Analysts have pointed to a variety of reasons such as the economy, longer life expectancy, and rebellious nature of baby boomers that combine to keep older workers in the labor market.  Yet, the most pressing of all is the impending “brain drain” that is feared by most industries.  This is the idea that when the seniors and baby boomers retire, they will be taking with them precious knowledge that their younger counter parts simply do not possess.

So as employers look for new ways to “court” older workers, considering changes that could keep senior staff safe and healthy should be at the top of the list.  Before, making needless changes you should ask yourself the following questions:

Are you familiar with the physical needs of your senior staff?

Before making any changes, you need to be sure you are fully aware of the needs of your senior staff.  This will allow you to target changes for maximum effectiveness.  For example, redesign the workspace of senior staff that is constantly walking around the facility or standing at a line may be less effective than installing anti fatigue matting.

Is your safety equipment really safe for your senior staff?

This may seem like a stupid question, but think about it. While the weight of standard equipment doesn’t seem to bother your 20 somethings, it may be a huge stress to the joints and muscles of your senior staff.  And, the last thing you want is for your staff to have to choose between safety and comfort, regardless of their age.  So, consider ergonomic and light weight safety gear and equipment for your senior staff.

For a small business these changes, while helpful, may seem a bit expensive. So, if you are looking for simpler changes, consider the suggestions below:

• The 18 inch rule – designing work spaces to prevent the need for senior staff to reach for any objects or tasks that is greater than 18 inches away.
• Ten minute time outs – encouraging senior staff in positions that require repetitive motions to take 10 minute breaks to reposition or stretch a little throughout their work day.
• Shoe slip-ons – providing anti-slip shoe slip-ons to senior staff that spend a lot of time walking on slippery floors, such as those that are hardwood or tiles, especially during bad weather.
• Back/knee supports – providing additional back and knee supports to senior staff to reduce the stress placed on joints and muscles throughout their work day.

Keeping senior staff happy is a high priority for many business owners today.  So, it should come as no surprise that the best place to start is by increasing the measures taken to keep them safe.

• Start bi-annual or quarterly physical testing.  Most employers do a fit test upon hire.  However, as the working population ages, employers find themselves digesting unrelated medical injuries that increase the severity of workers’ compensation claim.
• Do not take requests lightly.  Supervisors and managers need to be trained to not dismiss any request for the repair of equipment or for additional safety gear.
• Ensure that all employees use safety equipment and follow safety precautions.  More often than not seasoned employees have their own way of doing things. And although, their way may be quicker, odds are good they are not safer.

You are probably wondering why review safety strategies that are based on logic.  Well these tactics are designed to reduce injuries through prevention without increasing costs.  And you will need those cost savings because an increase in costs should be anticipated.

• Your compensation costs are going to rise, due to an increase in workers compensation claims.  OSHA has started aggressively pursuing companies for under-reporting.  Expect new guidelines to surface regarding what types of injuries should be reported, forcing companies to count more accidents as compensation claims.
• An increase in claims will usually lead to an increase in a company’s experience modification, which will in effect a company’s workers compensation premium for at least 3 years.
• Your compliance costs will probably increase.  The expected new director of OSHA, David Michaels, is well known for promoting ergonomics.  Plus, with his views on musculoskeletal injuries, the entire industry is anticipating an ergonomics standard.  Since ergonomics has been more of a recommendation instead of a requirement, most companies will need to spend money in order to comply with any ergonomics standard.

Businesses seem to be holding their breath, but the key to any safety issue is prevention.  The direction of OSHA has many in the industry terrified.  Still, staying a head of the game on prevention will give you one less thing to worry about.

The ‘loudness’ or intensity of sound is measured using decibels (dBa), with a figure of around 45 dBa representing what most individuals would consider a quiet level of background noise.  On a worksite where heavy machinery or even hand tools are in frequent use, it is not inconceivable for noise levels to start at around 90 dBa.  Given that decibels are a logarithmic unit, this indicates far more than a doubling of ambient sound levels – it in fact represents a much, much louder environment.

To demonstrate just how quickly a decibel increase can result in hearing damage, it is helpful to look at the permissible exposure lengths to specific levels of sound provided by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).  Workers can tolerate a constant 90 dBa of noise for up to 8 hours before there is any danger of permanent hearing loss.  However, increase that value by merely 2 dBa and the safe exposure length drops to 6 hours.  At 95 dBa, the time before injury occurs is halved to four hours.

