Promoting Safety and HealthAfter studying this chapter, you should be able to

Learning OutcOme 1

Summarize the general provisions of the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA).

Learning OutcOme 2

Describe the measures managers and employees can take to create a safe work environment.

Learning OutcOme 3

Identify ways to control and eliminate various on-the-job health hazards.

Learning OutcOme 4

Describe the programs organizations utilize to build better health among their workforces.

Learning OutcOme 5

Indicate the methods for coping with job stress.

Good health and safety practices are indicative of top-notch organizations. Annually the Great Place to Work (GPTW) Institute surveys employees of organizations and compiles a list of the best places to work in the United States. In a recent survey, 96 percent of employees who work at the 100 best companies named by the institute answered “often true” or “almost always true” that their places of work are physically safe. Employers also recognize the importance of implementing safety and health programs because the benefits of doing so far exceed the costs associated with sick leave, workers’ compensation, disability payments, and replacing employees who are injured or killed. A study conducted by the insurance company Liberty Mutual found that employers saved $3 for each $1 they invested in workplace safety.

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Employers are motivated by more than costs and their reputations to keep their workers safe and healthy, though. Most organizations provide their employees with good working conditions (1) because it is the right thing to do and (2) because firms realize people are the most strategic asset they have. Truly proactive companies can go further than this, though. Recall that in Chapter 1 we discussed total quality management (TQM). TQM is a set of principles and practices whose core ideas include understanding customer needs, doing things right the first time, and striving for continuous improvement. Interestingly, a study that looked at companies that had won awards for TQM concluded that these firms had not only maintained above-average earnings, productivity, and growth rates, but had improved worker safety by a remarkable amount. Perhaps part of the reason why this is so is that programs such as TQM result in greater employee engagement. We will talk more about employee engagement and safety later in the chapter.

Safety and Health: It’s the Law

Consider these facts:

1. In 2009, 3.6 million private-sectors workers suffered work-related injuries and illnesses. 2. Back injuries, most of which occur because of improper lifting, are the nation’s no. 1 workplace

safety problem. More than 1 million workers suffer back injuries each year.3. Each year the cost of occupational injuries and illnesses totals more than $156 billion. 4. In 2009, 4,340 employees died from work accidents. 5. Ninety percent of fatal work injuries involve workers in private industry.

Providing workers a safe and healthy environment is not just good for business and the right thing to do. It is the law. In 1970 Congress passed the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA). The mission of OSHA is to “assure the safety and health of America’s workers by setting and enforcing standards; providing training, outreach, and education; establishing partnerships; and encouraging continual improvements in workplace safety and health.” In spite of the figures previously cited, the act has been very effective in reducing the number of injuries resulting in lost work time, the incident rate of specific injuries such as back problems, and the number of job-related deaths. For example, even though there were twice as many workers in 2009 as in the 1960s, in 2009 worker fatalities were less than one-third of what they were in the late 1960s. Today, most employees report that the safety conditions in their organizations are very good. In a survey by the University of Chicago’s National Opinion Research Center, 92 percent of employees “agree” or “strongly agree” that safety and health conditions where they work are good; 87 percent strongly agree that there are no significant compromises or shortcuts taken when worker safety is at stake.

1. HIgHLIgHtS In HRM Test Your Safety Smarts

OSHA’s Coverage

OSHA covers all private sector employees and public employees in state and local governments. Self-employed workers are not covered by the law. Federal agencies are required to establish and maintain a safety and health program that is monitored by OSHA. Approximately half of the states currently have their own OSHA-approved programs for private and public workers. Where state programs for the private sector have been approved by the federal government as meeting federal standards, the state carries out the enforcement functions that would otherwise be performed by the federal government.

