Integrating Safety Into QC
Posted Thursday, July 3, 2008 by bill reynolds

Accelerate Workers Compensation Cost Reduction By Integrating Safety Into Quality Control Meetings

 

While using a standard “Safety Suggestion Form” may be used effectively to get feedback from employees and identify unsafe hazards, a potential drawback to this approach is that it requires the employee, through his or her own initiative, to complete it. It also requires a separate response process by the safety and health team. There is another way to get safety suggestions and, at the same time, put safety awareness on overdrive throughout your organization. Have you considered taking your Safety Suggestion Program into the inner workings of your quality control or productivity meetings? The diagram below shows how this process can work:

 

During the course of your quality control or productivity meeting the participating employees will discuss on-going production or service issues of all kinds, including safety hazards. The team leader will ask for and encourage comments of all kinds. It does not matter what the suggestion is. It could be minor or major. The key is to encourage employee safety suggestions that will improve their productivity. The only requirement is that the team work together to clearly identify the problem and work together to develop a recommended solution for management’s consideration. This process should also be “risk free.”

Once completed the quality control team will submit its recommendations to management for review and action. Management will then review the recommendation, makes its decision on a course of action, and assigns the task to someone to complete in a timely manner. That individual will then develop a budget and implement the action. It is critical that management notify the quality control team within five business days of its decision and also will notify them once the recommendation has been fully implemented. Otherwise the employees will quickly realize that this is just a “management fad” and “they are only interested in production.” By responding promptly management is clearly expressing genuine interest and concern for their safety and backing it up with action.

 

CompEraser provides a number of on-line, on-demand resources to help you quickly implement this process. Resources also include the formalization of your safety team, injury prevention, OSHA compliance, safety training, workers compensation disability management, plus more. These resources are available 24/7 and used irrespective of which workers compensation carrier you select. Its patent-pending technology also provides unique financial reports for monitoring the effectiveness of your safety and health program on an on-going basis. For more information visit our website at www.CompEraser.com.

 

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Rely On Your Carrier At Own Peril
Posted Saturday, April 12, 2008 by bill reynolds

Warning: Rely Totally Upon Your Workers Compensation Carrier For Safety Support At Your Own Peril

 

Every year, when you purchase and receive your workers compensation policy, you eventually receive a workers compensation policy. Like most organizations you focus on safety and workers compensation claims and put the policy in the file. In talking with many organizations I find that they expect a lot of safety support from their workers compensation carrier. After all, the workers compensation carrier has promised a high level of service to get your business.

 

Read Your Workers Compensation Policy. The Fine Print May Surprise You

 

But did you know that the services actually provided are not guaranteed and are mainly for the benefit of the workers compensation carrier? Don’t take my word for it. The workers compensation policy says it all. A standard clause in the policy reads:

 

“We have the right, but are not obligated to inspect your workplace at any time. Our inspections are not safety inspections. They relate only to the insurability of the workplace and the premiums to be charged. We may give you reports on the conditions we find. We may also recommend changes. While they may help reduce losses, we do not undertake to perform the duty of any person to provide for the health or safety of your employees or the public. We do not warrant that your workplaces are safe or healthful or that they comply with laws, regulations, codes or standards. Insurance rate organizations have the same rights we have under this provision.” (Source: Workers Compensation and Employers Liability Insurance Policy, WC 00 00 00 A, page 7 of 8, produced by the NCCI effective April, 1992)

 

Actually your workers compensation carrier has the right, but is not obligated, to inspect your workplace at anytime. However, many employers take this to mean that such inspections are formal safety inspections and even rely on these inspections to prevent worker injuries. In fact, your workers compensation policy indicates just the opposite. If an insurance company conducts an inspection the following stipulations actually are made:

  • Your workers compensation is NOT obligated that they will make safety inspections at all. 
  • The inspections provided by your workers compensation carrier are NOT safety inspections. In fact they are only used to determine the insurability of the workplace and the premiums they will charge you (how self-serving it that!);
  • Your workers compensation carrier “may” but is not obligated to give you a copy of their report on the conditions they find;
  • Your workers compensation carrier “may” share recommendations with you but is not obligated to do so;
  • Your workers compensation carrier is clearly indicating they are not performing a duty or service to provide for the safety and health of your employees;
  • Your workers compensation carrier in no way warrants that your workplace is in compliance with state or federal laws (i.e., OSHA).

