Find Out How Gallo Winery Cultivates a Safe Workplace

The E & J Gallo Winery is the largest family-owned winery in the world and the largest exporter of California wine. It's also a company that is dedicated to employee safety and health.


In the late 1990s the company set out to improve safety and health by adopting the behavior-based (BBS) approach developed by Behavior Science Technologies (BST).


"We were looking for a lightning rod of culture change and a way to get employees involved," Derrick C. Jarvis, CSP, director of corporate safety and health told BLR's OSHA Compliance Advisor a few months ago. According the Jarvis, the experiment has proven quite successful.

Part of the Job

The behavior approach involves Gallo personnel at all levels. Line employees, team leaders, supervisors, managers, and top executives are all trained to conduct peer observations.
"Employees run and manage the process," Jarvis explains. "Goals and objectives are established by local steering teams. The biggest challenge is to make BBS integral to the job, not something separate."
Jarvis says this requires strong leadership out on the floor to ensure that employees understand the importance and value of the observations. The message at Gallo is that observing is as important as other job duties.

Risk-Based, Not Rule-Based

When and how many observations employees are expected to perform varies. Workers coordinate with their supervisors to find the 15 to 20 minutes (for example, during a quiet part of the shift) to conduct an observation. Typically, observations are planned, not conducted without notice.


An employee will approach a peer and say, "I'd like to conduct an observation. Are you familiar with the process?" If necessary, the steps are reviewed and the session gets under way.


Overall, says Jarvis, the process is risk-based, not rule-based. This means that observers look for behaviors that could result in injury rather than for strict adherence to rules. A critical behavior checklist helps identify the desired behaviors.


Beyond the checklist, the conversation that takes place between the observer and the observed is the essence of the exchange. This is where feedback is delivered and the real learning takes place. Gallo emphasizes a positive tone. That means safe behaviors are discussed first before moving on to any at-risk behaviors.


The conversation also focuses on factors contributing to any at-risk behaviors observed. These can be system- or management-related issues, or training and awareness problems. They can also be employee habits so engrained that the worker does not realize he or she is doing them.
This high-value feedback is conveyed to the steering committee and, ultimately, to management. Data from the observations help justify requests for changes or expenditures.


In one recent year employees completed over 6,000 observations. "That means there were 6,000 peer-to-peer safety conversations," Jarvis notes. "It's clear to me as a safety professional that there's a very high value to these. Without blame, we're working to uncover barriers that we can address." Tomorrow, we'll highlight three critical strategies for improving safety culture.

Health and Safety at Work

By Andreas Becker

Providing a comfortable work environment for workers is part of providing a healthy and safe workplace. This is not always practical but all reasonable efforts should be made to make the workplace as comfortable as possible.

Either sitting or standing for extended periods can be uncomfortable. Seating must be provided if it is reasonable for workers to carry out their work while seated. The type of seating should be designed in a way that is appropriate for the task at hand and should provide both comfort and stability. If it is necessary to perform the work standing seating can normally be provided for breaks.

Employers have a responsibility to provide workers with a smoke free environment. The laws relating to smoking in the workplace are the responsibility of the Ministry of health. The ill effects of smoking and passive smoking are well recognised. It is wise to develop a smoke free policy. This can then be referred to during recruitment, in employment agreements and other workplace policies. The policy and smoke free signs can be printed and displayed in prominent places around the workplace. All contractors should be notified of the smoke free policy. All employees should receive education and training about the smoke free policy and managers and supervisors should be trained in ways to manage breaches. If steps are not taken to provide a smoke free workplace employees are entitled to lodge a complaint with the Ministry of Health.
There are no maximum or minimum temperature set in law at which work must stop. This is because there are many factors that influence how much we are affected by air temperature. How hot we feel can be influenced by external factors such as air temperature, humidity and wind. This can be exacerbated by having to wear protective clothing, strenuous work, level of acclimatisation and insufficient breaks. It can be uncomfortable to feel hot and this can lower productivity and morale and as such the above factors should be controlled as much as possible. In extreme cases excessive exposure to heat can result in heat exhaustion and in some cases fatal heat stroke. All practicable steps need to be taken by both employers and employees to ensure that the level of heat exposure does not reach dangerous levels.

