SAFETY BLOG

Employee Substance Abuse

October is drug-free workplace month.  Substance abuse among employees can greatly decrease workplace safety and drastically increase costs for their employers.  This safety huddle will outline the dangers of substances in the workplace, the basic elements of a successful drug-free workplace program, and helpfull lifelines for employees in need.

Statistics

When we hear the term "substances" we must realize that this is not exclusive to illegal drugs, but rather to any legal or illegal substances that are prohibited in the workplace.  Employees must read their employers substance abuse policy and be familiar with the substances and levels of those substances that are prohibited.  The bottom line; substance abuse is extremely dangerous and costly in the workplace.

• Substance abusers are 5 times more likely to have an accident in the workplace.
• Their accidents are 150% more severe than the normal employee.
• not only are they more likely to injure you at work, but they are more likely to maim or kill you
• Substance abusers have 5 times more worker compensation claims that the non-abuser.
• Abusers use 300-400% more of their employee health benefits for themselves and their dependents.

 Program Basics

A successful drug-free workplace program will prohibit the use of illegal substances and the abuse of legal substances.  A common complaint among anti-program employees is "what I do in my free time is none of the company's business".  We do agree that an employee's personal time is their own, but when they arrive to work and the substances that they have been abusing are still in their systems affecting their physical and mental abilities, thus decreasing safety to themselves an others, then it becomes everyones business.  The following are the basic components of a successful drug-free workplace program:

• A program will never succeed without supportive and committed leadership within a company.
• A thorough written policy that is signed by all employees is the foundation for a successful program.
• Must state company view on substance abuse in the workplace
• Must list all substances tested for
• Must list the blood alcohol composition (BAC) that will put an employee in violation of the policy
• Must list the different criteria that warrant drug testing in the workplace
• Must state the consequences of violating the policy
• Employee education and training
• Covers the structure of company's program
• Discusses the dangers and health effects of substances
• Discusses socio-economic effects of substance abuse
• Drug testing
• A good written policy is worthless without the enforcement of actual drug testing
• Potential criteria for drug testing:
• Pre-employment testing
• Post-accident testing
• Return-to-duty testing
• Random Testing
• Reasonable suspicion testing
• Help resources for employees in need (non-mandatory)
• Does the company offer an Employee Assistance Program (EAP)?
• Lists of potential counselors and treatment centers within the community?
• Management support within company for employees voluntarily seeking help.
• Job protection
• Follow-up support services for post-treatment employees.

Generally, the employees who have a problem with drug testing in the workplace are the employees who have something to hide.  Every employee has the right to go home safe at the end of the day.  Substance abusers greatly decrease your chances of making it home in one piece.

Be safe out there!

The state of Nevada has been developing a bill that would set a potential precedent for construction workers and workplace safety in the United States.  Nevada has reported a rash of construction fatalities and injuries in recent months.  The Las Vegas Strip alone has had twelve construction worker fatalities in the last eighteen months, and the entire state is reporting more deaths in the last two years than in the previous ten.  State legislators are quickly trying to alter the current trends.

Assembly Bill 148 would require all private and public construction workers in the state of Nevada to show proof of safety training to their employers.  Baseline construction workers would have to prove that they have successfully completed training in areas such as fall protection, electrical safety, walking and working surfaces, etc.  The level of training reflected in the Bill appears to be similar to topics covered in an OSHA Construction 10-Hour training.  Construction supervisors in Nevada would be required to prove that they have completed a 30-hour safety training.  Workers would have fifteen days from date of hire to show proof of training to their employers or otherwise be subject to dismissal.  The bill met no opposition from the Assembly Ways and Means Committee and was sent to the floor of the House for a vote next week.

Currently there are no states that require construction workers to have safety trainings.  There are however, states that do require safety certificates for construction employees on public projects.  Assembly Bill 148 would require proof of training on all public and private projects for any and all construction workers.  The only exception to the Bill would be state Department of Transportation employees.

