What’s the Real Impact of an OSHA Citation?

OSHA inspections at a job site or facility can arise from recent severe injuries, employee complaints, referrals from another government agency, planned targeted industries, or even follow up inspections from a previous visit.
These inspections can put a lot on the line for employers, especially if they lead to citations.
OSHA recently increased the dollar amount for citations as much as 80%. As of January 2, 2018, the following penalty amounts apply:
  • Serious / Other-Than-Serious / Posting Requirements – $12,934 per violation
  • Failure to Abate Prior Violation – $12,934 per day beyond the abatement date
  • Willful / Repeated Violations – $129,336

Fines alone can be substantial, especially if employers have a history of violations, previous citations, or issues that have made them subject to OSHA’s Severe Violator Enforcement Program or criminal violations. In addition, ancillary costs may persist into the future and have a significant impact on a businesses’ bottom line and ability to remain in business.

These include:

  • Costs associated with abatement – Employers are required by law to certify full and complete abatement of alleged hazards, which means they must first determine what, according to OSHA, should be done to abate the condition noted in the violation.Many times employers simply explain that “more training” will prevent future recurrence. Often, however, OSHA requires substantial changes in materials, equipment, and practices used by employers. Not only do these changes inherently cost time and money, they may also impact employers through slowed or reduced rates of production, which directly affects revenue.
  • Risks of future litigation – OSHA citations create the potential for collateral damage, including civil lawsuits related to liability, workers’ compensation, personal injury or wrongful death lawsuits, indemnification proceedings, and more. They can also open the door to parallel inspections and sanctions from other regulatory authorities, ranging from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to the Wage and Hourly Division (DOL). These matters are fact-specific, but that can be substantially impacted by OSHA citations.
  • Repeat citations – OSHA’s repeat citation policy allows the agency to classify new violations involving similar hazards related to the same CFR standard as repeat violations, which carry fines up to $129,336. This can significantly impact employers, especially when companies operate multiple locations and facilities.
  • Willful citations – Violations classified as willful allege employers intentionally and knowingly disregarded regulations. OSHA dedicates additional resources to handling willful citations, which can not only result in significantly enhanced fines, punitive damages, and criminal violations, but also future risks involving increased oversight (i.e. more frequent inspections and citations) and company reputation. In some cases, willful violations may have criminal implications, especially if they result in catastrophes and/or death.
  • Competition/loss of contracts – Reputation is not only important to shareholders, employees, and consumers, but also to contractors and other companies with whom employers conduct business. Poor safety records can prevent the acquisition of new business contracts, and retaining current contracts, which is why citations and the levels the citations are graded at can put companies at a disadvantage and threaten their bottom line. In highly competitive industries, this can be magnified, as some companies decline projects involving businesses with even “serious” violations or a record of poor safety performance.

OSHA citations that seem small or insignificant can end up being extremely costly. OSHA citations remain on a company’s record for up to 5 years.

Reducing the potential for having citations is the best strategy through the hierarchy of controls, but if that inevitably fails you need the advice of experts to make informed decisions, such as to contest or to settle, redefine the category of the citation, reduce the fine amount or what abatement strategy to incorporate.

STC Safety Training and Compliance is dedicated in assisting employers throughout the OSHA inspection process by taking action immediately following workplace accidents, regulatory inspections, and/or citations to reduce current and future impacts on businesses.
If your company is cited by OSHA don’t wait to get help as OSHA only allows 15-working days to contest a citation. Reach out to one of our team members today for assistance.

Daniel James, STC Senior Consultant

Our consultants will be here to answer all of your questions.
Register now while seats are still available.
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Human & Organizational Performance (HOP)

The principles behind HOP are grounded in the same philosophy that helped improve the design of our cars. In the 1950’s our cars did very little to protect us from our own errors; there were no seatbelts and no airbags; a head on collision sent the steering column through the driver’s chest and the engine into his lap.

So, did we become better drivers since the 1950’s? NO, it is just that now our cars are designed assuming the driver or another driver will fail at some point and the car will be crashed.

This thinking led to advances in technology that, throughout the years, have increased the ability for the driver to fail safely (survive a car crash), despite the increasing speed of travel and increasing numbers of the cars on the road.

Human and Organizational Performance or “HOP” is a packaged way of thinking about how we can improve the workplace by combining stand-alone safety philosophies from the past.

