What to Expect When You’re Inspected:

Benson Hall Case Study

Jude Van Buren, Dr.PH, MPH, DirectorEnvironmental Health and Safety

May 2015

Topics

> Recognizing occupational health and safety hazards

> What to do if Washington State Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) comes to your location

> Addressing health and safety concerns

> Promoting a UW safety culture

Responding to Safety Concerns

> The UW supports a culture of safety by

– Encouraging people to report safety concerns so injuries can be prevented

– Supporting proactive problem solving to address safety concerns and communicate with all affected

> Health and Safety Committees

> Safety Officers

– Targeting approaches to accident prevention (EH&S)

> And yet … anyone can report a safety concern to L&I at any time

Legally required and essential to promoting a safety culture

It’s About Protecting People

What Does a Safety Concern Look Like?

> Someone is injured, contracts an illness, or has an exposure at work

> Someone almost gets hurt (near miss)> Something doesn’t look safe> Comments:

– “Shouldn’t I be wearing gloves, mask, etc.?”– “That’s still broken”– “That doesn’t look safe”– “Someone could get hurt”– “Something smells weird”– “I sneeze and have itchy eyes at work, yet at home I’m

fine”

2014 Accidents at the UW

L&I inspector documenting scene

of table saw accident

Ladder placed on weeds covering mole hole

Indicating how employee was pinned to MRI magnet

What Do You See?

Someone could walk into this

Fall hazard:People must climb over hand railing to get on platform

Benson Hall Case Study

> Large distillation column in student laboratory; in use since 1966

> Floor-to-ceiling spiral staircase: requires stepping over stair railing to access platform

> Student safety concern expressed to instructor in pre-planning meeting was passed on to professor, department, and EH&S

> EH&S responded and was in the process of assessing and making recommendation for safe access

> Labor and Industries (L&I) responded on same day as EH&S

> L&I cited UW with safety violation (citation dropped on appeal)

Safety concern resulted in accident prevention

Benson Hall: Outcomeand Lessons Learned

> We did a lot of things right:– Promoted a culture of safety by

preplanning– Student felt comfortable enough to

report a safety concern– Chair and department supported

bringing concerns forward andmaking improvements

– Faculty/staff involved knew to call EH&S– Students involved learned the

importance of paying attention to safety and will take that into their careers

> Chemical Engineering purchased new staircase (hazard removed)

> It’s good to have fresh eyes looking for hazards> Even if you do everything right, L&I may still investigate

Hazards in the UW Workplace

Perspectives on Safety Example:Broken Ladder

Worker might see:• That has been here

forever: this place is not kept up and isn’t safe

• They don’t care about me and my safety

• Do I have to call someone else to get them to care about this?

Supervisor might see:• Been here for a

while already, and no one has mentioned it

• No one has been hurt

• It’s probably not a problem

• I’ll maybe look into it

L&I might see:• Poor safety climate

here• Does anyone

inspect the ladders?• Has anyone been

trained?• Do they have any

safety procedures?• Are there other

hazards here? Better look

When Someone Reports a Safety Concern

Take action!

Can Address• Fix• Report in OARS• Communicate to

all affected

Can’t Address• Call EH&S• Communicate to all affected

• Limit access or close area

• Report in OARS• Create action plan and timeline to communicate to others

• Fix• Evaluate and collect feedback

Don’t Know• Call EH&S• Contact safety

committee member and building coordinator

• Tell supervisors• Report in OARS

Supervisor Responsibility

> Promote a safety climate

– Be a good example

– Discuss it in meetings

– Encourage and respond to safety concerns

> Ensure proper safety procedures are in place

– Have a health and safety plan and review it annually

– Ensure the appropriate people get the right training

– Submit accident reports for accidents, illnesses, and near misses:Online Accident Reporting System – OARSwww.ehs.washington.edu/ohsoars/

> Communicate about safety concerns

– Communicate steps taken to person who reported the concern

– Communicate broadly to others who could be exposed, and stop work if appropriate

