Steps to a Top-Notch Safety Program

Steps to a Top-Notch Safety Program Presented by: Michael Bell, Vice President Wallace Welch & Willingham Inc. 300 First Avenue South – 5th Floor St. Petersburg, FL 33701 (727) 522-7777, ext. 116 mbell@w3ins.com

The Steps to Developing and Implementing a Top-Notch Safety Program Using OSHA’s Four-Point Plan 4 3 2 1

An Act “Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970” Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America to assure safe and healthful working conditions for men and women. A few shocking statistics 1971Today 56 Million Workers 105 Million Workers 3.5 Million Workplaces 6.9 Million Workplaces 14 Thousand Deaths 5 Thousand Deaths (p.1)

General Duty Clause • Allows OSHA to make up the rules as they go along! • Seems Very Simple But Covers Everything! A Catch All… (p.2)

Voluntary Guideline “Good Faith Effort” Employers are responsible for the following steps (p.3)

Guidelines • Implement policies, procedures and practices that protect employees from hazards. (p.4)(a)(1)

Guidelines- continued • A good program means that you are identifying, evaluating and preventing workplace hazards. (p.4)(a)(2)

Guidelines- continued • Program must address allhazards, not just the OSHA standards. (general duty clause) You have to ask yourself the questions… • What are my hazards? • How can my employees get hurt? (p.4)(a)(3)

Guidelines- continued • A booklet is not a safety program… OSHA is more concerned with what you are doing about safety… than what your manual says you are doing! (p.4)(a)(4)

Management Commitment andEmployee Involvement • Key ingredient to a Safety Program WORKING TOGETHER! (p.4)(b)

Management Commitment andEmployee Involvement - continued • Safety often stalls in the boardroom because ideas never get handed down or enforced. • Management MUST set examples for employees to follow. • Managers need to be willing to allow the employee to take the time needed to complete a task the safe way. Safety Committees are required to be a blend of 50% employer and at least 50% employee (p.4)(b)(1)

II. Worksite Analysis • Hazard Identification You have to identify what your hazards are! (p.4)(b)(1)

II. Worksite Analysis – Hazard Identification continued • Two Methods • Internal • Proactive Inspections • Reviewing Loss Runs • JSA’s • Committees • Ask Employees • Walk Through (p.4)(b)(2)

Worksite Analysis – Hazard Identification continued • External • Networking (talk to other safety people) • Get to know the OSHA Regulations (e-tools at OSHA’s website www.OSHA.gov) • Check with State Partners (USF Safety) • Magazines • Insurance Carriers • Local Police and Fire Department • Seminars (p.4)(b)(2)

III. Hazard Prevention and Controls • Hazard Abatement • We have to either reduce or eliminate hazards through abatement! (p.4)(b)(3)

Hazard Abatement- continued • Safety should be involved in purchasing to help control hazards: • Engineering Controls – Machine Guarding • Administration Controls – Training • PPE – Personal Protective Equipment (p.4)(b)(3)

IV. Safety and Health Training • Training • Bring to a personal level! (p.5)(b)(4)

IV. Safety and Health Training - continued • Teach everybody their role in safety. • Start with management and work your way down the ladder. (p.5)(b)(4)

IV. Safety and Health Training - continued • Three Types of Training: • Initial • Refresher • As needed(usually one-on-one in the field) (p.5)(b)(4)

IV. Safety and Health Training - continued • You must be able to prove in writing. • Document! Document! Document! (p.5)(b)(4)

TEAM WORK!! • Encourage Employees Involvement for better participation. • Employees are more likely to help administer and police rules that they help to implement. (p.5)(c)(iv)

How Safe Is Your Workplace? • A safety program is a “Living Program” it is not just a book or a piece of paper • Conducting Safety and Health Assessments: (p.5)(viii)(A&B)

Job Safety Analysis • JSA is an effective method of reviewing the steps of a job to eliminate hazards (p.5)(viii)(c)

Job Safety Analysis Prioritizing the JSA’s in your company • Frequency rate of injuries • High risk • New or changed jobs • Jobs that a lot of people do Most jobs can be written up in ten steps. The fewer the better. (p.5)(viii)(c)

Hazard Report Form • Employees must believe that management will take them seriously Needs to be a comfortable process! (p.5/6)(iii)

Key Difference Between Unsafe Behavior and Unsafe Conditions Hazard Prevention and Control (p.6)(3)

What does it really take to motivate employees to “Think Safety and Act Safely”? • Understanding the Many Reasons Why Unsafe Behavior Occurs • Lax safety culture • Lack of understanding • Environmental conditions Other reasons: Lazy, Macho, Peer Pressure, Competitiveness, Physical Limitations, Day Dreaming, Not Paying Attention, Attitudes, Horseplay, Complacency, Short Cuts, etc.., etc…, etc……. (p.6)(ii)(C)

Steps to a Top-Notch Safety Program