Fourth Quarter Policy Year 2009-2010

Safety, Health, and Environmental Audit

Guard Service Association
Committee Meeting:
Riverside, Ca
July 29, 2010

Safety Audit By:
Sean A. Nelson
Safety Expert
OSHA 10 Instructor
OSHA 30 Instructor
First Aid/CPR Instructor

 
Guard Service Association
Safety, Health, and Environmental Audit

Safety Audit

Listed below are recommended safety materials provided by State Compensation Fund:

1. Handout # 17908 – Exercise For A Fit Back
2. Handout # 17911 – Exercise For A Fit Back (Spanish)
3. Handout # 17080 – Easy Office Stretches/Take A Vision Break
4. Handout # 17126 – Stretches for Better Ergonomics
5. Handout # 17492 – Dealing With Violence In The Workplace
6. Handout # 17973 – Why Accidents Happen
7. Handout # 17974 – Why Accidents Happen (Spanish)

Required OSHA Documentation:

1. Set-up Msds station in employees work area.
2. Compliant Injury and Illness Prevention plan. (Being Provided by Safety Compliance Company)
3. Log 300 required.
Items required but not limited to:
a. Policy
b. Safety Committee section
c. Safety Program section
d. Codes of safe practice on each piece of equipment/ or hazard assessment of work areas.
e. Hazardous communications Plan
f. Personal protection policy
g. Respiratory Program
h. Emergency evacuation
i. Ergonomics
j. Violence in workplace
k. First aid
l. Accident investigation
 

The items listed above could be of real help to those of the Guard Service Association.  By looking at the Guard Service Association Injury Analysis two things jump out from a safety perspective:

1.  A lack of safety training
2.  Stress management

The pamphlets listed above could be of assistance to those in the association for preventing and lessening the type of injuries incurred in 2009.  Additional training should also be given on stress management.  I believe that stress could be the cause of many of the injuries incurred in 2009.

The members of the Guard Service Association main concern should be on training.  That is based off of the day that most of the injuries are occurring, the ages of those mostly becoming injured & years of experience of those being injured.

Let’s cover those three points listed above:

1.  Most of the injuries are being filed on a Monday:

Experts in safety believe that many of the injuries that have occurred on a Monday are due to:  Fraud & Awareness.

Now, I am in no way saying that every claim being filed for on a Monday is fraudulent!  But it does seem curious.  Most people are off on the weekend, meaning that if they got injured, was it possibly on their own time!  But this can easily be fixed through training.  Do your employees know the difference between Workers Compensation & State Disability?  Do they know about the California Anti – Fraud bill?

Just by training them on these three subjects you could cut back many of those Monday injuries.

Awareness:  I listed awareness as an issue on Mondays as well because it takes people a while to turn off weekend mode and put on work week mode.  What I mean is that employees may have to mentally & physically adjust to the work day because they haven’t worked in two days.  That is why I find it necessary to review the ergonomics pamphlets listed above that are provided by State Fund.  It is very important to start the work week off right and one of the best ways to do so is by stretching.  Stretching can both clear the mind and prepare the body for the physical duties that lay ahead.

2.  Age of employees being injured:

The average age of the employees now being injured are 30 and above!  This too can be a big indicator of a lack of training.  Are companies staying consistent with their level of training from newer employees to seasoned veterans?  Because of the economic down shift we are asking employees to do more than we have in the past.  So it is easier to get a newer employee to adjust to that than an employee that is use to a routine.  So you must stay consistent with training. 

Also another concern with older employees is fitness.  It is obvious that a younger employee may be more fit physically to handle certain work assignments more so than an employee who is in his 30’s.  That is why is may be necessary to review the pamphlet entitled “Exercise For A Fit Back” provided by State Fund.  It is imperative to train employees on how to stay fit to handle their day to day assignments. 

3.  Experienced employees are sustaining more injuries:

The fact that more experienced employees are sustaining more injuries could definitely be a training issue because they may feel they have nothing more to learn.  Safety should be engrained in every employee, especially for those who may be too comfortable with the job.  To illustrate, what is the easiest way to identify a carpenter?  By counting the number of his fingers!  Newer & safety conscious carpenters retain all of their fingers because they make it a practice to maintain the fear of the blade.  When that fear of the blade is no longer present, then that is when they start experiencing amputations. 

So you must stay consistent with safety training.  Safety must be engrained.  Safety must be a culture on the job not a hobby.

