Safe Workplace and Safety News

"Beware the ides of March" was the soothsayer’s warning to Julius Caesar in Shakespeare's play about the Roman Emperor. These days, the phrase has taken on the ominous meaning that something bad is about to occur on or around March 15.

Now, two researchers from Michigan State University have conducted a research project that could well contain the warning "Beware of the days after the change to Daylight Savings Time," the second Sunday in March when an hour of sleep is lost as clocks jump ahead.

Using U.S. Department of Labor and Mine Safety and Health Administration data, Christopher Barnes and David Wagner, both doctoral candidates studying industrial and organizational psychology, found that the number of workplace accidents spikes after Daylight Savings Time changes every March.

On the other hand, they found no significant increase in workplace accidents or sleep loss when the clocks were set back an hour in November.

In two separate studies, they found that the March switch to Daylight Savings Time resulted in 40 minutes less sleep for American workers, a 5.7 percent increase in workplace injuries and nearly 68 percent more work days lost to injuries.

The research will be reported in the September issue of the Journal of Applied Psychology.
But can losing one hour of sleep really make a difference? "Yes," said Barnes, "it can. Especially for those engaged in jobs requiring a high level of attention to detail. Studies have shown that lost sleep causes attention levels to drop off."

Recognizing this, that’s why some industries, like trucking and airlines, have regulations setting limits on the consecutive hours that truckers can drive or crews fly without taking a break.
Barnes and Wagner noted that some researchers claim the one-hour clock adjustment does not, and could not, impact accident rates in organizations. "We contend that the springtime change is associated with an increase in the number and severity of workplace accidents," they said.

There is other research available that tends to support Barnes and Wagner. A University of British Columbia study, using data from the Canadian Ministry of Transport, found that when Canada went into daylight savings time, there was an 8 percent increase risk of accidents on the Monday after the changeover. A similar study, using information from the U. S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, cited sleep deprivation as the most likely cause of a 17 percent increase in accidents on the Monday following the time change.

Barnes pointed out that is not uncommon for people to complain how tired they are when they lose sleep. Many people adjust to a pace where events recur regularly and they can be adversely affected when that schedule is disrupted. An obvious example is jet lag, which occurs when people travel across several time zones.

"Their internal clocks need some recovery time for these kind of disruptions," Wagner said.
Barnes noted that people assume the change to Daylight Savings is not going to greatly affect them. After all it’s only one hour. And if they do have an accident or make a mistake, they are not likely to attribute it to sleep loss.

While their study focused on physical accidents, Barnes and Wagner said a logical extension could be mistakes in the office or workplace, such as transposing figures on a spread-sheet or filling the wrong prescription in a pharmacy.

The researchers used figures from the American Time Use Survey conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which included more than 14,000 interviews. They also studied data from the Mine Safety and Health Administration. In analyzing those figures, it was clear that people lost an average of 40 minutes’ sleep following the change to Daylight Savings and there was a jump in workplace accidents following the time change.

They looked at all Mondays in a year and allowed for seasonal effects and other factors. For example, there is more likelihood of snow in Michigan and Minnesota in March than in other parts of the country and the bad weather may have been more of a contributing factor to accidents than the time change.

However, the results clearly show that sleep does have a profound effect upon human behavior and lack of sleep can have significant and serious results, they say.

So, when next March rolls around and clocks are turned forward an hour, organizations should be aware that Daylight Savings Time may save daylight, but not without some cost to organizations.

By the way, Caesar would have done well to heed the soothsayer’s warning. On the 15th of March his friends and colleagues assassinated him.

Labels: hazard identifcation, hazard prevention, safety statistics

Fifteen years ago the Springfield/Clark County (Ohio) Safety Council (SCCSC), seeking a showcase event that would advance its’ ability to reach out to its’ membership, started a Forklift Rodeo competition. This year's event, which has received international recognition, will be held October 30 & 31st.

Originally this was just a county-wide event, designed to, "promote the safe and efficient operation of forklifts in a fun, competitive environment." It was a modest success conducted out of doors on a parking lot. The second was rained out and postponed. Ever since it has been conducted indoors in a 35,000 sq. ft. Clark County Fairgrounds facility.

Under the direction of The Higgins Group, Inc., (HGI) the Rodeo’s innovator and facilitator, the SCCSC Rodeo has grown in popularity from a single county event, to a multi-county event, to an Ohio and regional event. It has grown from a one day to a two day (Fri – Sat ) event to enable increased participation. In 2006 it was renamed the "U.S. Open Forklift Rodeo," and it became an international competition.

