The Leader - Aging Workforce - Winter 2015

VOLUME 2, ISSUE 1, WINTER 2015

chairman’s message

Dear Members,

W

ith Federal OSHA being caught up on recertification audits and back conducting new application audits, interest in VPP is very high.

Requests for mentors and application workshops have greatly increased.

I also want to thank our state-plan OSHA partners for continuing to conduct new applications audits during 2014.

With numerous changes in Congress, 2015 will be an important year as we will need to educate new senators and representatives on VPP and the need for codification and OSHA providing necessary resources to grow the program.

We are looking forward to having a strong congressional outreach campaign throughout the year, starting with the February 25–26 congressional meetings, followed by additional meetings June 10–11 and November 18–19. Anyone who is interested in participating, please contact me, as additional help is needed. These meetings with Congress are not only fun, but valuable in letting congress know about VPP and its importance in improving safety and health for employees. Additionally, it is important for you to contact your members of Congress back in their district offices to let them know what VPP does for all employees at your company.

Membership information was sent out in December, and I urge you to make sure your site’s membership is current, as strength is in numbers.

An important part of VPP’s continued growth is from the states that have their own OSHA. A state-plan VPP managers meeting was conducted at the 2014 national conference and we look forward to conducting regular meetings during 2015 with these important partners.

Regional conference planning is in full swing, so check out the dates for your regional conference. Additionally, the national Conference Planning Committee is working to make the 2015 conference at the Gaylord Texan, which is located between Dallas and Ft. Worth, even bigger and better. We recognized the issues with the opening general session at the 2014 conference and want to assure you steps have been taken to correct the issues.

Feedback from the attendees was greatly appreciated.

We are looking forward to having a strong congressional outreach campaign throughout the year, starting with the February 25–26 congressional meetings.

Thank you and remember the best is yet to come.

MIKE MADDOX Chairman VPPPA Board of Directors

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LEADER THE

VOL 2. ISSUE 1

WINTER 2015

cover

CONTENTS

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Responding to the Needs of an Aging Workforce The physiological changes associated with aging occur from the moment we are born. Fast forward to age 45 and the body begins to change more significantly. Depending on primary factors such as health, fitness and genetics, all of us age differently with varying degrees of impact on our ability to function in the workplace.

With age comes decreased muscle strength, lower dexterity, reduced fitness level and aerobic capacity, poorer visual and auditory acuity and slower cognitive speed and function, to name a few. All of these changes can have a dramatic impact on the aging worker.

In addition to physical changes, older workers are at increased risk of disease and other ailments. These include the increased risk of obesity associated with aging, diabetes, heart disease and cancer, among others. Individual and organizational structures need to be engaged with prevention initiatives in order to support the aging worker so that an effective, comprehensive strategy is developed.

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features

6 16

Letter to the Editor Trends in Resource Management

There is an inherent and shared reluctance to recognize or even accept the physical changes associated with aging. The groans become louder when reaching for those reading glasses or when periodically complaining of stiff joints. The physical changes associated with aging eventually affect us all; however, it does not necessarily appear in an equal way. Some of us weigh a little more, some lift a little more and some of us stand a little more, resulting in different wearing of our joints.

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Extending the Life of your Workforce —Ergonomic Design for Aging Workers Addressing the issue of the aging workforce with workplace ergonomics programs, education and training is becoming necessary. A focus on proactive efforts to accommodate the “seasoned” and gifted workforce today will result in a safer, healthier, more productive and more competitive business tomorrow and down the road.

Losing the expertise of these workers could have a drastic and negative impact on your company’s operations. It is vital to accommodate aging employees, who represent some of your most knowledgeable and most productive workers, to ensure their continued, safe and productive work performance.

www.vpppa.org

features continued

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VPPPA National Board of Directors Chairperson Mike Maddox, NuStar Energy, LP

Time has Caught Up with Us

You walk into a room of workers—at a conference, a safety meeting, on a construction site, a union hall meeting or even the cafeteria. If this worksite is anything like the vast majority of workplaces in the developed countries of the world, what you will notice is a sea of grey hair. The aging workforce is here, and for many of us, we are it. The “Silver Tsunami” is rushing in and we will be riding the crest for the next 15–20 years. So, we go full speed ahead with business as usual? Well, not quite. A 65 or 70 year old worker is an entirely different entity than a 20 or 30 year old worker.

Vice Chairperson Mike Guillory, SGE, The Brock Group Treasurer Chris Adolfson, Idaho National Laboratory Secretary Anthony Stoner, Integrity Windows and Doors

the last four years and 78 percent agreed that Congress should enact stronger age discrimination protections.

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Local Outreach

Congressional outreach has proven to be an extremely valuable method of

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As More Workers Age, Bias and Insecurity Persist

educating members of Congress on the benefits and success of VPP. During this year’s outreach efforts, several

While the share of older adults employed has been rising for three decades, despite setbacks like the Great Recession, this trend has emerged despite evidence of persistent age bias.

In a 2012 AARP survey of voters ages 50 and older, 64 percent said older workers face age discrimination at work, 34 percent reported that they or someone they know, faced age discrimination in

congressional members expressed interest in seeing firsthand how VPP has benefited employees, employers and OSHA within their own districts and states.

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VPP Excellence in Safety Certificate Program

sections GLOBAL SAFETY AND HEALTH WATCH

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WASHINGTON UPDATE

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MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

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MEMBER INFO CORNER

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INFOGRAPHIC CORNER

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STATE-PLAN MONITOR

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CHAPTER ROUND-UPS

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CALENDAR OF EVENTS

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CROSSWORD PUZZLE

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Director from a Site With a Collective Bargaining Agent Kent Lang, Clearwater Paper Corporation Director from a Site Without a Collective Bargaining Agent Rob Henson, LyondellBasell Director from a DOE-VPP Site Stacy Thursby, Washington Closure Hanford Director from a VPP Contractor/ Construction Site Richard McConnell, Austin Industrial at LyondellBasell Director-at-Large Bill Harkins, Chevron Phillips Chemical Company Director-at-Large J.A. Rodriguez, Jr., CSP, SGE , Raytheon Technical Services Company LLC Director-at-Large Terry Schulte, NuStar Energy, LP Director-at-Large Kristyn Grow, CSP, CHMM, SGE Cintas Corporation Director-at-Large Don Johnson, Phillips 66 Editor Sarah Neely, VPPPA, Inc.