“HOP is based on the premise that humans are error prone and that if we expect people to do things right all the time, we are most likely going to be disappointed – a lot!” –Andrea Baker

For many years we have tried to make workers “care more” and “pay more attention” to what they are doing so that they won’t make mistakes, but we know humans are fallible and if we expect people to do things right all the time we are most likely going to be let down.

The goal of HOP is to become a lot less surprised by human error and instead become a lot more interested in learning from mistakes to build more tolerant forgiving systems. HOP looks to tap into the workers as the solution by engaging them following an injury, near miss, good catch, high risk operation and even successes!

5 example questions to ask workers following an incident/event include:

      1. Are there potential hazards with this job that make people nervous?
      2. Do we need new or different tools and equipment?
      3. Do procedures need updating?
      4. Are there risky behaviors commonly associated with this job?
      5. What other near misses have you seen in this area?

HOW IS HOP DIFFERENT THAN BBS?

HOP is often lumped in with or even described as a form of Behavior Based Safety (BBS). While the 2 approaches both involve workers that is about as far as the similarities go. BBS over emphasizes activities of the worker instead of focusing on the system failures.

Behavior Based Safety tries to coach the employee to stop taking risks by observing workers actions and keeping a tally on scorecards instead of engaging the worker by asking what they need to allow margin of maneuverability without injury/failure.

HOP on the other hand assumes workers will make some mistakes and tries to create a forgiving system by designing failure into the process and allowing the failure to be successfully intervened by controls and safeguards.

BBS and HOP systems are not directly opposed to each other when it comes to keeping workers safe, so it’s not an either/or, and both have a place in keeping workers safe. The BBS approach while focusing on worker behavior allows much more variability in results whereas HOP focuses on building more tolerant forgiving systems that limit the likelihood of severe incidents.

Many believe that BBS safety strategies have now plateaued in their effectiveness and therefore instead of solely focusing on modifying human behavior like a Behavior Based Safety (BBS) System we should harness the power of the workers to identify and improve the systems.

BENEFITS OF HOP

Two major benefits of HOP include:

1) Reducing the “blame the employee” following injuries, and

2) Recognizing injuries/fatalities as a reflection of system failures.

This includes HOP education along with implementation of HOP tools. These error-reduction tools help employees before, during and after the job to stay safe.

One of the most conceptually tricky aspects of HOP is that it is not a program. The HOP is a philosophy which, when adopted, creates a local culture change that leads to better system design. The bottom line is that HOP believes workers are the solution to be harnessed, not the problem to be fixed as is observed in BBS.Underneath every seemingly obvious simple worker error, there is a 2nd deeper story.

A more complicated story…a story about the company and environment in which people work – (Dekker, 2006).

Human Organizational Performance works together with the processes/standards below:-

  • ANSI Z10 (PDCA)
  • Upcoming ISO 45001 (Similar to Z10)
  • OHSAS 18001 (Risk Based & OE)
  • Internal System (i.e. Framework)
  • ISO 9001 (Quality)

At STC, we understand the complexity of human behavior as it relates to safety system designs and decision making and would be happy to introduce your firm to the benefits and next steps to thinking outside the normal safety box.

If you would like to learn more about Human Organizational Performance (HOP) please contact us.

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Luck Favors the Prepared

 

Chances are, at one point or another, your company will experience a major incident, unexpected challenge or disaster. All too often companies do not focus on emergency preparedness until after the emergency has occurred. Whether it’s natural disasters or inclement weather, a medical emergency, major accident, a fire or even an active shooter, the impact that a catastrophic event can have on the safety of your employees and business can be devastating. Lack of preparation could mean major losses such as life and health or financial collapse.

 

 

The negative effects that a major incident or disaster can have on a company and its employees can be astronomical and, in some cases, fatal. The financial costs of recovering from one of these events, whether it be a fatality/fatalities, medical expenses, fines or rebuilding, can be insurmountable. Lost time, lower productivity and low morale are just some of the negative effects.

 

In almost every major emergency or natural disaster, there is always the risk of panic which can often cause more damage or even worse, more casualties. While “fight or flight” is often the response when someone thinks they are in danger, this type of reaction can sometimes lead us to make unwise decisions. Even if those decisions seem obvious in retrospect, the dangers associated with panic can often be underestimated. What matters the most in these situations is that you are prepared and have a plan to proactively protect your employees and business.

