238600 Safety Programs on DOE sites: Some good, some definitely not

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Beth Rosenberg, ScD MPH , Dept. of Public Health and Family Medicine, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA
Charles Levenstein, PhD, MPH , Dept. of Work Environment, UMass Lowell, Lowell, MA
APHA abstract 2011 Evaluation of safety programs

As consultants to the United Steelworkers, investigating health and safety conditions and health and safety systems, we interviewed union members, union leadership, safety managers and other managers at six DOE sites. We have found systems that encourage worker involvement and have successful safety programs. We have also found safety systems that both managers and workers acknowledge inhibit the reporting of incidents and near misses, and therefore, these incidents cannot be used as a warning for more serious problems. This paper will discuss a model safety program and how it successfully engages workers, as well as programs that discourage injury reporting. We will strategize about ways to improve them.

Learning Areas:
Public health or related public policy
Systems thinking models (conceptual and theoretical models), applications related to public health

Learning Objectives:
Analyze what makes a good safety program and what many lack.

Keywords: Safety, Occupational Surveillance

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have been researching this for 6 years.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

See more of: Late Breaker Topics in OHS
See more of: Occupational Health and Safety