M embership

Editorial Mission The Leader (ISSN 1081-261X) is published quarterly for VPPPA members. The Leader delivers articles from members for members, safety and health best practices, developments in the field of occupational safety and health, association activities, educational and networking opportunities and the latest VPP approvals.

Subscriptions are available for members as part of their membership benefits and at a 50 percent discount beyond the complimentary allotment.

The nonmember subscription rate is $25 a year.

H ealth

Ideas and opinions expressed within The Leader represent the independent views of the authors.

Look for these topics highlighted in the top right corner of each section.

G overnment

Business Outreach

Postmaster >> Please send address changes to: VPPPA, Inc. • 7600-E Leesburg Pike • Ste. 100 Falls Church, VA 22043-2004 VPPPA, Inc., the premier global safety and health organization, is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) charitable organization that promotes advances in worker safety and health excellence through best practices and cooperative efforts among workers, employers, the government and communities.

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letter to the editor New!

Dear Editor,

I

enjoyed the article by David Hesher, “Life Safety Solutions,” in your autumn 2014 issue. Working in the refining business, it is easy to see that many employers are only

worried about cost of safety, not the culture of it. It sounds to me like that refinery is serious about keeping its employees safe and is committed to finding a way to do so no matter the cost. Where there’s a will, there’s a way.

Kudos to their achievement!

I also really like the layout of the magazine.

It is easy to read and you have great articles.

Having articles that bring up issues like slips and falls, (autumn 2014 issue, page 26) and then having advertisements for safety products that are designed to mitigate such hazards on the previous pages to the article is a good idea.

It’s like saying, “Here are some well-known hazards, and here are a few solutions that you may want to look into to try to prevent the hazards to begin with.”

Keep up the good work!

Sincerely, Midwestern Oil worker

Tell us what you think!

Do you have feedback about The Leader? “Letter to the Editor” is a new section of the magazine that gives VPPPA members a platform to provide feedback on the topics covered, feature articles, chapter round-ups and other magazine sections.

Tell us what you want to see more of! Help us continue to improve our publication by providing your opinions, both positive and negative, so that we can tailor content to your interests and needs.

Printed letters may be anonymous and will not be edited for content but will be edited for spelling and grammar. Avoid using profanity or derogatory, inflammatory language in your response. Lastly, please provide feedback relevant to the most recent issue of the magazine.

Send letters to the editor to Sarah Neely at communications@vpppa.org by March 19, 2015, for an opportunity to see your letter in our spring issue. We want to hear from YOU!

THERE’S NO ROOM FOR POOR JUDGMENT. MEET ALISON LEVINE. World-renowned adventurer, former team captain of the first American Women’s Everest Expedition, and the Opening Session speaker at AIHce 2015, where she will share her experiences and provide leadership principles you need to protect worker health.

REGISTER TODAY! May 30 — June 4 + Salt Lake City, Utah + www.AIHce2015.org

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global safety and health watch

Hear Me Out According to the World Health Organization, of the 250 million individuals affected by hearing loss worldwide, 16 percent attribute their hearing loss to occupational noise.

BY BENJAMIN MASSOUD, COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR, VPPPA INC.

I

f you were asked to list some of the most prevalent occupational health concerns, chances are, noise-related hearing loss probably would not be one of them. That is understandable. Losing one’s sense of hearing is a gradual process in which daily exposure to loud noise over long periods of time can lead to deafness. Unlike falling off of a ladder and breaking a bone, the impact is not felt immediately. However, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), of the 250 million individuals affected by hearing loss worldwide, 16 percent attribute their hearing loss to occupational noise.

Additionally, of 17 noise exposure studies performed in 12 countries in South America, Africa and Asia, high occupational noise exposure levels, which lead to hearing loss, were found in occupations ranging from the production and manufacturing of metal products, printed materials and mining products, to name a few.

As if losing your hearing was not bad enough, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) warns that prolonged exposure to loud noise can also reduce

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productivity, cause physical and psychological stress, interfere with communication and concentration and contribute to workplace accidents and injuries by making it difficult to hear warning signals. Additionally, the WHO has reported that exposure to excessive noise can adversely affect one’s health. High blood pressure, difficulty sleeping and reduced performance are a few of the health problems that can develop.

How loud is your worksite? OSHA’s permissible exposure limit (PEL) is 90 dBA (A-weighted decibels) for all workers for an eight hour day, while the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), recommends that noise levels not exceed 85 dBA. What if you are not sure how loud your worksite is? OSHA suggests that if you experience anything that is on the list below, you are at risk for permanent hearing loss.

• You have to shout to be heard by a coworker an arm’s length away.

• You hear ringing or humming in your ears when you leave work.

• You experience temporary hearing loss when leaving work.

While developed countries are gradually starting to implement some protective measures, the average noise levels in developing countries are well above the occupational level recommended. Developing countries tend

to emphasize growth and industrialization, therefore, protection of workers is given little importance. The lack of protective measures is the biggest factor leading to noise-induced hearing loss.

So how can a worksite prevent workers from developing hearing loss? OSHA advises companies to monitor all facets of the way a company is run. For example, a worksite’s administration has a responsibility to provide safe permissible exposure limits; a company’s procedures and guidelines for how work is executed can play a major part in reducing noise exposure. Employing administrative controls can include limiting the amount of time each worker spends utilizing loud machines, instituting or enforcing educational and training sessions or programs based on noise and following through on evaluations of workers’ hearing ability. As a matter of fact, having an effective hearing conservation program is required by OSHA for employers whenever noise exposure is equal to or greater than 85 dBA for an eight hour day.

