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NINE
KEY SAFETY PROGRAM PARAMETERS FOR OHIO
WORKERS'
COMPENSATION GROUP RATING PARTICIPANTS
Continued success
in the group rating program depends on your ability to avoid
costly claims through continued safety efforts. The Nine Key
Safety Program Parameters reflect a sound approach to
workplace safety. In view of the BWC's trend toward
recommending these steps to all employers in all rating plans,
we suggest that you integrate them into your work
environment.
1.
WRITTEN SAFETY AND HEALTH POLICY
The employer's
top executive shall sign a safety and health policy document
to be given to all new hires. The policy shall be communicated
to all employees, then reviewed with them on an annual basis.
It shall include:
·
the management,
supervisors' and employees' responsibilities with regard to
the organization's commitment to workplace safety and health;
and
·
commitment to
returning the injured or ill employee to work at the earliest
opportunity.
2.
VISIBLE ACTIVE SENIOR MANAGEMENT LEADERSHIP
Contemporary
businesses establish safety and health as a core value of
their organizations. Senior management, including the top
executive on site, must be the role models for how they want
all other employees to act in creating a safe work
environment. Active leadership shall include, at a minimum,
the following:
·
authorizing the
necessary resources for accident prevention;
·
discussing safety
processes and improvements regularly during staff or employee
meetings;
·
ensuring that all
members of management are held accountable for accident
prevention activities, and for managing accident prevention
processes;
·
annually assessing
the success of the safety process by utilizing perception
surveys, personal interviews and behavior sampling strategies;
and
·
encouraging
employees to take an active part in maintaining a safe
workplace.
3.
EMPLOYEE INVOLVEMENT AND RECOGNITION
Both
management and employees shall actively participate in the
safety and health management process for it to be effective.
Employee participation opportunities could
include:
·
safety and health
involvement teams, focus groups, and safety and health
committees;
·
accident
investigations;
·
safety and health
audits; and
·
instructing safety
and health training programs.
A program shall be
established to identify and formally recognize employees for
excellence in accident prevention. Recognition opportunities
could include:
·
consistently high
contribution to safety and health;
·
contribution to
continuous improvement through participation in
problem-solving, decision-making or perception surveys;
and
·
suggestions for
safety and health improvements, or employees who could
complete special safety and health projects.
4.
COMMUNICATIONS
Regular verbal
and written communications on matters affecting employee
safety and health shall be included in each organization's
approach to managing safety and health. Communications shall
include:
·
quarterly written
and/or verbal feedback to all employees on their accident
prevention performance;
·
a process for
upward communication as well as downward and throughout the
organization;
·
tools for
communication could include memos, bulletin boards, staff and
general meetings; and
·
feedback should
include the organization's overall safety and health
performance.
5.
ORIENTATION AND TRAINING FOR ALL EMPLOYEES
Each
organization shall identify and respond to the specific
training needs of its employees including supervisors,
managers, and team leaders. Employers shall develop a written
safety and health training program that documents specific
training objectives and instruction processes. Orientation
shall include:
·
company safety and
health policy;
·
employee
responsibilities;
·
medical procedures
such as how and when to report injuries or illnesses;
·
actions to take in
case of emergencies;
·
how to report
unsafe practices or conditions; and
·
return-to-work
procedures.
Safety and health
training shall include:
·
hazard
communication;
·
bloodborne
pathogens, if applicable;
·
specific job/task
safe work practices and hazard recognition.
At a minimum,
training shall cover:
·
procedures for the
safe and efficient use of machinery and tools;
·
ergonomic risk
factors, including the prevention of cumulative trauma
disorders;
·
training should
also focus on chemical hazards and how to prevent contact or
exposure; and
·
if appropriate,
procedures for lockout/tagout, hot work permits, and confined
space entry.
All training shall
be documented to include the date, topics covered,
instructor's name, and the names of employees attending the
training session. Each employee in attendance should sign the
documentation form on the day of completion.
6.