The Dirty Little Secret Is That Workers Compensation Services Are For Their Benefit, Not Yours

 

It is a mistake to totally rely on your workers compensation carrier to prevent worker injuries. This is further compounded if you change carriers. In the final analysis you will get less than you expect and your total cost of worker injuries will continue to reduce your bottom line profits.

 

CompEraser comes with on-line, on-demand resources needed to develop and implement an effective safety and health program and keep you in control. These resources include injury prevention, OSHA compliance, safety training, prompt injury response, workers compensation disability management, plus many more workers compensation cost reduction resources. These resources are available 24/7 and used irrespective of which workers compensation carrier you select. Its patent-pending technology also provides unique financial reports for monitoring the effectiveness of your safety and health program on an on-going basis and calculate, using yoru own financial data, both insured and indirect workers compensation costs. For more information visit our website at www.CompEraser.com.

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Safety & QC
Posted Thursday, April 3, 2008 by bill reynolds

Accelerate Workers Compensation Cost Reduction By Integrating Safety Into Quality Control Meetings

 

While using a standard “Safety Suggestion Form” may be used effectively to get feedback from employees and identify unsafe hazards, a potential drawback to this approach is that it requires the employee, through his or her own initiative, to complete it. It also requires a separate response process by the safety and health team. There is another way to get safety suggestions and, at the same time, put safety awareness on overdrive throughout your organization. Have you considered taking your Safety Suggestion Program into the inner workings of your quality control or productivity meetings? The diagram below shows how this process can work:


safety_qc_process
 

During the course of your quality control or productivity meeting the participating employees will discuss on-going production or service issues of all kinds, including safety hazards. The team leader will ask for and encourage comments of all kinds. It does not matter what the suggestion is. It could be minor or major. The key is to encourage employee safety suggestions that will improve their productivity. The only requirement is that the team work together to clearly identify the problem and work together to develop a recommended solution for management’s consideration. This process should also be “risk free.” Once completed the quality control team will submit its recommendations to management for review and action. Management will then review the recommendation, makes its decision on a course of action, and assigns the task to someone to complete in a timely manner. That individual will then develop a budget and implement the action. It is critical that management notify the quality control team within five business days of its decision and also will notify them once the recommendation has been fully implemented. Otherwise the employees will quickly realize that this is just a “management fad” and “they are only interested in production.” By responding promptly management is clearly expressing genuine interest and concern for their safety and backing it up with action.

 

The benefits of this approach to your organization are:


  • It incorporates all the key components of an effective safety suggestion program;
  • It literally uses the dialog and synergy created in quality control and productivity meetings as the engine for safety success;
  • It encourages suggestions that apply to worker safety and quality control/productivity. As such it is a far more inclusive;
  • If utilized properly this approach will literally tap into valuable recommendations that many employees have and, as a result, make the organization more cost effective;
  • It will help your organization in its OSHA compliance efforts and facilitate safety training;
  • Because the process links safety with productivity and quality control it will dramatically reduce your indirect workers compensation costs.

CompEraser provides a number of on-line, on-demand resources to help you quickly implement this process. If you would like a sample of three-part form that is used in this process please contact us at info@comperaser.com. For more information on CompEraser’s services please go to www.comperaser.com.

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Safety Training Tips
Posted Wednesday, April 2, 2008 by bill reynolds

Effective Safety Training Techniques – Those That Work And Those That Do Not Work

 

Communicating the essence of the safety message in an understandable and motivating way is clearly the name of the game in safety training. The communication skills that go into instruction and motivation are such an everyday part of the safety trainer’s job that he or she may not give much though to them. But a great deal of study has been done to determine the skills and traits that lead to effective safety training.

