Safety Committees in Long Term Care

LTC Insurance Services, LLC

   Gives employees a voice regarding their own safety at work Advances the importance of employee safety on a regular basis Enhances overall Safety Program which ◦ Saves WC premium dollars ◦ Reduces OSHA recordable cases ◦ ◦ Creates a better workplace, retain employees Reduces risk of fines, penalties

Purpose of a Safety Committee

       Must occur monthly Led by the Administrator whenever possible Must have a recorder, separate from leader Must capture minutes in TELS (www.tels.net) Ideally more than 50% front line employees Representatives from all departments and shifts whenever possible Employees involved in recent incidents to attend

Safety Committee Basics

  80% of discussions should be focused on

changing employee behaviors (choices)

◦ How employees do the job, decisions made ◦ How and Why incidents occur    Resident Transfers, Repositioning, Lift, Push, Pull Slips, Trips and Falls Combative / Aggressive Resident Behaviors 20% on environmental issues ◦ Inspections of conditions

Our Committees Are Unique

  ◦ ◦ ◦ Pick a specific, recurring day & stick to it ◦ e.g. Third Thursday of the month at 2pm Everyone comes prepared, knows rules ◦ Safety Committee members aren’t just members one hour per month… 24/7 – 365 Opportunity to make a difference Opportunity to get advanced training & responsibilities, build ownership and pride

Structure and Flow of SC

Minutes Form

Safety Committee Minutes

 Measurable, Achievable, & Within the power of the Safety Committee ◦ Goal of 98% of CNA’s wearing Gait Belts during random audits ◦ ◦ Goal of 95% of all audited beds have the cords and hoses well controlled, not trip hazards Goal of 95% of all CNA’s interviewed correctly answer a resident transfer / reposition question ◦ Goal of 100% compliance with slip-resistant footwear in Dietary during random audits

Goals of the Safety Committee

Safety Committee Minutes

   Old business from last meeting Inspections done: Outliers, major issues ◦ Review Department-Specific Inspection Forms Injuries since last meeting ◦ Injured employee speaks to how, why & what could have been done differently ◦ ◦ SC is supportive & focused on house-wide prevention not individual blame Specific future tasks must come from these discussions and be recorded in minutes

Structure & Flow (continued)

  Start with OSHA logs for 5 prior years Maintain “Incident Only” or “Near Miss” file

Trends

  Long term trends of employee incidents are often overlooked ◦ A formal Trend Analysis is the best tool to uncover less obvious trends  Look at 5 years if you can otherwise 3 years  Use a tool to capture important characteristics ◦ Do a full written Trend Analysis once, then update each month Discuss the different trends as a committee and assign tasks to address or investigate further

Trending Employee Incidents

Action Plan

  Assigns specific tasks to members and non-members with due dates ◦ For specific, non-recurring tasks ◦ ◦ To collect more information, eliminate an exposure, reduce a risk Finite due date, never “ongoing” Should address the 3 Major Loss Sources ◦ Resident Transfers, Repositioning, Lift, Push… ◦ Slips, Trips and Falls Prevention ◦ Combative / Aggressive Resident Behaviors

Safety Issues / Action Plan

  Plan is a Roadmap to reach higher staff awareness of risks, of programs, of issues to prevent accidents Must impact employee choices, decisions

Action / Task Plans

SAFETY ISSUE

<50% of CNA’s wearing gait belts. Need >95% compliant Bed cord tripping hazards in 50% of rooms

TASKS ASSIGNED

1. Training 2. Observation 3. Positive reinforcement 4. Consequences 5. Periodic Checks 1. Education on hazards 2. Concierge rounds 3. SC Rounds 4. Room inspection tracking tool

RESPONSIBILITY DUE DATE

1. SDC 2. All Managers 3. All Managers 4. DON 5. All Managers 1. SDC & Maint.

2. Managers 3. Safety committee 4. Risk Manager Achieve >95% usage by 11/1/2012 Achieve <10% of rooms having cord issues by 12/1/2012

Example Items on Action Plan

   In the OSHA & Loss Prevention Manual Members need to understand these programs, know when they apply ◦ Discuss each program in some depth ◦ Address non-compliant areas in Action Plan Once knowledgeable on each, the SC identifies ways to increase awareness ◦ Put tasks on the action plan if warranted ◦ All staff should understand the basics of each

“Corporate” Safety Programs

 Safety Committee members connect with new hires: ◦ Answer questions, ◦ ◦ ◦ Provide support and guidance Demonstrate good techniques, use of equipment, how to find information Report back any issues to SDC or DON

Helping New Hires Succeed

 What training took place since last meeting ◦ Did house-wide training take place for all root causes of recent employee incidents?

◦ Are the covered concepts being practiced?

 Was the training effective? Compliance observed?

Training & the Safety Committee

  What training will occur in next 30 days ◦ Do we need to address new issues?

  Should other topics be added to training calendar?

Are trends indicating we change tactics?

How can the Safety Committee work with Staff Development to enhance training, increase awareness, increase efficiency, increase effectiveness and verify that training is implemented ◦ Safety Committee can help observe behaviors

In-Services & Training

  Adults learn through seeing it done then doing the task Provide opportunities for hands-on tasks

Safety Awareness

   Designed to keep all homes on track & provide opportunities for unrelenting topic coverage to address loss sources Can be as simple or as complex as you want but don’t just rely on in-services Activities outside of the norm will engage staff differently, increase chances of information retention

Safety Topic of the Month

   To recognize and reward efforts to improve employee safety ◦ Focused on positive employee behaviors and actions ◦ Must take action to get a reward, not just be present To encourage reporting of issues & incidents ◦ Any perception that the incentive program may contribute to employees not reporting incidents needs immediate attention Use the eligible money every month ◦ Give away SRMax Slip Resistant Shoes ◦ Follow the required process, receipts, etc.

Safety Incentives

        Front line employees have the best ideas SC meetings should be fixed, not pushed Post the minutes of the last meeting and the agenda for the next meeting Recognize your SC members Keep it less than 60 minutes, facilitate Rotate members after about 4-6 months, one at a time, maintain continuity Not just a once-a-month responsibility SC members are ambassadors for safety

FAQ, Summary & Conclusion

   Keep it fun, get creative Get out of the conference room every so often, be visible Interaction should be positive and constructive, respectful – everybody has an opinion but keep it focused ◦ Resident Transfers / Repositioning / Body Mechanics ◦ ◦ Slips, Trips, Falls Combative / Aggressive Resident Behaviors

Finally…

Visit our Safety Committee page

 Questions?

 Contact Us for Help & Ideas ◦ Use the website   http://www.ltcinsuranceservices-safety.yolasite.com/ Intranet, Risk Management, Workers’ Comp.

◦ ◦ Email: [email protected]

Call: 727-365-4887