1. Know each employee on a individual level.  Having been raised to respect each individual, as a supervisor you boost your authority among the employees by treating each person with respect.  Become familiar with those who work with or under you and they will be more willing to come to your with any safety concerns they may have.  Don’t be afraid to ask them about their safety related concerns and go over any company policies you feel need to be reviewed.  It is your job to make sure they understand.  When a safety concern is brought to your attention, do not ignore it.  Even the smallest issue must be taken seriously in order to make sure each employee feels that their concerns are valid and not being ignored.

2. Focus on safety as a main topic in management planning.  Make safety the priority in all aspects of the workplace, including the organizational and normal meetings.  Bring up some of the suggesting made by employees to corporate.  The employees are the ones living in the work environment and have more insights into what might need to happen in regards to safety. Change will happen faster and improvements made when the concerns are brought up consistently in meetings.  Be sure you don’t easy over the negative effects that lackluster safety efforts will cause the company.

3. Regularly review ALL safety reports.  Not only is it important to review the injury reports but also the reports that were deemed “near misses” and didn’t result in an actual injury.  Both can illuminate potential workplace safety problems.  Part of reviewing these reports is meeting with those involved in the reports.  Know how the injured employees are doing.  Interview those who had “almost” accidents to see if any change in safety policies should be considered for future prevention.  Make sure that if change is required, that the necessary steps are taken.

4. Incorporate every employee into the safety process.  Reward and recognize those employees who make an effort in being involved in safety.  As a way to help each employee to do more, create a safety committee that is voluntary.  Many employees join committees in the hopes of improving their chances of promotion.  If the company is too large for one committee, move to implement one in each department.  Have the members of the committee to work together on enforcing safety without the need of a higher authority looking over their shoulders.

Regular safety meetings where all committee members are allowed to voice any of their concerns will empower them.  Also, another great way to minimize corporate complacency is to put together contests regarding safety.  For example, offer a bonus to those who are incident-free for a specified period of time.  Money can be a big incentive to avoid sliding into complacency or negligence.

5. Put together a system for reporting safety problems.  Tattletales are often irritating and annoying, but also shouldn’t be ignored.  If they have or see safety concerns, listen to what they have to say.  Most employees don’t speak up in order to avoid conflict.  Respect everyone’s need of non-confrontation by having a system where they can submit tips anonymously.  If action needs to be taken against a specific employee, never reveal from whom you learned of the problem.  By allowing anonymity people will be more willing to come forward and everyone will follow the safety guidelines and suggestions that you are trying to implement.  When everyone knows that they can be reported without being able to find out who “tattled”, they will be more likely to be careful in the workplace.

Complacency is easily avoided by making safety an integral part of environment in the workplace.  Both employees and supervisors must see how safety is a part of every aspect of the workplace, including the dangers of safety complacency.  Videos, pictures, or exposure to real-life examples of what complacency can cause.  Bring the theoretical into reality.  Once a regular safety plan is firmly integrated into the workplace culture, it is much easier for everyone to enjoy the safety found in their workplace.

Repetition forms habit and when employees repeatedly take risks and disregard safety a serious potentially life-threatening habits.  Most of these “bad habits” or risks can be categorized in one of the following:

• Not following proper procedure
• Lack of personal protective equipment, including goggles, gloves, and hard hats
• Cleaning, adjusting, or repairing equipment that is still moving, pressurized, or electrically energized
• Unsafe personal attire
• Using unsafe tools or equipment
• Working or operating equipment at an unsafe speed
• Failure to give warning about or secure potential hazards
• Disabling safety devices
• Improper equipment usage
• Unsafe positioning or posture
• Horseplay
• Mixing, placing, or combining tools and materials in an unsafe way

While OSHA doesn’t cite any employees for safety violations, every employee should still feel the necessity of complying with all OSHA standards, rules, regulations, and orders applicable within their field of employment.  States with their own occupational safety and health programs give their employees the same responsibilities and rights as those states covered by the Federal OSHA.

Below are some of the guidelines employees should be obliged to follow:

- Read OSHA notices at the job site

- Comply with all applicable OSHA standards

- Follow all lawful employer health and safety rules and regulations, and wear or use prescribed protective equipment while working

- Report hazardous conditions to a supervisor

- Report any job-related injury or illness to the employer, and seek treatment promptly

- Exercise these rights in a responsible manner

If you are partnered or work in the same area as a known risk-taker, it is your responsibility to ask him to stop and make him aware of the danger he is putting both himself and everyone else in. Don’t be afraid to stick near him to help guide him to a safer way to performing his required tasks. Time is not saved when injury is the result of unsafe actions or procedure.

