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Safety Committee Minutes

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AFSCME Labor/Management Safety Committee
January 25, 2012
1:00PM – 3:00PM
AFSCME Business Office

Committee members present: Don Beckering (MnSCU), Todd Christenson (Admin), Joy Hargons (LR), Jamie Johnson (Unit 3), Jill Kielblock (AFSCME Council 5), Mike O’Dea (Unit 6), Glenn Olson (DHS), Denise Pierre (Unit 7), Delphine Steiner (Unit 4) and Jeff Vars (Unit 8)

MnSAFE
Todd Christenson presented information about the “Safety Accountability From Everyone” initiative which has as its main goal eliminating workplace injuries.

  • Workers’ Compensation Claim Incident Rate has basically remained unchanged since 2003 at an average rate between 4.3 and 4.1 claims per 100 employees
  • Cost of injuries is rising rapidly when you factor in medical and lost time costs from about $16.8 million in FY2006 to $23.9 million in FY2011 with a projection of $29 million by FY2016
  • More than the costs however we need to recognize that this represents 1,904 of our actual co-workers and we have a moral obligation to address the problem
  • There is good news from organizations in the private sector that recognizing responsibility and accountability by all and making safety a clear value of an organization can work
  • Commitment has been made by the Governor and all Commissioners to try to achieve a measurable goal of a 25% reduction over the next 3 years
  • Next steps are to communicate the program, evaluate current safety management systems, and try to understand what is happening
  • MnSCU is implementing a similar initiative system-wide using the last 5 years worth of data to identify the top 3 most costly and most prevalent injuries

Slip/Trip/Fall Campaign
The campaign needs to continue beyond the winter because there are as many, if not more, reported slips/trips/falls during non-winter months. Possible topics for posters include:

  • Texting – paying attention
  • Floor/Walkway hazards (cords, etc.)
  • Spills on hard surfaces
  • Stairs
  • Taking your Time
  • Footwear
  • Carrying too much
  • Changes in elevation on walkways (step on a crack, break your mother’s back)
  • Getting in and out of vehicles (maintaining 3 point contact – DOT)

If you see posters you like, please forward to Todd Christension

Impact of Staffing Reductions on Workplace Safety

  • The Union received some initial information from Joe Piwoschuk and will review to see if more information is needed
  • The issue has been discussed in the MSOCS LMC but without significant results and in fact MSOCS is considering moving to single staffing which we believe will make safety more of a concern

Other

  • Question raised about direction that doors open and shut
    • Generally per fire code if a door is marked as an exit it has to swing to the outside due to egress issues during an emergency
    • Fire and building codes generally look to smooth traffic control and if a building is “sprinkled” or not
  • Training and licensure for Electricians
    • This is more an issue for contract discussions and not LMC


Upcoming Meetings from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the AFSCME Council 5 Offices:

  • March 28th (Hennessy Room)
  • May 23rd (Hennessy Room)
  • July 25th (Hennessy Room)
  • September 26th (Hennessy Room)
  • November 14th (BA Conference Room)
     

 

Click here to visit our archive page of State Health & Safety Committee minutes

 

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