In a nation plagued by liabilities and lawsuits, all eyes of the states will be on the reported results of this law.  If the fatality and injury rates for Nevada decrease, which they most certainly will, do not be surprised if other states begin to develop similar proposals.

The Heroic Safety Huddle - Hazard Assessment

Hazard assessment and identification are the keys to ensuring a safe workplace.  Construction sites and industrial sites are large operations that are very dynamic in nature.  Therefore, multiple hazards usually exist or can be created in the course of operations.  Even small businesses have existing hazards that need to be addressed.  Taking the time to identify all existing and potential hazards is the first and most basic step in developing a safe workplace.

Everyday, before operations begin, a hazard assessment should be completed by a competent person.  A competent person is defined by OSHA as; a person who is capable of identifying existing and predictable hazards in the surroundings or working conditions which are unsanitary, hazardous, or dangerous to employees, and who has authorization to take prompt corrective measures to eliminate them.  Employees are also encouraged to survey their work environment before starting a shift and reporting any existing or potential hazards to their manager.

The following list is a general checklist that can be used by managers and employees to increase their focus on areas that generally contain hazards.  All employers are encouraged to add any areas of their workplace that may not be addressed on the following list.

• The Basics
• Are access and egress points clearly marked and unobstructed?
• Are all employees aware of emergency protocols?
• Is first aid available, and are emergency phone numbers posted in plain sight?
• If working outdoors, does today's weather forecast pose any threats to employees or operations?
• Is a competent person going to be continually on site and do the employees know who this person is?
• The OSHA Focus Four
• Caught In: Are there any areas in the work environment where an employee may be caught, engulfed, trapped, crushed, etc?
• i.e., confined spaces, machine guarding, trenches
• Struck By: Are there any areas where objects may fall on or hit employees?
• i.e., overhead work areas, tow motors, hoist shafts, gantry cranes, vehicular traffic
• Electrical:  Look for electrical wiring hazards, damaged electrical tools or cords, and areas where employees may contact voltage lines.
• Falls:  Look for any areas of the work environment that may create a fall hazard.
• i.e., open stairwells, unguarded edge lines, trip hazards, open trenches, pits, shafts.
• Fire Prevention
• Are all flammable liquids stored in appropriate cans and lockers?
• Are all fire extinguishers, firefighting equipment, and alarms visible and functioning?
• Are escape routes posted in conspicuous places?
• Is all welding and cutting operations done according to regulations?
• Are all sources of ignition managed and inspected?
• Miscellaneous
• Is all equipment or machinery in good working condition?
• Is personal protective equipment appropriate for the task, and is it available to all employees?
• Are all materials stacked or stored properly?
• Are hazardous chemicals labeled appropriately?
• Have employees been trained in their areas of operations?

Never begin any work operations until all identified hazards have been mitigated or eliminated.  Make all employees aware of any hazards found immediately after identification.  Remove any damaged tools, equipment, or machinery from service until repairs, or servicing can be completed.  Keep daily records of all hazard assessments for liability reasons.  Be detailed in documentation to cover what hazards where identified, steps taken to mitigate or eliminate, and all employees notified of the hazards.

Hazard assessment should be completed daily.  This list is to be used as a starting point.  Please add any potential hazardous work areas that may be pertinent to your workplace.

Be safe out there!

Heroic Safety Solutions

Contractors need to understand their role in ensuring construction safety.  Construction sites are dynamic in nature, and generally are plagued with multiple serious health and safety hazards.  All employees are entitled to a sanitary and non-hazardous work environment.  OSHA's 1926 subpart C defines the basic responsibilities of the construction contractor.  The following is a list of basic safety standards that contractors must meet to increase safety on the job site.

