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The Crucial Role of Hiring and Onboarding in Safety

Dan Bookham, AAI

Dan Bookham

By Dan Bookham for WorkBoat Magazine

Hiring and onboarding play a pivotal role in establishing a strong safety culture within an organization. By carefully selecting and training new employees, businesses can significantly reduce the risk of accidents, injuries and fatalities.

While the process can seem daunting for small businesses and rote and impersonal at larger entities (and HR work can feel like a potential minefield unless a you are specialist in that area), a well thought out approach to hiring, screening, onboarding and sharing culture can pay dividends specifically in the areas of safety and the reduction of workplace injuries and more generally enterprise-wide.

The first step is to know what you are looking for in a candidate from a safety perspective. Although labor markets continue to be tight, resist the temptation to lower your standards as that marginal candidate might be the one who blows up your workers compensation or P&I experience, or who puts that work truck into the school bus.

A thorough background check is a vital component of the hiring process, especially in industries where safety is paramount. Background checks allow you to uncover criminal records, substance abuse issues or other red flags that may pose a threat to workplace safety. This in turn mitigates the risk of workplace violence, theft or other harmful behaviors and can ensure that new hires align with the organization’s values and commitment to safety.

Obviously, you should adhere to industry-specific regulations and local laws regarding background checks – especially around access and confidentiality. There are firms that specialize in running legally compliant checks for you, so this might be a task to consider outsourcing.

Candidate criteria is the next element. Look for safety-minded individuals and prioritize candidates who demonstrate a strong commitment to safety. Given that your company is unique, ensure that potential new hires align with the organization’s safety values and culture and of course verify that candidates possess the necessary skills and experience to perform their tasks safely.

Once the job offer has been made and accepted, an effective and engaging onboarding process allows you to drive home your safety culture. A comprehensive safety orientation will introduce new employees to the company’s safety policies, procedures and emergency plans.

Job-specific safety training, tailored training for each role and emphasizing potential hazards and safety precautions, coupled with practical, hands-on training to reinforce safety knowledge and skills, can cement the elements that keep new hires safe from the get-go. Mentorship and buddy systems where you pair new hires with experienced employees to guide them through safety protocols also helps teach the greenhorn that safety is core to “the way things are done around here.” Finally, regular check-ins by supervisors allow for assessment of the new hire’s understanding of safety and allows them to address any concerns either they or the employee may have.

Not only does building safety considerations into your hiring and onboarding process make for fewer workplace injuries and less impact on your insurance, it also demonstrates to rookies and veterans alike that leadership walks the walk when it comes to ensuring the whole team can enjoy a safe workplace.

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Tracking Near Misses and Building a No-Blame Culture of Safety

Dan Bookham, AAI

Dan Bookham

By Dan Bookham for WorkBoat Magazine 

An accident near miss, also referred to as a close call, or near accident, is an event that happens in a shipyard or on board that has the potential to cause injury or damage, but luckily doesn’t. Imagine someone almost getting hit by a swinging crane hook – that would be a near miss. By recognizing and recording these close calls, shipyards and vessel operators can learn from them and prevent future accidents.

The best in the business track accident near misses for a very important reason: Prevention. Near misses are warnings, pure and simple. By tracking these close calls, you can identify weaknesses in safety protocols before an accident happens. These brushes with disaster reveal root causes. Was it a faulty procedure? A communication breakdown? Uneven training? By understanding the why, you can take corrective actions to prevent similar situations from happening again. Talking openly about near misses is also a feature of a proactive safety culture. This can lead to a more vigilant workforce and a safer work environment overall.

Employers in shipyards and on vessels (and any workplace, really) can encourage near miss reporting through a two-pronged approach: Fostering a culture of safety and making the reporting process itself convenient and positive. This takes leadership commitment to prioritizing safety and being visibly involved in safety initiatives, as well as a willingness to address concerns.

Making the most of near misses also requires a no-blame environment. Employees should feel comfortable reporting near misses without fear of punishment or being seen as incompetent. Emphasize that near misses are valuable information for improvement, not opportunities to assign blame. Recognize and appreciate employees who report near misses. This can be done through public praise, rewards programs (avoiding rewards based on quantity of reports), or simply by expressing gratitude. Encourage open communication about safety by regularly discussing safety procedures, hazards and near misses in safety meetings or training sessions.

