Safety Discussion Topics A Safe, Healthy Workplace is Everyone’s Responsibility

1. UC Davis Safety ServicesMonthly Safety SpotlightOctober 2010: Proactive Injury and Illness Prevention • Safety Discussion Topics • A Safe, Healthy Workplace is Everyone’s Responsibility • Everyone Has a Role (Leaders) • Everyone Has a Role (Managers/Supervisors) • Everyone Has a Role (Individual Employees) • What’s at Stake? • Make Safety Practices Part of Your Routine • Understanding Your IIPP • The Nine Steps to Creating an IIPP • Know Your Resources

2. Monthly Safety Spotlight, October 2010 Proactive Injury and Illness Prevention A Safe, Healthy Workplace is Everyone's Responsibility Safety is a primary concern of department and unit leaders, supervisors and managers, and individual employees. Whether your occupation takes you to a classroom, laboratory, animal facility, office or the great outdoors, you have the power to keep yourself, your co-workers and the campus safe, healthy and thriving. Field Offices Laboratories Workshops Classrooms Think Safe. Act Safe. Be Safe.

3. Monthly Safety Spotlight, October 2010 Proactive Injury and Illness Prevention Everyone has a Role: Leaders Deans, Vice Chancellors and other department and unit leaders play an important part in promoting safety by setting a standard of excellence from the top. A sustainable, effective Injury & Illness Prevention Plan reflects the leader’s concern for employees and the well being of the University. • Require that your department or unit have an up-to-date and fully implemented CalOSHA and UC Davis-required Injury and Illness Prevention Plan (IIPP). • Also develop an “Injury Reduction Plan” with your staff each fiscal year with 2-4 defined strategies for preventing injuries, and responsibilities for implementation. • Model correct behavior by making safety a top priority. • Provide assigned staff, and arrange for budget and resources to address safety issues. • Support the role and responsibilities of your Department Safety Coordinator. • Practice creative “silo-busting.” Find ways to share best practices for safety with other departments and other UC campuses. • Actively promote and practice the UC Davis Principles of Safety. Think Safe. Act Safe. Be Safe.

4. Monthly Safety Spotlight, October 2010 Proactive Injury and Illness Prevention Everyone has a Role: Managers/Supervisors Those on the “front lines” of departmental operations have a great influence over the safety of each employee. Managers and supervisors are in the perfect position to facilitate safety prevention planning, empower employee efforts and remove any barriers to success that may arise. • Spearhead the creation of an IIPP for your department. • Establish and participate in regularly scheduled safety committee meetings with set agendas that routinely review past injuries and address hazards and safety issues. • Ensure safety inspections are performed on a regular basis (at least quarterly) to address housekeeping and other safety hazard areas. • Conduct timely and detailed injury investigations to identify root causes and focus on preventive actions. • Serve as a role model for safety by motivating, coaching and intervening, ensuring that proper safety behaviors are practiced consistently and at every level. Help your staff overcome obstacles and stay focused on workplace health & safety. • Recognize and reward your staff’s progress toward safety excellence. • Involve your staff members in assessing safety needs and developing corresponding processes. • Be sure everyone receives and records proper training. • Keep department leaders informed of progress or issues that need attention, and periodically review and update your IIPP. Think Safe. Act Safe. Be Safe.

5. Monthly Safety Spotlight, October 2010 Proactive Injury and Illness Prevention Everyone has a Role: Individual Employees A truly safe campus workplace hinges on the individual decisions of each employee. It’s important to recognize that if you are injured or become ill at work, the consequences affect everyone concerned: you, your co-workers, your family and community, and ultimately the entire campus. • Start each day with a conscious awareness that your safety is in your hands. Make a daily commitment to work safely so you can go home in good health when your workday is over. • Manage your own behavior to match the risks you encounter; don’t rush or allow yourself to become complacent. Pay attention, and follow all safety procedures. • Take an active part in making your IIPP a success by using your experience and expertise to have a lasting, positive effect on the campus. Collaborate with co-workers to assess possible hazards and suggest practical preventive measures. • Don’t overlook the basics. Wear required personal protective equipment, and use proper body mechanics for safe lifting, pushing/pulling and reaching elevated locations. • Report unsafe conditions or practices to your supervisor or Department Safety Coordinator (DSC). • Assist your DSC in making your workplace safe by complying with department safety requirements. Think Safe. Act Safe. Be Safe.

