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PEM Roundtable: Safety First |
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Written by Robert Robertson
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Reduce workplace accidents and injuries
 Industry may have to re-think the high cost of workplace accidents and injuries. For example, a Quebec-based company [Transpavé Inc.] was fined a total of $110,000 on March 17 after pleading guilty under the federal government's Bill C-45 legislation. The Ontario Ministry of Labour also reports that Stelco Inc. of Hamilton and the Toronto Transit Commission each recently received fines for not complying with provincial occupational health and safety regulations.
As a result, it's clear that organizations must start placing more importance on reducing the occurrence of workplace mishaps, especially those resulting in injury or death. Improving health and safety performance, however, must begin with a culture shift—from the top floor to the shop floor. To determine the critical workplace health and safety issues and key trends that will affect maintenance managers, engineers and plant operations, we listened to 10 leading industry experts. Taking part in PEM's recent workplace health and safety roundtable included:
• Maureen Shaw, president and chief executive officer, Industrial Accident Prevention Association (IAPA);
• Steve Jackson, CHRP, vice-president of prevention, Ontario Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB);
• Theresa Frechette, CEES, Safety Consulting Services and also representing the Canadian Society of Safety Engineering (CSSE);
• Walter Dick, P. Eng., project manager, occupational health and safety program, Canadian Standards Association (CSA);
• Randall Templeton, M.Eng., senior technical marketing specialist North America, DuPont Personal Protection;
• Glenn Wood, Ph.D., CIH, ROH, associate health and safety consultant, environmental and corporate services, Golder Associates Ltd.;
• Colin Plastow, industrial product manager, Fluke Electronics Canada;
• Mark Baker, director of advertising and public relations, North Safety Products.
• Norm Clegg, executive director, Plant Engineering and Maintenance Association of Canada (PEMAC); and
• Gary Berwick, president, Quality Air Management Inc.
One constant theme emanating from the PEM workplace health and safety roundtable is that there really are no "accidents." This is what companies and employees say when there's a mishap. According to roundtable participants, however, accidents and injuries on the job are preventable. The following is a summary of the roundtable discussion:
PEM: How can industry and companies improve workplace health and safety performance?
Norm Clegg: "It's important to complete a safety analysis of the job for all operational activities associated with each function. You can then identify hazards that are related to routine tasks, which get taken for granted and ignored as potential safety risks. You must also make safety training the first priority in cross-training and new employee orientations. Research shows that young workers, and in fact all who are new to the job, are more likely to be injured in the first month. I further urge organizations to monitor the pace of new technology and develop/document standard operating procedures."
Glenn Wood: "Although most will say they've done it, I believe that organizations must empower workers to take more affirmative action in identifying and correcting unsafe acts and conditions. I think there's a difference between allowing, expecting and empowering. Based on my past experience, the chemical plants that had the best safety records were the ones with empowered workers. They [workers] would in a helpful and non-confrontational way bring to the attention of others–those not conforming to safety requirements. Management has to also make a very strong safety statement to the workforce, especially to people on the shop floor. The message has to be that health and safety is either number one or on par with production."
Steve Jackson: "One key element is leadership at the top. Presidents and CEOs have to act out the safety policy. People tend to watch each other. When employees can see that management is taking a leadership role with health and safety—they notice and follow along. We don't drive without our car seat belts on and we don't drink and drive. It's not acceptable in our society. We have to take workplace safety and the organization to that same level. The message must emphasize the importance of remaining in compliance with health and safety policies."
Colin Plastow: "When you get right down to it, health and safety is an attitude. On the electrical side, we only see a small chunk of it, but there are some companies that are really good at workplace health/safety and some that aren't. There are organizations that just do the bare minimum because they have to, while others embrace health and safety—and say it's the right thing to do."
Walter Dick: "Companies can implement health and safety workplace management. This requires management commitment, worker involvement, making health and safety a priority in the organization, as well as applying health and safety awareness to all aspects of the organization. The focus is on prevention rather than reaction. Workers can also be involved with and engage in the promotion of safe practices. It's imperative to also have support for your joint occupational health and safety committee (JOHSC). You should create a work environment where people aren't afraid to identify and communicate hazards."
