Since the early 1990′s, most companies have got their act together and decreased their workplace injuries (see chart).  After all, it’s a no-brainer that workplace safety accidents cost businesses lots of money each year.  And from a human perspective, it’s always a good idea to look after people.

Yet, many companies around the globe often forget about the real costs of an accident preferring to cut spending on safety training and equipment.

Let’s take a look at some different viewpoints on the real cost of workplace safety to an organisation:

1. The Liberty Mutual Workplace Safety Index report states that improving workplace safety is a key strategy for reducing direct costs resulting from workplace injuries. The direct costs that are stripping businesses of their profits include medical expenses, workers’ compensation payments and costs for legal services.   Direct costs are just the beginning of the ‘price’ of an unsafe working environment. Workplace accidents trigger a range of indirect costs including repairs to damaged equipment and property, hiring and training of replacement personnel, as well as costs associated with lower employee morale and absenteeism that is common in a work site that is considered unsafe.
2. While across the Pacific Ocean, Ian Woods, a senior business analyst at AMP Capital Investors was quoted as at a Safe Work Australia event that “From an investors’ perspective, we actively consider OH&S performance in our investment decisions, as we believe it is a good measure of management quality in many high-risk industries”.  Woods argues that investors now cannot ignore the cost of workplace injury as it is passed on to Australian employers. The average workplace injury costs 6 percent of profit. In the construction industry, the total workplace injury costs borne by workers, employers and the community is equivalent to a staggering 98 percent of the industry’s operating profit.
3. While Professor Patrick Hudson, based at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands was also quoted as saying “I have an estimate that a company may be losing up to 10 per cent of its turnover as a result of poor OHS and E (occupational health, safety and environment) performance…when you have a shutdown, you lose production, and you just add it up,” Prof. Hudson said

Gary Gregg, executive vice president of Liberty Mutual’s Commercial Markets sums it all up by remarking “There is a clear link between workplace safety and a company’s performance”.

But who is really responsible for workplace safety?

Research undertaken by Missouri Employers Mutual Insurance revealed that 95. 7% of those interviewed stated that the responsibility for creating a safe work environment belongs to management.

The bottom line is that companies need to assess their risk situation and to educate employees about how to keep themselves safe.

For organisations with a profit and humanitarian focus, education and safety training video packages are a wise investment in reducing business risk since they protect the most important business asset of all. . . human capital.

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Research studies tell us that 70% of workplace mistakes are a result of poor communication.

Communication failures can be costly.  It can cause loss of business, accidents, frustration, hostility, high employee turnover, low productivity and much more.

According to Kris Cole, who wrote the book Crystal Clear Communication, there are quite a range of communication difficulties.  These being:

• Not explaining goals or priorities properly
• Not listening
• Not understanding fully and failing to ask questions
• Mind made up, preconceived ideas
• Not understanding others’ needs
• Not thinking it through clearly, jumping to conclusions
• Losing patience, allowing discussion to become heated
• Short of time
• Bad mood
• Failure to explore alternatives

But it’s not just personal communication that can go awry.  Business communication will also fail to miss the mark, if those responsible for corporate communication have the same communication difficulties as mentioned above.  That’s why it is so important when companies commence a training video that all of those involved in the process are on the same page.  Otherwise, the training video process can be drawn out and in danger of missing the mark.

Where in your daily life can you change your communication style to ensure mistakes get reduced?  And for company communication, how can you make sure it is unified with all those responsible aligned with the same agenda?

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Induction training is absolutely vital for new employees.   It is also the time when new starters are thirsty to know more about their new workplace and want to quickly integrate into their new team.   However, it can be difficult to know how well a new starter or contractor has absorbed training information.

