The Safety & Risk Management Committee is

taking steps to reduce the number of slips and

falls in the District. Over the last two years,

there have been 237 injuries due to slips and

falls that have hurt our employees and cost the

District nearly $2,000,000.

The week of August 8th, the Safety & Risk

Management Committee with the support of

the Operations Division delivered step stools to

the principals at 47 schools to help teachers

and staff be safer when reaching for items that

are higher than their reach while standing on

the ground.

Tips to prevent Slips and Falls:

Clean up spills immediately

Use a proper ladder, don’t use a chair

Keep floor space free of debris

Do not carry objects that obstruct the

view of where you are walking

Wear slip resistant footwear

We would like to

invite all employ-

ees to get involved

and help us reduce

the number of

slips and falls this

year. You are

invited to send

your ideas for slip

and fall prevention to Kevin Coyne,

Charles Burton, or Cecil Jenkins. For

more information and to track our pro-

gress, visit the Safety webpage by click-

ing Here.

SLPS Safety Sentinel

Stepping Up To Stop Slips and Falls

Safety Calendar

August —Back to School Safety

Month

September—National Preparedness

Month

September—Safety Art and Essay

Contest

October — School Safety Month

Oct 3—19 Anti-Bullying Pledge

October 16-31 Bus Safety

August 2011

Volume 2, Issue 1

SLPS Safety

Webpage

The SLPS Safety Webpage is

a source of information for

many SLPS staff and stu-

dents.

Check out Safety Contest,

Stepping Up To Stop Slips

and Falls and Safety For

Kids on the Webpage.

Click Here.

SLPS Safety Sentinel S T . L O U I S B O A R D O F E D U C A T I O N

2010-11 Safety Incentives Awarded

On July 26th, the safety incentives awards

were presented to the principals of the schools

that earned the incentives during the 2010-11

school year. The first year of the incentive

program was a success. The number of inju-

ries was reduced by 20% from 334 reported

injuries in 2009-10 to 269 in 2010-11.

The elementary schools led the way by reduc-

ing their number of injuries from 174 to 124

and the middle schools reduced their injuries

from 50 to 30. Congratulations on a great

year.

The incentive program paid $61,000 to the

schools in the mid-year payout and $122,750

to the schools at year end for a total in-

centive payout of $183,750.

The list of schools that received incentive

payments is long and distinguished. In

all, 49 schools received payments ranging

from $500 to $5,000. On the list were 31

elementary schools, 8 middle schools, 5

high schools and 5 alternative schools.

Congratulations for a job well done.

SAFETY Art & Essay Contest The 2nd Annual SAFETY Art & Essay Contest

for students is entering its second week. The

theme of the contest is “Safety is no Accident:

Avoid Slips, Trips and Falls”. All current SLPS

students are invited to enter the contest. Each

student may submit either an art project or an

essay to the contest. For more details, see the

Safety Webpage for the contest flyer. Click

Here for the Webpage.

Three prizes will be awarded at each

school level for the top three art or essay

projects. The levels are K-5, 6-8 and 9-

12. The prizes will be $50 gift cards.

The contest is sponsored through donor

contributions to the St. Louis Public

Schools Foundation.

The awards will be presented at the

SAB Board Meeting on October 25th.

tions that could cause a Slip, Trip or

Fall.

All employees are invited to visit the

safety website and review the various

documents on preventing Slips, Trips

and Falls on the page “Stepping Up To

Stop Slips and Falls”. To go directly to

the page click here.

On June 16th, the SAB approved the

2011-12 Safety Incentive Program. The

new program is designed to reward the

schools that contribute to a 20% reduc-

tion in the number of injuries and a

reduction in the cost of workers’ com-

pensation claims arising from the inju-

ries. The goal of the new program is

195 injuries or less.

The Safety & Risk Management Com-

mittee has identified Slips, Trips and

Falls as being the key to meeting the

2011-12 goals. Slips, Trips and Falls

have accounted for 39% of the injuries

and 46% of the cost over the last two

years. Most of these injuries are avoid-

able. Each employee should be on the

look out to recognize and correct condi-

Almost one in every five work-related

injuries results from a slip, trip or fall.

Falls kill more than 12,000 people a year,

about 1,200 of them at work. That

makes them the biggest cause of work-

place fatalities after motor vehicle acci-

dents. Slips, trips and falls whether on

or off the job are expensive, disruptive,

painful and may be tragic.

There are many situations that can cause

slips, trips and falls. Most such inju-

ries can be prevented by eliminating

workplace hazards and by behavior modi-

fication: people taking the proper action

to work safely.

What You Can Do to Prevent Slips,

Trips and Falls

Wear footwear that is appropriate

for the conditions inside and outside.

On snowy, icy and rainy days wear

boots to work and change after ar-

riving.

When the floor surface changes,

alter your stride to take shorter,

slower steps.