An employee can also experience stress when exposed to low temperatures. This can happen when they are required to work outside in the cooler months, at high altitude, in wet weather or in refrigerated environments. Wind chill factor needs to be taken into account even at moderate temperatures. It is important that employers ensure that employees wear appropriate protective clothing and that appropriate measures are taken. Some effects may be minor and result in only discomfort but greater cold stress can have serious consequences including death. When a worker is feeling the effects of cold stress they experience stiff joints, reduced muscle strength, loss of dexterity and is less mentally alert. As a result he will be more prone to accidents. Direct health effects of exposure to cold temperatures are those that affect the extremities such as frostnip and the more severe frostbite and those that affect the body's core such as hypothermia. Women are regarded as being at greater risk of cold injury as they are less able to increase their temperature by shivering or exercise. Other factors which affect the level of cold injury are increased age, fatigue, some drugs, alcohol and smoking.
Making sure that the working environment is comfortable is an important aspect of ensuring the health and safety of employees.

To find out some more information about OSH NZ. Come visit our website today. For more information on occupational safety hazards in New Zealand please visit our homepage for some great resources: Health and Safety NZ

 

An Accident at Work Happened - Are You in Charge?

By Matthew Sorrow

The workplace is not quite a safe place. But you can't avoid being there. You have to work and it is almost as natural a fact that accidents happen at work. Of course it depends on the work and level of risk that it needs, more often or not. But who is in charge of that: you or your manager?

There are special regulations of Health and Safety law. And training must be proceed to every working man in the company. The accidents wouldn't happen so often if people acted according to those rules. But sometimes they are not even aware of the danger that is waiting for them. They don't think about the safety but only the work being done. This is quite often the thoughts of employers and employees.

If the accident happens to you you feel very uncomfortable and usually you might be in great pain. When the pain is letting go a little bit you are starting to wonder: ''What have I done that caused this accident? Is it my fault? What an embarrassment! What I will do later with feeding my family and myself!'' Those thoughts might appear when a person was really bad injured and...is only the feeder in the family.

Of course, you have to report the accident to a supervisor. It's not a subject that you can take easily! It's a very serious matter. Probably the accident might happen because of your mistake. Probably, but not sure. And this is an area that must examine by specialists. Maybe you did something wrong, but what if the company that you are working in didn't make sure that you are safe at your work?

If the company made a mistake it's a lot more serious matter than you suppose. You might be not the only person who could be injured there or even died. But only a special investigation will tell you what exactly happened. If it's your employers fault you should make an accident at work claim or personal injury claim.

Not sure about that?

Many people are hesitate before taking this step. They have a lot of objections. They are thinking what their colleagues will say when they get to know that he is 'against' his company. They are also worried about their future in this work - will they be fired or not. But all of those things are not important. Most important is yourself - your health and a pain that you were given.

Surely, if you were a victim of road accident or an accident committed by a doctor you would make a road traffic claim or a medical compensation claim. So why not in this case?
Whether you are in charge or the company - you can't tell that without a special investigation. But surely is that you should claim your rights in a proper way.

Read also about team development and management training

Writing Up a Safety Incident Report

By Jim Bain

The responsibility of writing up a safety incident report is usually the job of the management "Head of Safety" department, but in a smaller company any member of management may be assigned the task. Additionally, in a "Union Shop" the union will have an authorized person to also write up a report.

These reports are no small matter as to remain within compliance of OSHA standards and regulations, these forms must be completed and kept on file for an OSHA investigation or review.

Maintaining compliance with the law not with standing, the real issue is there has been an accident and an injury to an employee. Technically any injury is an OSHA recordable, even if it's not actually work related. For instance should an employee buy candy from the break area's vending machine and subsequently breaks a tooth chewing it, it is an OSHA recordable.