Establish an induction training evaluation system

According to Joe Huang from Wondershare, makers of the Quiz Creator, as with any type of training, it is important to review and seek feedback before, after and during induction training.  The evaluation of induction training can be divided into three stages:

1. Evaluating new employees’ learning and academic performance. Before new employees start with you, you can quiz them on their knowledge.  This can be determined through examinations: paper-based tests are usually the most common way, but for the sake of time-saving and cost-effective, computer-based tests are the best choice.
2. Evaluating the appropriateness of the training course content.  For companies who are not sure about the content in their training and how new employees feel about it, you can quiz new starters to find out how they found the training and what they liked/disliked.  This is a great way to update your training in a meaningful way.
3. Evaluating the work performance of trainees.  After the newbie has started, you can quiz  supervisors on certain learning outcomes, to find out what they think of the performance of the new starter, so  you can know how the new employees took their training into practice.  This is also important information when reviewing your induction training and what areas need further improvement.

How quizzes can be used with induction training video for optimal results

Research has found that viewers of a training video score better on message retention and recall levels when they are told that they will be tested.
To use quizzes properly with a training video:

1. Quiz your learners before producing the training video. By finding out what information current staff have difficulty with, you will be more knowledgeable about the type of information to put into your training video.
2. Quiz your learners after (or during) the video training. This makes sure they have absorbed the information.
3. Use a quiz as a review tool. This is a great way to refresh staff.  Even if they only watch a small segment of an induction training video (for example: warm up exercises, by undertaking a small quiz on this topic, you know that they have learnt the information).

Now, while it is all well and good to test people during induction training, we hear from many companies that this sort of e-learning approach can be flawed.  All it takes is for a dodgy supervisor to hand people the answers and everyone passes through the quiz in flying colours.

That’s why it is important when testing people that if they get it wrong, they have to go back to that section and watch the video again.  Or alternatively, the questions are randomly displayed so that it makes cheating much harder.

According to Joe Huang, it is important to choose a quiz creating software that has anti-cheating features.  This includes a time limit (so that there is no time to research answers), randomization (questions occur in different order), access control (password only access to change the test) and a concealed XML file (this stops the answers from being viewed).

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According to a recent article at Working Nights, companies that have implemented a shift work lifestyle training program tailored to their company needs receive overwhelming benefits for both employees and the company.

On average, shift workers generate more more health care costs than other workers.  Shift workers experience an increased risk of a range of diseases such as cardiovascular, obesity and sleep apnea.  Their social and personal life are also effected by their working hours.

The good news is that the health of shift workers can be improved with the right training.

In addition, it has been found that employee morale is higher amongst companies that provide shift work lifestyle training.  Nearly, 60% of employees at companies that provide shift work lifestyle training rank their morale as good or excellent compared to 35% for staff at companies without shift work training.

Other benefits include:

• A reduction of health care costs between 17-37%.
• Reduced safety incidents
• Reduced worker’s compensation premiums
• Increase of worker productivity by 39%.

In extended 24-hour operations, a well-designed shift schedule or roster is unlikely to provide adequate protection from worker fatigue.  An integrated risk management system incorporates data analysis and training towards an effort of reducing fatigue and reducing a company’s costs, risks, and liabilities.

To find out more about shift work training, click here.

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According to the Worker’s Health Centre, studies show that shiftwork and shifts with extended hours can have significant adverse effects on health, workplace accident rates, absenteeism and a worker’s personal life.

Over 70% of men and 50% of women working shift work are overweight.   Due to altered eating habits when working shift work, workers often experience higher rates of gastrointestinal problems, including indigestion, heartburn, or stomach ulcers, constipation, diarrhea and gas.  Other issues include increased heart diseases, social problems and increased error and accident rates.

Working Nights, an excellent blog on, well, working at night, talks about a recent study in the journal Obesity that has found that when we eat may be more of a driver of weight gain than what we eat.  This obviously has significant impact for shift workers.

In the study, mice were fed a high-fat diet during the time they’d normally eat, the regular day-time hours on their daily circadian cycle, gained 20% in weight over six weeks. But mice fed the same high-fat diet during hours they should have been sleeping gained 48%!  This new study was initiated to consider the potential impact on at night shift workers, who eat the most of their daily food intake during hours when humans are usually sleeping. The researchers believe that findings for people would be consistent the results within the mice population.

But there is good news!

