Safety Is Everybody's Business

1
Safety Is Everybody's Business

• OSU Environmental Health Safety

2
Course Objectives

• Help you decide that safety IS everybodys
  business, and why
• Provide you with an understanding of accident
  causes
• Explain safety responsibilities
• For both employees and employers
• Introduce you to specific safety topics
• Fire safety, lab safety, office safety

3
Why Worry about Safety?

• Why do you need to be concerned about safety?

Loss
WC
Pain!
EPA

DOL
Lost time
Hurt
4
Why Worry Common Reasons

1. Getting hurt isnt fun!!!

Not All Pain is GainNobody likes getting
hurtHealthy employees are moreproductive
employees
5
Why Worry Common Reasons

1. Getting hurt isnt fun!!!

1. Cost of Accidents

6
Cost of Accidents

• Direct Costs
• Medical Costs (including workers comp)
• Indemnity Payments
• Indirect Costs
• Time Lost (by worker and supervisor)
• Schedule delays
• Training new employees
• Cleanup time / equipment repairs
• Legal fees

7
Cost of Accidents
The Iceberg Effect

• On average, the indirect costs of accidents
  exceed the direct costs by a 41 ratio

8
Cost of Accidents

• What does that mean for OSU?
• FY 1997 499 claims for 1,485,068
• FY 1999 579 claims for 1,902,688
• FY 2000 550 claims for 1,582,169
• (Direct costs in Workers Compensation)

Multiply by four to estimate indirect costs to
the University
9
Why Worry Common Reasons

1. Getting hurt isnt fun!!!
2. Cost of Accidents

1. Legal Issues and Liability

10
Legal Issues and Liability

• As a result of safety violations
• You can be named in a lawsuit
• Criminal charges may be filed against you
• You can be cited by an enforcement agency
• You can be fined by an enforcement agency
• Your lab/workplace can be shut down by an
  enforcement agency

11
Legal Issues and Liability

• Because of personal liability, and you can be
  named as a defendant in a lawsuit
• Working for the University does not protect you.
  

12
Legal Issues and Liability

• You can have criminal charges filed against you.
• Negligent supervisors and employers have been
  charged with manslaughter

13
Legal Issues and Liability

• You can be cited by an enforcement agency
• State Department of Labor (DOL)
• DOL is currently inspecting departments on campus
• EPA
• Theyve already been here, and theyre coming
  back!
• Federal OSHA has authority to get involved
• GM plant in OKC

14
Legal Issues and Liability

• You can be fined by an enforcement agency
• State DOL will issue citations first
• EPA will levy fines
• Boston University was fined 750,000 in 1997
• Brown University was fined 500,000 in 2000
• University of Hawaii was fined 1.7 million in
  December

15
Legal Issues and Liability

• Cease and desist orders if the violations are
  serious enough, agencies such as DOL, OSHA, and
  the EPA can (and will) shut down the job site
  until the problems are corrected.
• EHS has issued cease and desist orders on OSU
  projects, as well.

16
So how do you protect yourself?

• ????????

17
Understanding Accident Causes

• Accidents are caused by
• Unsafe conditions
• Unsafe acts

18
Accident Causes

• Unsafe Conditions
• Easiest to correct (and very cost effective)
• Easiest to prevent
• Safety audits
• Safety inspections
• Maintenance schedules for equipment
• Encouraging employee reporting
• Good housekeeping

19
Accident Causes

• Unsafe Acts
• Most difficult to address
• Changing behavior isnt easy
• Best prevented by developing a safety culture

20
Safety Cultures

• Establish accountability for safety
• Define safety responsibilities

21
Establishing Accountability Performance
Evaluations

• Employees should be evaluated on their safety
  performance
• Doing a job correctly includes doing it safely
• OSU job description revisions may include generic
  job descriptions with
• Must follow all general and safety policies and
  procedures as established by the department,
  college/division, and university.

22
Establishing Accountability

• Charge back systems
• Safety goals
• Accident costs
• Equipment damage
• Lost time
• Accident rates
• First aid s
• Workers comp s
• Loss ratios (including automobile rates)
• Safety Activities
• Safety meetings, inspections, using PPE

23
Defining Responsibilities

• Employee responsibilities include
• Recognizing safety hazards
• Reporting safety hazards
• Maintaining good housekeeping
• Working safely
• Using personal protective equipment (PPE)
• Making the most of safety training

24
Defining Responsibilities

• Employer responsibilities include
• Providing access to information
• Haz Com - MSDSs, written program
• Bloodborne Pathogens written program
• Lab Safety chemical hygiene plan

25
Defining Responsibilities

• Employer responsibilities (cont.)
• Providing personal protective equipment
• From OSHA 1910.132 Protective equipment,
  including personal protective equipment for eyes,
  face, head, and extremities, protective
  clothing, respiratory devices, and protective
  shields and barriers, shall be provided, used,
  and maintained in a sanitary and reliable
  condition wherever it is necessary by reason of
  hazards of processes or environment, chemical
  hazards, radiological hazards, or mechanical
  irritants encountered in a manner capable of
  causing injury or impairment in the function of
  any part of the body through absorption,
  inhalation or physical contact.

26
Defining Responsibilities

• Employer responsibilities (cont.)
• Providing training
• Hazard Communications
• Annual within first 30 days of employment, also
  when new hazards are introduced
• Quarterly safety training (required by state)
• Special programs
• Laboratory
• Bloodborne pathogens
• Respirators
• Forklifts

27
Defining Responsibilities

• Employer responsibilities (cont.)
• OSHA General Duty Clause Each employer
• Has the general duty to furnish each employee
  with employment and places of employment free
  from recognized hazards causing or likely to
  cause death or serious physical harm.
• The specific duty of complying with safety and
  health standards promulgated under the act.

28
So what does all this mean?

• It means that safety is everybodys business.
• From the moral aspect to the legal aspect, we all
  benefit from a safe work environment.

29
For more information

• Check out the EHS website
• http//www.pp.okstate.edu/ehs/
• Call EHS at 4-7241
• Email me at
• hogan_at_pp.okstate.edu