Wednesday, April 13, 2016

The Safety Plan

It's the perfect time of the year to rehash your organization's safety plan. A good way to start off this activity is by identifying concerns and issues in your workforce. Every member of your organization should be involved, from the CEO to each other employee. Key statistics like the total hours worked, the number of injuries, the number of cases with days away from work, and other recordable data points should be collected over time. OSHA form 300, "OSHA Forms for Recording Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses." is a dependable reference to locate various other problem areas. It provides guidance on what to track and includes:
  • Total number of deaths
  • Total number of cases with days away from work
  • Total number of cases with job transfer or restriction
  • Total number of other recordable cases
  • Total number of days away from work
  • Total number of days of job transfer or restriction
  • Total number of injuries, skin disorders, respiratory conditions, poisonings, hearing loss, and all other illnesses
Independent Electrical Contractor's Insights Magazine has a comprehensive list of requirements to fulfill (by Thomas Domitrovich, P.E.):

"EQUIPMENT CHECK

Target equipment includes a range from the big trucks and lifts that you own down to the screwdrivers and side cutters and everything in between. Your teams should be looking for wear and tear and any maintenance that needs to be performed. When you find safety equipment that needs to be replaced, get it out of use and replaced as soon as possible. 

The responsibilities don't stop when the message goes out to everyone that they need to check their tools and equipment. It's the responsibility of the management to ensure the funding is in place to replace the failed or failing equipment. The equipment check activities can help define your future budgets as some equipment can be designated for replacement in the coming years. This information is critical for your budgeting exercises.

CODE/REGULATION UPDATE

Codes and regulations change and you need to stay on top of them. This applies to more than just the National Electrical Code (NEC) and other similar documents. This applies to OSHA and other regulations that may be mandated for your business, as well. It is important to note that OSHA requirements are retroactive. Ensure you are referencing the latest version of the documents used in your business operations.

Budgets may be impacted by new regulations as well. Unaddressed, these changes can quickly suck the finances from your safety plans. It's important to not only know what current regulations and codes are in place, you need to know what is coming down the road so you can better anticipate changes in future budgets. Problems may not require an immediate fix but rather a plan over an amount of years to address them. It is important to budget and have a plan in place.

SAFETY PLAN UPDATE

Review your safety plan every year with your team. The data recorded above may influence changes to your plan. Make the appropriate changes and communicate them. This, too, may impact your safety budget. Equipment checks; statistic reviews; and, yes, new codes and regulations may influence changes in your safety plan. Take this annual opportunity to continue the improvement of this important document. Your entire team should have an opportunity to suggest changes to your safety plan. Those individuals who are implementing the plan and performing work on a daily basis are probably the best people in your group to help improve this document. They see what happens on a daily basis and, if encouraged correctly, could add valuable information that will help improve the plan.

TRAINING

By this step in the checklist you will have a lot of information that is important for your training program. You may have uncovered various areas of concern and, quite possibly, implemented improvements that will have to be communicated through your training programs. Ensure you include your performance data. equipment check information, and any codes/regulations that your people should be familiar with. This information helps reinforce your level of commitment to the safety program at all levels in the organization.

Your discussions around training should go well beyond internal training; it needs to include your "qualified individuals" and the necessary training they need to keep them up to date on their specific training needs. This is a time to the IEC meetings that are available and can be made available to meet your specific training needs. CEU credits will need to be obtained for those that hold licenses in your organization.

This, too, will need to be funded. Everyone has their role to play and the management's responsibility is to ensure the time and finances are available so that your people are adequately educated. There are many opportunities for external help in this area; all you need to do is identify the need to seek this help out, schedule it, and ensure it is funded.

COMMUNICATION

The important items above need to be communicated. A good communication plan shows the employees the level of commitment the organizations has to safety. Sharing your statistics reminds everyone of the commitment and reinforces your implemented safety procedures. Share with them information on the organization's investment in safety; this shows you have skin the game as well and are committed to safety.

The above is meant to get your head in the game and get you to start thinking about those critical safety aspects that need to occur on an annual, if not on a monthly, basis. Safety should be an ongoing process, a journey if you will. Establish the trigger for your organization to brush off your safety plan.

As always, keep safety at the top of your list and ensure you and those around you live to see another day. " 

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