Working Nights has also published some information about a new study by scientists at the University of Illinois that has found that soluble fiber, found in oats, nuts, and apples, strengthens the immune system and reduces the inflammation related to obesity-related diseases (e.g. diabetes and heart disease).  These results will appear in the May 2010 issue of Brain, Behavior, and Immunity.

The bottom line is to enhance their immune systems, shift workers should consider the amount of soluble fiber they eat.  Of all grains, oats have the highest proportion of soluble fiber.

Working Nights suggest that  shift workers need to stock up on high fiber nutrition bars.  These are easy to pack for consumption while working at night.  Our bodies’ digestive system slows down at night, even if we’re awake working.  So, employees working the night shift should eat light meals.  To read more about the importance of eating the right foods when working shift work, click here.

Companies who have shift workers should consider making oat based bars available to their workers through vending machines.

Personally, I think that all shift workers need to eat porridge for dinner just because it’s yum!  Add some chopped nuts and sliced apple and you have a great meal that your body will thank you for.

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Recently, I started a meditation course.  I’ve actually been meditating daily for nine years, but was persuaded by a close friend, to do this amazing meditation course led by a Swami.  Given that I’d never had any formal training and that I’ve always wanted to meet a guru, I signed up without a second thought.

So far what I have learnt is, I actually do know how to meditate, meditation CDs are very good.  But meditation is becoming extremely popular, almost mainstream!  There were no hippies in the room, in fact there were 86 (yes, that’s not a typo) very normal, middle class people learning how to meditate in a beautiful house in Melbourne.  And yes, the Swami is very good (and funny).

Meditation is a growing trend.  The Herald Sun reported on how meditation is now moving into the boardroom with numerous studies showing that it improves concentration.  Businesses such as NAB, Victoria Police, Diabetes Australia, Origin Energy and The CEO Institute are now running meditation sessions for their staff.

According to research by Medibank Private, workplace stress costs the Australian econony $10.11 billion through poor productivity and absenteeism.

Under the Workplace Health and Safety Act 2004, companies are responsible for implementing stress management programs.  In Victoria alone, the average cost of a stress-related work claim in 2009 was $51,000.  So it makes perfect fiscal sense for companies to introduce company meditation courses to improve stress levels and productivity of their workers and ensure they reduce their work claims.

Given the need for companies to reduce the stress levels of their workers, introducing meditation classes is a great way to help workers and boost morale.  It’s only a matter of time before meditation is readily accepted in the workplace, as a quick way to alleviate stress and improve productivity.

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The 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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"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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(image credit: Perantu Sepi Lodge @ flickr)

With so much of our life devoted to paid employment, it’s only fair to say that you might as well be happy doing it, otherwise life becomes a bit of a drag.

And if you’re not feeling perky at work or you’re unfortunately having to work with a grumpy staff member, here are some websites to help:

http://www.workhappynow.com/

http://www.stevenaitchison.co.uk/blog/

http://www.happiness-project.com/happiness_project/2009/09/twelve-tips-to-create-a-happier-and-more-productive-workplace.html

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Click here to view the embedded video.

Office workers, underground miners, night shift employees and aged-care workers are more at risk of disease due to a lack of Vitamin D.

Vitamin D is obtained through sunlight and a small amount from food. However, the most reliable way to top up this important vitamin is to get outside and enjoy the sunlight.

Over the past few years, the recommendations for the amount of Vitamin D we need have increased due to a growing trend of vitamin D deficiency in the general population. This has been caused by people spending less time outdoors (due to working indoors) and using lots of sunscreen which blocks Vitamin D absorption.

Luckily, in Australia due to our intense sunlight it is easy to get Vitamin D. While residents of countries such as Canada and Scotland need to have Vitamin D supplements.

Ideally, we need to spend 6-8 minutes in the mid-morning sun during summer or about 20 minutes in winter. No sunscreen required. The best places to absorb sunscreen are the hands, face and your forearms.

Interestingly, if you watch the video with Dr John Cannell talking from Stamford Universtiy you will discover the increasing evidence that people with low Vitamin D levels are more likely to suffer from a wide range of diseases. In fact, getting lots of sunlight could be the best way to avoid getting the flu.

How can you get your staff out into the sunshine?

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