FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE AFFAIRS DIVISION

FACILITIES & PLANNING

Accident and Illness Prevention Program

Policy #F&P 2003-1

Policy Statement:

The Accident and Illness Prevention Program has been established to provide an environment free of hazards, and to manage its activities to develop an environment free from recognizable risks to the health and safety of students, staff, faculty, and visitors.

Directors, managers, and supervisors shall be directly responsible for the observance of all safe operating procedures, maintenance of safe working conditions and the reporting and correction of any unsafe condition or personal act.

Each employee is charged the responsibility for following establish safe procedures and for completing each assigned task in a safe manner.   It is essential that employees make every effort to integrate injury and illness prevention into every part of their daily activities.

Violations of injury and illness prevention criteria or work rules and procedures will not be tolerated and are subject to disciplinary action. This includes managers and supervisors.

AIPP Coordinator

The Director of Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S) is charged with the coordination and the implementation of a comprehensive Accident and Illness Prevention Program (AIPP).

Organization Rules and Responsibilities

University Administration

•        To provide leadership and direction

•        To support the goals and objectives of the AIPP

•        Respond to recommendations in a timely manner

Department Directors

•        Motivate employees to work safely

•        Be alert for unsafe employee acts and correct through training

•        Commit resources to assure that identified hazards are promptly corrected and that all employees are provided with the tools and equipment needed to safely perform their job

•        Ensure all employees are provided with and use appropriate safety devices, safeguards, and personal protective equipment

•        Routinely conduct surveys and inspections to assess program effectiveness and employee compliance

Supervisors

•        Assure effective implementation of the AIPP within their areas of responsibility

•        Assure that all employees comply with the safety procedures and rules

•        Ensure that employees are provided with and use appropriate safety devices, safeguards, and personal protective equipment

•        Assure that all employees receive required safety training and that they are knowledgeable of the accident and illness prevention criteria applicable to their jobs

•        Notify employees of the new safety rules/criteria and the potentially hazardous exposures to hazardous chemicals and toxic materials

•        Assures that accidents, injuries, and illnesses are promptly reported and thoroughly investigated

Employees

•        Know and practice all applicable safety rules

•        Properly use and maintain personal protective equipment

•        Keep work area clean

•        Promptly report all accidents, injuries and illnesses to their immediate supervisor, regardless of outcome

•        Report known work place hazards, unsafe conditions or work practices or  problems to you supervisor

•        Never remove or defeat any safety guard or device

•        Use only machines or equipment that are in good condition and proper working order

AIPP Goals and Objectives

• Provide an environment that protects and promotes the health and safety of all students, employees, and visitors of SRU

• Comply with environmental health and safety laws and regulations and recognized standards developed for the protection of individuals

• Identify strategies and processes to reduce risks and losses

Hazard Identification, Abatement, Analysis and Control

•        Inspections will be conducted annually by EH&S

•        All hazards will be identified and abated as soon as feasible

•        When any hazard is found to be an imminent threat to life, health, or property, action shall be taken immediately to stop work, and remove all personnel from the area, except those needed to abate the hazard

•        All new operations will be assessed for compliance with accident and illness prevention regulatory criteria

•        When conditions change significantly, a worksite inspection will be performed to assess hazard potentials

•        Job hazard assessments will be performed on all routine jobs/task to identify potential hazards and to recommend engineering controls and personal protective equipment

•        Analyses of accident and incident data will be performed as necessary to identify trends and to develop prevention programs

•        Employees will report every hazard that they cannot correct to their supervisor

Industrial Hygiene Surveys and Industrial Health Services

•        Industrial Hygiene Surveys will be performed when required by regulatory agencies to ensure compliance and when potential health hazards are identified in the workplace

•        Employees will be informed of the survey and of its results

•        External medical services will be used to evaluate an employee’s ability to safely use personal protective equipment, to determine if workplace conditions/exposures have caused or aggravated an injury or illness, and to administer vaccines if needed

AIPP Orientation and Training

•        Every employee will receive accident and illness prevention orientation training (i.e., Right-to Know, Fire Safety, etc., and other specific safety training (i.e. Confined Space, Bloodborne Pathogen, etc.) as appropriate

•        Follow up or refresher training will be conducted as needed, and/or annually depending on the requirements and regulations

•        Each new employee will receive training before being assigned any hazardous work duties

•        Employees shall be extended additional training as needs are indicated by accident investigations, claims experience, surveys, and job hazard assessments.

Communication and Suggestions

•        Effective two-way communication is an essential element of all effective safety programs

•        Safety meetings will be used to communicate with employees about pertinent safety issues and accident/ injury data

•        Staff meetings will include safety related issues and a forum for employees to offer suggestions and comments related to accident and illness prevention

•        Bulletin boards will be used for safety posters, required illness and injury data, and safety alerts

•        The Environmental Health and Safety web page contains a broad spectrum of the health and safety information that will educate and link employees to their safety needs as well as provides a comment and suggestion section

Employee Involvement

•        Safety committees include representation from a cross section of employees

•        Suggestions and comments are encouraged from employees

•        Safety Training programs covering a broad spectrum of safety issues are made available

Ensuring Compliance and Enforcement

•        It is essential that all employees recognize the magnitude of our resolution to total safety

•        All employees are required to follow safety procedures

•        Corrective action processes are instituted to enforce policies, procedures, or goals.

            They are consistent with union bargaining agreements

Accident Reporting, Investigation and Recordkeeping

•        The purpose of accident reporting and investigation is to identify the cause of the accident without placing blame so that preventative action can be taken to prevent similar accidents from occurring in the future

•        Timely reporting of accidents is essential.  Injuries/accidents must be reported as soon as possible after occurrence

•        Property damage incidents shall be verbally reported to your supervisor as soon as practical

•        Accident Investigation may begin only after immediate first aid has been rendered

•        The workplace will be secured to prevent any further injuries from occurring as a result of the same hazard

•        Injury and accident records will be maintained by the EH&S Office

First Aid, CPR and Other Emergency Treatment

•        First Responders with be trained and kept current in First Aid and CPR

•        The University emergency phone number (3333) shall be posted on or near telephones so that emergency response can be initiated promptly

Determining and Evaluating AIPP Effectiveness

•        The AIPP effectiveness will be evaluated by the AFSCME and Campus Wide Safety Committees by reviewing accident reports and inspection surveys

•        Periodic review by EH&S of Worker’s Compensation Claim reports can identify illness and injury trends that have led to lost time.  Active cases where workers are receiving compensation for work related injuries or illnesses will also be identified here

•        The AIPP Coordinator will revise the Accident and Illness Prevention Program, if needed, to meet the goals and objectives of the program