Live Blog: EHSSENTIALS 2017 UCLA - Highlighting Kaiser Permanente's CIRAS System for Risk Management and Incident Analysis

Dang Nguyen, Senior Manager of EH&S at Kaiser Permanente, gave a presentation today at EHSSENTIALS 2017 UCLA on the hospital group's implementation of technology into their risk management and incident analysis procedures. Nguyen highlighted Kaiser Permanente's native CIRAS system (Comprehensive Incident Reporting and Analysis System), which ties together risk management, cause-effect mapping, and internal reporting into a single comprehensive system. He pointed out that while most organisations use Excel for their process and cause-effect mapping, CIRAS has a more user-friendly user graphic user interface which ties directly to an internal database of risks and actions/conditions that can lead to incidents, including environmental factors, equipment factors, procedure factors, and human factors. Nguyen stated that moving forward, the next steps to achieving user-friendliness in their system is replacing safety industry jargon with "plainspeak" and generally improving software training for employees.

Live Blog: EHSSENTIALS 2017 UCLA - Cause-Effect Mapping Techniques for Improved Incident Analysis

Kaiser Permanente EHS representatives Shari Samuels and Teodoro Millon gave a talk today at EHSSENTIALS 2017 UCLA about how cause-effect mapping can be used to improve incident analysis and reduce recurrence. The duo stressed the importance of asking "Why?" when conducting incident analysis. Samuels demonstrated how process maps and cause-effect maps can be used in conjunction to identify particular issues within organisational procedures that lead to incidents. She also criticised the blame culture a lot of organisations exhibit and called for professionals to avoid generalisations such as ending investigations once blame has been established, be it human error or not following procedure; these errors are not explanations, she said - they demand them.

Dollar General Continues to Ignore Safety of Workers—Fined $156K

The Dollar General in Bolivar, Ohio continues to ignore federal workplace safety inspectors. The safety inspectors found repeated instances where the company endangers workers and customers alike by blocking exit routes with stacked merchandise. OSHA issued three repeat safety citations earlier this month, coming to a total of $156,772 in proposed fines. These fines relate to blocked access to emergency exits, electrical panels, and unmarked fire extinguishers. OSHA’s area director Larry Johnson expressed his concern stating how “In an emergency, no one should have to struggle to get out of a store safely, grab a fire extinguisher or shut down the power quickly.” Read more here.

US Labor Department awards $10.5M in Workplace Safety and Health Training Grants

The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has awarded $10.5 million in one-year federal safety and health training grants to 77 nonprofit organizations nationwide. The grants will provide training and education for workers and employers on the recognition, avoidance, and prevention of safety and health hazards in their workplaces. They will also inform workers of their rights and employers of their responsibilities under the OSH Act. Target trainees include small-business employers and underserved vulnerable workers in high-hazard industries. Read more here.