Fourth Quarter Policy Year 2010-2011

Safety, Health, and Environmental Audit

Guard Service Association
Committee Meeting:
Riverside, Ca
June 30, 2011

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 # 17717 – Protecting Your Back and Legs From MSDs
2. Handout # 17126 – Stretches for Better Ergonomics
3. Handout # 17719 – Protecting Your Elbows & Forearms From MSDs
4. Handout # 17721 – Protecting Your Hands & Wrists From MSDs
5. Handout # 17265 – Safety Audits
6. Handout # 17972 – A Guide To Hand Safety
7. Handout # 17325 – Protection Head, Foot, Hand and Eyes
8. Handout # 17326 -  Protection Head, Foot, Hand and Eyes (Spanish)
9. Handout # 17027 -  A Guide To Preventing Slips, Trips And Falls
10. Handout # 17529 -  Prevent Slips, Trips, And Falls

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 three things jump out from a safety perspective:

1.  Consistent Safety Training
2.  Slips, Trips & Falls
3.  Set up An Open Door Policy – Suggestion Box

The pamphlets listed above could be of assistance to those in the association for preventing and lessening the type of injuries incurred in 2010 & 2011.  I believe that the accidents that took place last year and the beginning of this year could be decreased with consistent safety training & constant communication between employees and management.

Safety training should be the main focus for members of the Guard Service Association.  This is evident by the age of the ones who have been injured and the fact that a few of the injuries happened to employees who were still on probation.

1.  Consistent Safety Training:

A. Most of the injuries occurred in the beginning of the week. 

B.  The employees injured were over the age of 40. 

C.  A large amount of the injuries occurred in the probationary period.

D.  Many of the accidents occurred in the last 3 months of the year.
Consistent safety training has been proven to lower injuries and even eliminate accidents all together.

Example:  A major hospital construction project began with 45 contractors and over 4,000 employees.  With such a large project you would assume that there would be several work related injuries.  Within 2010 there were only 11 work related accidents out of 456,163 man hours.  80% lower than the average amount that would normally take place according to the man hours and amount of employees on site.

These staggering numbers were made possible due to the efforts to stay consistent with safety training.  During 2010 they held 2,000 safety training sessions and close to 58,000 hours were delivered to 4,600 employees and managers.  To further support the training initiative, over 4,300 site orientations and 2,100 tool box talks were conducted weekly on the worksite.

Within that same year they performed 2,000 inspections which resulted in over 150 hazards indentified and corrected/abated.

You can’t assume that since someone is over 40 years of age they are going to be old enough to see and be aware of all potential hazards.  That is why consistent training is not only beneficial but it is necessary for the safety of all workers on site. 

For someone who is a new employee or has been with a company for years should be able to identify work related hazards and hopefully potential hazards.  All new employees especially should be trained on how to establish a Job Hazard Analysis.  Everyone should know of all potential hazards that occur throughout the work day either morning, noon, or night.

The report also made it clear that a large percentage of the accidents occurred in the last 3 months of the year.  This too is consistent with the fact that in the last quarter of the year all employees seemed to be mentally occupied with holiday plans and thoughts of vacations.  Consistent safety training will allow safety to be a main focus, making sure that all employees have a good quality of health at work and in their personal life through these months and throughout the work year.

2.  Slips, Trips & Falls:

From the report I noticed that there were injuries that seemed to affect all parts of the body, such as the hand, knee, finger, elbow, shoulder, hand & torso.  These injuries seemed to be consistent with slips, trips & falls.  This seems to be a concern since the members of the Guard Service Association walk a lot during different times of the day, and at times with low visibility.

