WORKWELL AUDIT The Clarington Experience A presentation to the Ontario Health and Safety Association

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WORKWELL AUDITThe Clarington ExperienceA
presentation to the Ontario Health and Safety
Association ConferenceOctober 28, 2008
"HOW MUCH TROUBLE ARE YOU IN"
Franklin Wu, M.A.O.M.Chief Administrative
OfficerMunicipality of Clarington
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Outline of Presentation

• WorkWell Audit Overview
• The Audit Elements and Scoring System
• How Clarington prepared for the Audit
• Audit Results and Post Audit Improvement

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What is WorkWell Audit?

• WorkWell is a Health Safety Performance
  Evaluation (not financial)
• Employers HS Performance assessed by WSIB based
  on past performance
• Employers accident/injury statistics analyzed by
  WSIB
• WSIB states firms with a high number of claims,
  and/or high claims costs, are at greater risk of
  
• a) experiencing future workplace incidents
• b) a higher insurance premium

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Two Types of Employers

• Schedule 1 Employers operate under the
  collective liability insurance principal
• Schedule 2 Employers are individually responsible
  for the full cost of the accident claims filed by
  the employers workers

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WorkWell Program

• Identification of high risk employer
• Employer notified of Health and Safety evaluation
  
• Evaluator
• Examines workplace Health and Safety Program
  (policy, procedure)
• Observes practices and procedures in action
• Tours workplace
• Conducts random interviews with workers on site

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WorkWell Program (contd)

• Complete Report
• Indicates overall scores
• Identifies existing health and safety components
• Identifies areas requiring improvement
• Re-evaluation
• Required for company failing to achieve the 75
  score
• Provided six (6) months before re-evaluation
• Financial Consequence for Failing 2nd Audit
• Additional premium charge ranges from 10 - 75
  of the companys base annual premium, depending
  on extent and seriousness of the health and
  safety gaps

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Municipality of Clarington Schedule 1 Employer

• Population 80,000 Workforce 550 full
  part-time
• Rated under Group 845 (local governments,
  conservation authorities, and band councils)
• Premium Cost - 1.70 per 100. of insurable
  earnings
• 2007 Premium - 338,609
• Premium fluctuates annually to reflect amount of
  claims for the rated group
• Refund/surcharge on premium depending on annual
  performance of individual employer

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Audit Elements

• Health Safety Policy (40 pts)
• Employer commitment
• Employer, supervisor, worker responsibility
• Dated, signed and posted

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Audit Elements (contd)

• 2(a) Health Safety Responsibilities (105 pts)
• Managers, Supervisors, Workers,
• Supplied Labour, Contractors and Visitors
• 2(b) Safety Co-ordination (15 pts)
• Assignment of duty, individual trained
• Process and equipment purchases/modifications

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Audit Elements (contd)

• 3. Posted Health Safety Material (55 pts)
• OHSA, Industry Regulation, WHMIS Regulations,
  Designated Substances, Material Safety Data
  Sheets, Explanatory material, Emergency Services
  and numbers, Reports, other

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Audit Elements (contd)

• 4(a) Hazard Identification Control (90 pts)
• Identification of Hazards, Implementation of
  controls, Safe operating procedures
• 4(b) Standards of Procedures (110 pts)
• Illness/injury reporting, hazard reporting,
  emergency evacuation plan, Emergency equipment,
  refusal to work, Lock-out, Confined Space, Hot
  Work

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Audit Elements (contd)

• 5(a) Health Safety Representative(15 pts)
• Selection, Recommendations
• 5(b) Health Safety Committee (35 pts)
• Composition, Selection, Posting of Members names
  and work locations, Meetings, Recommendations to
  the Employer

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Audit Elements (contd)

• 6. Health Safety Education/Training (160 pts)
• Training needs review, Applicable legislation,
  WHMIS, Designated substances, Employer required
  certifications/ competencies, Material handling,
  Employee Orientation, Promotion/transfer
  Orientation, Initial Job Instruction, Planned
  Health Safety inspections, injury/incident
  investigation, Health Safety Committee/worker
  representative, Emergency Preparedness and
  response, personal protective equipment use and
  maintenance.

