3 Key Elements of A Safety Culture
According to OSHA, “Safety cultures consist of shared beliefs, practices, and attitudes that exist at an establishment. Culture is the atmosphere created by those beliefs, attitudes, etc., which shape our behavior.”
Safety culture is the overall organizational attitude, belief, and values associated with safety in the workplace.
See the three key elements of a safety culture from Employers Compensation Insurance Company:
Many small and medium-sized businesses fail to invest in safety, when they’re the ones that can benefit the most from it. They have the most to lose in the face of a costly workplace accident. Creating a climate of safety doesn’t have to break the bank and it doesn’t require a large investment of time or a committed safety officer. Contact me today if you need help for your business.
Research is showing that, for every dollar a business invests in preventative measures, they’re seeing a four dollar return on that investment.
-JK
Los Angeles Has Highest Workers’ Comp Claim Costs in California
File this under the No Surprise folder but a new study by the Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau show that Los Angeles has the highest workers’ comp claim costs in California.
Among other key findings, “The Los Angeles/Long Beach Area is the most litigious region in California. Medical legal costs are over 2.8 percent of total incurred costs on indemnity claims in the Los Angeles/Long Beach area compared with 2.0 percent statewide.”
“Indemnity claim frequencies in the Los Angeles/Long Beach area were 24.0 percent higher” than the rest of the state of California.
Read more here from the Insurance Journal:
As frustrating as this is, none of it surprises me. Not a week goes by where I don’t see a workers’ comp claim come across my desk for “cumulative trauma” or “repetitive motion” from an attorney after termination of an employee. And as I always say, nobody hurts more from this than the honest business owner trying to get by everyday running an honest business. They’re the ones paying the costs of these claims.
Here’s a map showing the regional differences of indemnity claims as a share of the total claims counts in California:
-JK
Top 5 Workers’ Compensation Injury Types
Data recently collected from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the National Academy of Social Insurance shows that 65% of workers’ compensation costs can be traced to five common workplace injury types. By knowing the top five Workers’ Compensation injury types, employers can target those injuries and take action to prevent them.
According to the data, the following are the top five injury types:
- Overexertion injuries which are caused by pushing, pulling, carrying, holding or throwing.
- Falls on the same level that may happen for a variety of reasons, such as a wet floor or a tripping hazard.
- Being struck by equipment or an object, or even a vehicle. These injuries are common in the construction industry.
- Falls to a lower level, which can be prevented by using proper fall protection, ladder safety or scaffolding.
- Other exertions or bodily reactions, which can cause strains and sprains.
A safe workplace and injury prevention are vital to keeping your workers’ compensation costs down. If your company has an increased number of claims compared to previous years, this can directly affect your experience modification factor (also known as your mod factor) and increase your workers’ compensation premium. On the other hand, decreasing your number of claims can lower your mod factor and your premium.
For more information on workplace safety, including implementing or updating a safety program in your workplace, contact me at (310) 373-6441. We have the tools to help you take control of your workers’ compensation costs.
-JK
2014 Most Frequently Cited OSHA Standards
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently unveiled its top 10 most frequently cited violations at the annual National Safety Council Congress and Expo. The agency reports the leading causes of workplace injuries during its fiscal year (October through September).
The 2014 top 10 list of most frequently cited standards did not change significantly from 2013, with fall protection violations remaining at the top of the list. In fact, the top four most cited violations remained the same. The 2014 top 10 most frequently cited standards are as follows:
- Fall Protection (29 CFR 1926.501)
- Hazard Communication (29 CFR 1910.1200)
- Scaffolding (29 CFR 1926.501)
- Respiratory Protection (29 CFR 1910.134)
- Lockout/Tag out (29 CFR 1910.147)
- Powered Industrial Trucks (29 CFR 1910.178)
- Electrical – Wiring Methods (29 CFR 1910.305)
- Ladders (29 CFR 1926.1053)
- Machine Guarding (29 CFR 1910.212)
- Electrical – General Requirements (29 CFR1910.303)
This is kind of the abbreviated version. If you’re interested in seeing the definitions/explanations of these violations, you can contact me direct and I’ll send.
-JK
Bank Robbery Conspirator/ Deadbeat Charged With Workers’ Comp Fraud
One of the various reasons we see Workers Compensation Insurance rates on the rise are due in part to deadbeats like this. Not only in aiding of the robbery of her on bank branch of $565,500, Aurora Barrera, 33, later filed a claim for post-traumatic stress disorder. “The bank’s insurance company subsequently paid her more than $35,000 in disability benefits and covered more than $9,000 in medical bills associated with the alleged workplace injury.”
See the full story from the Los Angeles Times. More than happy to see her locked up for 9 years. Honest employers pay the price for frauds like Aurora Barrera.
-JK
Is Sitting The New Smoking?
Some doctors are saying that sitting is the new smoking. According to the Mayo Clinic, sitting, like smoking, is a pervasive problem that harms your health. Approximately 80% of Americans work a non-active job, making all-day sitting a common occurrence.
Lengthy, uninterrupted periods of sitting cause poor circulation and low calorie burn and are linked to various health problems, including obesity, hypertension, diabetes and cardiovascular disease, as well as stiffness, headaches and sluggishness.
Your job may require you to spend a considerable amount of time at a desk, or maybe you’re fond of all-day movie marathons. Try these tips to sit less, move more and improve your health:
- Stand while talking on the phone or watching television.
