Workplace Safety Awareness Council Blog

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Why Should You Create Safety Goals?
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Last week I was in Phoenix to present at the PAHCOM Conference and what a great event! The general feeling we're getting out there is that safety managers are more interested in the return on investment of safety than ever before.

And it makes great sense! A recent study by Liberty Mutual found that for every dollar spent on safety you can expect a $3 - $4 return on the $1 investment! That's pretty powerful stuff, in any economy.

Think it doesn't work? While working with a group of municipal power companies in Florida, one risk manager was able to reduce his company's
workers comp and liability insurance costs from $1 million dollars to just above $275,000 in a three year period. That's not a one time savings
of $625,000 - its an annual savings of $625,000 based on smart safety goals - $625,000 each and every year!

Imagine what a similar savings would do for your company. better yet, imagine what a similar savings would do for you personally. Think job
security, a healthy raise, new doors opened, the ability upgrade your position and salary. Pretty good options, especially in this economy!

To find out how to achieve similar savings in your organization, join us for a webinar entitled:

"Establishing Safety Goals That Reduce Workers Comp Costs and Keep Employees Safe"

This webinar may just be the jump start you need to make some serious changes in your organization and career:

http://tinyurl.com/Safety-Goal

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Is your company a safe place to work? How do you know?
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Did you know that OSHA has established benchmarks for each industry? These benchmarks allow OSHA to measure your organizations safety record against the national average for your industry. If you exceed that national average, expect a visit from your local OSHA office!

The good news is that you can proactively measure your safety record and take steps to improve it as necessary!

By attending this webinar you will learn:

* Get management "buy-in" by communicating your safety programs "ROI"
* How your workers comp costs can be reduced by a establishing your safety program
* How OSHA established your injury benchmark
* How to set realistic and attainable safety goals that encourage compliance
* Using a safety committee to keep your injury goals on track
* The dangers of implementing a safety incentive program
* How to measure your company's injury rate

Reducing costs, improving morale, avoiding fines, increase productivity - these are just a few of the benefits of safety benchmarking and effective goal setting.

By attending this webinar, you'll learn how to easily establish safety related goals that will save your company money and most importantly - keep your employees safe!

Seating is limited to reserve your spot now: http://tinyurl.com/Safety-Goal

Labels: PAHCOM Conference, safety goals, Training webinar, Workers Compensation

I just arrived back from a presentation in Fort Lauderdale Florida for a group of Facility and Maintenance Managers. My presentation was entitled "Top 10 OSHA Violations in a Built Environment" and I'm happy to say it was a rousing success!

I had the opportunity to speak with a number of building managers and chief engineer types and one of the common issues was "cryptic nature" of the OSHA regulations. . .

I hear this a lot. In fact it seems that this perception is what keeps most organizations from developing a sustainable safety program.

The good news is that OSHA compliance does not need to be difficult, time consuming or expensive. In fact we've just announced a new webinar which will provide you with a roadmap for OSHA compliance in 6 easy steps.

http://tinyurl.com/ABC-OF-OSHA

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OK, so Where do I Start and are There Only 6 Steps?
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Like any big project, you have to break it down into bite-sized steps. . .
We can breakdown OSHA compliance into 6 major steps:

(1) Conduct "Job Hazard Analysis" of potentially dangerous tasks

(2) Develop written safety programs that address these hazards

(3) Train employees on proper safety procedures when working around these hazards

(4) Conduct regular safety inspections so dangerous items can be corrected

(5) Be sure to remember the "Administrative Requirements" like OSHA recordkeeping and posters

(6) Get familiar with the OSHA regulations that speak to your hazards

Once we examine each of these six steps and develop a system for completing each, the goal of OSHA compliance gets easier.

How many of these steps has your organization completed?
Do you understand and have you mastered each of these steps?

If you're finding OSHA compliance to be difficult of time-consuming, why not join our webinar on the ABC's of OSHA Compliance. . .

http://tinyurl.com/ABC-OF-OSHA

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The 5 Reasons we Are Not OSHA Compliant and Our Rebuttal
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(1) This responsibility was dumped in our lap with no warning, much less any training

Rebuttal: Deal with it! If your name is going to be attached to it, you better protect yourself (and your job) and figure this out.

(2) I'm too busy with my "real job" to spend time on safety

Rebuttal: You need to organize your safety program so its on "auto-pilot". That way you're not taking too much time from your "real-job". See also rebuttal #1.

(3) The regulations are too complicated and I'm lost

Rebuttal: This is true until you learn how to look up the OSHA regulations.
Remember the first you went to the library to check out a book?
I do - I was in first grade and was utterly lost - until I learned the Dewey Decimal System.
Learn OSHA's system and this become a non-issue.