OSHA Standards

One of the responsibilities of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration is to develop and enforce mandatory job safety and health standards. These standards cover the workplace, machinery and equipment, materials, power sources, processing, protective clothing, first aid, and administrative requirements. To comply with OSHA, employers need to become familiar with those standards that are applicable to their establishments and to ensure that their employees use personal protective gear and equipment when required for safety. Employers can be cited and fined if they do not comply with OSHA standards.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration can begin standards setting procedures on its own initiative or on petition from other parties, including the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Other bodies that may also initiate standards-setting procedures are state and local governments and any nationally recognized standards-producing organization, employer, or labor representative. NIOSH, however, is the major source of standards. As an agency of the Department of Health and Human Services, it is responsible for conducting research on various safety and health problems, including the psychological factors involved.

Enforcing OSHA Standards

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is authorized to conduct workplace inspections, issue citations, and impose penalties on employers. In recent years OSHA has stepped up its enforcement activities. In 201, OSHA workers conducted approximately 40,000 workplace inspections, and more than 96,000 workplace violations were found, a 15.3 percent increase since 2006.

Workplace Inspections

Under the act, “upon presenting appropriate credentials to the owner, operator, or agent in charge,” an OSHA compliance officer is authorized to do the following:

Enter without delay and at reasonable times any factory, plant, establishment, construction site or other areas, workplace, or environment where work is performed by an employee of an employer; and to

Inspect and investigate during regular working hours, and at other reasonable times, and within reasonable limits and in a reasonable manner, any such place of employment and all pertinent conditions, structures, machines, apparatus, devices, equipment and materials therein, and to question privately any such employer, owner, operator, agent, or employee.

OSHA has further established a system of inspection priorities:

First level: Inspection of imminent danger situations

Second level: Investigation of catastrophes, fatalities, and accidents that result in

hospitalization of five or more employees

Third level: Investigation of valid employee complaints of alleged violations of stan-

dards or of unsafe or unhealthful working conditions

Fourth level: Special-emphasis inspections aimed at specific high-hazard industries,

occupations, or substances that are injurious to health

Typically, OSHA inspectors arrive at a work site unannounced and ask for a meeting with a representative of the employer. At the meeting, the inspectors explain the purpose of the visit, describe the procedure for the inspection, and ask to review the employer’s safety and health records. An employer may either agree voluntarily to the inspection or require the inspectors to obtain a search warrant.

The act gives both the employer and the employees the right to accompany inspectors on their tour of the work site. After the tour, the OSHA officials conduct a closing conference to inform the employer and employee representatives, if any, of the results of their inspection. They point out conditions or practices that appear to be hazardous and issue a written citation if warranted.

Citations and Penalties

OSHA citations may be issued immediately following the inspection or later by mail. Citations tell the employer and employees which regulations and standards are alleged to have been violated and the amount of time allowed for their correction. The employer must post a copy of each citation at or near the place the violation occurred for three days or until the violation is abated, whichever is longer.

Under the act, OSHA may cite the following violations and propose the following penalties:

Other-Than-Serious: A violation that has a direct relationship to job safety and health, but one unlikely to cause death or serious physical harm. Such a penalty could be as low as $100. However, OSHA may propose a penalty of up to $7,000 for each violation depending upon the circumstances.

Serious: A violation for which there is substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result and the employer knew, or should have known, of the hazard. The average penalty imposed by OSHA for serious violations is now $3,000–$4,000. The maximum penalty is $7,000 for each violation.

Willful: A violation that the employer intentionally and knowingly commits, or a violation that the employer commits with plain indifference to the law. OSHA may propose penalties of up to $70,000 for each violation or $75,000 per exposed employee for a willful penalty.

If a willful violation results in the death of an employee, OSHA can assess penalties up to $250,000 for an individual or $500,000 for a corporation, imprisonment of up to six months, or both. The largest ever fine by OSHA was an $87 million penalty levied in 2009 against the oil giant BP after a 2005 explosion killed 15 workers and injured 170 others at a BP refinery in Texas. (BP will likely face more fines as a result of the deadly explosion of its Deepwater Horizon platform in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010.) OSHA can adjust any penalty downward depending on the employer’s good faith (such as demonstrating effort to comply with the act), history of previous violations, and size of business. However, the agency can adjust penalties upward too. OSHA’s Severe Violator Enforcement Program (SVEP) identifies employers with repeated, serious citations, and, among other things, subjects them to increased, multi-worksite inspections and higher penalties. The law provides for appeal by employers and employees under certain circumstances.