6. Monthly Safety Spotlight, October 2010 Proactive Injury and Illness Prevention What's at Stake? Some consequences of workplace injury and illness are obvious; others require a closer look. All of the consequences can endanger employees and their families, as well as University infrastructure and everyone in the campus community. • Human cost: ~800 employees are injured annually. • Financial cost: Approximately $3 Million in annual expenses campus-wide. • The indirect cost can amount to 3-5 times the direct cost, due to: • Loss of productivity and disruption of workflow in the department. • Cost of a replacement worker for the injured employee. • Administration of the claim. • Inability to fulfill commitments to other departments, students, etc. • Workplace unrest, reduced job satisfaction for co-workers who must carry a heavier load. • Can contribute to a higher injury potential in the department. • An investment in safety yields a 5X payback! Think Safe. Act Safe. Be Safe.

7. Monthly Safety Spotlight, October 2010 Proactive Injury and Illness Prevention Make Safety Practices Part of Your Routine The easiest things we do are the things we do by habit. If preventive behaviors are a natural part of your day-to-day routine, following them will be comfortable and natural. As you and your colleagues are developing your IIPP, make it a point to weave safe practices into your normal operations. • Collaborate as a group on the best ways to integrate safety and health procedures into your normal work routine. • Include safety requirements in your department’s position descriptions. • Share best practices within your department and with other campus groups. • Include CalOSHA-required steps in your day-to-day routines. • Plan for periodic review and updating of your operational practices to incorporate better safety practices. • Strive for continuous improvement. Working with your Department Safety Coordinator and your supervisor, explore different workplace layouts that will improve ergonomics and reduce the possibility of injury. • Staff at all levels should recognize safety measures as a normal way of doing business, not a special program. Think Safe. Act Safe. Be Safe.

8. Monthly Safety Spotlight, October 2010 Proactive Injury and Illness Prevention Understanding Your IIPP It may seem complicated, but it doesn’t have to be. An efficient IIPP simply reflects your department’s day-to-day operations and activities seen from the safety perspective. The UC Davis Injury and Illness Prevention Plan is: • A written document defining measures your department takes to ensure a safe workplace, including provisions for training, hazard assessment and inspections, communication, investigations, documentation and establishing a safety committee • REQUIRED by CalOSHA and UC System policy • A living, dynamic document that is actively consulted and used; it doesn’t just sit on a shelf • A complete record of potential hazards and a roadmap for follow-up and corrective action • A guide for documentation of safety procedures, training, compliance and other essentials, and a source for official forms used in these processes • A regulatory document reviewed by CalOSHA in the event of an injury or near miss • An opportunity for everyone – no matter what their job description – to contribute to the long term well being of the University • Evidence that the department cares about the safety and health of its employees and its role in fulfilling the UC Davis Principles of Community Think Safe. Act Safe. Be Safe.

9. Monthly Safety Spotlight, October 2010 Proactive Injury and Illness Prevention The 9 Steps to Creating an IIPP Follow this straightforward method – and take advantage of Safety Services staff assistance – to customize an IIPP for your department. • Management commitment/assignment of responsibilities • Safety communications system with employees • System for assuring employee compliance with safe work practices • Scheduled inspections/evaluation system • Accident investigation • Procedures for correcting unsafe/unhealthy conditions • Safety and health training and instruction • Recordkeeping and documentation • Program Evaluations IIPP: 9 Steps to Success! Think Safe. Act Safe. Be Safe.

10. Monthly Safety Spotlight, October 2010 Proactive Injury and Illness Prevention Know Your Resources As your team works together to develop an IIPP, UC Davis Risk Management Services staff members can offer valuable help, such as existing models that can be modified for your department’s use. Templates are also available to streamline the process. • Visit the Occupational Health Injury Prevention website for information about programs and services, and access to forms, policies, procedures and other resources. • Contact Injury Prevention staff for advice and assistance to get you started or help you troubleshoot the IIPP process. • Bob Wachter, UC Davis Injury Prevention Specialist: 530-297-4605 • Guide to developing your workplace Injury and Illness Prevention Program • www.dir.ca.gov • Injury and Illness Prevention Program: Step-by-Step Guide for Departmental Safety Coordinators • safetyservices.ucdavis.edu Think Safe. Act Safe. Be Safe.