OSHA inspections: avoid the big guns; A "culture of safety" is your best defense

Medical Laboratory Observer,  June, 2008  by Sheila Dunn

• E-mail
• Print
• Link

Oh, shoot! The big guns just walked in the door. Your laboratory is the target of an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) inspection--all because one employee (just one!) made a complaint. It does not matter what the complaint was about--grumbling about unsafe behavior, concern about a lack of safety policies--whatever the case, the whole shootin' match could have been avoided.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

How? The key is to develop a culture of safety in the workplace, from the top down. In other words, aim to make the organization a place where being safe is "the way things are done around here." In the long run, not only will this approach help keep employees safe from workplace injury, it also will minimize the threat of surprise visits by OSHA and save the laboratory money.

10 tips for developing a safety culture in the laboratory For OSHA safety officers, developing a culture of safety does not happen overnight, but it is possible. These tips will help:

1 Add OSHA managerial duties to your job description. OSHA safety officers need time to accomplish their duties, so it is important that OSHA functions are specifically listed in their job descriptions.

2 Make sure everyone understands you wear the OSHA hat. Encourage staff to bring safety concerns to your attention. Be the go-to person for safety advice and leadership.

3 Take all complaints seriously. Keep an open door and open mind to all safety concerns--even if you do not think they are justified. Employees often call OSHA when they feel management is not listening. Handle minor issues before they escalate into major problems.

4 Document, document, document. At inspection time, if it was not written down, it did not happen.

5 Consider safety a "value," rather than a "priority." Business priorities change over time, but values endure. Since the needs or urgencies of the moment determine business priorities, safety cannot be guaranteed to be on the top of the list.

6 Make safety compliance a requirement in each employee's job description. Discipline employees who purposely do not comply with the lab's safety rules. First, document the problem. Then, speak personally with the employee. If the problem persists, document the incident and inform his supervisor. For serious cases, approach senior management and consider termination.

7 Manage by walking around. This well-known management philosophy lets you find out whether employees are giving lip service to OSHA regulations or whether they are actually complying.

8 Make annual OSHA training applicable to your practice. Preview videos or online training courses and identify areas where you can use examples from your practice to reinforce the material. Keep employees involved; have them voice opinions or demonstrate techniques.

9 Keep your cool. Manage OSHA tasks using monthly and annual checklists to organize your duties. Listen to employee concerns, but do not take safety-related criticisms personally (e.g., "I hate that we have to use these safety needles").

10 Keep benefits of OSHA compliance in front of organizational leaders. Part of managing a lab's OSHA safety program is quantifying its contribution to management. Sure, there are benefits: fewer injuries, less downtime, reduced workers' compensation claims, improved employee morale (minimizing the likelihood of that "one" complaint to OSHA), but management will almost always be more responsive to numbers. Identify how workplace injuries and illnesses impact your facility. Include hidden costs like lost workdays, workers' comp, and the expense of replacing a worker. Track these costs over time. Show your organization's leaders how a stronger commitment to safety will reduce these expenses. If you can measure it, you can manage it.

Helping management to understand the cost of unsafe practices is your ammunition in gaining its commitment to a safe workplace. Strong leadership support and a focus on repetitive education, enforcement, and encouragement will lead to a real change in safety performance as a safety culture grows within your organization and make a surprise visit by OSHA a shot in the dark.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Sheila Dunn, DA, MT(ASCP), is president and CEO of Quality America Inc., an Asheville, NC-based regulatory consulting firm. For more information about laboratory safety and OSHA or CLIA compliance, including over 300 questions answered on Quality America's OSHAlert Blog, free downloadable white papers, and many more references in its online resource center, visit www.quality-america.com.

By Sheila Duna, DA, MT(ASCP)

COPYRIGHT 2008 Nelson Publishing
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning