Accident Prevention e-News November 2009	Volume 4/Issue 11/Nov 2009
In this Issue: RTW: the supervisor factor Photo tips for OHS reports H1N1: still time to protect your employees Snow, ice and slips: an ongoing inspection

RTW: the supervisor factor

Supervisors are a pivotal factor in the success of a return to work (RTW) program, says IAPA training specialist Ruth Barrett.

Supervisors often have

• a close relationship with the injured worker
• an intimate knowledge of, and ability to manage, the work environment

This means supervisors are typically in the best position to

• communicate with the absent worker
• determine whether proposed modified work is actually do-able
• ensure co-worker support when the injured worker returns
• monitor the modified work program’s performance

Most injured workers are eager to resume their jobs, but that’s not enough to get them back and working productively. These workers need reassurance, encouragement, support and, if returning to a modified work program, work that’s meaningful and productive.

Their supervisor is the person best positioned to help these workers, and look after their and the organization’s interests.

However, supervisors who lack the training or skill sets required to manage injured workers’ return, or who lack management support, may inadvertently

• delay the injured workers’ recovery and return to work
• compromise their ability to resume productive work
• damage labour-management relations
• increase injury costs

Here’s just one example: keeping in touch with injured workers who are still recovering at home is essential to the RTW process. These calls can sustain work relationships, encourage goodwill and trust, motivate the workers, and prevent problems once they’re back at work. This can be challenging for supervisors, who must maintain production, juggle everyday activities, and still find time to call the injured workers.

What knowledge or training do your supervisors have to manage their RTW responsibilities effectively?

It’s the employer’s responsibility to equip supervisors with the organizational and personal tools to meet their RTW duties, be positive and empathetic in their contact with workers, and support them during the RTW process.

How IAPA can help

1. Attend IAPA’s new course, Return to Work: Workshop for Supervisors (half-day)
   
   
2. Sign up for Return to Work: The Basics (1-hour e-course)
   
   
3. Calculate the real costs of a workplace injury, including time lost, with IAPA’s Small Business Safety Calculator

Photo tips for OHS reports
By Col Finnie

“A picture is worth a thousand words” rings as true for OHS material as anywhere else. But it’s also true that using inadequate photos can detract from the quality of what you’re trying to achieve.

I’m no graphic designer or expert photographer, but I’ve spent a bit of time on what works when using photos, and how to improve their quality.

Here are my five main “rules” on photos used in reports or any other OHS documentation:

• An image has to do work. If it’s not informing the reader, I don’t use it
• Make the image as big as necessary to inform the reader. I’d rather take up a page with one image and only a bit of supporting text vs. squeezing in an image so small the viewer can’t see what’s in it
• Use images to illustrate equipment that people may not recognize by name. Don’t assume everyone in the workplace knows equipment by name. A photo of it puts the identification beyond doubt
• Don’t muck about with words to describe a workplace location. A photo of the location (with the shot including a readily identifiable reference point) can be much more efficient
• Photos of recommended personal protective equipment (PPE), with necessary explanatory text, can communicate more than words. Be aware that colour rendition may vary with different computers. If colour coding is part of the PPE’s identity, support a shot with a clear written description

My two main bits of gear are

• a digital video camera (Sony Handycam), useful for moving footage of a work process. Comes into its own when putting together a wee movie and playing it back to a client while reviewing risk control options. I run a Mac, and iMovie is perfectly adequate for putting together movies. I whack in some subtitles over a few frames as a prompt for hazards or risks.

A video camera has another handy use: creating stills from actual moving footage. If I don’t need high quality images, and I don’t want to stop during an inspection to take notes, I slowly film the images and describe the issues or location via voice. If the camera work is too fast, the stills will be blurry.

After downloading the movie, I take any notes needed from the audio track and then make stills from the movie clips.

Note: if you have a newer video camera, it may have a still shot option. My Sony Handycam is about 6 years old, and doesn’t.

