Strategies for Proactively thinking about the Causes to Prevent Repeat Workplace Injuries

When it comes to preventing incident researching the cause you need a little help past the five W’s in life, like talking and learning your ABC’s instead. And yes no matter your jurisdiction O H & S requires you to investigate accidents that cause injury, but having an effective accident investigation process makes good business sense, too. Taking steps to prevent recurrence of an injury can increase production, reduce missed work days, and decrease workers’ compensation insurance costs.   It is more than just human error and people, consider what one lost workday injury would cost you in terms of:

• Productive time lost by an injured employee;
• Productive time lost by employees and supervisors attending the accident victim;
• Clean up and start up of operations interrupted by the accident;
• Time to hire or to retrain other individuals to replace the injured worker until his/her return;
• Time and cost for repair or replacement of any damaged equipment or materials;
• Cost of continuing all or part of the employee's wages, in addition to compensation;
• Reduced morale among your employees, and perhaps lower efficiency; Increased workers' compensation insurance rates; and
• Cost of completing paperwork generated by the incident.

 

Before that incident before the five W’s did you review and SERIOUSLY look at

Examine your company's:

1. Accident, injury or illness data.
2. Worker's compensation costs.
3. Rates of employee turnover or absenteeism.
4. Information on safety and health activities ongoing or previously tried.
5. Company policy statements.
6. Rules-both work and safety.
7. Guidelines for proper work practices and procedures.
8. Records of training programs.
9. Compliance with requirements of Provincial and or State Right to Know Law and Hazards Communications Standard.

Whenever there is an incident that results in death or serious injuries that have immediate symptoms, a preliminary investigation will be conducted by the immediate supervisor of the injured person(s), a person designated by management, an employee representative of the safety committee, and any other persons whose expertise would help the investigation. The investigation team will take written statements from witnesses and photograph the incident scene and equipment involved. The team will also document as soon as possible after the incident, the condition of equipment and any anything else in the work area that may be relevant. The team will make a written “Incident Investigation Report” of its findings. The report will include a sequence of events leading up to the incident, conclusions about the incident and any recommendations to prevent a similar incident in the future. The report will be reviewed by the safety committee at its next regularly scheduled meeting.

Three main ways to prevent workplace injuries or illnesses are represented by the letters ABC:

• Administration

• Building barriers

• Communication

Administration involves the rules and procedures put in place to protect workers. Most administrative activities will be done by your employer or supervisor.

ARE YOUR REVIEWS PROACTIVE HOW DID YOU MEASURE OR KNOW?

 

 

While you reviewing INSPECTIONS play a role in PREVENTION prior to the accident/incident like

A prevention program includes several types of inspection.

• Spot inspections are carried out on occasion in order to meet a range of responsibilities with respect to work place health and safety. They focus on a specific hazard associated with a specific work station or work area for example, noise made by a shredder, operation of a pump, pressure from a boiler or exposure to a solvent.
• Pre-operation inspections of special equipment and processes are often required before starting the inspection itself, such as equipment checks before working under water or entering a closed area.
• Critical parts inspections are regular inspections of the critical parts of a machine, piece of equipment or a system that have a high potential for serious accidents. These inspections are often part of a preventive maintenance program or hazard control program. Checklists can be used for forklifts, tractor semi-trailers and aircraft, for example.
• New equipment inspections involve series of specific tests and checks that are carried out before starting up any new piece of equipment. This means that prior to starting to operate a recently acquired air compressor, the manufacturer or installer checks to ensure that all the parts are in the right place and are working properly.
• Routine inspections are inspections carried out on a regular basis in a given work area. They cover all working conditions, including work hazards, processes and practices.

The goal underlying routine work place inspections must be part and parcel of a comprehensive prevention program that focuses on health and safety. Far from being isolated, this function is directly related to the main program objectives, which are:

• to identify health and safety hazards in the work place;
• to develop health and safety standards and procedures;
• to establish preventive controls;
• to monitor the effectiveness of controls.

When correctly performed, routine inspections serve to support and improve other elements of the program components. They should not be seen as an isolated or one-time activity. To be effective, they must be performed regularly and be an integral part of a systematic accident prevention program.

As with any other aspect of a prevention program, it is important for senior management to demonstrate its commitment to inspections and the goals they are intended to achieve. The first step to making that a reality is to develop and disseminate a prevention policy that places special emphasis on inspections.

