An FYI on OSHA'S use of the General Duty Clause

How do I carry out a risk assessment?

Read our publication Five Steps to Risk Assessment

^[1]. This tells you how to do a risk assessment for occupational health and safety. This is not the only way to do a risk assessment, you can now use the Risk Assessment and Policy Template

^[2]. This template brings together your risk assessment, health and safety policy and record of health and safety arrangements into one document to help you get started and save you time. If you already have a health and safety policy you may choose to simply complete the risk assessment part of the template. We also have a number of example risk assessments^[3] to show you what a risk assessment might look like. If your industry is not listed, pick the one closest to it and use it as a guide for completing the template, adapting it for your own workplace. You can print and save the template so you can review and update it as and when required.

There are also other methods that work well, particularly for more complex risks and circumstances. However, we believe these methods are the most straightforward for most organisations.

A risk assessment will only be effective if you and your staff act on it. It is important that you follow through with any actions required and review it on a regular basis.

We also have an example health and safety policy

^[4], this illustrates what you need to think about and include, should you choose to complete the policy section of the template.

Link URLs in this page

1. Five Steps to Risk Assessment
   http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg163.pdf
2. Risk Assessment and Policy Template
   http://www.hse.gov.uk/risk/risk-assessment-and-policy-template.doc
3. example risk assessments
   http://www.hse.gov.uk/risk/casestudies/index.htm
4. example health and safety policy
   http://www.hse.gov.uk/risk/health-and-safety-policy-example.doc

#Nathans_JHA - Information on completion of a Risk Assessment from the UK HSE

Workplace Safety Training Protects Workers and the Bottom Line

Sep 1, 2010 11:25 AM, By Daniel Bulley

Who is responsible for safety on the jobsite – the employer, the government, the safety director, the worker or all of the above?

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Everyone on the jobsite is responsible for safety. This simple, but often incorrectly answered question is from a mini-quiz as part of biweekly Safety Stuffers, small flyers dispersed with weekly paychecks, created by the Mechanical Contractors Association (MCA) of Chicago to remind members of their United Association (UA) workforce of top safety concerns.

According to Stephen Lamb, executive vice president of the MCA of Chicago, that particular safety message is especially important. “Effective workplace safety can only be achieved when everyone involved takes responsibility,” he said. “Once they do, it is easier for everyone to work together as a team and watch out for each other. That is why the association, our member contractors and our union work force, UA Local Union 597, stand together in our dedication to workplace safety training.”

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, workers in construction incurred the most fatalities of any industry in the private sector in 2008, despite the fact that the number of construction fatalities that year declined 20 percent from the previous year – from 1,204 cases in 2007 to 969 cases. Preliminary fatality figures for 2009 indicate that number continues to decline, with 859 construction workers killed on the job.

“Safety must be a top priority on every jobsite,” said Dan Bulley, senior vice president of MCA of Chicago and head of the safety committee. “We don’t take chances with our work force. Union safety training, in combination with the educational programs offered by our association, provides our contractors and workers with the knowledge needed to work in optimal safety conditions.”

Union Training Effective
Research shows that union training in the construction industry provides more effective results than non-union programs. According to the study, “Building Trades Apprentice Training in Massachusetts: An Analysis of Union and Non-Union Programs, 1997-2007,” released by the Labor Resource Center of the University of Massachusetts in Boston, union apprenticeship programs graduate a higher percentage of journey-level workers.

The 10-year study compared union and non-union training programs in Massachusetts and found that union programs enroll the majority of building trade apprentices. The study also revealed that union programs are both larger and longer lasting than non-union programs, and are more successful at recruiting minorities and women.

Educational Initiatives
MCA of Chicago offers safety training to member contractors through its Certified Safety Bureau, which offers both classroom training and online courses. State-of-the-art course offerings from the Bureau include: CPR and First Aid with Automated External Defibrillator (AED) Training; Asbestos Online Course; OSHA Online 10-Hour and 30-Hour Safety and Health; Fall Protection and more.

The workers at LU 597 also receive a cutting-edge education. Their training center in Mokena, Ill., is the largest pipe fitters’ learning facility in America and is equipped with state-of-the-art training technology, including equipment for virtual welding. Apprentices can practice welding with a heatless rod and watch a visual simulation while wearing a specially equipped welding helmet.

According to John Leen, training director of Local Union 597, virtual welding is popular with young people who like video games. “Students often use the system at lunchtime to work with it more,” he said. “Apprentices who practice with virtual welding learn more quickly than those who only do hands-on welding.”

These educational initiatives instill MCA of Chicago member contractors and their union workforce with a high degree of safety awareness. This is important to the bottom line of industry, since accidents cost American companies billions of dollars each year. According to the 2009 Liberty Mutual Workplace Safety Index, the most disabling workplace injuries and illnesses in 2007 amounted to more than $52 billion dollars in workers compensation costs.

Member Contractor Safety Initiatives According to Lamb, many member contractors of MCA of Chicago have initiated safety programs that go above and beyond industry standards.

Indiana-based BMW Constructors Inc. is a participant in the Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). The VPP promotes optimal workplace safety and health. In this program, management, labor, and OSHA establish a cooperative relationship to implement a comprehensive safety and health management system.

BMW Constructors Inc. has created added value for their customers by dedicating themselves to zero injury performance.

“Each of our workers is responsible for helping to eliminate the barriers that prevent us from achieving a zero incident culture,” said Fred Bowers, director of Environmental, Health & Safety with BMW. “All accidents are preventable. In the long run, safety takes priority over production, schedule and cost – because you can’t buy back a worker’s lost life.”

Like BMW Constructors Inc., AMS Mechanical Systems Inc. of Burr Ridge, Ill., has compiled their own zero accident program. “The plan has really cut down on serious injuries,” said Mark Rook, safety director at AMS. “The safety philosophy of our company is this: we have a moral obligation that the workers leave each day the same or better than when they arrived that day. If they’re going to work for us, we’re going to protect them.”

According to Rook, AMS workers receive classroom training, jobsite training and online classes on the basics. “Sitting a guy in front of a computer doesn’t compare to hands-on work with supervision,” he said. “We invest time and effort in our apprentices so they understand what they need and how to use it. First-year apprentices wear a green helmet so that the other workers will keep an eye out for them. It has worked out well for us – apprentice injuries don’t happen any more.”

Rook noted that jobsites have a daily task-hazard analysis every morning. “All the workers have input,” he said. “We take a look at what tasks will be performed, and analyze what hazards are associated with that task. The analysis is now a requirement of AMS.”

Rook added that AMS investigates near-miss accident reports and discusses them with workers in weekly toolbox talks. “If something took place in the previous week, we talk about it,” he said.

Scheck Industries of Countryside, Ill., has been recognized for their excellent ongoing safety record. In both 2008 and 2009, Scheck Industries was recognized by the Mechanical Contractors Association of America for their excellent safety record: 1 million-plus work hours each year with no lost work time.

“Those million-plus hours include projects with 400 to 500 workers,” said Joe Lasky, safety director at Scheck. “It takes a lot of training and cooperation to keep that many workers safe on the jobsite.”

Safety is so important to Scheck, they have developed a workplace program called JAWS: Job Aids for Working Safely, which includes daily talks and other components to help keep workers aware of safety concerns. MCA of Chicago has recognized Scheck with the Most Innovative Safety Program Award for the JAWS Program.

According to Lasky, their company’s Employee Incentive Program gives safety points to workers for every hour worked safely. “We have a Web site where they can cash in their safety points,” he said, “and receive polo shirts, jackets, hunting jackets and other items. It’s our way of providing reinforcement for workers who are accident-free.”

“Teamwork is an essential part of workplace safety,” said Lamb. “That teamwork can be found in the collaboration between our association and our contractors and workers. It can also be found in the rapport between a member contractor, their workers and their client. We all have to look out for each other in life.”

About the author: Daniel Bulley is senior vice president of MCA Chicago. For more information on the MCA of Chicago, visit http://www.mca.org.

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A new, research-based case study shares lessons learned from eight tragic deaths that occurred at a construction site within 18 months in 2008. These events occurred at the largest privately owned, commercial construction project in U.S. history, the CityCenter and Cosmopolitan Towers in Las Vegas...

Construction Supplement: Are You Focused on Safety?

If so, when OSHA comes calling, it may be a short visit...

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Article on Training and responsibility

Welcome to our infrequent newsletter for fans of our books, Made to Stick and Switch!  Read on to make your next pitch great, to discover a great new book on change, and to hear our nominees for the Genius Award (including an unlikely rock star).

-------------------

SIX TIPS FOR GIVING A GREAT ELEVATOR PITCH

An elevator pitch is a mixture of an explanation and a sales pitch. It's intended to get people excited about your organization, your new product, or even you personally (in an interview situation). Here's how to give a good one:

1. Think short - no shorter than 30 seconds and no longer than 3 minutes. Time it.

2. If your topic is complex, use the "anchor & twist" format to orient your audience.

3. Don't wing it, script it. Once you've figured out how to explain something well, there is NO value in novelty. Tell it the same (effective) way every time.