• a digital SLR camera. For high quality images or situations with poor lighting, I use a Canon 40D equipped with a relatively small focal length range in a zoom lens (24mm to 85mm).

Avoid “point and shoot” digital still cameras if you can. They can produce wonderful quality images, but a work gig revealed their weaknesses. Every shot had to count, and a second visit was not an option. To ensure I got the lighting or details I needed, I often had to manually over-ride auto shots, and the process was very slow. However, higher end digital still cameras are better designed and laid out to allow quick manual over-ride, or at very least allowing manual setting of critical settings like “film” speed and depth of field.

How to improve photo quality

Here are some simple tips, particularly on how to control what information you’re trying to convey in the shot.

• What you shoot is what you get. Our eyes and brains do a huge amount of work that a camera can’t. I ask myself, “What is the critical bit of information in the scene I’m looking at, and how can I make sure this bit is a feature of the shot?” Learn core principles, such as depth of field, rules of composition, and proper use of lighting. Take practice shots.

• When you think you’re close enough, take a step forward. Our brains may tell us, “Good, that looks clear,” but later we may find the important feature is much less prominent than we originally thought. Bigger is better.

• Full auto shooting isn’t really that handy. It’s tempting to have full auto shooting “rusted” in position on your camera photo mode dial. Fine for happy-snaps, not so good for documentary type photography. Full auto mode is not your friend: the “P” mode is. Lots of cameras have this priority mode as a selectable option; it allows you to manually adjust some of the most critical shooting controls, such as depth of field (via aperture control—also called “f-stops”) while letting the camera make its own decisions about other less important adjustments.

Example: automatic vs. manual set-up

Here are two photo examples of how full auto can be a real pain. I’m up close to the muffler. Let’s say our interest is in the general quality of the critical welds in front of the muffler. FYI: It’s a diesel, hence no catalytic converter.

The shot on the left is with all guns blazing—full auto. Notice how the

• flash creates distracting shadows
• auto selection of focus points mucks up the key information needed

The shot on the right was done in “P” mode. I had control over focus, depth of field and whether to use flash (more about the flash in tip 4). With only a small amount of knowledge, I was able to decide quickly which settings to use. The result: a sharper depiction of the 2 front welds.

Many cameras have selectable spots in the viewfinder or viewing screen that locate the primary focus point or points. This can be handy but, like full auto, the convenience can be a trap. For at least half of all work shots, focusing manually allows me to compose the shot for maximum effect. I can put the key feature where I want it in the viewfinder frame, and decide what else I need in the shot.

A good habit is to look at each part of the scene separately, whether peering into a conventional viewfinder or at a larger LCD viewing screen. This allows you to eliminate irrelevant or distracting components from the frame before shooting.

• Natural light is best. Flash with caution. Unless you’re in a studio with total control over the light and colour effects, natural light is always better than a light generated by a flash. A flash may flatten out shapes and distort colour reproduction.

Example: flash vs. natural light

This first pair of photos has a cable boot as the primary feature. The upper shot is the full disaster: auto on, flash blazing away, no real concern for composition. The flash has slammed a huge shadow at the top of the image, the colour of the boot is unnatural, and a bit of reinforcement wire distracts the viewer. The lower shot was taken in P mode with a high ISO setting. The higher the ISO, the more light the camera sensor absorbs. Note: for big shots, this can degrade detail. In the absence of flash, the cable boot colour is more natural. A lack of severe shadows helps to put the cable boot in context with the bits around it. As an aside, notice how the second shot is up in the upper third of the frame? This exploits the principle of “thirds.” Dividing an image into thirds, vertically and horizontally, generates natural points of interest. This creates multiple points in a frame to which a viewer’s eye will travel naturally.

The second pair of photos focuses on the universal joint in front of a differential. Both shots are pretty much in focus. But see how a flash used in the upper photo, by filling all shadows, detracts from the form of the universal joint? If the shape of an object is important, shoot without the flash. A simple tip when in dark situations: exploit the straight lines in which light travels. Depending on the size of the object you’re trying to shoot, just a bit of reflector can direct useful light onto the object. With the car bits I’ve shot here, a white sheet of paper on a clipboard would be all I need to almost double the amount of available light. Experiment with it. Grab a clipboard with a white sheet on it (even a printed sheet is better than nothing). Keep the sheet as close to the subject as you can.