 

In addition to providing guidance during an emergency, there are many other benefits to being proactive and developing an emergency action plan.

 

  • Identifying workplace hazards and conditions that were previously unnoticed.
  • Identifying required emergency resources, training and equipment (or lack of).
  • The opportunity to address any identified deficiencies or hazardous conditions.
  • Preparing for emergencies displays the organization’s commitment to safety, boosting employee morale as a result.
  • Promotes safety awareness.
  • Increases productivity.
  • Limit the negative effects on your employees and company.

 

Despite the unique and highly complex challenges of individual industries, with professional guidance, your company can take a proactive approach to develop an Emergency Action Plan. It does not matter what industry you are in, if you prepare to accomplish these four goals, you can significantly limit the amount of damage caused by sudden or unexpected situations and emergencies.

 

  1. Preservation of life and health
  2. Reduce damage to assets and property
  3. Protect the environment and the community
  4. Resume normal business operations as soon as possible

 

Emergency situations can severely disrupt your companies’ operations. If you’re not prepared to handle  an unforeseen disaster, you run the risk of the safety of your employees and health of your business.
At STC, we are focused on preserving the world’s most precious resource – human life. We understand the importance of taking a proactive approach and being prepared for the unexpected. We can’t predict the degree or timing of a disastrous event, however, with STC’s guidance and preparation, the damage caused by serious situations can be kept to a minimum. Call STC if you need assistance or have concerns.

 

Chris Hall – SSH, STC Consultant

Chris has worked as a Safety Consultant for the last 4 years helping clients develop and implement safety plans.

 

 STC’s Insight

At STC, we are focused on preserving the word’s most precious resource – human life. In order to do that, we understand the importance of building strong Safety Systems that produce tangible results over time.

 

If you are interested in learning more about STC Safety and ways in which we can help your organization develop an effective safety management system, simply reply back to this email or call our office at the number listed below.

 

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HEAT-RELATED ILLNESSES

High temperatures this week!

Be aware, recognize the symptoms and take appropriate action.

 

Heat Related IllnessHeat-related illnesses can be prevented by following these steps:

  • Eat light – the more calories you consume, the more body heat you produce.
  • Wear lightweight clothing
  • Drink plenty of fluids, avoid caffeine.

 

HEAT CRAMPS: painful muscle spasms caused by the loss of electrolytes
Take action: have the worker sip water or a sports drink. Gently stretch, massage and ice the muscle.
HEAT SYNCOPE: the person becomes light-headed and faints when blood flow to the brain decreases.
Take action: have the worker lie down in a cool area until body temperature has leveled.
HEAT EXHAUSTION: occurs when the body loses too much water and salt. It causes weakness, dizziness, nausea, headache, heavy sweating.
Take action: have the worker lie down in a cool area. Remove excessive clothing, provide water/sports drink.
HEAT STROKE: occurs when the person has a rapid pulse, hot, red skin and has stopped sweating. May show mental confusion. If not treated promptly and properly, it can be extremely serious!
Take action: Call for medical help immediately! While waiting, take all steps available to cool the victim down: remove excessive clothing, immerse the victim in cold water, apply ice packs.

Recognizing the warning signs and getting workers to cooperate can effectively prevent heat related illnesses.

Temperaturas altas esta semana!
Esté alerta, reconozca los síntomas y actúe de forma apropiada.
Las enfermedades relacionadas con el exceso de calor se pueden prevenir siguiendo estos pasos:
  • Coma algo lijero – mientras más calorias consuma, más calor producirá su cuerpo.
  • Use ropa ligera y protéjase del sol con sombreros de ala ancha.
  • Tome mucho líquido durante el día y evite la cafeína.

CALAMBRES: Tome agua o alguna bebida isotómica. Estire y masajee el músculo y de ser necesario, aplique hielo.

SINCOPE A CAUSA DE CALOR: haga que el empleado repose en un lugar fresco hasta nivelar su temperatura.

AGOTAMIENTO: ocurre cuando el cuerpo ha perdido mucha agua y sal. Esto causa debilidad, mareos, náuseas, dolor de cabeza y sudor excesivo.
Acción inmediata: haga que el trabajador se recueste boca arriba en una zona fresca. Quítele el exceso de ropa, dele agua o alguna bebida isotómica.

