Fairs Year-round Information                                                                               July 2018  
 
back  In this issue of fyi:
  • CFSA Thanks Pool Members for Attention to Details. You Rock!
Dogs
Overheated? Here Are Some Timely Tips for Preventing
Heat-Related Illnesses 
 
Unless your fair is lucky enough to be near the coast, chances are it's already very, very warm where you are. Add the fact that there is always work that needs to be done around your fairgrounds before, during and after fair, as well as in between summer interim events, and you have the ideal setting for heat-related illnesses.   

Be Cool, Work Smart! To help reduce the risk of heat-related illnesses, everyone from office staff to maintenance crews to ticket takers in non-air conditioned ticket booths needs to be aware of the conditions that can bring about heat exhaustion and heat stroke. They also need to know what symptoms to look for, and what to do when they or someone nearby is experiencing these symptoms.

Did you know that a  relative humidity of 60% or more hampers sweat evaporation and challenges your body's ability to adequately cool itself? Or that  temperatures don't even have to be in the 100s to be potentially dangerous to your health? 

People are at a greater risk of heat illness if they:
  • are dehydrated (dehydration is your worst enemy!)
  • aren't acclimated to working in the heat
  • are obese, in poor health or are older 
  • have previously experienced a heat-related illness
  • are on a low-salt diet
  • take medications or over-the-counter drugs
  • use alcohol
PreventionTakes Pre-Planning:
To help prevent overheating, health experts recommend wearing loose-fitting lightweight clothing and a large-brimmed hat, and staying hydrated. (Don't forget the sunscreen!)

To stay hydrated, choose water or sports beverages over sodas and other drinks containing caffeine or lots of sugar. Avoid alcohol altogether as the more you drink, the more dehydrated you will become. If you anticipate working outdoors, start drinking water/sports drinks two to three hours beforehand (or even the day before if you are extremely susceptible). Continue to drink seven to 10 ounces of water every half hour during outdoor activity and follow up with an additional eight ounces of water within a half hour of finishing your activity. (If you are on a fluid-restricted diet or have a problem with fluid retention, please check with your doctor before increasing your fluid intake.)

Symptoms to Watch For:
Heat exhaustion -  Although not as serious as heat stroke, heat exhaustion still isn't something to take lightly. It can develop into heat stroke, which can damage the brain and other vital organs.  

Common s ymptoms of heat exhaustion include chills, unsteady walking, nausea or vomiting, confusion, dizziness, fainting, headache, muscle or abdominal cramps,  heavy sweating or no sweating, pale skin and a rapid heartbeat.  Get medical help if there is vomiting, if symptoms last longer than 15 minutes or if symptoms get worse over time.

If you or a colleague experiences any of these symptoms, move immediately to a cool, shady spot or even better, an air-conditioned area indoors. Drink cool water or sports drinks; remove any tight or unnecessary clothing; drench clothing worn in cool water; take a cool shower, bath or sponge bath; use fans or ice packs (under arms and on groin). After recovering from a bout of heat exhaustion you may be more sensitive to high temperatures so it's a good idea to avoid working outdoors or participating  in heavy outdoor activity for about a week.

Signs of heat stroke include a body temperature of 103 F or higher; loss of consciousness; coma; hot, red, dry or damp skin; dizziness; a sudden headache; loss of coordination; blurry vision; confusion; vomiting; or seizures. Heat stroke is considered a medical emergency - call 911 and immediately m ove the worker to a shaded or air-conditioned area. While waiting for medics to arrive, help lower the person's temperature with fanning, by soaking clothing with cool water and by applying cool compresses. Do not provide anything to drink.

Heat cramps are painful muscle spasms and muscle pain. Anyone experiencing heat cramps should  take an immediate break in the shade and drink cool water or a sports beverage. Resume work only after the cramps have gone away. Get medical help if cramps last longer than an hour, if the person is on a low-salt diet or if the person has heart problems. 

Rule of thumb: If you or a co-worker experiences any of these symptoms  or if you simply begin feeling ill, stop working, tell someone and take a break in a shady, cool area. 

Members of CFSA's Workers' Compensation Pool Program are encouraged to talk to their Risk Control specialists about on-site training or for help developing a written heat-illness prevention program. 

Download a free heat safety tool to your phone from the OSHA website! The app, available for Android and iPhone cell phones, and in English and Spanish (set the phone language to Spanish) enables the user to calculate the heat index for their worksite and to determine the risk level to outdoor workers.Visit:  https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/heatillness/heat_index/heat_app.html

Questions? Please contact your fair's Risk Control specialist or Tom Amberson, CFSA's Risk Department manager, at 916/ 263-6180 or  [email protected] .


