The Safety Training Program

Houghton Refrigeration Company builds refrigerators for large appliance companies. It employs about 300 people, mostly assembly-line workers, and is located in a small rural town in Ohio. The company typically builds, on a contract basis, chest freezers and small bar refrigerators. On occasion, however, it also builds standard size refrigerators. The president of the company is a former engineer, as are most of the other executives. These individuals are very knowledgeable about engineering, but have received little training in the basic principles of management.

During the summer months, volume at the factory increases significantly, and the company needs to hire about 40 new employees to handle the heavy workload. Most of these new employees are college students who attend a small private college located about 15 minutes from the plant. Some high school students are hired as well.

When a new employee is hired, the company asks him or her to complete an application and then to show up at the plant gate ready for work. Employees receive no orientation. The worker is shown to a workstation and, after a minimum amount of on-the-job training, the new employee is expected to start performing a job. Most of the jobs are quite simple; hence, the training is typically completed within ten minutes. The first-line supervisor usually shows the employee how to a job once, then watches while the employee does the job once, leaves, and comes back about 20 minutes later to see how the employee is progressing.

Typical jobs at the plant include screwing 14 screws into the sides of a freezer, placing a piece of insulation into the freezer lid, and handing out supplies from the tool room.

The company has had excellent experience with college students over the years. Much of the success can be attributed to the older workers coming to the aid of the new employees when difficulties arise. Most new employees are able to perform their jobs reasonably well after their on-the-job training is completed. However, when unexpected difficulties arise, they are usually not prepared for them and need assistance from others.

The older workers have been especially helpful to students working in the "press room." However, Joe Gleason, the first-line supervisor there, finds it amusing to belittle the college students whenever they make any mistakes. He relishes showing a student once how to use a press to bend a small piece of metal, then exclaims, "You're a hot-shot college student; now let's see you do it." He then watches impatiently while the student invariably makes a mistake and then jokingly announces for all to hear, "That's wrong! How did you ever get into college anyway? Try it again, dummy."

One summer, the company experienced a rash of injuries to its employees. Although most of the injuries were minor, the company felt it imperative to conduct a series of short training programs on safe material-handling techniques. The president of the company realized that OSHA requires firms to maintain a safe and healthy work environment, and that it is important that employees know how to lift objects safely. The major issue was who should conduct the training. The human resource director was a 64-year-old former engineer who was about to retire and was a poor speaker. The only other employee in the human resource department was a new 19-year-old secretary who knew nothing about proper handling techniques. Out of desperation, the president finally decided to ask Bill Young, the first-line supervisor of the "lid-line" to conduct the training. Young recently attended a training program himself on safety and was active in the American Red Cross. He reluctantly agreed to conduct the training. It was to be done on a departmental basis with small groups of 10 to 15 employees attending each session.

At the first of these training sessions, Young nervously stood up in front of 14 employees, many of whom were college students, and read his presentation in a monotone voice. His entire speech lasted about one minute and consisted of the following text:

Statistics show that an average of 30 people injure their backs on the job each day in this state.

None of us wants to become a statistic.

The first thing that should be done before lifting an object is to look it over and decide whether you can handle it alone or if help is needed. Get help if there's any doubt as to whether the load is safely within your capacity.

Next, look over the area where you're going to be carrying the object. Make sure it's clear of obstacles. You may have to a little housekeeping before moving your load. After you have checked out the load and route you're going to travel, the following steps should be taken for your safety in lifting:

1. Get a good footing close to the load.

2. Place your feet 8 to 12 inches apart.

3. Bend your knees to grasp the load.

4. Bend your knees outward, straddling the load.

5. Get a firm grip.

6. Keep the load close to your body.

7. Lift gradually.

Once you've lifted the load and moved it, you'll eventually have to set it down? so bend your legs again? and follow the lifting procedures in reverse. Make sure that your fingers clear the pinch points. And, finally, it's a good idea to set one corner down first.

After Bill's speech ended, the employees immediately returned to work. By the end of the day, however, everyone in the plant had heard about the training fiasco, and all, except the president, were laughing about it.