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Audit Elements (contd)

• 7. First Aid (50 pts)
• Availability of first aid kits, required
  components, Number of qualified First Aiders,
  works in vicinity of kit, first aid treatment
  recorded, First Aid Certificate posted, First Aid
  Kit Inspection record, stretcher and blanket,
  First Aid room, transportation to MD/hospital/home

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Audit Elements (contd)

• 8(a) Management Inspections (45 pts)
• Responsibility assigned/schedule established,
  Employee contacts and/or observations, Use of a
  standard recording system, Reporting, Follow-up
• 8(b) Health Safety Committee Inspections (45
  pts)
• Responsibility assigned/schedule established, use
  of standard recording system, Worker and
  supervisor contacts, Inspections reviewed by
  senior Management, Follow-up
• 8(c) Operator Pre-use Inspections (35 pts)
• Equipment to be inspected, Schedule, Standard
  recording system, Corrective action, Follow-up

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Audit Elements (contd)

• 9. Preventative Maintenance (30 pts)
• Equipment inventory list, standards to be met,
  schedule, standard recording system, inspections
  by qualified person, review of program

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Audit Elements (contd)

• 10. Accident/Incident Investigation (50 pts)
• Investigation/review of injury/incident,
  Investigator(s), Assessment of the scene,
  Interviewing, Identifying contributing factors,
  Report, Recommendations for corrective action,
  Recommendations acted upon, Recommendations are
  communicated, Notification requirements

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Audit Elements (contd)

• 11. Senior Management Team (95 pts)
• Initiates HS continuous improvement plan, Review
  the HS program, Responds to HS rep/committee
  recommendations, Established an HS communication
  program, Integrates HS into all aspects of the
  organization, Records HS program changes,
  Regularly encourages off-the-job HS activities
  for all workers, Senior Management performs
  workplace inspections

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Audit Elements (contd)

• 12. Early Safe Return to Work (30 pts)
• Roles and Responsibilities, Contact with injured
  worker, medical treatment and monitoring,
  Provisions for modified work, Re-integration of
  the worker to regular work, Reporting
  requirements to WSIB

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WorkWell Audit Scoring

• The total points available is 1005 points
• Passing score is 75 / 754 points
• For each audit element, less than perfect score
  is assigned a ZERO

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WorkWell Audit The Clarington Experience

• Why Clarington was selected
• Responsibility of the CAO
• Preparing for the Audit
• The Audit and the Results
• Success Factors

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Why Clarington was Selected for Audit

• WSIB identified Clarington with a high number of
  claims above rate group average
• Average injury rates for Group 845 is 5.78 per
  200,000 hours worked
• Clarington was identified as high risk with an
  8.85 rating
• July 2005, WSIB selected Clarington for Audit
  given six (6) months to get ready

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Need for Action

• Do Nothing is not an option
• CAO is ultimately responsible for all
  organizations Health and Safety matters

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Reasons to Get Serious

• Financial bottom line premium surcharge for
  failing second audit
• Personal liability Bill C-45 makes you (who
  directs others in their work) criminally liable
  if you fail to take reasonable steps to prevent
  bodily harm in the workplace
• Moral/leadership responsibility owe it to your
  employees to create and promote a healthy and
  safe workplace regardless
• The Buck Stops Here

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The Audit Preparation Project Plan

• Major undertaking (12 audit elements, almost 100
  components)
• Strategy use a project planning approach
• Five (5) basic steps
• Get goals and deliverables
• Form Project Management members/team
• Assess current situation and identify issues
• Detail tasks and breakdown work assignment
• Execute plan and track progress

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Step 1 Set Goals (What do we want to achieve?)

• To pass the Audit on the first trial
• To make Health and Safety a priority of the
  organization

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Step 2 Establish Audit Preparation Project
Team (Who drives the Project?)

• CAO acts as Project Manager
• Project team members include
• 2 Co-chairs of the Health Safety Committee
• Safety Officer
• Human Resources Manager
• One employee from each Department

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Step 3 Assess Current Situation and Identify
Major Issues (Where are the deficiencies/potential
threats?)