 CFSA Says Thank You! to All Pool Members Fairs for Your Diligence and Attention to Safety!  

Thank You for Sending In Your Contracts & Insurance Certificates for Review   
CFSA's Contract Review service is one of the many ways CFSA and California's fairs can work together to ensure fairgrounds are protected should there ever be an incident involving a vendor, contractor or others using fair facilities for hazardous or non-hazardous activities/events.  

When a contract or certificate of insurance doesn't meet CFSA's insurance requirements, CFSA works on the fair's behalf to correct the incomplete or missing information. Then, should an incident occur during an event, the liability shifts to the responsible party's insurance carrier rather than to your fairgrounds or, for pool members, to the General Liability Pool.

And the program works! Recently, a DAA fairground's event park entered into a contract to serve as the site for a four-day music festival. The contract and certificate of insurance were sent to CFSA for review and CFSA's risk analyst, Lianne Lewellen, discovered that the insurance policy purchased online did not cover the type of music festival being advertised. As a result, the  insurance company cancelled the event p romoter's policy.  

After the event promoter was told about the cancellation, he procured a second policy that was also reviewed by CFSA. When Lianne spoke with a representative from the second online insurance company, she discovered that false information had been provided to obtain the coverage. Once again, the promoter's policy was cancelled and the event itself was ultimately cancelled.  While the event's cancellation is unfortunate, it is prudent for fairs to contract only with event promoters who are responsible, lawful and safe. When an event is uninsurable, for whatever reason, it's a sign that the event promoter may be lacking these qualities.

If you have any questions about CFSA's Contract Review service, please contact Lianne at 916/263-6145 or [email protected] or check the  CFSA website.

Thank You For Staying Up to Date on  Fork Lift & Other Operator Certifications

Did you know that since 1999, when CFSA's Risk Control specialists began providing pool-member fairs with fork lift, aerial lift and boom lift training/ certification, there hasn't been a reportable incident involving a fork lift, aerial lift or boom lift? When you consider the number of fairgrounds and the number of fair employees that use this equipment on a daily basis, this is a BIG deal!

Protecting the fairs and the risk-sharing pools from preventable claims and expenses is truly a shared responsibility. CFSA wants you to know that your attention to maintaining a safe workplace through staff training is commendable.

In fact, your accomplishment is especially appreciated when there's news about companies that don't share your spotless record. Recently, CAL/OSHA issued $205,235 in citations to a San Diego company for "willful and serious safety violations" after a fatal fork lift accident. The fork lift driver, who was not wearing his seat belt, collided with a concrete support and was thrown from the fork lift, according to a Business Insurance magazine article published in July.* 

Reasons for the citations included the employer's failure to ensure that fork lift operators used seat belts, failure to properly maintain and inspect the fork lifts, and failure to ensure that equipment operators were adequately trained. Upon further investigation, Cal/OSHA also issued a general violation to the company for failing to have and to maintain a heat-illness prevention plan. 

To schedule fork lift and other equipment operator trainings/certifications (and for help with your fairground's written heat-illness prevention program), please contact your Risk Control specialist or Tom Amberson, CFSA Risk Department manager, at 916/263-6180 or [email protected]. 

*The  Business Insurance magazine article was written by Louise Esola, and published July 10, 2018.

Redbook


The Red Book (CFSA's Claims & Loss Reporting Guide) is Now Online!

You and your staff have enough to remember just running a busy-year-round fairgrounds, so CFSA has made all of the information in your Red Book binder accessible from a quick link on the home page of CFSA's website,  www.cfsa.org ,  and from a link on the Publications page.

Now looking up something in the Red Book is as close as your Red Book binder as well as your computer, tablet and phone.



Three of the six hand washing signs available
to all California fairs  
handwashingSigns Up! 
Colorful Hand Washing Signs Remind Animal Barn Visitors to Wash Their Hands 

These sturdy, informative signs feature hand washing-themed safety messages in English and Spanish, and come ready to hang in and around your animal barns and hand-washing stations. The reusable signs are made of flexible Styrene plastic with metal grommets that will help preserve the condition of the signs when used with wall hooks or zip ties.    

Designed by CFSA and funded by CDFA's Fairs & Expositions Branch, the signs come in a set of six (three 24"x36" signs, two 12"x18" signs and one 8.5"x11" sign) and are available to all California fairs. The signs are yours at no charge; shipping fees may apply.

For more information about the signs or to request a set for your fair, please contact Melissa Thurber at CFSA ( [email protected]  or 916/263-6163 to discuss delivery options.  


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