TRAINING

One of the most important topics to train on would be STRESS MANANGEMENT.

In 2008 there were 8.9 million unemployed in the United States.  In 2009 there were 1.8 million unemployed in the state of California alone.  That number of unemployed in 2009 in the state of California does not count the number of people who had to take pay cuts or who have lost work hours due to the economy.  Hearing these facts can stress out anyone.  Unfortunately that is what workers are hearing and facing on a daily basis.

Studies now show that stress can be linked to several types of injuries:

Back pain
Neck pain
Headaches
Muscle spasms
Ulcers
Heart disease
Tooth grinding

Several of the injuries that are listed on the Guard Service Association Injury Analysis can be prevented or lessened with Stress Management training.

A large percentage of the monies paid out last year were due to Lower Back & Strain injuries all things that are related to stress.  These type of stress injuries occur from your body being revved up for prolong periods of time.  What happens is that your muscles remain tense, your pulse rate and blood pressure stay high, and elevated levels of cholesterol, fats, sugars, hormones, and other chemicals linger in the blood.  Prolonged elevated levels of such chemicals – meant for short, intense, and infrequent bursts of activity – eventually damage important body organs.

That is where the backaches, headaches, muscles spasms of the neck, and muscle tension come from.  So in other words the stress that your employees are already facing will make them more prone to back and strain injuries.

What happens is that when we suffer prolong bouts of stress our body secretes a chemical in the body known as Cortisol.  This Cortisol is a form of fat that tends to accumulate around the abdomen and back, which can easily lead to lower back pain and strains.

Training on stress will help employees to realize that not all stress is bad for you.  Just when it is not managed that is when it becomes a cause for injuries and long term health effects.  To illustrate, think of Kobe Bryant.  Kobe Bryant has made a career out of excelling in stressful situations.  Kobe Bryant is being paid 30 million dollars a year just from the Los Angeles Lakers because of being able to manage stress.  So not all stress is bad for you.  Stress can help us to perform at high levels.  Stress can challenge us in a positive way, if managed.

So to train employees on Stress Management they must be taught the 4 A’s to Stress Management:

AVOID – avoid unnecessary stress

1.  Learn to say No!
2.  Avoid people who stress you out.
3.  Take control of your environment.
4.  Avoid hot button topics.
5.  Scale down your to do list

We cannot avoid all stresses but there are many things we can avoid.  We can avoid traffic by waking up earlier.  We can avoid stressful conversations (religion or politics).  Employees must be encouraged to take their required breaks.  Not eating only adds to their stress.  Employees may even be encouraged to take walks during their breaks in order to change their environment.  Getting sunlight during the work day can make a huge difference with an employee’s attitude to his employer and employees.

ALTER – alter your situation

1.  Express your feelings
2.  Be willing to compromise.
3.  Be more assertive.
4.  Manage your time better.

It is required by California state law that a suggestion box be setup to enable employees to vocalize their opinions regarding work issues.  This allows employees a means of communication.  Companies may even want to administer an Open Door policy if they haven’t already.  Employees definitely need to be able to communicate things regarding safety.  Communication is the key for a safe work environment.  Communication between Employer, Managers & Employees.

ACCEPT – accept things you cannot change

1.  Don’t try to control the uncontrollable .
2.  Look for the upside.
3.  Share your feelings.
4.  Learn to forgive and to let things go.

Despite the economic down turn, employees must be helped to realize that things will turn around for the better.  You may even want to implement things that will make workers more involved with safety.  Such as Safety Bingo or safety bonuses.

ADAPT – adapt to the stress

1.  Reframe from problems, focus on the positives.
2.  Look at the big picture.
3.  Adjust your standards.
4.  FOCUS ON THE POSITIVES

Help employees to focus on the positives, such as employment.  Things will turn around.  But in order to save money safety must be a priority.

So in order to cut back on injuries stress related employees can be trained on the need to exercise.  Stress the importance of getting proper sleep.  And help employees to see the need to avoid destructive habits.

This training will not only cut back on injuries.  It will help with company moral and have wonderful long term health effects.

It is very important for companies in the association to get a grasp on these incidents immediately.  Not just for the benefit of worker’s compensation costs, but for the safety of the employees.  These incidents addressed could lead to long term consequences for both the companies and their employees. 

The association has many resources for its members.  They have access to a safety professional and safety handouts.  To access these resources please get in touch with Laura Cross the association Leader.

Report Prepared by Sean A. Nelson