WORKERS' COMPENSATION INSURANCE
Update: Charles Taylor VP: Strong Safety Culture Helps Reduce Workplace Injuries
OLDWICK, N.J. //BestWire// - (Updates information in the headline, first paragraph and first question.) Troy Teepe, vice president of safety at Charles Taylor, says a safety-first culture is critically important in the workplace.
Following is an edited transcript of the interview.
Q: Why is a safety-first culture on the job site so important?
A: Well, let me put it in perspective for you. This is looking at the 2022 numbers. When we look at the Bureau of Labor Statistics in OSHA, since the 2023 numbers aren't out yet. But in 2022, there was 5,486 deaths in the workplace. That's 3.7 deaths per 100,000 full-time workers. Also in 2022, private and industrial workers. 2.8 million non-fatal workplace injuries and illnesses. So first and foremost, I think we need to keep our workers safe on the job.
Secondly, we have employers in the United States that are paying over $1 billion per week for direct workers' compensation alone. The true cost to the nation, employers, and individuals of work -related deaths and injuries is much greater than the cost of workers' compensation insurance alone. This in itself is enough reason for a strong safety culture.
When we have a strong safety culture, we have fewer at risk behaviors. We've got lower incident rates. We've got lower employee turnover, lower absenteeism, and high productivity. What's important to remember is that safety is culture driven. Everything that occurs or doesn't occur that relates to safety is a reflection of an organization's culture. Over time, whether they know it or not, every organization develops a culture positive or negative. I believe that one of the most key elements of a safety culture is recognizing within a company that all employees are accountable for safety, not just designated employees.
Q: How can managers create a safe environment?
A: Managers need to build relationships. I'm big with strong safety cultures and relationships. I think that managers first off need to lead by example. They need to know what their expectations are. So, from their leadership, it really needs to start at the top with leadership to designate down on what responsibilities managers have in the workplace.
I think that goes back to looking at every part of their job and looking at their complete job description to say what part does safety play in that and there is a part that safety plays in that, and then those managers need to understand that they need to build relationships with the employees that they are overseeing, and they need to communicate what the expectations are for safety.
Q: Why is it important to view safety as another item in the revenue-generating bucket?
A: When we look at safety, for many of our clients, when we look at safety, safety is a necessity for them to obtain future work in the construction industry. So, when you hear things like dark rates, stays away, restricted transfer, TRIR, total recordable incident rates, those rates are being looked at from contractors wanting to hire people to come and do these projects. If we don't have a good safety record, then we're not going to be able to even get on jobs to get the work. We're not even going to be allowed to bid the work if we don't have the right safety programs in place and our experience modification rating isn't good and the days away restricted transfer numbers aren't good.
All those numbers have to be there to obtain more work for us. General contractors want to work with the safest companies that are out there. So, the safer company you have, the more work that you're going to obtain in turn, generating more revenue for your company.
Q: Do you find there are challenges when trying to implement new safety protocols?
A: I do. There's always resistance when there's something new to change safety protocols. Many of the clients we've worked with and many employees that you work with have been doing things a certain way, and they said, "Well, we've never suffered a serious injury. Why should we change now?"
Well, the statistics are there that I mentioned earlier to show that. I believe what we have to do, is it goes back to the relationship building and making sure that the employees have an understanding and what the requirements are. But also letting them give the feedback that they want to give. Let them participate in the safety program. You're going to get a lot more buy-in if you get good feedback from employees and their suggestions.
Honestly, who knows the work better than the employees on the front line doing that work and the hazards that they face. If you can get that engagement, you're going to have an easier time of implementing the new safety procedures you want to get in place.
Q: Do you think there are mistakes or misunderstandings when it comes to OSHA compliance?
A: I do. I think there's a lot of misunderstandings. I think the biggest misunderstanding really starts is that you know OSHA is around every corner. They're on every job site looking at you. When you look at Federal OSHA coverage in 2023, there was a total of 34,600 plus inspections conducted in the United States. That's not a big number.
Federal OSHA with their state partners have approximately 1,850 compliance safety and health officers /inspectors, which are responsible for the health and safety of over 130 million workers, that's employed at more than 8 million work sites. That translates to about one compliance health and safety officer for 70,000 workers.
I think the one misconception is that OSHA is all over the place and that OSHA is looking to penalize employers. That is the last thing that they're doing. Their mission is to improve the lives of workers and have a safe workplace to go to every day. That's their sole mission. I think that's a big misconception.
Q: What's the big takeaway then for the workers comp industry?
A: Well, when you implement a strong safety culture, you're going to eliminate the injuries that happen, you're going to have lower absenteeism, you're going to have the higher productivity, and most importantly, you're going to lower those incident rates, which is what we want to do.
(By John Weber, senior associate editor, AM Best TV: John.Weber@ambest.com)