Reports of the hazards of a sedentary lifestyle seem to be everywhere, and some workers are refusing to take the news sitting down.

Now that the traditional “desk and chair” workstation has been cast as the office villain, a variety of alternatives have emerged. In some workplaces, traditional seated workstations are giving way to configurations in which the user stands or moves while working. Standing desks or sit/stand workstations are becoming an increasingly common option, and some have taken it even further by combining desks with exercise devices like treadmills or balance balls.

As employers consider adopting these devices, questions about safety are emerging.

Is the employer liable if someone gets hurt while using an alternative workstation?

If a worker becomes injured while using an exercise device, the question of liability traditionally hinges on the notion of “voluntary use.” If an exercise device is sponsored by the employer as part of a voluntary recreational program, then liability for an injury that occurs while using it would typically rest with the worker. The liability can shift to the employer in cases where the alternative workstation is a job requirement or is put in place as part of an approved medical treatment plan for the employee.

In general, the best approach is to leave the decision to use an alternative workstation to the discretion of the employee. For a definitive recommendation regarding any issues of liability, it’s always best to consult an attorney who specializes in employment law in your state.

Are alternative workstations such as standing desks safe?

When used correctly, these devices can certainly be a component of a safe workplace. It’s important to make sure the equipment is installed properly so it doesn’t place the user in a position that could lead to injury or stress. As with traditional desks and chairs, any new workstations should undergo an on-site ergonomic evaluation and be monitored for continued safety.

In addition to recommending general ergonomic precautions, safety experts have identified some specific risks:

• Standing workstations: Standing is more tiring than sitting, and standing all day comes with its own health risks. Prolonged standing places a greater strain on the circulatory system, as well as on the legs and feet.
• Treadmill desks: Proper positioning of the treadmill is an important consideration. An improperly placed device can launch a worker who stops walking into a wall or other impediment.
• Balance balls: While a certain amount of instability is inherent to a balance ball, too much instability presents a risk of falling. Factors to consider are whether the ball is inflated properly, and whether the device is surrounded by a frame.

Are they effective?

Standing desks and alternative workstations can definitely be helpful if used as part of an overall campaign to encourage workers to move. The key to counteracting the perils of working in the same position all day is to build frequent variety of movement into the daily routine.

Alternative workstations can help, but they shouldn’t be viewed as the sole remedy. Without continued encouragement from the employer to stay active, workers often fall back into their low-motion routines. By itself, no device constitutes a simple way to reverse the negative effects of sitting still at a desk all day. Building movement into the day should be the goal.

SFM offers a variety of videos, covering topics such as safety, return-to-work and the claims process. All videos are available on our YouTube channel .

The following are 10 of our most popular videos:

• The Safety Adventures of Skip: Preventing winter slips and falls
  Skip, the workplace safety superhero, intervenes to prevent a slip-and-fall injury in a snowy office parking lot.

• The Safety Adventures of Skip: Avoiding slips and falls in kitchen environments
  Skip demonstrates the best ways to prevent slips and falls while working in a kitchen.

• Avoid winter slips and falls: Icy parking lot safety
  Watch as two SFM Sports broadcasters discuss winter safety highlights and show you the best ways to avoid slips and falls while walking through snowy, icy parking lots.

• How to walk like a penguin
  Learn how to walk like a penguin and avoid slips and falls caused by snow and ice.

• Avoid winter falls: Walk like a penguin
  Watch some real penguins demonstrate the best way to walk in winter to avoid injury.

• The Safety Adventures of Skip: Preventing back injuries while lifting
  Skip gives tips on how to properly lift heavy boxes to avoid back injuries.

• Get up and Move
  In this music video, learn how to avoid pain, strains and injuries by taking breaks throughout the day to get up and move.

• Coming soon to a parking lot near you: Danger of winter slips and falls
  This horror movie trailer demonstrates the danger of slip-and-fall injuries in snowy parking lots.

• Avoid a fall: Step down. Not out … from the curb
  Learn how to step down, not out off a curb to avoid slipping and falling.