(4) My employer doesn't care about safety and compliance issues

Rebuttal: Your employer doesn't understand the potential return on investment a safety program can bring. Typically for every $1 spent on safety programs, organizations get a $3 - $4 return. That's pretty good right? Wouldn't it be nice to turn your safety program into a "profit center"?

(5) OSHA won't bother us so why worry about being compliant

Rebuttal: You've been lucky! The fact is under our new Administration OSHA has been given
more authority and is better funded. In fact they are in the process of hiring additional compliance officers. Beware of complacency. . .

http://tinyurl.com/ABC-OF-OSHA

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You're Invited to the "ABC's of OSHA Compliance" Webinar
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Are you responsible for OSHA compliance in your organization?
If so you’ve probably realized its not always easy to understand the often confusing OSHA standards. Many people in this scenario simply give up resulting in unsafe work practices and non-compliance.

Learning Objectives:

By attending this webinar you will learn:

• 6 easy steps to a safe and compliant worksite
• Administrative requirements (paperwork) that is often overlooked
• Lean how to look up OSHA regulations (it’s not as hard as you think)
• A 5 step process for answering any OSHA question
• Understand what training you are required to provide employees
• The MBWE formula for safety inspections – this is critical!
• How to quickly create the written safety plans that OSHA requires

This webinar is a must for organizations who want to be proactive in their safety programs. By attending you’ll learn how to quickly and easily become OSHA compliant while protecting your most valuable resource - your employees!

http://tinyurl.com/ABC-OF-OSHA

Labels: OSHA Training, Training webinar, workplace safety

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Why is OSHA Recordkeeping Such a Hot Topic?
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This month, OSHA will begin a National Emphasis Program (NEP) on injury and illness record keeping. OSHA plans to review the record keeping practices of employers with low incidence rates in typically high-injury industries.
The inspections will evaluate the following areas, according to a report from Constangy, Brooks and Smith LLP.

* Medical files for 2007 and 2008 occupational and non-occupational cases. Those may include 301 forms, workers’ compensation records, absentee records and audiograms.

* Employee and management interviews to determine effectiveness of the employer’s record keeping system.

* Record keeper interviews to determine knowledge and level of training, as well as any employer interference in proper record keeping.

* An inspection of the facility to confirm that hazards present match those on the record keeping forms.

This program is the result of Congressional hearings last year that questioned the effectiveness of OSHA’s injury and illness reporting.

http://www.wpsac.org/webinars.php?page=recordkeeping

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What Can You do to Prepare?
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To prepare for these OSHA inspections, we recommend that employers:

(1) Ensure that the employees responsibly for recordkeeping have been properly trained and training is documented;

(2) Make sure there is an OSHA 301 or its equivalent for every recordable case;

(3) Review all injury & illness cases from 2007 and 2008 to determine if they are accurately reflected in the OSHA 300 Logs

(4) Review the procedures for reporting injuries and illnesses within your company. Also, ensure that employee privacy is maintained as required by OSHA and HIPAA.

(5) If your company uses a safety incentive program, evaluate whether the incentive program discourages the reporting of work-related injuries or illnesses.

(6) Determine if superviosrs within your organization discourage employees from reporting workplace injuries and illnesses.

http://www.wpsac.org/webinars.php?page=recordkeeping

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You Can Also Attend the Essential OSHA Recordkeeping Webinar Next Week!
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Don't let another year go by wondering if you are following OSHA's rules for Injury and Illness Recordkeeping. Sign up now for this information and easy to follow webinar:

http://www.wpsac.org/webinars.php?page=recordkeeping

Labels: OSHA Form 300, OSHA Injury and Illness Recordkeeping, Workers Compensation

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You're Invited: Essential OSHA Injury & Illness Recordkeeping Webinar
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Last week we mentioned the "Essential OSHA Injury & Illness Recordkeeping Webinar"
scheduled on Tuesday September 15, 2009 at 2:00pm - 3:30pm and we wanted to make sure
you received the invitation.

http://www.wpsac.org/webinars.php?page=recordkeeping

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OSHA Injury & Illness Recordkeeping Changes
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We'll the kids are back in school, Labor Day is right around the corner and Football season is about to kick off. Which of course got me thinking about how quickly this year has flown by. Only four months until the New Year!

Before long we'll be putting together our annual OSHA reports and posting them for three months (if you're not aware of this requirement - READ THIS BLOG ENTRY)!

I mention the OSHA Injury & Illness Logs because some very interesting things are taking place behind the scenes with OSHA.

Let me start with some background from last year. . .