Gary Berwick: "The air-pollution control industry is doing a horrendous job. Some manufacturer representatives, which call upon industry, are either not knowledgeable or provide off-the-shelf solutions. Unfortunately, air quality isn't an off-the-shelf scenario. With air quality, it sometimes comes down to short-term pain for long-term gain. Handling air quality correctly has a productivity and safety payback."
Theresa Frechette: "Companies have to do more than just create health and safety policies. I'm talking about doing what's actually in the policy. You can see a big change when management or an owner of a small business have to put on steel-toe boots or safety glasses and walk out into the plant. This effort is noticed and comes back tenfold from employees. I also believe that it's very important for senior management to go beyond simply signing cheques and health and safety policy statements-–they have to be actually living it."
Mark Baker: "Productivity is an issue and we keep hearing about lean and continuous improvement. Unfortunately, many CFOs don't see safety as a profit issue—they see it as a cost. As an industry, we have to do something about this. We must also start teaching safety in schools, so the kids taking summer jobs won't go into a donut mixer and lose their life. I believe the federal government is doing a reasonable job in enforcing safety with Bill C-45, but I think we have a bigger job to do."
Maureen Shaw: "We're not going to see the kind of improvements that are sustainable until we have committed leadership in organizations. Companies do well when health and safety is part of their core values. CEOs also have to look at their organizations in a more holistic manner. Their goal should be to create a healthy workplace. This is a complex issue and we must ensure that safety is viewed in a more humanistic way. Companies have to also hold everyone accountable for safety, including contractors. I further encourage CEOs to get together and share health and safety best practices."
Randall Templeton: "I'm aware there's a need in apprentice programs for a much greater focus on safety. In the electrical program, there's only a small amount of time dedicated to safety in the fourth year. This is backwards. Safety should be taught a quarter of the time. If young people don't understand that doing the job safely is part of doing the job right, then they're missing the point. I also can't stress enough that safety is a line responsibility. It's not the safety department's job—it's everyone's job."
PEM: What about workers on the shop floor? What must be done to reduce the occurrence of accidents?
Glenn Wood: "If companies are going to empower workers and expect them to participate in the management of safety, then workers must develop stronger partnerships with each other and management. It's all about working together as a team. At the same time, everyone must strive to improve safety performance. You can't have managers on the shop floor without hard hats or safety glasses."
Norm Clegg: "Safety is a combination of learned skills and behaviour. It's incumbent on the worker to acquire knowledge of workplace hazard identification. Employees should also become a part of their JOHSC in the workplace. Workers must further be aware of their legal right in Canada to refuse to complete a dangerous or hazardous task on the job. I encourage maintenance and other plant professionals to take industry courses that have a focus on safety, such as PEMAC's Maintenance Management Professional (MMP) certification program."
Steve Jackson: "You must create a culture whereby staff feel comfortable to speak up about safety. If this environment exists, then frontline workers must exercise their legislative rights–the right to know, the right to participate and the right to refuse unsafe work. In many cases, people know these words, but they don't have the courage or ability to act on them. Job design is also important. Employees have to be engaged in the design of jobs. Near misses aren't reported enough. You have to stop, take a breath and record the near misses to ensure they don't happen again."
Gary Berwick: "Management has to develop a situation whereby workers think and feel they can contribute to improving safety performance. Workers know their machinery, workstation and processes, but this information must be communicated to management. You require openness and this is where it starts. If there's a health and safety problem, workers must know they will be listened to. With this communication, you have something going."
Randall Templeton: "In a lot of cases, I feel that workers have lost respect for the hazard. If you want to change things, you have to go back to respecting hazards. There's a saying that familiarity breeds contempt and you definitely see it. You have instances where people may have forgotten that it's high pressure, temperature or voltage."
Walter Dick: "New technology related to automated processes, multi-functional equipment and the availability of information will demand a review of safety practices. Many organizations have started to treat health and safety as a business priority. They're looking for ways to improve health and safety performance. This is directly linked into other initiatives, such as employee engagement, environmental management, emergency preparedness, quality management and corporate social responsibility."
