Tag: Work Safety Trends

Thank a Worker this Labor Day

Workers have long been the backbone of American society.  While worker safety was often overlooked during the Industrial Revolution, over the past 100 years, advancements in work conditions and OSHA regulations have maintained the importance of the American worker while recognizing and supporting the importance of their health and safety to families and loved ones.  In the 21st century, these two initiatives go hand in hand moreso than ever before.  Today businesses are actually increasing productivity by focusing on trending safety practices.

From the Department of Labor website:

Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.

With this in mind, Safety & Numbers invites you to take the opportunity to not only honor the national Labor Day holiday, but also take it one step further by recognizing the importance of workers to your company’s productivity and safety culture.

Here are a few ideas to help you accomplish that mission.

  • Thank a Worker e-cards
  • Company Celebration at a Local Establishment
  • YouEarnedIt Employee Rewards Management Software

There are certainly many more ways to recognize the importance of your workers on Labor Day.  We invite you to share your ideas in the comment section, and have a safe, relaxing Labor Day Weekend!

Creating Safety Incentives

Incentivizing safety is a controversial topic for management professionals. While the results of incentive programs are generally effective, it is important to create safety incentives that provide the proper focus.  The method, motivational factors, and objectives must be properly structured to avoid undermining the desired effect. In fact, businesses that create safety incentives which discourage employees from reporting injuries are at risk of OSHA violations.  Fear not, safety professionals, by following a few guidelines you can create incentives that build safety culture across the organization.

Safety Incentive Guidelines

  • Make sure you have a safety program in place before creating incentives. Use incentives to enhance the organizational buy-in of a safety program.
  • Plan incentives around the objectives you set for the program.  Reiterate focus and goals at every opportunity.  Reward and promote performance.
  • Avoid incentives that may lead employees to fear the consequences of reporting incidents.  Remember that incentives are to promote safety, not just meet goals.
  • Capitalize on data management technology trends to track and reward long term safety program metrics as well as short term or more focused objectives.

Safety Incentive Program Ideas

  • Safety Slogans: Many incentive programs center around the creation of slogans submitted by members of the organization.  The advantage of slogan incentives lies in culture building and organizational involvement.
  • Safety Quiz: These programs help to ensure employees understand shifting safety initiatives and can also test employee response to real world applications.
  • Housekeeping: The cleanliness and organization of work areas often has a direct effect on safety and can be easily incentivized.

Safety incentives can be a means of establishing a sustainable safety culture while reducing the burden on employees.  Programs such as number of days without injury or lost time can be effective, but should be structured carefully to ensure employees report injuries.  The most effective programs are part of a larger injury risk management safety program, providing support in a way that employees want to participate in.

Celebrate Independence with Freedom from Work Injuries

The Fourth of July celebrates an important day for Americans and proponents of liberty across the globe. With the signing of the Declaration of Independence our founding fathers paved the road for new ideas ranging from civil rights to individual freedom and equal opportunity. The beauty of the American system is in its providence of choice. Each and every American citizen has the opportunity to capitalize on the liberties promised by the Constitution and Bill of Rights. As Americans we know that we must work for the security of our family.  Opportunity is provided, success is earned. Each individual is blessed with the same system of laws, liberties, and protections. Those who work hard will excel. 

The basic principles of American liberty branch off and extend throughout society. At times it can be perplexing to consider how little we take advantage of the system that is set up to enable us to succeed. One such area is workplace safety. Federal protections for employee safety have been a part of American society since the late 19th century, and OSHA legislation was first enacted over 40 years ago. The laws help to protect not only the individual worker, but also to shield businesses from the risk associated with workers’ compensation claims, lost employee time, and production delays. Yet, OSHA citations are commonplace throughout industry.

Declare Your Independence in 2013

In 2013, we challenge you to Declare Independence from Work Injuries. As a society blessed with personal freedoms, it is inherent that we encourage each other to achieve greatness. The opportunity to achieve an injury free workplace is provided as a safety incentive to all businesses, and the benefit, as is so often the case, cannot be expressed merely in dollars and cents. A safe employee is a happy employee, and happy employees work hard, recruit their friends, and provide great service to your customers.  Take the time to consider the graciousness of a government that provides support for workplace safety, and factor how you can improve safety at your business to earn maximum benefit. Protect yourself from risk and remember the long term benefit of a safe workplace. After all, it’s the American way.

Talking Safety in Las Vegas: ASSE Safety 2013 Conference, June 24-27

It’s hard to imagine a better scenario.  An industry-leading safety conference..  Featuring the latest and greatest technology.. Covering emerging topics, in a wide range of industries.. All tied together with trendsetting speakers, CEOs, and exhibits.

And, it’s happening in Vegas, baby!

