Building Effective Health and Safety Committees C. Denise Bland Bowles, MOSE, CET Health and Safety Specialist AFSCME International 1
Introduction The AFSCME Approach to Health and Safety Understanding Safety Management Systems Laws That Affect You Finding Workplace Hazards Strategies for Fixing Hazards and Health and Safety Committees Incident Investigation 2
The AFSCME Approach = Stop Blaming the Victim Accidents are Preventable So called accidents are often caused by unsafe working conditions! A Systems Approach to Safety Therefore, the union must focus on changing working conditions that lead to incidents! 3
Systems Thinking Understanding how things influence one another within a whole Viewing problems as part of an overall system It is not one thing, but a set of practices or processes within a framework Focus on cyclical versus linear cause and effect 4
It s All About Processes A system succeeds or fails because of process If there is a failure in a process, or no process at all, an incident is likely to occur Examples are: procurement, inspection, documentation, incident investigation, training, and employee participation
What Role Does a Health and Safety Committee Serve in a Safety Management System? Health and Safety Committees play a key role in ensuring workers are heard on health and safety issues H & S Committees provides a vehicle for workers at all levels to get involved Labor-Management Committee s role is to identify and prioritize safety issues 6
Important Processes/procedures that must be developed Communication and reporting processes Hazard identification Requests to committee Requests from committee Corrective orders Results of investigations To the affected workers To the committee To management 7
Committee Structure, Duties and Responsibilities Part II 8
Labor-Management Committees Should have equal representation of union and management employees Roles of the committee should be clear and in writing Should allow open exchange of ideas Committee should be able to review records, investigate accidents, interview employees to collect information Plan of action developed for agreed upon suggestions 9
Problems Along the Way # 1 Priority is $$$ Committee recommendations seen as undoable Workers blame each other for safety and health problems in the workplace Employees may feel committee is just another ploy Committee doesn t have any real Power --no ability to act on recommendations Committee members may not see eye-to-eye 10
Know Which Laws Affect You NYS PESH Law DOT Regulations, especially those concerning CDLs NYS DEP Laws Building and Fire Codes Workers Compensation, / 11
Getting Information The committee collects information such as: surveys inspections job hazard analysis risk mapping incident reports reports or stories of near misses Safety Data Sheets and chemical inventory 12
Finding Hazards In the Workplace Survey workers Written surveys One on one communications Group Activities Symptom Surveys Health issues Walk Around Inspections Records Checks 13
Symptom Surveys-Body Mapping 14
Risk Mapping A participatory method to assist in hazard identification Each map represents a section of the workplace. Participants use colors and symbols to show where hazards are Hazards include: slips, trip, falls, needle sticks, chemicals, electricity, noise, ergo Great for training, too. 15
Inspections - What are you looking for? Obvious electrical hazards: exposed wires, damaged extension cords, uncovered junction boxes, grounding Clearly marked, accessible exits and doors Proper storage of chemicals Appropriate fire protection 16
Chemical Storage 17
Confined Space hazards Lockout/Tag out Guards on machines Maintained Equipment Ladders Other Slip trip and fall hazards Housekeeping Inspections - What are you looking for? 18
What Do You See? 19
Did You Know? That Slips, Trips and Falls account over a third of all injuries to public employees. Falls is the second leading cause of death (behind transportation accidents) at work Basic housekeeping and inspection can reduce many slip, trip and fall hazards 20
Housekeeping Review all processes/tasks that produce dust, moisture, oils or greases Select appropriate cleaning supplies for the job Have a regular cleaning schedule Do Not overcrowd storage areas Housekeeping should be a part of every weekly safety inspection 21
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Housekeeping Clean surfaces according to recommended schedules. Follow cleaning and drying methods and procedures, using appropriate cleaning products. Use an adequate number of highly visible wet floor signs or cones. Remove signs and cones when area is dry. 23
Housekeeping Floor/Work Surface Care Keep floors clean and free of water, mud, grease, debris, etc., and damage. Clean spills immediately. Mop or sweep up any debris. Repair any damages immediately, or replace if necessary. Cone or block off area until surface is completely dry or repaired before allowing people to walk through the area. Note: When mopping, avoid spreading the spillage and thus increasing the area of contamination. 24
What do You See? 25
What Do You See? 26
Fixing Problems - Hierarchy of Controls Once hazards are identified, management is responsible for fixing them Hazards should be controlled in the following order: Elimination or Substitution Engineering Controls Administrative Controls Personal Protective Equipment 27
Hierarchy of Health and Safety Controls Most Effective CONTROLS 1) Elimination or Substitution 2) Engineering Controls EXAMPLES change process to eliminate noise perform task at ground level substitute less hazardous material machine guarding ventilation systems circuit breakers platforms and guard railing Least Effective 3) Warnings 4) Administrative Controls 5) Personal Protective Equipment signs backup alarms beepers labels Procedures safe job procedures safety equipment inspections Training Hazard Communication Training Confined Space Entry safety glasses hearing protection face shields safety harnesses and lanyards 28
Introduction to Incident Investigation Part 3 29
Why Investigate? Describes what happened Determines real (Root) causes Decides the risk of recurrence Develops controls Defines trends Demonstrates Concern 30
Operational Systems Approach Design and Engineering Mechanical Integrity Mitigation Devices Warning Devices Training Procedures Administrative Procedures Environmental Factors Human Factors 31
Steel Warehouse Fatal Injury This incident occurred in the steel warehouse of a large manufacturing plant. A 5,000 pound steel coil fell approximately six feet causing serious crushing injuries to an employee performing inventory work. A fork truck near the stacked coils was moving a load of steel scrap on a pallet. The fork truck may have bumped one of the coils. The photos depict the conditions in the warehouse at the time of the incident. 32
Writing the Investigation Report Use a Standard Form Provide all identifying Information Describe incident in detail Results of Root Cause Analysis Evaluation - potential for loss Action Plan - what was done immediately as well as long term recommendations 33
Report Reviews Committee should look at all reports Quality Control timeliness identifying information cause analysis clarity Communication of results to the workers 34
Summary Health and safety committees give workers a chance to participate and make a difference through surveys, inspections, and investigations. Committee members should be involved in collecting information, identifying problems, and proposing solutions In providing solutions, always refer back to the hierarchy of controls Communication back to workers from the committee vital to getting worker buy-in 35