Provide an easy-to-use reporting system, whether it’s paper forms, a mobile app, or an online portal to allow for ease of reporting and different styles of communication. Make sure it’s accessible both during and outside work hours for better recall of events. Offer options for anonymous reporting if employees prefer it. This can help those who are still hesitant to come forward as you build your safety culture. Minimize the amount of information required to report a near miss while still capturing the necessary details. Finally, be sure to communicate the results of near-miss investigations and the corrective actions taken and display gratitude for the heads up. This shows employees that their reports are valued and acted upon, encouraging future participation.

By combining these approaches, employers can create a safe space for employees to report near misses, ultimately leading to a safer work environment for everyone in the shipyard or on board. In essence, tracking near misses is like catching a fire before it engulfs the whole building. It’s a proactive approach to safety that can save lives and prevent costly accidents.

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Mental Health: An Area of Focus in Loss Prevention and Workers Comp

Dan Bookham, AAI

Dan Bookham

By Dan Bookham for WorkBoat Magazine

We are hearing more and more about mental health in all aspects of daily life these days, and while this new openness about a once taboo subject is to be welcomed it can still cause squeamishness for employers and concerns about intrusion and privacy that a cut or a burn may not. Even so, it is an important enough risk factor for workplace injuries and vessel & yard accidents that it behooves all of us to pay attention to it.

First, the why. Mental health is a workplace safety issue because if issues aren’t recognized or challenges aren’t addressed, it can lead to a number of negative consequences. Mental health problems can impair an employee’s ability to focus, concentrate and make sound decisions. This can lead to terrible outcomes, both for the employee and for others. Mental health problems can result in an increase in injuries and accidents, decreased productivity, absenteeism and turnover. This can cost employers a significant amount of money. In addition, mental health problems can lead to decreased morale and increased stress levels. This can create a negative work environment, which is not conducive to safety. All of these are drivers of stress on people and systems, and in turn these increase a company’s risk exposure.

There are several things employers can do to address mental health in the workplace. By taking the following steps, employers can help to create a safe and healthy workplace for all employees.

  • Provide proactive mental health awareness training to employees. This training can help employees understand mental health issues and how to identify and support someone who may be struggling. Your workers comp/P&I insurer will likely have resources they can refer you to, as will occupational health clinics and local health care providers.
  • Create a culture of open communication about mental health. This means encouraging employees to talk about their mental health and to seek help if they need it. The military are real leaders in this area and offer proven, concrete examples of functioning programs for populations where talking about feelings and mental health may not be a default setting.
  • Offer mental health resources to employees. This could include providing access to mental health professionals, offering on-site counseling or providing financial assistance for mental health treatment.
  • Promote healthy work-life balance. This means encouraging employees to take breaks, to get enough sleep and to have a life outside of work. Remind your people that toughness is not always analogous to pushing yourself to a breaking point.
  • Address workplace stressors. This could include identifying and reducing sources of stress, such as unrealistic deadlines, heavy workloads or bullying.

By taking these steps, employers can reduce the risk of mental health issues driving injuries and accidents, improve quality of life for their people, reduce insurance claims and help to create a safe and healthy workplace for all employees.

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Loss Control Visits: Taking a Proactive and Collaborative Approach

Dan Bookham, AAI

By Dan Bookham for December 2022 WorkBoat Magazine

Hang around vessels, shipyards, terminals  and insurance long enough and you are bound to become familiar with the seemingly strange ritual of the loss control visit. The frequency of the visits depends on the individual insurance company but invariably at some point risk engineers will show up to visit clad in high viz and hard hat, usually clutching a camera (and sometimes a clipboard) to inspect your boat or facility for potential hazards and issues. Sometimes they bring donuts. They also always issue a report and list “recommendations” (read requirements, lest you lose your insurance), which, unlike the Krispy Kremes, can often feel hard to digest.

It doesn’t have to be that way, however. By taking a proactive approach to risk management and drawing on the resources of your insurance company (resources your premium payments fund), those loss control visits can feel less like a visit by a drill instructor looking for an unmade bed and more like a collaboration with safety specialists who can both save you money and ensure your people head home each day or after each trip with the same number of digits and limbs they had when they came in.

In preparing for a loss control visit, I highly recommend working with your insurance agent to undertake a preliminary walk-through to see if you both can spot any easy fixes or potential trouble spots (a frayed cord on a tool for example, or sloppy housekeeping in a workshop). Having your own punch list of planned corrections and improvements will minimize any surprises and make it easier to budget for the fixes. When the loss control team visits, rather than just relying on the written report, be sure to ask them to flag issues in a post walk-through meeting so you can discuss them while memories are fresh.

