In a typical year, falls in snowy or icy conditions account for more than 20,000 workplace injuries. As we all know, 2020 was anything but a typical year. Less foot traffic last winter meant fewer slips and falls, but in the coming months experts predict that slip-and-fall incidents will be on the rise once again.

“With employees returning to their routines of entering and exiting the workplace every day, we’re expecting to see a resurgence in winter slips and falls,” said SFM Loss Prevention Technical Leader Lee Wendel. “These incidents can cause some of the most severe injuries we see, and they’re largely avoidable.”

Winter slips and falls are among the most common causes of workplace injuries. These incidents put employees at risk for serious injuries like concussions, broken bones and herniated discs. As an employer, there’s a great deal you can do to prevent these injuries at your workplace.

Parking lots pose greatest hazard

Winter slips and falls are most common in parking lots.

“Many employees aren’t thinking about the risks when they’re moving between their car and the building,” Wendel said. “Alerting workers to the dangers of slippery surfaces goes a long way to prevent serious injuries.”

Employees are especially at risk of injuries when:

• Getting into or out of their vehicles
• Stepping onto or off of curbs
• Carrying too much in their arms

Encourage employees to use the “step down, not out” method when stepping out of their cars and off of curbs. For cars, swing both legs out to the side, step down flat footed with both feet, and maintain three points of contact with either the car or the ground while getting up. For curbs, step down flat footed, not heel first.

You can order or download winter slip-and fall resources including “step down, not out” and “carry only what you can” posters from the resource catalog.

Free resources to build awareness

SFM provides many resources to keep your employees aware of winter slip-and-fall risks throughout the season including posters, handouts, safety talk outlines and videos.

“As conditions change during the season, it’s important to keep reminding employees of the risks of winter slips and falls, and how to avoid them,” Wendel said.

You can find links to these resources and more information at sfmic.com/penguin.

SFM’s loss prevention representatives can put away their protractors.

They’re now measuring ergonomics with help from an artificial intelligence-powered app that can deliver assessment results in minutes.

The technology can most benefit employers with job tasks that involve material handling or repetition — the types of tasks that can lead to serious musculoskeletal disorders if done improperly.

Using the tool, loss prevention representatives can quickly identify any high-risk body positions during the course of a job task.

“It’s an exciting advancement in our ability to efficiently evaluate workplace ergonomics,” said SFM Loss Prevention Technical Leader Lee Wendel. “Policyholders appreciate that we can identify risks and recommend ways to make the work safer all within one day.”

How it works

To use the tool, loss prevention representatives simply take a short video of an employee working, and upload it.

That’s when the AI kicks in to evaluate the risk level of the worker’s body position using longtime, proven tools such as the Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA).

It then returns back the video with the worker’s skeletal position highlighted in red, yellow or green, based on risk.

The technology was designed with privacy in mind — employee faces can be blacked out and backgrounds blurred.

The software can do in minutes, what would have taken a safety professional hours to do by hand.

Once the results are back, the loss prevention representative can report the areas of concern to the policyholder and suggest ways to make the job safer. Sometimes simple adjustments to the workstation can solve the issues, and sometimes bigger changes, such as automation, are recommended.

Preventing injuries before they start

For certain employers, the AI tool will be a big help in taking injury prevention efforts to the next level.

“We’re excited that this technology will help prevent more employees from ever having to experience the pain of a musculoskeletal injury,” Wendel said. “We’ll be continuing to keep an eye out for more ways technology can help us better serve our customers in the future.”

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1. Top seven safety tips for office workers

Office work may be less hazardous than other roles, but there are still important safety tips to be aware of.

The use of electronic devices has become almost inevitable in our daily lives. For the majority of employees working in corporate settings, nearly the entire workday is spent looking at computer screens. Could this amount of screen time be detrimental to our health? Researchers say it’s possible.

What are the effects of blue light exposure?

Back-lit digital devices like computers, tablets and smart phones all emit blue light, a high-energy, short wavelength visible to the human eye. Emerging research shows that blue light does have physical effects on the body, though few of them are positive.

Relatively short exposure to blue light can temporarily stimulate the brain and improve mood. Prolonged exposure, however, is likely to damage retinal cells over time and may contribute to the development of:

• Eye strain
• Age-related macular degeneration (AMD)
• Cataracts
• Nearsightedness
• Sleep disruption
• Mood disorders

Findings from a recent Harvard University study name High Energy Visible blue light, the type of light emitted by most digital devices, as the most dangerous light to the human eye. As the world becomes increasingly digitized, blue light exposure will likely remain an ongoing threat.