Furthermore, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), recommend implementing engineering controls, which include modifying or replacing equipment and making changes to the worksite, such as building an acoustic barrier or installing a muffler, in order to best reduce noise exposure.

When complete noise reduction is not possible, simply wearing the proper ear protection, including earplugs and ear muffs, is advised.

Not only is hearing loss an obstacle to the individual, it can also be devastating to a company’s bottom line. In a world where communication is so vital to the success of business and relationships, both professional and personal, maintaining a safer noise environment ought to be a priority.

Can you hear me now?

For more information, visit OSHA.gov and WHO.int.

References • www.who.int/quantifying_ehimpacts/ global/6noise.pdf • www.osha.gov/SLTC/ noisehearingconservation/index.html

washington update

BY CHARLIE DOSS, GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS MANAGER, VPPPA, INC.

Workplace Injuries Resume Decline in 2013 Nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses in the private sector declined to more than three million, or 3.3 cases per 100 equivalent full-time workers, according to the Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Before an increase in 2012, reported injuries had seen declines in the preceding 11 years. Injuries composed the vast majority (94.9 percent) of these totals. The goodsproducing side of the economy continues to be overrepresented among reported injuries. While such industries employ only 17.6 percent of individuals in the private sector, they suffer 24.5 percent of injuries.

Illness rates for skin diseases or disorders, respiratory conditions, poisonings and hearing loss were all flat from 2013 figures.

However, the category of “all other illnesses,” which BLS specifically notes includes musculoskeletal disorders, experienced a significant drop in its case rate from 11.0 to 10.2 per 100 equivalent full time workers.

Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting industries led the goods-producing sectors with a rate of 5.7 per 100 equivalent full time workers, compared to rates for 4.0 for manufacturing, 3.8 for construction and 2.0 for mining. Arts, entertainment and recreation topped the service industries with a rate of 4.8, followed by health care and social assistance in addition to transportation and warehousing, both with rates of 4.7.

Finance and insurance industries reported the lowest figure at 0.7 cases per 100 equivalent full-time workers.

Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Dr. David Michaels commented on the figures through a press release alongside the report, “Today we learned that, in 2013, approximately three million private sector workers in America experienced a serious injury or illness on the job. In this extraordinarily

high number, it is easy to focus on the headline and miss the trend line. We are encouraged that the rates continue to decline over the past few years, even during this period of healthy economic growth when we would expect the rate of injuries to rise.

The decrease in the injury rate is a product of tireless work by those employers, unions, worker advocates and occupational safety and health professionals all coupled with the efforts of federal and state government organizations that make worker safety and health a high priority each and every day.”

only requires 30 minutes. It is offered at no cost at www.cdc.gov/niosh/emres/ longhourstraining/.

Resource for Emergency Responder Fatigue

FAA Approves More Drone Uses

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has released an online training program to aid emergency responders facing long hours in disaster situations including disease outbreaks, extreme weather and natural disasters.

The training covers information on proper sleep and the dangers of fatigue as well as information on managing work to prevent strain and overwork in such situations.

NIOSH estimates the online course

Ergo Guide for Retailers NIOSH issued a guide for preventing manual material handling injuries at retail locations ahead of the holiday shopping season. Sixty percent of injuries at retail businesses are due to overexertion. The booklet, entitled, “Ergonomic Solutions for Retailers,” is available at www.cdc.gov/niosh/ docs/2015-100/pdfs/2015-100.pdf.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has approved four companies to use unmanned aircraft systems, commonly referred to as drones, for commercial use to monitor construction sites, inspect oil rigs and for aerial surveying. As reported in the Summer 2014 issue of The Leader, regulatory requirements for the use of such vehicles are unsettled and likely to rapidly evolve. Other companies in the film, television and tourism industries were granted exemptions to the ban on commercial drone use.

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BY JOE GALUSHA VICKI MISSAR MANAGING DIRECTOR—RISK CONTROL, CLAIMS, AND ENGINEERING PROPERTY AND CASUALTY RISK CONTROL, AON GLOBAL RISK CONSULTING

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR— CASUALTY RISK CONSULTING, AON GLOBAL RISK CONSULTING

RESPONDING TO THE NEEDS OF

AN AGING WORKFORCE 10

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Understanding the Issue According to the U.S. Department of Labor, over the past decade, workers in the 45 year-old and over category have increased 49 percent and now make up 44 percent of the workforce. The age group over 55 has grown to 21 percent of the workforce. As a glimpse into the future, a 2013 Gallup poll revealed that 37 percent of working age respondents indicated they expect to work beyond age 65. Gallup reported that only 22 percent responded the same way in 2003 and only 16 percent in 1995. Given this projected “aging” of America’s workforce, are America’s employers prepared to effectively address the associated increase in workers’ compensation claims?

The Future is Now The time to discuss these trends as “having potential impact in the future” has actually passed. We need to reorient our thinking of the aging workforce as a new constant and as “today’s reality.” As shown in table 1, the median age in most industries is over 42, which indicates a need to act.

At Aon, we have been studying and quantifying the impact of aging on our clients. Based on our client research, it is imperative to quantify the impact of this issue, which in turn provides key input and metrics for helping mitigate the problem. As one client asked when shown the injury trend related to an age band of workers and the type of injury driving a considerable portion of their loss time injuries, “Are you saying that by prioritizing the identification and potential for shoulder injuries, I could get more return on investment from my ergonomics efforts?” The response was a simple but definitive, “yes.”

The Impact on Work-Related Injuries Over the past three years, Aon casualty specialists have been monitoring the impact of work-related injuries to aging workers by examining the workers’ compensation claim costs of our clients. From this research, we have identified some rather compelling trends.