Just as continual exposure to high levels of noise can cause permanent injury to an employee’s ears, a brief transient spike of loud sound can be equally scarring.  Exposure to sounds as loud as 139 dBa for more than just .11 seconds can cause significant damage.  To put that volume of sound into perspective, 139 dBa is approximately the auditory equivalent of a jet taking off or a gunshot.  There are plenty of chemical and other transformative processes that can produce this level of audio energy.  Those working in construction can also be exposed to sudden noise spikes caused by blasting and other explosives use.

It is clear that a simple and inexpensive investment in hearing protection can go a long way towards protecting the health of workers across a broad range of industries.  Hearing protection is generally divided into over-ear and in-ear categories, with the former providing up to 29 dBa of noise reduction (Optime 105 Series Earmuff) and the latter coming very close to that level (26 dBa for Moldex ear plugs).  It is even possible to purchase custom-molded earplugs that can block up to 40 dBa of sound.

Of course, some jobs require hearing protection that doesn’t interfere with communications between workers.  Products like the Peltor Push Earmuffs feature the ability to momentarily disable sound attenuation to the point where a conversation is possible.  It is important that any type of hearing protection that can be easily defeated always be accompanied by training that indicates when it is appropriate to do so without increasing the risk of permanent hearing damage.

When most employers hear the phrase, “evaluating job hazards,” they envision a lengthy process and usually opt to hire a consultant.  Although hiring a consultant is the easiest way, evaluating the job hazards among your employees might be much easier than you think. Different consultants will approach it differently.  However, if you are considering evaluating your own job hazards, here are a few tips that will help.

• Analyze your work injury data.  This is the best place to start, because it offers a clear an objective look.  Often, employee in the same or similar positions will suffer from the same injuries.  In order for the analysis to be effective you need to look at the data for at least 2-3 years, to see a clear trend.  A trend in injuries may point to the need for specific personal protective equipment, additional training, or a new policy.
• Surveying employees is another effective way to evaluate job hazards.  Although for companies with 500 or more employees, consider surveying in waves, by department, job description, or shifts.  However, the key to obtaining useful data is creating an effective survey.  So, it is important that the survey focus is on safety, with room for comments and suggestions.
• If surveying is a bit grand for your company then implement a suggestion box program.  Still the suggestion box concept is often brushed off by employees. So, you will need to adapt the idea.  Promote it as a “Safety Suggestion Box,” and offer a prize ($50, gift certificate, etc.) for the safety idea that is best or implemented.  Be sure to have managers or supervisors check the box weekly.
• Issue a safety challenge to your employees. Understand that employees don’t want to get hurt, any more than you want to see them hurt.  So, it is not uncommon for employees to suggest safety equipment, new procedures, or different layouts.  If this is the case, be sure to encourage this type of attitude.  When employees suggest new equipment to make their job safer, allow them to make a business case for this equipment.  Meaning, if they can find the equipment at a specific (reasonable price) and it meets OSHA standards then you will consider it.

Evaluating job hazards may result in purchasing new equipment from time to time.  But, that’s a small price to pay to show your employees that you care about the safety.

There are other, less obvious health effects that go hand in hand with fatigue.  Workers who feel run down become more sensitive to stress, which can in turn render them susceptible to higher rates of sickness or depression when compared to the general population.  It can also make it more difficult for them to recover from an illness, or to function at the top of their game over the long term.  Those who are most affected include personnel who are asked to work long shifts under difficult circumstances, such as emergency medical personnel, fire fighters and police officers, as well as industrial and factory workers asked to perform double duty.

In order to better inform risk managers as to the effects of fatigue in the workplace and what can be done to mitigate the issue, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) will be presenting at the “Work, Stress and Health: Global Concerns and Approaches” conference, to be held between November 5 and 8, 2009 in San Juan, Puerto Rico.  The conference itself is sponsored by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, the American Psychological Association, the Society for Occupational Health and the University of Puerto Rico.

