The National Association of College Stores has not had an employee lost-time claim in the past 12 months.
HR Manager Amy Petrus chalks that up to the Oberlin-based business’s return-to-work program, which incorporates light duty to cut down on lost time, and a nurse who visits once a week to check up on occupational injuries.
It is part of a safety program sponsored by the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation and includes written policies, a first-aid team and a safety committee that meets quarterly.
“We discuss the safety issues that are out there,” Petrus explains. “We have a warehouse of around 100 employees who are dealing with lifting and equipment, so we discuss safety considerations, as well as education.”
NACS is an example of a business that has put great care into drafting its employee safety plan, but Roger Oviatt, coordinator of the American Red Cross Business and Industry Council for Emergency Planning and Preparedness (BICEP), says the level of preparation often drops in proportion to a company’s size.
“Small businesses are so busy just surviving they don’t think they have time to deal with safety plans,” says Oviatt. “They are also often the ones who can least afford to not have these plans in place because they don’t have the buffer a larger company does.”
More than 200 local companies, schools and organizations have heeded Oviatt’s message and signed on with the Cleveland Chapter’s BICEP program. Some saw firsthand the importance of being prepared late last year when the north end of East 9th Street turned into a churning river following a water main break.
For those business owners who are still on the fence, Oviatt offers a few suggestions on how to make sure you are doing all you can to create a safe environment for your workers.
Employee injury
In the HR white paper survey conducted by the Employers Resource Council for SBN, nearly 30 percent of respondents said that their companies do not have written safety guidelines. Many of those were light industry or office-based companies, but Oviatt says no matter what line of business you are in, safety guidelines are always a good idea.
For manufacturing firms or other types of businesses in which there is a potential for injury, employee awareness of safety measures is an absolute necessity.
“It is imperative in a manufacturing facility or a service industry like tree care that your employees know exactly what they are going to do if somebody gets injured,” he says. “I have a son who works in the tree care industry, and the company brings the employees in early, sits them down and goes through safety procedures.”
Even if your business is one in which there is not a threat of employees being injured by machinery or chemicals, Oviatt recommends making sure there are at least a few employees who have first aid and CPR training in case of an on-the-job emergency. Also make sure your workers know the appropriate safety procedures in the event of a tornado, fire or building evacuation.
Disaster recovery
Less than one-fourth of those who responded to the HR white paper survey reported their companies had specific disaster recovery measures in place to minimize business downtime in the event of an emergency. Many business owners neglect drafting specific contingency plans because they have purchased insurance to aid the company in the event of a business interruption.
Although insurance seems to be a solid fix in the short term, Oviatt says the speed with which a business can recover from a disaster is directly linked to its chances of survival afterward.
“The thing that kills the company is that downtime,” he says. “Insurance isn’t going to address this. It may pay your claims, but when you open your door, you may not have any market share left because all of your customers have gone to competitors.
“Meanwhile, you’ve lost some of your key employees, because they aren’t going to stick around waiting to see whether or not you’re going to open your doors.”
Drafting a plan
For business owners interested in creating a comprehensive safety plan, Oviatt offers a few pieces of advice. First, concentrate on immediate issues of safety, such as minimizing employee injury and creating a safe work environment. After that, tackle the other issues. Don’t try to take on too much too fast, or you’ll likely end up overwhelmed and frustrated and much less likely to follow through.
“Take the time to do it, and don’t bite off more than you can chew,” Oviatt says. “That’s what I tell most companies. Take it bit by bit. Take baby steps before you start to run.
“If you do that, you’ll get to the end eventually.”
How to reach: NACS Inc., (440) 775-7777; The Cleveland Chapter of the American Red Cross, (216) 431-3284
Jim Vickers ([email protected]) is an associate editor at SBN.