One of the most concerning trends is the current impact of this age group on the cost of workers’ compensation. We studied $2.5 billion in workers’ compensation claims from 2007 through 2012 and found a consistently higher average cost for workers compensation claims for older claimants across all industry groups. For example, as shown in Figure 1 (see page 12), the 45–55 year old claimants in the

manufacturing industry group’s average claim cost was 52 percent higher than 25–35 year old claimants. This trend varied in degree by industry, but only by the pitch of the slope, leaving us to look deeper into the issue and attempt to identify what was driving this cost.

This issue has been under study for quite some time. Heather Grob, Ph.D, and senior economist with the Washington State

Department of Labor and Industries, published materials on the topic in 2005, stating “a random sample of Washington workers’ compensation claims from 1987–89 found that workers over age 45 were at risk of longer term disability.”

The study concluded that older age is the most important and consistent influence on the duration of disability. While we are not breaking new ground on identifying the issue, what seems

TABLE 1: Percent of workforce over 45 years of age, by industry. % of Employees over 45

Median Age

Total, all industries

44%

42.3

Agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting

55%

47.5

Crop production

53%

46.7

Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction

42%

41.5

Construction

44%

42.6

Manufacturing

50%

44.7

Wholesale and retail trade

39%

39.3

Wholesale trade

47%

43.8

Retail trade

38%

37.9

Transportation and utilities

54%

46.3

Information

41%

41.4

Financial Services

48%

43.9

Professional and business services

44%

42.6

Education and health services

47%

43.7

Leisure and hospitality

26%

31.4

Other services

46%

43.1

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to be missing is the socialization and acceptance of the impact as well as an understanding of what we should be doing about it.

We studied $2.5 billion in workers’ compensation claims from 2007 through 2012 and found a consistently higher average cost for workers compensation claims for older claimants across all industry groups.

The Birth of Ageonomics in Workers Compensation In 2011, Joe Galusha, managing director of Aon’s Casualty Risk Consulting practice and Vicki Missar, Aon Board Certified Ergonomist, began to compare notes on the issue and coined the term “ageonomics” to address the phenomenon of the aging workforce and the strategies that can help address increased costs and worker safety.

Missar defines ageonomics as the scientific discipline concerned with the interaction among aging humans and other elements of the system within which they work.

Ultimately, ageonomics applies theoretical principles to designing age-specific systems to optimize the wellbeing of the aging worker while improving overall system performance.

Ageonomics leverages the differentiated expertise of professionals spanning such disciplines as ergonomics, wellness, benefits and safety to deliver comprehensive and powerful solutions to the aging workforce challenges most employers are facing.

This approach uses a precise methodology for calibrating the absenteeism trends for the aging workforce, regardless of the bucket

within which they fall. Aon analyzes the trends, from short-term disability (STD), long-term disability (LTD), workers compensation (WC), casual absences (CA) and Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) absences (Figure 2) to understand claim volume, average claim duration, average cost per lost day, average cost per claim, total costs and the ultimate cost projections. In addition to the financial output, Aon calibrates the leading absence causes by program type to understand what is driving the aging employee absenteeism. This insight provides a clearer diagnosis on which program(s), STD, LTD, etc., are impacting the organization most, and which absenteeism causes are being reported with the most frequency. Internal programs were also reviewed to understand how the framework aligns with the organization’s aging worker initiatives.

By looking at absenteeism trends associated with aging workers, as well as the framework within which these programs function, organizations can then develop a targeted, age-specific strategy to help prevent or reduce the duration of lost work days associated with the respective absences and implement pre-emptive programs to help keep aging workers healthy and optimize their individual work productivity.

FIGURE 1: Results from Aon Laser report ■ < 25 years

■ 25 to 35

■ 35 to 45

■ 45 to 55

■ 55 to 60

■ > 60 years

$25,000

$20,000

$15,000

$10,000

$5,000

$0 Education and Health Services

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Leisure and Hospitality

Manufacturing

Natural Resources, Mining & Construction

Professional and Business Services

Trade, Transportation and Utilities

All industries— considered together

Changes Associated with Aging The physiological changes associated with aging occur from the moment we are born.

Fast forward to age 45 and the body begins to change more significantly. Depending on primary factors such as health, fitness and genetics, all of us age differently with varying degrees on our impact to function in the workplace. Researchers in Finland (Ilmarinen, et. al. 1997)1 found a decline in workability, with 51 years of age being the most critical point at which workability started to decrease.

In addition, researchers noted that workability, was shown to have a high predictive value for work disability (e.g. lower workability equals higher disability days). This means that we must now focus on the individual to understand age-related risk factors, modifiable and non-modifiable, in order to really address the challenges facing the aging workforce.

Physiological Changes that can Impact Work Performance With age comes decreased muscle strength, lower dexterity, reduced fitness levels and aerobic capacity, poorer visual and auditory acuity and slower cognitive speed and function, to name a few. All of these changes can have a dramatic impact on the aging worker. For example, aging is related to the loss of muscle mass beginning at the age of 50, becoming more dramatic at the age of 60 (Deschenes 2004). In addition to physical changes, older workers are at increased risk of disease and other ailments. These include the increased risk of obesity associated with aging, diabetes, heart disease and cancer, among others. Thus, individual and organizational structures need to be engaged in prevention initiatives in order to support the aging worker so that an effective, comprehensive strategy is developed.

For example, if we know that muscle strength declines with age, organizations need to consider implementing proactive safety, ergonomics and wellness programs to help build individual strength while working to

FIGURE 2: Various causes of absenteeism analyzed by Aon’s Ageonomics program

reduce manual lifting that would be fatigueinducing for the aging worker, which could potentially result in injury or absence.

In the course of the diagnostic research, the two leading loss causes of injuries to knees and shoulders stem from strain and sprains and slips, trips and falls, which can be directly attributed to reduced mobility and reduced strength, which can be related to an older physiology. By understanding the physical changes of an aging human and linking these changes to loss-producing trends in the data, we can develop a thoughtful strategy for increasing workability and reducing agespecific exposures in the workplace.

