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News

ARTICLE

Date ArticleType
11/21/2013 Professional Interest Sections

Key Points to Creating a Safe Work Environment
Kelly Sirk, Risk Management Services Consultant, Philadelphia Insurance Companies

 
Audio (MP3)
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Presentation (PDF)
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Handout - Canadian Ergonomic Safe Patient Handling Program  (PDF)
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Handout - Ergonomic Risk Assessment (PDF)
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Handout - Ergonomic Safe Moving & Handling (PDF)
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Why talk about workplace safety?
• Safety of your employees should be a top objective of your organizations
• A safe work environment for your employees will also help create a safe environment for your clients

Session objectives
• Four fundamentals to workplace safety
• Action items for these fundamentals
• Three key loss types
• Action items for these loss types
• Additional resources

Let’s test your knowledge
1) What is the #1 key to safety success?
a) Safety budget
b) Worker turnover
c) Management support
d) Age of facility
Answer: c) Management support

2) Some people are accident prone
a) True
b) False
Answer: a) True

3) The best way to measure incremental improvements in safety is through claim counts, claim $, and lost work days?
a) True
b) False
Answer: b) False

4) Place the following in order from most effective to least effective in the safety control hierarchy:
a) Substitution
b) Administration
c) Elimination
d) Personal Protective Equipment
e) Engineering
Answer: c, a, e, b, d

#1 key to safety success
• Top management support is the key to effective, sustainable safety success
• Safety must be a key business priority
– Built into every strategic and operational decision

Are certain people accident prone?
• Studies have shown some individuals have more frequent accidents
• Key signs for accident frequency
– Physical fitness to job demands
– Openness
– Dependability
– Agreeableness
– Stress
– Distractedness

How do we control for this?
• Sound hiring procedures
– Functional capacity screening
– Judgment and consistency
• Good ergonomic controls
– Fit the job to the individual
• Procedures followed every time
– Supervision
– Coaching
– Reinforcement

How should we measure safety?
• Most common measurements:
– Claim counts, claim $ incurred, days away from work & restricted work days
• Lagging indicators – bottom line #’s telling how many get hurt and how badly
• Leading indicators measure likelihood for future safety performance
– Proactive in nature
– What’s being done ongoing to prevent injuries

Leading indicators for safety
• Results from safety audits
• Employee perception surveys
• Improvement opportunities identified and implemented
• Completion of key safety initiatives
• Safety training, such as # of participants who met key learning objectives

Hierarchy of safety controls
• Eliminate the hazard
• Substitute the hazard for a safer alternative
• Use Engineering controls to reduce the risk
• Administration controls help manage the risk
• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to tolerate the hazard

What does the hierarchy tell us?
• Should training be our first choice?
• Can the cost of subcontracting out a job be cost effective?
• Can research and implementation of new equipment pay off?

Action items
• Create a corporate statement of safety culture with top leadership full support
• Leading and lagging indicators measured and elevated to top organization goals
• Hiring procedures screen for functional capacity and safety compliance
• Recognition for positive behavior & performance
• Safety hierarchy used when planning changes or new programs
• Administrative controls used in conjunction with measurement of leading indicators
• Proactive safety audits
• Safety accountability and rewards built into all levels of organization

Three leading loss types
• Slips, trips, and falls (STF)
• Ergonomics
• Vehicle collisions

STF causes
• STF causes:
– Walking surface conditions
– Level changes
– External conditions
– Human conditions
• STF’s are most common type of accident, on & off job

STF solutions
• 7 risk reduction measures:
- Increase friction/traction
- Keep surfaces clean, dry, and clear of foreign substances
- Implement spill/ice/substance response program
- Keep surfaces flat, predictable, and open
- Install physical controls
- Install visual cues
- Implement self-inspection and training

Ergonomics
• Ergonomics is the practice of fitting the workplace to the individual
• 4 conditions to consider:
– Force
– Duration
– Posture
– Repetition

Some ergonomic basics
• Be aware of cantilever effect
• Force x distance (or repetitions)
• Neutral positions
• Warming up, stretch & flex

Ergonomic solutions
• Facility needs assessment
• Client assessment
• Acquire and use mechanical aids
• Team lifting policy
• Practical, hands-on training & follow-ups
• Job rotation
• Install additional wheelchair tie down spots
• Adjustable & removable features
• Slip/fall prevention

Driving safety
• Vehicle crashes #1 cause of workplace deaths
• 85% of vehicle crashes caused by driver error
• 3 main causes for crashes
– Intersection crashes – inadequate surveillance
– Highway crashes – speeding
– Distracted driving – 3000 fatalities, 500,000 injuries/year

Crash prevention solutions
• Review driving records pre-hire and ongoing
• Training
• Telematics/GPS systems
• Driver monitoring – bumper sticker program
• Cell phone use – policies & apps
• Hold drivers accountable for crashes

Resources
• Your WC insurance company
• OSHA, www.osha.gov  
• HR How-to: Workplace Safety, Lisa A. Milam-Perez
• www.phly.com & www.phly.com/safesteps  
• 3 PDF documents on ergonomics
• Kelly Sirk: 614-716-8818, kelly.sirk@phly.com  

IMPORTANT NOTICE - The information and suggestions presented by Philadelphia Insurance Companies in this informational presentation are for your consideration in your loss prevention efforts. They are not intended to be complete or definitive in identifying all risks associated with your business, preventing workplace accidents, or complying with any safety related, or other, laws or regulations. You are encouraged to alter them to fit the specific risk of your business and to have your legal counsel review all of your plans and company policies.

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