• Initiate and maintain programs as necessary to maintain safe work environment
• Provide for frequent and regular inspections of job sites, materials, and equipment to be made by a designated competent person
• Machinery, tools, materials, or equipment that is out of compliance must be identified by tagging as unsafe, locking the controls to render them inoperable, or physically taking them out of service
• Shall permit only those employees qualified by training or experience to operate equipment and machinery
• Instruct each employee on how to recognize and avoid unsafe conditions
• Inform employees of the regulations applicable to his/her work environment
• The goal is to eliminate or control all known hazards through employee instruction
• Instruct employees on hazardous or harmful chemicals and how to protect themselves
• Make employees aware of harmful plants and animals
• Make first aid accessible
• Require personnel to wear appropriate PPE
• Instruct on confined or enclosed spaces, the hazards, necessary precautions, and comply with regulations pertinent to that condition
• Instruct employees on safe handling and use of flammable liquids, gases, and toxins

Contact a reliable safety consultant to get more details on how to initiate these basic safety programs.

 

When it comes to running a safety program, most safety managers do not give a lot of thought to the potential dangers associated with storing and handling flammable liquids.  Whether these liquids are fuels, alcohols, or degreasers, they have the potential to start fires, explode, or cause serious health effects.  Most companies do not realize it, but there are many standards created by OSHA that regulate how flammable liquids are to be handled and stored in the workplace.  Managers should get used to the terms D.O.T. approved safety cans, bonding and grounding, and ventilation.  If one is to look into the OSHA standards for flammable liquids, they will see these terms throughout the text.  OSHA can and will give citations to companies that do not utilize flammable liquids properly.

Our recommendation is to get a basic understanding of these regulations first.  Start with a comprehensive fire safety policy and training protocol.  Then put approved safety cans and flammable liquid cabinets into service.  Once that is taken care of, start with bonding and grounding applications, and then move into more advanced control processes.  Contact a local safety expert to advise you on how to develop you policies and trainings.  Conduct a site safety assessment to locate flammable liquid hazards as well as other hazards that exist in your workplace.  Flammable liquids pose serious threats to your employees and company property.  Take control of them now.  Below is a link to an excellent article written by Gary Marcus in EHS Today.  This article gives a very basic understanding of how to safely handle and store flammable liquids.

http://ehstoday.com/fire_emergencyresponse/hazardous-materials/guide-handling-flammables-0409/

 

The Department of Labor has tagged April as the Drug-Free month in the United States.  Does drug testing really increase safety in the workplace?  This is a very controversial issue in workplaces across America.  Instead of just dropping a biased opinion on my readers, I want to create a debate on this subject.  In the spirit of a good debate, I welcome any and all comments on this issue.  Tell me what you think and why you think that way.  What are your personal experiences with drug-free workplace programs and testing.

As the author of this blog post, this is where I get to give my answer to the question.  I have been teaching drug-free trainings in Ohio for years, and my answer to the question is yes, drug testing in the workplace greatly increases safety.  Here is some data to help support my position.  All of the following data is provided by the Ohio Bureau of Workman's Compensation.

• Over 40% of workplace accidents in the state of Ohio are substance abuse related.
• Substance abusers are 33-50% less productive than normal employees.
• Abusers miss an average of 3 weeks more from work a year.
• Users are 3-4 times more likely to have accidents at work and their accidents are 150% more severe than normal employees.
• There are 5 times more worker's comp claims filed by abusers than non-abusers.
• Substance abusers use 300-400% more of their employee medical benefits.
• 50-80% of theft in Ohio workplaces are related to employees abusing substances.

The statistics speak for themselves.  Substance abuse is dangerous and expensive in the workplace.  I can tell you that the initial idea of drug free workplace programs was never intended to go into workplaces, round up abusers, and fire them.  The idea has always been to identify employees who need help overcoming addiction.  Once identified by the employer, support then can be offered to that individual that will help them regain control over their lives and then become a productive, valuable, and healthy employee.

I know you are asking me, "what do you know about addiction?"  I have interacted with a lot of substance abusers over the years.  Not only am I a safety consultant, but I have been a professional firefighter and paramedic for a city fire department for 9 years.  Addiction is a physical, emotional, and sociological prison for the user.  They can no longer set and meet their own personal priorities.  The addiction becomes the priority.  All cause and effect thinking has gone by the wayside.  They no longer think about how their actions will affect themselves or their coworkers.  This creates a huge safety risk.