• Are there any policies/procedures gap?
• Are employees familiar with workplace Health and
  Safety matters?
• Are employers trained and ready for the audit?
• Is 6 months timeframe sufficient to get ready?

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Step 4 Identify Major Tasks

• Project Team Members undertook to
• Engage the Auditor
• Educate team members
• Launch an employee communication campaign
• Develop and implement a comprehensive training
  program
• Perform work audit

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Task 1 Engage the Auditor

• Seek understanding/clarification
• Explore helpful hints/tips
• CAO participated in meeting
• Request extension

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Task 2 Educate Team Members

• Audit Preparation Team Members must be fully
  familiar with every facet of the Audit
  requirements
• Learn from other organizations that went through
  a recent audit
• Identify success/failure factors
• Aware of partially correct answer zero score

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Task 3 - Engage the Employee

• Components of a Communication Strategy
• Extensive use of intranet with messages from CAO,
  e.g.. Explanation of the audit, organization goal
  and priority to pass audit
• Regular e-mail from CAO office re audit
  preparation update and other safety messages such
  as safety training availability and opportunity
• WorkWell Audit team empowered to deliver the
  safety message e.g. Health/Safety a regular
  agenda item at all staff meetings
• Regular safety tips through pay stub insert

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Task 4 - Develop a Comprehensive Training Program

• Review current training needs, identify gap
• Update training program
• Step up basic training such as WHMIS, first aid,
  safety policy orientation, use of protective
  equipment, accident report procedure etc.
• CAO and Department Head participated in basic
  training to reinforce leadership/commitment

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Task 5 Conduct Mock Audit

• Call in outside expert
• Test readiness
• Seek last minute improvements

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(No Transcript)
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Audit Results

• Two/three day audit process conducted in May,
  2006
• Municipality of Clarington achieved a 100
  perfect score

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Municipal Health and Safety Association Report
Vol. 2, 2006

• The Municipality of Clarington proves 100 WSIB
  WorkWell Audit can be achieved
• Believed to be first workplace in Ontario to
  achieve a perfect score

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Post Audit Improvements

• Provided a Health and Safety Manual for all Staff
• Enhanced Health and Safety Policies to 32
• Implemented continuous improvement plan including
  regular Health and Safety trainings and increased
  awareness
• Reward through Employee Recognition Program

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Recorded Lost Time Incidents

• 2001 9 LT
• 2002 9 LT
• 2003 7 LT
• 2004 15 LT
• 2005 12 LT
• 2006 5 LT
• 2007 7 LT

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WSIB Premium Refunds

• 2001 - 13,540
• 2002 - 2,527
• 2003 - 26,086
• 2004 - 30,940
• 2005 20,905
• 2006 41,681
• 2007 - 64,232
• Adjusted in 2002 for 11,244 Payout
  adjustment in 2002

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Post Audit Observations

• WorkWell Audit a wake up call
• WorkWell is not an end-point program but an
  on-going process
• Work still underway and will always be part of
  municipal culture
• Long term goal to reduce WSIB premium by ensuring
  premium refund situation annually

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Success Factors - 100 Score Did Not Happen By
Accident

• CAO leads by example
• - participates in training side by side with
  workers
• - champion and lead project throughout entire
  process
• WorkWell Team/Members empowered to get the jobs
  done
• - systematically covers all the bases
• - tasks clearly defined, progress tracked and
  job gets done
• Employees were engaged early in the process
• - Communication strategy was executed
  effectively
• Document, document, document
• External Assistance
• - When in doubt, seek help
• - Learn from others build rapport with Auditor
  conduct mock audit

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• Wu, Franklin (Summer 2007). How Safe Is Your
  Workplace? WorkWell Audit The Clarington
  Experience, Public Sector Digest, Ontario,
  Canada

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Questions?

• Franklin Wu, C.A.O.
• Municipality of Clarington
• 40 Temperance Street
• Bowmanville, ON
• L1C 3A6
• 905-623-3379
• cao_at_clarington.net