Ten Steps Needed to Develop and Implement a Farm Based Safety Program Mike Keenan Senior Ag Safety Consultant

Why do we need a safety program?

Cost of Work Related Injuries Average work comp claim on dairies cost is over $11,000 Lost Time Injuries 30% Medical Only 65% Record Only 5% Agri Services Agency Data Jan 1 2009 – Jan 1 2015

Cost of Work Related Injuries Cost of Work Comp claims is only part of the story True cost is typically 50-100% higher Lost productivity Retraining Cost of replacing the injured employee Morale Community Image Damaged equipment Administrative time Lost opportunity cost Increase in insurance rates

What is the solution?

#1 Create a Company Culture of Safety Reflect your core values Make it Personal Part of your core mission Use positive direction It’s about people not compliance

#2 Identify Your Loss Drivers Get loss runs from your insurance carrier Understand Frequency vs. Severity Look at near misses Look at your Mod Rating Below 1.0 is better than average Above 1.0 worse than average OSHA 300 log Ag Industry Total Days Away Restricted or Transferred is 3.2 days per hundred employees Ag Industry Total Recordable Injury Rate is 5.5 per hundred employees By comparison construction DART rate is 2.1 and total injuries 3.7. Construction has the most injuries of any industry but has many more employees Agriculture is statistically the most dangerous occupation Dairy is on Par with all of Agriculture

#3 Identify Your Weaknesses Use the data from #2 Ask your employees Ask your self Conduct a self audit walkthrough Ask your insurance company for loss control assistance

#4 Identify your Strengths Look at what you already do well Personal Relationships Protocols and standards Frontline managers Develop the strength you already have and relate them to your safety goals

#5 Identify and Empower your Safety Leaders Look for those individuals that have a heart and passion for safety Provide plenty of support and encouragement Empower them to make a difference Provide them with the necessary resources Priority Time Dollars Training

#6 Make Safety a Part of How We Work Safety is not a separate function It’s not about compliance it is about what we do and how we do it well Every process that is done efficiently and correctly is done safely

#7 Hold Everyone Accountable Safety starts at the top Managers must always demonstrate safe behaviors and never excuse unsafe behaviors Always provide encouragement first Recognize positive behavior more than negative Empower everyone to speak up and hold each other accountable

#8 Train Your Staff Safety orientation on day one Make it a priority from the start Set expectations Ask questions make sure they understand Follow up 30, 60, and 90 days Pair Mentors and Trainees Use specific examples that relate to what the employees do and what they know Focus on exposures and behaviors not compliance

#9 Revaluate Claims History OSHA recordable rate Survey employees Feed back from Managers Third Party Audits

#10 Keep your program growing We are in agriculture we know how to do this better than anybody Get it started Cultivate it Give it good care Feed it well Harvest the rewards

Mike Keenan Senior Ag Safety Consultant Arthur J Gallagher Co Mike Keenan Senior Ag Safety Consultant Arthur J Gallagher Co. 402 829-1078 mike_keenan@ajg.com