OSHA Consultation Assistance

Besides helping employers identify and correct specific hazards, OSHA can help employers develop and implement effective workplace safety and health programs that emphasize preventing worker injuries and illnesses.

Onsite Consultation

OSHA provides free onsite consultation services. Consultants from the state government or private contractors help employers identify hazardous conditions and determine corrective measures. Employers also may receive training and education services. No citations are issued in connection with a consultation, and the consultant’s files cannot be used to trigger an OSHA inspection. Additionally, the consultations may qualify employers for a one-year exemption from routine OSHA inspections.

Cooperative Programs

Voluntary, cooperative relationships among employers, employees, unions, and OSHA can be a useful alternative to traditional OSHA enforcement procedures, serving as an effective way to ensure worker safety and health. There are four specific cooperative programs—alliances, strategic partnerships, voluntary protection programs, and the Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program:

Alliances. Alliances enable organizations to collaborate with OSHA to prevent injuries and illnesses in the workplace. OSHA and participating organizations define, implement, and meet a set of short- and long-term goals to improve workplace safety and health.

Strategic Partnership Programs (SPPs). Strategic partnerships are long-term agreements between employers and OSHA aimed at reducing serious workplace hazards and achieving a high level of worker safety and health.

Voluntary Protection Programs (VPPs). Voluntary protection programs represent OSHA’s effort to extend worker protection beyond the minimum required OSHA standards. There are three VPPs—Star, Merit, and Demonstration—each designed to recognize, motivate, or establish a cooperative relationship between employers and OSHA.

Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program (SHARP). SHARP is an OSHA certification program that recognizes small employers with exemplary achievements in workplace safety and health. Companies that receive SHARP recognition are exempted from OSHA’s programmed, or regular, inspections as long as their certifications remain valid.

Responsibilities and Rights under OSHA

Both employers and employees have certain responsibilities and rights under OSHA. We will discuss only those that relate directly to the management of human resources.

Employers’ Responsibilities and Rights

In addition to providing a hazard-free workplace and complying with the applicable standards, employers must inform all of their employees about the safety and health requirements of OSHA. Specific employer responsibilities are listed in OSHA’s publication All about OSHA and illustrated in Highlights in HRM 2. Employers are also required to keep certain records and to compile and post an annual summary of work-related injuries and illnesses. From these records, organizations can compute their incidence rate, the number of injuries and illnesses per 100 full-time employees during a given

year. The standard formula for computing the incidence rate is shown by the following equation, in which 200,000 equals the base for 100 full-time workers who work forty hours a week, fifty weeks a year:

Incidence rate = 5 Number of injuries and illnesses x 200,000 Total hours worked by all employees during period covered

It should be noted that the same formula can be used to compute incidence rates for (1) the number of workdays lost because of injuries and illnesses, (2) the number of nonfatal injuries and illnesses without lost workdays, and (3) cases involving only injuries or only illnesses.

Incidence rates are useful for comparing work groups, departments, and similar units within an organization. They also provide a basis for comparing multiple organizations doing similar work. The Bureau of Labor Statistics and other organizations, such as the National Safety Council, compile data that an employer can use as a basis for comparing its safety record with those of other organizations. These comparisons provide a starting point for analyzing problem areas, changing the working environment, and motivating personnel to promote safety and health.

It is the employer’s responsibility to provide employees with protective equipment when necessary and ensure it is used. Employers must also provide their workers with safety training and be prepared to discipline employees for failing to comply with safety rules. In addition, employers must not discriminate against employees who exercise their rights under the act by filing complaints with OSHA.

2. HIgHLIgHtS In HRM

What Are My Responsibilities under the OSH Act?

