SAFETY INFORMATION

2007 Ohio Safety Congress 7 Expo

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The Ohio Safety Congress & Expo will be held on March 20 - 22, 2007 and the IX Center in Cleveland, Ohio.  Registration is free and will be available at ohiobwc.com beginning January 1. Employers are encouraged to register via the web site, although they may also register via phone, fax or mail.

The Division of Safety & Hygiene is very pleased to announce Rusty Wallace, former NASCAR driver and ESPN racing analyst, as keynote speaker for the 2007 event.  Also appearing as general session speakers are Robyn Benincasa, San Diego firefighter and multi-sport expedition racer, who will outline how to build effective teams while "battling fires", David Hart, parachutist, motivational speaker and writer, who will discuss how to manage safety and react appropriately in dangerous situations and Edwin Foulke, assistant secretary of labor, who will provide an OSHA update.

New in 2007 is a day designed for safety and health professionals with a high degree of knowledge, Safety Certified, will provide in-depth sessions presented by nationally recognized experts in the safety and ergonomics fields.   

You can e-mail safetycongress@ohiobwc.com for more information.

Safety and Drug Free Discounts for Businesses Not Involved in Group Rating

For those businesses that are not involved in the Chambers Group Rating Program there are two programs offered by the State of Ohio that will allow you to earn discounts on your workers’ comp premium payments to the State BWC. The following is a brief description of each program but if you would like further information you can contact the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation or Hunter Consulting (1-800-486-6652 ext 114-Jane Holt).

Premium Discount Program (PDP)/Plus:

The PDP is a ten step program designed to help companies identify and correct areas of need concerning safety in the workplace. You may apply for this program at any time of the year but the program effective dates start either 7/1 or 1/1 of each year. The PDP runs for 3 consecutive years with discounts of 10% for the first two years and 5% for the third and final year. This program cannot be run if you are in a group program or your company is credit rated by the BWC. The Plus aspect allows an “Extra Bonus” for employers. If you can demonstrate a 15% reduction in frequency of incidents/claims you will qualify for a 5% bonus (check or cash back-not a discount). Furthermore, if you can demonstrate a 15% reduction of severity of claims you will qualify for another 5% bonus. If you demonstrate a 15% reduction of both severity and frequency you will earn an additional 10% bonus to bring you to a grand total of 20% bonus payable in cash (check) from the BWC.

 Drug Free Work Place (DFWP):

 With the DFWP again you can apply for this program at anytime during the year and again your effective dates would be either 1/1 or 7/1. This is a five (5) year program that entails three qualification levels. Level one offers a 10% premium discount if you meet the specific needs of Level One. Level two (2) offers a 15% reduction but entails more criteria to be met. Level three (3) offers a 20% discount. A company can utilize this program even when they are participating in a group program but our recommendation would be to utilize this program at a time of need which would help lighten your premium payments. Again for further details you can call the BWC or Hunter Consulting for more information and for application forms.

A Passion For Safety By Gary Hanson, President of American Safety and Health Management Consultants

Recently I read an article on what it takes to have a successful safety program in one of the safety magazines I receive each month.  I have read a number of similar articles like this in the past and it followed a similar format as the others.  The article interviewed several safety directors who had worked hard developing successful safety programs, sold senior management on the importance of safety and got their full commitment in supporting the company safety program.  At the same time they interviewed several other safety directors who also worked hard, believed in the importance of safety, but just could not seem to get senior management to buy into the program and, therefore, get their full commitment.  As a result they were not achieving the same level of success and were very frustrated at the results.

Safety indeed can be an extremely frustrating area of management and can be very defeating.  Fortunately, I have always been in the first category.  I have been successful in getting senior management to buy into and support the safety program at the companies I have worked for and today as a consultant, our company has been successful in achieving these same results.  I have come to the conclusion the big difference between the safety professionals who are successful and those who are not is passion.  I have come to believe that to be successful in anything, no matter what there has to be unrelenting, never ending passion for success.  This passion has to be clearly seen by everyone else and it has to be transmitted to other people who in turn buy in and support the individual that possess this passion.

Take a look at the great motivational speakers, the great ministers, generals, coaches, teachers and yes even business people.  They almost all posses a passion for what they do and are capable of communicating this passion to others and getting others to buy into it and support it.  I have met numerous successful business executives during my career and everyone of them has a passion for what they do.  I love sitting down and listening to these individuals as they talk about their companies and what they do.  You can see the fire, drive and excitement and love for what they do.  It is contagious.

Unfortunately, most management individuals do not see safety as an area that generates passion.  All too often it is considered dull, boring and mundane.  I see it all the time.  I conduct seminars and training classes and it always amazes me when people come up to me afterwards and are genuinely surprised that they enjoyed the program format, found it interesting and saw value in what they heard.  The main reason for this surprise is the passion for safety that I try to bring to every meeting, every seminar and every training class. Safety does not have to be dull, boring or mundane, it should be exciting, dynamic and motivating.  After all, a good safety program contributes to the success, growth and profit of every company that takes it seriously and at the same time protects the company's most valuable assets.  In other words a true win win situation.

Every successful safety professional has heard this and has developed a true passion for safety, in turn have successfully transmitted the passion to their company's senior management.  If safety is going to truly be successful in achieving the above objective, there has to be a passion for it.  Everyone in the organization has to buy into it and it must be seen by every employee every day.

Does your company have the passion necessary to make your safety program successful?  If not, it probably will never be as successful as it should be.  Do not assign the safety program to an individual that doesn't believe in it.  Seek an individual that has a passion for it and can communicate this effectively to everyone else.  Support that individual and watch the safety program improve and I think you will be surprised at the results.  Passion makes all the difference and is contagious.

If you are in need of an infusion of passion for your safety program or need any other assistance, please call me at 1-800-356-1274.  I would love to have the opportunity of working with you.

Toll Free Safety Hotline for Group Members

This hotline can be used for direction and inquires regarding safety and ergonomics issues in the workplace.  It is administered by American Safety and Health.  Ask for Gary Hanson at 1-800-356-1274.

OHSA Self-Inspection Checklist

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