How can employees protect themselves from blue light exposure?

Fortunately, there are several ways to reduce digital eye strain and ultimately protect against long-term damage.

Research shows that staring at a screen for an extended period of time reduces blink rate, which often leads to dry, tired eyes. According to The Vision Council, employees in office settings can prevent this by using a strategy they call, “the 20-20-20 rule.” Every 20 minutes, take a 20 second break and look at something 20 feet away.

It’s a natural tendency to lean forward when looking at computer screens. Try to be mindful of the habit and do your best to straighten your posture. The ideal sitting position keeps eyes a full arm’s length from the screen.

Some have also found relief by using blue light glasses. With lenses designed to shield your eyes from harmful rays, these glasses may reduce eyestrain and brain stimulation, ultimately leading to improved sleep quality.

Experts also suggest reducing screen brightness as much as possible. Darkening the screen lowers the intensity of light taken in by your eyes. If the brightness can’t be adjusted, consider purchasing a tinted film to apply to the screen itself. Additionally, if you’re working with a device that features multiple light modes, the preset “night mode” produces significantly less blue light than others, making it the safest option for your eyes.

You probably already know that you must report all workplace injuries to your workers’ compensation insurer. But in some cases you must also report the injury to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) .

Injuries that must be reported directly to OSHA

You must report the following types of injuries directly to OSHA:

• Work-related fatalities occurring within 30 days of the incident must be reported to OSHA within eight hours
• Work-related inpatient hospitalizations, amputations and losses of an eye occurring within 24 hours of the incident must be reported to OSHA within 24 hours. You can read more information about the definition of an amputation and loss of an eye in this OSHA Interpretation Letter and on the OSHA Reporting webpage in the FAQs .

In addition, Minnesota employers must contact Minnesota OSHA for a report of injury to an employee operating a mechanical power press . The form can be printed and faxed or mailed to the Minnesota Department of Labor.

How to report injuries to OSHA

Here’s state-specific contact information to report a fatality or severe injury to OSHA:

• Minnesota: Call (877) 470-6742 from 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday. To report an incident after business hours, call the federal office at (800) 321-OSHA (6742)
• Iowa: Call (877) 242-6742 or fill out the Incident Report Form and fax it to (515) 281-7995 or email osha@iwd.iowa.gov.
• Wisconsin, South Dakota, Kansas and Nebraska: Call the Federal OSHA office at (800) 321-OSHA (6742) or the closest area office if it is during business hours. You can also report online .

Some employers required to keep injury logs

OSHA also requires that certain types of businesses maintain injury logs . All employers in the state of Minnesota with 11 or more full- or part-time employees, regardless of industry or NAICS code, must maintain a log.

Requirements to maintain a log in other states depend on the industry. Low-hazard industries are excluded and you can view the list on the OSHA recordkeeping webpage  (under “FAQs on who must keep records”).

When recording injuries on the OSHA 300 log, there are a few key differences between reporting work injuries to your insurer and OSHA to keep in mind:

• Injuries should be reported to your insurer immediately regardless of seriousness, but for OSHA, only fatalities and the severe injuries listed above must be reported right away.
• You should report all injuries to your insurer, even those that don’t require medical attention; however, not all injuries reported to your insurer will meet the definition of an OSHA recordable injury or illness. All OSHA recordable injuries must be recorded on the log within seven calendar days of occurrence. View the OSHA Injury and Illness Recordkeeping Requirements  for more information on how OSHA defines a recordable injury or illness and first aid.
• State workers’ compensation regulations have a waiting period to determine when a claim becomes lost time, but OSHA does not have a waiting period. OSHA counts calendar days beginning the day after the incident occurs for Days Away from Work cases and Restricted Work or Transfer cases.
• OSHA’s Form 300A, Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses , detailing injuries from the previous year, must be posted annually from February 1 to April 30 in a place where employees can see it, even if there were no recordable work-related injuries or illnesses during the year.
• You may also be required to submit the Form 300A to OSHA electronically. See our blog post on OSHA’s electronic reporting requirements for employers for more information.

