Be a University of Kentucky HERO
LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 8, 2019) — The University of Kentucky Division of Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS) has developed the Hazard Education, Recording and Observation (HERO) safety program and is asking UK faculty and staff to get involved. EHS is even offering a gift for participation.
“We want employees to be able to recognize hazards when they see them, but also have the knowledge of how to address the situation or who to report the hazard to,” said Michele Laur, safety specialist in EHS.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, slips, trips and falls (STF) make up the majority of employee incidents. UK is devoted to keeping employees safe and has created this program to help reduce the risk of potential injuries from STF.
The HERO program offers an online educational video and observation form. The video offers advice on how to make workspaces safer, and it points out examples of potentially hazardous conditions on campus that employees can rectify themselves or can report to others to be resolved.
Once employees are able to recognize STF hazards, they will be able to share their observations with Environmental Health and Safety through the online observation form. The observation form is also mobile-friendly.
“The observations can take place anywhere on campus — from your walk in at the start of the day or your work area," Laur said.
These hazard observations will be used by the EHS to create data points for incident prevention. The data points will be analyzed and shared with groups around campus to assist in pin-pointing their efforts in reducing STF hazards.
With the launch of the HERO program, LED light up slap bracelets will be given to the first 1,000 participants who submit an online observation. These bracelets offer three different modes of light: slow flashing, solid light and strobe flashing. The bands can wrap around your wrist or ankle and will help increase your visibility while walking, jogging or biking.
To begin the HERO safety program click here or visit http://ehs.uky.edu and look for "HERO" under President Eli Capilouto’s video.