Quarterly Newsletter from Loss Control Vol: 27 Number : 3 July 2020

“Setting the standard that others strive for…”“Setting the standard that others strive for…”

National American Insurance Company is a member of the Chandler Group of Companies

Now that the COVID-19 pandemic has started to slow in our country, there has been a debate about

whether the virus is a recordable illness or not. In May 2020, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) published a statement to help set the criteria that insurance companies and our insureds may use to help guide them to a determination. Historically, OSHA has shown they place more emphasis on employers showing they have done their due diligence on attempting to find the correct answer, rather than actually focusing exclusively on the finding. Documenting the investigative efforts is crucial to show the thought process.

Existing OSHA guidelines remain the same in regard to when to report. Employers with 10 or fewer employees (or those businesses in low hazard industries) are not obligated to record those injuries to the OSHA 300a logs un-less the illness results in in-patient hospitalization, loss of limb, loss of an eye, or a fatality. Employers that are at about the 10 employee threshold or in hazardous industries, the guidelines remain the same.

One interesting note is that OSHA states as part of their crite-ria, “The case is a confirmed case of COVID-19, as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)”. It has been standard for persons with COVID-19 symptoms to be denied testing due to being a low risk candidate for serious complications. The ill person may be sent home and labeled as having the virus without appropriate differential diagnosis. Ad-ditionally, the CDC criteria for a formal diagnosis is not easily

accessible. Studies from research centers such as MD Ander-son have shown that “false negative” testing results remain high which could result in an infected employee being sent home as negative, but, in fact, they do have the virus. Typically, phy-sicians will perform additional testing should the symptoms suggest a strong probability the ill employee more than likely does have COVID-19 regardless of the initial test.

What steps can we take to determine if we need to record the injury? The first step is to gather data to determine which em-ployees have reported they have COVID-19. Next, look for

relationships between effected employees such as working in the same crew truck, same floor of a building, or similar situations in which an unusually high occurrence of COVID-19 cases are observed in regard to the given popu-lation of your other employees. An investigation needs to consider if the ill employee travels as part of their

duties or infrequent contact with the general public. Questioning the employee

in a sympathetic manner should occur: Does the employee have a family member that tested positive prior to their own diagnosis? Are they involved in outside of work activities which placed them in a high risk environment? Lastly, if the employee has a note from their physician, does it state the employee has tested positive for COVID-19 or does the wording state that it is a suspected case? Document those efforts and the determina-tion made by management as to whether it is or is not suspected to be a work related illness.

After gathering data and speaking with the employee, it is de-termined that more than likely the COVID-19 illness occurred due to the employee performing their job and you are in the category of businesses that are required to report on the OSHA 300 form, employees may opt-out from having their name placed on the OSHA form. When reporting on the OSHA 300 form, COVID-19 is a respiratory illness.

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Steady footing on the ground is one thing – steady footing on scaffolding running up the side of a 15-story building or on a roof is quite another story.

Falls from heights are real hazards for workers across several industries and they consistently rank as one of the most frequent – and most fa-tal – workplace accidents. They occur so often because exposure is everywhere – any surface 6’ or more above ground level could cause injury. The most common fall sources are mobile scaf-folding, roofs, fixed ladders, and towers.

The most recent data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows there were over 49,000 fall accidents that resulted in days away from work in the construction and manufacturing in-dustries alone. That does not take into account any other industry, any falls that did not result in days away from work, or near falls.

Use the following simple tips as reminders for how your employees conduct themselves when working above ground level. Remind employees safety is everyone’s responsibility – if they see a co-worker breaking these sim-ple rules, they should say something before it is too late!

Ladder Safety:

• Keep ladders free of oil and grease• Use ladders only on stable and level surfaces• Do not use ladders on slippery surfaces unless properly equipped

• Do not move, shift, or extend ladders while in use• Practice extra caution when using ladders around exposed, energized electrical equipment• Always face the ladder when climbing both up and down• Do not carry objects or loads that could make you lose your balance

Scaffolding Safety

• Always wear sturdy shoes with non-slip soles when working on scaffolding• Do not keep debris or other material on the scaffold where they present a tripping hazard• Use your best judgment in bad weather – do not use a scaffold in especially stormy, windy, or icy weather• Ask your supervisor if you are not sure whether conditions are safe• Never overload a scaffold

• Wear a hard hat whether you work on a scaffold or underneath it• OSHA requires guardrails on all scaffolding above 10’ – do not use any scaffolding that does not meet this requirement and encourage your employer to install guardrails• Only erect or dismantle scaffolding under the direction of a competent person

Aerial Lift Safety

• Never climb over or lean on guardrails• Do not enter an aerial lift that you know has not been properly maintained• Always wear the required harness or positioning device.

The summer months pose special risks for outdoor workers. To help promote summertime workplace safety, the following simple tips will help protect your employees against sun exposure, heat illness, and Lyme disease.

Blocking UV Rays: Sunlight contains ultraviolet (UV) radiation which causes premature aging of the skin, wrinkles, cataracts, and skin cancer. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), there are no safe UV rays or safe suntans.

Be especially careful in the sun if you burn easily or have any of the following physical features: Numerous, irregular, or large moles; freckles; fair skin; or blonde, red, or light brown hair.