> Contact EH&S if not sure how to address a safety concern

How and When an L&I Inspector Appears: L&I Regulatory Process

> Inspections are triggered by:

– Regulatory inspection schedule

– Allegations of unsafe workplace by anyone: employee, family member, union, public, media

– As a result of a worker hospitalization

– Something seen in a drive by or media report

> Inspector will look at more than reported issue (training records, safety procedures, written programs, other hazards)

> UW is seen as one entity in terms of safety records, incidents, and penalty increases for repeat violations

Citation Current Penalty New Base Penalty*

Lack of eye protection $400 $3,300

Lack of fall protection $800 $3,300

Ladder not extended past roof $800 $3,300

Total $2,800 $13,200

*If repeat citations: 1st repeat = 2X, 2nd repeat = 5X

UW Tacoma Roof Work Inspection 2013

Occupational Health 2015Penalty Increases (Labor & Industries)

What to Do if L&I Shows Up at Your Door

> Ask the inspector for identification.

> Call EH&S immediately; the inspector should wait for EH&S prior to initiation of inspection.

> Phase 1: Opening conference with management, union representation, and EH&S. Cause for inspection and inspection process explained.

> Phase 2: Walkaround of the areas related to allegations prompting the inspection.

> Phase 3: Document request, employee interviews, measurements, and additional visits to observe specific areas.

> Phase 4: Closing conference and results of inspection reported.

> Phase 5: Citation and penalty issued; appeal if warranted.

EH&S• Hazard/• Risk

Identified

EH&S• Hazard/Risk

Evaluation

EH&S• Hazard/Risk

Mitigation Recommenda-tions

Department• Hazard/Risk

Mitigation Implementa-tion

Outcomes•Injury Rate•Workers Comp $ Reductions

•No citations, NOVs

Health and Safety Responsibility: It’s Everyone’s Job

EH&S Consultation Services Dept Actions Outcomes

Example:Lab exposures tochemicals

• How used• Where

used• When used

• What PPE is needed

• Environmental modifications needed

• What training is needed

• Provide PPE• Ensure

training is received

• Modify environment if possible

• Zero exposure

• Zero complaints

• Zero lawsuits

The Takeaway

> We all contribute to a culture of safety

> Reporting a near miss or safety concern is essential

> Regulations drive safety, but a culture of proactive responses ensures safety

> Know your health and safety committee member:www.ehs.washington.edu/ohssafcom/index.shtm

Questions about reporting accidents?Contact Sherry Baron:206.543.0297, sbaron@uw.edu

Accident Investigation Training for Supervisorshttp://www.ehs.washington.edu/psotrain/corsdesc.shtm

Contacts and Resources

> EH&S Dept phone: 206.543.7262 EH&S Dept email: ehsdept@uw.edu

> Subscribe to EH&S newsletter:www.ehs.washington.edu/news/index.shtm

> EH&S Trainingwww.ehs.washington.edu/psotrain/

> Online Accident Reporting Systemwww.ehs.washington.edu/ohsoars/

> Health and Safety Committeeswww.ehs.washington.edu/ohssafcom/index.shtm

Addendum

Presidential Executive Order No. 55

> External EH&S review found current UW policy was unclear and safety responsibilities were not being realized campus wide

> Board of EH&S revised Presidential Order No. 55 to clarify responsibilities of community members, Health and Safety Committees, and the public

> Clarifies responsibilities for VPs, chancellors, deans, directors, chairs, supervisors, and faculty supervising academic activities: – Reinforce culture of health and safety and follow health and

safety plans– Provide oversight of facilities and practices to ensure a safe

work environment– Ensure sufficient authority and support for management, staff,

and Health and Safety Committees to implement health and safety regulations

– Assure compliance with health and safety training– Establish priorities and commit resources for correcting

deficiencies

www.washington.edu/admin/rules/policies/PO/EO55.html