• Set up procedures stating where and how cleaning products should be stored.
• Require that everyone working in a noisy area wear earplugs. ? Limit the amount of time each person spends typing.
• Allow no food in the work area.
• Set a time limit for how long workers must wait before going into a field after it has been sprayed with pesticides.
• Set an age limit for working with an auger.

Before  your incident did you consider the following when applying your  Administration controls fully;

Your safety and health survey includes:

1. Equipment

Make a list of your equipment and tools, including the principle locations of their use. Special attention should be given to inspection schedules, maintenance activities and your facility's layout.

1. Chemicals

Make a list of all chemicals used in your workplace, obtain material safety data sheets on the materials used, and identify where they are used.

1. Work practices

Detail specific work practices associated with equipment, tools and chemical use. Special attention should be given to personal protective equipment, guarding, ventilation, emergency procedures and use of appropriate tools.

1. O H & S Standards

Review standards applicable to your type of operation, equipment, processes, materials, and the like. These standards are minimum requirements for workplace safety and health.

 Building barriers:

Engineering Controls ? Build a shield on application equipment to reduce exposure to fertilizer. ? Purchase equipment with guards around moving parts. ? Install seat belts and rollover protection equipment (ROPS) on tractors. ? Install nonslip flooring. ? Store chemicals in a locked cabinet. ? Install vents to get rid of smoke.

Work Rules: ? Before you use a ladder check it for defects such as loose joints, grease on steps, or missing rubber feet. ? Do not paint a ladder! You may hide a defect. ? Do not use a ladder as a brace, workbench or for any other purpose than climbing. ? Do not carry objects up or down a ladder if it will prevent you from using both hands to climb. ? Always face the ladder when climbing up or down. ? If you must place a ladder at a doorway, barricade the door to prevent its use and post a sign.

Lifting Tasks: All locations Work Rules: ? Consult your supervisor about lifting limits in your department. ? Use a mechanical device such as a forklift, hoist, hand truck or elevatable table whenever possible to do the lift or to bring the load up between the knees and waist before you lift. ? Break the load down into smaller components if possible to provide a comfortable lift. ? Do not lift on slippery surfaces? Avoid long forward reaches to lift over an obstruction. ? Avoid bending your back backwards to loft or place items above your shoulder. Use a step stool or platform ? Do not lift while in an awkward position.

Personal Protective Equipment ? Use protective gear such as gloves, respirators, and safety clothing. ? Wear gloves when using cleaning products.

Communication:

• Train workers to apply worksite chemicals under GHS safely.
• Teach people about the potential health problems caused by contact with human blood.
• Train people to store and dispose of cleaning products safely.
• Post safety reminders on bulletin boards and in hallways and areas frequented by the workers. It’s No “Accident”... Most workplace illnesses and injuries are not due to “accidents”. The term accident implies that the incident could not have been prevented, that it was no one’s fault, that it was “just bad luck.” Unfortunately this attitude has led to the injury and death of thousands of workers. Through a systematic approach to recognizing and correcting workplace hazards, we can reduce workplace injuries and fatalities significantly. Working together we can make sure that every worker in our state comes home healthy and safe every day.

SO WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS PEOPLE OR MONEY

 

Investigating the causes of workplace accidents and taking corrective measures to prevent repeat occurrences are important risk management and safety strategies for companies of all sizes.

An effective accident investigation should not be focused on assigning blame for an incident, but rather on determining the root cause of an accident and any safety shortcomings that need to be addressed.

Understanding the root cause of an accident is different than identifying the often-obvious immediate cause. Say a customer slips on a wet floor. The wet floor may be the immediate cause, but figuring out why the floor was wet (or why warning cones weren’t used) will uncover the root cause of the accident.

So make sure your employees are following these best practices:

1. Shortcuts & Shortcomings:
   It's natural to want to get the job finished on schedule -- or even ahead of time -- but with a "get it done quick" attitude, accidents happen. Don't take shortcuts -- stick to the instructions and work with diligence and awareness of your surroundings. Also, if there are shortcomings in the instructions, don't begin the work until they are clarified and all your questions are answered! You must always be comfortable and familiar with the procedure before commencing any work.
2. Safety In Transit:
   According to O H & S, workplace-driving accidents cost employers an average of $60 billion a year. Make sure that all company vehicles are inspected each month and necessary repairs are made as soon as possible. Before driving a company vehicle, check break lights, turn signals, tire pressure and amount of gas in the tank.
3. Weather The Weather
   Both inside and outdoor work may expose you to extreme conditions. Whether very hot or very cold, both ends of the temperature spectrum can impact your health.
4. A) Cold:Dress in layers and make sure you properly cover your head, feet, hands and face -- these parts of your body are most prone to frostbite. Always keep a change of clothes at work in case your clothes get wet.