GOLPE DE CALOR: cuando la persona tiene un pulso acelerado, la piel caliente y roja y ha dejado de sudar. Muchos trabajadores muestran confusion mental. Si no se trata de forma adecuada, puede ser extremadamente serio!

Acción inmediata: LLame a la asistencia médica! Mientras llega la asistencia, asegúrese de refrescar a la víctima de cualquier forma posible: sumérjalo en agua fría hasta el cuello, quítele el exceso de ropa, aplique hielo en el cuerpo.
Recocer las señales de alarma y motivar la cooperación de los trabajadores le ayudará a prevenir las enfermedades relacionadas con el calor.
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Injury Prevention

Safety Training

Accidents and injuries in the workplace can be very frightening to most companies in corporate America today. The US Department of Labor reported a total of 2,857,400 OSHA recordable cases in the US across all business sectors.

If we add numbers and dollar signs associated with those numbers, that means that the average back injury (sprain/strain) can cost more than $10,000 in direct costs (NSC Statistics) and anywhere from $30,000 up to $100,000 in indirect costs!

For a small growing company, this could mean putting their business in jeopardy financially, or impact their reputation in a negative way at an early stage of growth. For larger companies, this could mean years of paying out injury related and legal expenses.

To further understand the effects of injuries, this article sets forth some basic standard operating procedures employers can implement to understand the true cost of injuries in their workplace.

Effects of accidents and injuries in the workplace

Workplace accidents and injuries have several negative effects on employees, families, management and the company as a whole. Effects of injuries in the workplace include:

  • Financial costs from fines, medical treatments, death, survivor benefits, and safety corrections.
  • Lost time from disabling injuries, both from the injury itself and follow-up medical checkups after the injured employee returns to work.
  • Damage to employee morale leading to lower productivity.
  • Lower productivity while the injured employee is off work.
  • Reduced trust in management.
  • Increased absenteeism and turnover because employees don’t feel safe on the job.

However, accidents and injuries can also have the positive effect of focusing attention on safety issues and accident prevention. When an accident occurs, many employers don’t understand that the way each case is handled and the amount of care that members of management put into it, is the final impression that is transmitted to all employees.

If employees see that their employers take each accident and injury very serious, they’re more likely to assist in accident prevention programs and a positive morale will be present.

Estimating costs of accidents

Management needs to be able to determine the cost of accidents in order to prove that accidents are more costly than prevention programs. To estimate the cost of accidents, management members need to do the following:

1.Divide accidents into major classes:

    • Those involving lost workdays, permanent partial disabilities, and temporary total disabilities.
    • Those requiring treatment from an outside physician.
    • Those treated with first aid on site, with minimal property damage and work loss time.
    • Those requiring no first aid or physician visits.
2.Examine accounting records to determine the insured costs associated with accidents.
3.Calculate the uninsured costs associated with accidents, including the following:
    • Lost work hours
    • Medical costs
    • Property loss and damage
    • Insurance premiums
    • Hidden costs such as the cost of the investigation and emergency response.

Once the cost of several accidents over a period of time is known, an estimate can be made of the average cost of an accident in each class. This helps management create incentive programs and also new or improved accident prevention programs.

As an employer we all understand that any accident or injury that occurs on the job will cost money, the real question is, how much money? How do you evaluate the risks in your areas of employment? Where do you begin? What corrective action do you implement? How do you know that the corrective action taken is the most efficient and effective?
These questions can and will continue to add up, therefore, employers need the professional guidance and experience in these areas so that the real needs of their business are focused on to prevent future injuries.
Alan STCAlan Hurtado
STC Safety Consultant
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Safety Leadership

