01/20/2017

By kwalker

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New England Employee Health & Wellness

Office Ergonomics

How’s the office ergonomics employee education at your workplace?

Many employers overlook educating their office staff on how to set up their computer workstations to maximize their comfort and reduce the risk of an injury, until someone starts to experience discomfort and attention is brought to workstation set ups. A brief office ergonomics education session and providing a self-assessment office ergonomics checklist goes a long way in achieving employee comfort, along with taking regular brief breaks to get up and move around and stretch.

12/12/2016

By kwalker

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Find it and Fix it

…before someone gets hurt!

Commit to developing a safety and health self-inspection program.

Self-inspection programs are an excellent injury prevention strategy. The process is simple, routinely inspecting the workplace, identifying exiting and potential hazards, and documenting/managing a corrective action plan.

It’s not something you only do once a year though; this is an ongoing routine process of identifying hazards and implementing systems and procedures to reduce the risk of a loss. It’s important to keep in mind when conducting self-inspections to not only be looking at the physical conditions, but to also observe the work practices of the employees to identify areas of improvement, for example; looking at potential ergonomic loss sources related to lifting, pushing, pulling, reaching, repetitive motion, etc.

It is recommended that self-inspections are documented. This documentation demonstrates your good faith to continually improve your injury prevention efforts and aids in tracking items noted to completion. Often these inspection reports are reviewed and discussed at safety committee meetings.

Even if you currently have a self-inspection program, it’s encouraged to review the system periodically to look for areas of improvement opportunity. This is often a function of the organization’s safety committee.

Don’t forget to educate everyone including managers, supervisors, and employees to understand and identify hazards, and what action steps to take when a hazard is identified.

There are numerous sample self-inspection checklists available online to use as a guide to aid in the inspection process. Click here to find the link to a template checklist. Feel free to customize it to suit the exposures at your organization.

Your Loss Prevention Consultant from The Lawson Group would be happy to assist you in establishing an effective self-inspection program. Let us know how we can help!

10/18/2016

By kwalker

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Preventing Slips, Trips, and Falls

According to OSHA, slips, trips, and falls constitute the majority of general industry accidents. They cause 15% of all accidental deaths, and are second only to motor vehicles as a cause of fatalities.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Slips, trips, and falls accounted for about 27 percent of cases involving days away from work in 2014.

No matter what industry you are in, slips, trips, and falls account for one (1) of your greatest workers’ compensation exposures. Slip, trip, and fall related injuries can be very serious resulting in a head injury, broken bones, torn ligaments and tendons, serious neck, back, and spine injuries, and even death. By taking the time to educate the staff and conduct worksite inspections and correction, you reduce the risk of a slip/trip/fall event.

SAIF Corporation provides a great slip, trip, and fall booklet for employers to use as a guide to help identify potential slip/trip/fall hazards and prevent these types of injuries from occurring. The provided assessment checklist in the booklet focuses on eight (8) areas summarized below.

Work areas and housekeeping:

  • Clear expectations of housekeeping standards (employee accountability)
  • Clearly identified walkways and aisles
  • Exits and exit pathways clear
  • Immediate work area clear of trip hazards

Cords:

  • Walkways free from cords
  • Hoses and cords rolled up when not in use
  • Install permanent wiring to eliminate the use of extension cords
  • Cords covered and secured that cross a walkway

Walking and slip hazards:

  • Employee training on what to do if discover a spill
  • Wet floor signs used and available (removed when floor is dry)
  • Floor mats in good condition
  • Good lighting in transition areas

Footwear:

  • Policy defining appropriate footwear, staff training,, and accountability
  • Footwear inspections (employee compliance)
  • Specialty footwear (overshoes for snow and ice, etc.)

