Transcript Accident Prevention Program Workshop

Accident Prevention Program (APP)
An Overview
Purpose: To assist you in developing and implementing a
written Accident Prevention Program which is tailored to the
needs and potential hazards associated with your work.
What Will Be Covered
• Why have an accident prevention program
• Rule requirements for accident prevention program
• Elements of a written program
• How to implement an effective program
• Where to get help
Why have an accident prevention
program (APP)?
• It will help to prevent
employee injuries on the job.
• It will help you find hazards
before they cause accidents.
• It will help you deal with
accidents if they do occur.
By “accidents” we mean events where employees are killed, maimed, injured, or become ill
from exposure to toxic chemicals or microorganisms (TB, Hepatitis, HIV, Hantavirus etc).
Why have an accident prevention
program (APP)?
It helps control industrial insurance costs.
Low # of Claims
Average # of claims
High # of Claims
Your premium rate depends on number of claims filed. An accident prevention program
can help you to control hazards that cause accidents and claims.
A True Story
A Tire Store – 35 Employees
• Had a single high cost claim (shoulder injury)
• Premium rate increased from 71¢/hr to 86¢/hr
• Yearly premium increased $10,000
To make up for the premium increase @ 10% profit
margin – you must get $100,000 additional business
These are actual facts and figures from a tire store in eastern Washington. The company
had 13 minor claims in 2000-2002 with the single high-cost claim ($29,000) occurring in
2002. The employee was off work for several days and received time-loss payments from
L & I. He also had expensive medical bills which were billed to L & I.
Why have an accident prevention program?
It’s required by WISHA Rules.
Safety & Health Core Rules
– WAC 296-800-140
Safety Standards for Construction
– WAC 296-155-110
Other standards – agriculture, logging, etc.
APP rules are nearly identical for all these types of businesses. In most
cases, if you are visited by a WISHA inspector, he or she will look for your
APP. If the inspector finds serious hazards and no APP or major deficiencies
in the APP, you may receive a a citation with monetary penalty.
What is an accident prevention program?
• A plan of action to:
– Involve workers and management
in workplace safety and health,
– Identify and control safety hazards,
– Handle emergencies,
– Give new employees job safety orientation,
– Provide for personal protective equipment
as needed.
A plan for safety must be more than posting a sign that says “Be Careful. In an
emergency call 911.” It will help you to identify hazards before they cause
accidents and help you deal with accidents if and when they occur.
What is required for all employers?
• Must be outlined in writing.
• Must be tailored to the
worksite.
• Must include employee safety
orientation and training.
• Must include safety committee
or safety meetings.
• You must develop, supervise
and enforce a safety training
training program
• You must make sure your
APP is effective in practice.
Link to Core Rule APP requirements
APP Requirements For Construction
• Supervise and enforce an
effective program
• Outlined in writing
• Employee safety orientation
• Weekly leader/crew safety
meetings
• Weekly walk-around safety
inspections
Link to Construction APP requirements
APP Requirements for Agriculture
• Outlined in writing
• Tailored to the needs and
hazards of your operation
• Employee safety orientation
• Monthly walk-around safety
inspections with employee
representative
• Monthly foreman-crew safety
meetings
Link to Agriculture APP requirements
A written APP can be an outline
• Simple and direct is O.K.
• Must cover all the regular and
predictable hazards of the worksite
• Include employee input to identify
new hazards not in outline
• Some employers will need a more
complex APP depending on hazards
• It can’t be just a paper program
The written program must cover all the typical, predictable and evident hazards of the worksite. However, a
written APP that is too long or complicated tends not be read. As long as there is method to report new or
unforeseen hazards, it is not necessary to go into great detail about every possible hazard one could imagine.
APP should be a “living plan”
If it is not a “living plan”
actually used, then it will just be:
• a document gathering dust on a shelf,
• something you did to please L&I,
• of no real value to your company.
If you’re going to spend time and energy developing this plan, it might as well be a
tool that will add value to your company, will help you to provide a safe and
productive workplace, and keep your industrial insurance premiums to a minimum.
APP Must be Tailored to the Worksite
• It can’t be a non-specific generic
program
• It must address the actual worksite
hazards and conditions
• It must include the work of all
employees
By “generic” we mean one that does not address the
actual worksite hazards and conditions. Some trade
associations (such as agriculture) produce generic
programs that includes the most common hazards of a
particular industry. These are usually acceptable, but
you must also cover the unique hazards of your
worksite.
Employee Safety Orientation
The orientation must cover:
• A description of total safety program
• On-the-job instructions on how to
do job tasks safely
• How to report accidents
• Location of first aid facilities
Employee Safety Orientation(con’t.)
