With recent surveys uncovering statistics such as “Internet users spent almost 25% of their time online using social media” and “U.S. workers spend about five hours a month using social media while at work,” have you considered the potential value of using social media to provide and reinforce safety training and to give employees a ready reservoir of processes, tips and techniques?

According to training experts, employees often forget what they’ve learned in training unless they use it right away on the job or have some kind of intervention to refresh their memory. Social networking tools can help keep the information fresh in learners’ minds (e.g., looking up information on a site, asking a question in a discussion forum, or reading additional content on a blog).

Use your company’s Facebook, Twitter and e-mail accounts to communicate solid, helpful reminders or to post new information on safety each morning. A quick note can bring best practices right to the top of your workers’ minds and can create a culture of safety awareness.

Free Workplace Safety Ideas

While good workplace safety ideas can spring up at any time, employers seeking the latest and best practices can turn to the Internet for free help. Here are three websites that are offered by the federal government to help you make your business a safer place to work:

www.bls.gov Bureau of Labor and Statistics

This is an excellent resource for information on common types of injuries and incidents categorized by industry. Employers can compare individual loss ratios to industry standards and can research methods of improvement.

www.dol.gov U.S. Department of Labor Research information on state labor laws, including workers compensation. Research loss prevention resources, such as drug-free workplace programs and other safety programs suggested by industry experts.

www.osha.gov Occupational Safety and Health Administration

Access various OSHA data, including standards, violations and inspections. Review key information on adhering to OSHA guidelines and minimizing risk of injury and/or penalty.

The majority of impact injuries do not occur because of non-routine job functions. They occur because the job or tasks are not adequately assessed for potential head hazards or because the employee is not wearing the head protection the company and the job require.

Bumps, scrapes and bruises to the head requiring stitches or staples can occur when a worker walks into a solid object. This risk can be reduced by evaluating the workplace for any low-hanging objects in your normal work or walking area. These bump hazards include pipes, steel structures, or machinery components.

Electrical conductors are a primary cause of head injuries. Employees potentially exposed to this risk include power line workers, electricians on construction sites, and maintenance staff in general industry. Workers could suffer severe electrical shock or burns if not wearing appropriate head protection when operating around exposed electrical conductors. Make sure the proper head protection is selected for the work being done and the voltage to which workers are exposed.

Look for areas where employees are working below other employees or other work activities. A tool, part, bolt, piece of metal, or other object could fall and strike the heads of those below. Enforce head protection requirements and make hazard awareness reminders part of a daily worksite review.

Texting Thumb

Tendonitis, swelling and throbbing hands are not just symptoms of age or heavy lifting. They are conditions reported by over-users of personal digital assistants (PDAs). And such repetitive-motion injuries regularly lead to medical treatments, lost work and workers compensation claims. They can affect the hands, wrists, forearms, shoulders, upper back and neck.

Since more employers are issuing and even requiring the use of these devices, safety programs should include training about proper handling and minimizing exposure to injury. These programs should include sensible advice, such as use of time, recognition of and response to discomfort, and safe driving habits. They might also offer advice on exercising and stretching the hands to minimize the chances of repetitive stress injuries.

It may sound somewhat like a joke that workers compensation would cover texting thumb, but when you see claims mounting, you won’t be laughing. Recognize the symptoms and alert your employees. Signs of injury include pain and numbness at the base of the thumb, tingling and numbness in the hand or joints, achy elbows, shoulder or neck pain.

Chronic misuse or over-use can result in carpal tunnel syndrome, which can require surgery; aggravate de Quervain’s tenosynovitis, which is treated with medications, physical therapy and sometimes surgery; or promote debilitating arthritis, which can segue into disability claims.

Thank you for your referrals.

Timely reporting of workers compensation claims is a requirement in every jurisdiction. In some states, lack of a timely report can cause the employer to lose any defense against an employee-reported claim, even for questionable claims. The tardy employer may be barred from making otherwise reasonable assertions that the injury was not work-related or from contesting that the injury actually occurred.

In some cases, employers take a wait-and-see approach, thinking that time will heal the wound or that symptoms will lessen over the course of a week or so. Even if the employee is the one making such suggestions, don’t be slow in reporting an incident. More serious problems that are hidden could be exacerbated by delayed treatment.

Every jurisdiction has its own “timely” requirements. Our workers compensation professionals will be glad to fill you in on the specific provisions that apply to your workplace(s).