Short Term Disability

Family Medical Leave Act

Rethinking the Work Environment After some research and discussions with other benchmarking groups such as the National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) and the Integrated Benefits Institute (NBI), we can begin to make some educated assumptions surrounding drivers of these increased costs.

Physical changes can influence solutions to reduce injury risk and prevent absenteeism.

With the onset of saropenia—loss of muscle mass—comes decreased strength. Many physically demanding jobs do not factor this into the equation when developing production standards or production demands for the workforce. By age-adjusting the demands, we can reduce the risk of injury and improve the long-term workability and productivity of the workforce in general.

For example we may perform an ergonomic risk assessment using a tool like the NIOSH Work Practice Guide. We could add a multiplier to account for the aging worker which would reduce the recommended weight by a small percent to account for the older worker.

The ultimate objective is to develop strategies geared towards optimizing the performance of the aging worker. This can only

Long Term Disability

Aging Worker Absence Trends

Casual Absence

Workers’ Compensation

be done when each program is assessed and refined for the aging workforce (Table 2) (see page 14).

Rethinking Wellness As the U.S. workplace continues to age, it is critical to rethink wellness programs. Berry et. al. (2010) state the following in a recent issue in the Harvard Business Review: “Wellness programs have often been viewed as a nice extra, not a strategic imperative. Newer evidence tells a different story. With tax incentives and grants available under recent federal health care legislation, U.S. companies can use wellness programs to chip away at their enormous health care costs, which are only rising with an aging workforce.”

The article continues to point out six key pillars of an effective wellness program that, once implemented, can help significantly lower healthcare costs. As part of Aon’s ageonomics practice, we analyze these

FIGURE 3: Various elements of aging drive the aging strategies in the workplace.

Physical Changes

Cognitive Changes

Disease Processes

Absenteeism Trends

Workplace Aging Strategy

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The ultimate objective is to develop strategies geared towards optimizing the performance of the aging worker.

key pillars, including leadership, program quality, accessibility and communication of not only wellness, but safety, ergonomics and other programs to understand gaps for aging workers. By reviewing age-specific data and wellness program statistics, we can probe deeper and ultimately develop strategies to better align these programs for the aging worker. Researchers at Harvard found that participants in wellness programs are absent less often and perform better at work than their nonparticipant counterparts.

Structuring a wellness program around aging workers can become a way for organizations to retain aging workers and ensure their workability does not decline to levels that result in disabilities and/or workers’ compensation claims.

TABLE 2: Programs and specific strategies for Ageonomics Program

Ageonomic Work Environment Strategy • Refine training programs around aging workers

Safety Program

• Target high risk exposures for aging workings (e.g. fall prevention, musculoskeletal, etc.)

• Refine on-boarding programs for aging workers to include preceptor programs • Align safety programs with age-specific absenteeism trends • Assess fatigue and work-rest cycles • Evaluate signage and work instructions for aging workers

Ergonomic Programs

• Adjust ergonomic tools for age • Conduct age-specific evaluations • Time-motion study for aging workers • Workload assessments

Benefits Programs

Human Resource Programs

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References: • link.springer.com/ article/10.2165/00007256-200434120-00002 • onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.13652648.2006.04118.x/abstract;jsessionid =4FAD93511B84EB709749640CD1DBC06 C.f01t02?deniedAccessCustomisedMessage=& userIsAuthenticated=false • www.arbeitsfaehigkeit.uniwuppertal. de/picture/upload/file/Concept_and_ Assessment.pdf • www.bls.gov/news.release/osh2.nr0.htm

Endnote: 1

According to the Finnish researchers Ilmarinen&Tuomi (2004), “workability” may be understood as “how good is the worker at present, in the near future, and how able is he/ she to do his/her work with respect to the work demands, health and mental resources.” This definition is based on a so called “concept of workability” (Ilmarinen, 2004) according to which, workability is the result of the interaction of the worker and his or her work. Workability may also be described as the balance of the workers’ resources and the work demands.

Joe Gulasha—Joe currently leads Aon’s US Casualty Risk Consulting organization. His responsibilities include leading the more than 100 Aon consultants who focus on the

• Support WC, STD, LTD trends

development and delivery of casualty related

• Align with your safety and ergonomics program

pre and post-loss mitigation strategies for US

• Understand and develop strategies for casual absence for aging workers’ (e.g. care taker programs, flex schedules, etc.)

Consulting America’s Board.

Clients. Joe also serves on the Aon Global Risk

Vicki Missar—As an associate director at Aon,

• Deliver innovative and meaningful solutions to meet aging workers’ needs

she works closely with clients to deliver and

• Assess workforce profile and age stratification

cost of casualty risk spend. She is a thought leader

• Understand production demands and review jobs for age-appropriateness

at Aon and has spoken in the USA and abroad

• Understand absenteeism and structure work in ways that reduce fatigue and improve retention • Create synergist program within the organization

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As with any workplace program, measuring success includes not only healthcare costs, but workers’ compensation costs, safety program incident rates, absenteeism and presenteeism and turnover rates, among other leading and lagging indicators. It is now essential to align traditional silo programs into a synergistic, thoughtful approach to optimize any program that touches an aging worker.

• Align with age-specific data trends

• Align wellness programs with injury trends on the WC side Wellness Programs

Conclusions

execute services that strive to reduce the total

on the topic of ageonomics. Vicki is joining the faculty at Harvard in 2015 to present ageomics and integrated health, safety and wellness strategies at an upcoming professional development course at the School of Public Health.