Here’s how to help guard against UV rays:

• Cover up. Wear tightly woven clothing that you cannot see through. • Use sunscreen. A sun protection factor (SPF) of at last 15 blocks 93% of UV rays. For best results, be sure to follow the product’s instructions. • Wear a hat. A wide-brimmed hat, not a baseball cap, works best because it protects the neck, ears, eyes, forehead, nose, and scalp. • Wear UV-absorbent shades. Sunglasses do not have to be expensive, but they should block 99-100% of UVA and UVB radiation. Be-fore you buy, read the product tag which should contain this information. • Limit exposure. UV rays are most intense between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

Beating the Heat: The combination of heat and humidity can be a serious health threat during the summer months. To avoid heat-related illnesses, outdoor workers should take the following precautions:

• Wear light, loose-fitting, breathable clothing – cotton is a great choice • Take frequent short breaks in the shade • Drink plenty of water, even if not feeling thirsty (Continued on page 3)

SUMMERTIME WORKPLACE SAFETY

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• Eat smaller meals before work activity • Avoid caffeine or large amounts of sugar • Check with your healthcare provider to see if your medications are okay in combination with the heat • Know that personal protective equipment (PPE) such as respirators or work suits can increase heat stress

Preventing Bug Bites: Lyme disease is caused by a bite from an infected tick. Most, but not all, victims will develop a “bullseye” rash. Other signs may be non-specific and similar to flu symptoms such as fever, lymph node swelling, headaches, or muscle aches.

You are at an increased risk if your work outdoors involves construction, landscaping, forestry, brush clearing, land surveying, farming, railroads, oilfields, utility lines, or park and wildlife management.

Protect yourself with these precautions:

• Wear light-colored clothing to see ticks more easily • Wear long sleeves and tuck pant legs into socks or boots • Wear high boots or closed shoes that cover your feet completely • Wear a hat • Use tick repellents (except on your face) • Shower after work; wash and dry your work clothes at a high temperature • Examine your body for ticks after work

Remove any attached ticks promptly with fine tipped tweezers. Do not use petroleum jelly, a hot match, or nail polish. Once the tick is removed, place it in a container filled with alcohol to kill it. Clean the bite with disinfectant. Occasionally, part of the tick will stay in the skin. If that happens, put a topical antibiotic on it and call your doctor.

You should also monitor the area for the appearance of a rash which typically is the first indication of Lyme disease. It can appear anywhere from one to 33 days after the bite.

Summer is upon us and with that comes an increased number of

road construction projects. Also with summer comes an increased number of vehicles on the road. Each year over 600 people are killed in work zones. Adding it all up - the increased number of vehicles, in-creased number of work zones, and the ever increasing numbers of distracted drivers equals dangerous times for the summer.

Motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of worker deaths in the U.S. each year. The three leading causes of vehicle crashes are speed, alcohol, and distracted driving. Speed is a factor in over half of all work zone fatalities, speed often contributes to another cause: drivers not maintaining safe following distances. We all know the dangers of impaired driving, but many of us fail to realize the danger of electronic distractions, i.e. cell phones, GPS, etc.

Now is an excellent time to remind employees of the im-portance of safe driving in and around work zones. The following topics can be beneficial if passed on:

u Be prepared for the unexpected. Things change quickly in work zones.

v Slow down. More than one third of fatal work zone accidents are caused by excessive speed.

w Keep a safe following distance. Rear-end collisions account for 30% of work zone accidents.

x Obey road crew flaggers and road signs. Flaggers and signs are there to help

y Stay alert and focused. Multi-tasking while driving is never safe, especially in work zones.

z Plan ahead. Checking the traffic report can often help you avoid work zones.

{ Be patient. Roadwork can be inconvenient, but it does serve the purpose of making roads better and safer.

Driver behavior is responsible for approximately 90% of all accidents. Training, education, and constant reminding can go a long way in influencing driver behavior. Reducing the number of accidents is good business that can help to reduce insurance costs and improve the bottom line.

STAY•SAFE

WORK ZONES

drivers navigate through work zones.

P.O. Box 9 1010 Manvel AvenueChandler, Oklahoma

74834

Presorted Standard U.S. Postage

PAID Permit No. 2177

Oklahoma City, OK

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Western Motel - Sayre, Oklahoma (Route 66)

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CRANE OPERATOR CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTSThe U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently published a final rule that clarifies certification requirements for crane opera-tors and maintains the employer’s duty to ensure that crane operators can safely operate the equipment. The final rule clari-fies safety and health protec-tions for workers while reducing compliance burdens.

Under the final rule, employ-ers are required to train opera-tors as needed to perform as-signed crane activities, evaluate them, and document successful completion of the evaluations. Employers who have evaluat-ed operators prior to 12/9/18 will not have to conduct these evaluations again, but will only have to document when those evaluations were completed.

The rule also requires crane operators to be certified or licensed and receive ongoing training as necessary to operate new equip-ment. Operators can be certified based on the crane’s type

and capacity or type only which ensures that more accredited testing organizations are eligible to meet OSHA’s certification program requirements. The final rule revises a 2010 require-ment that crane operator certification must specify the rated

lifting capacity of cranes for which the operator is certified. Compliant certifi-cations that were already issued by type and capacity are still acceptable under this final rule.

The final rule, with the exception of the evaluation and documentation require-ments, became effective on 12/9/18. The evaluation and documentation re-quirements became effective on 2/7/19.

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA’s role is to help ensure these conditions for America’s working men and women by setting and enforcing standards and providing training, education, and assistance. For more information visit www.osha.gov.