 

Effective safety training has two basic components - what is said and how it is said. To begin with, it is important that the safety trainer stick to the topic at hand. Do not get sidetracked or distracted. The audience could come away with a different interpretation of the same message or lose interest entirely.

 

What the trainer says also depends upon the audience. Put yourself in their shoes. The trainer needs to know their attitudes that day, what is going on in the workplace, what is their attention span and sense of humor. Ask yourself how you would respond if you were an attendee at this safety meeting. Would you get the message? Would you be motivated to be more careful?

 

Here are a few tips that should help make your safety training more effective:

 

  • Immediately satisfy the employee’s WIIFM (What’s In It For Me). Trainers call this “the hook” but if it is not done right the employee will just sit there and bide their time but not learn anything. On the other hand, if they can quickly and easily relate to the topic they will listen and learn.
  • Present “the hook” in emotional terms. Rather than running through statistics, focus the topic in terms that the employees can related to emotionally and personally. For example, let’s say you are giving a training session on hand injury prevention. Rather than give OSHA statistics on the number of hand injuries or their causes (something you may do later in the presentation), you want to first put the topic in a personal, emotional context. Get them to actually visualize what would happen to them personally, and the impact on their family, if they lost the use of their hand. Once they make that emotional connect their level of interest will carry throughout the presentation.

  • Do not talk down to your listeners. Assume that you are talking to intelligent people who think that safety is important.
  • Use clear language.  Do not try to “fancy up” the presentation. Use the same language you would use during normal conversation in the facility.

  • Make eye contact. If the trainer is constantly looking down at a piece of paper or at a spot on the wall, the audience will get distracted and lose interest. Look people in the eye, moving your gaze around the audience. Do not, however, single any one person out. They may think that they are the problem and feel resentful.
  • Use a warm and friendly tone of voice. Remember that safety is a mutual need and concern. The trainer’s tone of voice may threaten or upset the participants in such a way that they are negatively motivated. If this happens not only has the trainer lost them but also their safety habits in the facility may be the opposite of those you were trying to encourage.

  • Use a moderate pace and volume of speech. Not to fast or slow, not too loud or soft. By the same token, make sure that everyone can hear you.
  • Sound firm and convincing. When you make a statement, do not let your voice trail into a question. Avoid qualifiers such as “but,” “except when,” or “unless.” Your preparatory work prior to the meeting is specifically designed to assist you in this area.

  • Watch your body language. If you cross your arms in front of you while you talk or answer questions you look defensive or threatened. If you keep playing with a pencil or paper, you look nervous. All of these are distractions and detract from the presentation.
  • Watch your audience’s body language. Crossed legs or arms usually mean they are defensive and may also mean that they are resisting the message. Leaning forward usually indicates that they are interested.

  • Get feedback. This will help ensure that the message is getting through. Respond to all questions. If no one asks any questions, do not hesitate to ask the participants questions. Give people time to develop their answer and to say what they want to say in response to the question. If the trainer just says - “Any questions?” - and then instantly move on, they are actually saying that they really do not want to take any questions. Asking specific questions is the best way to make sure that the audience has understood what has been said.

 

It has been consistently shown that effective safety training will reduce both insured workers compensation costs as well as indirect workers compensation costs. CompEraser has found that, when analyzed on a total worker compensation cost basis (insured cost plus indirect workers compensation costs), the return on investment is often 20:1 or more the first year. Safety training truly is one of the easiest and more cost effective forms of workers compensation cost reduction.

 

CompEraser provides two levels of resources to the employer to assist in their training efforts. First, its Resource Library is loaded with safety training resources to help plan and implement an effective safety training program. The staff at CompEraser is also available to assist in the design of individual safety training programs. Second, CompEraser provides a host of financial reports that will quickly indicate on a total cost basis those sources of worker injuries that will provide the greatest impact and ROI.  For more information, go to www.comperaser.com.

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