Employers too often fail to consider the safety of their employees adequately, beyond what the law mandates. Yet continued investment in employee safety will pay off in a number of ways, both seen and unseen.

As such, there are a number of safety issues and concerns that both employers and employees should address. The following are State Farm Insurance's priority considerations for employers' safety responsibilities and what employees themselves can do.

Machinery & Machine Guarding
Whether minor cuts and abrasion or serious lacerations, exposure to machine operations can be detrimental to life, health and productivity. State Farm recommends that machinery equipped with guarding be purchased or that the guards on existing equipment are left intact. In addition to adequate machine guarding, also consider the following:

• Employees should be trained in the start-up, operation and shutdown procedures of all equipment, including service/maintenance of machinery and lockout/tagout procedures.
• All equipment should be inspected for possible operating hazards before each use. Questionable equipment should not be used and should be reported to management.

Hazardous Materials
As chemicals and solvents in the workplace can create hazardous and even life-threatening conditions:

• Use a designated storage place for chemicals.
• Read the labels on your products and become familiar with material safety data sheets. MSDSs are sheets provided by a supplier that lists important product information, including the following: chemical content; physical characteristics; health hazard and what to do after exposure; fire and explosion hazards; reactivity; cleanup procedures; and the personal protective equipment that should be worn while working with the chemical.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
Due to workplace hazards sometimes being inevitable, personal protective equipment may be necessary as a protective barrier between the employee and the hazard. Equipment can be in the form of the following: safety glasses or goggles; gloves; boots; hearing protection; hardhats; and respirators.

Be sure that employees who are required to wear PPE are fitted and trained properly.

When Preventative Measures Fail
If all safety precautions fail and an employee is exposed to a hazard that requires immediate attention, the following are some of State Farm's guidelines to help maximize prompt reaction during such a critical situation:

• Have an adequately supplied first-aid kit readily available;
• Maintain an easily accessible emergency eyewash station; and
• Keep a list of emergency phone numbers readily available, (i.e., local fire and police departments and poison control center).

Lifting
Employees should practice the following techniques when lifting:

• Assume a stance that allows the feet to give a wide base of support.
• Bend at the knees to a squatting position, as bending from the waist puts the back in a vulnerable position.
• Minimize the distance between you and the load.
• Avoid twisting, jerking motions and lifting overhead.
• Lift only what you are capable of handling. Take your time. Lift, reach and carry carefully.
• Know your weight-lifting capacity. Ask for assistance if it feels like, or even appears to be, more than a one-person job.
• Push up against the object to be lifted to get an idea of how heavy it is before lifting.

Ergonomics
Finally, there are to-consider safety issues for people like this blogger, who sits at a desk and computer all day long. Consider visual display terminals: "It is important that employees are educated on the proper positioning of all elements within an employee's workspace," notes State Farm. In an effort to reduce injuries, Dilberts should heed the following recommendations:

• Limit twisting and unnatural body positions by placing everything that is needed regularly in close proximity.
• Make sure the visual display screen is positioned directly in front of you and at a comfortable height, preferably at or just slightly below eye level.
• Set the contrast or brightness of the screen to suit personal viewing.
• Position the keyboard and mouse directly in front and close to you.
• Adjust the height of the workstation chair so that feet are firmly resting on the floor and weight is distributed evenly over the full seat surface.
• Adjust the armrests of the chair and the position of the keyboard so they are in a neutral alignment, so that the arm, wrist and hand also take on a neutral position when typing and using the mouse.
• Perform simple exercises throughout the day to help reduce tension or stress that may build up due to excessive computer work.

(For additional safety recommendations, including tips on dangerous temperature extremes, visit State Farm Insurance's "Employee Safety" guide.)

As Myron Gordon, who owns TMSG Management Services Group and teaches finance courses at the University of Northern British Columbia, recently noted on Opinion250:

[…] An obvious payoff [to investing in employee safety] is the decrease in Workers Compensation premiums … Some of the unseen benefits of ensuring your employees are working in a safe work place include increased employee satisfaction, decreased employee turnover, and a larger pool of potential employees as the word radiates out to others that your business is a great place to work.

"Remember," Gordon concluded, "if you show your dedication to your employees, they will likely return it with interest."

References

State Farm Insurance: Employee Safety

Employee Safety is an Investment
by Myron Gordon
Opinion250, Feb. 20, 2006

Additional Sources

Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)

Florida Unified School Districts, article on hazardous materials safety

Oklahoma State University, links to industrial plant safety manuals