If you are an employer the OSH Act covers, you must: Meet your general duty responsibility to provide a workplace free from recognized hazards that

are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm to employees, and comply with standards, rules, and regulations issued under the act.

Be familiar with mandatory OSHA standards and make copies available to employees for review upon request.

Inform all employees about OSHA. Examine workplace conditions to make sure they conform to applicable standards. Minimize or reduce hazards. Make sure employees have and use safe tools and equipment (including appropriate personal

protective equipment), and that such equipment is properly maintained. Use color codes, posters, labels, or signs when needed to warn employees of potential hazards. Establish or update operating procedures and communicate them so that employees follow

safety and health requirements. Provide training required by OSHA standards (e.g., hazard communication, lead, etc).

Report to the nearest OSHA office within eight hours any fatal accident or one that results in the hospitalization of

three or more employees. Keep OSHA-required records of work-related injuries and illnesses, and post a copy of the totals

from the last page of OSHA No. 200 during the entire month of February each year. (This applies to employers with

eleven or more employees.) Post, at a prominent location within the workplace, the OSHA poster (OSHA 2203) informing

employees of their rights and responsibilities. (In states operating OSHA-‘approved job safety and health programs,

the state’s equivalent poster and/or OSHA 2203 may be required.) Provide employees, former employees, and their representatives access to the Log and

Summary of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (OSHA 200) at a reasonable time and in a reasonable manner. Provide access to employee medical records and exposure records to employees or their

authorized representatives. Cooperate with the OSHA compliance officer by furnishing names of authorized employee

representatives who may be asked to accompany the compliance officer during an inspection. (If none, the compliance officer will consult

with a reasonable number of employees concerning safety and health in the workplace.) Not discriminate against employees who properly exercise their rights under the act. Post OSHA citations at or near the worksite involved. Each citation, or copy thereof, must

remain posted until the violation has been abated, or for three working days, whichever is longer.

Abate cited violations within the prescribed period.

If you are an employee the OSH Act covers, you should:

Read the OSHA poster at the job site. Comply with all applicable OSHA standards. Follow all employer safety and health rules and regulations, and wear or use prescribed

protective equipment while engaged in work.

What Are My Responsibilities under the OSH Act? (continued)

Report hazardous conditions to the supervisor. Cooperate with the OSHA compliance officer conducting an inspection if he or she inquires

about safety and health conditions in your workplace. Exercise your rights under the act in a responsible manner.

Although OSHA does not cite employees for violations of their responsibilities, each employee must follow all applicable standards, rules, regulations, and orders issued under the OSH Act. OSHA, however, does not expect employees to pay for guardrails, floor cleaning, equipment maintenance, respirators, training, or other safety and health measures.

employers are afforded many rights under the act, most of which pertain to receiving information from OSHA, applying for variances in safety and health standards, and contesting the agency’s penalties.

Employees’ Responsibilities and Rights

Employees are required to comply with all applicable OSHA standards, to report hazardous conditions, and to follow all employer safety and health rules and regulations, including those prescribing the use of protective equipment. Workers have a right to demand safe and healthy conditions on the job without fear of punishment. They also have many rights that pertain to requesting and receiving information about safety and health conditions. For example, most states—and federal law—require that employers provide information to employees about the hazardous chemicals they handle. Commonly known as right-to-know laws, these statutes require employers and manufacturers to give employees information about the toxic and hazardous substances they could come into contact with on the job and what the health risks related to those substances are. Since state right-to-know laws can be more stringent than federal law, employers are encouraged to contact their state’s health and safety agency for a copy of their appropriate hazard communication standards.

OSHA’s Enforcement Record

Perhaps no federal government agency has been more severely criticized than the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Unions and safety groups continue to worry that OSHA is lax in monitoring its agreements with organizations. These groups would prefer mandatory standards instead of voluntary guidelines for problems such as injuries related to jobs involving repetitive motion—a topic to be considered later in the chapter.