Parking lot and grounds:

  • Inspect for slip, trip, fall hazards
  • Edges of curbs and bumpers highly visible
  • Well lit, especially during winter months
  • Inclement weather plan, training, and supplies

Stairs:

  • Handrails in place
  • Steps and stair nosings in good repair
  • Staff training (using handrails and safely carry materials)
  • Lighting adequate

Ladders:

  • Appropriate ladders available for given job
  • Ladder safety training
  • Ladder inspection

Training:

  • Staff training on rules such as “no running” and “look where you are going and go where you are looking”
  • Staff training on benefits of changing gait and ankle movements when walking on slippery surfaces

Resources:

https://www.osha.gov/walking-working-surfaces/index.html

http://beta.bls.gov/labs/blogs/2015/12/11/why-this-counts-slips-trips-and-falls-in-the-workplace/

http://www.saif.com/Documents/SafetyandHealth/SlipsTripsandFalls/S918_booklet_slip_trip_fall.pdf

01/19/2016

By kwalker

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Return-to-Work

Return-to-Work programs are designed to get injured workers back on the job as soon as medically possible. This is a win-win for both the injured employee and the employer.

If you don’t have a Return-to-Work program in place yet, there’s no better time to start than now. Developing a Return-to-Work program prior to a workers’ compensation claim will expedite communications with the injured employee, the claims adjuster, and the medical provider to transition the employee back to work or better yet to stay at work, after an injury. Having updated job/task descriptions and light duty job descriptions can help medical providers understand the ‘real’ current job and accommodations that are offered to bring people back to work quickly.

Though employees can treat with any medical provider, many employers inform the injured employee of local occupational health providers in their area, depending on the severity of the injury. Many of the companies we service reach out to local occupational health providers in their area to establish a relationship with them. The providers often will tour the facility, learn about the operations, and learn about transitional duty availability, which assists them in releasing injured employees to modified work.

One way a Return-to-Work program can add to your organization’s bottom line is in your Experience Modification Rating. The number everyone seems to focus on, whether it’s workers’ comp premium driven or you’re bidding for a job and they ask for you current Experience Modification Rating. Many employers are not aware that if they can return an injured employee before the State of New Hampshire’s 3 day waiting period is up and the claims adjuster does not pay any lost wages, the claim is called a “Medical Only” claim. Medical only claims costs are discounted by 70% when your Experience Mod is calculated, 70%!

You are not only limiting the negative impact on your Mod by keeping claims “medical only”, you are also saving the hidden (uninsured) costs of losses by keeping the employee at work. Some hidden costs are overtime, decreased employee morale, and the costs associated with finding and training a new person.

It’s not only good for the employer to keep injured employees at work or to return them to work as soon as medically possible; it’s good for the employee too. They don’t suffer the loss of wages because they are out of work (workers’ compensation in NH pays 60% of your average weekly wages for the prior 26 weeks). They also get to stay on their regular routine of going to work, providing for their family, and keeping life as normal as possible while they recover from their injury. In many, many ways, this is a really good thing for your employee.

Accidents are very expensive and injury prevention is key, but when an injury occurs, having a ready-to-go, Return-to-Work program will help limit the cost of the loss and benefit both the injured employee and the employer.

In an effort to reduce work related injury costs for the Trust, all Trust Members are encouraged and expected to implement a Return-to-Work program. If you would like assistance developing a Return-to-Work program, please contact your Loss Prevention Consultant.

 

09/28/2015

By kwalker

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Warning: Beware of Dog

It’s estimated that 70-80 million dogs are owned in the United States. Approximately 37-47% of all households in the United States have a dog. (Source: APPA)  When an employee’s work brings them to someone’s home, there’s a good chance they will encounter a dog. Has your organization assessed this risk and taken steps to help reduce the risk for an aggressive dog encounter?

Often we think of a dog bite as a minor injury, but they can be much worse. Sadly there is a website that lists the U.S. fatal dog bite details by year. In 2015, there have been many dog attack fatalities, from a baby boy, just 10 weeks old attacked and killed sitting in a bouncing seat, to an 87-year-old man attacked and killed while taking down his Christmas tree, and so many other heartbreaking stories.

There are many professions where employees are potentially exposed to dogs creating the risk of attack. A handful of jobs that come to mind are; home maintenance contractors, delivery personnel, home health providers, utility workers, cable installers, letter carriers, and real estate agents.

The cost of pain and suffering for the injured employee cannot be measured. Fingers can be amputated, puncture wounds can get infected and leave scars, some wounds can cause nerve damage and long-term loss of feeling or function, and the potential post traumatic stress (the fear of attack) may never fade.

