Don't Invite an OSHA Citation with Lower Quality PPE

Don't be surprised if you find more OSHA inspectors on your doorstep in the near future. According to David Michaels, assistant secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health, OSHA's fiscal year 2011 budget will enable the organization to conduct more than 3,000 additional inspections throughout the year.

In addition to the stress associated with heightened OSHA inspections, many plant and safety managers are facing company-wide mandates to reduce costs in every aspect of their operations. Personal protective equipment (PPE) often becomes the target for these cost-cutting measures because decision makers may not fully understand the impact of PPE changes on worker safety.

Safety managers are asked by purchasing managers why they want a particular PPE product when a similar-looking product is available at a cost of 10 to 25 percent less. Even though the latter product may have a lower purchase price, it may not perform as well, which can lead to increased worker injuries and lower productivity. Choosing products that are designed to provide the protection needed for specific tasks will help encourage compliance and decrease the likelihood of companies incurring costly OSHA citations and fines.

INJURIES AND THEIR CAUSES

Recently, 151 safety, plant and human resource managers and others who participated in an educational webinar on PPE were asked what types of hand injuries are most common at their companies/facilities. The responses were:

These responses do not include minor cuts and scrapes that may require a visit to the plant nurse. Even if no major medical expenses are incurred, the injuries still may cost time and money and negatively impact a company's productivity and its bottom line. Allergies — particularly latex allergies — also can disrupt employee job performance and may result in companies seeking products made with synthetics and other alternative materials.

The respondents also were asked: Why do you feel injuries occur at your company/facility? Here are their resposes:

• Workers are not wearing PPE (non-compliant) — 87
• Workers have the wrong PPE for the task — 21
• PPE does not provide the level of protection needed — 16
• Workers rotate jobs — 15
• Manufacturing process changes — 7
• PPE has reached the end of its serviceable life — 5

BALANCING COSTS, COMPLIANCE AND PROTECTION

The survey responses confirm that workers who are injured often are not wearing PPE. The question then becomes, how can a company provide workers with protective products that they are willing to wear and that will keep them safe, productive and compliant while meeting management mandates for cost reductions?

The cost of hand injuries at a transportation industry manufacturing facility surpassed $1.4 million in 2008 and resulted in a corporate mandate to reduce operating costs. Ansell conducted a comprehensive PPE assessment at the company's plant location, which revealed that workers were using seven different styles of gloves and many individuals worked barehanded.

The assessment indicated that most injuries occurred while workers handled knives and shears as part of their jobs. Many tasks also involved heat. Because the plant had no glove controls in place, workers were allowed open access to hand protection products throughout their shifts. The work force was mature and many individuals demonstrated a resistance to change.