Meanwhile employers often say that OSHA’s standards are unrealistic and inspectors are overzealous. “It seems OSHA administration conducts research and sets safety and health standards in an ivory tower, not knowing or caring if standards are valid for the real world,” remarked one safety manager. Another criticism is that many of OSHA’s standards are dangerously outdated.

However, the complaint most registered against OSHA is uneven enforcement efforts by the agency from one political administration to the next. Under some administrations, the funding for the agency has been cut and enforcement efforts have been seen as virtually nonexistent (or at least very lax). Under other administrations, regulatory enforcement has seemed more proactive. In recent years, the funding for OSHA has increased, and it has stepped up its enforcement measures.

Promoting a Safe Work EnvironmentTypically, a firm’s HR department or the industrial relations department is responsible for its safety program. Although the success of a safety program depends largely on managers and supervisors of operating departments, the HR department typically coordinates the safety communication and training programs, maintains safety records required by OSHA, and works closely with managers and supervisors in a cooperative effort to make the program a success.

Organizations with formal safety programs generally have employee-management safety committees that include representatives from management, each department or manufacturing/service unit, and employee representatives. Committees are typically involved in investigating accidents and helping to publicize the importance of safety rules and their enforcement.

Creating a Culture of Safety

Lower-level operational managers and supervisors have traditionally been the bedrock for encouraging health and safety in their organizations. Indeed, one study by the American Institute of Plant Engineers showed that there was a direct correlation between an increase in the commitment to safety by managers and a decrease in accidents. However, firms today try to create a “culture” of safety within their organizations that goes beyond managing operational processes and reducing accidents. A culture of safety exists when everyone within an organization consciously works to improve its safety and health conditions. HR managers play a key role in this effort. “HR executives should be the point persons on creating and making sure that a corporate safety culture exists,” Carolyn Merritt, the late chairperson of the U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) once noted. “These are the people who have their fingers on the culture pulses of the organization.”

Furthermore, the CSB advocates a culture of safety that focuses specifically on process safety metrics. For example, instead of counting injuries, managers should set goals on how many unit safety meetings should be held quarterly and measure goal attainment. Greg Andress, executive manager at Gallagher Bassett Services (safety consultants), states, “You want to measure the drivers within your organization that are going to create a change in the culture.

Interviewing for Safety and Fitness-for-Duty Tests

One of the ways HR managers can help create a culture of safety within in an organization is to encourage supervisors to incorporate safety into their interviews with job candidates. Have you ever known someone who seemed accident prone? What about someone who rarely ever experienced a scratch? Several researchers have reported finding a correlation between different employees and their propensity for safety. Although asking job candidates about the injuries they have experienced is off limits, interviewers can ask candidates other behavioral-type questions designed to elicit their propensity for safety. For example, an interviewer might ask a candidate a question about an unsafe incident they witnessed and how they handled it.

Some companies periodically conduct fitness-for-duty evaluations on their current employees. Fitness-for-duty evaluations are similar to prehire physical exams but can be done any time during employment. They determine an employee’s physical, mental, and emotional fitness and are most often used for in safety or security sensitive positions. For example, federal rules require nuclear-plant workers to undergo random fitness-for-duty evaluations on the job to determine if they have been using alcohol or drugs.

The Key Role of the Supervisor

Supervisors can do much more than interview candidates for their safety tendencies, however. As we have explained, like HR managers, supervisors play a key role in their employer’s safety programs. One of a supervisor’s major responsibilities is to communicate to an employee the need to work safely.Beginning with new employee orientation, safety should be emphasized continually. Proper work procedures, the use of protective clothing and devices, and potential hazards should be explained thoroughly.Furthermore, employees’ understanding of all these considerations should be verified during training sessions, and employees should be encouraged to be proactive when it comes to safety. In other words, they should be coached to look for safety problems before they occur. Moreover, supervisors must continually observe employees at work, reinforce safe practices, and immediately correct behaviors that are unsafe.

