March 2014

Because safety training is an ongoing activity in your workplace, it makes sense to find new ways of keeping employees involved. The use of visuals, including images and videos, can play a key role in this process.

Although safety trainers tend to avoid using pictures in their materials, “All of the research on learning with pictures indicates that pictures used in combination with words create better learning,” says Jack Massa, owner of Guidance Communications, Inc. (www.guidancecom.com). Massa uses a broad definition of “pictures” to include “any visual that is meant to represent something, either concrete or abstract;” everything from high-definition stock photos through diagrams to simple line drawings.

He recommends careful selection of visuals. A common mistake is using them as “decorations” that represent an idea or concept, rather than educational tools that support the specific learning content.

Another frequent error is failure to keep visuals in mind. Just as trainers think about how to express concepts in words, they also need to decide how they will communicate ideas visually.

Massa offers these guidelines for selecting picture:

1. Decide which types of visuals are best suited to the content. For example, a flowchart can be effective when training on a new process or procedure.
2. Use good graphic design principles. Look for consistency in the visual presentation, and don’t combine different styles of clip art.
3. Leave out extraneous information. Keep drawings and diagrams simple and only include text that supports learning.

Remember, one picture can be worth 1,000 words.

Many companies use “lean manufacturing” procedures to streamline production by reducing wasted time and motion. Although these changes often show up in the bottom line as black, their long term repercussions on workplace safety – higher accident rates and workers comp premiums –could put a business back in the red.

“Approximately 65% of workers compensation claims are for musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs),” says Chris Shulenberger, Technical Director for Ergonomics with Bureau Veritas North America Shulenberger. However, many employers might not make the connection between their lean manufacturing procedures and high rates of sprains and strains, overexertion injuries, and cumulative trauma MSDs among their employees.

If you streamline your manufacturing, beware of these potential pitfalls that could turn “leaner” into just plain “meaner:”

• Excessive Overtime. Lean manufacturing depends on a smooth supply chain. When there are glitches, workers need to pick up the slack with increased production and longer hours, both of which contribute to MSDs.
• Hyper-efficiency. For some employers, the drive to improve employee productivity ignores human limitations. Removing the waste from jobs eliminates essential time for workers’ bodies to restore themselves, which can reduce disabling MSDs.
• Working through pain. Some supervisors in lean manufacturing facilities are slow to respond to worker reports of fatigue, discomfort, and/or pain: the earliest symptoms of an MSD. In other cases, there’s “working through pain” culture which encourages employees, like high-performing athletes, to ignore early symptoms – which can easily lead to a MSD. Make sure that your workers report any MSD symptoms and supervisors know how to respond to these complaints.
• Micromanagement. Increasing the intensity of work reduces employees’ control about how they do their job – a proven risk factor for MSDs.

Our risk management professionals would be happy to review the potential impact of your manufacturing procedures on workplace safety.

A United Parcel Service driver who hurt his back while tying his shoe is entitled to workers compensation benefits, says the Idaho Supreme Court.

Michael Vawter began working as a UPS delivery driver in 1983. In 2009, when he stooped to tie his boot laces while waiting for his truck to warm up at the start of his shift, Vawter immediately felt “a pop and pain” in his lower back, according to court records.

After being diagnosed with a herniated disc and cauda equina syndrome (a neurological condition of the lower spine), he filed for workers comp benefits, claiming that his injury resulted from his work at UPS.

The company denied Vawter’s claim, arguing that his injury was not work-related, but resulted from a pre-existing condition. However, the Idaho Industrial Commission ruled that he should receive temporary total disability benefits, plus another $149,000 in medical expenses. After a series of appeals by UPS, the state Supreme Court upheld the commission’s decision, ruling that injuries to workers are presumed to arise from their employment when an accident occurs on an employer’s premises. The decision also noted that UPS requires its employees to have their shoes tied or secured under a policy that specifies “no loose or dangling parts” on employee footwear.

In addition to affirming the benefits previously awarded to Vawter, the high court ordered the company to pay an additional $24,627 in medical costs that he accrued between the date of his 2009 injury and the first hearing before the Commission.

The moral of the story: Before you contest any workers comp claim, be sure you’re on sound legal grounds.

Job safety analysis (also known as job hazard analysis or safety analysis) can play a key role in helping keeping your workers safe – and your workers compensation premiums under control. A JSA breaks a specific job into basic steps, identifies the hazards associated with each, and recommends controls for these exposures.

Although you can do a JSA on any job, it makes sense to focus on those that: 1) have the highest injury or illness rates or the potential to cause harm; 2) are new to your workers or have changed procedures recently; and 3) are complex enough to require written instructions.

The analysis should review statistical data to reveal trends and identify specific areas of focus on accident prevention. Data to analyze includes recordable injury and first-aid logs, safety inspections, and reports of accident investigations, and employee hazards. Look for similarities between the data and job location, type of equipment in use, time of day, and day of the week – as well as when and where near misses have occurred. Be sure to include, and document, observations of employees who work in hazard-prone areas.

Once you’ve completed the JSA and identified the hazards, you can develop and implement such corrective actions as:

• finding a new way to do the job
• changing the workplace conditions that create the hazard
• revising job procedures
• reducing the necessity or frequency of high hazard jobs or tasks

As part of every accident investigation, review the analysis. If a JSA hasn’t been conducted, perform one to determine the events and conditions that led to the incident.

For more information on this powerful job safety tool, just give us a call.