OSHA will table several methods for recognizing the symptoms and effects of fatigue in the workplace, as well as outline possible strategies for dealing with the problem.  These can include concepts such as decreasing shift lengths in favor of extended work cycles, and examining break frequency and length.  Risk managers can also proactively manage fatigue by scheduling difficult, complex or physically demanding tasks to take place at the beginning of a shift as opposed to the end.  While some industries feature a heavy overtime component, managers need to be cognizant of the fact that allowing workers to work extended shifts for more than a few days at a time can seriously impact their efficiency and health.

Employees cannot always be relied upon to accurately gauge their own fatigue level.  This inability to objectively self-evaluate is compounded by the fact that many workers feel that admitting to fatigue will place them lower in the estimation of their employers and possibly have a negative effect on their career path.  While they do not officially provide guidance in terms of the effects of extended work shifts, OSHA’s goal at the conference in San Juan is to provide the necessary tools to identify and deal with fatigue before it manifests itself as a workplace hazard.  As an added bonus, the conference will also address the issue of violence in the workplace.

Make the Case

• OSHA has created a DART rate for musculoskeletal disorders.  The recordkeeping investigation procedures details that if necessary an OSHA investigator will use s separate DART rate to calculate these specific type of injuries.
• The interview questions that will be asked of employees focus on pains that they did not report, but used over the counter products for instead.  This is common of muscle pains.
• Ergonomic injuries are often disconnected from workers compensation because it is often hard for employees to figure out when or how the injury actually occurred.  An essential part of the workers compensation process is being injured by accident.

However, for most employers the question whether or when a particular standard is coming is not as important as how much it will take to obtain compliance.  Although, it is impossible to know the particular details of an ergonomic standard until it is officially proposed.  There are aspects that you can bet will be covered by the standard.

• PPE.  You can definitely count on there being specified personal protective equipment for an ergonomic standard.  More than likely, the PPE for an ergonomic standard would revolve around back support, knee support, and wrist support.  So, to stay ahead of the curve, you should consider PPE that facilitates lower back support which is durable, promotes proper lifting, and easy to use.  Also, consider knee pads that relieve the stress that repetitive bending, squatting, and lifting can have on knees.  Knee support pads should be comfortable and stretchable.  Wrist protection should reduce median nerve pressure, adjustable and comfortable.  Depending on your type of business you should also consider anti-vibration gloves and elbow supports.
• Proper Body Mechanics.  After you look at the equipment needed to promote ergonomics, you should focus on body mechanics and positioning.  These are the tools that could require companies to change procedure to incorporate proper lifting techniques.
• Changing the Culture.  Finally, you can bet that an ergonomic standard would promote better reporting of musculoskeletal injuries.  Ways to track these injuries, methods for employees to report these injuries, and penalties for employers that discourage workers from reporting these injuries are pretty much expected in such a standard.

Even though an ergonomic standard has not been proposed there are several factors that point to the possibility.  As an employer, it is better to proactive when it comes to compliance.  Start looking at a ways to incorporate ergonomics today, so you can be in compliance for tomorrow.

References:

US Dept of Labor: OSHA Notice “Injury and Illness Recordkeeping National Emphasis Program;” http://www.osha.gov/OshDoc/Directive_pdf/CPL_02_09-08.pdf

The right mix of practice, design, and tools will vary by company.  However, the savings in workers compensation claims will be significant.  Workers compensation injuries for body parts such as the back, neck, and knees on average can range from $500 (without surgery) to $50,000 (with surgery).  And, these figures do not include costs of settlement and attorney fees for workers who are unable to come back to work. Costs are driven by workers’ entitlement to compensation benefits for at least 1 week with out surgery and at least 6 weeks with surgery.

Aside from the claim itself, other direct costs can be seen in the overtime pay needed for others to pick up the slack and the costs associated with hiring new employees. The hard numbers are the easiest to point out, but there are indirect costs, such as loss of productivity and morale, that should also be mentioned.

There are usually three main areas for incorporating ergonomics. Ergonomic practices include incorporating proper lifting techniques, stretching techniques, and encouraging good posture.  Ergonomic design involves organizing the workspace to promote natural flow and ease of movement.  Ergonomic tools, such as back supports, seek to relieve the stress put on a body while performing repetitive tasks overtime.  Together these tools prevent injuries and reduce conditions caused by repetitive strains and motions.  More companies are realizing the benefits of ergonomics and you should too.