• Avoid a fall: Step down. Not out … from your car
  Learn a technique for preventing a fall while getting out of your car. 

Workers in manufacturing are exposed to a variety of dangers in the workplace. The National Safety Council rated manufacturing as the industry with the third highest occurrence of injuries resulting in days away from work. Although manufacturing can be a fast-paced environment, it’s important to slow down and focus on worker safety.

Top ten hazards

In 2018, these were the most common manufacturing safety violations cited by OSHA:

1. Machine guarding
2. Lockout/tagout
3. Hazard communication
4. Respiratory protection
5. Electrical requirements
6. Powered industrial trucks
7. Personal protective equipment
8. Occupational noise exposure
9. Walking and working surfaces
10. Process safety management

Focus on safety

Creating a culture of safety is one of the key ways to prevent injuries.

All leaders and supervisors in the company should prioritize safety. They are the ones who set the example for all other employees and can teach workers to avoid risks and utilize best practices.

Be sure to establish some safety best practices. Set up procedures and safety measures for all employees to follow and be sure to enforce them. Reinforce your expectations by continually communicating them to your workers. Implement safety training sessions for all new employees and continue to follow up with additional sessions periodically.

Safety guidelines for your employees include:

• Follow proper procedures when using machines and tools
  Pay attention to manufacturer’s recommendations for operating any equipment. All machinery should have proper guarding.

• Wear the appropriate personal protective equipment
  Make sure all PPE is in good condition and suited to the job being done.

• Avoid slips, trips and falls
  Be aware of potential hazards that could cause a fall, such as uneven walking surfaces, unsafe use of ladders, obstacles in walkways and more.

• Use proper lifting procedures
  Use mechanical lifting equipment whenever possible. If manual lifting can’t be avoided, remember to lift from a position of power by keeping the head up, keeping the load close, using a staggered stance and remember “nose follows toes” to avoid twisting.

• Report any unsafe working conditions
  Inform supervisors of any hazards, including but not limited to malfunctioning machinery, tripping hazards and damaged tools.

Recommended resources

SFM has a variety of manufacturing safety resources available. Some key pieces include:

• Machine guarding 5-Minute Solution
• Lockout/tagout 5-Minute Solution
• Job hazard recognition Supervisor Initiated Training
• Respirators 5-Minute Solution
• Forklift safety 5-Minute Solution
• Warehouse safety Supervisor Initiated Training
• Report unsafe conditions Supervisor Initiated Training
• Personal protective equipment CompTalk
• Supervisor strategies for reducing lifting hazards
• Use Safe Moves when lifting handout
• Slips, trips and falls: An employers guide for preventing injuries

All these and additional safety resources can be found in our resource catalog.

Falling down the stairs can lead to serious injuries such as fractures and sprains. Many such injuries can be avoided by simply using handrails.

Defend yourself from falls on stairways

Some people think you only need to use handrails when going down the stairs, but there’s potential to slip and fall going in either direction.

Why don’t people use handrails?

According to a safety guidebook from the National Association of Letter Carriers and the U.S. Postal Service , the reasons people sometimes avoid using handrails include:

• A handrail is in poor condition. Encourage employees to report handrails that are loose, rough or in need of repair.
• Use of handrail slows your descent. It’s true, falling down the stairs is often faster, but much more painful.

You might also see people holding their cell phones or other devices in their hands, rather than the handrail.

Tips to be safe on stairways

Follow these tips to stay safe on stairways:

• Use handrails.
• Put your mobile device away.
• Take one step at a time. Slow down.
• Make sure you can see the stairs. Good lighting is essential.
• Keep stairways clear of clutter. It’s easy enough to lose your balance without having to navigate around clutter.
• Carry only what you can handle, leaving one hand free to use the handrail. Get help if you have to carry something large.
• Do not underestimate the risk of using the stairs. Focus on the stairs, not conversations or other distractions that may be present.
• If the steps are located outside, be extremely careful if it is raining or snowing.

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

Avoiding injury in snowy, icy weather can be difficult. Stay on your feet this winter by using these safety tips.