What about personal rights?  I hear many employees say, "what I do in my personal time is my business."  They are right, it is their business, but when it effects me on our time then it becomes my business as well.  Some substances can affect the user hours and even days after using.  I can point to tests that have been done to prove that one-time users of marijuana have failed fine motor coordination tests up to 24 hours after smoking.  When these effects are being brought into the workplace, then they are open to regulation.  I have personal rights too, and one of them is to be safe while at work.

As a firefighter, I am subjected to drug testing.  There have been years when I have been random drug tested as many as 4 or 5 times a year.  Do I have a problem with this?  Not at all.  I understand why the city is testing me.  Ask yourself if you would want your city's safety forces to be potential substance abusers?  Could you or would you rely on their abilities?  I think not.

Substance abusers are extremely dangerous in the workplace.  I believe I have laid the foundation for an excellent debate.  Lets hear what you have to say on the subject.  For more information on drug-free workplace programs visit www.dol.gov/workingpartners.  Be safe out there!

 

Safety trainings in Ohio are becoming more common as liabilities have increased throughout the years.  Ohio is listed as a federal OSHA state and uses OSHA standards as their own.  More and more contractors in the State of Ohio are requiring their subcontractors to have OSHA safety training certificates to perform work on their projects.  These certificates equal a reduction in liability insurance and potential safety related problems for the contractors.  If you are a company that is engaging in a lot of work in Ohio, chances are good that you will be asked if your employees are OSHA safety certified.

Many contractors will require your base employees to have OSHA 10 certification and your management staff to have OSHA 30.  The 10 hour certification is a general introduction to the identification and abatement of hazards in the workplace, and the 30 hour certification is a more detailed examination of hazards and the OSHA standards that regulate and protect workers from them.  So the question arises, who can train our employees to get this safety certification?

You will not have to look far to find a OSHA Outreach trainer, but you will want to get an idea of how the information is presented.  Most people who sit through these trainings will tell you that it was the most boring training they have ever endured in their life.  Listen folks, it does not have to be that way.  To make this training a rewarding experience for your employees, you should be asking safety trainers for their experience and methods before deciding on which trainer to use.

Ask them if they have any personal experience mitigating workplace accidents or injuries, and whether or not they have been responsible for the safety of others in a workplace.  Generally, trainers who have been responsible for others or have dealt with workplace accidents tend to have more passion for the importance of safety.  That passion leads to more commitment to the education of employees.

Lastly, ask them how the information is conveyed to the trainees.  If the trainer says, "I use a power point presentation", that should raise a red flag to mean that they are going to just flip through slides and read what is on them.  Look for trainers that use multimedia and group activities in their trainings.  A mixture of power points, videos, case studies, group worksheets, discussions, and reenactments is an excellent way to convey important safety information and all the while keeping the audience engaged, thinking, and involved.

Bottom line, boring safety trainings identifies safety as a burden in the workplace.  Your employees will feel as though it is a burden that they are forced to carry.  Remember, being proactive instead of reactive in regards to safety is what you should be striving for.  Locating safety trainers that are not only experienced but entertaining as well, is a proactive step in lightening the load of safety in the workplace.

Securing construction jobs in our current economy is becoming more and more difficult.  Not only is there less work available, but the new shift in bidding requirements is a strong reputation in safety.  Construction contractors are beginning to realize that being safety-minded will not only lower accidents and injuries in the workplace, but will also secure their business futures.  The low-bid does not always win the job anymore.  Liabilities have forced firms and companies to limit bidding prospects to construction companies that have impecable safety records.  Reducing liabilities and risks of accidents far outweighs the few dollars saved by awarding to the lowest bidder.  If you are a construction company that has a record of recorded accidents and injuries plus multiple OSHA violations, your chances of even bidding on future projects is greatly diminished.  Become proactive rather than reactive when it comes to safety in the construction industry.  Contact Heroic Safety Solutions to learn how to become a safety-minded construction company and start transforming your company's reputation for safety.