Accident Prevention Program (APP)

1
Accident Prevention Program (APP)
An Overview
Purpose To assist you in developing and
implementing a written Accident Prevention
Program which is tailored to the needs and
potential hazards associated with your work.
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What Will Be Covered

• Why have an accident prevention program
• Rule requirements for accident prevention program
• Elements of a written program
• How to implement an effective program
• Where to get help

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Why have an accident prevention program (APP)?

• It will help to prevent employee
  injuries on the job.
• It will help you find hazards before
  they cause accidents.
• It will help you deal with accidents if they
  do occur.

By accidents we mean events where employees are
killed, maimed, injured, or become ill from
exposure to toxic chemicals or microorganisms
(TB, Hepatitis, HIV, Hantavirus etc).
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Why have an accident prevention program (APP)?

• It helps control industrial insurance costs.

Average of claims
High of Claims
Low of Claims
Your premium rate depends on number of claims
filed. An accident prevention program can help
you to control hazards that cause accidents and
claims.
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A True Story

• A Tire Store 35 Employees
• Had a single high cost claim (shoulder injury)
• Premium rate increased from 71/hr to 86/hr
• Yearly premium increased 10,000

To make up for the premium increase _at_ 10 profit
margin you must get 100,000 additional business
These are actual facts and figures from a tire
store in eastern Washington. The company had 13
minor claims in 2000-2002 with the single
high-cost claim (29,000) occurring in 2002. The
employee was off work for several days and
received time-loss payments from L I. He also
had expensive medical bills which were billed to
L I.
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Why have an accident prevention program?

• Its required by WISHA Rules.

WISHA
Safety Health Core Rules WAC 296-800-140
Safety Standards for Construction WAC
296-155-110
Other standards agriculture, logging, etc.
APP rules are nearly identical for all these
types of businesses. In most cases, if you are
visited by a WISHA inspector, he or she will look
for your APP. If the inspector finds serious
hazards and no APP or major deficiencies in the
APP, you may receive a a citation with monetary
penalty.
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What is an accident prevention program?

• A plan of action to
• Involve workers and management
  in workplace safety and health,
• Identify and control safety hazards,
• Handle emergencies,
• Give new employees job safety orientation,
• Provide for personal protective equipment
  as needed.

A plan for safety must be more than posting a
sign that says Be Careful. In an emergency call
911. It will help you to identify hazards
before they cause accidents and help you deal
with accidents if and when they occur.
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What is required for all employers?

• Must be outlined in writing.
• Must be tailored to the worksite.
• Must include employee safety
  orientation and training.
• Must include safety committee or safety
  meetings.

• You must develop, supervise and enforce a
  safety training training program
• You must make sure your APP is effective in
  practice.

Link to Core Rule APP requirements
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APP Requirements For Construction

• Supervise and enforce an effective program
• Outlined in writing
• Employee safety orientation
• Weekly leader/crew safety meetings
• Weekly walk-around safety inspections

Link to Construction APP requirements
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APP Requirements for Agriculture

• Outlined in writing
• Tailored to the needs and hazards of
  your operation
• Employee safety orientation
• Monthly walk-around safety inspections with
  employee representative
• Monthly foreman-crew safety meetings

Link to Agriculture APP requirements
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A written APP can be an outline

• Simple and direct is O.K.
• Must cover all the regular and
  predictable hazards of the worksite
• Include employee input to identify
  new hazards not in outline
• Some employers will need a more
  complex APP depending on hazards
• It cant be just a paper program

The written program must cover all the typical,
predictable and evident hazards of the worksite.
However, a written APP that is too long or
complicated tends not be read. As long as there
is method to report new or unforeseen hazards, it
is not necessary to go into great detail about
every possible hazard one could imagine.
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APP should be a living plan

• If it is not a living plan actually
  used, then it will just be
• a document gathering dust on a shelf,
• something you did to please LI,
• of no real value to your company.

If youre going to spend time and energy
developing this plan, it might as well be a tool
that will add value to your company, will help
you to provide a safe and productive workplace,
and keep your industrial insurance premiums to a
minimum.
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APP Must be Tailored to the Worksite

• It cant be a non-specific generic program
• It must address the actual worksite hazards
  and conditions
• It must include the work of all employees

By generic we mean one that does not address
the actual worksite hazards and conditions. Some
trade associations (such as agriculture) produce
generic programs that includes the most common
hazards of a particular industry. These are
usually acceptable, but you must also cover the
unique hazards of your worksite.
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Employee Safety Orientation

• The orientation must cover
• A description of total safety program
• On-the-job instructions on how to do
  job tasks safely
• How to report accidents
• Location of first aid facilities

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Employee Safety Orientation(cont.)
Also include in orientation

• How to report safety hazards
• Use and care of personal protective
  equipment
• What to do in emergencies
• How to identify hazardous chemicals and what
  to do if exposed to them.

