1

ORH 3620
Occupational Health and Safety

Part 2:
Employee Safety and Health

15-2

Chapter 15 Outline
Why employee safety and health are
important
Occupational safety law

OSHA standards and record keeping

Inspections and citations
Inspection

priorities
The inspection itself
Penalties
Inspection guidelines

15-3

Outline

Responsibilities and rights of employers and

employees
Dealing

with employee resistance

The changing nature of OSHA

Entrepreneurs HR

Management commitment and safety

Strategic HR

15-4

Outline
What causes accidents?

Unsafe conditions and other work-related

factors
What causes unsafe acts?
Research insight

15-5

Outline
How to prevent accidents

Reducing unsafe acts by emphasizing

safety
Reducing unsafe acts through selection and
placement
Reducing unsafe acts through training
HR.Net

15-6

Outline

Reducing unsafe acts through motivation

Behavior-based safety
Conduct safety and health inspections
Safety beyond the plant gate
The new workplace
Controlling workers compensation costs
Before

the accident
After the accident
Analyzing claims

15-7

Outline
Employee health: problems and remedies

Alcoholism and substance abuse

Dealing with substance abuse
Workplace substance abuse and the law
Legal risks

Job stress and burnout

Reducing job stress
Burnout
Research insight

15-8

Outline
Employee health: problems and
remedies

Asbestos exposure at work

Computer-related health problems
AIDS and the workplace
Workplace smoking
What

you can and cannot do

Smoking policies

15-9

Outline
Employee health: problems and remedies

Violence at work
Heightened security measures
Improved employee screening
Workplace violence training
Enhanced attention to employee retention/dismissal
Dismissing violent employees
Dealing with angry employees
Legal constraints on reducing workplace violence

Summary

15-10

After Studying This Chapter

You Should Be Able To:
Provide a safer environment for your employees
Minimize unsafe acts by employees
Explain the basic facts about OSHA
Explain the supervisors role in safety
Describe and illustrate techniques for reducing
accidents
Explain how to deal with important occupational
health problems

15-11

Strategic Overview
We explored unionmanagement relations,
and negotiating agreements
Employee safety is usually one of these
Provide you with information about
employee safety and health problems at
work
OSHAthe Occupational Safety and
Health Act

15-12

Why Safety and Health

Are Important
The numbers are staggering
Toll can be greater than the numbers
suggest considering lives are at stake

15-13

OSHA
The 1970 Occupational Safety and
Health Act
Assures safe and healthful work places
Created the Occupational Safety and
Health Administration (OSHA)
Defines occupational illness

15-14

Occupational Illness
OSHA creates
standards and
procedures to
prevent injury
and illness

OSHA accident
form

Guardrails not less

than 2 x 4 or the
equivalent and not
less than 36 or more
than 42 high, with a
midrail, when
required, of a 1 x 4
lumber or equivalent,
and toeboards, shall
be installed at all
open sides on all
scaffolds more than
10 feet above the
ground or floor.

15-15

Accident Report Procedure

Link

15-16

OSHA Inspections and

Citations
Imminent danger
Catastrophes, fatalities, and accidents
Alleged violations
Periodic special-emphasis inspections
Random inspections and re-inspections
Citations issued when problems are
found

15-17

The Inspection
OSHA officer arrives
Explains purpose, scope and standards
Employee accompanies officer
Stop and question workers
Discuss apparent violations
May issue a citation and penalty

15-18

OSHA Penalties
Range from $5,000-$70,000
Can be much higher
Ongoing daily penalties
Fine based on seriousness, size of
company, and compliance history

15-19

Inspection Guidelines
Initial contact Refer inspector to your OSHA coordinator
Check credentials
Ask for reason
You may ask if its from a current employee
Notify your counsel

15-20

Inspection Guidelines
Opening conference Set focus and scope
Discuss protecting trade secret
areas
Show you have safety
programs in place

15-21

Inspection Guidelines
Walk-around inspections Accompany inspector, take detailed notes
Takes photo or video if inspector does
Get duplicates of samples, copies of test
results
Be helpful, dont volunteer information
Immediately correct any violation identified

15-22

Responsibilities of
Employers and Employees
Employers

Provide hazard-free workplace

Can seek consulting help and identification
Cant punish employee

Employees

Comply with standards

Report problems to supervisors
Can demand safety

15-23

Dealing With
Employee Resistance
Failure to wear hardhats or ear
protectors typify problem
Employers limit liability by:

Get union OK to discharge

Use formal arbitration
Use positive reinforcement and training

15-24

The Changing
Nature of OSHA
Moving toward cooperation
Greater use of technology
Web site shows OSHA track record for all

15-25

Entrepreneurs + HR
OSHA is not there just to issue citations
A resource to help business lower costs
Anderson Steel had help from OSHA
Result was much lower workers comp
costs