Also include in orientation:
• How to report safety hazards
• Use and care of personal
protective equipment
• What to do in emergencies
• How to identify hazardous chemicals
and what to do if exposed to them.
Link to sample chemical hazard communication program
Safety Committees
• At least as many elected employees as
management-selected members
• Elected chairperson
• Committee determines meeting schedules
• Keep meeting minutes and attendance
• Cover specific topics
Safety Committees are required if you have 11 or more employees at the worksite. The
number of employee-elected members of the safety committee must be equal to or more
than the number of employer-selected members
Safety Meetings
• Allowed if 10 or less employees
• Meet monthly
• At least one management representative
• Document attendance
• Cover specific topics
Safety meetings are an allowable substitute for a safety committee if you have 10 or less
employees. They are also allowed if you have 10 or less employees on different shifts or
there are 10 or less employees at widely separate work locations. You would need to have
safety meetings at each shift or each work location.
Construction Crew/Leader Safety
Meetings requirements
• Hold worksite meetings:
– At start of job
– Every week
– As needed when change in conditions or hazards
• Document topics and attendance
Agriculture Safety Meetings
• Not required for short-term
operations like harvesting
• Monthly meetings tailored to
current activities
• Outline what discussed and who
attended in meeting minutes
• Copies of minutes kept at location
where most employees report
• Retain minutes for one year
Even though safety meetings are not required for agriculture operations that last less than a
month, a safety orientation is still required at the beginning of the operation. For example, in
cherry harvesting, pickers should still have a safety orientation on how to safely use a ladder.
When is an APP “effective in practice” ?
When It Works!!
• It is more than just words, platitudes or
slogans.
• All regular and predictable hazards are
addressed.
• Serious or frequent injuries are not occurring.
The goal of an APP is to prevent injuries. Frequent injuries would be a sign that not all
hazards are addressed or your safety rules are not being enforced. Minor or infrequent
non-serious injuries do not mean your APP is ineffective. An occasional missed hazard
(one saw guard out of several saws is missing in a cabinet shop for example) also does
not necessarily mean your APP is ineffective.
Some ways to make an APP
“effective in practice”
• Determine what injuries and near-misses have
occurred and why
• Do a hazard evaluation or survey of the workplace
• Establish safety goals – management commitment
• Train employees on job hazards (required)
• Effectively and consistently enforce safety rules
• Provide needed protective equipment and make
sure it is used (required)
Injury Determination
 Review claims and
injury records
Review your OSHA 300 Log if you have
kept one. See if there are several people
having the same type of accident (indicates
that a process or procedures may need
changing) or if one person is having several
accidents doing different jobs (indicates
that this person probably needs retraining).
 Interview employees
for unreported injuries
Talk to employees:
- Do they think they have a safe place to work.
- Do they have ideas about how to improve safety.
- Do they know how, when and to whom to report an accident.
- Do they know of any accident that have NOT been reported.
Near Misses
Investigate near-misses since
they are potential accidents
Accidents or injuries are the “tip
of the iceberg” of hazards
Accidents
Hazards
Don’t just investigate accidents. Near misses should be
reported and investigated. They were in a sense, “aborted
accidents”.
Criteria for investigating an incident or near miss: What is
reasonably the worst injury the worker would have suffered
had an actual accident happened?
If it would have resulted in a serious injury, then the incident
or near miss should be investigated with the same
thoroughness as an actual accident investigation.
Safety Hazard Evaluation
Job Safety Analysis (JSA)
Job Steps
Pick up stock
Cut stock with
power saw
Hazard
Protection
Sharp edges
& splinters
Gloves
Blade edges Blade guard
and flying
and
chips
safety glasses
A JSA is not required, but is one method of determining hazards at the worksite. This is
an example of a job safety analysis of a carpenter shop. Each task is listed with it’s
particular hazard and protection for that hazard. This method can be used to determine
your company’s need for personal protective equipment.
Link to sample JSA
Workplace Safety Evaluation
Worksite Safety Checklist
– Tailored to your workplace
– Used by foreman or safety supervisor
YES
NO ITEM
Employees wearing safety glasses?
Saw guards in place?
Work area free of tripping hazards?
A periodic safety evaluation is recommended, especially if conditions change frequently, such as in
construction. Often representatives of the safety committee will do this. This checklist should be
developed to check for the hazards that are likely to be found on your site. It can be used for periodic
walkaround safety surveys to make sure all safety measures are in place.
Hazard Identification
Conduct Accident Investigations
• Do with a team: supervisors, employees,
outside experts
• Examine:
– Persons
– Equipment
– Environment
• Look for fact, not fault
• Prepare a written report
• Do follow-up
Investigate as soon as possible. Take pictures, draw diagrams and interview all who
witnessed the accident. Try to find what can be changes to prevent the accident from
happening again. Write a formal report (can be covered at the next safety meeting).