Link to sample chemical hazard communication
program
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Safety Committees

• At least as many elected employees as
  management-selected members
• Elected chairperson
• Committee determines meeting schedules
• Keep meeting minutes and attendance
• Cover specific topics

Safety Committees are required if you have 11 or
more employees at the worksite. The number of
employee-elected members of the safety committee
must be equal to or more than the number of
employer-selected members
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Safety Meetings

• Allowed if 10 or less employees
• Meet monthly
• At least one management representative
• Document attendance
• Cover specific topics

Safety meetings are an allowable substitute for a
safety committee if you have 10 or less
employees. They are also allowed if you have 10
or less employees on different shifts or there
are 10 or less employees at widely separate work
locations. You would need to have safety
meetings at each shift or each work location.
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Construction Crew/Leader Safety Meetings
requirements

• Hold worksite meetings
• At start of job
• Every week
• As needed when change in conditions or hazards

• Document topics and attendance

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Agriculture Safety Meetings

• Not required for short-term operations like
  harvesting
• Monthly meetings tailored to current
  activities
• Outline what discussed and who attended in
  meeting minutes
• Copies of minutes kept at location where most
  employees report
• Retain minutes for one year

Even though safety meetings are not required for
agriculture operations that last less than a
month, a safety orientation is still required at
the beginning of the operation. For example, in
cherry harvesting, pickers should still have a
safety orientation on how to safely use a ladder.
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When is an APP effective in practice ?

• When It Works!!
• It is more than just words, platitudes or
  slogans.
• All regular and predictable hazards are
  addressed.
• Serious or frequent injuries are not occurring.

The goal of an APP is to prevent injuries.
Frequent injuries would be a sign that not all
hazards are addressed or your safety rules are
not being enforced. Minor or infrequent
non-serious injuries do not mean your APP is
ineffective. An occasional missed hazard (one
saw guard out of several saws is missing in a
cabinet shop for example) also does not
necessarily mean your APP is ineffective.
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Some ways to make an APP effective in practice

• Determine what injuries and near-misses have
  occurred and why
• Do a hazard evaluation or survey of the
  workplace
• Establish safety goals management commitment
• Train employees on job hazards (required)
• Effectively and consistently enforce safety
  rules
• Provide needed protective equipment and make
  sure it is used (required)

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Injury Determination

• Review claims and
  injury records

Review your OSHA 300 Log if you have kept one.
See if there are several people having the same
type of accident (indicates that a process or
procedures may need changing) or if one person is
having several accidents doing different jobs
(indicates that this person probably needs
retraining).

• Interview employees for unreported injuries

Talk to employees - Do they think they have a
safe place to work. - Do they have ideas about
how to improve safety. - Do they know how, when
and to whom to report an accident. - Do they
know of any accident that have NOT been reported.
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Near Misses
Investigate near-misses since they are potential
accidents
Accidents or injuries are the tip of the
iceberg of hazards
Accidents
Hazards
Dont just investigate accidents. Near misses
should be reported and investigated. They were
in a sense, aborted accidents. Criteria for
investigating an incident or near miss What is
reasonably the worst injury the worker would have
suffered had an actual accident happened? If it
would have resulted in a serious injury, then the
incident or near miss should be investigated with
the same thoroughness as an actual accident
investigation.
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Safety Hazard Evaluation
Job Safety Analysis (JSA)
Sharp edges splinters
Pick up stock
Gloves
Blade edges and flying chips
Blade guard and safety glasses
Cut stock with power saw
A JSA is not required, but is one method of
determining hazards at the worksite. This is an
example of a job safety analysis of a carpenter
shop. Each task is listed with its particular
hazard and protection for that hazard. This
method can be used to determine your companys
need for personal protective equipment.
Link to sample JSA
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Workplace Safety Evaluation
Worksite Safety Checklist

• Tailored to your workplace
• Used by foreman or safety supervisor

YES
NO
ITEM
Employees wearing safety glasses?
Saw guards in place?
Work area free of tripping hazards?
A periodic safety evaluation is recommended,
especially if conditions change frequently, such
as in construction. Often representatives of the
safety committee will do this. This checklist
should be developed to check for the hazards that
are likely to be found on your site. It can be
used for periodic walkaround safety surveys to
make sure all safety measures are in place.
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Hazard Identification
Conduct Accident Investigations

• Do with a team supervisors, employees, outside
  experts
• Examine
• Persons
• Equipment
• Environment
• Look for fact, not fault
• Prepare a written report
• Do follow-up

