| Just as your workers compensation is an experience-based insurance, subject to increases in premium related to negative experience, so any health program provided to employees will also be experience-rated. The investment in time and effort to create a safer off-the- job environment for your staff and their families is a fiscally sound approach.
While "Rights of Privacy" will limit data available from insurance organizations covering your employees, it is possible to get data as to whether it is a fall, burn or illness or other incident that resulted in treatment and cost under a sponsored health program. While the information will not usually give detail as to whether a fall resulted from a slip, trip, or fall from another level, it will focus on the need for addressing a home safety program that will prevent falls from any source. To partially address this problem, your Safety Committee could develop a survey of home incidents with general information requested. For example, this might include items as diverse as:
Have you had slips, trips or falls at home or during recreational activities? Do these include bathroom falls, tripping over rugs or carpeting or other floor irregularities? Or, are there falls from heights, steps, ladders, trees, etc.?
Do you have working smoke detectors in your home? Do you have a regular battery replacement plan for your detectors?
Do you have a fire drill plan for you family? Do all family members know exactly what to do and what alternative methods of escape exist?
If you have a swimming pool, is there rescue equipment visible and readily accessible? Is the pool fenced in to prevent access by unsupervised children? Do you have the rule no one in the pool without adult supervision? (That includes your own children as well as those of neighbors or family visitors.)
Using this as a format; or one at a less detailed level, the Safety Committee should quickly focus on specific areas where an off-the-job-safety program would be beneficial.
In the August Newsletter, it was suggested the property assign a Pandemic Flu Coordinator that would subscribe to, and regularly receive bulletin services from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-CDC. A weekly bulletin on an "Off-the-Job Newsletter" from the Safety Committee could provide current recommendations from CDC and local medical sources within the community to your employees' families. In addition to health issues, data could be included addressing some of the safety concerns derived from the suggested survey, above.
Annually, the National Safety Council-NSC sponsors a Safety Month each June. This past June, there was a weekly focus on Teen Driving, Fall Prevention at Work and at Home, Overexertion at Work and at Home, and Distracted Driving. These subjects easily translate into information that could be provided through the property and its Safety Committee.
Similarly, the National Fire Protection Association-NFPA sponsors a Fire Prevention Week each October. This focuses on fire safety, fire drill, and escape programs with a reminder on the use and maintenance of smoke detectors. Again, there is an opportunity for the establishment to significantly contribute to off-the-job-safety not only at the home; but also within the community, at large.
A most important service to the families of your employees could be the alerting of members of those families as to product recalls announced through the Consumer Products Safety Commission-CPSC This is of special interest to those families with younger children as a week does not pass without lead limit violations in children's products. Here, again, a member of staff can subscribe through www.CSPC.gov and regularly monitor recalls so as to alert your families under an Off-the-Job Safety program.
A number of years ago, Holiday Inns conducted a highly successful Off-the-Job Safety program through implementation of an annual poster contest. Children of employees were invited to develop posters addressing safety, security, and fire protection issues. (We were not into "greening" in those days; but that would be a natural in today's world.)
The winning posters would be printed and distributed to all properties in the Holiday Inn chain. Saving bonds would be awarded the winners. Program initiatives may be as varied and effective as your Safety Committee develops in the administration of such a program.
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BUILDING A CASE FOR AN OFF-THE-JOB SAFETY PROGRAM