The Workplace Improver Blog Improving Workplace Safety, Performance and Training through Video

Monthly Archives: January 2010

The Fatigue Calculator – Preventing Workplace Accidents

Written on January 25, 2010 by Marie-Claire Ross in improving safety standards, workplace health, workplace performance
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Fatigue CalculatorThe Centre of Sleep Research at the University of South Australia has developed a fatigue calculator to help workers assess if they are too tired to work.

Developed by Professor Drew Dawson, head of UniSA’s Centre for Sleep Research, the calculator helps individuals recognise the likelihood of them making a fatigue related error on the job.

“Employers in high risk industries such as mining, trucking and health care need a simple way to know if their staff are fit-for-duty and how to estimate the level of risk,” says Prof Dawson.

The Fatigue Calculator takes into account two factors when determining individual fatigue levels: How long a person is going to be awake; and how much sleep they have had in the previous two days.  The answers to these simple questions are calculated to determine whether the individual is operating at a low, medium or high risk level.

“Use of the calculator has the potential to reduce the number of fatigue related incidents and accidents that occur in the workplace,” Prof Dawson said.

“Staying awake for 17 hours has the same effect on performance as having a blood alcohol level of 0.05 per cent and after 21 hours awake you demonstrate the same deterioration as having a blood alcohol concentration of 0.1 per cent.”

A number of mining companies are already using the calculator and have implemented it as part of their fatigue management programs.

The calculator retails for around $40 and is available at www.fatiguecalculator.com.au

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What is inconsistent training costing your company?

Written on January 21, 2010 by Marie-Claire Ross in company induction training, customer training videos, induction videos, staff induction videos, staff training videos, training videos, workplace performance
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Consistent staff trainingIt goes without saying that staff training is incredibly important for continual company improvement.

In Chet Holmes book The Ultimate Sales Machine, he talks about the Tribal Method of Training.  This is where information gets passed person to person by word of mouth, like the cavemen might have done (informal training).

Newcomers work alongside another staff member to learn what they are meant to do.  There is no formal classroom training, no formal methodology and no training manuals.

This is the worst type of staff training.  Mainly because the training is inconsistent and if the staff member is having a bad day they will just teach bad habits.

Another style of staff induction or staff training is the formal classroom style.  Of course, while the training materials might be consistent different trainers will often teach different things.

And if you need to undertake sales training, take a look at Paul McCord’s blog post called ” Consistency in Sales Training relates directly to Consistency in Production”.  It’s a real eye-opener about the costs of inconsistent training to a company’s sales process.

Good training ensures that all staff work in harmony.

How consistently trained are your staff?  To find out how well you are faring write a T or F against the following questions:

1. Each training facilitator teaches the same procedures, so that staff walk away knowing exactly what to do

2. Every staff member would provide the same answer for one of our processes.

3. All of our staff members perform their job at a high level of excellence.

4. Results in our company are predictable because of consistent training and skills.

5. All employees know what the company considers as a good attitude or performance.

6. Customer complaints are always dealt with in the same way, no matter which department the customer complains to.

If you have answered false to any of these statements, you aren’t serious about the calibre of your training.

With consistent training, every staff member will know your procedures so that customers are dealt with in the same manner and all procedures are done in the most productive, correct and safe manner.  Productivity is high.

And remember, you can’t get more consistent training than a properly made staff training video.

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How Wellness in the Workforce Improves Company Productivity

Written on January 11, 2010 by Marie-Claire Ross in Happy staff, workplace health, workplace performance
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Warm up for work being run by a Prime Health Group exercise physiologist

"Warm up for work" Program run by a Prime Health Group exercise physiologist

EHS Today recently reported on a survey undertaken by Buck Consultants called “Working Well: A Global Survey of Health Promotion and Workplace Wellness Strategies”.

The global study analyzed responses from more than 1,100 organizations representing 10 million employees in 45 countries.

It found that improving productivity by keeping employees healthy and working is emerging as the top business objective.  As a result, company wellness programs are very popular for businesses worldwide.

Don R. Powell, PhD., president and CEO, American Institute of Preventive Medicine, pointed out that successful employee wellness programs receive an average return on investment (ROI) of $3.48 to 1 due to reduced health care costs and $5.82 to 1 due to reduced absenteeism, making them worth considering.

“HR managers should consider issues such as maximizing employee participation, involving dependents, teaching wise consumerism as well as online employee wellness programs that manage chronic diseases,” Powell said.

Not surprisingly, the Wellness Study found that across the world, the top work health concern was stress.  Although, in the US the top health concerns were lack of exercise and poor nutrition.

At the Health and Productivity Forum in February 2009, Ron Loeppke from Alere discussed the relationship between health, productivity and business strategy.  He discussed the results from the largest multi-employer study which confirm that the health of the workforce is inextricably linked to the productivity of the workforce and, therefore, to the health of the bottom line. In the study, productivity losses from absenteeism and presenteeism, combined with direct medical costs, amounted to four times the direct medical costs alone.

But how important are wellness programs in Australia?

A recent article in the Sunday Herald Sun (Jan 3, 2010), mentioned how the majority of Victorian workers are in need of medical attention with builders and drivers being labeled the state’s unhealthiest employees.

According to results from the WorkHealth occupational check-up program, more than half of the 14,000 employess that have been tested  are at “high risk” of serious health problems. Incidentally, more than 50 per cent of people who registered for the WorkHealth program since July 2009 rated their health as “excellent”.

Workers found to be at greater risk were in the transport, storage and construction industries, with more than 2 in 3 staff found to be in high risk categories.  This includes conditions such as diabetes and heart disease.

Karyn Foote from Prime Health Group, an Endorsed Service Provider with WorkHealth  says “Our clients are now combining workplace health assessments, with health & wellness initiatives and online wellness programs. This combination is engaging those staff that typically don’t participate in health and wellness activities, resulting in better staff retention and a happy, healthy and productive workforce”.

For more information about getting a health assessment for your company visit Prime Health Group or contact WorkHealth.

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