# Presentation: 692821

## COURSE #15“Creating a Nexus Between Workers’ Compensation and Safety” Presented byNormandie Peterson, Program Manager, Architect of the Capitol

## 4th Annual Federal Workers’ Compensation Conference  Cooperation - Care -       Coordination Architect of the CapitolHuman Resources Management DivisionRoom 280, Ford House Office Building2nd and D Sts., SWWashington, DC 20515Phone: (202) 226-2544Fax: (202) 226-8880E-Mail: npeterso@aoc.gov

## Nexus is....“Nexus is defined as a connected group ”----Synergy  is defined as “ working together -combined action”.  It describes more accurately the relationship that should develop between workers’ compensation and safety”Today we are going to talk about building those bridges ----

## Objectives....

- Describe various ways on how to support your agency’s safety programs;
- Establish an employee safety and workers’ compensation council in order to make joint recommendations on actions to reduce workplace injuries and illnesses; and
- Identify ways to evaluate illness and injury trends to be shared collaboratively with the safety office.

## A Commitment to ZERO•  Is a belief many companies follow ••  It is being adopted by many Federal agencies•What is it?A commitment to “ZERO” means that management is fulfilling its responsibility of providing an environment where all employees and contractors can work without illness or injury.  It means that all incidents are preventable.  It is an approach where a strong value for people is felt. And rewarded.  It is taking the right action and realizing a greater success.

## WORKERS’ COMPENSATION AND SAFETY - SAME GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

**To maintain safe and  healthy work environments for our employees**
**Implement effective accident prevention programs**
**Administer safety and health programs that are consistent with best practices described in OSHA guidelines **
**Timely care for injured employees and expeditious return to duty of partially disabled employees**
**Reduction of unnecessary costs**
**Swift action for fraudulent claims**
**Support from Senior Management to administer programs**

**Investigate causes of accidents and identify why they occur**
**Maintain comprehensive and reliable injury data to set goals and to track program improvements  **
**Develop written guidelines for employees, supervisors and managers**
**Train employees and supervisors on proper processes and procedures (FECA, OSHA, etc.)**
**Develop performance measurements, monitor and evaluate systems for continued improvements**
**Implement best practices to improve performance**

## If you are a safety specialist you can  learn more about workers’ compensation by  ---

**Reviewing Federal Regulations and guidelines:  Title 5, FECA Procedural Manual, Code of Federal Regulations 20, Part 1 to 25, U.S. Dept. of Labor Web Site, ECABs, etc.**
**Reading your agency’s workers’ compensation policies and procedures**

**Securing examples of the written materials and guidance your agency’s workers’ compensation office provides to employees, supervisors and managers**
**Attending supervisory training sessions  provided by your workers’ compensation program offices**
**Inviting workers compensation specialists to do presentations at your safety committee meetings (learn what they do and how they do it)**
**Securing statistical injury data from your workers’ compensation office  -- HOW ABOUT STRATEGIC PLANS!  ARE THEY BEING SUCCESSFUL AND CAN YOU HELP?**

## If you are a workers’ compensation specialist you can learn more about safety by --Learning about OSHA and how it can impacts your program!What is OSHA?It stands for Occupational Safety and Health Administration, U.S. Dept. of Labor

## -  It sole responsibility is workers safety and health protection***How and when was OSHA created?-- U.S. Congress created OSHA under Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSH Act)-- Before OSHA job-related injuries accountedfor 14,000 deaths***OSHA - Is it only Federal?No.  All employee and employers in 50 states and all territories under Federal authority are covered.

## OSHA focuses on covering Federal Workers- Makes Federal agency heads responsible for providing safe and healthy work environments- OSHA conducts workplace inspections in response to employee requests of hazards***All Federal agencies are required to comply- Operate comprehensive safety and health programs- Record and analyze injury and illness data- Provide training to all levels of personnel- Conduct inspections to ensure compliance

## Review “OSHA Regulations - Part 1960 - Basic Program Elements for Federal Employee Occupational Safety and Health Programs and Related Matters”Some of the subchapters are: •  Subpart A - General - 1960.1 and 1960.2 Purpose and scope and definitions• Subpart B- Administration -- 1960.6 -Designation of agency safety and health officials;  1960.8 Agency responsibilities; 1960.9 Supervisory Responsibilities; 1960.10 Employees Responsibilities

## • Subpart C - Standards -- 1960.16 Compliance with OSHA Standards •  Subpart D - Inspection and Abatement • Subpart F  - Occupational Safety and Health Committees  • Subpart H - Training • Subpart  I - Record Keeping and Reporting Requirements  • Subpart J  - Evaluation of Federal Occupational Safety and Health Programs • Subpart K  - Field Federal Safety and Health Councils

## Understand the Core Components of an Effective Safety and Health Program

_**Component**_	**1.Management Commitment****	**

_**Ways to Demonstrate**_
**Establish goals for program, collect reliable data, evaluate results**
**Establish program responsibilities for managers, employees in the workplace, hold accountable**

