AAC MEMBE R S E RV I C E S
» » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » »
A ‘close call’ is also a wake-up call
Andy Kelloms, safety manager at Das-
sault Falcon Jet, is the only licensed safety person in Arkansas. Falcon Jet, which has 1,800 employees, last year was recognized with a million-manhour safety award. “Most of the time we focus on how many
“No Magic Pot” Workplace injuries are expensive – “And the money doesn’t come out of a magic pot,” ob-
served Pat Hart, Arkansas Workers’ Compensation Commission. “If you can do something to lower your indemnity, you can positively affect your e-mod.
If it is the flip side, you are going to pay higher than the base rate for coverage.” But while there is great incentive for keeping claims low, she urged county officials to be advocates for their county employees. “You can help employee morale by being an advocate for, and help- ing take care of, injured employees. Don’t let your employees down when they need it,” such as in helping them transition back to work. “If they feel they are under the wheel, and are about to be thrown under the bus, the first that comes up is ... why are they going to show any loyalty to you?”
“respect (for inmates) goes a long way.” Day cautioned the group to watch out for an officer/jailer exhibiting a “John Wayne” men- tality. “If you haven’t experienced this yet, you will,” he said. “If there is a guy in intake that needs to be dealt with, you don’t want to send in an individual whose attitude is, ‘I can take care of this guy by myself;’ and ‘We’re the law, by gawd, and we’re gonna go in and take care of this.” Tat approach has all kinds of negative legal implications, not to mention health cost and safety issues.” On the use of Tasers at the Boone County
Jail, Day noted that they have a sign posted that has proved effective in and of itself: “Warning 50,000 volts.” Tat, says Day, “really gets their attention on their way in.” Barry Burkett, whose goals are 1) employee safety and that
2010 Workers
2) reduced claims pay-outs, noted Compensation
claims
paid out included: “Struck or injured by” – $1,048,000; Altercations – $909,000; Strains – $393,000; and Collisions – $354,000.
COUNTY LINES, SUMMER 2011 Barry Burkett, Safety Specialist for the AAC Workers’ Compensation and Risk Management programs. 57
injuries, but we should focus on how many accidents,” he said. “Any time there is a near- miss, take action. Anytime you recognize a ‘that was close!’ incident, do something about it” – otherwise, there probably will be a next time, and you may not be so lucky. “We see the hazards out there every day in the world. How do we keep hazards in our workplace from turning into accidents? Correct the problem when we recognize it,” Kelloms urged. Ninety percent of all accidents are em-
ployee error, he said. “We have to eliminate unsafe acts and conditions from the work- place to the fullest extent possible.” What’s an “unsafe act”? Well, standing on top of a ladder; standing on a chair placed on a table to change a lightbulb, that would qualify; riding in a bucket or on a forklift would also be a no-no, according to Kelloms.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64