The steps pertaining to writing a detailed and accurate safety incident report, unless there's a catastrophic failure resulting in multiple injuries or death, are not really that difficult, especially if you have pre-printed forms and are only required to fill in the blanks. Without any forms a logical " 5 whys?" approach is quite sufficient. Why did the accident happen? Where did the accident happen? Who did the accident happen to? What can be done to prevent the accident from happening again? What has been done to correct the hazard?

For a normal incident, answering the five questions accurately and in as much detail as you reasonably can, will suffice.

Here is a typical hypothetical response to an accident without serious injury and no remaining danger being posed to anyone.

Go to the accident scene and calmly review the area, looking for obvious signs of the accident and where it occurred. Interview the person(s) involved in the accident. Do not act like the Gestapo while performing this investigation or else you'll never get the truth of what happened. You're not there to judge or issue punishment, you're there to insure the employees are alright and to prevent this type of accident ever occurring again.

After interviewing the accident victims, interview any witnesses to the event. Ask for written statements from everybody involved, but don't expect much new information. Most people will verbalize more information than write.

Finish reviewing your notes and take one final review of the accident scene before going back to the office to write the incident report. Write the report, even if it's a rough draft, immediately while facts are fresh in your mind. You may not think you'll forget anything by tomorrow, but I can just about guarantee you, you will.

Answer the 5 why questions.

* Who was involved. Joe Smith; fork truck driver
* What happen? Driver backed into a hole exposed because a floor grate was missing.
* Why did this happen? Maintenance forgot to replace the grate when finished working on the pipes below.
* What will correct this hazard? Reinstruct maintenance personnel to always replace floor grates when finished working.
* What has been done to correct the hazard? The floor grate has been reinstalled.

For a standard safety incident report this type of investigation and reported results would fulfill any requirement posed by law.

Hello, my name is Jim Bain, former minor league baseball player and Coach. Since retirement I have dedicated my life to teaching baseball and have developed a website packed with Baseball information and tips. http://www.learn-youth-baseball-coaching.com/

OSHA's Top 10 Safety Violations for 2010

By Henry Wilter

This year OSHA issues over 94,000 citations for safety related violations. At the National Safety Council's 2010 Congress and Expo, OSHA announced the top 10 safety violations, which accounted for nearly half of the total violations, for the year. While this year's list is nearly identical to last years, with the big four (scaffolding, fall protection, hazard communication, and respiratory protection) remaining unchanged, it still serves as an invaluable resource for the public workforce. Read through the list and decide whether or not you have been guilty of the following safety violations.
OSHA's Most Cited Safety Violations of 2010

1. Scaffolding: 9,093 violations - Scaffolding violations and accidents are most commonly attributed to improper use that results in the plank giving way, the employee falling off, or an object falling on top of the person.
2. Fall Protection: 6,771 violations - Fall protection violations occur whenever a person is 4 feet above the ground without proper safety measures. Fall protection must be provided at four feet in general industry, five feet in maritime and six feet in construction.
3. Hazard Communication: 6,378 violations - Manufacturers and movers of hazardous materials must evaluate, label, and provide MSDS for each product.
4. Respiratory Protection: 3,803 violations - Respirators help to protect against unhealthy breathing environments. This can be caused by insufficient oxygen, dust, vapors, gasses, fiberglass and more.
5. Ladders: 3,072 violations - 8 percent of all occupational fatalities are due to falls.
6. Control of Hazardous Energy - Lockout/Tagout: 3,321 violations - "Lockout-Tag out" refers to locking the on/off power switch while working with high current electrical devices.
7. Electrical - Wiring Methods: 3,079 violations - Electrical hazards are present for those who work directly and also indirectly with or near dangerous electrical lines.
8. Powered Industrial Trucks: 2,993 violations - Many employees are injured by driving powered industrial trucks off of loading docks, into ditches or by being struck by trucks while working.
9. Electrical - General: 2,556 violations - Working with electricity is always hazardous. Many employees are injured during routine electrical maintenance and install.
10. Machine Guarding: 2,364 violations - Any machine part, function, or process that may cause injury must be labeled and safeguarded.

That concludes our list of the top 10 OSHA violations and their causes. OSHA 10 hour training is an excellent way to to prevent hazards and maintain safe, compliant working conditions.

