OSHA FIRST AID REQUIREMENTS IN THE WORKPLACE - ARE YOU IN COMPLIANCE?

Just as workers have a responsibility to conduct themselves safely in the workplace, employers have a moral and legal responsibility to mitigate the effects of any reasonably anticipated accidents or injuries. Specifically, employers must comply with OSHA Standard 1910.151, which states that "adequate first aid supplies shall be readily available."

This makes good fiscal sense for employers - too: A well-resourced injury prevention, first aid and emergency response program can pay off in terms of lower insurance premiums, less disruption to the work flow, and reduced absenteeism.

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The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has released federal guidelines for workplace first-aid programs. Specifics depend on your industry. Construction sites should have a more extensive first aid program than general industry workplaces, for example.

First Aid Kits. Consider directing a responsible worker to inventory your first aid kits, and ensure they are complete, supplies have not been used up, and components are not expired. For most workplaces, the minimum standard for a generic workplace first aid kit is outlined in American National Standard (ANSI) Z308.1-1978.

You can include over-the-counter medicines in a first aid kit - such as Tylenol or aspirin. But make sure you do not include anything in the kit that may cause drowsiness. A sleepy worker who has just taken some cold medicine could cause a workplace accident much worse than a cold could ever cause.

If you reasonably expect workers treating other injured employees could come into contact with blood or other pathogens, you should also consider including personal protective equipment, such as latex gloves, masks, gowns and face shields.

Training. Depending on your industry and the specific workplace hazards, it may not be enough to just have a first-aid kit on hand. You may need to invest in training employees in how to provide First Aid, and CPR, and possibly the use of cardiopulmonary defibrillators. In some cases, your license or contract requires you to have trained and certified staff on hand.

Implementation. Occupational health and safety compliance is a full-time job in itself in some companies. If you have a lot of staff or have staff routinely exposed to hazardous conditions on site, you may want to appoint a health and safety manager for your workplace. This individual can be responsible for tracking current first aid and CPR certifications, scheduling training, inventorying first aid kits and supplies, and making recommendations for improvements to management.

This employee should not only be familiar with OSHA regulations on first aid and occupational safety and health, but also with regulations at the state level, as well - which may be more onerous than federal regulation.

For more information, visit the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's website at www.osha.gov.

CONTROLLING WORKPLACE SAFETY PLAN COSTS

Some people may wonder if management professionals are trying hard enough to find ways to reduce company costs and risks associated with workplace injuries. Research shows that most managers are not taking proper measures in either area. If they could learn to make workplace safety and health as important as quality or production priorities, differences may start to appear. However, some companies place more focus on safety than what is necessary.

Although the idea of safety being first might sound like the best policy, it is not as effective when it is set extremely far above other priorities. Companies' priorities change quickly in today's advancing world. Many companies set safety so high above other priorities that employees often feel safety is the only goal they should try to achieve. In such a competitive world, speed should also be a priority. Since there are companies successfully producing at higher volumes while maintaining good speed and safety ratings, it is clearly possible to achieve both. However, this does not mean that either priority should be significantly higher than the other should.

If safety is set far above all other priorities, a considerable amount of money is required to fund an elaborate safety plan. This may be counterproductive to business. Every business owner knows the importance of striving to increase profits. However, not every business owner knows how to strive harder for profits while maintaining safety in the workplace. Instead of adopting the policy that safety should be first, it is better to implement a policy reflecting that while striving for higher productivity, proper safety is required to accomplish tasks. Such an idea implies that employees can work fast and hard toward better profits while staying safe.

This idea does not require employers to pour significant amounts of money into an elaborate safety plan. The key idea employers need to remember is that employees also want to see themselves go home unharmed and in one piece at the end of the day. Since this is the desire of both parties, the only task is implementing a way to weave safety measures into each task while not making them so extensive that they inhibit productivity.

The best way to approach such a task is to analyze each safety procedure, policy and program to evaluate its effectiveness. Many employers are surprised to find the source of their workplace injuries are a result of ineffective planning instead of employee faults. Update outdated plans, take note of weaknesses in policies and figure out what the cost of changes will be. One of the key ideas to remember is to focus more on educating managers. Many employers place their focus on only educating employees. It is important to increase manager education without decreasing employee education. Employees need to see that their managers are setting good examples of maintaining productivity and safety harmoniously. Both parties must understand the rewards of higher safety and productivity numbers and the consequences of lower safety and productivity numbers.

The overall idea to remember is that it is more expensive to react to situations than it is to prevent them. In addition to this, safety plans should not be too sparse or elaborate. Companies must perform their own analyses to determine what changes must be made. Managers and employees need to be educated to learn about how profits and productivity work and how to tie safety into their tasks. Making positive changes is an excellent way to save money, increase safety ratings and enjoy higher productivity.

MINIMIZE DRIVER RISK WITH MVR MONITORING

Risk management is a critical part of every business. Every employer knows that it's cheaper to prevent risks than deal with the consequences of ignoring them. This means it's important for all employers to screen applicants and monitor current employees. Some of the most costly mistakes made by employees take place when an employee must drive a company vehicle. Whether the nature of the company's business is driving or delivering, accidents and their consequences can be costly for employers.

Companies who hire drivers must protect themselves and their driving employees. In order to protect themselves, employers should use motor vehicle reports, which are commonly referred to as MVRs. These reports aren't difficult to obtain. In most states, interested parties can request this information online for a small fee. Some employers may also perform a background check to obtain a more extensive report. Any company regulated by the DOT is required to perform annual MVR scans on their drivers. Employers should always request the MVR of a new applicant for a job. In most cases, an applicant's driving history is a good prediction of whether or not they'll be a safety risk to the company.

It's important to provide driving safety training to any employees who will be behind the wheel. Although new and current employees may have impeccable driving records, it's important to take steps to prevent their records from changing. Regular training will refresh employees' memories of important driving rules. Be sure to educate employees about all company driving rules and regulations. If there are any changes to a company policy, be sure employees are aware of the changes.

Companies of all sizes should utilize MVRs for screening. Many smaller companies think that MVRs are only necessary for larger companies. However, this isn't true. Smaller companies often pay more for insurance that may not cover careless driving acts by an employee. Since smaller companies usually have less revenue than larger ones, a costly mistake by an employee could be a larger setback for a small company. Performing one MVR before employment isn't enough. Since these reports change each time a new conviction or record is added, it's important to request them periodically. Employees who begin showing patterns of reckless driving may need more training. In severe cases, they may need to be suspended from driving duties.

There are driver monitoring services available in some states. These provide employers with monthly or weekly updates. If drivers have license status changes or new violations, they'll appear in the report. Companies with a large volume of drivers usually benefit from this service. Smaller companies should consider requesting an MVR every few months. It's important for any company using MVRs to be aware of the regulations and statutes governing their use. State statutes, FCRA rules and DPPA regulations must all be considered. Employers must always disclose their reasons to employees and applicants for requesting such information. In addition to this, they must obtain written permission from these individuals before collecting regular MVRs.

Employers face several important considerations with MVRs. Companies need to develop a legal and fair structure for implementing driving restrictions. Decisions to restrict, suspend or terminate employees based on MVR information should comply with all applicable regulations. It's also important to consider outside factors. Insurance is a major influencing factor for driving restrictions. Be sure to understand the company insurance policy and its provisions. Drivers who don't meet the standards should not be permitted to drive company vehicles. If there are any questions or concerns regarding drivers and the company insurance policy, be sure to speak with an agent promptly.