TRENDS IN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT:

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BY DR. PATRICK CARLEY PROFESSOR, SCHOOL OF HEALTH SCIENCES AT AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE

The art of managing human resources is maximizing the human form and function, which becomes especially important when considering the aging workforce. Collectively, we experience great satisfaction when our mental and physical participation achieves success during work, hobbies or recreational activities, even as we age. It is beneficial to understand the aging process and make the necessary adjustments for a safer and more productive workplace. The benefits to employees and organizations are conceivable by exploring concerns with aging and possible solutions for today’s workforce.

What was around the corner is already here!

There is an inherent and shared reluctance to recognize or even accept the physical changes associated with aging. The groans are becoming louder when reaching for reading glasses or when periodically complaining of stiff joints. The physical changes associated with aging eventually affect us all. However, it does not necessarily appear in an equal way. Some of us weigh a little more, some lift a little more and some of us stand a little more, resulting in different wearing on our joints. There are also repeated injuries, tight muscles and different lifetime events that cause cartilage to get a little thinner, stiffer joints, and painful feet from flatter arches. It seems most pronounced in cold temperatures or even cool workplaces that tend to wreak havoc on the worn parts.

An extensive 2011 report from the National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) noted that, “medical severity was more than 50 percent higher for older workers’ lost-time claims” with temporary payments closed within 24 months of the date of injury. It was also noted in data from 1996 to 2007, that older workers are more likely to experience rotator cuff and knee injuries and lower back nerve pain (lumbosacral

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can be a decline in muscle strength of 10–25 percent by age 65. Stronger muscle fibers, such as the quadriceps, calves, gluteal muscles and deltoids, begin to atrophy more quickly due to reduced muscle use or lack of strengthening exercises. As a result, the ability to recover from slips, near falls or stumbles decreases significantly, resulting in a potentially significant injury.

Muscle endurance and earlier fatigue noted in work activities will also have a slower recovery time. This lowered “fatigue threshold,” in combination with reduced recovery, induces a chronic overload on muscles and tendons in older workers, complicated by cardiovascular concerns.

There is a 50 percent decline in heart filling between 20 and 80 years of age, with a reduction in aerobic capacity beginning at age 40 in individuals not regularly participating in a cardiovascular exercise program. This begins in the twenties and continues declining at a rate of 10 percent each decade with a potential 40 percent reduction by age 65.

Workplace balance concerns

There is no real surprise that strength begins to diminish with age but depending on the muscle group, there can be a decline in muscle strength of 10 percent to 25 percent by age 65.

neuritis) while younger workers are more likely to have sprains and lower back pain.

These findings paralleled an Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation study which found that the top four injuries by age range between 1998 and 2002 were lumbar disc, lumbar sprain, finger wounds and knee sprains for those workers under the age of 40 years old. In comparison, workers 45 to 70 years old reported the same two lumbar injuries but the next two highest reported injuries included shoulder strains and knee cartilage tears. The difference in reported injuries is evidence of more chronic wear and tear on the body, over time making older workers more susceptible to musculoskeletal disorders. The effects of static loading, prolonged standing and awkward postures bring attention to the need to change positions and modify worksite designs.

Aging effects on motor control A more noteworthy result of aging is the change in motor function and level of muscular strength. There is no real surprise that strength begins to diminish with age, but depending on the muscle group, there

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Balance reactions depend on sensory-input from our leg joints and the pads of our feet, and slow down as we age, affecting information exchanged between the brain and muscles. Nerve conduction slows down during exposure to lower temperatures further affecting information speed from the periphery and then back out to control muscles. To help with balance reactions, computerized force plate studies and levels of electrical activity of leg muscles suggest that placing the cushioning close to the foot surface will improve balance reactions. As such, insole programs can address multiple issues related to standing, muscle fatigue, foot pain and the aging workforce.

Improve the productivity and safety of the aging workforce In addition to common ergonomic and workplace redesign, vision changes in old age require different backgrounds for greater contrast perception or adding higher illumination to work areas. However, increasing illumination should avoid increasing glare by allowing for diffusers from light sources, indirect lighting or a larger number of lower power and adjustable light sources. There should also be

limitations on the need to adapt to light and dark conditions or visual changes associated with color change, such as shades of blue or blue on black backgrounds. Companies should plan to use larger print sizes and fonts in work areas whenever possible but certainly for important postings and warnings.

Contemplate auditory changes, since higher frequency sounds can be unnoticed by older workers. Use sound-absorbing construction materials in areas where communication is important and avoid room designs or work areas that create echoes, e.g. squared rooms, tunnels or those with machine background noises. Consider smaller conference tables and circular seating arrangements to encourage older workers to sit closer to speakers or presenters.

The human body is a wonderful biological structure that is constantly changing and adapting to new conditions or environments even as we age. Progressive stretching of joints will optimize muscle performance, improve the internal structural health of tendons and help improve overall circulation.

Muscles can increase strength and endurance regardless of age if exercises become part of a weekly routine. Lifting weights for exercise should focus more on repetitions (20 to 30 reps per set) rather than progressively higher weights. Shifting towards higher repetitions will also reduce fatigue while decreasing the potential work related aches and pains.

Plyometric exercises at low levels are worth exploring to balance responses, muscle recruitment and endurance.

achieve that unique balance between safety and productivity in the near future.

Contemporary safety directors need to be aware of the genuine, physiological alterations challenging todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s aging workforce. Increasing that understanding and awareness will afford organizations realistic ergonomic opportunities to optimize that fruitful balance through many cost effective approaches. The fact is that collectively, we are all living longer. We may want to reconsider lifespan as more of a healthspan as we stay active, safe and productive beyond those 39th birthdays.

Dr. Patrick Carley, DHA, MS, PT is a professor in the Doctorate of Physical Therapy Program at American International College. Dr. Carley has been actively involved in practicing physical therapy over the past 37 years in the Boston, MA, and Springfield, VA, areas. Dr. Carley taught parttime at Northeastern University and Springfield College before starting his full-time academic career at American International College in 1996.