Proactive Safety Training Programs

Safety training is not only good business; in certain occupational areas, safety and health training is legally required. For example, employers regulated by a federal agency called the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration are legally required to provide their employees with environmental-safety protection training. When training is mandated, employers must keep accurate records of all employee education. Violations can incur criminal penalties.

Baggage HandlingTicket CounterMake-up RoomRamp Area

Most organizations have a safety awareness program that entails the use of several different media. Safety lectures and courses, and printed and audiovisual material are common. use of games has also become an interactive way to provide employees with safety training. Costco and Amazon.com, for example, have successfully used a product called Safety Bingo to motivate employees on a daily basis to create a safetyconscious atmosphere and remind them of their safety goals. Of course, the Web has become a popular way to disseminate safety training materials as well. One safety manager went so far as to describe his company’s intranet as the “the organization’s SWAT team to develop and implement timely and efficient health and safety programs.” In addition to distributing safety and compliance information via the Web, CDs, and PowerPoint presentations downloadable from its website, OSHA has developed online modules called “eTools” that deal with various safety and health topics and provide employers and employees information on how OSHA regulations apply to their work organizations.

Figure 12.1 shows OSHA’s eTool designed to help workers who handle baggage do so safely.HR professionals and safety directors in particular advocate employee involvement when designing and implementing safety programs. Employees can offer valuable ideas regarding specific safety and health topics to cover, instructional methods, and proper teaching techniques. Furthermore, employees are more likely to embrace safety training when they feel a sense of ownership in the instructional program.

Enforcing Safety RulesFirms communicate specific safety rules and regulations in a variety of ways, including through supervisors, bulletin board notices, employee handbooks, and signs attached to equipment. To keep employees aware of hazards, some organizations provide their employees with small, laminated OSHA “Quick Cards.” The cards contain brief, easy-to-follow safety and health information employees can keep on hand and refer to as necessary. Figure 12. 2 shows an example of a Quick Card. Safety rules are also emphasized in regular safety meetings, at new employee orientations, and in an organization’s manual of standard operating procedures.

Chain Saw SafetyOperating a chain saw can be hazardous. Potential injuries can be minimized by using properpersonalprotective equipment and safe operating procedures.Before Starting a Chain Saw• Check controls, chain tension, and all bolts and handles to ensure that they are functioning properly and that they are adjusted according tothe manufacturer’s instructions.• Make sure that the chain is always sharp and that the oil tank is full.• Start the saw on the ground or on another  rm support. Drop starting is never allowed.• Start the saw at least 10 feet from the fueling area, with the chain’s brake engaged.Fueling a Chain Saw• Use approved containers for transporting fuel to the saw.• Dispense fuel at least 10 feet away from any sources of ignition when performing construction activities. No smoking during fueling.• Use a funnel or a  exible hose when pouring fuel into the saw.• Never attempt to fuel a running or HOT saw. Chain Saw Safety• Clear away dirt, debris, small tree limbs and rocks from the saw’s chain path. Look for nails, spikes or other metal in the tree before cutting.• Shut off the saw or engage its chain brake when carrying the saw on rough or uneven terrain.• Keep your hands on the saw’s handles, and maintain balance while operating the saw.• Proper personal protective equipment must be worn when operating the saw, which includes hand, foot, leg, eye, face, hearing and head protection.• Do not wear loose- tting clothing.• Be careful that the trunk or tree limbs will not bind against the saw.• Watch for branches under tension; they may spring out when cut.• Gasoline-powered chain saws must be equipped with a protective device that minimizes chain saw kickback.• Be cautious of saw kickback. To avoid kickback, do not saw with the tip. Keep tip guard in place.

