The Safety Professional

Something a bit more lighthearted is on tap this Friday. I wish everyone a safe weekend.

(Note: This floated around the internet at one point. I saved it. Unfortunately, I have no idea of its original source or author.)

Sandwiched tightly between Top Brass and the teaming masses sits a wild-eyed individual madly singing a safety tune. He's the most misunderstood, maligned and unsung person in all the world of business. He's the proverbial

"SAFETY PROFESSIONAL"

• This fellow's a little bit of all strata's....a member of none.

• To the employee or worker he's a tool of management; to management, he's just another employee.

• He finds his job interesting.

• He speaks for management from the "Ivory Tower" and then runs out to the Production Area, Warehouse or Work Site to hear how it sounds.

• He must keep his head in the "brass' board room", his feet in the muck.... a difficult position to keep from falling on his butt.

• He has the curiosity of a cat....the tenacity of a mother in law...the determination of a taxi driver...the nervous system of a race car driver...the digestive capacity of a goat...the simplicity of a jackass...the diplomacy of a wayward husband...the hide of a rhinoceros...the speed of a rocket and the good humor of an idiot.

• He has the busiest, shrewdest, plottingest, worryingest, most thoroughly washed brain of any human.

• His mail basket is always full, his desk is a constant mess and his calendar looks like cave drawings.

• Nobody has been given the run-around as often, has been passed so many bucks, is left holding so many bags, and has cut his way through so much red tape.

• The Safety Professional keeps the coffee plantations, aspirin plants, liquor distilleries and the midnight oil companies in business.

• He must tread lightly over mountains of eggs, knowing where to tread and, more importantly, when and where NOT to tread.

• You'll find him everywhere...shouting loudly over the din of a bunch of roaring engines, whispering softly in the hallowed precincts of thick-carpeted offices.

• Whenever there is an accident, the SAFETY PROFESSIONAL is often called in to explain why and how it happened.

• He's expected pull rabbits out of nonexistent hats; when the job is thankless, he gets it.

• He must engender interests in good housekeeping to people who live in garage sale clutter...promote wider responsibility to people who have a narrow focus ... preach safety to people who think they don't need it.

• He must listen to the phrase, 'that's always the way we've done it," until he vomits.

• Despite all the careful planning he is usually found dangling on a deadline...he's the original cat on the hot tin roof...in the middle of a muddle and of course LATE.

• The master of understatement, he must make fire protection sound as essential as religion and an accident cost sound like the national debt. He's suppose to be a "specialist" who can breath new life into committees and meetings... leadership into management... cooperation into supervisory personnel... responsibility into employees/workers.

• He must inspire without propaganda... propagandize without being obvious.

• He parks his 1980's jalopy between the boss' new Mercedes and the janitor's SUV.

• When he's clever, it goes unnoticed...when he stubs his toe, the world is there to see and mock it.

• To him a headache is normal; he'd have ulcers if he could afford them.

• He has more critics than Harry Truman.

• He meets more people who think they know more about safety than the company has conveyor hooks.

• He can never be right.

• When he simplifies, he's pandering.

• When he gets a little technical, he's over their head.

• Half the people wonder what he does... the other half know what he does but think he's doing it wrong!

• When an idea turns out lousy and after the blame has been thoroughly kicked between the employee/worker, foreman and supervisor, it winds up in his lap.

• More people bend his ear than anybody else's.

• Everybody thinks he always has time to stop and listen to a joke...hear a gripe...attend a meeting... serve on a committee.

• He does, and winds up taking most of his work home.

• He has no peer in the realm of praise, propaganda and procrastination.

• He knows he's right; only the world thinks he's wrong.

• If he has an idea, it was stolen.

• However, a stolen idea is research!

• Where else do you think the background material for this sad tale of woe about a Safety Professional originated.

Swine Flu and Pandemic Preparedness in the Workplace - Part II

Part I dealt with things you as a safety professional can do to protect your employees in the workplace. React appropriately, with enough emphasis on the issue to let the employees know that you are on top of it, but not to the extent that you panic them further.

Part II will deal with a safety professional's role in maintaining business continuity, and a implementing an effective pandemic plan. A Business Continuity Plan (BCP) is a written framework of instructions, and procedures which enable a business to respond to emergencies, disasters, and/or threats without any stoppage or hindrance in its key operations. A Pandemic Preparedness Plan is part of a Business Continuity Plan. I have included a list of resources to help prepare a pandemic plan at the end of this post.

Some key elements a safety professional will need to consider are:

• Additional safety training as employees become cross-trained due to implementation of a pandemic preparedness plan, or increased absences.

• A temporary workforce may be enacted to deal with absences. Safety training is from day one is imperative. This will need to include proper influenza hygiene reminders.

• A safety plan must be in place that effectively deals with employees showing up for work exhibiting influenza symptoms. This plan will need to be appropriate for local and regional pandemic levels. If a company doesn't have a liberal leave policy consideration should be given to implementing one.

