OK, I know, this whole safety briefs thing has developed a mind of its own. I promise though that this will be the last batch for now – as I wrote in a previous post, I happen to be doing some fall cleaning, so I am catching up on some items that probably should have been shared earlier.
This last post about safety briefs has four relatively short items, so they should be easy to read, and not discourage you from taking quick action as necessary. Enjoy!
ASSE Goes to Asia
ASSE has been primarily a North American organization of safety professionals, but the need for safety protocols and systems management continues to grow worldwide, especially in rapidly developing economies in Asia and South America specifically. ASSE has taken its expertise outside of its geographic bubble and has put forth an outreach initiative called Safety India.
The initiative is designed to encourage the training of more safety professionals in the rapidly growing economy of India, which already has a shortage and thus there is a higher risk of incidents that involve injury or death than what would be considered an industry nom. The hope is that occupational health and safety best practices can be brought to India either through effective training from ASSE professionals or even the potential transplant of ASSE professionals in companies based in India to help implement the programs and systems necessary to improve the economy, improve company efficiency and enhance profitability which can add more employment.
You can see a YouTube video about this ASSE India initiative, or visit a special Facebook page.
On-Site Primary Care
Are you part of a large employer, and do you have a worksite that is somewhat isolated from civilization to the level that it is difficult for workers to get the care they need to stay on the job and be productive?
The concept of on-site or near-site primary-care clinics has enjoyed some signficant inroads over the last few years, and the effects on the workforce in general have been exceedingly positive, according to a Mercer survey. It was reported that nearly three in 10 large employers (5,000 or more employees) have implemented an on-site or near-site workers health clinic for primary-care service, which is up about 20 percent from the previous year.
And of those which have such clinics, about five in eight revealed that they have seen a decline in lost work time among employees, and nearly six in 10 reported improved employees’ management of their chronic issues so that they can remain working.
These clinics can provide weight- and lifestyle-management programs, coaching about handling chronic conditions, biometric testing and programs to help workers quit smoking. You can read more about on-site primary care clinics at this link.
Small Business, Tight Spaces
Some safety standards are just too expensive or labor-intensive for some companies to meet full compliance, but the need to comply cannot be understated.
Fortunately, there is help available. OSHA has a guide for small businesses that addresses the standard for working in and around confined spaces, helping small businesses come into basic compliance with the standards by walking companies through the most common issues that arise, to better ensure compliance among all businesses regardless of size.
The guide can be downloaded here.
Don’t Drone On!
There has been a lot of concern about drones and their rapidly increased use not just in the military but also in commercial and intelligence operations. With so many more unmanned craft in the skies now, there has been a perception of higher risk of problems in regards to safety of those on the ground or those pilots flying manned craft near drones. And this is not to mention those drone operators in the military who have reports of similar post-traumatic stress issues as soldiers actually in the field of war.
Zurich published a white paper recently that discussed the unique risk-management issues that unmanned craft present, and it is a paper created for safety professionals, insurance brokers and other stakeholder so as to help shed light on a rapidly growing part of military and economic operations.
You can read the paper here.