4. 'Why' comes before 'What.' People will understand better what you're doing if they first know why you're doing it. Here's an example: "Most people invest some of their savings and give some of it away to charity. Wouldn't it be nice if you could do both at once -- get interest AND impact? That's why we invented the Calvert Community Investment Notes."

5. Mandatory: Include a story. For a product pitch, tell a customer's story. For a nonprofit pitch, talk about the people you help. For self-promotion, highlight a time when you nailed it.

6. Check out other pitches for inspiration. Here's one that we worked on for Peter Singer's great book, The Life You Can Save. And here's a great article about elevator pitches, starring Dave Yewman and Andy Craig, the masters of the craft.

-------------------

WANT TO TRAIN YOUR ORGANIZATION ON SWITCH?  Hey -- on March 20-21, 2011 we're going to offer our first training class to certify trainers to teach the material in Switch (our new book on creating change). The class will be in Palo Alto, California. If you do coaching or training for organizations, and you're interested in adding a Switch class to your repertoire, send us a note at training@heathbrothers.com. 

--------------------

ESSENTIAL NEW BOOK ON BRIGHT SPOTS THINKING

Remember the story in Switch about Jerry Sternin?  He's the guy who solved the malnutrition problem among very poor Vietnamese rice farmers by figuring out the practices of bright spot moms who were raising healthy kids despite their poverty. Many readers have told us it's their favorite story in the book. Anyway, there's a new book out on Sternin's work called The Power of Positive Deviance: How Unlikely Innovators Solve the World's Toughest Problems.  The book describes amazing case studies of how Jerry and Monique Sternin used bright-spots approaches to solve problems ranging from keeping kids in school in Argentina to preventing multi-drug resistant staph infections in U.S. hospitals.  It doesn't matter what field you're in, if you want to create change, you should read this book.

--------------------

THREE ACTS OF GENIUS

1. David Lee Roth figured out how to avoid catastrophic failures at Van Halen's live shows. (Chances are you can learn from his insight.)

2. The New York City public health department is waging a brilliant, sticky campaign against sugary sodas. See our article and the poster and the hilariously disgusting video.

3. Did you know Amazon has a patent on its 1-click-order technology? They've succeeded by making it ridiculously easy to place an order. Notice how Kiva uses the same idea: They've made it ridiculously easy for all of us to be "micro-lenders." (Go see for yourself.) Are you making it ridiculously easy for your customers to engage with you?

--------------------

FOR MORE ON STICKY IDEAS: If you liked Made to Stick but want more hands-on practice, check out the course that we co-designed with our partners, Decker Communications. You can register for their open-enrollment classes -- including sessions on Sept 10 (San Fran) and Nov 12 (NYC) -- or contact them about hosting a class specifically for your group (madetostick@decker.com).

--------------------

Signing off until the next edition, which we promise will come sometime in the next 2 to 17 months... All the best to you.

-dan & chip

heathbrothers.com

#MyJHA - The book Made to Stick is one that should be studied. How well do your messages stick?

Clutter. Read "trip hazards. fire hazards, lifting injuries, wasted space and materials, etc., etc. In establishing a general safety process, de-cluttering is where you can realize effective use of time. Consider using the 5S concept to establish a methodology that is well documented and has been found effective.
This article is not 5S but brings it home the idea.

A validation of a concept around for a number of years

From NIOSH

Tags: strategy | HR strategy | balanced scorecard | continuos improvement | HR process | HR objectives | HR metrics | talent management | human resources

Implementing an integrated HR strategy within your organization will help maximize the delivery of specific and measured added value to the business, assure effectiveness and increase productivity.

Creating the HR Strategy

At ITR, in order to create the capabilities that can deliver the business proposition of state of the art Aerospace experience and knowledge; on-time delivery; predictable and competitive budget and lead time; adaptability to customer’s needs and problem solving, a very distinct and unique culture must be built.

We are developing a culture where every employee can understand the business, is engaged, customer oriented, capable, resourceful, a team player, flexible, predictable and adaptable, create value, execute flawlessly and feels comfortable with uncertainty.

The Pillars of HR Strategy

To develop and support employees and the organizational culture, ITR designed an HR Strategy supported by pillars: (Click on diagram to enlarge.)

• Focus
• (Value Stream) Flow
• Maturity
• Execution
• Continuous Improvement

Focus: Implementing the Balance Scorecard

We use the Balanced Scorecard (BSC) as a fundamental tool to keep ITR focused; it consists of a methodology that turns the strategy of the organization into operative terms, this enables the process to emerge. Monthly meetings are conducted in a fashion in which results are evaluated within the different areas that integrate the company.