• Appropriate and timely stockpiling, ordering and distribution of additional Personal Protective Equipment (face masks and disposable gloves)must be done. Train employees in the new PPE required as far as proper use, care and disposal.

• If employees are doing more with less, consider additional breaks to allow muscles time to recover.

• Additional Blood Borne Pathogenic training may be needed for all employees, with additional training for sanitary employees, supervisors, and those tapped to an emergency action team. Make sure there is enough PPE and trained employees to deal with emergency issues at work.

• Communicate your Pandemic Plan in an appropriate and timely manner. Again let the employees know that you are on top of the issues but refrain from causing panic.

• Track and update the availability of health care services available and add additional services as needed.

Business Preparedness and Pandemic Plan Resources:

http://www.pandemicflu.gov/plan/businesschecklist.html#1.1

http://www.ready.gov/business/_downloads/sampleplan.pdf

http://pandemicflu.gov/plan/workplaceplanning/index.html

Excellent Webinar:

http://pandemicflu.gov/news/panflu_webinar4.html

Swine Flu and Pandemic Preparedness in the Workplace - Part I

With the spread of Swine Flu, a workplace must think of keeping the workplace as safe as possible, both for the employees health and to maintain the day-to-day viability of the business.

Note: As of this writing, the World Health Organization has not labeled the Swine Flu as a pandemic. However, this is the time to make sure your business continuity plan is up to date to include the possibility of a pandemic.

In a pandemic, high rates of illness and worker absence are expected. Past pandemics have spread globally in two and sometimes three waves. Not all parts of the world or of a single country are expected to be severely affected at the same time. Social and economic disruptions could be temporary, but may be amplified in today’s closely interrelated and interdependent systems of trade and commerce.

In a worst-case scenario, “business as usual” may be severely crippled or even cease. Areas with a high incidence of illness may be quarantined. Health officials may have to restrict travel. Borders to certain countries including the US may be closed for a period of time. Given that, it is imperative to take measures to keep your employees healthy, and to have a business emergency plan in place.

Keeping Employees Safe

According to the Centers for Disease Control, these good health practices will significantly slow down the spread of germs within the workplace.

Avoid close contact – Encourage your workers to avoid close contact with people who are sick. When employees are are sick, they should keep their distance from others to protect them from getting sick too. The CDC offers a number of materials to share with your workers here: http://www.cdc.gov/flu/workplace/

Stay home when sick - If possible, encourage workers to stay home when sick. If there is an outbreak in your community, you may want to send workers home who display flu symptoms, or are in close contact with family members with symptoms. Provide appropriate disposable face masks where needed.

Clean hands – Encourage workers to wash their hands often to help diminish the spread of germs. Alcohol-based gel or foam hand sanitizers also work well to destroy viruses and bacteria. Encourage workers to wear disposable gloves where appropriate.

Allow extra time to clean and disinfect between shifts – Cleaning is more important now than ever. Allow your employees extra time to clean work areas between shifts. Provide proper disinfectants and disposable gloves. Have workers disinfect work surfaces, and communal tools before the next shift arrives.

Communicate prevention information with your employees - Anticipate employee fear and anxiety, rumors and misinformation and plan communications accordingly. Develop and disseminate programs and materials covering pandemic fundamentals (e.g. signs and symptoms of influenza, modes of transmission), personal and family protection and response strategies (e.g. hand hygiene, coughing/sneezing etiquette, contingency plans). Ensure that communications are culturally and linguistically appropriate. Provide information for the at-home care of ill employees and family members.

Communicate business policy information - Disseminate information to employees about your pandemic preparedness and response plan. Develop effective means (ie. hotlines, dedicated websites) for communicating pandemic status and actions to employees, in a consistent and timely way, including redundancies in the emergency contact system. If you have a liberal leave policy as part of your pandemic plan (consider one if you don't), communicate the situations it would go into effect, and end.

In Part II, I'll talk about maintaining business continuity, and a pandemic plan. For those who don't want to wait, check here for other information: http://healthyamericans.org/reports/flu/brochures/FluBrochure.pdf

Remember

International Workers' Memorial Day - an annual day of remembrance for workers killed, disabled, injured or made unwell by their work, takes place around the world today (April 28th).

Worldwide, more than a million workers die each year due to job injuries and illnesses. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in the United States alone, 5,657 workers were killed by traumatic injuries in 2007 (most recent statistics). That's over 15 worker deaths per day. Another estimated 50,000 died from occupational diseases. An additional 4 million workers were injured on the job in the US in 2007.

Who is Responsible for Safety?

There are two causes of accidents: unsafe conditions and unsafe acts. A couple of posts last week dealt with unsafe conditions that made the news. Nine out of ten accidents are the result of unsafe acts, though not always by the person immediately involved in the mishap. In fact, it could be said that those news worthy accidents from last week's posts were the result of unsafe acts on the part of management.

Today, however, we'll deal with a more common occurrence - unsafe acts by employees.