Avoid winter slips and falls: Prevent slipping and sliding

You can find more information and resources about winter safety on our slips and falls prevention page .

Improving safety performance means looking beyond past injuries

If you’re like many employers, you spend considerable time and money making sure your organization adheres to OSHA requirements. It may be tempting to view this as the finish line for preventing injuries, but in reality, maintaining a truly safe workplace means going well beyond compliance.

Establishing programs to comply with OSHA standards is definitely important, but stopping there leaves workers unprotected from the myriad dangers that haven’t been incorporated into state and national safety requirements.

“We recommend employers look beyond just the hazards that have been documented in the past,” said SFM Loss Prevention Technical Leader Lee Wendel. “If you rely on historical injury trends to predict future risks, you’re catching up instead of looking forward. A genuine commitment to safety means having the capacity to identify issues before they result in injuries.”

Since the federal government established the Occupational Safety and Health Administration in 1970, the rate of serious injuries and illnesses in American workplaces has declined sharply. The frequency of such incidents has dropped from 10.9 per 100 workers in 1972 to 2.9 per 100 in 2016, according to OSHA. Employers’ compliance with OSHA’s safety rules has played a valuable role in this improvement, but this is only part of the equation.

Performing risk analysis

“Moving beyond compliance and into ‘risk analysis’ is something the safety profession has been working on for many years,” Wendel said. “The first step is giving careful consideration to any risks that could be jeopardizing the safety and health of your employees.”

Traditionally, employers and regulators have concentrated on the risks that are rated high in both probability and impact. An example of this would be working on a sloped roof without fall protection. In this scenario, there is a good chance that over time, workers will lose their balance and fall off the roof. Without fall protection, the impact of falling of a roof is high because it will almost always result in severe injury or death.

This particular hazard would be covered by OSHA regulations and injury prevention procedures, but the same can’t be said for every risk that falls into the high-high category (e.g., tripping hazards that could result in a serious slip and fall injury). Identifying risks in this category that have not been addressed at your company is definitely the place to start, but it shouldn’t end there.

Moving safety performance to the next level means looking for less obvious risks that could result in high-impact injuries. These are difficult to predict when one depends on “lagging” indicators such as injury reports, OSHA Logs or loss runs. Identifying these risks requires a shift to looking for a “leading” indicator – a condition, behavior or situation that you can envision leading to a significant injury.

Examples of using leading indicators to prevent injury:

• Eliminating unsafe driving behavior before it results in a crash
• Responding to a forecast of snow by pre-treating walkways with brine or other chemicals
• Observing employees using ladders and educating those using them incorrectly
• Auditing the cleanliness in work areas and ensuring clean, dry floors
• Recording which employees use their PPE (personal protective equipment) and having a drawing for a prize on a regular basis
• Training employees on safe lifting techniques, even if they’re not lifting heavy objects frequently
• Asking employees about hazardous conditions – and then working together to solve the problem before an incident occurs

It starts with leadership

The most effective safety strategies engage the employees – they are closest to the details of their jobs and are most likely to know where the risks are. Effective leaders interact with their employees regularly and treat them as partners in developing processes and communication that support safety throughout the operation.

By cultivating an open dialogue about spotting risks, leaders have the opportunity to eliminate situations in which the principles of efficiency and safety appear to be at odds. For example, an employee working on a tight deadline may believe that there isn’t time to follow all the safety procedures. The safest workplaces are the ones in which nobody perceives an advantage in working unsafely.

“We encourage leaders to build an expectation of safety into the process of running the business,” said Wendel. “Leaders need to express the requirement that workers get the job done without getting anybody hurt while doing it – even if that means coming up with a different way of doing it.

In the movies, when you see a shady character slip into a corner store, stick an item under his jacket, and make a beeline for the exit, you expect to see the shopkeeper chase him at full speed down the street.

But in the real world, a scene like this could cause an employee to fall, get hit by a car, or worse. The shoplifter could have a weapon or accomplices waiting.

At Kowalski’s Markets, a local chain of grocery stores in the Minneapolis area, Security Manager Scott Nelson advises employees never to chase a shoplifter.