While reporting to your insurer and OSHA are typically two separate things, there is one area where they overlap. The First Report of Injury form generated when you file a workers’ compensation claim can serve as a substitute for the OSHA 301  form in some states, including Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Where to find more information on OSHA recordkeeping

Recordkeeping can be confusing at times, especially with the differences between OSHA and workers’ compensation. The OSHA website on recordkeeping and reporting requirements is a good resource. If you’re an SFM policyholder, your SFM loss prevention representative can also help answer any questions about recordkeeping.

This is not intended to serve as legal advice for individual fact-specific legal cases or as a legal basis for your employment practices.

If your work duties include snow removal, you know that icy conditions can lead to slip-and-fall injuries.

You do your best to keep the sidewalks and parking lots free of ice and snow. You care about preventing injuries for everyone who visits your building.

It’s just as important to be mindful about preventing injuries that can happen during snow removal.

Follow these four tips to reduce the risk of injuries while shoveling snow, so you can get back inside safely.

Four tips for safe snow removal

1. Start by being physically ready

Before getting ready to shovel snow, our bodies need to be ready to handle the job safely to avoid injury or significant discomfort. The risks that go along with shoveling include “a potential for exhaustion, dehydration, back injuries, or heart attacks,” according to OSHA .

Before and during shoveling, remember to:

• Drink plenty of water for hydration
• Warm up: Stretch your arms, shoulders, back and legs
• Understand your physical limitations and do not push beyond them

If you have any underlying health conditions that might make shoveling risky for you, strongly consider asking for help or seek other alternatives.

2. Prevent slips and falls due to ice

Check for icy spots first and take care of them immediately. Be aware that other icy spots may be hidden by snow.

Wear boots and/or traction footwear to significantly reduce the chances of slips and falls. Vendors like Due North offer traction footwear products.

3. Use proper shoveling techniques

Good technique will reduce the chance for injury when shoveling, especially to your back and shoulders. It’s also a way to reduce the chance of slipping and falling.

Be sure to:

• Push the shovel with your strong leg muscles, not your arms and shoulders.
• Try to push the snow instead of lifting it.
• If you must lift the snow, lift the shovel just like you lift anything else – keep your knees bent, feet wide and head up. Work to maintain the neutral curve in your lower back.
• Keep one foot ahead of the other. This will give you more power and produce far less strain on your lower back.
• Keep your arms as close to your body as pos­sible for power, stability and to reduce strain.
• Avoid twisting your upper body. Keep your feet in alignment with your torso.

4. Take it slow in the snow

Work at a safe pace to help avoid injury. Working too fast may cause you to slip and fall more often or tire quickly. And when you’re tired, you may forget to use proper techniques, which could cause discomfort or pain.

Take short breaks when shoveling and don’t over-exert yourself or allow yourself to overheat.

Combined, following these four tips for safer snow shoveling can reduce the risk of slips, falls and other injuries this winter.

More winter safety resources

For more helpful winter safety tips, see SFM’s other resources:

• Winter slips and falls resources page
• Snow removal safety tips 5-minute Solutions
• Snow blower safety tips 5-minute Solutions

A quarter of winter slip-and-fall injuries reported to SFM occur in parking lots. These injuries are often severe and affect all kinds of businesses.

Encourage your employees to use the “Step down, not out” method to avoid falls while getting out of their vehicles and stepping off curbs. Step down with both feet when getting out of a vehicle and step flat footed from a curb to reduce your chance of slipping.

Watch the video for a demonstration of this simple but effective method for avoiding winter falls.

How to step down, not out of a vehicle

1. Swing both legs out to the side.
2. Place both feet, flat footed, on the ground.
3. Grab onto the door frame or steering wheel to help support yourself to a standing position.
4. Use at least three points of contact—two feet and one hand—a practice used by professional drivers.

Walking safely off a curb

1. Shorten your steps. Do not step too far out.
2. Step flat footed off the curb. This minimizes your forward momentum. It also helps ensure your leading foot doesn’t land heel-first and result in a slip.

Download this penguin poster to spread the word at your workplace.

To prevent the spread of COVID-19, cleaning and disinfecting have become a larger part of many employees’ days.

As a result, many employees have a higher exposure to chemicals on the job than they did in the past.

Some who rarely or never used chemicals as a part of their daily work before, like teachers for example, may find themselves using them multiple times a day. And those who have used chemicals in the past, like janitorial staff, may now be using new, stronger chemicals with different safety considerations.

Use these chemical safety tips to keep these employees safe by providing them with training and personal protective equipment tailored to the specific chemicals that they’re using.