- Have a walking or standing meeting at work.
- Stand up and stretch at least every hour.
- Wear a pedometer and find ways to add steps into your daily routine.
- Take the stairs when possible.
- Consider walking or biking when commuting to work or running errands.
Source: Zywave, Inc.
JK
Access Your UV Index With This Online Tool
Did you know that you can access your UV index, which provides a forecast of the risk of overexposure to UV rays? This is a helpful tool for employers with outdoor workers.
Protect your outdoor employees from UV rays; check your UV index here: http://www2.epa.gov/sunwise/uv-index
As we speak, the temperature in long beach is 91+ degrees right now. The UV Index is 11 which is extreme:
At 11, protection against sun damage is needed. If you need to be outside during midday hours between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., take steps to reduce sun exposure. A shirt, hat and sunscreen are a must, and be sure you seek shade. Beach-goers should know that white sand and other bright surfaces reflect UV and can double UV exposure.
Check your UV index for yourself and be sure to keep outdoor employees protected from the sun.
-JK
Download OSHA’s Heat Safety Tool To Keep Workers Safe
When you’re working in the heat, safety comes first. With the OSHA Heat Safety Tool, you have vital safety information available whenever and wherever you need it—right on your mobile phone.
The app allows workers and supervisors to calculate the heat index for their work site, and, based on the heat index, displays a risk level to outdoor workers. Then, with a simple click, you can get reminders about the protective measures that should be taken at that risk level to protect workers from heat-related illness.
For more information about safety while working in the heat, see OSHA’s heat illness Web page, including new online guidance about using the heat index to protect workers. Download the app directly from OSHA’s website.
Photo by: CAL-OSHA
Forklift Operator Knocks Over $100,000 Worth of Liquor
As seen in this Youtube video, “in a Russian liquor warehouse, a forklift driver hits the gas in reverse and plows into a warehouse rack filled with liquor, causing a domino effect that brings down half the warehouse. There was over a hundred thousand dollars in damage. The driver survived. No report if he is still employed.”
All joking aside, an accident like this can have a vast impact on your business operations such as Property Damage with the destroyed product. Think about the extensive clean up and reorganization; the suspense of business operations/ business income/interruption exposure. Also, from a Workers Compensation and Employee Disability standpoint, there are injured employees which means lost time, recovery, employee shortage, and training costs for other employees to fill the void. This can have a devastating impact on your bottom line.
Here are some Safety Tips For Forklift Drivers:
Maintenance
- Each day, check that the forklift is ready for the day’s work and perform any necessary maintenance before operating.
- Report any malfunction or poor performance to your supervisor immediately.
Loading
- Use reverse when going down inclines and go forward up inclines.
- Do not travel with the load elevated, and keep the load stable and as close to the floor as possible.
- Avoid raising or lowering a load while the forklift is moving.
- Always keep the load tilted back towards the carriage while raising and lowering.
- Make sure the load is balanced and is within the capacity of the truck.
- Never use the forks as a personnel elevator unless properly equipped.
Driving
- Always make sure your driving path is clear.
- Slow down for corners, blind spots and doorways.
- Drive defensively by always being aware of your surroundings and watching for the unexpected.
- Be aware of ground conditions and always take the smoothest possible path.
- Never try to turn on an incline.
- Cross tracks diagonally and slow down for uneven surfaces.
- Keeps legs, arms, feet, hands and head inside the forklift.
- Be aware of others around the job site, in case they do not see you.
- Always give those on foot the right of way.
- Stay out from under forks and loads.
- Never show off or use the machine for anything other than your specified job tasks.
- Never give anyone a ride or allow anyone who is untrained to operate the forklift.
Finally, here’s a Sample Performance Test for Forklift Operators for reference to monitor your employee forklift drivers.
Minimize, monitor, and control the probability and/or impact of unfortunate events before they happen. That’s what Risk Management is all about.
-JK
OSHA Releases 2013 Most-cited Workplace Violations
Fall protection was once again the most-cited workplace safety violation in OSHA’s annual top 10 violations list for fiscal year 2013. The whole list is as follows:
- Fall protection: 8,241 Violations
- Hazard communication: 6,156 Violations
- Scaffolding: 5,423 Violations
- Respiratory protection: 3,879 Violations
- Electrical – wiring methods: 3,452 Violations
- Powered industrial trucks: 3,340 Violations
- Ladders: 3,311 Violations
- Lockout/ tagout: 3,254 Violations
- Electrical – general requirements: 2,745 Violations
- Machine guarding: 2,701 Violations
The list was presented at the National Safety Council Congress & Expo in early October.
Take this opportunity to review your company’s safety policies and address any areas of weakness.
Contact me or your risk manager to find out more about how you can reduce worker injuries and keep your employees safe and healthy.
-JK
About Me
I grew up in Fullerton, CA and graduated from Servite High School in Anaheim. I have my Bachelors degree from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. I currently live in Tustin, CA.
Please contact me if you need help with any of the following lines of insurance for your business:
-Cyber / Data Breach
-Commercial Property
-Commercial General Liability
-Products Liability
-Workers Compensation
-Commercial Auto
-Umbrella/Excess Liability
-Errors & Omissions/ Professional Liability
-Employment Practices Liability
-Directors & Officers
-Life & Disability Insurance
Jimmy Kinmartin, CPCU 