Last month a regional rodeo, "SafeMOV Portugal," was conducted in Lisbon utilizing the HGI "how to" rodeo manual. The result was a huge success and they intend to send their two-person team to the SCCSC 2009 U.S. Open Forklift Rodeo. Meanwhile the Chesapeake Region Safety Council (Baltimore, MD) is preparing for an July 18th Forklift Rodeo with the assistance of HGI . They plan to send their championship team to the "U.S. Open Forklift Rodeo." A third rodeo using the SCCSC / HGI format also appears possible in Great Britain.

What are some of the features of the U.S. Open Forklift Rodeo?

1. Individual competition in conjunction with the two-person team element. Every operator is in the running for individual recognition as the "Top Gun" with the trophy and cash prize.

2. Two division levels, Master Operator & Championship which opens up the competition individual opportunity. Top Championship Division operators earn Master Operator qualification, cash prize, a jacket and they can compete in the Master’s Division in the future.

3. Top Teams (the combination of the two members scores, both divisions) earn a trophy.

4. A 25 question quiz taken from a Master Question File adds a knowledge element to the competition.

To learn more visit the Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce website www.greaterspringfield.com.

For additional information about the U.S. Open Forklift Rodeo contact The Higgins Group at +1 937.325.7858 or info.higginsgroup@yahoo.com

Washington State also runs a Forklift Rodeo. This summer they will hold their 12th annual Forklift Rodeo at three locations around the state, with the finals being held in October in the Tacoma Dome.

Labels: safety, Safety Training, Transportation Safety

A safety video from 1998 is getting a lot of attention on the internet. Called "Will You Be Here Tomorrow?" this video depicts, in a rapid succession, a series of industrial accidents... many of them very bloody. Although the "special effects" are low budget, it does an effective job of making people afraid of workplace accidents.

Labels: hazard identifcation, Safety Training, safety videos

This report comes from the Halifax News in Nova Scotia. I've seen a lot of creative ways to promote workplace safety in Canada, and this safety campaign from Canadian Workers’ Compensation Board is... well, it's creative.

The campaign is called "Silence Doesn’t Work Here," and it uses mimes to represent the dangers of not speaking out against workplace safety hazards.

The article quotes Shelley Rowan, Vice President of Strategy and Employee Engagement, "The idea came from the thought that when people don’t talk about workplace safety, people can get hurt. Mimes are the epitome of silence, yet have such a strong message."

Read the entire article here (and see a picture of a mime in action). Or visit the Silence Does Not Work Here web site.

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Labels: Workers Compensation Board, workplace safety

The Washington State Department of Labor and Industries (L&I), in partnership with four business and labor organizations, began an advertising campaign on Monday to raise awareness about the importance of workplace safety in Washington state.

Television, radio and Internet ads in Western Washington will spread the message that the most important reason for making your workplace safe is not at work at all. Instead, workplace safety is important as a means of sustaining relationships with family and friends outside the workplace.

The centerpiece ad, called Homecomings, shows people coming home from work to their loved ones, juxtaposed against one boy who is worried that his dad isn't home from work yet. The ad concludes with a reminder that, on average, two people die every week in Washington from on-the-job injuries and illnesses. The ads call attention to WorkSafe.Lni.wa.gov web site and resources for making workplaces safer.

L&I purchased licensing rights to an award-winning workplace-safety campaign developed in Australia, saving creative and development costs. The ads were repurposed for Washington residents, including voice-overs to eliminate the Australian accent.

In Australia, surveys showed that about 85 percent of viewers thought the ads were quite or very effective. Also, 24 percent of employers and 18 percent of employees said they had personally taken action as a result of the campaign. This was considered a very strong result in a low-interest category such as occupational safety and health.

About $450,000 in TV and radio airtime and Internet space has been purchased. The money comes from dedicated workers' compensation funds, which can't be used for purposes other than workers' comp and workplace safety.

Labels: safety, safety and the media

The bill that passed the Texas House last week allows some workers, who are covered by Worker's Comp., to also sue the work site owner for negligence or to obtain additional compensation for an on-the-job injury.

A Houston Chronical article explains that this change applies to contract workers. It states "The bill by Rep. Helen Giddings, D-Dallas, changes the Labor Code to clarify that plant owners aren’t immune from lawsuits merely because they buy workers’ comp coverage for their contracted workers."

You can read the entire Houston Chronicle article here.

The Southeast Text Record also reported on this providing some background information. They said:

"Last month, the state Supreme Court considered whether a contract employee injured at a work site can sue the site owner for negligence if the owner has workers' compensation insurance."

"On April 3, the court decided that the worker did not have the right to sue because the law does not explicitly prohibit a work site owner like Entergy from being considered a general contractor. General contractors are protected from workplace injury suits."

Labels: politics, safety management, Workers' Comp

The Wall Street Journal's Washington Wire reports that the U.S. Department of Labor will withdraw the proposal for a risk assessment of new workplace safety standards. The article reports that the "risk assessment proposal will be withdrawn in June. Critics have said the proposed rule would add extra steps to an already slow regulatory process by making it harder to prove the level of risk workers face when exposed to toxins on the job."

