Experts advise employers to have written safety plan
By Marcus Green
Louisville Courier-Journal
Larry Smith's phone began ringing before the first cruise missiles slammed into Baghdad.
Smith had experienced this before. In the months after Sept. 11 he was inundated with calls from businesses worried that they were ill-prepared for a terrorist attack.
"As war came closer earlier this spring, there was growing concern about terrorist reprisals, and so we started getting calls," said Smith, president of the Institute for Crisis Management, a Louisville, Ky., consulting firm.
Smith's message today is no different from what it was before the war in Iraq or after the terrorist attacks: A business is more likely to be crippled by traditional crises, such as a fire or explosion, than a terrorist act.
He credits media coverage of the Sept. 11 anniversary last fall with piquing interest in workplace safety. But, for a majority of small businesses, interest has yet to translate into action.
A survey by the National Federation of Independent Business found that 52 percent of businesses with fewer than 10 employees have no written safety plan. In response, the trade and lobbying group released an interactive compact disc this month to help small-business owners tailor training programs and safety manuals to their industries.
For many businesses, it's a question of understanding complex regulations and taking time to implement a plan. "They don't know what applies to them or where to get started or how to put that in order," said Jeff Koch, the federation's director of insurance.
The federation wants members to understand that the failure to have a written plan can lead to fines for safety violations — and conveys to inspectors and employees that workplace safety is not a priority.
There has been much talk about terrorism. Yet the more damaging — and frequent — culprits are accidents that can be prevented: poor lifting technique and careless work habits, for instance.
Koch recommends that small-business owners watch for hazards as they patrol their warehouses and offices looking for possible security problems.
The National Federation of Independent Business's 2002 workplace safety study found that accidents have been declining for several reasons: rising workers' compensation insurance that has put financial pressure on employers to beef up safety standards; a trend toward safer jobs; and a growing concern over safety issues among employers and workers.
Perhaps more encouraging is the number of firms that routinely conduct safety checks. Among small-business owners, 77 percent make periodic safety inspections, and 60 percent give new employees safety information during orientation. Yet just 12 percent of small firms have a safety committee.
Lisa Soler recently invited representatives from the Occupational Safety & Health Administration to tour her company, Global Link Logistics, which provides warehousing and logistics services for auto-parts manufacturers. "They gave us books to reference, forms to use, things that we can post for employees to read — just helpful hints," she said. "They just looked at things from a different angle, things that I wouldn't have thought of."
In 80 percent of businesses with fewer than 10 employees, the owner is solely responsible for company safety practices. However, once a business reaches 20 workers, owners tend to delegate safety duties.
Of course, that's not always the case. "We have 30 employees here, and I still do most of the safety stuff myself," said Jim McCubbin, whose Louisville company, Rebco Inc., makes corrugated pallets. "With a small business, we simply don't have the means to have a single person whose sole responsibility is safety."