Henry Wilter is an on-site safety trainer with Easy Safety School, a provider of online and on-site OSHA training courses.

 

 

The 5 Rules of Workplace Safety Management

By Peter L Mitchell

There are certain rules of human behavior that must be taken into account when developing a process of safety management. If you violate these rules, you will fail in your objective to develop a safer workplace. The rules themselves are pretty simple, however, don't be deceived because they have a great influence on human behavior.

Repetition To get your message across it is necessary to use repetition. Repetition will ensure that your safety message is at the top of every employees' consciousness. Safety management is a process not an event. One of the ways to create this consciousness about safety is to hold five minute safety briefings at the beginning of each shift. This is very similar to a game plan which is discussed before a sports team takes the field. If you make the safety briefings relevant, interesting and valuable, you will find that staff members will contribute readily.

Consistency The concept of consistency applies to many situations and has a profound effect on human behavior. We trust people who are consistent, we believe their message, in turn we will tend to be more trustworthy and consistent. Consistency is demonstrated. For example, if, at a safety briefing you mention that there will be no blame should an accident occur, the statement has to be backed up by your behavior and the behavior of others in the event of an accident.

Involvement Involvement is the key to safety management. To gain control, you must give control. The people who are ideally situated to develop safe working practices are the people doing the job. This is in contrast to the normal prescriptive safety management process where somebody, somewhere creates rules and regulations without the experience of doing the job. Every single person on any work site should be able to contribute to safe working practices. If you avoid this basic principle, you will find that the imposed "safe working practices" will be ignored.

Positive reinforcement The number one tool in safety management is positive reinforcement. If you are serious about creating a safer workplace, make sure that you recognize safe behavior. Every day, go on a mission to find people who are working safely and tell them that you have noticed what they are doing. This is harder than it sounds. Try it and find out for yourself. But remember, the results are well worth the effort. Catch your people doing it safely and they will continue to do it safely.

Common sense It has been said that sense is not that common. This is relevant when considering workplace safety management. If the safety rules and regulations don't pass the common sense of the people at risk, they will not comply. That's why the involvement of the staff in safety management is so important.

Thank you for reading this article. Peter L Mitchell invites you to visit his web site where you will discover a wealth of resources such as free downloads, ideas, articles, information and books, This site is updated nearly every day. Click here http://plmitchell.com/.

Why Fire Safety Training Is Essential These Days

By Tom Billmore

Fire safety training has become an essential part of the average person's life so he can be well equipped to deal with any fire situation, wherever he is.

Fire safety training is no longer restricted to only firefighters specialized for fire hazards for the simple reason that a fire can break out possibly anywhere and under any situation. Having the basic knowledge of safety can help you prevent major accidents and in some cases, even save lives!

One tends to think a fire can only break out in high-rise buildings. But that is not true. Apart from buildings, cars, schools and offices can also catch fire, as can theatres, stores and homes. Learning about safety will keep you alert in a fire situation and your presence and knowledge could prevent a disaster from happening. However easy it seems, using the extinguisher needs proper training and one must know all about ways to fight fire and evacuation in case a fire breaks out.

There are plenty of affordable fire fighting schools that you can enroll into. Online options for fire safety courses are also freely available. However, the only disadvantage of these online courses is that you miss out on the practical training. Nevertheless, the basic training that you acquire in these courses also comes in handy in case of a fire situation.

Fire safety training comprises of safety in different situations. Fire extinguishers have become a necessity and are found placed everywhere we go, be it schools, offices, movie theatres, shopping centers and even in our homes. Using the fire extinguisher is one of the main subjects of any the safety training. It is important to know about the different kinds of extinguishers present and how to use them. The course also informs you about the classification of fires and the use of the correct extinguisher according to the fire.
The training course also educates the participants on outdoor fires that can break out. Special sections in the training program also cover safety in homes and while traveling. These include tips on how to stop the fire at home and what to do in case a fire breaks out when you are in a hotel while traveling.

Fire Safety is now a common training program that provides the average man with the knowledge and skills required to combat fires, whether big or small.