Enjoy Coast Day October 6, 2025, from 10am to 3pm at Hugh R. Sharp Campus in Lewes. This annual event involves UD student engagement and community outreach. College of Earth, Ocean and Environment will highlight cutting edge research. (UDAILY)
Tag: Weekly Safety Message 03
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UD Continues to Rank Among Nation’s Best
According to US News, University of Delaware ranked 86th among 434 national universities and 44th among the top 225 public schools. The Wall Street Journal/College Pulse ranked UD 26th among 500 nationwide colleges and universities. (UDAILY)
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Habits and Safety
Habits and Safety
We all have habits that we follow on a daily or weekly basis. These habits have a major effect on our life. They also affect the choices we make at work. The choice to follow a safety procedure on any given day could be affected by a habit you have had for years.
Your Daily Habits
Think about the habits you follow every single day. Start with waking up. Did you hit the snooze button once or twice? Do you do this every day? What about breakfast? Did you cook in the house, or did you stop at the same gas station you do every day to grab a quick bite to eat? Most likely, the choices that you have made from the point you woke up, to right now in this safety meeting, are the same choices you make every single day. These daily choices are your habits.
How Habits Work
According to Charles Duhigg, who is the author of the book The Power of Habit
, there is a “habit loop.” The habit loop he describes in his book is a three-part process. The first part of the process is the cue or trigger, the second is the routine or behavior itself, and the third is the reward.
Let us take the example of you repeatedly hitting the snooze button and look at it as a bad habit you want to break. We will discuss the habit by looking at Duhigg’s habit loop. The trigger of this habit would be your alarm going off in the morning. While the alarm is blaring, your mind tells you it is okay to hit the snooze button and continue sleeping because, in the past, you have done it. Hitting the snooze button would be the behavior. The reward would be getting more sleep. To break this habit, you would need to change one of the three components.Looking at the routine first, maybe changing the location of your alarm to a location where you would have to get out of bed would work in breaking the habit. The alarm going off is still the trigger, but you have changed the routine by having to physically get out of bed, making it less likely you will go back to sleep. Another option to help break the habit is experiencing a different reward which would be having more time in the morning. By not hitting the snooze button repeatedly, you will experience a new reward of more time and less rush in the mornings before work. This reward alone over time may lead you to curve the habit of hitting snooze.
Not all habits are easy to break, but you get the point.
Habits and Safety on the Job
Your habits may be leading you to consistently take shortcuts and not follow safety procedures. Are there certain safety procedures you always follow and others that you rarely follow? For example, you are a welder, and every single day you complete your JSA, but many days there are times you choose not to lower your helmet while welding. Why do you choose to follow one safety procedure but not the other? Maybe you complete your JSA every day because you have to turn it in at the end of the day, and you have learned that it gets reviewed.
The reward would be not getting disciplined by a supervisor, so you choose to do the JSA every day. On the other hand, you choose not to lower your welding helmet because it is hard to see through, and you know supervisors rarely enter your work area. The reward is that you feel it is quicker to do the task, you can see better, and you have not been injured yet. In your mind, there is no consequence that will most likely come that is more negative than the reward you receive from not putting the helmet down, so you continue the behavior.
Summary
Pay attention to the habits you hold on to and how they affect you daily. How many of these habits are positive ones, and how many are negative? Look at the choices you make at work, and if they lead to negative behaviors, then look at changing them. By addressing the trigger or experiencing a different reward for your behaviors, you may find a way to change bad habits.
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COVID-19, Flu Shot Clinics
University of Delaware will have 3 clinic locations throughout campus September 23, 2024, through November 15, 2024. UD students, faculty, staff, and families can receive COVID-19 vaccinations and/or flu shots. Bring ID and health insurance card. (UDAILY)
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Why Zero Injuries is a Bad Safety Goal
Why Zero Injuries is a Bad Safety Goal
Many companies set safety goals each year. These goals often incorporate the idea of having no accidents or injuries. Common slogans for these goals include things like “Zero Harm”, “Zero Injuries”, “Goal Zero”, and so forth. There are several issues with these types of goals, which are explored below.
Why a Zero Injury Goal is Not Enough on its Own
Setting a safety goal of zero injuries is fine to do, but employees should not only have that sole goal as their only guiding principle when it comes to safety. By setting a broad safety goal of zero injuries, and when especially tying a bonus to hitting this goal, you can discourage employees from working safely at all. This is especially true if a bonus is tied to having zero injuries over a long time period and an injury occurs at the beginning of the year, month, quarter, etc.