Confined Space is defined, by the Occupational Safety and Health Agency (OSHA), as “any space with an open top and a depth possible of restricting the natural way air moves”.  An enclosed space is when there is only a limited amount of space to get in.

You can find confined spaces in almost all workplaces in the form of: vaults, sewers, truck tanks, silos, culverts, walk-in freezers, vats, access shafts, ship holds, tunnels, wells and more.

Dangers of a Confined Space

Every workplace has its own risks and dangers and confined space are no exception.  On top of that confined spaces introduce a whole new set of larger factors, risks, and dangers for the workers.  Some mechanical equipment that is used in confined spaces have potentially fatal moving parts. Other spatial risks include: the location, design, construction, and atmosphere of the space, as well as the type of work that is done in that space.

There are also many issues that can easily be prevented with some safety measures to mitigate noise level problems, biological hazards, and extreme temperatures.

To compound these risks are the unexpected, more natural happenstances that occur such as, heavy material collapsing, an explosions or fires from an unstable atmosphere, or flooding. Others potentially fatal hazards when working in confined spaces are: the amount of oxygen available and the existence of poisonous gases in the work area.  One or both of these can easily result in works losing consciousness.

When Entering Confined Spaces

Although it might seem time consuming and pointless there are safety procedures out there that truly save lives.  To start off, have a trained supervisor or worker evaluate the safety of any confined area before work begins.

This will allow the air to be checked for enough oxygen, any toxic gas that may be present, and any other contingencies that could infiltrate confined or enclosed spaces when everyone goes home for the day.  Also check the ventilation system to make sure that everything is working and in order.

Depending on the type of workplace this confined space is in, there are other steps that should also be considered.  Some of these safety precautions steps are locking out potentially hazardous energy sources and removing any liquids that are free flowing.  Also be sure that the appropriate personal protective equipment is readily available and in plain view, so as not to be accidentally forgotten.  This could include gloves, safety glasses, ear plugs, and respirators.

Never should any worker enter a confined or enclosed space if they are unsure or worried about being able to evacuate quickly enough in the case of an emergency.  Also, there should be a means of immediate communication to an outside, trained employee who is outside the confined space, in the case that a problem occurs.

Safety should always be put first in the workplace, no matter the job or type of space involved.  An employee will be more loyal knowing that the company they are working for has their safety at the forefront of every job.

To ensure that you meet OSHA’s mandates for documentation, there are four main areas to examine. The first is your safety program.  Standards that pertain to your work site include:

• Hazard communication (29 CFR 1910.1200)
• Respiratory protection (1910.134)
• Confined spaces (1910.146)
• Lockout/tagout (1910.147)

Many employers mistakenly assume that once they have created programs that outline procedures in these areas and put those procedures into practice, they have done their part. However, to OSHA, compliance in this case means not only the initial implementation, but also regular review to ensure that the programs are effective and being followed. Adjustments should be made or additional training provided if necessary, which will not only keep these programs current, but in use.

The second area of concern is the documenting of hazard assessments. OSHA standard 1910.132(d)(2) requires employers to not only conduct a hazard assessment, but also include in that assessment a written certification, known as a certification of hazard assessment.  This certification names the work site evaluated, the date of the evaluation and the name of the person certifying that the evaluation was performed. The standard has an additional requirement that every employee acknowledge that wearing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is an agency mandate. This training must be documented with a written certification that lists the name of each employee trained, the date they were trained, and the subject of the training.

An effective hazard assessment program should incorporate additional training as necessary to accommodate the need for different PPE. That’s why employers should periodically reassess the work site to ensure that all hazards requiring PPE have been identified and that the most up-to-date protection against the hazards is utilized. Be sure you provide additional training and update required certifications when such a reassessment is performed.