FOR THE EMPLOYER: If your workers are exposed to cold conditions, install on-site heating devices.

1. B) Heat:Wear loose-fitting clothes, take frequent breaks in a cool rest area and get plenty of fluids. If you have preexisting medical conditions, consult your doctor before working in extreme heat.

FOR THE EMPLOYER: If your workers are exposed to extreme heat, make sure there is adequate ventilation and airflow -- open windows and utilize fans.

1. Make PPE A VIP:
   Personal Protective Equipment is crucial to prevent injury, so make sure you wear it… and wear it properly! This includes:
   - Goggles and face protection to protect from flying particles, chemicals or caustic liquids.
   - Gloves to prevent cuts, scrapes, punctures, burns, chemical absorption or temperature extremes.
   - Hard hats to safeguard against falling objects.
   - Safety shoes for work areas where heavy objects could be dropped and injure the feet.
   - Ear muffs or ear plugs to protect against hearing damage in noisy workplaces.

FOR THE EMPLOYER: Providing the safety equipment isn't enough -- you must make sure that your workers know how to use it properly. Provide adequate PPE training.

1. Shipshape Safety:
   Many workers don't realize the negative consequences of poor housekeeping. If an unkempt workplace becomes the norm -- paper, debris, clutter and spills are accepted as "familiar" -- then more serious health and safety hazards are overlooked and injuries become more probable. Housekeeping goes beyond personal cleanliness -- it also includes keeping work areas orderly, taking care of any slip-and-trip hazards as soon as they arise and removing waste and fire hazards regularly. Assess your work environment with a critical eye and pay attention to the layout of the workplace, aisle marking, adequacy of storage and maintenance. Report dangers or deficiencies right away!

 It’s important for companies to investigate not only accidents that result in worker injuries, property damage or lost production, but also near-misses that reveal unsafe conditions.

Standardizing how your company investigates accidents will help you understand what happened during the incident and why. In addition, it helps your company demonstrate its commitment to safety, which some workers may question following an accident.

An effective hazard control system will identify: hazards that exist or develop in your workplace, how to correct those hazards, and steps you can take to prevent their recurrence. If you have an effective system for monitoring workplace conditions:

You will be able to prevent many hazards from occurring through scheduled and documented self-inspections. Make sure established safe work practices are being followed and those unsafe conditions or procedures are identified and corrected properly. Scheduled inspections are in addition to the everyday safety and health checks that are part of the routine duties of managers and supervisors.

The frequency of these inspections depends on the operations involved, the magnitude of the hazards, the proficiency of employees, changes in equipment or work processes, and the history of work-place injuries and illnesses. Inspections should be conducted by personnel who, through experience or training, are able to identify actual and potential hazards and understand safe work practices.

Written inspection reports must be reviewed by management and/or the safety committee. The review should assist in prioritizing actions and verify completion of previous corrective actions. Overall inspection program results should be reviewed for trends.

An effective accident investigation involves gathering facts, analyzing information, taking corrective measures, documenting your findings and following up.

 Gather Information

As soon as possible, it is important to secure the accident scene to record, with photos or video, the results of the incident as well as any potential causes. Most accidents combine several factors, so it’s important to step back and think about the likely sequence of events that preceded the incident.

It’s also important to interview the accident victim, any witnesses and other employees who commonly work at or near the accident site. Talking to people individually will provide more candid responses and potentially better insights. With the benefit of hindsight, workers will likely point to several potential causes.

 

Analyze Your Findings

After studying the incident, you should try to identify any underlying causes. Tracing the accident backwards may uncover a lack of training or safety equipment, improper maintenance or housekeeping, or other contributing factors.

Go beyond any obvious symptoms, such as careless equipment operation, to identify inadequate policies or procedures that may have contributed to the incident. Inadequate equipment maintenance, for example, can compound the effects of careless operation.

 

Take Corrective Measures

An investigation hopefully will identify a number of needed improvements that can help prevent repeat occurrences of the accident. Guards may have to be replaced on equipment, for instance, or additional training may be required.

Companies with more than one facility should also consider whether conditions that contributed to an accident are also present at other locations or departments.