“I always start by telling employees that there’s nothing in any of these stores that’s worth anybody getting hurt or risking injury,” he said. “I want to stress safety because obviously, our customers’ safety and our employees’ safety is our first concern.”

Instead, Nelson advises employees just give exceptional customer service to everyone, even to those they suspect might be stealing.

“If you greet them with customer service, they know you’re onto them and they typically drop the stuff and leave,” he said.

At times when there aren’t as many employees and customers around, Nelson advises staff not to overstock shelves with the pricier items that typically attract thieves and to put those items in visible places.

Even if these tactics don’t work, with video cameras, other security measures and good relationships with local police, Nelson can usually catch thieves after the fact, so chasing a suspect is never necessary, he said.

“I appreciate that employees sometimes just want to help, but I always say, ‘We care about you more than that thing he was stealing,'” he said. “My first concern for all our stores is that safety comes first.”

For other safety tips related to retail stores, see these resources:

• National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health ergonomic solutions for retailers
• A guide to robbery prevention and response from the Portland Police Bureau

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

By Mike Fetting, CSP

A burned ear drum. Just the thought makes you cringe, doesn’t it?

It’s as painful as it sounds, and it’s one of the injuries that can result when welding slag flies into your ear at high speed.

This can result in tinnitus, ear infections, balance problems and permanent hearing loss. It may require surgery.

These injuries can occur anytime someone is welding without ear protection, and the risk is especially high when a welder is working at an odd angle, such as underneath a wheel well.

Those who weld on the job suffer these types of injuries more often than you might think, but many don’t know to wear protection to avoid an accident.

The good news is it isn’t hard for welders to protect themselves from hot slag. To avoid a painful and sometimes lifelong injury:

• Wear fire-resistant foam or silicone custom-molded earplugs, or ear muffs while welding. Often grinding precedes the welding job, so you might need them for noise protection, too.
• Wear a full-face welder’s helmet along with a cloth welder’s cap that covers your ears and neck.

Other resources:

• Welders risk ear damage from hot slag – Hazard Alert from WorkSafe BC
• Welding and torching safety Supervisor Initiated Training
• Welding safety 5-minute Solution

If you cook often, you’ve probably been burned once or twice in your own kitchen. Now, imagine working in a kitchen where the pots are bigger, the heat is stronger and the pressure is higher. It’s easy to see why food service workers are at high risk for burns. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 6,910 workers in the accommodation and food services industry lost time from work in 2017 due to burns caused by heat.  

Common causes of burns in professional kitchens

Food service employees can get burned in a number of ways, including:

• Spilling hot water or hot oil on the skin
• Being engulfed by burning-hot steam
• Slipping and falling while carrying something hot
• Pulling a hot item out of the microwave without the proper protective equipment or lifting its lid too soon
• Touching a hot oven rack

How can kitchen workers prevent burns?

Follow these tips to prevent burns in restaurant and other kitchen environments:

• Use personal protective equipment, including forearm protection
• Use two people to handle awkward pans
• Use a cart to move hot objects
• Pay close attention to the task at hand
• When working with fryers, fill baskets no more than halfway, shake off excess ice crystals before placing fryer baskets in hot oil and follow directions when adding or disposing of fat or oil
• Use caution when preparing hot drinks or using machines that dispense hot liquids, keeping your hands out of the areas where liquids are dispensed
• Never use a wet towel as a potholder
• Clean up spills immediately and wear slip-resistant shoes to prevent slips and falls

This video from WorkSafeBC features food service workers talking about how they prevent burns and scalds:

Additional resources on preventing kitchen worker burns

• Supervisor Initiated Training: Burns — Food service
• Burns: First aid from the Mayo Clinic
• Burns and scalds from OSHA
• Easy Dos & Don’ts to prevent burns from OSHA

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

Technology is rapidly changing. Have your company’s driving policies kept up?

If you have employees who drive as part of their jobs, your driving policy should address cell phone use. Drivers interacting with cell phones have a 17 percent higher risk of being involved in a crash or near crash, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety . Most of the increased risk is attributable to reaching for, answering or dialing a cell phone.