The Balanced Scorecard—along with a strategic map that describes and linkes all the initiatives in the business, including HR objectives and plans—is managed and deployed by the HR unit. We also use the Experience Co-creation Methodology to ensure that we have understood and prioritized our customers’ requirements, with accuracy.

The main HR objectives managed by the HR Score card are: (Click on diagram to enlarge.)

• Attract, Manage, Develop and Retain Talent
• Create an Engaged, Customer Oriented, Capable, Resourceful, Team Player, Flexible, Predictable and Adaptable culture.
• Create and Manage Knowledge

Value Stream (Flow): Linking HR Objectives to Business Initiatives

In order to achieve the HR objectives and to link and synergize our initiatives, we have designed a value stream (flow) that allows ITR to:

• Attract Talent
• Performance Management
• Train and Develop 
• Redeploy (Promote)

Based on Lean principles this flow is pulled by our customer´s needs. We used the Value Stream Mapping Tool in order to maximizing the capabilities of our HR Value Stream. (Click on diagram to enlarge.)

Maturity: Evaluating HR Process Maturity

All processes have different maturity levels. The People Capability Maturity Model described by Bill Curtis, William Hefley and Sally Miller described five levels:

• Initial 
• Managed
• Defined
• Predictable 
• Optimizing

To evaluate each HR process maturity level correctly, it’s fundamental to evolve this process and achieve organizational capability.

As an example when the ITR´s HR team started our evolution six years ago, the status of some of our HR process and their maturity targets were:

• (Attract Talent) Staffing: Status-Manage Level, Target- Defined Level
• (Manage and Retain) Compensations: Status Predictability Level, Target-Optimizing Level
• (Redeploy) HR planning: Status-Defined Level, Target-Predictability Level

Execution: Roadmap to an Added Valued HR Strategy

ITR defines an HR Roadmap in order to have a path that clearly communicates what steps we have to follow in order to implement an Added Valued HR strategy.

This path contemplates: (Click on diagram to enlarge.)

• Customer need
• Value Stream design and analysis
• HR Team Training
• HR Process Maturity
• Pull System
• Continuous Improvement

Continuous Improvement: Analyzing and Evaluating HR Processes

In order to have a positive evolution in our capabilities, ITR´s HR processes are constantly evaluated and improved in the light of their maturity, efficiency, effectiveness, flexibility and predictability.

TOYOTA A1 system is used to coordinate and prioritize this continuous improvement process. This system allows us to consider the information in one page as follows: (Click on diagram to enlarge.)

• Current Situation: Maturity Level
• Goal
• Analysis
• Plan 
• Follow-up

ITR uses this A1 methodology in all of its HR processes and we have identified that there is a deep correlation between the maturity level and the needed methodology to achieve the goal, different maturity levels, require different methodology approaches.

For example:

• To evolve staffing process that has a maturity level of “Manage” and the goal is to achieve the “Defined level," we use TOC Thinking Processes Tools
• To evolve Compensations process thats level is “Predictable” and the goal is “Optimizing” level, we use Six Sigma Tools

(Click on diagram to enlarge.)

Direct Results from the Implementation of an HR Strategy:

As a result of this HR strategy we can achieve: (Click on diagram to enlarge.)

• 60 percent of reduction in or Staffing time process
• 40 percent reduction of HR operational costs
• Reduce attrition from 13 percent to 1.7 percent
• Being the best evaluated area in ITR aerospace scoring 9.8 of 10 possible points.
• Awarded with the national best practices (2006) and the national HR innovation (2007)

Linking HR Strategy with Customer Needs

HR can be an area that can make a definitive and a measurable contribution to the business. To achieve this we have to clearly understand our customer´s needs and put in place a process which can satisfy these needs in a flexible, efficient, predictable a profitable way. There is a very large toolbox with different methodologies that we can use, the only challenge is to synergize these methodologies, and give them a clear purpose.

Article by Jose Luis Chavez Vasquez - Award-winning and goal-driven HR & SP executive http://www.humanresourcesiq.com/article.cfm?externalID=1528

Interesting approach and use combining several proven concepts. A risk manage/safety process could benefit from a similar approach. It is essential that senior management buy-in is in place as well as a solid roll strategy

Alan Weiss discusses ideas and thoughts on personal branding and use of spcial networking - Great mentor, writer, consultant, thought leader

When I left a large company several years ago to start up my own firm, I imagined a more streamlined life, with less demands on my time from new projects and change initiatives. I could decide how much work I wanted to do and — critically — what I didn't want to do. For the first time in my life, I had the luxury of deciding what I did and when.