The third area for concern is the maintenance of training records. Even though some OSHA standards specifically impose training requirements, OSHA doesn’t require that all employee safety and health training be documented.  Some of the OSHA general industry standards that require specific documentation of employee training include:

• Confined spaces (1910.146)
• Lockout/tagout(1910.147)
• Respiratory protection (1910.134)
• Fire brigades (1910.156) and fire extinguishers (1910.157)
• Powered industrial trucks (1910.178)
• Welding, cutting and brazing (1910.252-254)
• Asbestos (1910.1001)
• Carcinogens (1910.1003)
• Substance specific standards such as lead (1910.1025), cadmium (1910.1027), benzene (1910.1028)

The fourth area to examine is certifications. Some OSHA standards require employers to certify that training was given to employees. In addition to training certifications, other standards require employers to certify that they have completed certain other actions like assessments or record keeping. Under Section 17(g) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act and the federal criminal code provisions at 18 U.S.C. 1001, it is a crime to knowingly make a false certification or statement in any document required under the act. Employers and those they designate as responsible for completing OSHA-required certifications must be mindful of the importance of mandated certifications, and the need to ensure that they are accurate.

• Providing structure and assigning responsibility for carrying out a workplace safety program;
• Enhancing a cooperative attitude and bringing together strong interaction among various areas of an organization;
• Serving as a communication vehicle for employees to voice safety concerns;
• Serving as a tool for employers to promote safety to employees; and
• Spreading the responsibility of the safety program among employees.

A safety committee will only be successful, however, if it is carefully created with structure and support.  As with any safety initiative, it is imperative that management be visibly and actively involved.  Members should serve on the committee and attend regular meetings.   Other committee members should be chosen for their enthusiasm, potential expertise and communication skills.  The committee should include representatives from all the various departments but not become so large that it becomes cumbersome and ineffective.

To ensure that the committee doesn’t become a place for employees just to voice complaints, the committee’s goals should be clear from the start.  Its primary role is always to promote and ensure the success of a company’s safety program.

The specific responsibilities of the safety committee may include:

• Develop strategic safety goals and annual action items;
• Participate in development, monitoring and updating of safety program and possible safety incentives;
• Hold monthly safety meetings;
• Hold regular workplace safety inspections and help identify workplace hazards;
• Participate in accident/incident investigations;
• Ensure maintenance of injury and work hazard records;
• Perform review of illness and injury records;
• Organize regular safety training programs;
• Consult with outside experts when necessary;
• Address employee complaints and suggestions regarding safety issues;
• Make safety recommendations to management; and
• Communicate with employees and management about safety issues and goals.

Every group needs a leader and a safety committee is no exception.  A workplace safety coordinator should be assigned to head the group.  For many companies this will not be a separate position but rather an added role to an individual’s existing position.  The coordinator is responsible for leading the committee, scheduling and heading safety meetings, serving as a point-of-contact with outside agencies and retaining safety records and documents.  Safety meetings should be well documented and the records should be retained for at least a couple years.   Many safety committees prepare an annual report to overview the safety trends within the organization, advertise their results, and identify outstanding safety issues.

For companies beginning a new safety committee, the following first meeting agenda is a good starting point:

• Establish the role and purpose of the committee;
• Discuss the commitment required from each member;
• Develop an agenda for what the committee hopes to achieve, both long and short term;
• Assign action items to the members of the committee; and
• Take meeting notes and post the minutes as well as committee goals and action items.

Training your employees with  “rewards” or “incentives” for attaining high levels of job safety can go a long way in setting your safety program on the road to success.  Knowing there is a prize at the end of the road keeps employees focused on safety, which is exactly what makes incentive programs successful.  An intense focus on safety will eventually make it routine in your workplace.

Where do you start when building an incentive program?  The first step is to survey your employees to determine what rewards would be of value to them.  The survey should be structured to limit the options to those rewards that are economically feasible, such as a short amount of paid time off for the work group with the fewest incidents or extending the lunch hour by a half hour for the work group that uncovered the most potential hazards in their work area.  Do not allow for open-ended responses or you may receive results that are too vague or too elaborate to be practical.

Incentive programs tend to start with a great deal of employee enthusiasm, which diminishes over time as employees become used to incentives.  To keep the novelty from wearing off, you might try adding a twist by allowing a winning group of employees to forego an immediate prize and enter into a drawing for a potentially larger prize.

If you have the financial capability, you may try rewarding individuals based on safety performance.  This is usually performed on two levels.  For the department manager/line supervisor, it means an end-of-the-year bonus based on how well their employees controlled the number of incidents.  The bonus would be paid if the manager’s employees kept their incident rate below a pre-established number.  On the employee level, it would mean an end-of -the-year bonus for the employee in each department/line that had the least number of incidents for the year.  For some ideas of safety recognition or incentives  visit the Select-Your-Gift website.

