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Shops Can't Afford Not To Put Safety First         Personnelly Speaking by Robert Palow, Contributing Editor How many times have you asked your machine operators to use safety guards or wear safety glasses? Are you tired of the subtle conflict that always seems to arise when you ask them? So what have you done about it? If you're like most shop owners and managers, you probably give in to resistance. While that solution creates harmony on the shop floor, the long-term effects can have dire financial consequences if an accident or injury occurs. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics at the U.S. Department of Labor, Washington, DC, there were 18 fatal accidents involving metalworking-machine operators in 1996 (the latest data available). Contact with objects and equipment was cited as the cause of 77.8% of the accidents. These statistics raise a number of serious questions. Why do these accidents happen? How do workers and employers prevent them? What precautions must be taken? The main causes of metalworking machine accidents are lack of training, ineffective machine guards or lack of guards, and operators bypassing guards. Untrained operators using complicated and potentially dangerous machinery are a threat to themselves and their co-workers. No one should operate a metalworking machine without thorough training in safe operating techniques. Make sure all of your employees carefully review instruction manuals as part of their training. Machine guards should be used and must be working properly or it will only be a matter of time before an accident happens. Employees also contribute to unsafe working conditions when they try to bypass guards and interlocks. Many operators claim safety barriers are inconvenient, uncomfortable, and counterproductive. Despite those allegations, all policies regarding safety guards and personal protective equipment (e.g., safety glasses) must be strictly enforced at all times. In many facilities, there's a tendency to operate with a looser set of rules during the second or third shift. If your shop operates more than one shift, make sure safety procedures are always followed. If an injury occurs because a safety barrier was removed or altered, the actual costs of a lost-workday injury can be substantial. For every dollar you spend on the direct costs of a worker's injury or illness, you'll spend much more to cover indirect and hidden costs, such as reduced morale, lower productivity, and time spent completing paperwork generated by the incident. Failure to enforce safety standards and regulations can also impact customer satisfaction and delivery schedules. Workers' compensation insurance rates can be one of the most costly charges against your company's fixed expenses. In fact, your workers' compensation insurance-rate surcharge could be as high as 300% above the base rate if your company has an unsafe work environment. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires every company to maintain a written injury and illness program (IIP) that consists of the following eight elements: responsibility, accident/exposure investigation, compliance, hazard correction, communication, training and instruction, hazard assessment, and record keeping. During a random inspection or as a result of an investigation of an on-the-job injury, OSHA will verify your company's IIP. If it's not in place, OSHA can issue a citation in the amount of $50 to $1500 for each violation. Establishing and enforcing a complete safety program is essential to the efficient and profitable operation of your business. Shop owners and managers must take a proactive approach within the safety arena to ensure their lowest operating costs. In order to have a successful safety program, your employees need to buy into it. The following tips can help you enforce safety and prevent accidents in your shop: Meet regularly with machine operators and other shop personnel to observe and discuss safety procedures, machining processes, and equipment. All participants should be able to talk about dangerous or hazardous conditions without fear of reprisal and suggest how unsafe conditions can be corrected. Hold company wide safety meetings every month to reinforce your commitment to an accident-free work environment. Discussion should center on setting goals, solving problems, measuring progress, and planning actions to assure continuous improvement. Try revenue-sharing programs that consist of incentives such as a free meal, a bonus, or a day off. For instance, a special bonus of say, $50 per employee for machine operators who work injury-free for a month or a quarter will increase morale and create competition among employees to use safety precautions. Avoid fear tactics. They are usually unproductive when it comes to encouraging safety. The widespread use of admonitions such as, "Wear your safety glasses or you'll lose an eye," has little or no impact on employee behavior. Observe, acknowledge, and reinforce safe behavior rather than just reacting to unsafe behavior. Although managers may specify what behavior should be stopped, they often do not pinpoint what behavior should be occurring. It's important to be very specific about the safe behavior you would like to see again. About the author Robert Palow is president of RP Consultants, a Placentia, CA based company that specializes in labor and employment practices. He has more than 30 years of management and legal experience in the human resource field. 82/September 1998 Cutting Tool Engineering Copyright © 1998 RP Consultants All rights reserved [ Home | Company Info | Published Articles | Services | Feedback ]