For the past 25 years, his research emphasis has been on ergonomic modifications, work performance and effects of prolonged workplace standing. He has worked on projects with small and large corporations such as LEGO, Merrill

Reference

Lynch Financial, Hasbro Games, Vibramâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;

â&#x20AC;˘ National Council on Compensation Insurance Inc. (2011). www.ncci.com/documents/2011_ Aging_Workforce_Research_Brief.pdf.

Quaboag Shoes, Lenox Saw, ATP Manufacturing, US Postal Service, Equipois, Honda and the Boeing Company.

Conclusion Older workers have a wealth of experiences to offer that benefit organizations. Applying learned skills in different applications might lead to enhanced cognitive problem solving abilities and a heightened sense of well-being and improved job performance. Cognitive losses in older workers are not typical signs of aging. Learning new tasks and approaches may offer better productivity expectations than machine-paced work environments.

Older workers, by empirical research, usually find ways to compensate for deficiencies and often still outperform younger workers by their learned skill sets.

Based on the changing demographics and recently recovering economic events, a greater awareness of options that blend a multigenerational workforce can successfully

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BY KEITH OSBORNE ERGONOMIST FOR SEATTLE CITY LIGHT

EXTENDING THE LIFE OF YOUR WORKFORCE—

ERGONOMIC DESIGN FOR AGING WORKERS

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Unless you have been living somewhere without internet or cable service, you’ve probably heard that the U.S. workforce is aging. In fact, you’re probably witnessing it firsthand—and now you’re the one tasked with creating a safe and productive work environment that accommodates an aging workforce.

Y •

•

•

• •

ou might have also read these statistics on the web or heard them in the boardroom: In 2008, there were 28 million workers over age 55. By 2016, that number is expected to be almost 40 million, an increase of 43 percent.

Starting in January 2011, 10,000 people turn 65 every single day and this will continue through 2030.

By 2020, an estimated 25 percent of the labor force will be 55 and older and almost 17 percent will be 65 and older.

79 percent of baby boomers say they don’t plan on retiring at age 65.

The average age of a high-skilled U.S. manufacturing worker today is 56.

These demographics represent not only challenges, but also opportunities throughout industry today. At the very least, the changing demographics of the U.S. workforce deserve careful consideration as companies develop safety programs moving forward. In today’s business environment, it is vital for companies to engage their aging workers in a job that promotes healthy and safe work performance.

Addressing the issue of the aging workforce with workplace ergonomics programs, education and training is becoming necessary.

A focus on proactive efforts to accommodate the “seasoned” and gifted workforce today, will result in a safer, healthier, more productive

and more competitive business, tomorrow and down the road.

Losing the expertise of these workers could have a drastic and negative impact on your company’s operations. It is vital to accommodate aging employees, who represent some of your most knowledgeable and most productive workers, to ensure their continued, safe and productive work performance.

Characteristics of the Aging Workforce As workers age, their physical, physiological and psychosocial capabilities and limitations change. The more we understand these changes, the better we can accommodate employees. We must be proactive in our processes to ensure actionable engineering and administrative controls are in place to ensure ergonomic and individual risk factors are addressed to keep our workplace moving forward seamlessly with the chronology of our workers.

Here is a brief summary of those risk factors and changes: Ergonomic Risk Factors: Force, repetition and posture are ergonomic risk factors that become magnified as we age because the body has had those factors impacting it over time, even in the best of conditions. If these are not addressed within a proactive ergonomics process, workplace musculoskeletal disorder (WMSD) issues

will develop at an even higher rate. A proactive process can assist in keeping your workforce healthier and more productive.

Individual Risk Factors: Some individual risk factors that come into play are poor work habits developed over time, poor fitness habits and poor health habits.

Physical Changes: As people age, they begin to lose strength, flexibility, balance, sight, reaction time, speed, hearing, manual dexterity and feedback and body fat.

Physiological Changes: Aging leads to a decrease in maximum oxygen intake, rising systemic blood pressure, fatigue and greater susceptibility to extreme temperatures.

Psychosocial Changes: As workers age, they have different shift preferences, training and learning styles and employees sometimes experience disenfranchisement and disengagement with their work.

These characteristics of the aging workforce put them at a higher risk of developing a WMSD and other injuries. It is paramount that reduction or elimination of these risk factors occur to ensure a safer workplace.

So what can you do to help? Build a comprehensive WMSD prevention process that will identify and remove WMSD risk factors. An essential component to an effective WMSD prevention process is ergonomics.

2008 BY 2020

25 PERCENT of the labor force will be 55 and older and almost 17 PERCENT will be 65 and older

BABY BOOMERS

79 PERCENT of baby boomers say they don’t plan on retiring at age 65.

2016

28 MILLION 40 MILLION

In 2008, there were 28 million WORKERS OVER AGE 55. By 2016, that number is expected to be almost 40 million, an INCREASE OF 43 PERCENT.

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Ergonomics—Designing the Workplace for an Aging Workforce

By designing jobs and tasks with aging workers in mind, you’re making the jobs and tasks safer and more productive for everyone.

Ergonomics is the science of designing the workplace to fit the worker while keeping in mind the capabilities and limitations of the worker. The goal is to design jobs and tasks to remove incompatibilities between the work and the worker that impact safe work performance, while maintaining productivity. This allows you to prevent injuries, illnesses and mistakes while improving overall worker health and business performance. Here are some tips to help with the designing of the workplace: • Improve illumination and add color contrast • Design the workplace with easily adjustable surfaces to allow employees with different body types to complete work, especially in shared spaces • Eliminate heavy lifts, elevated work from ladders and long reaches • Design work floors and platforms with smooth and solid decking while still allowing some cushioning

• Reduce static standing time • Remove clutter from control panels and computer screens and use large video displays • Reduce noise levels • Install skid resistant material for flooring and especially for stair treads to help reduce falls • Install shallow-angle stairways in place of ladders when space permits, and where any daily elevated access is needed to complete a task, to help reduce falls • Utilize hands free volume adjustable telephone equipment • Incorporate speech recognition software for those who have difficulty typing • Increase task rotation which will reduce the strain of repetitive motion • Lower sound system pitches, such as on alarm systems, as they tend to be easier to hear • Lengthen time requirements between steps in a task • Increase the time allowed for making decisions • Consider necessary reaction time when assigning older workers to tasks • Provide opportunities for practice and time to develop task familiarity In other words, ergonomics is about fitting the work to fit the worker. When considering how to accommodate the aging workforce, it is as important as ever to match job demands to worker capabilities.