When it comes right down to it, the employee is ultimately responsible for their own safety. Why then, do employees make the choice to do unsafe acts? What could employees perceive as more important than personal safety? Don't they realize that one unsafe act could change their and their family's lives forever?

Are there things we as employers, managers, and supervisors do to negatively affect an employee's ability to chose to do tasks safely? How can employers make sure employees embrace ownership for their own safety? Here are a dozen suggestions:

1) Place the responsibility for safety where it belongs: Make sure employee know they are charged with the responsibility for doing their job safely, and that you will completely back them up on that choice. Give them the ability to say “no” to unsafe acts without fear for their job.

2) Give them the training necessary to recognize hazards: Show them specific things - like how to determine if a sling is worn beyond the safe point (colored threads). Reinforce that training often. Training once or twice a year just isn't effective. Explain the hazards of the job, and the price of distraction.

3) Start safety from day one: Most new employees are told about benefits, employee manuals, etc. their first day. Perhaps they are also given a bit of safety training in among all of that. Consider spending the first day or two on the line reinforcing that safety training instead of putting them directly on the job. Show them where to go in an emergency. Make sure they can safety operate a crane and properly lift and move objects. Teach them which PPE to use and how properly wear and maintain it. Make sure they know what is expected of them as far as safe behaviors before any other training. Training at this stage needs to be more than expecting them to pick it up by watching their fellow employees.

4) Talk about safety every day: Safety is a daily responsibility. Reinforce that importance on a daily basis. Take a few minutes at the beginning of each shift to discuss a safety point. Ask what hazards each employee encounters, and listen to the concerns. Investigate those concerns in a timely manner.

5) Involve and engage: Don't just talk to employees. Involve them in the safety process. Teach them to report hazards like unlabeled containers, or near misses. Involve them in the job safety analysis so they learn to use proper judgment. Engage employees in the discussion. Ask questions. Implement employee suggestions where appropriate and give proper credit. Show an expectation that employees are expected to not only report hazards, but to fix the hazards where appropriate.

6) Praise safe behavior: If you expect your employees to respond positively to safety, you have to respond positively to their efforts. When you see them doing something safely tell them how much you appreciate their efforts. No, I'm not talking incentives. I'm talking about a much more personal approach.

Consider having someone from upper management spend a few minutes talking about safety, or walking the floor praising and encouraging proper behavior daily. It needs to be more than just the safety department. It would be preferable to have different people within the upper management structure doing this over the course of the week, or month. Something that simple goes a long way to showing that this is a team effort, and the employee is a vital part of that chain.

7) Make sure everyone walks the walk: Talking about safety does no good if supervisors and managers don't follow their own advice. It's easy to get caught up in production demands. Make sure you aren't sacrificing safety (or giving that perception). If employees feel you are only giving lip service to safety, they won't take safety seriously either.

8) Track unsafe acts and near misses: This information can tell you where problems are occurring before they become accidents. This information can also tell you the effectiveness of your training program. Track employee movement within different areas: If you find an area where employees transfer out, there is a higher incident level, or higher than average turn-over in employment, you may want to check to make sure safety procedures are being given the same priority as production.

9) Investigate near misses with the same priority as accidents: A root cause analysis needs to be done for all near misses. Even when determining employee action find out why the employee felt it necessary to do it the way they did. Did the employee properly understand the procedure? Was it distraction from issues at home? Did the employee feel the need to short-cut? Was it feeling of “it won't happen to me”? Find out why, so you can properly deal with these issues before they become accidents.

10) Keep it clean: Give employees time at the end of every shift to clean up for the next shift. Teach housekeeping as a way to stay safe. Make sure there are easily reachable places for tools. Teach them to promptly return items to their proper place. Obtain equipment that makes housekeeping easier – from enough brooms and mops, to trash bags, to retractable hose reels. Have maintenance issues fixed as quickly as possible.

11) Mix it up: Find multiple ways to encourage safe behavior every day. A number of plants now have TV type monitors on the plant floor showing the news, stocks, menus, etc. There is no reason not to use that as a medium to get the safety message out. Do in-house safety “commercials” using employees as volunteer actors. Have safety contests – perhaps even something that can be shown off at a family day. Use your imagination.

12) Hold employees accountable: Show you mean what you preach. Make sure you have disciplinary measures written into your employee handbook with a well documented procedure for failure to follow rules. If you have someone that just refuses to follow safe procedures, do them and yourself a favor by replacing them. One or two people on a line like that, will ruin your efforts if you allow the behavior to continue. If you are a union shop work with your representative to create appropriate accountability procedures. The same goes for a supervisor or line leads - if they insist and encourage unsafe acts as the price for meeting production demands, you need to find someone capable of supervising correctly.

This video is one of the best examples of the cost of unsafe acts: http://www.harsco.com/about/video/safety/index.html If you would like a copy of this video, contact please email Wendy Witmyer at Harsco for details: wwitmyer@harsco.com


As always, I welcome comments and suggestions.