Risk Management 365 – Page 9 – Risk Profile Improvement

Prevention of the Flu

What everyday steps can I take to stop the spread of germs?

There are steps you can take in your daily life to help protect you from getting the flu.

Wash your hands often with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand rub.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth. Germs spread this way.
Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
Practice good health habits. Get plenty of sleep and exercise, manage your stress, drink plenty of fluids, and eat healthy food.
Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
If you are sick with flu-like illness, stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone without the use of fever-reducing medicine.

Making Your New Year’s Resolution Stick

By making your resolutions realistic there is a greater chance that you will keep them throughout the year, incorporating healthy behavior into your everyday life. Here are a few tips to help make News Year’s resolution stick:

Start small – Make resolutions that you think you can keep. If, for example, your aim is to exercise more frequently, schedule three or four days a week at the gym instead of seven. If you would like to eat healthier, try replacing dessert with something else you enjoy, like fruit or yogurt, instead of seeing your diet as a form of punishment.
Change one behavior at a time – Unhealthy behaviors develop over the course of time. Thus, replacing unhealthy behaviors with healthy ones requires time. Don’t get overwhelmed and think that you have to reassess everything in your life. Instead, work toward changing one thing at a time.
Talk about it – Share your experiences with family and friends. Consider joining a support group to reach your goals, such as a workout class at your gym or a group of coworkers quitting smoking. Having someone to share your struggles and successes with makes your journey to a healthier lifestyle that much easier and less intimidating.
Don’t beat yourself up – Perfection is unattainable. Remember that minor missteps when reaching your goals are completely normal and OK. Don’t give up completely because you ate a brownie and broke your diet, or skipped the gym for a week because you were busy. Everyone has ups and downs; resolve to recover from your mistakes and get back on track.
Ask for support – Accepting help from those who care about you and will listen strengthens your resilience and ability to manage stress caused by your resolution. If you feel overwhelmed or unable to meet your goals on your own, consider seeking professional help. Psychologists are uniquely trained to understand the connection between the mind and body. They can offer strategies as to how to adjust your goals so that they are attainable, as well as help you change unhealthy behaviors and address emotional issues.

via Making Your New Year’s Resolution Stick.

The Real Costs of Accidents

Accidents are more expensive than most people realize because of the hidden costs. Some costs are obvious — for example, Workers’ Compensation claims which cover medical costs and indemnity payments for an injured or ill worker. These are the direct costs of accidents.

But what about the costs to train and compensate a replacement worker, repair damaged property, investigate the accident and implement corrective action, and to maintain insurance coverage? Even less apparent are the costs related to schedule delays, added administrative time, lower morale, increased absenteeism, and poorer customer relations. These are the indirect costs — costs that aren’t so obvious until we take a closer look.

Studies show that the ratio of indirect costs to direct costs varies widely, from a high of 20:1 to a low of 1:1. OSHA’s approach is shown here and says that the lower the direct costs of an accident, the higher the ratio of indirect to direct costs.

via Safety and Health Management Systems eTool | Module 1 – Safety and Health Payoffs – Costs of Accidents.

Materials Handling: Heavy Lifting

Lifting heavy items is one of the leading causes of injury in the workplace. In 2001, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that over 36 percent of injuries involving missed workdays were the result of shoulder and back injuries. Overexertion and cumulative trauma were the biggest factors in these injuries.

When employees use smart lifting practices and work in their “power zone,” they are less likely to suffer from back sprains, muscle pulls, wrist injuries, elbow injuries, spinal injuries, and other injuries caused by lifting heavy objects.

Weight of Objects
Awkward Postures
High-Frequency and Long-Duration Lifting
Inadequate Handholds
Environmental Factors

via Ergonomics eTool: Solutions for Electrical Contractors – Materials Handling: Heavy Lifting.

Health Tip: Why Get an Annual Physical?

Even though you may be feeling healthy, it’s important to get regular physical exams to help ensure that you stay that way.

The U.S. National Library of Medicine says regular physicals will allow your doctor to:

Check regularly for signs of disease. Early detection often helps improve the chances of recovery.
Determine your risk of future health problems, and possibly, to prevent them.
Talk with you about your lifestyle, and to recommend changes.
Give you any needed vaccinations.
Get to know your history, in the event that you become seriously ill.

via Health Tip: Why Get an Annual Physical? – Drugs.com MedNews.

Drug Use Expensive Problem for Business

Drug use, abuse, or addiction among employees and their family members can cause expensive problems for business and industry, ranging from lost productivity, absenteeism, injuries, fatalities, theft and low employee morale, to an increase in health care, legal liabilities and workers’ compensation costs.

In addition, drug abuse can cause problems at work including:

After-effects of substance use (withdrawal) affecting job performance.
Preoccupation with obtaining and using substances while at work, interfering with attention and concentration.
Illegal activities at work including selling illegal drugs to other employees.
Psychological or stress-related effects due to drug use by a family member, friend or co-worker that affects another person’s job performance.

Estimated Costs: Drug abuse costs employers $81 billion annually.

via Workplace.

Santa Claus Ready for Take-off

It looks like Santa Claus has successfully passed his pre-flight inspection and is set for a safe take-off from the North Pole. It will be flight – North Pole Air # 122414.

According to Santa’s CFE (Chief Safety Elf) the list has been checked twice to see who was naughty or nice, cargo has been screened, his sleigh is loaded and his flight plan has been filed so he and his reindeer can set out to make their annual Christmas deliveries tonight.

Employers Pay More for Workers Comp

Employers with poor loss histories will pay even more for their workers comp coverage again in2015 as most states changed the way premiums are calculated starting in 2013.

But policyholders with proven risk management practices and safety programs that reduce workplace injuries will benefit from NCCI Holdings Inc.’s change in the methodology determining an individual employer’s experience modification factor, experts say.

2013 marked the first time in two decades that the rating organization has updated the “split point” used in its experience rating plan to more accurately reflect individual employer loss frequency and severity. An employer’s ex-mod factor has a significant affect on employer expenses because underwriters rely on them to adjust premiums with credits or debits.

via New NCCI methodology will change premium calculations | Business Insurance.

Saving Matters…Prepare For Retirement

Financial security in retirement doesn’t just happen. It takes planning and commitment and, yes, money.

Facts:

Fewer than half of Americans have calculated how much they need to save for retirement.
In 2012, 30 percent of private industry workers with access to a defined contribution plan (such as a 401(k) plan) did not participate.
The average American spends 20 years in retirement.

Putting money away for retirement is a habit we can all live with. Remember…Saving Matters!

via Top 10 Ways To Prepare For Retirement.