Safety Programs: Are They Possible and Do They Really Work?
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 261,470 American workers were injured in slips, trips and falls in 2006. An additional 827 lost their lives. Though 49% of those fatalities were from rooftops, ladders and scaffolding, 11% were falls on level ground or on stairs or steps. That indicates that even employees in “safe” environments such as office settings, medical facilities and retail stores suffered falls severe enough to lose their lives!
Because slips, trips and falls are the greatest work-site dangers, CBR has teamed with our workers comp carrier and loss consultants to kick off a proactive initiative targeting this risk. Thus, CBR’s President, Aaron Witsoe, has declared July “Fall Hazard Awareness Month” and has authorized the Risk Department to provide free resources to clients in order to create awareness of this very significant hazard.
Mark your calendar for 10:00 am (AZ time) Thursday, June 26. On that day, we will officially kick off “Fall Hazard Awareness Month,” with a Safety Webinar focusing on fall hazards. This webinar is free of charge to all CBR clients and is intended for owners, managers and supervisors (though other employees are certainly welcome). We strongly encourage representatives from your company to take advantage of this opportunity. See the CBR Safety Training page for more information, or simply Register Now for that webinar.
To those who attend the Safety Webinar, we will provide resources to help make “Fall Hazard Awareness Month” a focus for your company, even if your company does not have extreme fall exposure. Here are some resources we are currently developing:
- PowerPoint presentations you may use to conduct safety meetings.
- PDF documents you may use or distribute during safety meetings.
- “Tailgate Topics” you may use during safety meetings.
- Checklists you may use to evaluate fall hazards at worksites.
Why All the Fuss?
Good question…I’m glad you asked! Thankfully, no CBR client employees have lost their lives due to falls or any other work-related injury. However, there have been falls severe enough to cause significant disability. Though the Incident Pyramid (at right) has been revised over the years, the principle remains the same: the number of “near misses” will indicate the likelihood of property damage and minor injuries, which in turn, are good predictors of serious/fatal injuries. Thus we know that, in order to head off major injuries and death, we have to target further down the pyramid.
By implementing and encouraging awareness of fall hazards before a serious accident or death occurs, we cut down on the number of near misses and minor incidences. If you are honest, I’m sure you will agree that you have experienced near misses at your workplace. Why not address fall hazards now, rather than wait for “the big one” to happen? We will provide resources for you to do just that!
Why Focus on Fall Hazards?
As indicated by the statistics above, falls are the most debilitating injuries to workers, and the most costly to employers. Here is a true case study to illustrate that:
A 23-year-old worker climbed a 10’ extension ladder to perform his job task. As he neared the top of the ladder he realized he could not quite reach what he needed to reach. Therefore, he turned backward on the ladder to sit on the upper rung. At that point, the feet of the ladder slipped, causing the employee to fall approximately 8’ to the ground. This worker suffered a lower back injury that required hospitalization and fusion of four vertebras. Because of his age, he will almost certainly require at least one more back surgery in his lifetime, due to breakdown of the fusion over years.
What did this incident cost the employee? In general, he will never have the same quality of life that he had before. Those vertebras will never recover, and his condition will require maintenance medication for the rest of his life. Additionally, he faces the probability of additional surgeries. He is unable to do the things a 23-year-old is normally able to do. In addition, this worker’s family is now affected by his limitations as well. Those costs don’t have “hard dollar” value, but they have a tremendous affect his quality of life.
In addition, he was without a paycheck for months, and is currently not able to perform the job functions he once did. His capacity to earn the same wages as before is drastically reduced. Yes, workers comp insurance compensated for lost wages while he was off, but could you survive on only 2/3 of your average wages? And what must life be like knowing you cannot earn what you might have if the injury had not occurred.
What did this incident cost the company? According to numerous studies, the “hidden costs” of incidents, such as hiring replacements (paying a second person to do the same thing, while also “paying” the injured worker), re-training, damage to equipment, increase in insurance costs, etc are conservatively calculated at double the amount of the “hard costs” (doctors bills, hospital bills, medication, etc). The hard costs in this case exceed $290,000, leaving the “hidden costs” at somewhere around $580,000. How much production would be required for your company to recover $580,000? If your profit margin is only 5%, it would take a staggering $11.6 million in additional production to re-coup costs of that one incident.
Join in “Fall Hazard Awareness Month”
Regardless of the type of industry in which your company engages, your workers’ greatest non-vehicular dangers are slips, trips and falls. We have seen severe injuries occur due to “simple” falls on flat surfaces. Thus, Fall Hazard Awareness is essential to every company.
Please take advantage of the resources provided by CBR, beginning with the Safety Webinar on June 26 at 10:00 am (Arizona time). Register now to reserve your seat and to find out how to obtain lots of free resources! Then, participate in “Fall Hazard Awareness Month” by using those resources to increase awareness of fall hazards at your workplace.
Contact us or request a proposal for more information!