The consequences for violating safety rules are usually stated in a firm’s employee handbook. Usually the consequences include an oral or written warning for the first violation, suspension for repeated violations, and, as a last resort, dismissal. However, for serious violations—such as smoking around volatile substances—even the first offense could be cause for an employee’s termination.While discipline may force employees to work safely, safety managers understand that the most effective enforcement of safety rules occurs when employees willingly adhere to and “champion” safety rules and procedures. This can be achieved when managers actively encourage employees to participate in all aspects of the organization’s safety program. This is important because employees who are involved in their companies’ safety programs are not only more engaged employees but safer employees. According to a study by the Society of Human Resources Management, engaged employees were five times less likely than nonengaged employees to have a safety incident and seven times less likely to have a lost-time safety incident. In addition, the average cost of a safety incident was $392 for nonengaged employees, but only $63 for engaged employees.There are a number of ways to involve and engage employees in company safety programs. In addition to TQM programs, they include having employees (1) jointly set safety standards with managers, (2) participate in safety training, (3) help design and implement special safety training programs, (4) establish safety incentives and rewards, and (5) be involved in accident investigations. Other ways to engage employees is to solicit their ideas and opinions when assessing the risk of jobs during the job analysis process. The idea behind this is to help identify potential hazards and develop protective measures before accidents occur. Establishing an employee safety suggestion program and asking employees to formally participate in the process of observing the safety behavior of their coworkers are two other ways. So is soliciting employees’ opinions about the safety of the tools a company is considering purchasing. The consequences for violating safety rules are usually stated in a firm’s employee handbook. Usually the consequences include an oral or written warning for the first violation, suspension for repeated violations, and, as a last resort, dismissal. However, for serious violations—such as smoking around volatile substances—even the first offense could be cause for an employee’s termination.While discipline may force employees to work safely, safety managers understand that the most effective enforcement of safety rules occurs when employees willingly adhere to and “champion” safety rules and procedures. This can be achieved when managers actively encourage employees to participate in all aspects of the organization’s safety program. This is important because employees who are involved in their companies’ safety programs are not only more engaged employees but safer employees. According to a study by the Society of Human Resources Management, engaged employees were five times less likely than nonengaged employees to have a safety incident and seven times less likely to have a lost-time safety incident. In addition, the average cost of a safety incident was $392 for nonengaged employees, but only $63 for engaged employees.There are a number of ways to involve and engage employees in company safety programs. In addition to TQM programs, they include having employees (1) jointly set safety standards with managers, (2) participate in safety training, (3) help design and implement special safety training programs, (4) establish safety incentives and rewards, and (5) be involved in accident investigations. Other ways to engage employees is to solicit their ideas and opinions when assessing the risk of jobs during the job analysis process. The idea behind this is to help identify potential hazards and develop protective measures before accidents occur. Establishing an employee safety suggestion program and asking employees to formally participate in the process of observing the safety behavior of their coworkers are two other ways. So is soliciting employees’ opinions about the safety of the tools a company is considering purchasing.

Investigating and Recording AccidentsEvery accident, even those considered minor, should be investigated by the supervisor and a member of the safety committee. Such an investigation may determine the Every accident, even those considered minor, should be investigated by the supervisor and a member of the safety committee. Such an investigation may determine the factors contributing to the accident and reveal what corrections are needed to prevent it from happening again. Correction may require rearranging workstations, installing safety guards or controls, or, more often, giving employees additional safety training and reassessing their motivation for safety.OSHA requirements mandate that employers with eleven or more employees maintain records of work-related occupational injuries and illnesses. As stated in an earlier section, OSHA also requires a Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses (OSHA Form 300) to be maintained by the organization. All recordable cases are to be entered in the log. A recordable case is any injury or illness that results in any of the following: death, days away from work, restricted work or transfer to another job, or medical treatment beyond first aid. Other problems employers must record as work-related include loss of consciousness or diagnosis of a significant injury or illness by a health care professional. Figure 12.3 illustrates OSHA’s diagram for classifying accidents under the law. For every recordable case written in the log, an Injury and Illness Incident Report (OSHA Form 301) is to be completed. OSHA Form 301 requires answers to questions about the case. Each year OSHA Form 300A, Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses, must be completed and posted in a conspicuous place or places where notices to employees are customarily posted. Remember, when completing all OSHA forms, employers must not list the name of an injured or ill employee if the case has “privacy concerns,” such as those involving sexual assault, HIV infection, and mental illness. We conclude our discussion of OSHA by showing the OSHA poster that employers are required to display at the workplace (see Highlights in HRM 5).