On April 22, 2008 U.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Chairman of the Senate HELP Subcommittee on Employment and Workplace Safety and U.S. Senator Edward Kennedy (D-WA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee asked the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) to investigate whether OSHA is effectively working to ensure that employers are accurately reporting injuries and illnesses in the workplace.

Senators Murray and Kennedy referenced academic studies that employers OSHA logs CAPTURED ONLY 31% of illnesses and 33% of injuries that are reported in other databases.

They also found that the BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses did not account for up to 68% of work-related injuries and illnesses occurring annually in Michigan from 1999 to 2001. [http://www.nycosh.org/reference_library/Rosenman.pdf].

Another academic study found that the actual number of work-related injuries and illnesses is 40% higher than the BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses estimate.

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What Does OSHA say About Injury & Illness Reporting?
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On July 15, 2009 OSHA held a meeting of the National Advisory Committee on Occupational Safety and Health (NACOSH). One of the topics discussed was OSHA's recordkeeping initiative, in particular the forthcoming Injury and Illness Recordkeeping National Emphasis Program (NEP).

At this NACOSH meeting Dave Schmidt, Director - OSHA Office of Statistical Analysis referenced the academic studies noted above and also mentioned OSHA’s own recordkeeping audits have shown that between 10% and 20% of the workplace injuries and illnesses are under-recorded. So even by OSHA's own admission, employers were not accurately reporting the true nature and frequency of work related injuries and illnesses.

In August 2008, the GAO Study initiated by Senators Murray and Kennedy, one of the stated objectives was to “assess OSHA's efforts to ensure that employers are properly recording injuries and illnesses.”

Further OSHA has been provided funding in FY 2009 Budget to “enhance enforcement and oversight of injury and illness recordkeeping to ensure complete and accurate recording and reporting by employers”.

In other words - OSHA's on the "Hot Seat". They have to prove that they are ensuring accurate recordkeeping. How can they prove that?

They could be more diligent in looking at employer recordkeeing logs when they visit.
They could perform more random audits.
They might decide to target certain industries where recordkeeping violations are probable. They could even target organizations with low injury rates, thinking that the low injury rates are a result of under-reporting. . .

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Employer Related Concerns
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From an employer standpoint one of the OSHA recordkeeping challenges we've heard repeated many times is how difficult it is to know if an injury is an OSHA recordable or not. Employers often feel that there is too much "gray area" and the rules are difficult to follow. Because of this typically one of two things happens:

1. Employers record every injury no matter how minor for fear of breaking the law.
2. Employers under record injuries and illnesses since they are unsure what is required.

Either of these scenarios is counterproductive as it potentially hides problems within an organization and discourages positive corrective action. It also provides the Bureau of Labor Statistics and OSHA with faulty data. Of course purposely under reporting to hide workplace injuries and illnesses does happen but surprisingly we have found that many employers are inaccurately recording workplace injuries and illnesses due to a lack of familiarity with the 1904 regulations.

Don't put off your injury & illness recordkeeping concerns. Join us for this excellent webinar on September 15, 2009 at 2:00pm.

Its our best attended webinar each year for good reason!

http://www.wpsac.org/webinars.php?page=recordkeeping

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Here are just a few of the areas we will cover during the webinar:
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• The #1 OSHA recordkeeping violation - and how to make sure your company doesn't get nailed for it
• What injuries and illnesses must be recorded and why its critical to avoid"over-reporting"
• How the OSHA 300 Log trips up many managers, and what you can do so you don’t get saddled with a costly citation
• A valuable 4-step action plan that you can use to determine when an injury needs to be documented
• CAUTION! If you are exempt from OSHA Form 300, you are not exempt from the BLS Survey Form. Find out why
• How to show "good faith" in your OSHA records so you'll never get slapped with an expensive "willful" violation
• How your documentation techniques should change between your OSHA 300 Log and the 301 Incident Report
• How HIPAA views OSHA recordkeeping and what privacy mechanisms are required
• Which OSHA injury & illness documents must be made available to employees and which are off-limits

Here's what is included with this webinar:

• One full hour of instruction
• Thirty minutes of live call answering
• Latest required OSHA forms emailed to participants
• Entire 29 CFR 1904 Recordkeeping regulations emailed to participants
• Presentation and handouts emailed to participants - over 65 pages!
• Participants can email their questions to instructor prior to the tele-seminar
• Special webpage dedicated for participants - includes forms, DART rate calculator, Industry benchmarks and more!

BONUS: Can't attend the live webinar? Listen to the recorded version anytime - anyplace!

We have limited space available so get signed up today:
http://www.wpsac.org/webinars.php?page=recordkeeping

Labels: OSHA Form 300, OSHA Injury and Illness Recordkeeping, Workers Compensation