##     (Continued)

_**Component**_
**      ****2.  Employee Involvement**

_**Ways to Demonstrate**_
**Establish mechanisms to get employees involved in the program, create committees, teams **
**Establish procedures for employees to report job-related injuries, incidents, hazards and ensure not discouraged to report  unsafe conditions**
**Establish good communication with employees**

## (Continued)

_**Component**_
**       ****3.  Identification  of Problem Jobs**

_**Ways to Demonstrate**_
**Follow up on employee reports of injuries, symptoms or hazards **
**Review injury logs or other data and identify problem areas**
**Conduct inspections to identify hazards causing injuries, illnesses, or fatalities**

## (Continued)

_**Component**_	**4.Analysis and Development of Controls for Problem Jobs**

_**Ways to Demonstrate**_
**Through investigation or other analysis, identify hazards in problem jobs **
**Develop controls for problem jobs by brainstorming with employees or other methods**
**Follow up to ensure hazards are abated and controlled**

## (Continued)

_**Component**_	**5.Analysis and Development of Controls for Problem Jobs****	**

_**Ways to Demonstrate**_
**Through investigation or other analysis, identify hazards in problem jobs **
**Develop controls for problem jobs by brainstorming with employees or other methods**
**Follow up to ensure hazards are abated and controlled**

## (Continued)

_**Component**_	**6.Medical Management****	**

_**Ways to Demonstrate**_
**Encourage early reporting of symptoms and ensure that employees do not fear reprisal or discrimination**
**Ensure a prompt evaluation by a medical provider**
**Provide employees who have work-related medical conditions with restricted or light duty employment.**

## Building bridges in your agency requires shifting from status quo---

**#1 Challenge - Securing management’s support and commitment to change (and providing the needed resources) **
** ****At the Office of the Architect of the Capitol, developing a synergy between Safety and Workers’ Compensation Programs has been an on-going process**
** ****Catalyst for change!**

## Working together as a Team to reduce work injuries/illnesses in the AOC we focused on -

- Securing management’s supports to address specific areas of improvement to reduce work-related injuries and illnesses
- Expanded Safety Program and increased staff
- Developed and implemented a Strategic Plan which included new safety and health policies and procedures

- Human Resources, Workers’ Compensation provided consulting support to Safety Office  in securing statistical data for drafting OSHA reports, integration of our Workers’ Compensation Tracking System for safety use
- “Hands on meetings with safety specialist to educate them about our program and the FECA
- Developed tools to be shared with safety - 1) Flowcharts on injury process; 2) Fact Sheets; 3) Injury data; 4) Reports on costs, etc.
- Assisted Safety in addressing injury trends and developing solutions

## (Continued)

- Secured Safety’s support in investigating questionable and fraudulent claims
- Implemented enhancements to our computer system to track injury/illness trends more effectively
- Workers’ Compensation Manager attended Safety Committee Meetings
- Both offices worked together in reviewing injury claims and requested input from each other in addressing important issues  ----   **As a result of our collaborative efforts - AOC saw largest reduction in our injury rate in past 30 years**

## SAFETY COUNCILS AS PRESCRIBED BY OSHA

**Currently Chair of the Metropolitan Washington Federal Safety and Health Council in Washington, DC **
**Participated in that Council almost 10 years**

**PART 1960 of the OSH Act, Executive Order 12196 - states purpose of safety councils -- “facilitates the exchange of ideas and information throughout the Government about occupational safety and health”**

## Purpose of our Safety Council

**Acts as a clearinghouse for information and data regarding occupational accidents, injuries, illnesses and their prevention**
**Promote the improvement of safety, occupational health and workers compensation  Federal programs ****	**

**Promote coordination, cooperation and sharing of resources and expertise to aid agencies with inadequate or limited resources**
**Evaluate safety and health issues impacting locations, conditions and facilitate solutions to programs**

## REMEMBERWhether workers compensation or safety --

**1.  Numbers represent people**
**2.  Tracking accidents helps prevent them**
**3.  Saving dollars makes sense**

## When holding your meetings remember  to make them productive--

- Realize the need and establish objectives
- Set-up meetings with formal agendas
- Coordinate meetings in an business environment
- Set goals for each event
- Focus on building one-on-one relationships.
- Use hands on programming to facilitate exchange of ideas.

## One who has mastered the art of living simply pursues his vision of excellence at whatever he does, leaving others to decide whether he is working or playing.

## WORKING AS A TEAM PRODUCES

- People working together generates more ideas on how to solve problems.
- Working together produces synergy -- the multiplication of the talents and the resources of the group to increase team productivity.  High performance teams find strengths from differences rather than solely form similarities.

## (Continued)

- When we have support of a group, we are willing to take risks, knowing that if our attempts to try a new approach fails that the group will still be behind us.
- With teamwork we improve quality, service, and productivity.
- We receive greater job satisfaction in a climate of mutual support.

## All Objectives should be SMART, that is:

**S - SPECIFIC**
**M- MEASURABLE**
**A - ATTAINABLE**
**R - REALISTIC**
**T - TIME BOUND **

## REMEMBER

**Make your programs win-win situations for everyone.  Plan for success. Good communication is one of the keys to a program’s success.**
**Thank you very much and have a safe trip back home.**