There is one less commonly known use of a flash that can be very handy: shooting outside in daylight. We can’t always control where we shoot from and that may mean that the thing we want to feature has the sun behind it. If the thing you want to shoot is in shadow and you can get within the effective range of your flash (usually only about 3 or 4 metres in daylight), turn your flash on and check the shot. This is called using “in-fill” flash. With a bit of experimenting, you’ll see that by keeping a good distance away from your subject the harsh flash light will disperse a bit and you’ll lessen harsh shadows.

To sum up:

• semi-pro digital cameras give you more control over your shot, but a “point and shoot” can be made to work well if you understand its strengths and weaknesses, and experiment
• closer and bigger images are better
• take control over depth of field, focus points and ISO speed as a bare minimum. This helps you make the important features of your shot stick out, so that your image works harder to inform the viewer
• an on-camera flash is more likely to ruin a shot if you are relatively close to your subject. However, using a flash outside in daylight can work in your favour when used as “in-fill” light

Col Finnie is Director of fini:OHS, which provides safety reviews, safety management system development and set-up, editing and writing services for written OHS material (e.g., guidance material, safety bulletins, revising safe work procedures), and training services. fini:OHS is based in Victoria, NSW, AU: col@finiohs.com; www.finiohs.com

“Photo tips for OHS documentation” is excerpted from an article that appeared in Kevin Jones’ October Safety At Work Blog. Kevin is a freelance media provider and OHS advisor in Melbourne, Victoria: jonesk@safetyatwork.biz.

H1N1: still time to protect your employees

“Yes, we have quite a few people off,” said a member of an IAPA Safety Group chapter at a meeting earlier this month. “All because one person came to work sick.”

Consultant Val Whalley, who delivers IAPA’s half-day pandemic planning course, was at the meeting. Her message to members: you still have time to reduce the risk to your employees and your firm. And don’t assume the pandemic is nearing the end of its run. “We could be in for a long haul, and still face another wave.”

Whalley acknowledges that so far “this is a fairly mild pandemic. However, some firms could still be caught short.” Even with a mild pandemic, Canadian firms could face absenteeism levels of 30-35%.

In response to published opinions that the H1N1 flu may pose less of a health risk than seasonal flu, Whalley advises that it’s safer for firms to assume the worst.

“To date, I haven’t seen good science that says H1N1 is less risky than seasonal flu. Because we’ve never seen this virus, and we don’t have a natural immunity, it’s probably going to affect more of us. There may be fewer serious cases, but it could have a greater impact on your business given the potential number of people who could be affected.”

“Research shows that 43% of businesses experiencing a major crisis don’t reopen,” notes Whalley. “A further 29% close within two years.” Factor in the damage already done by a soft economy, and these percentages could rise.

A third wave still to come?

Health authorities believe we may now be in the second wave of H1N1. After this wave recedes, we may face a third. Three of the past 4 pandemics occurred in three waves. Here’s what the records show.