Slips
 
Slips happen where there is too little friction or traction between the footwear and the walking surface. Common causes of slips are:
 
• wet or oily surfaces
• occasional spills
• weather hazards
• loose, unanchored rugs or mats
• walking surfaces that do not have the same degree of traction in all areas
 
Trips
 
Trips happen when your foot collides (strikes, hits) an object causing you to lose the balance and, eventually fall. Common causes are:
 
• obstructed view
• poor lighting
• clutter in your way
• wrinkled carpeting
• uncovered cables
• bottom drawers not being closed
• uneven (steps, thresholds) walking surfaces
 
How to prevent falls due to slips and trips?
 
Both slips and trips result from some a kind of unintended or unexpected change in the contact between the feet and the ground or walking surface. This shows that good housekeeping, quality of walking surfaces (flooring), selection of proper footwear, and appropriate pace of walking are critical for preventing fall accidents.

Housekeeping
 
Good housekeeping is the first and the most important (fundamental) level of preventing falls due to slips and trips. It includes:
 
• cleaning all spills immediately
• marking spills and wet areas
• mopping or sweeping debris from floors
• removing obstacles from walkways and clutter
• securing mats, rugs and carpets that do not lay flat
• always closing file cabinet or storage drawers
• covering cables that cross walkways
• keeping working areas and walkways well lit
• replacing used light bulbs and faulty switches

Footwear
In workplaces where floors may be oily or wet or where workers spend considerable time outdoors, prevention of fall accidents should focus on selecting proper footwear. Properly fitting footwear increases comfort and prevents fatigue which, in turn, improves safety for the employee.

What can you do to avoid falling at work?

It is important remembering that safety is everybody business. However, it is employers' responsibility to provide safe work environment for all employees. Employees can improve their own safety too.

You can reduce the risk of slipping on wet flooring by:
 
• taking your time and paying attention to where you are going
• adjusting your stride to a pace that is suitable for the walking surface and the tasks you are doing
• walking with the feet pointed slightly outward
• making wide turns at corners

You can reduce the risk of tripping by:
 
• always using installed light sources that provide sufficient light for your tasks
• using a flashlight if you enter a dark room where there is no light
• ensuring that things you are carrying or pushing do not prevent you from seeing any obstructions, spills, etc.

3.  Set up an Open Door Policy – Suggestion Box:

One of the claims listed was due to Mental Stress.  It is obvious that many are suffering during these hard economic times.  Many people unfortunately bring their problems to work with them.  In doing so they obviously can’t focus on safety and their work duties effectively.  By allowing employees to talk to management will and can eliminate a lot of their tension.
 
Has your company adopted an Open Door Policy for all of your employees? This means, literally, that every manager's door is open to every employee. The purpose of our open door policy is to encourage open communication, feedback, and discussion about any matter of importance to an employee. Our open door policy means that employees are free to talk with any manager at any time.

Responsibilities Under an Open Door Policy:
 
If any area of your work is causing you concern, you have the responsibility to address your concern with a manager. Whether you have a problem, a complaint, a suggestion, or an observation, your company managers want to hear from you. By listening to you, the company is able to improve, to address complaints, and to foster employee understanding of the rationale for practices, processes, and decisions.

Before You Pursue the Open Door Policy:

Most problems can and should be solved in discussion with your immediate supervisor; this is encouraged as your first effort to solve a problem. But, an open door policy means that you may also discuss your issues and concerns with the next level of management and/or Human Resources staff members. No matter how you approach your problem, complaint, or suggestion, you will find managers at all levels of the organization willing to listen and to help bring about a solution or a clarification.

Benefits of the Open Door Policy:

By helping to solve problems, managers benefit by gaining valuable insight into possible problems with existing methods, procedures, and approaches. While there may not be an easy answer or solution to every concern, your company's employees have the opportunity at all times, through the open door policy, to be heard.

OSHA has realized how important open communication between workers and management is that they have made it mandatory for companies to have a suggestion box.  A suggestion box allows open communication for employees who aren’t quite ready to address management directly.

It is important to realize that safety is always a work in progress.  No one can master safety because it is always needed.  So with this information and consistent training hopefully next year there will be no injuries with any of the members who are a part of the Guard Service Association.

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