Page 16 - Ohio RA 2011 Winter FlipBook

14 www.ohiorestaurant.org Winter 2012 Issue

The ORA Has Outlined Safety Philosophies for You

Go online today and discover tips to reduce workplace accidents in your operations

Creating a culture of safety within a workplace is essential to any company’s success. Whether in an office environment or within the confines of your busy kitchen, the promotion of a safe work environment philosophy helps everyone maintain and grow business without all the day-to-day drama of injuries.

The ORA Safety Guide is a holistic approach to creating a safety culture. The guide is housed in one place on the ORA website, www.ohiorestaurant.org and it includes:

• The objective of a safety policy, including an example of a sample policy.

• Key elements of a comprehensive safety program.

• Roles and responsibilities of the safety coordinator, top management, managers, crew leaders and employees.

• Elements of an effective safety training program.

• The importance of employee involvement, team-building, and encouragement and recognition.

• How to respond, report, and investigate accidents in the workplace.

• Step-by-step accident investigation procedures.

• First aid and medical treatment guidelines.

• Key elements included in a safety inspection or audit.

• A sample of a disciplinary policy.

It should be your stated policy to manage safety and health in your workplace in order to minimize hazards to your workforce. To accomplish this goal, it is important to maintain an active Safety and Health Program with the objective of ensuring that a safe and healthy working environment is provided. This program should be consistent with applicable federal, state and local safety regulations. The purpose of your Safety and Health Program is to identify and

correct hazardous acts and conditions responsible for employee injuries. Emergency procedures need to be established to minimize the probability and extent of personal injury, property damage and business interruption. It is imperative that each person in your organization do their part toward the success of this program.

Your primary goal of continual improvement can be accomplished by developing a safety policy statement, setting goals and objectives, and then measuring and monitoring safety performance utilizing a variety of metrics. The Safety and Health Program is designed to include the participation of top management in the development, maintenance, and enforcement of health and safety policies. Top management shall assure the availability of adequate human and fnancial resources and has ultimate responsibility for assuring a safe workplace, free of recognized hazards. Management shall take steps necessary to involve all personnel in accident prevention, emergency preparedness, and hazard control.

The program should be administered by a designated safety coordinator, who has the responsibility for developing, implementing, and maintaining the Safety and Health Program. Each employee is responsible for his own safety and the safety of fellow employees.

To get started, visit the ORA’s Health & Safety section of the ORA website - www.ohiorestaurant.org. Here you will fnd information related to the safety policies and procedures that you should be implementing in your operations to reduce the risks your workers face and the claims your business may face down the road. Additionally, under the ORA’s Restaurant Education Series page, you can fnd past webinars the ORA has hosted relative to workers’ compensation and safety training.

Proper Incident Response, Reporting and Investigations Can Reduce Incidence of Work-related Injuries

By properly training employees, you can reduce accidental injuries at the onset

Regardless of their severity, the ORA advises that all work-related injuries and illnesses be reported immediately to a supervisor or manager and any employees should receive proper, competent frst aid or medical care as needed.

In today’s fast-paced, working environments, every employee must be thoroughly trained in the accepted procedures for reporting injuries and for obtaining appropriate care. Prompt care can often avoid medical complications that could result from apparent minor injuries. Additionally, the proper reporting of an injury allows for the thorough and accurate investigation of both accidents and incidents.

The investigation process, which should be conducted by the manager on duty, should begin as soon as the scene is secured and any injured employee is treated. Every accident and incident should be thoroughly investigated to discover its true cause. Not only does this clarify what

went wrong, but proper investigation leads to the prevention of future accidents; thus, future injuries can be avoided.

Accident investigation is primarily a fact-fnding procedure. When properly conducted, investigations often increase all employees’ sense of safety and health awareness.

With these objectives in mind, the following procedures should be followed immediately after an incident:

• After ensuring that any injured person receives proper medical care, promptly begin the investigation. All the conditions that existed at the time of the incident should be maintained until the investigation is conducted; no one should be allowed to perform the job function that resulted in the incident or injury until the matter is resolved.