FIVE BEST PRACTICES TO REDUCE THE RISK OF EMPLOYEE INCIDENTS


Establish a risk management program The first step is to create a comprehensive risk management program


that is multi-faceted and interdisciplinary. This means including all departments in the program, such as human resources, marketing, clinical, dining, and building op- erations. The program should also include elements of prevention and training, along with the development of standards, policies, and procedures. A good program will also provide workers with access to occupational health treatments and clinics.


Prior to the meeting, committee mem-


bers conduct safety rounds. All areas of the community are checked. Back hallways are scouted for problems, such as clutter and slick floors. “Everything should be clean and free of hazards,” said Rickert. Committee members look to see if safety


signs are posted, such as the step-by-step instructions at eye wash stations. Storage areas are inspected to make sure they are compliant with Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations. The safety meeting itself includes a for-


mal agenda. Injuries or illnesses are re- viewed by the committee. Employees who were injured are sometimes interviewed by


“The best thing we can do as an industry is to equip our team members,” said Pam Engle, senior vice president of people and administration at New Perspective. “It's all about training.”


Prevention is a good place to start, accord-


ing to Frank Russo, senior vice president of risk and legal affairs at Silverado, a provider of memory care with nearly 60 locations. The company’s “safety star” program rec- ognizes safe work and rewards employees for completing their jobs correctly. “Workers are incentivized for safe work,” he said. At the community level, Russo recom-


mends establishing a safety committee. This group should include stakeholders from var- ious departments that discuss incidents and bring safety issues to the attention of man- agement. “We have a monthly safety com- mittee meeting in each location,” said Rus- so. “This empowers local communities to create a culture and atmosphere of safety.” Monthly safety meetings are also a best


practice at LCS, an operator of more than 140 senior living communities. The inter- disciplinary team includes representatives of each department, according to Yvonne Rickert, vice president and senior director of human resources at LCS. The chair of the safety committee is typically either the director of human resources or the executive director at the community.


the committee to find out what can be done to prevent problems. “It’s all about preven- tion,” said Rickert. “We are creating a ze- ro-accident culture and the safety meeting is essential to keep safety top of mind.” Similar to Silverado, the safety program


at LCS features incentives for workers. “We do some fun things around safety,” said Rickert. She noted that Cypress Glen, a continuing care retirement community op- erated by LCS in North Carolina, recently reached 2 million hours without lost work time—an achievement she credits to best safety practices which has created a culture of accident prevention. All-staff meetings include a safety discus-


sion and a raffle for a safety-related item such as a personal fire extinguisher or smoke detectors. If a community goes a certain number of days without an injury, a pizza party is thrown for the entire staff. “We are a safety driven company,” said Rickert. “If you have an engaged workforce, you have lower work-related incidents, lower turn- over, and a higher level of resident satisfac- tion.” She added that the overarching goal is to communicate to the worker that the


30 SENIOR LIVING EXECUTIVE JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2018


company cares about the worker as a per- son, a mother, a daughter, and a son. “It’s a holistic approach to well-being rather than just a work injury program,” said Rickert. A companywide wellness program that encourages a healthy lifestyle, including in- formation on how to reduce stress on the job, reinforces the notion that the company cares about the employee. Be aware of new technology that can re-


duce injuries, advised Russo. The company has adopted the use of a retractable needle that prevents sticks, for example. “We are constantly looking for new ideas,” said Russo. Another approach to the development


of a comprehensive risk management pro- gram has been created by Diana Schwerha, Ph.D., associate professor of industrial sys- tems engineering at Ohio University’s Russ College of Engineering and Technology. Her program focuses on ergonomics to re- duce the number and severity of work-re- lated injuries. Ergonomics is defined as the study of im-


proving the compatibility between people, processes, and products to improve safety, efficiency, and user satisfaction. Like other comprehensive risk management programs, the ergonomics approach begins with the creation of a safety group that includes various company stakeholders from differ- ent departments. “We want to get people talking about problems that cross their par- ticular area,” said Schwerha. “The biggest challenge is to improve communication among the employees.” The next step is to identify hazards and


then prioritize the hazards based on their im- pact on productivity and quality outcomes. Interventions are developed with the help of various tools and improvements in processes such as updating procedure manuals. “Companies have to invest in solutions


for employees,” said Schwerha. The ergonomics framework aims to de-


termine whether an intervention is the best solution to improve resident care and effi- ciency, while avoiding an injury. For exam- ple, spending $3,000 on a lift assist device may seem like an expensive solution. But it may save each worker 20 minutes a day and also help avoid the cost of injuries. “You have to look at the solution that is best in the long run,” said Schwerha.


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