Merit increases based on safety performance are another important incentive.  Workers who fill production quotas while maintaining quality and avoiding accidents can be given a merit increase at the time of their annual review.  Supervisors whose departments/lines have a good safety record for the year are also eligible for a merit increase.  The idea is to point out the desired behavior and publicly reward it so that other employees know senior management is serious about safety.

The first step in maintaining control is to designate an employee who will assist OSHA Compliance Officers during an investigation. This designee should be someone at a managerial level who is familiar with a project’s specs. It is also important that this person understands the nature of the work and has the knowledge base to respond to the Compliance Officer’s technical questions.

When a Compliance Officer arrives onsite, the designee should request the reason for the inspection to ensure the visit stays focused on that purpose. This means establishing at the beginning whether this is a standard inspection, an evaluation of specific complaints, or an investigation into a reported worker death. Once the purpose for the site visit has been clearly established, the Compliance Officer should be informed that they are being allowed to come onsite for the stated purpose only.

As part of the investigation, the Compliance Officer will request specific materials relevant to the visit. The employee should gather the materials and present them all at once. Using this technique offers two advantages. First, you can be sure the requested materials are pertinent to the investigation; this is not a fishing expedition. The second advantage is that you will have an opportunity to review the materials prior to presenting them so there are no surprises.

The Compliance Officer will undoubtedly want to document certain parts of the investigation scene with photographs. They should be told that taking pictures of the area specific to the complaint is fine, but under no circumstances are panoramas of the entire work area permitted. Allowing the Compliance Officer to spontaneously broaden the scope of the investigation may come back to haunt you at a later date.

You must also be able to accommodate a request made by the Compliance Officer to interview employees. Keep in mind that a management representative or corporate counsel may be present for all interviews of supervisory employees, but the Compliance Officer has the right to interview non-supervisory employees without a management representative present . You have the right to prohibit the Compliance Officer from interviewing an employee onsite; but this is generally not a good idea. Employees will usually be more direct in their answers and do less embellishing if interviewed onsite rather than in a more relaxed environment such as their home.

You should always try to alert employees of a potential interview request. Stress the importance of listening to the complete question before answering and that responses should be limited to “yes” or “no” whenever possible. Tell them to refrain from speculating even if the Compliance Officer asks for their opinion on what might have happened. The best course of action is to stick to the facts. This of course brings up the most important point of all; they should be reminded to tell the plain, unvarnished truth, even if doesn’t put the company in the most flattering light. They should never be worried that telling the truth could cost them their job.

By implementing these guidelines, you can rest assured that you are doing your part to ensure future OSHA inspections go smoothly, and protecting your company from being taken advantage of during an inspection.

One of the most startling statistics revealed in the session was that four out of ten fatal workplace accidents involve drug use. The significance of that statement goes beyond mere accident figures. It is a confirmation that drug abuse continues to be a widespread problem in the construction industry. Experts estimate that twenty-five percent of the workforce is guilty of on-site drug abuse. This data reinforced previous findings by government researchers about the extensive abuse of drugs within the industry.

Members of the panel went on to note that random drug testing programs are the only effective method to reduce employee drug use; and that drug testing is an important part of any organization’s safety and heath program. Anecdotal evidence to support this claim was provided by IMPACT, a Washington-based labor management partnership. Their representative on the panel, Robert Banks, said that at one of the first construction drug-testing programs in Boston, 700 workers failed. However, once testing became the norm, the positive rate fell to about 6 percent. He added that most drug abusers don’t want to work. They use drugs because they want an excuse to file worker’s compensation claims. According to Banks, if a company doesn’t drug test, it would ultimately be paying drug abusers to support their lifestyles.

The challenges inherent in implementing an on-site drug-testing program were another topic for discussion. One panelist, Joseph J. Poliafico of The Facchina Group,voiced the opinion that conducting testing on-site gives a company more control over the process than if they were to rely on a clinic. There seems to be a general agreement towards oral fluid testing on-site, because urine-based testing poses the problem of adulteration. Panelists indicated additional benefits of oral testing include both its critical detection of current drug use, as well as the oral test’s more dignified nature, which avoids worker degradation. Further, oral-fluid testing is significantly less expensive than urine-based testing and much more sensitive; the majority of urine tests cannot detect synthetic opiates such as Oxycontin.

