Safety Committees in Long Term Care

1. Safety Committees in Long Term Care LTC Insurance Services, LLC

2. Gives employees a voice regarding their own safety at work • Advances the importance of employee safety on a regular basis • Enhances overall Safety Program which • Saves WC premium dollars • Reduces OSHA recordable cases • Creates a better workplace, retain employees • Reduces risk of fines, penalties Purpose of a Safety Committee

3. Must occur monthly • Led by the Administrator whenever possible • Must have a recorder, separate from leader • Must capture minutes in TELS (www.tels.net) • Ideally more than 50% front line employees • Representatives from all departments and shifts whenever possible • Employees involved in recent incidents to attend Safety Committee Basics

4. 80% of discussions should be focused on changing employee behaviors (choices) • How employees do the job, decisions made • How and Why incidents occur • Resident Transfers, Repositioning, Lift, Push, Pull • Slips, Trips and Falls • Combative / Aggressive Resident Behaviors • 20% on environmental issues • Inspections of conditions Our Committees Are Unique

5. Pick a specific, recurring day & stick to it • e.g. Third Thursday of the month at 2pm • Everyone comes prepared, knows rules • Safety Committee members aren’t just members one hour per month… • 24/7 – 365 • Opportunity to make a difference • Opportunity to get advanced training & responsibilities, build ownership and pride Structure and Flow of SC

6. Minutes Form

7. Safety Committee Minutes

8. Measurable, Achievable, & Within the power of the Safety Committee • Goal of 98% of CNA’s wearing Gait Belts during random audits • Goal of 95% of all audited beds have the cords and hoses well controlled, not trip hazards • Goal of 95% of all CNA’s interviewed correctly answer a resident transfer / reposition question • Goal of 100% compliance with slip-resistant footwear in Dietary during random audits Goals of the Safety Committee

9. Safety Committee Minutes

10. Old business from last meeting • Inspections done: Outliers, major issues • Review Department-Specific Inspection Forms • Injuries since last meeting • Injured employee speaks to how, why & what could have been done differently • SC is supportive & focused on house-wide prevention not individual blame • Specific future tasks must come from these discussions and be recorded in minutes Structure & Flow (continued)

11. Start with OSHA logs for 5 prior years • Maintain “Incident Only” or “Near Miss” file Trends

12. Long term trends of employee incidents are often overlooked • A formal Trend Analysis is the best tool to uncover less obvious trends • Look at 5 years if you can otherwise 3 years • Use a tool to capture important characteristics • Do a full written Trend Analysis once, then update each month • Discuss the different trends as a committee and assign tasks to address or investigate further Trending Employee Incidents

14. Action Plan

15. Assigns specific tasks to members and non-members with due dates • For specific, non-recurring tasks • To collect more information, eliminate an exposure, reduce a risk • Finite due date, never “ongoing” • Should address the 3 Major Loss Sources • Resident Transfers, Repositioning, Lift, Push… • Slips, Trips and Falls Prevention • Combative / Aggressive Resident Behaviors Safety Issues / Action Plan

16. Plan is a Roadmap to reach higher staff awareness of risks, of programs, of issues to prevent accidents • Must impact employee choices, decisions Action / Task Plans

17. Example Items on Action Plan

18. In the OSHA & Loss Prevention Manual • Members need to understand these programs, know when they apply • Discuss each program in some depth • Address non-compliant areas in Action Plan • Once knowledgeable on each, the SC identifies ways to increase awareness • Put tasks on the action plan if warranted • All staff should understand the basics of each “Corporate” Safety Programs

19. Safety Committee members connect with new hires: • Answer questions, • Provide support and guidance • Demonstrate good techniques, use of equipment, how to find information • Report back any issues to SDC or DON Helping New Hires Succeed

20. What training took place since last meeting • Did house-wide training take place for all root causes of recent employee incidents? • Are the covered concepts being practiced? • Was the training effective? Compliance observed? Training & the Safety Committee

21. What training will occur in next 30 days • Do we need to address new issues? • Should other topics be added to training calendar? • Are trends indicating we change tactics? • How can the Safety Committee work with Staff Development to enhance training, increase awareness, increase efficiency, increase effectiveness and verify that training is implemented • Safety Committee can help observe behaviors In-Services & Training

22. Adults learn through seeing it done then doing the task • Provide opportunities for hands-on tasks Safety Awareness

24. Designed to keep all homes on track & provide opportunities for unrelenting topic coverage to address loss sources • Can be as simple or as complex as you want but don’t just rely on in-services • Activities outside of the norm will engage staff differently, increase chances of information retention Safety Topic of the Month

25. To recognize and reward efforts to improve employee safety • Focused on positive employee behaviors and actions • Must take action to get a reward, not just be present • To encourage reporting of issues & incidents • Any perception that the incentive program may contribute to employees not reporting incidents needs immediate attention • Use the eligible money every month • Give away SRMax Slip Resistant Shoes • Follow the required process, receipts, etc. Safety Incentives

26. Front line employees have the best ideas • SC meetings should be fixed, not pushed • Post the minutes of the last meeting and the agenda for the next meeting • Recognize your SC members • Keep it less than 60 minutes, facilitate • Rotate members after about 4-6 months, one at a time, maintain continuity • Not just a once-a-month responsibility • SC members are ambassadors for safety FAQ, Summary & Conclusion

27. Keep it fun, get creative • Get out of the conference room every so often, be visible • Interaction should be positive and constructive, respectful – everybody has an opinion but keep it focused • Resident Transfers / Repositioning / Body Mechanics • Slips, Trips, Falls • Combative / Aggressive Resident Behaviors Finally…

28. Visit our Safety Committee page

29. Questions? • Contact Us for Help & Ideas • Use the website • http://www.ltcinsuranceservices-safety.yolasite.com/ • Intranet, Risk Management, Workers’ Comp. • Email: BCrecco@LTC-LLC.com • Call: 727-365-4887