Laura,
This is done commonly in industry, but I'm not sure it is the best approach.
I think the biggest pitfall with this approach is that it uses the OSHA recordable metrics for something it was not designed to do.
OSHA designed this system to collect data from employment sectors for purposes of seeing if there were excess cases of "xyz" in a particular sector that might warrant a closer look or potential rule making.
To avoid skewing the data, they want everyone following the same rules the same way. But they are also clear that an incident being OSHA recordable does not imply that anyone was at fault for causing the incident. Too often people assume that a recordable is
due to a safety violation, etc, when that is not always the case.
Once you start measuring and reporting this metric, there will be measures put in place to reduce the metric. This can lead to pressure (overt, covert, or unconscious) to minimize recordables. If taken too far, it can lead to violations of the OSHA recordkeeping
standards, or underreporting of injuries.
You may want to consider a different metric that has a more cause and effect. While WC is designed as a no-fault system, it may better reflect a workplace safety issue. So perhaps WC$/x work hrs?
Even this is a bit of a stretch, but probably better than OSHA recordables.
A good one would be management safety rounds looking for violations of safety rules (gloving, masking, eye protection, gowning, gel use, use of safer sharps, etc), which can be tallied by department, supervisor, shift, etc. This then focuses on improving following
safety rules.
Hope this helps.
Kevin M. Smith, MD, MPH, FACOEM
Medical Director
Phoebe Corporate Health
Phoebe Employee Health Services
229-312-9220
229-889-7074 Fax
From: MCOH-EH <mcoh-eh-bounces@mylist.net> on behalf of RADKE, LAURA via MCOH-EH <mcoh-eh@mylist.net>
Sent: Monday, February 17, 2025 12:02 PM
To: MCOH-EH <mcoh-eh@mylist.net>
Cc: RADKE, LAURA <laura.radke@froedtert.com>
Subject: [MCOH-EH] Health system safety measures
Our safety team is working on measures that they can report on regularly and have suggested this as one of them: OSHA recordables/10,000 hours worked. Our employee health leadership team has been asked to comment on the value of this
metric and whether others in healthcare are using something similar when looking at safety.
Are other medical centers using this or a similar metric to look at their employee safety? Appreciate any input others can share!
Laura L Radke, MD
Adjunct Assistant Professor of Medicine
Senior Medical Director, F&MCW Occupational Health Services
Phone: 262-253-8197 | Fax: 262-253-5152 Cell Phone: 414-530-0723
E-mail: laura.radke@froedtert.com
Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin Workforce Health / North Hills Health Center
Building B First Floor
W129 N7055 Northfield Dr.
Menomonee Falls, WI 53051
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