The goal of zero injuries over an entire year, or even for just over a month for large workforces, can seem out of reach and out of the individual employees’ control. The employees may feel powerless to contribute to the goal. These types of goals also do not provide any tangible actions or behaviors that the employees can strive for in order to hit the goal.
These goals can also encourage employees not to report injuries, which is a significant issue.
Real World Example
Let’s imagine you are right out of high school, and you are hired to do an entry-level job in a chemical processing plant. During orientation, you are told that the company cares about safety and that there is a large bonus for all employees if there are no injuries. You think to yourself, “Great!”. But after a short safety overview training session, no other feedback is provided on what working safely truly looks like.
Even if you want to work safely, you might not understand what actions you need to take to do so. Hopefully, the safety training that is provided covers these actions, but if the company incorporates smaller safety goals/rewards relating to individual employee actions, then the employees will have a better understanding of what to strive for. This is especially important if there is a safety incentive program in place.
It is vital to set clear goals that are specific to the workforce that reinforces working safely every single day. Incentivizing employees to follow safe work practices and to go beyond just following the safety rules can be an effective way to reduce the risk of injuries occurring.
Proactive Versus Reactive Safety Goals
A safety goal of zero injuries is reactive, meaning it is solely focusing on a particular outcome instead of being proactive to encourage specific behaviors and actions that will help lead to the ultimate goal of reducing the risk of injuries. To further clarify this idea, there are examples provided below of reactive versus proactive safety goals.
Reactive Safety Goals/Incentives Examples
- Zero injuries over any time period.
- “Free Pizza Fridays” when employees do not have an injury during a work week.
- A monetary bonus for not having any injuries or accidents.
Proactive Safety Goals/Incentives Examples
- Rewarding or recognizing employees for consistently wearing required PPE.
- Rewarding or recognizing employees for consistently completing required safety paperwork.
- Rewarding employees for zero findings during a work area inspection.
- Rewarding or recognizing employees for turning in a specific number of hazards over a specific time period.
A company can still set a goal of zero injuries, but there should be small actions and goals targeted over shorter time periods that reward or focus on proactive behaviors. By doing so, employees understand what is expected from them that will assist in reaching the ultimate goal of reducing the risk of injuries.
Incentivize Proactive Behaviors
As mentioned above, there are many different specific behaviors and actions that a company can target to encourage all employees to work safely. By doing so, employees understand what needs to be done to ensure their own safety as well as the employees around them. These tangible, specific, and easy-to-understand goals also can help make the employees feel that they can impact the outcome of the goals.
Make the Rewarded Actions or Goals Specific
Safety rewards and goals should be specific to the challenges and issues the company is facing. For larger companies, the goals should be tailored to individual divisions or segments of the operation.
For example, if a manufacturing company wants to reduce the number of auto accidents that it is having, it is great to reward the drivers and dispatchers for specific behaviors and actions that will reduce the risk of accidents.
However, if a blanket safety bonus is tied to not having any auto accidents for all employees, then the program is not rewarding proactive behaviors, and it also leaves out warehouse workers who do not have any control over this outcome from striving towards a safer workplace.
Real World Example
To assist in further clarifying the idea of making specific and targeted goals/rewards around motivating employees to work safely, we will use an example scenario. A manufacturing company has its safety committee review its injuries over a five-year period. They find that many of their injuries are caused in part by poor housekeeping in work areas. They decide to reward the warehouse employees for several specific actions each month. The rewards are as follows:
- Any employee who turns in a hazard to the safety department will be entered into a raffle for a gift card.
- Any employee who turns in an idea to improve the safety of their work area will be entered into a raffle for a gift card.
- All employees will get the monthly bonus if no housekeeping or organization-related issues are found during work area inspections.
These rewards are specific and empower the employees to take accountability for their work and work areas. Even if there is a larger goal of zero injuries, these smaller goals and rewards give the employees specific safe behaviors to strive for. All of the examples above can assist in achieving the ultimate goal of having fewer injuries.
They also provide motivation for the employees to work safely every single day, even if there is an injury on the first day of the new year. Otherwise, if a safety bonus is tied to not having any injuries and one occurs, then there is no incentive for the employees to go above and beyond when it comes to safety efforts.
There does not always have to be rewards or bonuses to get employees to take specific actions. Disciplinary action for not following the rules or participating in the safety program can be effective. Even just taking time to recognize individual employees or entire work crews can motivate employees to take certain actions. That being said, safety bonuses/rewards can go much further in motivating employees as well as help put a positive spin on participating in the safety efforts.
Some companies are fearful of putting any safety incentive program in place because they do not understand OSHA’s stance on these programs.