 

Document the Incident

Preparing a written record of what happened, the root causes and the recommended corrective measure are not only helpful in preventing future incidents, they may be required by federal or state workplace safety regulators. In addition, trend data about workplace accidents can indicate unsafe conditions or processes that should be addressed before future accidents take place.

 

Follow Up

An effective follow-up program will ensure recommended actions have been taken, and that hazardous conditions or inadequate training have been corrected.

 Every company is REQUIRED to follow these elements:

• Management commitment/assignment of responsibilities;
• Safety communications system with employees;
• System for assuring employee compliance with safe work practices;
• Scheduled inspections/evaluation system;
• Accident investigation;
• Procedures for correcting unsafe/ unhealthy conditions;
• Safety and health training and instruction; and
• Recordkeeping and documentation.

And they should include:

1. Establishment of workplace objectives for accident and illness prevention, like those you establish for other business functions such as sales or production for example: "Ten percent fewer injuries next year," "Reduce down-time due to poorly maintained equipment."
2. Emphasis on your staff's safety and health responsibilities and recognition by your supervisors and employees that they are accountable. Advise your management staff that they will be held accountable for the safety record of the employees working under them, and then back it up with firm action.
3. A means for encouraging employees to report unsafe conditions with assurance that management will take action.
4. Allocation of company resources financial, material and personnel for:
   • Identifying and controlling hazards in new and existing operations and processes, and potential hazards.
   • Installing engineering controls.
   • Purchasing personal protective equipment.
   • Promoting and training employees in safety and health.
5. Setting a good example! If, for instance, you require hard hats to be worn in a specific area, then you and other management wear a hard hat in that area. If you and your management team do not support and participate in the program, you are doomed to failure from the start. It is especially important for plant supervisors and field superintendents to set a good example.

OPEN COMMUNICATION WITH YOUR STAFF IS CRITICAL

1. Your employees should be encouraged to tell you or their supervisors of possibly hazardous situations, knowing their reports will be given prompt and serious attention without fear of reprisal. When you let them know that the situation was corrected (or why it was not hazardous), you create a system by which your employees continue to report hazards promptly and effectively.
2. Workplace equipment and personal, protective equipment should be maintained in safe and good working condition. In addition to what is required by O H & Sstandards, your own program monitors the operation of workplace equipment, and can also verify that routine preventive maintenance is conducted and personal protective equipment is reliable. This makes good safety sense, and proper maintenance can prevent costly breakdowns and undue exposures.
3. Hazards should be corrected as soon as they are identified. For any that can't be immediately corrected, set a target data for correction based on such considerations as the probability and severity of an injury or illness resulting from the hazard; the availability of needed equipment, materials and/or personnel; time for delivery, installation, modification or construction; and training periods.

THE Questions to ask in an accident investigation include:

1. What happened?

The investigation should describe what took place that prompted the investigation: an injury to an employee, an incident that caused a production delay, damaged material or any other conditions recognized as having a potential for losses or delays.

1. Why did the incident happen?

The investigation must obtain all the facts surrounding the occurrence: what caused the situation to occur; who was involved; was/were the employee(s) qualified to perform the functions involved in the accident or near miss; were they properly trained; were proper operating procedures established for the task involved; were procedures followed, and if not, why not; where else this or a similar situation might exist, and how it can be corrected.

1. What should be done?

The person conducting the investigation must determine which aspects of the operation or processes require additional attention. It is important to note that the purpose here is not to establish blame, but to determine what type of constructive action can eliminate the cause(s) of the accident or near miss.

1. What action has been taken?

Action already taken to reduce or eliminate the exposures being investigated should be noted, along with those remaining to be addressed. Any interim or temporary precautions should also be noted. Any pending corrective action and reason for delaying its implementation should be identified.

Corrective action should be identified in terms of not only how it will prevent a recurrence of the accident or near miss, but also how it will improve the overall operation. This will assist the investigation in selling his/her solutions to management. The solution should be a means of achieving not only accident control, but also total operation control.

If you have a safety and health committee, its members should review investigations of all accidents and near-miss incidents to assist in recommending appropriate corrective actions to prevent a similar recurrence.

Thorough investigation of all accidents and near misses will help you identify causes and needed corrections, and can help you determine why accidents occur, where they happen, and any accident trends. Such information is critical to preventing and controlling hazards and potential accidents.