Chemical safety basics

Conversations on chemical safety often start by discussing common ways chemicals can get into the body, such as ingestion, absorption (skin or eye contact), inhalation (breathing in) and injection.

This explains why proper personal protective equipment, like gloves and masks, is so important. They offer protection from chemicals that can cause skin and lung irritation.

For example, employees who are spraying powerful disinfectants may need to wear masks so they don’t inhale the chemicals, and cover their skin to prevent irritation.

Every chemical is different, and even chemicals that are used for the same purpose can pose different safety hazards. You can find information on the hazards posed by any particular chemical by reviewing its chemical Safety Data Sheet (SDS), which is provided by the manufacturer.

Knowing the pH level of a chemical, and its impact on safety can also help. Weak acids and bases/caustics can dry out and irritate skin, whereas strong acids and bases/caustics can cause severe, corrosive chemical burns.

Knowing how to read the hazard communication pictograms on the labels, and training your staff on this is also important.

Training your employees

Training employees to safely use any chemicals they may be exposed to in the course of work is not only the right thing to do, it’s required.

All states require chemical safety training before use, and some states have additional requirements beyond that. Check the Occupational Safety and Health Administration guidelines in your state.

When you train your employees in chemical safety, be sure to cover the following points:

• Which chemicals are used in their work areas
• The primary routes by which chemicals can enter the body: inhalation, ingestion, absorption and injection
• How to understand the labels on chemical containers, including the nine internationally recognized pictograms
• Where to find chemical Safety Data Sheets (SDSs) in the workplace, and how to understand them (including a review of the information contained on the SDSs of any chemicals they will be working with)
• Location of emergency eyewashes, first aid kits, etc.
• How to properly store hazardous chemicals
• Required personal protective equipment and how to properly use and wear it
• How to dispose of chemical waste properly
• Don’t eat, drink or smoke while using chemicals, as these put you at risk of ingestion injuries
• Don’t mix chemicals if you’re unsure how they will react
• Clean up spills promptly

For more information on chemical safety see our Employee Right-to-know and Chemical Safety – Understanding Chemical pH 5-Minute Solutions safety talks, available on sfmic.com.

Workspaces have transformed this year as the world has adapted quickly to the changes caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Amid the frenzied transition for many people to work from home, some important aspects of a healthy workplace may have taken a backseat, such as mental health considerations, communication practices, ergonomic adjustments and general safety preparations.

Now is a good time to make changes that can help any employee stay safe and engaged while working from home.

Support employees’ mental health

Mental health support should be high on the list of resources to provide an employee working from home.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that working from home presents many emotional and mental health challenges including, but not limited to, social isolation, stress, depression and anxiety. They can cause decreased engagement in work, reduced communication with coworkers, and lower productivity.

According to the CDC, addressing mental health issues in the workplace can help employers reduce health care costs for their businesses and employees.

A Deloitte study says employers get a return of five times their investment into mental health resources and support for employees, and that translates into less workforce turnover, absenteeism and presenteeism.

These ideas may help reduce workplace mental health issues:

• Share mental health self-assessment tools with employees, or offer free or subsidized lifestyle coaching, counseling, or self-management programs.
• Offer good health insurance that has no or low out-of-pocket costs for mental health-related medications and counseling.
• Train managers to identify signs and symptoms of stress and depression in team members and inform them about the available resources for support.
• Encourage employees to set boundaries, such as keeping work to a single room in their home, taking breaks away from that space, and setting work hours to establish a clear beginning and end to the workday.
• Share ideas for productivity, such as setting a daily routine that is similar to that of going into a physical office. Adding structure, setting deadlines, and creating a hierarchy of work tasks to complete daily can motivate some employees, which in turn may reduce stress levels.
• Manage expectations by understanding the unique challenges of your employees who are working from home.

Talking to your employees about their needs can help you address them individually.

“It’s important to create dialog with an employee about their needs, ask them questions and then take measures to support them,” said Jody Rogers, SFM Senior VP & Chief Human Resources Officer. Rogers said that simply being aware of and demonstrating a foundation for employees’ needs creates a better culture and work atmosphere, no matter the location of the employee.

Evaluate the ergonomics of your employees’ workspace

Creating an ergonomically sound work set-up can help employees avoid aches and pains.