PUBLISHED SAFE WORK PRACTICES
Guidance for
employees in the form of written safe work practices is
important for a clear understanding of job requirements and
responsibilities. Both general and job-specific safe work
practices shall be identified, documented, and made available.
Employees shall be provided a copy of the general safe work
practices; and all shall sign a statement to indicate they
have read, understood and will follow the safe work practices.
Examples of general safe work practice knowledge expected of
most employees include:
·
good
housekeeping;
·
personal
protective equipment;
·
first aid
procedures;
·
ergonomic
principles;
·
respiratory
protection;
·
lockout/tagout
procedures;
·
confined space
entry;
·
hazard
communication; and
·
bloodborne
pathogens, if applicable.
Job-specific safe
work practices apply to operations and tasks that involve
recognized hazards and risks associated with those specific
tasks. Job-specific safe work practices shall be posted or
made readily available in the work area.
7.
ASSIGNING AN INDIVIDUAL THE ROLE OF COORDINATING SAFETY
EFFORTS
An individual
shall be designated as the Accident Prevention Coordinator,
and given responsibility and authority over the organization's
safety and health efforts.
A person acting in this capacity
does not assume operational responsibility for safety and
health, but supports line management supervision and employees
to prevent accidents. Duties shall include:
·
helping management
and employees identify accident prevention and safety and
health training needs (possibly through perception surveys,
interviews, behavior sampling or other methods);
·
help supervisors
make changes or develop strategies that improve safety and
health;
·
identifying and
communicating new safety and health requirements;
·
compiling accident
or illness-related records;
·
tracing progress
on safety and health-related projects; and
·
working with
employees to optimize safe work practices.
An employer may
choose to delegate these functions to more than one person. A
small company owner may assume these duties or delegate them
to a manager. In either case, the Accident Prevention
Coordinator(s) shall attend at least one safety and health
management seminar each year. Seminar requirements include the
following:
·
a minimum of six
hours of instruction;
·
taught by quality
instructors; and
·
directed at
enhancing knowledge and skills in managing organizational
safety systems and processes.
The division of
Safety and Hygiene's Ohio Center for Occupational Safety &
Health provides numerous seminars to employer representatives
at no additional cost. For a listing, please call
1-800-OHIOBWC OR 1-800-644-6292, ext. 22.
8.
EARLY RETURN-TO-WORK STRATEGIES
Employers
shall establish a post-injury or disability management policy
and procedure consistent with the Health Partnership Program
(HPP) to help injured or ill employees obtain quality medical
care and return to work.
Components of the disability
management procedure shall include, at a minimum:
·
employer informing
the employees of the selected Managed Care Organization
(MCO);
·
informing
employees of procedures identifying where medical treatment
can be obtained;
·
providing
employees with any other available supporting information or
materials;
·
immediate
reporting of accidents and illnesses to a supervisor;
·
regular
supervisory communications with off-work employees while they
are convalescing;
·
investigation of
all accidents with 24 hours to identify system or process
improvements so corrective measures can be taken; and
·
when not
prohibited by a labor agreement, a modified or transitional
work program that allows employees to return to work in a
productive capacity during the recuperative period.
9.
INTERNAL PROGRAM VERIFICATION
To assess the
success of company safety efforts, to include audits, surveys,
and record analysis. Organizations shall compile occupational
accident and illness-related data in order to:
·
identify safety
and health process problems;
·
help manage the
compensation process; and
·
provide
information necessary for developing solutions to
problems.
SAFETY
RESOURCE
The BWC
Division of Safety & Hygiene offers educational and safety
consulting services at no additional cost. Safety &
Hygiene consultants assist employers by identifying safety and
health hazards and assessing safety programs and making
recommendations for improvements. For more information, call
their toll free number at 1-800-644-6292, ext. 22. The
Division of Safety & Hygiene provides the following
services:
·
Safety
Audits
·
Ergonomic
Studies
·
Industrial Hygiene
Consulting
·
Reference
Materials, Videos, etc.
·
Safety
Publications
·
Employee Safety
Training
·
Safety
Councils
·
All - Ohio Safety
and Health Congress
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