What OSHA Says About Safety Incentive Programs
A 2012 report published by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that rate-based safety incentive programs, which reward workers for achieving low rates of reported injuries or illnesses, may discourage reporting of injuries and illnesses.
In the past, OSHA provided guidance that discouraged employers from rewarding employees with cash bonuses, “free pizza Fridays,” and other incentives for successfully meeting low injury rates. OSHA reasoned that employees would be so motivated by the bonus that they would withhold information about their own or others’ injuries to keep the rates low and be rewarded with the incentive prize.
In an interview, a former assistant secretary of labor for OSHA, David Michaels, stated that “No one avoids getting hurt simply to get a prize at the end of the week or a bonus”, and that “giving out prizes or bonuses doesn’t prevent injuries. They discourage injured workers from reporting their injuries. Workers do not need bonuses to work safely. They need safe workplaces.”
Many employers felt that these OSHA policies were getting in the way of effective and important safety programs.
However, in 2018 OSHA issued a memorandum clarifying its position on incentive programs. OSHA stated that it believes that many employers who implement safety incentive programs do so to promote workplace safety and health. OSHA stated that action taken under a safety incentive program would only violate the OSHA rule “if the employer took action to penalize an employee for reporting a work-related injury or illness rather than for the legitimate purpose of promoting workplace safety and health.”
The new guidance stated that safety incentive programs are retaliatory and unlawful only if they seek “to penalize an employee for reporting a work-related injury or illness rather than for the legitimate purpose of promoting workplace safety and health.”
OSHA’s memo also stated that rate-based incentive programs are permissible “as long as they are not implemented in a manner that discourages reporting.” The agency said that it will not cite an employer who takes a negative action against an employee under a rate-based incentive program—withholding a prize or a bonus due to a reported injury, for example—“as long as the employer has implemented adequate precautions to ensure that employees feel free to report an injury or illness.”
Summary
Having a goal of zero injuries is admirable. As discussed above, these goals on their own are not enough to be effective. They can also be problematic and harm a company’s safety program. Challenge the status quo when it comes to safety goals.
Ask yourself:
- Are our goals realistic?
- Are our goals or targets proactive or reactive?
- Are we targeting the correct behaviors and actions that will lead us to have fewer injuries/incidents?
- Are individual employees rewarded or recognized for working safely?
- Do employees understand what is required of them?
By answering these questions honestly, you can begin to craft safety goals and safety incentives (if applicable) that will assist in having fewer injuries and incidents.
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7 Unsafe Behaviors When Using Ladders on the Job
Ladder Injury Statistics in the Workplace
Unfortunately, there are many employees injured or killed on the job when using ladders. Falls from heights are the most obvious type of injury that occurs when using ladders.
The CDC reports that each year in the U.S. more than 310 construction workers are killed and more than 10,350 are seriously injured by falls from heights.
There are limited statistics published in recent years for ladder-related injuries and fatalities across all injuries. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that between 2011 and 2016 there were 836 fatalities in the workplace involving ladders.
It is vital to take ladder safety seriously on the job to not become the next victim.
Below are seven common unsafe behaviors including choosing the wrong type of ladder, using a defective ladder, setting up the ladder improperly, not inspecting the work area, leaning when using a ladder, not using three points of contact, and using the top step of the ladder.
These behaviors can contribute to injuries occurring on the job.
Unsafe Behavior #1: Choosing the Wrong Type of Ladder
It is vital to use the right tools and equipment when completing any work tasks. Choosing the right ladder for the job is no different. There are various types of ladders and different duty ratings for commercial-grade ladders.
It is vital to choose a ladder that provides safe access to the work area that is being reached. This includes a ladder with enough height, weight rating, and proper base for the work environment.
It is also important to consider the ladder’s material when working in an environment that presents electrical hazards. A fiberglass ladder is a safer choice when completing work tasks where electrical hazards are a concern.
Click here to view the different weight ratings (duty ratings) of ladders.
Unsafe Behavior #2: Using a Defective Ladder
Like any tool, ladders can wear out or become damaged over time. A damaged or defective one should never be used. Also, it is vital that safety labels remain intact and legible on ladders so hazards and relevant information regarding the ladder are communicated to the employees prior to use.
Ladders should be inspected prior to the work task commencing. Any ladder deemed unsafe to use needs to be tagged out of service until it is properly repaired by the manufacturer. If the ladder cannot be properly repaired, it needs to be completely removed from service.
Unsafe Behavior #3: Setting Up the Ladder Improperly
Employees need to take the time to step up the ladder according to the manufacturer’s recommendations. Review all safety materials prior to using the ladder.