The risk of a crash or near crash is five times higher for drivers who are texting, according to the institute. There were 3,450 traffic fatalities in 2016 due to distraction-related crashes, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration , and 42 percent of drivers admit to reading texts or emails while behind the wheel, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association .

Cell phone laws

Awareness of the connection between car crashes and cell phone use is increasing. Many states are starting to pass laws prohibiting certain kinds of cell phone use while driving.

Starting on August 1, 2019, the use of hand-held cell phones while driving is banned in Minnesota. Drivers are required to use a hands-free device or voice commands if they are using a cell phone. The only exceptions are to obtain emergency assistance, report emergencies, hazards or crimes and report that a person’s life or safety is in danger. Drivers in authorized emergency vehicles are also exempt while performing official duties.

SFM’s other core states also have cell phone laws, although they are all more lenient.

In Wisconsin, drivers with a probationary license or instruction permit are prohibited from using both hand-held and hands-free devices except in case of emergency. Wisconsin has also banned use of hand-held devices in construction zones, and all texting while driving is prohibited.

South Dakota also bans texting while driving, as well as hand-held cell phone use for drivers under 18.

Nebraska and Iowa have both banned texting while driving.

Distracted driving policy examples

A total employer cell phone ban covers: handheld and hands-free devices, all employees, all company vehicles, all company cell phones and all work-related communication, even in a personal vehicle using a personal cell phone.

Here are a few examples of policies you can draw from to address employee cell phone use while driving:

• Sample cell phone policy
  This policy, which SFM reprinted with permission from the Society of Human Resource Management, states that employees may not talk or text on their cell phones while driving for work, regardless of whether they use hands-free devices. Employees are required to pull into a rest area or parking lot and stop their vehicles before placing or accepting cell phone calls.
• National Safety Council sample distracted driving policy
  This policy (available by downloading the free Cell Phone Policy Kit) adds that employees are not to use voice features in vehicles.
• City of Minneapolis Distracted Driving Procedures
  This companion to the city’s policy spells out the meaning of “distraction,” breaking it down into cognitive, physical and visual distraction. It even tells employees what constitutes an acceptable place to pull over and use their phone.

Note that employers have been held liable for crashes caused by their employees’ cell phone use.

Hands-free devices not enough to prevent distracted driving

Distraction comes in different forms, according to the organization EndDD :

• Manual distraction: Taking your hands off the wheel
• Visual distraction: Taking your eyes off the road
• Cognitive distraction: Letting your mind wander from the task of driving

Research shows the cognitive distraction of talking or texting while driving is dangerous, even when drivers have both hands on the wheel. According to 2013 research from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety , these mental distractions slow reaction times and cause drivers to miss important visual cues.

Research from the University of Iowa showed that subjects engaged in answering true and false questions, intended to mimic the distraction level of a phone conversation, took twice as long to look at new objects on the screen in front of them than those who were not engaged in answering questions.

This video from the National Safety Council  highlights why a cell phone policy that covers hands-free devices is so important.

Training your employees on cell phone policy

After your company has the right policies in place, it’s important to make sure employees follow them.

Our 5-minute solution safety training talk on cell phone use provides talking points you can share with your employees including:

• Cell phone users have significantly poorer reaction time.
• To stay safe, eliminate all cell phone use while driving including taking calls, sending or reading text messages, sending or reading email and surfing the web.
• Cell phone laws apply while at a stop sign or stop light as well.

Training employees on the dangers of distracted driving really does make a difference. A study of health care workers showed a 50 percent decrease in distracted driving following an awareness campaign.

Additional resources on safe driving

For more information on safe driving, check out these downloadable resources:

• “Driving isn’t what it used to be” CompTalk
• Sample cell phone policy CompTalk
• Cell phone use 5-Minute Solution
• National Safety Council Cell Phone Policy Kit
• National Safety Council distracted driving page
• Governors Highway Safety Association page on distracted driving
• Eight tips for defensive driving

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