When workers do the same tasks over and over, they can become complacent about their jobs, even when they work around potentially dangerous machinery or in potentially risky environments. And according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), there are few work environments as dangerous as sawmills or other forest products facilities.
Working in a sawmill is one of the most dangerous jobs in the United States, according to OSHA, posing hazards ranging from falling or rolling logs to cutting injuries when machinery is not operated properly or when not fit with the proper safety mechanisms like emergency cutoff switches, lockouts and safety guards. Sawmills become even more dangerous when they are set up at remote worksites, where environmental conditions come into play and where equipment may be set up on uneven, unstable or rough terrain. Making matters worse, emergency help is usually farther away if an accident does occur.
Some common sawmill injuries include lacerations, amputations, severed fingers, blindness, and skin and respiratory diseases caused by wood dust and chemicals from finishing products, reports OSHA.
One of the best ways to target potential hazards so they can be eliminated or controlled is by performing a workplace hazard assessment, which is an OSHA requirement anyway. These assessments can cover an entire worksite or work area. However, a job hazard analysis which looks at specific jobs or tasks can also be very beneficial in identifying hazards. This type of analysis focuses on the relationship between the worker and the tasks they perform, the environment they work in, and the equipment or tools they must use to do the task.
Developing an open culture that encourages safety and welcomes everyone in the business, regardless of their job role or seniority, to speak freely and question practices that they don’t understand or where they see the potential hazards, is a must to create a safe workplace.
Ed Zeimet, the environmental health and safety coordinator for five of Northwest Hardwoods mills in Wisconsin, Michigan and Indiana, said that new hires require a lot of training up front, as most often don’t know exactly what they’re getting into with a wood products manufacturing position. But the training pays off as they can actually play a key role in identifying potential hazards that may have been missed by those who perform the job day in and day out.
“People get complacent with how they do their jobs,” he said, which sometimes means they revert to bad habits or old ways of doing things, even though they are aware of the right way.
As part of their training, new hires spend a lot of time in the early stages of their jobs observing other workers do the same job that they will be performing, said Zeimet. And since the new workers have just been taught the right way to do the job, they can often identify when someone is not doing it correctly or the same way that they’ve been taught, and they are encouraged to step forward.
“We ask them to intervene and ask questions,” said Zeimet, explaining that Northwest Hardwoods wants their new hires to be active participants in the safety process.
“We’ve had a lot of good results. Sometimes they point out something we may have overlooked,” he said. For example, a new hire may see a veteran employee pulling a piece of lumber from the end of the piece, rather than from the edge of the board, which they’ve been taught, and question this. This small action reminds the experienced worker of the correct way to perform the task, and has actually helped to reduce finger crushing injuries at the mills.
Northwest Hardwoods takes safety seriously and has a safety committee that does monthly safety inspections within their own departments, keeping a checklist of what they observe, commented Zeimet. The committee is composed of a variety of employees, including hourly personnel, a supervisor, mid-manager, quality control person, and two corporate representatives, one from human resources and the other from transportation.
“We are in the process of initiating plant-wide walk-thrus on a quarterly basis,” said Zeimet, with the plan being to let department heads and safety committee members walk through areas that aren’t their own in which they aren’t necessarily familiar. Again, this is another strategy to introduce fresh eyes into unfamiliar work areas in hopes that they may see something that those who work in the area day in and day out may not notice or think about.
“We are hoping for a lot of success with that,” Zeimet said.
In addition to building a safety culture, some companies are turning to programs that promote mindfulness in the workplace as a way to also reduce injuries that result from worker complacency. Such training can help workers to stay more focused and aware of their present actions, and also help them to better react to unusual or stressful situations. That’s in addition to promoting positive attitudes and communication about safety in the workplace.
There are a number of companies now that offer this type of training and report that they frequently see injuries drop tremendously in workplaces where the training has been implemented.
One such program called MoveSMART teaches employees and leaders mental skills such as being open to action change and learning, self-monitoring, decision-making, directing attention, and judgment in assessing actual and hidden levels of risk, among others. And it also teaches physical skills such as maintaining balance, how to identify and use natural alignment hand-eye coordination, how to use leverage, and tips on how to reduce fatigue.
A side perk is that the benefits of this type of training can extend into your employees’ lives outside of the workplace, helping to keep them to stay safer and healthier even when they’re not on the clock.
While workplace hazard assessments and job analyses are important and often mandatory tools in combating workplace accidents and injuries, safety programs only work if employees follow the guidelines. And teaching employees to be mindful of their actions and their surroundings at all times is absolutely necessary to make your safety program successful. This also requires promoting a positive safety culture where all employees feel comfortable stepping forward to speak out, including new hires. Sometimes a fresh set of eyes can be very beneficial in reducing accidents and injuries in the workplace because they can identify complacency or errant practices.