Make sure that suggested changes are made.
A successful APP needs
management commitment
Sample statements:
A message from
the owner ...
John Smith
J
– “We care about your safety…”
– “We will provide a safe work
place…”
– “Nothing is important enough
to do unsafely.”
– “Supervisors and employees
are expected to work safely
and bring up safety issues…”
Management safety statements are not required, but are recommended. Management
support is vital for success of program else neither supervisors nor employees will take
it seriously. A specific written statement, is not required, however.
Some Management Resources in
Support of APP
Incentives
Time
Safety Equipment
In addition to leading by example, management should give employees resources and
incentives. Recognize that an effective program implies a commitment of:
- support of safety as a regular budget item,
- time for inspections, training, safety committee, maintenance,
- equipment such as guards, PPE, training materials, promotions,
- safety recognition and incentive programs that reward safety efforts.
The Role of Line Manager/Foreman
For a successful APP, you need line manager
buy-in and commitment. Suggested ways to
do that:
• Spell out their safety duties
• Give them explicit safety authority
• Hold them accountable for safety
To have a program that is “effective in practice”, management ( the owner, general manager,
supervisor, foreman and crew boss) must practice safety as well as the employees. If
management doesn’t wear PPE where the employee are required to, the employees are less
likely to wear the required PPE when management is not present. Employees must be make
to feel comfortable making safety corrections without getting “permission” from someone else.
The Role of Line Managers/Foremen
They should:
 Be personal examples
 Identify hazards
 Monitor workers
 Participate directly in
problem-solving
Employee Input
• Employee hazard reports
– Get input from safety committee
– Consider using an employee report form
– Do follow-up
Link to sample employee report form
You can use a report form, a suggestion box, or get input from safety committee or verbally
during safety meetings. Make available and encourage the use of form for employees to
report hazards they see. Management should have procedures to address issues identified
and notify individuals or safety committee what actions were taken.
Training Programs
– Who?
•
•
Management
Employees
– What?
•
•
Basic orientation
Specific machines, processes, skills
– When?
•
•
•
Before doing the work
When duties work change
When deficiencies are noted
– Documentation
•
•
Instructor’s outline
Attendance records
Training Programs
Management needs training to understand the hazards and
safety requirements as much if not more than the line
employees.
Initial orientation is very important. New employees are quite
vulnerable to accident unless you clue them in on:
- what they are supposed to do,
- what to watch out for, and
- what to do when something goes wrong.
Employees may be expected to start the job with the skills
necessary to do the job but it is the employer’s responsibility to
insure that the employee knows the safety rules related to the
job.
Don’t rely on the previous employer having done the training or
that the employee says they have experience. You don’t know
the quality of training they received or if any bad habits have
developed.
Specific Training Programs
WISHA has specific training requirements
for certain topics:
• Hazard communication
• Respirator use
• Other PPE use
• Forklifts
• Confined space work
• Fall protection in construction
• Pesticides in agriculture
• Others
Link to WISHA-required training
Safety Rules are Important Part of APP
There are two types:
• General company safety rules such as:
– “Wear steel-toed shoes onsite”
– “No horseplay”
– “Do not operate machinery without
guards in place.”
• Specific job related safety rules such as:
– Grinder safety rules
– Roofing fall protection rules
Safety Disciplinary Policy
• In writing
• Employees are informed
or trained on policy
• Applies to everyone –
including management
• Fair and progressive
enforcement
Where’s his fall protection?
A disciplinary policy is not required, but highly recommended. The policy should be in
writing and employees should be informed/trained before it can be used against them.
Policy should be imposed on management as well as employees. Records of policy
application should be kept for documentation that the policy is being enforced.
Personal Protective Equipment
What hazards exist that require use of PPE?
• Determine need –who, when, what
• Ensure it provides adequate protection
• Train employees on use
• Provide, maintain and replace as
needed.
A PPE hazard assessment is required by WISHA Rules on PPE. You can
determine what PPE is needed from doing a hazard assessment. Injury
reports may also provide additional information – there may be a pattern
of injuries that can be prevented with the use of appropriate PPE.
Link to sample PPE hazard assessment checklist
Additional Information
More information on APP is available on the WISHA
webpage at:
http://www.lni.wa.gov/safety/basics/Programs/Accident/default.htm
For additional assistance, you can call one of our
consultants. Click below for local L & I office
locations:
http://www.lni.wa.gov/wisha/consultation/regional_consultants.htm
Thank you for taking the time to learn
about safety and health and how to
prevent injuries and illnesses.