Investigate as soon as possible. Take pictures,
draw diagrams and interview all who witnessed the
accident. Try to find what can be changes to
prevent the accident from happening again. Write
a formal report (can be covered at the next
safety meeting). Make sure that suggested changes
are made.
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A successful APP needs management commitment

• Sample statements
• We care about your safety
• We will provide a safe work place
• Nothing is important enough to do unsafely.
• Supervisors and employees are expected to work
  safely and bring up safety issues

A message from the owner ...
John Smith
J
Management safety statements are not required,
but are recommended. Management support is vital
for success of program else neither supervisors
nor employees will take it seriously. A specific
written statement, is not required, however.
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Some Management Resources in Support of APP
Incentives
Time
Safety Equipment
In addition to leading by example, management
should give employees resources and incentives.
Recognize that an effective program implies a
commitment of - support of safety as a regular
budget item, - time for inspections, training,
safety committee, maintenance, - equipment such
as guards, PPE, training materials,
promotions, - safety recognition and incentive
programs that reward safety efforts.
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The Role of Line Manager/Foreman
For a successful APP, you need line manager
buy-in and commitment. Suggested ways to do that

• Spell out their safety duties
• Give them explicit safety authority
• Hold them accountable for safety

To have a program that is effective in
practice, management ( the owner, general
manager, supervisor, foreman and crew boss) must
practice safety as well as the employees. If
management doesnt wear PPE where the employee
are required to, the employees are less likely to
wear the required PPE when management is not
present. Employees must be make to feel
comfortable making safety corrections without
getting permission from someone else.
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The Role of Line Managers/Foremen

• They should
• Be personal examples
• Identify hazards
• Monitor workers
• Participate directly in problem-solving
  

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Employee Input

• Employee hazard reports
• Get input from safety committee
• Consider using an employee report form
• Do follow-up

Link to sample employee report form
You can use a report form, a suggestion box, or
get input from safety committee or verbally
during safety meetings. Make available and
encourage the use of form for employees to report
hazards they see. Management should have
procedures to address issues identified and
notify individuals or safety committee what
actions were taken.
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Training Programs

• Who?
• Management
• Employees
• What?
• Basic orientation
• Specific machines, processes, skills
• When?
• Before doing the work
• When duties work change
• When deficiencies are noted
• Documentation
• Instructors outline
• Attendance records

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Training Programs
Management needs training to understand the
hazards and safety requirements as much if not
more than the line employees. Initial
orientation is very important. New employees are
quite vulnerable to accident unless you clue them
in on - what they are supposed to do, - what
to watch out for, and - what to do when
something goes wrong. Employees may be expected
to start the job with the skills necessary to do
the job but it is the employers responsibility
to insure that the employee knows the safety
rules related to the job. Dont rely on the
previous employer having done the training or
that the employee says they have experience. You
dont know the quality of training they received
or if any bad habits have developed.
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Specific Training Programs

• WISHA has specific training requirements for
  certain topics
• Hazard communication
• Respirator use
• Other PPE use
• Forklifts
• Confined space work
• Fall protection in construction
• Pesticides in agriculture
• Others

Link to WISHA-required training
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Safety Rules are Important Part of APP
There are two types

• General company safety rules such as
• Wear steel-toed shoes onsite
• No horseplay
• Do not operate machinery without guards in
  place.
• Specific job related safety rules such as
• Grinder safety rules
• Roofing fall protection rules

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Safety Disciplinary Policy

• In writing
• Employees are informed or trained on policy
• Applies to everyone including management
• Fair and progressive enforcement

Wheres his fall protection?
A disciplinary policy is not required, but highly
recommended. The policy should be in writing and
employees should be informed/trained before it
can be used against them. Policy should be
imposed on management as well as employees.
Records of policy application should be kept for
documentation that the policy is being enforced.
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Personal Protective Equipment
What hazards exist that require use of PPE?

• Determine need who, when, what
• Ensure it provides adequate protection
• Train employees on use
• Provide, maintain and replace as needed.

A PPE hazard assessment is required by WISHA
Rules on PPE. You can determine what PPE is
needed from doing a hazard assessment. Injury
reports may also provide additional information
there may be a pattern of injuries that can be
prevented with the use of appropriate PPE.
Link to sample PPE hazard assessment checklist
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Additional Information

• More information on APP is available on the WISHA
  webpage at
• http//www.lni.wa.gov/safety/basics/Programs/Accid
  ent/default.htm

For additional assistance, you can call one of
our consultants. Click below for local L I
office locations http//www.lni.wa.gov/wisha/cons
ultation/regional_consultants.htm
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• Thank you for taking the time to learn about
  safety and health and how to prevent injuries and
  illnesses.