Maureen Shaw: "Companies have to offer effective training for workers and health and safety should be made the top corporate goal. There's also a need for ongoing reinforcement, especially for people who change jobs. We should consider national standards that would see guarding built into the manufacture of equipment. Currently, it's up to the company to put machine guards in place—better to do it at the design and manufacturing stage. I believe there's so much to do. We need to engage all aspects of our society and make workplace injuries and deaths unacceptable."
PEM: What future workplace health and safety trends are on the horizon? Also, what must be done to ensure a safer workplace and regulatory compliance?
Norm Clegg: "Government is continually developing new programs and tools to assist Canadian industry to mitigate the risk of workplace injuries and illnesses. Companies must learn to use this type of resource material that's available to them. For example, a hazard-prevention program can help organizations in the development of a safety strategy. PEMAC and other associations are committed to the health and safety of their members and other people working in the profession."
Maureen Shaw: "One future trend involves new and young workers. These workers are 50 percent more likely to have an injury on the job in the first four weeks as at any other time in their careers. More than 50,000 youth across Canada suffer an injury every year and an average of 29 die as a result of work. It all comes back to leadership—leaders creating the culture of values that demand zero injuries and deaths in the workplace. In the end, it's all about people. This involves knowing what to do, how to do it and being accountable. Regulations are also a starting point and not an end point. We must move beyond and ensure our workplaces are safe and productive."
Randall Templeton: "The creation and revision of safety standards will be more prevalent than previously in the last five years. There will be increased emphasis on documentation to prove due diligence for worker safety. In some cases, new personal protection equipment (PPE) will be available to protect against dual hazards, such as fire and chemical exposure. This will allow some types of work to be done in a more safe manner."
Steve Jackson: "Over the next five years, we're going to have to pay attention to the challenges specific to the psychosocial health and safety impact on employees. With a shortage of labour, current employees and new workers are going to expect and demand things, such as flexible hours, working from home and other work-life balance arrangements. Employers will also have to pay attention to their staff on a 24/7 basis, so as to ensure their mental and physical well-being. This will maximize employee engagement and minimize the possibility of 'presenteeism.' As for vulnerable or new workers, health and safety education will need to be provided in multiple languages and with the use of signage and universal symbols."
Colin Plastow: "We look forward to the release of CSA Z462, which is based on the 2009 revision of NFPA 70E and is expected towards the end of the year. In the absence of a Canadian equivalent, many responsible companies have been using NFPA 70E. A Canadian standard, however, will hopefully lead to more widespread adoption. A revision or amendment to IEC61010 is also expected later this year. The changes are primarily aimed at avoiding short circuits and the resulting possibility of an arc blast. There are some interesting and good-sense requirements, which will result in changes to some of the electrical-test tools used in industry and particularly the accessories."
Theresa Frechette: "There are still lots of business owners who have no idea of their responsibilities under the Occupational Health and Safety Act and the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act. In many cases, education begins when Ministry of Labour inspectors arrive at the door. This isn't fair to the workers and it comes as a huge surprise to many employers when they find out what they should have been doing. We need a great deal more education for our small-business owners and supervisors. It also has to be easy to access, since they can't leave their businesses for long periods of time. I believe we have to start safety education and awareness at the junior levels in our schools. This way, children grow up knowing it's 'what you do'—the same as wearing a helmet when you learn to ride your first bike. It has to become a way of life."
Walter Dick: "Looking to the future, the CSA is developing management and system standards to address concerns, such as work in confined spaces, workplace electrical safety, workplace ergonomics, as well as hazard and risk identification and assessment. E-learning and access to information via mobile devices or by subscription are initiatives that are being explored and developed. Efforts to address climate change and promote sustainability may introduce new work situations that need to be addressed."
Mark Baker: "We've identified '24/7 safety' as an issue and want to get the message out to people in the workplace and at home. The safety culture that we profess and learn on the job must also transcend to the home and family. With the first Bill C-45 conviction and sentencing [Transpavé Inc.], the consequences are enormous. Under Bill C-45, poor safety practices will prove to be very expensive and more than just the 'cost of doing business.' It's important that companies have a focused and committed passion for safety."
Robert Robertson is PEM editor. You can reach him by email:
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