“It’s Not What You Know or What You Do. It’s HOW You Do It. “

STC Leadership

The saying, “It’s not what you know or what you do, but HOW you do it” best illustrates the difference between a safety professional and a safety leader.
Many of today’s corporate and industry leaders feel that, if they hire a safety professional who possesses all the accreditation’s and safety degrees available, they’re bound to end up with just the right person.
Invariably, a great deal of effort goes into recruiting a candidate who appears to have all the required “boxes ticked” only to sometimes discover that, while education and experience are undoubtedly essential, they are not the most important factors in determining whether a person will effectively lead the organization toward safety excellence.
The best results will be obtained, in fact, by those who possess the ability to combine education and experience with servant leadership.
Servant leadership is a widely recognized and highly valued leadership style that puts the focus on individuals and encourages the embracement of core values and personal development of the members of the organization.
An individual who, along with education and experience also embodies servant leadership, is a safety leader and will be far more likely to lead an organization toward the attainment of safety excellence than the safety professional who relies upon knowledge and experience only.
Here are a few indicators that differentiate the safety professional and safety leader:
  • Safety professionals lead from behind a desk.
  • Safety leaders lead from the front and are visible in all work places and accessible to their people -they are the veritable “Tip of the spear” in the charge toward safety excellence.
  • Safety professionals know the safety rules and regulations.
  • Safety leaders know the safety rules and regulations and can be relied upon consistently to set a personal example of adherence to the rules—they are, in essence, “Poster Children” for wearing PPE and complying with all established policies and procedures.
  • Safety professionals tell people what to do to comply with safety.
  • Safety leaders demonstrate personal compliance with safety and never ask people to do things they wouldn’t or couldn’t do themselves in the first place.
  • Safety professionals realize the importance of demonstrating competency and knowledge in managing resources.
  • Safety leaders realize the importance of sharing competency and knowledge with others to develop their skills and never forget that people are their most valuable asset—they genuinely care about people.
  • Safety professionals possess excellent speaking and writing abilities.
  • Safety leaders possess excellent speaking and writing abilities but put a premium on being an active listener—they seek to understand before being understood.
  • Safety professionals can be relied upon to make people accountable for safety.
  •  Safety leaders make people accountable for safety but can also be relied up to reward good behavior in the form of formal recognition or perhaps even a well-deserved pat on the back.

The list could go on, but have no doubt, there is a world of difference between a safety professional and a safety leader. The outcomes for the organization’s expectations and goals in pursuit of safety excellence will be determined not so much by what they know or do, but in HOW they do it.

STC’s Vision for Success

At STC, we are focused on preserving the world’s most precious resource – human life. In order to do that, we understand the importance of building and sustaining effective safety management systems that produce tangible results over time.
In order to implement this type of safety system, STC follows the practical framework of Plan-Do-Check Act (PDCA) which is included in ISO 45001. The 4 steps are summarized below:
Plan:
  • Identify safety hazards and risks in the workplace
  • Build and/or revise safety policies, programs & procedures
  • Establish safety goals & objectives moving forward
Do:
  • Put preventive & protective measures in place
  • Communicate safety policies and procedures to organization
  • Execute safety inspections/audits, training, meetings, investigations
Check:
  • Monitor and measure safety activities
  • Leverage technology for the trending and tracking of data
  • Analyze results consistently
Act:
  • Review safety results in comparison to set goals
  • Hold people and divisions accountable (positive or negative)
  • Improve overall plan and continue the cycle

As you can tell, this process is simplified to create a framework that gives way to continual improvement over time. STC Safety works with both leaders and employees to help build and sustain the safest working environment possible.

If you are interested in learning more about STC Safety and ways in which we can help your organization develop an effective safety management system, simply reply back to this email or call our office at the number listed below.
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OSHA 30 and OSHA 10 courses

Please join us at our next
OSHA 30 Hour Course

OSHA 10 Certification is available.

Please contact our office for details.

Phone: 972-347-3377 ext. 2

 

Stay informed about industry trends, regulations and best practices.

Dates:
Thursday, June 7 & Friday, June 8
Thursday, June 14 & Friday, June 15
Time: 8am – 5pm
Language: English only.
Cost per person:
OSHA 30 – $165
OSHA 10 – $130 (June 7th & 8th only)
Location: DALLAS
Register Now Closed
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ISO 45001 – What is it?

Recently, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) published ISO 45001, Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems – Requirements with Guidance for Use. This new global standard provides practical solutions for worker safety that are similar to other safety management system standards used in the workforce.