Highlights in HRM 12.1 Health and Safety Checklist for New Employees Employee Orientation Checklist Completed Description Areas to Be Covered Yes No O Explain how occupational health and safety regulations grant workers Occupational health and three rights, and how this is applied to your workplace: safety rights the right to know, . the right to participate, and the right to refuse unsafe work. Company safety rules Explain safety rules that are specific to your company. O Company policies Explain the health, safety, and wellness policies of your company. Previous training Ask the employee whether they have taken any safety training. Training Provide any necessary safety, environmental, compliance, or policy/ procedural training. O Health and safety Inform the health and safety specialist that a new employee has joined the company who may need safety training. Arrange for this training and education to occur. Potential hazards Tour your work areas and facility and discuss associated work area hazards and safe work practices. Emergency procedures Show and explain how to use emergency eyewashes and showers, first aid O kits, fire blankets, fire extinguishers, fire exits, and fire alarm pull boxes, as applicable. Demonstrate the evacuation procedures. Hazardous products Identify workspaces where hazardous materials are used, stored, or disposed. Provide training as necessary. Food and beverages Explain that food and beverages are only permitted to be stored in refrigerators clearly labelled "FOOD ONLY." Hygiene Explain the importance of washing hands before/after eating, drinking, or using the washroom. Emergency notification form Have the employee complete an emergency notification form. Keep a copy for your files and send a copy to your emergency coordinator. WHMIS Identify the location of the Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDSs). Review O 0 the MSDSs for all hazardous materials to be used by the employee. Explain hazardous material labelling requirements. Conduct job-specific training. Emergency evacuation Review the company's emergency evacuation plan and explain the O evacuation signals and procedures; point out proper exit routes and the designated assembly area for your branch. Personal protective equipment (PPE) Review the PPE program if the employee will be required to wear 0 protective equipment. Issue appropriate PPE that must be worn as required by the work being performed. In case of injury or illness Review the reporting procedures in the event of an injury and/or accident. O 446 Part 4: Implementing Compensation and Security Momgiups Del17 GRAPHICS Areas to Be Covered Description Completed Health and safety Yes No committee/representative Supply a copy of the facility telephone list with the names of safety O O committee members highlighted. Identify the location of the safety bulletin board. Explain how the employee can participate in the health and safety process (e.g., report hazards). Reporting unsafe acts and conditions Explain the procedure for reporting acts or conditions that may be unsafe. General rights and responsibilities Explain worker rights and responsibilities as granted by legislation. (See the section on our OSH Answers on Legislation for more details.) Emergency contact Provide a list of names, addresses, phone numbers, and fax numbers of the persons who must be contacted in case of emergency. Document Maintain a record of the orientation. O O Employee Name: Date: Peels wigg Supervisor's Signature: Source: Employee Orientation Checklist, https://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/hsprograms/orientation.html, OSH Answers Fact Sheets, Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS), 2020. Reproduced with the permission of CCOHS, 2021. Workers have many rights that pertain to requesting and receiving infor- mation about safety and health conditions. They also have the right to refuse unsafe work without fear of reprisal. (Some professionals, such as police, fire- fighters, teachers, and healthcare workers, have only a limited right of refusal, nomnagel enniumgo sill pl the logic being that their work is inherently dangerous.) An employee who suspects that work conditions are hazardous can report this concern to his or her supervisor; this will trigger an investigation by the supervisor and a worker representative. A work refusal investigation can result in either the employee's return to work or their continued refusal. In the latter case, the appropriate ministry is notified, and an investigator is dispatched to the job site to provide a written decision. If a replacement worker is used, that worker must be notified of the previous employee's refusal to work. Duties of Supervisors A supervisor is generally defined as a person (with or without a title) who has charge of a workplace and authority over a worker. Occupational health and safety acts require supervisors to do the following: advise employees of potential workplace hazards; ensure that workers use or wear safety equipment, devices, or clothing; provide written instructions where applicable; and take every rea- sonable precaution to guarantee the safety of workers. Duties of Joint Health and Safety Committees Most jurisdictions require that health and safety committees be set up, with both union and management representation. The point of these joint com- mittees is to establish a nonadversarial climate for creating safe and healthy Chapter 12: Promoting Safety and H