When the report comes in, be prepared to respond with a timeline to address the elements they raise. I’ve often found that draconian demands to make immediate fixes soften if you demonstrate a willingness to work on trouble spots at a reasonable (and often more affordable) pace. Proactively use the tools insurers provide, both online and in person, to make the most of your premium dollars and improve the safety and risk profile of your business.

Not only does a proactive and collaborative approach to loss control make the workday safer for your people, your customers and their property, your passengers, and your own stuff, it also can result in lower lifetime insurance costs as fewer claims and a proactive approach to safety and risk make you an attractive customer for insurers to woo.

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When it Comes to Claim Reporting, Don’t Hesitate

Chris Richmond, CIC, AAI, CMIP

Chris Richmond, CIC, AAI, CMIP

By Chris Richmond
For November 2022 WorkBoat Magazine.

You have heard it before but it bears repeating: If something occurs that you think might be a claim let your agent know sooner rather than later. If a passenger or crew member is injured, report it, even if they say they are fine and do not need medical attention at the time.

The time to record information pertaining to any sort of occurrence is immediately after it happens. This is when everything is still fresh in your mind and you can accurately record the events that happened. Who was injured? Where did it happen? What were they doing at the time? It is much easier to obtain this information at the time of the time of the event rather than try to track it down six months later when you receive a letter from an attorney. By letting your agent know what happened, they in turn can report the claim to the insurance company. There is no harm in sending something in for reporting purposes only. Adjusters would much rather have this information sooner than later − even if the eventual medical bill is less than your deductible.

We had a passenger vessel operator contact us recently to report a claim. A passenger had fallen while disembarking from a tender while on a shore trip. The captain had offered medical assistance off the boat at a local clinic but the passenger had refused, stating that they were fine and wanted to continue on with the trip. The cruise continued and the passenger enjoyed the remainder of the trip with no complaint. Fourteen months later, the owner of the vessel receives a notice from an attorney looking for payment of medical bills as well as for pain and suffering.

Another client had a similar situation but with a crew member. The individual injured her back while on board. The insured reported the occurrence and the crew member received medical treatment for her injury. Eighteen months later the insured was issued a notice of summons from the crew member’s attorney looking for pain and suffering. The adjustor was able to reopen the claim and review the file with all the pertinent notes from the time of the claim.

You should never feel that you can’t report something to your insurance agent. Unsafe areas of operations can be determined on board and corrected. This can help reduce injuries and ultimately save you money in the long run. By including your agent in the conversation you can help keep your passengers safer and your business more profitable.

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The Status of OSHA’s Heat Hazard Protection Standard

A heat hazard protection standard from the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) continues to be in the pre-rule stage and is still under consideration. View a PDF update. 

Workers most commonly affected by heat-related illnesses are:
• Postal and delivery services
• Landscaping
• Commercial building
• Highway, street and bridge construction workers

Workers who most commonly suffer heat-related fatalities were:
• Landscaping
• Masonry
• Highway, street and bridge construction workers

On Oct. 27, 2021, OSHA published an advance notice of proposed rulemaking to officially start the process of creating a mandatory heat hazard protection standard. Currently, OSHA has only a recommended, not required, workplace heat standard. However, many states have their own heat exposure standard as part of their OSHA-approved state plans.

Maine’s state plan covers state and local government workers only. Click here for a map showing all state plans. 

The Status of OSHA’s Heat Hazard Protection Standard 3.31.22_001
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Building Partnerships for Workplace Safety

Safety in the workplace starts with good information, translated into good practice. Recently the management staff at the Belfast Co-Op  joined Sally Miles of Allen Insurance and Financial and Maureen Anderson, an ergonomist from MEMIC, the workers’ compensation insurance company, for a safety workshop designed especially for the Co-op workplace.

They discussed sitting, standing, lifting, carrying, material handling and posture.  The main theme was the  “Power Zone,” which is close to the body, between mid-thigh and mid-chest height − where the arms and back can lift the most with the least amount of effort and with a lower risk of injury.

“Preventative measures such as regular safety meetings can make a real difference for our workers in the long run,”  said Doug Johnson, co-op general manager.  “We’re pleased Allen Insurance and MEMIC took the time to introduce us to this valuable resource.”

Group of three people
From Left: Sally Miles of Allen Insurance; Doug Johnson, general manager of the Belfast Co-op, and Maureen Anderson, ergonomist from MEMIC.
ergonomic training at Belfast Co-op
ergonomic training at Belfast Co-op
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