While many organizations already have a system in place, it is important for all professionals to familiarize themselves with this new standard to discover new and improved ways to implement the best safety system possible for their organization.
The challenge of integrating ISO’s new standard into an already existing safety management system is also an opportunity to affect organizational change. Here are 3 steps to take to begin this process:
  1. Examine and improve your current system
    • If your organization does not currently have a safety system, ISO 45001 is a great resource to use in order to develop one.
    • If your organization already uses another system, review ISO 45001 to discover areas to improve upon or adjust within you current safety management system.
  2. Engage with stakeholders
    • This is a great opportunity for safety professionals to bring occupational health & safety to the forefront and demonstrate its importance and benefits to leaders at all levels.
    • This engagement can create a ripple effect in promoting safety as a core value within your organization.
  3. Determine priorities and establish goals
    • By examining your current safety system and gathering feedback from both leaders and workers, organizations can establish newfound priorities and goals that relate safety success to overall business success.
    • If properly communicated and implemented, this business success will be manifested through reduced workplace incidents and insurance costs, enhanced reputation, and overall higher morale.

To learn more about ISO 45001, please click on the link below.

ISO 45001 Site

STC’s Vision for Success

Safety TrainingAt STC, we are focused on preserving the world’s most precious resource – human life. In order to do that, we understand the importance of building and sustaining effective safety management systems that produce tangible results over time.

In order to implement this type of safety system, STC follows the practical framework of Plan-Do-Check Act (PDCA) which is included in ISO 45001. The 4 steps are summarized below:
Plan:
  • Identify safety hazards and risks in the workplace
  • Build and/or revise safety policies, programs & procedures
  • Establish safety goals & objectives moving forward

Do:

  • Put preventive & protective measures in place
  • Communicate safety policies and procedures to organization
  • Execute safety inspections/audits, training, meetings, investigations

Check:

  • Monitor and measure safety activities
  • Leverage technology for the trending and tracking of data
  • Analyze results consistently

Act:

  • Review safety results in comparison to set goals
  • Hold people and divisions accountable (positive or negative)
  • Improve overall plan and continue the cycle

As you can tell, this process is simplified to create a framework that gives way to continual improvement over time. STC Safety works with both leaders and employees to help build and sustain the safest working environment possible.

If you are interested in learning more about STC Safety and ways in which we can help your organization develop an effective safety management system, simply reply back to this email or call our office at the number listed below.

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Post OSHA 300A Logs by February 1st

STC Safety is sending out a friendly reminder for employers to physically post their OSHA 300A Forms in a noticeable location beginning tomorrow, February 1st through the end of April. This form lists a summary of job-related illnesses and injuries that occurred in 2017.

Additionally, certain employers are required to submit their 2017 OSHA 300A Form online through the Injury Tracking Application (ITA) by July 1st of this year. To access the link to the online tracking application and all OSHA recordkeeping forms, please click on the link below.

If you are in need of any assistance when it comes to OSHA logs or any other area of your safety program, please reply back to this email or call STC’s office at 972-347-3377. Thanks for your time, and have a great and safe day!

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Have a Safe and Happy New Year

As we embark upon an exciting new year, STC would like to thank you for your support and take the time to wish everyone a safe and happy new year!!!

In order to ensure you and those around you remain safe and injury-free heading into 2018, here are some basic safety precautions to remember over the holiday weekend:

  • Alcohol Safety – Alcohol-impaired fatalities represent 31% of total deaths during the holidays. Ensure that if you drink, do so responsibly and always have a designated driver in case you travel anywhere.
  • Travel Safety – Many people travel during this holiday weekend. Don’t take for granted the basic safety elements while driving (i.e. wear your seatbelts, put your cell phones away, and make sure there is an emergency kit in your vehicle).
  • Weather Safety – With temperatures expected to drop into the teens this weekend, ensure to wear adequate layers of clothing to protect yourself from the cold weather and avoid illness.
  • Group Safety – There is power in numbers, so have someone you trust around you at all times. With many public events and parties, maintain situational awareness and stay with your group.
  • Ladder Safety – This is the time when most families begin taking down their holiday decorations, so remember to always use proper step ladders instead of chairs or unsupported furniture while gathering and storing all of your decor.

As we all celebrate 2017 and what is to come in 2018, we must put ourselves in the best possible position to enjoy the new year by ensuring our health and safety.

Thank you for your time and consideration in 2017. STC is eager and excited to have a great 2018 and would like to wish each and every one of you a safe and Happy New Year!

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