The complete article is available here.

Labels: OSHA, osha information, politics

If an employee injures themself while doing personal activities while at work, is that covered by Worker's Compensation? The California Court of Appeal says that it is.

A Costco employee purchased a cake at Costco for her sister. When she went to the Costco bakery to picked up the cake, she slipped and fell injuring herself. Costco denied reimbursement for her knee surgery, on the basis that she was engaged in a personal activity not a work related activity.

Risk & Insurance magazine reported on the court decision, saying:

"The court determined that retrieving the cake was more than a personal convenience. The claimant was simultaneously providing a financial benefit to the store in furtherance of the store's business activities. The court stated that according to the state's "dual purpose doctrine" when an employee combines her own business with that of the employer or attends to both at substantially the same time, the court will not make an inquiry into which business the employee was actually engaged in at the time of injury, unless it clearly appears that neither could be serving the employer."

Read the complete article.

Labels: employment, Workers' Comp

A special worker health and safety program that targets employers that repeatedly put their workers in harms way is not working and needs to be refocused, witnesses told the Workforce Protections Subcommittee of the House Education and Labor Committee today.

"After six years of operation, it’s clear that the Enhanced Enforcement Program original design is flawed, and that OSHA under the Bush administration did not implement the program as intended," said U.S. Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-CA), chair of the subcommittee. "We need to know why the program is not working and what we can do to fix it. The EEP has failed hundreds of workers like Jesus Rojas, and that is just not acceptable."

The Enhanced Enforcement Program, created in 2003 by the Bush administration after an exposé into the poor safety and health record of the McWane Corporation, identifies high risk employers by their past behavior and targets them for additional scrutiny. However, the U.S. Department of Labor Inspector General found the Bush federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration did not properly carry out the initiative and it failed to effectively deter employers from putting workers’ lives at risk.

"It is essential that OSHA target its limited resources to inspect workplaces with the highest risk of hazardous conditions that have greater potential to cause injuries and fatalities," said Elliot Lewis, assistant inspector general for audits at the U.S. Department of Labor. "While we cannot conclude that the enhanced enforcement would prevent subsequent fatalities, full and proper application of EEP procedures may have deterred and abated workplace hazards at the worksites of 45 employers where 58 subsequent fatalities occurred."

The Inspector General report also referenced additional businesses that should have been included in the Enhanced Enforcement Program, but never were. The report cited the death of Raul Figueroa, a mechanic at Waste Management in Florida who was killed while repairing a truck. OSHA cited Waste Management for a serious violation that resulted in the death of Figueroa.

"For some time before his death, my stepfather complained about safety problems at the facility,” said Jesus Royas, Figueroa’s stepson. "Companies like Waste Management should not be allowed to cut corners and compromise safety."

Witnesses also said the current program is too limited in scope because it does not focus on corporate-wide investigations and does not focus on the most flagrant violations that occur before workers are killed.

"What is needed is a more systemic, holistic examination of the current OSHA enforcement regime," said Eric Frumin, director of health and safety at Change to Win. "Waste Management's OSHA violations increased by 28 percent over the period 2003 to 2007. If Waste Management had implemented a comprehensive safety program, and held its managers accountable, Raul Figueroa might well be alive today."

The current head of OSHA testified that the agency is working on improving the Enhanced Enforcement Program.

"The Enhanced Enforcement Program was designed…to focus enforcement efforts on recalcitrant employers," said Jordan Barab, acting head of OSHA. "OSHA is exploring ways to reinvigorate the EEP, and the OIG report provides a starting point for our efforts to do this in the most effective way."

Labels: OSHA, osha information, OSHA Inspections, safety management, safety regulations

The Dana Point Times headlines this story with:

"HUSBAND AND WIFE ARRESTED AND CHARGED WITH CALIFORNIA'S LARGEST PREMIUM INSURANCE FRAUD SCAM FOR COMMITTING $38 MILLION IN FRAUD AND SPENDING HIDDEN INCOME ON LAVISH LIFESTYLE"

By providing false employee and payroll records, submitting false injury claims, and not fully reporting their income for income tax purposes, Michael Vincent Petronella and his wife Devon Lynn Kile had a lavish lifestyle that included five properties in California and Texas, a Bently, two Ferraris, and expensive jewelry, shoes and clothes.

The Dana Point Times describes how the scam started to come apart. Here is what they reported:

"Petronella and Kile own three businesses including Petronella Corporation, Western Cleanoff, Inc., and The Reroofing Specialists, Inc. The businesses are located in Costa Mesa and Cathedral City, Riverside County."

Labels: safety fraud, Workers' Comp