What to do

1. Assess the risk to your people, especially those at higher risk because of their jobs (e.g., front line staff, consultants, sales reps), and to your operations
   • what are your highest priorities
   • what operations or processes must keep going for the business to remain viable
2. Prepare infection control and business continuity plans to reduce the risk. For example:
   • institute flexible workplace and leave policies. Absenteeism spikes may result from workers who are sick, or who must stay home to care for family members who are ill
   • identify operations or processes that can be suspended if you need to move people into critical work areas
   • cross train employees so that they can fill critical gaps
3. Share your pandemic response measures with all employees, and explain what human resources policies, workplace and leave flexibilities, and pay and benefits will be available to them.
4. Share best practices with other firms in your community, especially members of your supply chain.
5. Promote good hygiene:
   • encourage employees to wash hands thoroughly and often
   • make alcohol-based hand sanitizers readily accessible
   • encourage employees to cough or sneeze into their sleeve
   • keep surfaces and items disinfected
6. Promote vaccinations. It’s in your best interest to give employees time off for a vaccination. “I’ll be getting an immunization less for myself, and more to avoid infecting someone else,” says Whalley. “It’s the high risk people that I’m most concerned about.”
7. Hold a clinic, if the opportunity exists. As of press time, government officials haven’t decided whether to provide vaccine for workplace clinics. As reported in a November 2008 Benefits Canada article on seasonal flu, the potential return on investment for a company of 1,000 employees and a participation rate of 20% is 300% to 700% from reduced absenteeism alone.
8. Send sick employees home, and keep them there until recovery is well underway.

Not up to speed? You’re not alone

According to a survey conducted by the Ontario Chamber of Commerce in September,

• 60% of respondents believe the threat of a pandemic is real
• 22% have an emergency plan in place
• 27% say they are working on developing one

Surprisingly, these results show little change from a 2005 survey: less than 50% of the 2005 respondents had a pandemic plan in place to protect their operations from business disruption.

 “Thinking in advance about how an organization might be affected, and how vital operations can be maintained in a diminished but manageable capacity in this environment, will help protect the survival of the company and protect jobs which are vitally needed in Ontario,” says Len Crispino, the chamber’s president & CEO. “It just makes good sense to have a plan in place for any kind of an emergency.”

How IAPA can help

1. Check out the pandemic planning section on IAPA’s website.
   
   
2. Sign up for these two courses:
   • Pandemic Planning: Is Your Business Ready, a half-day course that will help you develop strategies and take steps to minimize the impact of a pandemic on your business and your employees. It will also be available as a one-day on-site session, in which an IAPA consultant can help you start developing and implementing measures immediately. As the pandemic progresses, keep checking the website for additional dates
   • Emergency Response Planning, a 1.5-hour e-course. Although the course does not address pandemic planning directly, it offers guidance on developing and implementing a response plan for workplace emergencies
     
     
3. Order Emergency/Disaster Guidelines and Procedures for Employees, a book published by CCH Canadian in cooperation with IAPA that will help you prepare for any eventuality relating to disasters or emergencies

Snow, ice and slips: an ongoing inspection

Ministry of Labour inspectors are already conducting a slip, trip and fall hazard blitz as you read this, but at least one aspect of this blitz will continue all winter.

“Last year a number of critical injuries occurred as a result of slips, particularly in employee parking areas,” reports Wayne De L’Orme, provincial coordinator of the ministry’s Industrial Health and Safety Program. “Most of these injuries occurred in the November to March period. So, among the questions inspectors will be asking throughout the season are, ‘What procedures do you have in place to protect employees during periods when snow and ice accumulate?’”

Injuries occur daily

More than 50 people are injured in a same level slip/fall every day at work. That’s one almost every 30 minutes. Each is preventable.

Slips occur when

• there is too little traction between footwear and the walking surface, or
• walking surfaces are irregular

Prevent outdoor slip hazards

Workplaces may not be able to stop the snow and freezing rain, but you can prevent related injuries. Here are 3 winter tips provided by the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board:

1. keep steps, ramps, parking lots and walkways clear of mud, snow and ice:
   • don’t get caught by surprise—monitor the weather and expect slippery conditions
   • clear ice and snow before workers need to get into or out of the parking lot
   • use salt, sand or another proven anti-slip material to keep lots and walkways clear
   • have shovels and gloves available before icing conditions appear
   • ensure workers wear footwear appropriate for the conditions
2. provide good lighting and clear path markings in lots and walkways
3. clearly identify steps, ramps and other elevation changes

Prevent indoor slip/fall hazards

Make winter slip/fall prevention part of a broader, ongoing campaign.