It is vital to completely open a collapsible ladder prior to climbing it. The ladder needs to be fully locked into place to ensure stability. If the ladder cannot be fully opened to access the work area, an extension ladder probably needs to be used.
Extension ladders must be placed at the right angle to ensure they are safe to climb. Too large of an angle can lead to the ladder sliding out of place. Too small of an angle can lead to the ladder being unstable and unsafe to climb. Choosing the right size ladder is critical to ensuring the correct angle can be achieved.
Click here to check out NIOSH’s tool to ensure a safe angle is chosen when using a ladder.
Ensure the ground is solid and safe to place the ladder on prior to work commencing.
Unsafe Behavior #4: Not Inspecting the Work Area
The work area where the ladder will be used should be inspected prior to work commencing. There are many hazards that could be present that can contribute to injury. Some common hazards to be aware of include:
- Electrical hazards such as live electrical lines or electrical systems.
- Biological hazards such as animals or insects.
- Unstable ground, which can lead to the ladder tipping over or becoming unstable.
- Moving equipment or personnel that could strike the ladder, resulting in the employee on the ladder being knocked off.
Proper preplanning of work activities and inspecting the work area can identify hazards that can lead to injuries occurring when using a ladder. Safeguards should then be implemented to eliminate or mitigate these hazards.
Unsafe Behavior #5: Leaning on the Ladder
Leaning while using a ladder is a common unsafe behavior that can lead to the ladder tipping over or the employee falling from it. Employees will often choose to lean to access the area they are working at instead of getting down to move the ladder to the proper location.
Always keep the button on your pants in the middle of the ladder. If you are needing to lean over to access the work area, get down and reposition the ladder. If the work area is still difficult to access, use tools with extended handles to access the area. Use a scissor lift or aerial lift if a ladder is not the right tool for the job.
Unsafe Behavior #6: Not Using Three Points of Contact
Many ladder injuries occur when employees are climbing up or down the ladder. These incidents can be mitigated by using three points of contact while climbing. Using three points of contact means that three of an employees’ limbs are in contact with the ladder at all times when climbing.
Never carry tools up and down the ladder. This action prevents the ability to use three points of contact. Even if climbing can be achieved while holding a tool, do not do this. Holding a tool impedes the ability to fully grab the ladder as it is being climbed.
Unsafe Behavior #7: Using the Top Step
The top step is not made for employees to stand on for the majority of ladders produced. The top steps are commonly marked with warnings to not use them. Using the top step can lead to the ladder becoming unstable or the employee using it to lose their balance.
If the work area can not be accessed without using the top step, it is not the right ladder for the job. Use a taller ladder or a different piece of equipment that provides safe access to the work area.
Employees should also never use the back steps of a ladder unless it is otherwise approved to do so by the manufacturer.
Summary
Due to the widespread and common use of ladders, it can be easy to become complacent while using them. It is vital to avoid the unsafe behaviors mentioned above to prevent injuries on the job. Take all possible hazards into consideration when planning work activities that involve ladders and follow safe work practices to mitigate these hazards.
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Campus Safety Update
Digital extortion is a growing threat of cybercrimes. Key red flags include strangers asking for sensitive information or bad grammar. If targeted save all messages between you and perpetrator and report it immediately to law enforcement. (UDAILY)
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Half Staff
In honor of the 23rd anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City, the Pentagon, and United Airlines Flight 93 which crashed in suburban Pennsylvania.
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Four Safety Shortcuts That Can Result in Severe Injuries
There are many ways employees can be injured on the job. Unfortunately, employees’ behaviors can contribute to injuries when they take safety shortcuts. There are many examples of when a safety shortcut contributes to severe injuries.
This post discusses why safety shortcuts are dangerous and common shortcuts that can lead to severe injuries.
Why Safety Shortcuts are Dangerous
There are many safety rules that are well-known due to the severe consequences that can result if not followed. Unfortunately, employees can become complacent due to working around common hazards and choose to take shortcuts when it comes to safety. Inexperience can also lead employees to take safety shortcuts.
There are many reasons why an employee may choose not to follow safety rules. As stated, complacency is a significant contributor to employees taking shortcuts. Other reasons include the company’s culture may promote taking these risks, an employee may feel a sense of urgency, or they may rationalize that nothing bad will happen if they take the risk.
Four Common Safety Shortcuts
Below are four common safety shortcuts that can result in severe injuries or death. The shortcuts that are discussed in this post are not wearing personal protective equipment, working at heights without safeguards in place, working on energized equipment, and being in the line of fire.