15-26

Safety is NO
accident
Management commitment is key to
safety:

Institutionalize commitment
Analyze accidents, incidents
Set specific achievable safety goals

15-27

Strategic HR
Con Ed adopted safety 1st strategy
Health and environmental safety staff
Thousands of pages of new safety
procedures
Monthly video of close calls
Safety time-outs
Put strategy into action = safety aware
workers

15-28

What Causes Accidents

Chance occurrences
Unsafe conditions
Unsafe employee acts

15-29

Unsafe Conditions
Unsafe conditions include:

Improperly guarded equipment

Defective equipment
Hazardous procedures
Unsafe storage
Improper illumination
Improper ventilation

15-30

What Causes Unsafe Acts?

People cause accidents
Studies do not show proneness is the
cause
Remedy may be to change work
assignment

31

What Causes Unsafe Acts?

15-32

Research Insight
Accident causes tend to be multifaceted
Researchers asked college students
how frequently they had mishaps at work
as well as to describe themselves
What traits do you think caused some
students to be more or less accident
prone?

15-33

How to Prevent Accidents

Reduce unsafe conditions:

Design jobs to remove, reduce physical hazards

Use checklists
Computerized tools
Solutions may or may not be obvious Checklist

How would you reduce slips and falls at a

factory?

15-34

15-35

Reduce Unsafe Acts By

Emphasizing Safety

High
enough

Supervisors should:

Praise employees
Listen
Be a good example
Visit plant areas regularly
Maintain open safety communications
Link bonuses to safety improvements

15-36

Reduce Unsafe Acts Through

Selection and Placement
Screening
Isolate accident causing trait and test
Interview:
What

would you do if you saw an employee working

in an unsafe way?
What would you do if your supervisor gave you a task
but no training on how to do it?
Do you know of any reason why you would not be
able to perform the various functions of this job?

15-37

Reduce Unsafe Acts

Through Training
New employees must be trained
with safety in mind
Use OSHA and training courses
Must follow-up training with
periodic testing demonstrable skill
Multilingual testing may be needed
Powerpoint presentation

15-38

Motivation to Reduce
Unsafe Acts
Workplace posters show a 20%
reduction in accidents
Safety awards like plaques and bonus
cash cant hurt
Positive reinforcement is a plus when
combined with training
Behavior based safety training

15-39

Conduct Safety and

Health Inspections
Eliminate hazards
Inspect
Use checklists
Investigate
Notification system
Use employee committees

15-40

Safety Summary
Reduce unsafe
conditions

Emphasize
commitment at the
top
Emphasize safety
Emphasize safety
policy

Reduce unsafe acts

Use selection tests

Provide training
Use posters
Use positive
reinforcement
Behavior-based
safety programs
Conduct inspections
regularly

15-41

The New Workplace and

Safety Beyond the Gate
Make employees the champions of
safety
Make a Safety first culture permeate
your company
Give lottery tickets to employees who
have seat belts on as they go home

15-42

Controlling Workers
Compensation Costs
Before the accident:

Take safety precautions

Strictly enforce

After the accident:

Quick medical attention

Have answers
Be proactive
Claims analyzing software

15-43

Employee Health: Alcohol

and Substance Abuse
Percentage of workers with abuse
problems has dropped about 15%
report use of illicit drugs last year
Cost can be high with $7000/year for
each abuser
How to spot
a substance
abuser

15-44

15-45

Dealing With Abusers

Some employers must be zero tolerance
Others have 3 strikes and youre out
Some guidelines:
If

an employee appears to be under the influence,

ask how the employee feels
Make a written record and follow up
Use the companys employee assistance program
(EAP)

15-46

Workplace Substance
Abuse and the Law
Publish a policy
Establish a drug-free awareness program
Employees must abide by the employers
policy and report any criminal convictions

15-47

Legal Risks
Dealing with alcoholism and drugs entails
legal risks
Prior to implementing a drug policy ask:

How will you inform workers?

What testing will be required?
What accommodations would you make for
those who seek treatment?

15-48

Job Stress and Burnout

Substance abuse can result from job
stress
Can you think of some factors that lead
to job stress?
Personality affects reaction to stress
What are the consequences of stress?

15-49

Reducing Job Stress

Relationships
Biting
Your relationship with your boss
Realistic deadlines
Lead time
Detachment and relaxation

15-50

Reducing Job Stress

Take a walk
Reduce unnecessary noise
Reduce trivia in your job - delegate
Limit interruptions
Distasteful problems
Make a worry list include solutions

15-51

Reducing Job Stress

Good supervisor skills are important:

Reduce personal conflicts

Open communication
Support employees efforts
Ensure jobperson fit
More job control
Provide EAPs, counseling

De
fin
it io
n

15-52

Burnout

Burnout the total

depletion of physical
and mental resources
caused by excessive
striving to reach an
unrealistic work-related
goal

15-53

Burnout Read
the Signs
Inability to relax
Identification with your activities
Meaningless advancement goals
Workaholic

15-54

What Can a Burnout

Candidate Do?
Break your patterns
Get away from it all periodically
Reassess your goals in terms of their
intrinsic worth
Think about your work

15-55

Research Insight
Do vacations fix burnout?

