Good Safety is Good Business

Did you know that for every $1 invested into a safety and health program, the estimated return is $4 - $6? It's also estimated that an effective safety and health program can also reduce your injury and illness rate by 20%. (Source)

Most small businesses likely implement safety programs because it's the right thing to do and because they care about their employees. These are the right motivations, and it's part of what can build loyalty to the workplace and a positive company culture. However, these days you can also quantify your safety program, and in the fast-paced data-driven world of business, making a good financial argument for safety can only help to build support for implementing a safety and health program.

It's easy to think of your safety program as a pure cost to the business since the financial benefits are harder to quantify. But there are areas where a strong safety program will reduce costs and produce benefits.

Here's some areas of cost reduction:

- Decreased medical and property damage repair costs due to incidents

- Decreased staff turnover, which in turn decreases hiring, onboarding, and new employee training costs

- Reduced worker's compensation and other insurance premiums

- Reduced risk of OSHA citations and fines

And there's also areas where you can see benefits:

- Increased profits from improved or maintained good company reputation

- Improved productivity

- Increased employee morale

- Improved company reputation

OSHA also has an online tool that calculates the total costs of specific injuries, so companies can see the real impact incidents could have to their bottom line. For instance, one case of carpal tunnel syndrome is estimated to cost an employer a total of over $64,000. You can find the calculator here.

So many businesses think of investing in safety as an afterthought. However, thoughtfully employing safety best practices is not only a better outcome for employees, but to a company's bottom line.

ND Telecom Management Development Training

In a joint venture with BAND and DCN, TT&S held the first ND Telecom Management Development Training this week. Employees from across the state joined us for this opportunity. Attendees learned about a variety of topics important to supervisors:

- Interviewing new candidates

- Performance management

- Engaging employees

along with many more!

Here are some photos from the training, which included lunch and learn sessions with Carissa Swenson, Executive Director of BAND; Seth Arndorfer, CEO of DCN; and Kyla Bratz, Director of TT&S.

 

We'll be holding another training in January, which is also currently full. Stay tuned for other opportunities to catch this great intro to a management role!

 

Alphabet Soup: OSHA vs ANSI

There are many regulatory bodies out there, and if you don't spend much time in the compliance or safety space, they might all start to run together. Who is in charge of what?

 

This link includes a helpful Venn diagram of the differences between OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) and ANSI (American National Standards Institute) in particular.

Most people are surprised to learn that ANSI is not an enforcement organization. They don't and can't cite companies. However, they publish industry standards that OSHA sometimes adopts in its standards or uses as an example of best practices.

Also, OSHA standards are always free to access online, but because ANSI is a private non-profit, it's not required to make its standards available to the public at no cost. Generally, there is some cost to access ANSI standards.

 The more you know!

Less Discussed Winter Hazard: Generator Safety

With winter comes the greater possibility of a black out, and the need for temporary power sources. Portable generators are a popular one, but if you don't use them too often, it's important to brush up on their potential hazards.

In short:

• Don't use gas generators inside, anywhere where there's decreased ventilation, or where its exhaust is directed toward an open door or window.
• Don't plug in a generator directly into a home's electrical system without a proper transfer switch installed by an electrician. While this might not affect you, it can be deadly to any utility workers who may be working to bring the grid back online.
• Make sure your CO detectors are working (if they're hardwired, they may be running on battery backup) and watch out for any carbon monoxide poisoning symptoms, such as headache, fatigue, nausea, or dizziness.

If your backup plan this winter includes a generator, please take the time to read through this OSHA fact sheet on generators for a more in-depth discussion.

Nothing to see here: OSHA 300A form e-reporting changes

If you follow any HR or compliance news, you may have heard that OSHA is changing their e-reporting requirements starting in January 2024.

E-reporting requirements ring a lot of alarm bells because it's something that our member companies haven't been doing.

Rest assured, you don't have to, and you still won't even with the changing requirements.

Read on if you want to better understand which industries must e-report. Businesses that must report include:

1. Establishments with 20 or more employees in industries listed in an "Appendix A" released by OSHA must submit their 300A summary online. The Appendix A industries do not include the NAICS code that apply to our member companies.

2. All establishments with 250 or more employees must also e-report (if they're required to keep a 300 Log in the first place).

3. Establishments with 100 or more employees in industries listed in OSHA's new Appendix B must also submit several documents online. Again, Appendix B does not include any telecommunications NAICS codes.

Fortunately for our member companies, none of these conditions apply. 

As before, our member companies will still be required to physically post their 300A form from February 1st to April 30th every year in a place where employees congregate, such as a break room or near a water cooler. Many companies choose to keep their 300A up all year long, as there is no requirement to remove it.