
 (e) If you obtain information that the employee has violated a DOT agency drug and alcohol regulation, you must not use the employee to perform safety-sensitive functions unless you also obtain information that the employee has subsequently complied with the return-to-duty requirements of Subpart O of this part and DOT agency drug and alcohol regulations.
 (f) You must provide to each of the employers from whom you request information under paragraph (b) of this section written consent for the release of the information cited in paragraph (a) of this section.
 (g) The release of information under this section must be in any written form (e.g., fax, e-mail, letter) that ensures confidentiality. As the previous employer, you must maintain a written record of the information released, including the date, the party to whom it was released, and a summary of the information provided.
 (h) If you are an employer from whom information is requested under paragraph (b) of this section, you must, after reviewing the employee's specific, written consent, immediately release the requested information to the employer making the inquiry.
 (i) As the employer requesting the information required under this section, you must maintain a written, confidential record of the information you obtain or of the good faith efforts you made to obtain the information. You must retain this information for three years from the date of the employee's first performance of safety-sensitive duties for you.
 (j) As the employer, you must also ask the employee whether he or she has tested positive, or refused to test, on any pre-employment drug or alcohol test administered by an employer to which the employee applied for, but did not obtain, safety-sensitive transportation work covered by DOT agency drug and alcohol testing rules during the past two years. If the employee admits that he or she had a positive test or a refusal to test, you must not use the employee to perform safety-sensitive functions for you, until and unless the employee documents successful completion of the return-to-duty process (see paragraphs (b)(5) and (e) of this section).
We offer world-class education and screening services for workplace and community safety.
  
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