“It’s worth taking a little time to set up your space in a way that allows you to be safe working from home and have a comfortable work set-up,” said Stacie Goodrich, President and COO, CompRehab, an SFM subsidiary.

Achieve neutral posture

An individual’s feet should comfortably meet the floor or a footrest so their thighs are fully supported by the chair seat. Their hips should sit at an angle between 90-110 degrees, with their knees slightly lower than their hips.

The chair backrest should support the back and ideally the natural curve of the spine. Upper arms should rest comfortably at their sides with elbows at a 90-110 degree angle and wrists straight or flat on the keyboard and mouse.

The individual’s head should be centered over their neck and shoulders.

If an employee does not have these ergonomics in place at their workstation, you can offer up some tips to help them get there.

• Raise their chair height with pillows
• Add a foot rest for lower body support
• Add a rolled up towel for lumbar support
• Use an ironing board supported by the wall for a stand-up desk

Avoid eye strain

Encourage employees to take a break from their screens and look away every 20 minutes. They should be aware of lighting and position their work area near natural light, if possible. Ask them to adjust their screen accordingly to maintain neutral alignment of their neck and to reduce eye strain.

Reduce neck aches

If an employee uses a phone often when working from home, have them set up a headset or use the speakerphone option to prevent neck strain. They should avoid cradling a phone receiver between their shoulder and head.

Get up and move

Goodrich said the most important ergonomic change someone can make is to increase movement and change posture and position throughout the workday.

Encourage employees to take frequent breaks to change up their posture, stretch and take short walks outside or around their house.

Some easy ways to remember to incorporate movement are:

• Standing up while on the phone
• Posting a guide of stretches close by as a reminder
• Drinking more water and refilling frequently

Assess your employees’ home workspace for safety hazards

In an office setting, communal and desk area safety checks are usually part of the day-to-day business. However, when an employee is working from home, the task of maintaining safety falls to the employer and the employee working remotely.

Telework, the Federal Government’s alternate worksite resource website, provides a safety checklist . Here are a few important takeaways:

• Ensure all electrical cords, plugs, outlets and panels are in good condition, there is no exposed or damaged wiring, and no extension cords or power strips are daisy chained.
• Turn off all equipment when not in use.
• Free your area from clutter and make sure all paper and other flammables are away from heat sources and electrical outlets.
• Make sure carpets are well secured to the floor and move cords and other trip hazards.
• Check that walkways and doorways are unobstructed.
• Ensure you have working smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, and a multi-use fire extinguisher.

Working from home presents both mental health and safety risks. By promoting awareness around the risks and challenges of maintaining a home office and schedule, you can help minimize the negative effects for your employees.

Skip, SFM’s safety hero, is on a crusade to prevent slips, trips and falls — including falls from ladders.

Falls from heights continue to be a top cause of workplace injuries. More than a third of workplace fatalities in the U.S. in 2018 were due to a fall from elevation, OSHA reports.

According to the American Ladder Institute (ALI), the five most common causes of ladder accidents include:

• Missing the last step when climbing down
• Overreaching
• The ladder was not the right size for the job
• The individual stood on the top rung/ladder cap
• The ladder was not in good working condition

Practice safe ladder use

You can prevent many falls from heights by following a few simple rules.

• Use the right ladder for the job. Don’t use a step ladder as a straight ladder.
• Make sure the ladder is in good condition – see our tips on proper ladder inspection.
• Ensure the load rating is adequate for the job and make sure to include the weight of the worker, materials and tools in your estimation.
• Keep it placed on a firm surface. Use plywood or other similar materials if the ground is too soft.
• Keep the base of the ladder 1 foot away from the wall for every 4 feet of height.
• Don’t overreach. Maintain your balance when working on a ladder and rather than reaching, climb down and move the ladder to a better position.
• Maintain three points of contact on the ladder.
• Never climb a ladder with your hands full. Instead use proper carrying devices.
• Face the ladder when climbing or descending.

Ladder safety resources

Proper ladder use can be made easier by accessing the ladder safety app from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health . The app includes an angle measuring tool, inspection checklist and rules for proper use.

OSHA also has ladder safety tips to stop falls .

SFM offers hundreds of safety training resources to help prevent workplace injuries. Download these ladder safety resources to remind your employees not to risk a fall.

• Ladder safety Supervisor Initiated Training (SIT)
• Ladder inspections, maintenance and care 5-Minute Solution (English)
• Ladder safety 5-Minute Solution
• Ladder safety poster