Safety 2013 is being held at the Las Vegas Convention Center, Monday through Thursday June 24-27.  With over 500 exhibitors scheduled, we recommend planning your time by browsing the impressive trove of resources available at safety2013.org.    And don’t worry, Safety 2013 has you covered on your mobile device.  The Safety 2013 App is available at the Apple Store, Google Play, and as a web app.

Safety Conference 2013: What We’re Looking Forward To

  • Networking: Register to arrive early Monday June 24th for the ASSE Foundation Golf Outing, then wrap up at the 3 PM Welcoming Session.
  • Education: Tuesday June 25th: ‘Creative Strategies for Turning Challenge into Opportunity and Change into Competitive Advantage‘ by Peter Sheehan
  • Industry: Innovative Access Solutions will be exhibiting June 24-26th at Booth 1065
  • Best Practices: The Executive Summit Panel, held Thursday, June 27th from 7:45 to 9 AM is a direct channel into the philosophy and experiences of industry leadership.
  • Vegas!: Did we mention some events will be held at the Las Vegas Hotel and Casino?

It’s Vegas, Stay for the Fall Protection Symposium!

A trip to Vegas and home before the end of the week?  Not this year.  Stick around for the ISFP Symposium, held June 27-28 immediately following Safety2013.  The ISFP (International Society for Fall Protection) covers a topic of particular interest for industries we focus on — Construction, Manufacturing, Truck Transportation, Energy and Mining — to help us collectively prevent injuries from Slips, Trips and Falls.  Rack up a few extra CEUs by taking part in panel discussions, technical sessions, and networking, while staying up to date on key topics, research, and impact issues.

SHARP Program Emphasizes Work Injury Prevention in the Trucking Industry

In Washington and across the country, the SHARP program is helping to bring awareness to trucking industry work injury risks, via the TIRES (Trucking Injury Reduction Emphasis) initiative.  SHARP (Safety & Health Assessment and Research for Prevention) is an established Washington State Department of Labor & Industries program focused on research and response to occupational safety and health issues across industries and disciplines.

With additional support from NIOSH, the TIRES program maintains a website and social media presence, provides training materials and reports, and conducts interviews and surveys with members of management and labor teams in industry.

The goal of the TIRES project is to reduce the incidence of:

  1. Non-traumatic musculoskeletal disorders of the neck, back and upper extremity.
  2. Slips, trips and falls.
  3. Injuries from getting struck by or against an object.

These conditions comprise 71% of the industry’s workers’ compensation claims, costs and lost workdays.

The trucking work injury prevention resources available at the TIRES website is a smorgasbord for safety professionals and industry members across the country.  The Washington Department of Labor & Industries also conveniently ties together reports and publications in an encyclopedia-like layout that provides everything you need to develop safety programs, research risk areas, and gather case studies for reporting.

To stay up to date, follow @TruckSafe on Twitter or visit the TIRES blog.  And as always, upgrade your trucking fall protection with a trucker ladder or flatbed work platform from Innovative Access Solutions.

OSHA Top Five: Industrial Truck Citations by Industry

Powered industrial trucks are common across industries for transporting, storing, and staging materials, as well as many other practical uses.  Considering the wide range of applications and utility for trucks and trailers, it is not surprising that they are commonly cited for OSHA safety citations.  The sheer size and power of the truck combined with the variety of transported materials are the focus of regulations for OSHA standard 1910.178.

The Top Five industries cited for Powered Industrial Truck violations sheds light on the importance of truck safety risk management in the workplace.

  1. Manufacturing (665 Citations)
  2. Wholesale Trade (165)
  3. Transportation, Communications, Electric, Gas, and Sanitary Services (145)
  4. Construction (105)
  5. Retail Trade (70)

Powered Truck Safety in Industry

OSHA has structured Industry Standard 1910.178 to ensure businesses focus on operating properly equipped trucks, consider the safety factors of transported materials and operating environments, and generally to protect against the power and size of industrial truck equipment. Fire hazards, chemical considerations, and proper labeling are the focus of the standard.

Trucks are common in many industries, particularly those with material transport needs and at construction job sites.  Not surprisingly, each of the top 5 industries cited regularly conduct these activities.  The standard does not apply to “compressed air or nonflammable compressed gas-operated industrial trucks, nor to farm vehicles, nor to vehicles intended primarily for earth moving or over-the-road hauling.”

Fall Protection for Truck Trailers

In addition to standards related to Powered Industrial Trucks, truck trailers provide safety risks to consider when loading, unloading, staging, and performing related work requirements.  Providing safe access to trailers as well as an adequate work area for loading dock employees is a vital element to complete trucking protection.  Trailer access products such as Trucker safety ladders and portable work platforms will trucking fall protection on the road, loading dock, and job site.