When carrying a load, make sure

that you can see over and around it.

Clean up, remove or report unsafe

conditions such as spills, electric

cords, frayed carpets, worn stairs

and other hazards that could result

in a slip/trip/fall injury.

Always us a ladder or step stool.

Never stand on a chair, desk, shelf,

crate, box or any other unstable

item.

Be Pro-Active! Get Involved!

Prevent Slip, Trip and Fall Injuries

Thank you to the Maine Municipal As-

sociation for this article.

Preventing Slips, Trips and Falls

Wacky Warnings

2011-12 Safety Incentive Program

Announced

SLPS Safety Sentinel Page 2

“Slips, Trips and Falls have

accounted for 39% of the injuries

and 46% of the cost over the last

two years.

Quote of the Month

“Do not let what you cannot do,

interfere with what you can do.”

John Wooden

Warning on a letter opener….Caution. Safety Goggles Recommended

A baby stroller with a small storage pouch warns…..Do Not Put Child in

Bag

A flushable toilet brush warns…..Do not use for personal hygiene

A cardboard car sunshield warns…..Do not drive with sunshield in place

Safety Training

1. The Safety & Risk Management

Committee has teamed up with Tech-

nology for some new opportunities to

provide safety training to SLPS em-

ployees. The SafeSchools website will

be rolled out to all full-time employees

during the month of September. The

website will include opportunities for

safety training as well as training in

other areas such as Technology, Hu-

man Resources, and Nutrition. Watch

the Safety Website and the Safety Sen-

tinel for details.

2. The Violent Confrontation Avoid-

ance refresher classes have begun. The

class will be approximately 30 minutes

long and will be delivered to staff dur-

ing regularly scheduled staff meetings.

Principals should contact Kevin Coyne

to schedule their school.

3. Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI)

training has begun for the staffs of the

alternative schools. This 8 hour train-

ing module is being delivered in two,

four hour sessions.

Page 3 Volume 2, Issue 1

Water (1/2 gallon per person per day)

Food (non-perishable)

First Aid Supplies & Instructions

Rain Gear & Mylar Blanket

Flashlight & Batteries

Radio & Batteries

Toilet Paper and Sanitary Supplies

Dust Mask & Goggles

Heavy Gloves & Sturdy Shoes

Tarp or Shower Curtain (for shelter)

Essential Medications

Money & Important Documents

Food & Water for Pets

Emergency Contact Phone Numbers

Thanks to Lincoln County Schools

(Oregon) for this article and supply list.

Safety Sentinel For Students

Are you ready for emergencies? Don’t wait until it’s too late to be pre-

pared. Make your family emergency kit now.

After a major disaster, you may need to survive on your own for several

days. This means having enough water, food, first aid, shelter, and

other supplies for you and your family

for at least 4 days. Some emergency

officials expect that it might be 10-12

days before help would come to all peo-

ple in the St. Louis area after a major

disaster.

A backpack is the most practical thing

to put your emergency supplies in. That

way, you can carry your supplies on

your back and have your hands free to

help a friend or family member who

may be injured, remove barriers, or

even climb over obstacles resulting from

an earthquake or other disaster.

Most supplies for your emergency kit can be found in the sporting goods

section of our local stores.

Food & Water with a five-year shelf life and pre-made Emergency Kits

can be purchased from the American Red Cross.

For a complete list of suggested emergency kit supplies, go to:

www.ready.gov.

Cyber-Bullying

What is Cyber-Bullying? (When one student targets

another on-line)

Mean, vulgar or threatening email

Forwarding a private communication to others

Humiliating text sent over a cell phone

Web site mocking others

Posting embarrassing photos or video

Impersonating someone else to spread rumors

Intentionally excluding someone from an online group

Posting sensitive, private information about someone else

Family Emergency Kit Emergency Kit Contents

How can you prevent being cyber bullied?

Don’t give out private information (Passwords, PIN)

Be careful about posting personal information such as

name, address and cell numbers

Don’t share buddy lists

Delete messages from people you don’t know

Don’t post embarrassing photos or videos

When something doesn’t sound right, leave the chat room

Don’t intentionally exclude someone from an online group

Assume no digital communication is private

Cyber bullying involves the use of information and technology

such as e-mail, instant messaging, the publishing of defamatory

personal web sites, and online personal polling web sites that

are used to support conscious, willful, deliberate, repeated, and

hostile behavior by one or more people with the intent to harm

others.

What Does That Mean?

How to Prevent being a Cyber-Bully

Don’t e-mail when you are angry

Don’t e-mail with friends and target someone for enter-

tainment

Don’t forward an e-mail that someone sent as a private

message

Thanks to the kysafeschool.org website for this article.

Enter the Safety Art & Essay

Contest

Ask your Teachers how!

Page 4 SLPS Safety Sentinel