Shortcut #1: Not Wearing Personal Protective Equipment
Personal protective equipment (PPE) is the last line of defense when protecting employees from injuries, but PPE is still a vital safeguard in reducing the severity of injuries when exposed to a hazard. There are many occupations that require the use of personal protective equipment at almost all times.
For example, construction workers almost should always be wearing safety glasses, hardhats, and gloves due to the wide array of hazards they are exposed to throughout the workday. Other occupations have similar or even more stringent requirements when it comes to PPE use.
Not Wearing Safety Glasses
According to the CDC, 2,000 U.S. workers sustain a job-related eye injury that requires medical treatment. One-third of these injuries are treated in an emergency room.
Employees can prevent most eye injuries by simply wearing approved safety glasses. Safety glasses protect employees’ eyes from a variety of hazards in the workplace. All too often, employees choose not to wear their eye protection.
Not Wearing Hardhats
Hardhats are required to be worn by employees when overhead hazards are present. This requirement means there are many employees who should be wearing a hardhat every single day. Work activities such as lifting and rigging, scaffolding work, and general construction or maintenance work at elevated levels can create hazards for employees working on the ground level.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that there are more than 50,000 “struck-by falling objects” recordable injuries every single year in the United States. While the elimination of hazards or engineering controls are more effective in protecting employees from dropped objects, hardhats play a critical role in reducing the severity of injury in the event that an object is dropped and strikes the head of an employee.
Not Wearing Gloves
Just like other PPE, gloves may not completely prevent an employee from suffering a hand or finger injury, but they are vital in at least reducing the severity of injury if an employee is exposed to a hazard. Common hand and finger injuries include burns, lacerations, crushes, and amputations.
Gloves should be worn in many workplaces, and if they are not, severe injuries can be sustained. The consequences of hand and finger injuries can be life-changing for the employees who experience them.
Shortcut #2: Working at Heights without Safeguards in Place
Falls to a lower level are a leading cause of death in the workplace. In fact, falls to lower levels are reported to be responsible for well over 30% of all construction industry fatalities year after year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
There are many workplaces where employees are allowed to work at heights without the proper fall prevention methods or fall protection equipment being worn, even though it is against OSHA regulations. On the other hand, there are many employers and workplaces that prohibit working at heights without the proper safeguards in place, but employees choose to put themselves in danger.
Employees will often choose to work at heights for just a few seconds or minutes because it may take more time to follow the correct safety protocol. Complacency or inexperience contributes to employees choosing to work at heights without the proper safeguards in place.
Employees should never work at heights unless there are effective fall prevention methods in place, such as a guardrail system. Employees may also safely work at heights if they wear approved fall protection equipment, such as a full-body harness and lanyard.
While it may take additional time to follow the correct safety protocols, it may make all the difference in preventing serious injury or death.
Shortcut #3: Working on Energized Equipment
Working on energized equipment is one of the most common and potentially deadly safety shortcuts an employee can take. To safely work on, service, or repair equipment, the proper safeguards must be followed.
Following lockout/tagout procedures and properly de-energizing equipment prior to work beginning is the most effective safeguard one can take when completing these work tasks. The perceived problem is that doing so takes too much time, and the actual task that needs to be completed will only take a minute.
This shortcut is also commonly made by employees who are trying to clear a jam in a machine. Instead of taking the time to follow the correct safety protocols, they choose to try to do the task while the machine is still live. This choice can lead to devasting consequences.
Shortcut #4: Being in the Line of Fire
Putting oneself in the line of fire frequently, or more simply, in harm’s way is a sure way to experience a workplace injury at some point. There are many examples of what it means to be in the line of fire. The example above of trying to clear a jam in a live machine is an example of putting oneself in harm’s way.
The hazard is there but it poses no threat to anyone unless an employee chooses to put themselves in a position where they are now exposed to the hazard.
Other common examples of being in the line of fire include:
- Walking or standing under a lifted load.
- Walking or standing in the blind spot of moving equipment.
- Entering an unprotected trench.
- Putting one’s body where pressure is being released.
In all of the examples above, the hazard is still present. The load can drop, the equipment could reverse suddenly, the trench could collapse, and pressure could be released, but an employee does not get exposed to the hazard if they are not in the line of fire.
Summary
The above common safety shortcuts are just a few of a possible many. If employees followed the proper safety protocols related to just the shortcuts above, there would be much fewer injuries and fatalities in the workplace.
The employee is not always to blame for injuries but unfortunately taking shortcuts or making unsafe decisions often contributes to injuries. It is vital to not become complacent to the hazards in the workplace and to stay vigilant to prevent injuries.