Safety Hazards and IssuesWorkers face many different safety hazards on the job, which differ depending upon their occupations. It is impossible to discuss all of them in this chapter. However, we will discuss a number of hazards that have been getting a great deal of attention from HR managers and firms lately.

FatigueFew safety issues have been in the news more lately than employee fatigue. You have probably heard about air traffic controllers who have fallen asleep on the job and could not be awakened by pilots trying to contact them. Fatigue is more of a problem in organizations that operate around the clock or have night shifts. Studies show that 30 percent to 50 percent of night-shift workers report falling asleep at least once a week while on the job, according to Dr. Charles Czeisler, chief of sleep medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.Fatigue may not result in “life or death” consequences for most jobs. Nonetheless managers, employees, and the public are concerned about how it affects workplace safety and performance. The regulations in certain industries limit the number of hours employees can work per shift. The airline industry is one such industry. However, even with the limits, workers are finding themselves fatigued. Some experts say downsizing may be a factor as fewer workers are being asked to cover more shifts. Recently the U.S. government vowed it would give air traffic controllers an extra hour off between shifts to combat fatigue. Continental has given its pilots permission to call in and report they‘re too fatigued to fly.

Although OSHA currently has no fatigue standard, it is seeking to establish one, and unions are increasingly negotiating fatigue contracts. Employees at Dow Chemical’s Freeport, Texas, facility have negotiated a fatigue standard in their new labor contract. Under the new agreement, employees who work three consecutive sixteenhour days must receive a twenty-four-hour break. Employees on regular shifts must get a forty-eight-hour break if they work twenty-one days in a row.

Distracted DrivingDo you know what the leading cause of worker fatalities each year is? Motor vehicle crashes. Moreover, according to a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration study, people who send text messages while driving are three times more likely to crash than other drivers, and distracted driving accounts for 80 percent of all accidents. When it comes to mass transit, the consequences of distracted driving can be catastrophic. For example, in 2008, a Los Angeles commuter train collided head on with another train. Twenty-five people died, including the operator of the train. Another 135 others were injured. A subsequent investigation of the accident found that operator had sent or received fifty-seven text messages while on the job that day, including one sent twenty-two seconds before the crash.To help prevent distracted driving accidents, a growing number of employers are adopting mandatory cell-phone policies for their employees. A survey of more than 2,000 employers conducted by the National Safety Council found that 58 percent had some type of cell-phone usage policy in place, and roughly one-quarter of those surveyed prohibit both handheld and handsfree devices while driving for some or all employees.Highlights in HRM 3 shows a template of such a policy developed by AT&T that companies can utilize. Other companies are doing more than establishing policies. They are outfitting their phones with apps like Phone Guard, which prevents drivers from texting, browsing the web, or checking e-mail when they are traveling ten miles per hour or faster.

OSHA does not have specific regulations on distracted driving. However, the agency has vowed that if an employer encourages or gives its workers an incentive to engage in distracted driving, it will penalize a company for creating an unsafe environment under OSHA’s “general duty” clause. The general duty clause [Section 5(a) (1)] states that each employer “shall furnish . . . a place of employment which is free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm to his employees.” The clause is used to enforce a wide range of safety and health violations for which specific regulations have not been implemented. In 2009 President Obama signed an Executive Order on distracted driving, which prohibits federal employees from texting behind the wheel while working or while using government vehicles and communications devices. More than thirty states also prohibit texting while driving.

Mobile phones are not the only electronic safety culprit, though. Workers who stop hearing the world around them because they are wired up to MP3 players also create risks. One aerospace manufacturer banned its 1,500 employees from using them at work. “Even though there have been no incidents, there are aircraft, forklifts, trucks, and so on moving around. We feel people should always be concentrating fully,” said a spokesperson for the company.

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