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How to reduce off-the-job injuries and cut health insurance costs
By Fred Rine
CEO, FDRsafety
When companies encourage their employees to lose weight and stop smoking, the health benefits for the employees are obvious - as are the savings for employers in lower insurance claims and less lost time.
But fewer companies are taking advantage of similar savings they could obtain if they took the same approach to employee safety off the job.
It's a not-so-well-known fact that only 4% of fatal accidents occur on the job. To prevent those kinds of accidents, most employers have structured on-the-job safety programs. If successful, those programs not only keep employees safe, they reduce workers compensation expense (and the potential expense of OSHA penalties).
But the remaining 96% of accidents - the ones that occur off the job -- are still a big source of employer expense, also in the form of health insurance and lost productivity. That expense could easily exceed workers comp costs simply because there are so many more off-the-job injuries.
So the next logical question is how to effectively reduce the number of those off-the-job accidents.
One obvious answer is to supply educational materials, on for example, safe driving. But the fact is that most people know how to drive safely - sometimes they just decide to ignore what they know is right in the interest of time or comfort. They drive too fast, put on makeup while in traffic or send text messages.
What's required is a tool to help people make better decisions and employers have that tool at their disposal in the form of safety awareness training that helps workers understand the "why" of acting safely rather than just the "how." The why is quite simply that by acting safely, people allow themselves, and those around them, to go home in one piece to their family and friends.
Safety awareness training builds in the same kind of mental alarm that goes off and prompts most drivers to slow down when small children are playing nearby.
The cost of off-the-job injuries to society is staggering - in excess of $245 billion a year, according to the National Safety Council. More than 9 million workers experience disabling off-the-job injuries each year. To estimate the cost of off-the-job injuries to your company, use this handy National Safety Council calculator. With effective safety awareness training, the potential for savings is enormous both in spared tragedy for employees and their families and in reduced expense for companies.
Fred Rine, CEO of FDRsafety, designed a safety awareness program that has been presented to more than 400,000 workers and managers.
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Free tool to conduct OSHA required hazard assessment for personal protective equipment
All general industry employers are required by OSHA to assess their workplace to determine if hazards are present, or are likely to be present, that would necessitate the use of personal protective equipment. (The term "general industry" refers to all companies not included in agriculture, construction or maritime.)
If you are unsure how to conduct such an assessment, we are providing a personal protective equipment assessment checklist that we use at FDRsafety. After conducting the assessment, employers must certify that they have done so. Employers can make that certification on the form we are providing.
If you have questions about the checklist or personal protective equipment, check with our information center.
We cannot stress enough the importance of personal protective equipment (PPE), which can range from safety glasses to gloves to special kinds of protective clothing, among other things.
Conducting the assessment is vital for employers, not just so they can meet OSHA requirements, but so they will know what is required to protect their workers and prevent injuries.
Having the right personal protective equipment available for employees is only half the battle for employers. The real trick is making sure that it is actually used. Workers sometimes fail to put it on because of time or comfort issues. Employers may want to investigate safety awareness training that not only teaches workers how to use PPE, but also motivates them to "want to" use it.
If you have questions about how to conduct a hazard assessment, please contact FDRsafety.
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Introducing Steve St. Laurent, Spanish-language safety awareness trainer
FDRsafety has brought on a new trainer, Steve St. Laurent, to teach our Safety Awareness course in Spanish. The safety awareness program motivates employees to "want to" act safely rather than "have to" follow rules.
Steve comes to FDRsafety having lived and worked in Mexico. During his time there, Steve gained a command of technical language in Spanish as well as everyday speech.
Steve earned a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering with a minor in Spanish from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He also holds a Masters Certificate in Business and Spanish from a leading Latin American university for Engineering and Business: Monterrey Institute of Technology.
For more information on our Spanish-language services, please contact us.
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Latest from our blog
OSHA's penalty push: Even more $100,000-plus fines than previously reported. OSHA has just reported that 164 companies were cited for penalties of $100,000 or more between Oct. 1, 2009, and Sept. 30, 2010.
The ingredients of a strong safety performance
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Visit our site!
www.FDRsafety.com
FDRsafety
278 Franklin Road
Brentwood, Tennessee 37027888-755-8010
info@FDRsafety.com
Our services include:OSHA compliance consultation Safety staffingTraining Industrial hygieneExpert witnessesMotivational speakers
ABOUT FDRsafetyAt the heart of FDRsafety is this simple idea: Extensive expertise and experience bring the best results. FDRsafety is led by two nationally recognized, long-time leaders in safety: Fred Rine and Jim Stanley. Each has decades of experience improving occupational safety and health performance at companies of all sizes, including complex multi-billion dollar, multinational organizations. FDRsafety can meet your needs for a wide range of safety and health services, including training, OSHA compliance, safety staffing and expert witnesses. Contact us to learn how we can help you reduce accidents, meet federal, state and local legal requirements, reduce costs, and most importantly, protect your greatest assets - your employees.
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