A number of panelists agreed that the toughest hurdle regarding drug testing is industry consistency. Drug testing should be a part of all construction safety programs, but implementing universal testing is limited because of laws, owners, subcontractors, and even unions in some cases. However, the panelists felt the answer to those limitations lay in the Project Labor Agreement because it spells out the basic terms and conditions of employment for all construction workers on a project-by-project basis. This would make drug-testing programs equitable.

However, when daily problems appear, organizations make immediate alterations within their culture to respond to these situations. These alterations, known as “climate changes,” signal a change in the level of interest and importance placed on a particular aspect of operations by the organization’s leadership. Unlike culture, which is embedded in the corporate psyche, climate changes only last for a short duration.

One very good example of changing climate is the level of emphasis placed on safety at different times during an organization’s life span. Shortly after an incidence of injury, management puts extra emphasis on safety. This generally lasts until the incident that triggered the response is forgotten, and then the climate gradually shifts back to a more lackadaisical attitude toward safety.

When an organization allows safety to be subject to climate changes instead of making it part of the culture, serious injuries and even fatalities can result. Management’s goal should be to create an environment where injuries are not acceptable and where all members of the organization work to prevent them. Changing the focus from a temporary emphasis on safety procedures to one of continuous improvement will help an organization sustain longer periods without injury.

The first step toward achieving this objective is for senior management to accept ownership of the procedures and processes that will lead to the desired safety outcome of becoming injury free. Leaders are not only responsible for developing safety procedures, but also for ensuring that they work as expected. Keep in mind that development is not done in a vacuum. Senior management must have input from the supervisors and staff who perform the operations in order for them to be effective.

Ownership also includes maintaining the commitment to safety from mid-level managers and supervisors, and paying attention to how well new hazards are being documented and brought to senior management’s attention. Leaders who accept responsibility for safety performance also monitor the factors that influence cultural acceptance, such employees’ level of trust in management, the effectiveness of communication between management and employees, and management’s credibility.

The second step toward achieving the desired safety outcome is to obtain employee buy-in. Start by listening to the way employees describe performance issues and problems. If their statements express the beliefs that achieving an injury-free culture is outside their control or it is someone else’s responsibility, then there are serious barriers that can prevent incorporating the goal into the culture.

Overcoming these obstacles starts when employees are brought into the development process. Once employees have ownership of the new procedures, they no longer feel that creating an injury-free workplace is beyond their control. Making them part of this process also puts responsibility for its success in their hands.

To maintain employee commitment, however, there has to be continual motivation, such as incentives, that keeps employees enthusiastic about the need for ongoing improvement.

Unfortunately, going back to get a traditional college degree can demand a huge commitment of time and money.  Further, the training that many degree programs require to help those who earn them either obtain employment or further them in their career don’t necessitate much of the usual general education requirements.

What’s the answer? Professional designations and certifications.

For the insurance industry, that includes the Registered Workers’ Compensation Specialist (RWCS) designation.

Insurance certifications and insurance designations give professionals an edge when applying for jobs or when being considered for advancement in their careers.  Not only do insurance certifications and insurance designations give those who receive them the appropriate knowledge and confidence to further their careers, but obtaining them shows employers their commitment in bettering themselves to serve their employers and clients better.

Many insurance professionals have already earned the RWCS certification. Workers compensation professionals who earn this designation demonstrate that both they and their organization are committed to a higher standard of excellence.

If you’re a workers’ compensation professional, when you earn the RWCS certification you will:

• show that you know the most up-to-date principles and practices of workers’ compensation insurance management
• become more marketable when you compete for positions that require the  unique demands of workers’ compensation specialists
• exhibit the confidence of a well-trained professional who is knowledgeable in their work for their clients and employer
• elevate your professional standing among your peers and others in the insdustry

Employers who insist on certification for their professional insurance staff can be assured that their employees are up to date on insurance programs and policies within their organization. An RWCS certified staff can help their organization stay competitive and current on important insurance related issues. The RWCS certification also ensures that those employees who earn it are in a position to maintain their knowledge in the ever-changing world of workers’ compensation insurance.

Students who earn the Registered Workers’ Compensation Specialist certification will find themselves with a head start on their careers when they pursue goal of entering and excelling in the field.

The success rates of many different certifications and designations available for those who earn them has been so great that many employers consider them required qualifications instead of preferred on job postings. This includes workers’ compensation specialists and those who aspire to these positions.