 Safety Planning, Rules & Work Procedures

Planning for safety and health is an important part of every business decision, including purchasing, engineering, changes in work processes, and planning for emergencies. Your safety and health planning are effective when your workplace has:

1. Rules written to apply to everyone and addressing areas such as personal protective equipment, appropriate clothing, expected behavior, and emergency procedures. You and your employees should periodically review and update all rules and procedures to make sure they reflect present conditions.
   
   Rules and procedures should be written for new exposures when they are introduced into the workplace.
2. Safe and healthful work practices developed for each specific job.
3. Discipline or reward procedures to help assure that safety rules and work procedures are put into practice and enforced. Reward or positive reinforcement procedures such as bonus, incentive or employee recognition programs should provide positive motivation for compliance with safety rules and procedures.
4. A written plan for emergency situations. Your plan must include a list of emergencies that could arise and a set of procedures in response to each situation. Some emergency procedures, such as those covering medical emergencies or fire evacuation, are mandated by O H & S regulations.
5. If you have operations involving hazardous substances, procedures or processes, you must designate emergency response teams to be specifically trained and equipped to handle possible imminent hazards.

Safety & Health Training

Training is one of the most important elements of any Injury and Illness Prevention Program. It allows employees to learn their job properly, brings new ideas into the workplace, reinforces existing ideas and practices, and puts your program into action.

Your employees benefit from safety and health training through fewer work-related injuries and illnesses, and reduced stress and worry caused by exposure to hazards.

You benefit from reduced workplace injuries and illnesses, increased productivity, lower costs, higher profits, and a more cohesive and dependable work force.

An effective Injury and Illness Prevention Program includes training for both supervisors and employees. Training for both is required by O H & S safety orders.

You may need outside professionals to help you develop and conduct your required training program. Help is available from the O H & S Consultation Service, your workers' compensation insurance carrier, private consultants and vendor representatives.

Outside trainers should be considered temporary. Eventually you will need your own in-house training capabilities so you can provide training that is timely and specific to the needs of your workplace and your employees.

To be effective and also meet O H & S requirements, your training program needs to:

1. Let your supervisors know:
   • They are key figures responsible for establishment and success of your Injury and Illness Prevention Program.
   • The importance of establishing and maintaining safe and healthful working conditions.
   • They are responsible for being familiar with safety and health hazards to which their employees are exposed, how to recognize them, the potential effects these hazards have on the employees, and rules, procedures and work practices for controlling exposure to those hazards.
   • How to convey this information to employees by setting good examples, instructing them, making sure they fully understand and follow safe procedures.
   • How to investigate accidents and take corrective and preventive action.
2. Let your employees know:
   • The success of the company's Injury and Illness Prevention Program depends on their actions as well as yours.
   • The safe work procedures required for their jobs and how these procedures protect them against exposure.
   • When personal protective equipment is required or needed, how to use it and maintain it in good condition.
   • What to do if emergencies occur in the workplace.

An effective Injury and Illness Prevention Program requires proper job performance by everyone in the workplace. As the employer, you must ensure that all employees are knowledgeable about the materials and equipment they are working with, what known hazards are present and how they are controlled.

Each employee needs to understand that:

• No employee is expected to undertake a job until he/she has received instructions on how to do it properly and safely, and is authorized to perform the job.
• No employees should undertake a job that appears to be unsafe.
• No employee should use chemicals without fully understanding their toxic properties and without the knowledge required to work with them safely.
• Mechanical safeguards must always be in place and kept in place.
• Employees are to report to a superior or designated individual all unsafe conditions encountered during work.
• Any work-related injury or illness suffered, however slight, must be reported to management at once.
• Personal protective equipment must be used when and where required, and properly maintained.

Your supervisors must recognize that they are the primary safety trainers in your organization. Encourage and help them by providing supervi-sory training. Many community colleges offer management training courses at little or no cost.

You as the employer are required under O H & S standards to establish and carry out a formal training program. A professional training person, an outside consultant or your supervisors may provide injury and illness prevention training to your employees.

This program must, at a minimum, provide training and instruction:

• To all employees when your program is first established.
• To all new employees.
• To all employees given new job assignments for which training has not been previously received.
• Whenever new substances, processes, procedures or equipment are introduced to the workplace and present a new hazard.
• Whenever you or your supervisors are made aware of a new or previously unrecognized hazard.
• For all supervisors to assure they are familiar with the safety and health hazards to which employees under their immediate direction and control may be exposed.