Then I encountered reality. When you start a small business, you have to work long hours to get the company established: marketing, administration, and business development all take as much time as delivering the work itself, and you take every job that is offered. I have become my own worst boss, setting unrealistic goals, initiating new projects and writing lengthy to-do lists. I then order myself to deliver the work, which is often done in far-flung places around the world, develop longer-term projects and continue to run a now-thriving business at home.

I find myself working long hours, traveling far too much and working at weekends, never quite able to catch up with daily tasks, let alone the longer-term projects. My time disappears, my personal life comes second, and I have sometimes felt unwell from stress and pressure. It's clear that things aren't working.

One of the interesting things about coaching is how much you learn about yourself in the process of working with clients. Many of the executives I coach are facing the same issues as me, albeit on a much larger scale: they are in a perpetual state of overload and stress from new technology, globalisation, demands for innovation, and a shrinking workforce. On top of this, many have to work in a matrix-run organisation, meaning they are accountable to more than one boss. In sum, they are told to achieve more, more efficiently, faster, and with fewer people.

In many corporate roles, this is achieved by giving more capable people more to do, which leads to stress and burnout, and sacking the less-efficient managers. Many executives I coach are doing the work of two full-time executives. Take Andrew, 40, the CFO of a British retailer who was recently promoted to COO. He has been asked to cover both jobs until his successor as CFO is appointed "some time next year." He has a deputy, but he is too inexperienced to take on the CFO role, which means long hours for Andrew and the constant anxiety that does neither job very well. He says the quality of his work has suffered as his attention is stretched in too many directions. And while he is bearing up well, he admits that he is occasionally beset by a paralysing fear that something will go horribly wrong.

Of course, this situation is unsustainable in the long run. If Andrew continues to try to do both roles, his anxiety will increase and he could be in danger of derailing his career and his health being affected, perhaps even suffering from burnout. For his company, there is a risk that Andrew may feel it's simply not worth it and he may choose to walk away and find another role which offers better conditions.

So what can you do if you are in a situation like Andrew, or if you are leading an organisation where this kind of overload has become the norm? Or perhaps you are an entrepreneur like me, who has become your own worst boss in a business which threatens to overrun your life.

I suggest three immediate steps which should go some way to streamlining your working life. These are just initial thoughts — I am sure that you have many better ideas which I encourage you to share with fellow-sufferers! I look forward to hearing them all, but in the meantime, these are my ideas:

1. Manage your time ruthlessly and set clear priorities. It's often a revelation for executives to analyse exactly where their time is spent during the week — in pointless meetings, with demanding team members, chasing the boss, or staring at an ever-growing list of tasks. Determine how many hours you need to work (I suggest an upper limit of 50-55) and then manage these as you would manage your money: don't throw them away!

Consider what is really urgent and has to be done, and what is really important to you in the long run. Look at your strategy carefully and rank the strategic importance of goals, tasks, and projects, identifying the essential ones. Focus your energy on these and make sure that you set aside time regularly to reflect on your strategy and what you are doing. Take the time to recharge.

2. Once you have set your priorities and decided where you will spend your time, draw up a list of things you can eliminate. Executives are very good at drawing up lists of things to do and devising new projects and initiatives, but from now on, list what you don't need to do. Initiatives often become mired in problems and processes, or executives can't let go because they have invested too much time in them. Again, be ruthless: be clear that killing off projects does not mean personal failure; it's simply that defunct projects drain energy. Throw out old projects and initiatives that are going nowhere and try to focus on key projects that will deliver results.

If you are unable to decide, ask your team which projects or initiatives are a waste of time and they will no doubt draw up a list for you. If in doubt, discipline yourself to cancel at least one project every time you decide to initiate a new one. Recognise the danger of overloading: energy is a finite resource and you must use it well.

3. Push back against your own boss — or yourself — to ensure that you are not chasing endless initiatives and are focusing your energy on key projects. If your boss is bad at setting priorities, ensure he or she is really committed to a project before you invest your time in it. One of my clients had a very effective way of managing a boss who constantly fired off new ideas and initiatives: she only responded to his requests when he had made them three times — she knew that these were important while the rest were allowed to die quietly.

So what do you think? Do you think overload is inevitable in the current working environment? If so, what are your ideas for managing overload at work or in life? Do you have any strategies to get back to core activities? If not, what are your suggestions for avoiding overload in the first place?

Ideas that can de-stress and improve time management