Research says No

Burnout returns partly within 3 days of

returning to work
Must remove stress causes
Mid-week mini-vacations show promise

15-56

Asbestos at Work
Sources of occupational respiratory
disease:

Asbestos, silica, lead, carbon dioxide

OSHA standards to follow:

Monitor air level

Engineering controls
Respirators

15-57

Computer-related Health
Problems
Short-term eye problems like burning,
itching, tearing, eyestrain and eye
soreness
National Institute for Occupational Safety
and Health (NIOSH) says video displays
do not present a radiation hazard

15-58

NIOSH Recommendations
for Display Users
Rest breaks
Design in maximum flexibility
Reduce glare
A complete pre-placement vision
exam

15-59

NIOSH Recommendations
for Display Users
Correct keyboard placement
Mouse placement
Wrist positioning
Monitor level
Let wrists rest on a pad
Feet flat on floor or footrest
Do these, youll love your
computer too!

15-60

AIDS and the Workplace

Legal issues usually most important

Cant single out an employee for AIDS

testing
Must adhere to ADA and FMLA laws
Cant force leave unless job performance
has deteriorated
Online AIDS
resources

15-61

What to Cover in an AIDS

Policy Statement

No tolerance
Reasonably accommodate
Medical information is confidential
HIV-positive employees can work
Work with HIV positive employees, customers
Companies must consider fears

15-62

Workplace Smoking
Smoking kills and costs
Can implement no-smokers-hired plan
Becoming smoke-free may take time and
require union bargaining
Start a smoking ban today

15-63

Violence at Work
Violence costs employers $4 billion each
year steps to take include:

Heightened security
Improved screening
Workplace violence training
Attention to retention and dismissal
Dismiss violent employees
Deal with angry employees

15-64

Security Measures
Improve external lighting
Use drop safes
Install silent alarms, cameras
Increase staff on duty
Provide conflict resolution, nonviolent
response training
Close during high risks hours

15-65

Red Flags
When Screening

Gaps
Rsum
References
Insubordination or violence
Harassing or violent behavior

15-66

Red Flags
When Screening (Cont.)

Termination for cause

Depression or significant psychiatric problems
Drug or alcohol abuse
Job, geographic changes
Lost licenses or accreditations

15-67

Workplace Violence Training

Use video training to
help employers spot
the signs of:

Verbal threats
Physical action
Frustration
Obsession

15-68

Youre Fired!
Here are some reasons to consider dismissal
behavior
the job
An act of Erratic
violence
on or off
Overly
confrontational
Overly
defensive,
obsessive,
or or
paranoid
loss
of awareness
of actions
Sexually
aggressive
behavior
antisocial
Insubordinate
Isolationist
or behavior
lonerbehavior
tendencies
Exaggerated
war,
Tendency
to
overreact
toain
criticism
withcommission
hint
of interest
violence
The
of
serious
Possession
of weapons,
guns and
guns
and
violence
breach
security
Chronic
complaining
and
Violation
ofof
privacy
knives
at
workof others
A retribution-oriented
or get-even attitude
frequent grievances

15-69

Dealing With An Angry

Employee

Make eye contact

Full attention
Calm voice be relaxed
Open and honest
Let person have his or her say
Specific examples
Carefully define the problem
Explore all sides of the issue
Listen

15-70

Legal Constraints on Reducing

Workplace Violence
Employee screening may be a legal
problem in some states
It is unlawful in NY to discriminate based
on prior criminal convictions
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 has
provisions barring minority discrimination

15-71

Chapter 15 Summary
Safety is very important due to the
staggering number of deaths and
accidents occurring at work
The purpose of OSHA is to ensure every
working person a safe and healthful
workplace
Supervisors play a key role in monitoring
workers for safety

15-72

Chapter 15 Summary
Causes of accidents:

Chance occurrences
Unsafe conditions
Unsafe acts on the part of employees

Most experts doubt there are accidentprone people who have accidents
regardless of the job

15-73

Chapter 15 Summary
Prevent accidents by reducing unsafe
conditions and reducing unsafe acts
Alcoholism, drug addiction, stress, and
emotional illness are four important and
growing health problems among
employees

15-74

Chapter 15 Summary
Stress and burnout are other potential
health problems at work
Asbestos, video display health problems,
AIDS, and workplace smoking are all
workplace concerns
Violence against employees is an
enormous problem at work