1. Recognize that you can prevent injuries and identify where the potential exists. These housekeeping conditions are hazards:
   • wet or oily surfaces, especially near entrances during wet weather
   • occasional spills
   • loose, unanchored scatter rugs or mats
   • clutter
   • obstructions

These environmental conditions are hazards:

• flooring that is slippery or has irregular surfaces (ridges, steps, thresholds)
• poor lighting or visibility

2. Assess slip/fall hazards, and set standards and expectations. Assess the degree of risk by

• conducting a detailed inspection of work areas
• training individuals to watch for unsafe behaviour
• investigating all incidents, whether injuries occur or otherwise
• interviewing workers
• reviewing records of prior slips and falls, such as first-aid reports or minutes of joint health and safety committee meetings
• setting standards for eliminating and controlling slip/fall hazards. Every workplace should have workplace standards, expectations and rules that build on industry and regulatory guidelines

3. Control hazards by eliminating or reducing risk
   A company can control hazards if it

• sets an expectation that each worker has a role and responsibility to help prevent slips and falls
• communicates this expectation to all staff
• sets the highest standards for housekeeping, lighting and visibility
• identifies and reinforces the supervisor’s role in enforcing standards
• ensures that standards for preventing potential causes of slips and falls are met
• provides equipment that is in good repair and is used properly
• makes workers aware of slip and fall hazards
• trains workers how to avoid slips and falls, for themselves and other workers

Always take preventive measures, even with small or short duration jobs.

Remember your visitors/customers

If a visitor slips and suffers and injury, your workplace could be liable. The following two claims were filed in the US, but there’s nothing unique about the circumstances.

In 2000, Robert Yusem slipped on ice in the parking lot of a Pennsylvania industrial park, fracturing an elbow, arm and ankle. In a lawsuit, Yusems argued that the parking lot owner allowed water from rain spouts to drain onto the lot and driveway, and ice and snow to build up, creating a hazard. Seven years later, a jury awarded Yusems and his wife US$390,000 in damages.

In 2006, retail manager Margaret Garner slipped in the icy parking lot of a Missouri shopping mall while on her way to work. Garner fractured a thoracic vertebra, which pressed on her spinal cord and required emergency surgery. She was hospitalized for three weeks, off work for two months, and still has residual loss of muscle tone and sensation in her lower extremities. A firm that was contracted to remove snow and ice had treated travel lanes with a salt and sand mixture, but not the parking spaces. Garner fell while walking between parked cars. She eventually reached a US$825,000 settlement with the mall owner and the contractor.

Don’t think it could happen here? Back in 2004, CTV News reported that Mark Yakabuski, then Ontario vice-president of the Insurance Bureau of Canada, was warning that slip-and-fall claims were on the rise. “There's been a proliferation of slip-and-fall incidents,” said Yakabuski. “You just have to go to any court today and look at the number of slip-and-fall incidents... and there's a definite multiplication in the number.”

How IAPA can help

1. Read about the November slip, trip and fall blitz
   
   
2. Take one or both of these e-courses:
   • Preventing Falls from Slips and Trips in Ontario (1 hour). Practical information, case studies and tips to help workers, managers, supervisors and committees understand the causes of falls and take preventive measures
   • Ladder Safety (40 minutes). Provides a practical introduction to working safety with step, extension, and fixed ladders
     
     
3. Host a Falls From Heights Hazard Awareness Workshop (onsite only). This workshop addresses the relevant legislation and standards related to falls in addition to exposing participants to the “recognize, assess and control” elements of fall hazards. Participants have an opportunity to complete a fall hazards action plan
   
   
4. Order Inspecting Physical Conditions, Guidelines for Setting Standards, a resource book that sets out current standards and practices
   
   
5. Visit our Free Downloads section for a comprehensive selection of forms, publications, tools and other resources, including the following:

• Falls Cost Us All!
• Housekeeping at Work Ladders
• Preventing Slips/Falls and Loss of Balance in Industrial Workplaces
• Safety Signs and Colour at Work
• Walking and Working Surfaces