New initiatives bring drop in accidents
Archived article from Jan 28, 2000
By Pam Orel
Rutgers cut the number of workdays lost from on-the-job accidents by more than half over the past three years through a comprehensive program to promote safety as a value within the organization.
"Everyone agrees that the most basic goal of our safety program must be to keep all our employees safe and healthy," said Michael Quinlan, director of the Rutgers Environmental Health and Safety department (REHS).
From 1989 to 1995, Rutgers averaged more than 5,000 lost workdays each year due to workplace injuries. While that is near the national average for institutions of higher education, it is well above the typical rates for private industry. That caused a few people at REHS to take notice and led to the formation in 1996 of an interdepartmental team (with Occupational Health and Risk Management) that looked for solutions, according to Quinlan.
"Once a worker is injured, it can take a lot of time and effort to get that person back to health," said Dr. Kathleen Gaioni of the occupational health unit with University Health Services and a member of the group. "If you can spend that much effort and time preventing the injury, that's a wise investment."
In the past five years, the number of lost work-days has decreased annually from a high of more than 8,000 in 1993 to about 2,000 in 1998, a significant improvement. This is in great part related to the university-wide alternate duty program, which seeks to return injured employees to the workplace on "light" duty.
"Medical studies demonstrate that keeping patients active after an injury actually promotes their recovery, and alternate duty allows us to keep employees active and safe while they heal," said Gaioni.
Other highlights of the safety initiative include:
-- Improved training for employees and supervisors in workplace safety, accident prevention, protective equipment and occupational health.
--A simplified accident report form, with an online version under development.
--A new policy of investigating all accidents, not just those in which there were exceptional circumstances or serious injuries, to root out the causes of mishaps and find reasonable solutions.
--Committees of employees to assist with developing the safety program in individual departments.
Administrators say the effort has paid off.
Busch/Livingston facilities maintenance services, for instance, averaged more than 1,000 days lost to on-the-job accidents every year prior to the start of the enhanced safety program, which included lectures, videos, demonstrations of protective clothing and prizes for employees who followed safety procedures. From January to September of this year, the total is down to 172.
Similarly, renewed attention to kitchen basics, like prompt cleanup of wet floors and careful handling of dangerous chemicals, has cut the accident rate for New Brunswick dining services operations dramatically, said John Nason, sanitarian.
There were other payoffs as well. "I've seen a real difference in workers' attitudes and awareness," said James Vernere, dining services facilities supervisor. "Employees feel that management appreciates and understands the risks inherent in a kitchen environment."
"This initiative has gotten excellent support, and we are starting to see sustained improvement in our injury rates," said Quinlan. "People realize that safety is good for our employees and good for business."
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