When developing a dog bite injury prevention program, a great place to start is to conduct a Job Safety Analysis (JSA) where you list out all the steps of a task, list out all the potential hazards of each step, and then list the safe work practices and the required personal protective equipment. The folks at the United States Postal Service (USPS) provide a JSA template titled, Confronting a Dog, that can used as a guide to conduct your own JSA tailored to your organization.

The USPS also provides educational resources such as tips for avoiding attacks.

  • Never leave a baby or small child alone with a dog.
  • Don’t run past a dog. The dog’s natural instinct is to chase and catch you.
  • If a dog threatens you, don’t scream. Avoid eye contact. Try to remain motionless until the dog leaves, then back away slowly until the dog is out of sight.
  • Never approach a strange dog, especially one that’s tethered or confined.
  • Don’t disturb a dog that is sleeping, eating or caring for puppies.
  • Anyone wanting to pet a dog should first obtain permission from the owner.
  • Always let a dog see and sniff you before petting the animal.
  • If you believe a dog is about to attack you, try to place something between yourself and the dog, such as a backpack or a bicycle.
  • If you are knocked down by a dog, curl into a ball and protect your face with your hands.

Another resource is Bulli Ray Occupational Dog Bite Safety. Bulli Ray provides great employer resources. The following list is Bulli Ray’s 10 Commandments of Dog Bite Safety, each followed by helpful tips, written by Mitzi Robinson,  888-777-3647. Reprinted with permission.

  1. Never run away from a dog. It’s a fact that you can’t outrun a dog, and you should never, ever turn your back on one. This will make you appear submissive! You can’t keep a dominant dog from attacking, but you can dominate a submissive dog by taking an aggressive frontal posture. The submissive dog will try to circle behind you to attack, don’t allow the dog that opportunity.
  2. Be more aggressive than the dog. Dog adhere to a hierarchy, which mean someone must take the dominant position, it will either be you or the dog. You have to let the dog know that you will not back down. Stay forward, stay tall and stay big. Dogs read posture and react to deep voices. Almost every dog knows the meaning of the word “no.” Use it loudly.
  3. Use an object to steer yourself to a safe place. The dog will bite the first thing he comes to, don’t let that be your hand, arm or leg. Put a stick, a garbage can lid, an umbrella or any item between you and the dog. If the dog bites, it will bite the object and not your body. Use the dog’s natural backing up behavior (tug of war) to pull you to safety.
  4. Keep your back against something. This keeps the dog from circling behind you and attacking, which is what most dogs prefer. If you back up against a house or a fence, you should then be able to follow the house or fence towards an exit.
  5. Find anything to put between you and the dog. Most field personnel should carry something or should always be looking for something to feed to the dog. Remember, a dog will only bite something hard once (example: metal), then he will let it go and go after something he can compress. Any barrier is a good barrier.
  6. The most sensitive, vulnerable part of a dog is the paw. This doesn’t sound like a commandment, but it is important information that most people don’t know. Reaching for a dog’s eyes, head or nose is dangerous because of their proximity to the dog’s teeth, but stomping a paw can get a dog to back off.
  7. In a pack attack, pick one dog and hurt it. The other dogs will attack the injured dog and you can escape. This may sound strange, but it is true. In a pack attack, dogs are frenzied. In a frenzy, they attack any sign of weakness. When one dog yelps, the other dogs will go after it. Try to stay on your feet and if you are knocked down keep your face and neck covered.
  8. In an attack, face the dog from the side, not the front. A frontal posture is a dominant posture. This is what you show the dog to get them to back down. If the dog keeps coming, turn to the side to protect your vital areas and to get a better stance for the impact. A side posture gives you a better chance of staying on your feet and makes your abdomen and neck areas less accessible to the dog.
  9. Dogs are more likely to attack if the owner is present. Remember that dogs are part of a pack. The owner is usually the alpha member of the pack. Therefore, the dog will try to circle behind you and distract you by biting from the rear.
  10. Make noise before you enter an area. One of the worst things you can do is startle a dog. Before entering any area through a door or gate, make noise – such as jingling your keys or yelling “power company” – to let the dog know you are there and to give you a chance to see the types and number of dogs.