Ergonomics and the Aging Workforce Ergonomically correct design accounts for workers from the 5th percentile female to the 95th percentile male. By designing jobs and tasks with aging workers in mind, you’re making the jobs and tasks safer and more productive for everyone.

Follow these basic ergonomic principles to help accommodate an aging workforce: • Work in neutral postures. Working with the body in a neutral position reduces stress and strain on your musculoskeletal system.

• Allow for posture changes. Working in the same posture or sitting for prolonged periods of time is bad for you. Your body’s musculoskeletal (or movement) system is designed to move. Arrange workstations and tasks to allow for changing postures.

Movement at any age is especially important to allow muscles and the body to refresh.

• Work from the “power zone.” The power zone is also referred to as the “hand shake

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ERGONOMICS AND THE AGING WORKFORCE

Work in NEUTRAL POSTURES

Allow for POSTURE CHANGES

zone”—this is an easy way to remember the optimal location to perform work.

• Provide good lighting. A common issue with older workers is lighting. Visual acuity deteriorates with age, so make sure work areas are properly lit. The typical OSHA guidelines for lighting may not be enough as your workforce ages.

• Have a good grip. Providing “power grips” instead of pinch grips for jobs and tasks is another ergonomics “low hanging fruit” to help accommodate aging workers.

Ensure issued PPE also addresses this. Use gloves with additional grip built in to allow employees whose grip strength may be waning, the ability to perform certain tasks.

Following these ergonomic principles will significantly reduce ergonomic risk factors that contribute to WMSDs. However, removing all risk factors that contribute to these injuries requires a comprehensive approach.

Develop A Comprehensive Approach If your goal is to prevent musculoskeletal injuries and to promote maximum safe work performance, you need to identify and remove WMSD risk factors as early as possible. Companies that understand this have proactive processes that assess job tasks and get workers involved before work is done to proactively mitigate issues. To remove all WMSD risk factors, you need a comprehensive process that includes an ergonomics improvement process, education/ training and early intervention.

The ergonomics improvement process should be a proactive one that will allow

Work from the “HAND SHAKE ZONE”

Provide GOOD LIGHTING

you to identify ergonomic risk factors early and then proactively mitigate their affects by implementing both engineering and administrative controls to the work process.

Education and training programs motivate employees to accept responsibility for adopting healthier work habits and lifestyle choices.

Implement programs that emphasize stretching and fitness/wellness initiatives that will enhance the overall wellbeing of the worker. The more fit the “workplace athlete,” the more efficient the work product produced, the higher the quality with reduced errors and the better the health status of the employee due to lower injury rates.

Early intervention focuses on improving employee health through proactive management of WMSD signs. When early action is taken to address an employee’s report of fatigue or discomfort, causative risk factors can be identified and principles of prevention can be employed to resolve the employee’s discomfort.

Have a GOOD GRIP

and improves business performance. Be proactive in your approach.

• Designing jobs and tasks for aging workers benefits all! You keep your knowledge base longer!

• A comprehensive approach that includes ergonomics, education and early intervention is needed to remove all WMSD risk factors.

Keith Osborne is currently the ergonomist for Seattle City Light. Previously, he worked as an HSE Site Lead for Honeywell in Colorado Springs for 11 years where he built two OSHA best practice programs (ergonomics and wellness) that were responsible for proactively saving HTSI over $23M in four years. He is responsible for the office and industrial ergonomics/biomechanics programs at Seattle City Light and has consulted on corporate ergonomics and health and wellness programs on numerous occasions. Keith is a

Conclusion

Certified Ergonomic Assessment Specialist

If you’re preparing for an aging workforce (or you already have one), it is as important as ever to be proactive and remember the basics of WMSD prevention. The wave of an aging workforce is already here and it is building.

Here are some key takeaways to remember: • The demographics of the U.S. workforce are changing rapidly: 10,000 workers turn 65 every day!

• Older workers are valuable workers and represent a large portion of your organization’s knowledge and skills.

• The ergonomics process removes barriers to safe work performance, prevents injuries

I/III, Certified Wellness Specialist, Master Fitness Trainer, Six Sigma Greenbelt, published author and OSHA Certified Ergonomics Program Manager. He is also the recipient of the HTSI HSE President’s Award and the 2014 Honeywell Aerospace Outstanding Engineer and Innovator Award. Keith holds two Bachelor of Science degrees in Applied Management and Business Administration.

Keith has spoken numerous times at the Region VIII VPPPA Conferences and VPPPA national conferences as well as the National Ergonomics Conference and Exposition.

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TIME HA UP

BY BRENDA WIEDERKEHR, CSC ACCESS HEALTH SYSTEMS

You walk into a room of workers at a conference, a safety meeting, on a construction site, a union hall meeting or even the cafeteria. If this worksite is anything like the vast majority of workplaces in the developed countries of the world, what you will notice is a sea of grey hair. You might not see this at an internet startup, a tech company or a research facility, but in businesses that have been around for the last 20 years or longer, this is clearly the case.

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he aging workforce is here, and for many of us, we are it. The “Silver Tsunami” is rushing in and we will be riding the crest for the next 15–20 years. So, do we go full speed ahead with business as usual? Well, not quite. A 65 or 70 year old worker is an entirely different entity than a 20 or 30 year old worker.

An employer could say, let’s just hire young people and maybe push the old guys out. This

S CAUGHT WITH US wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t work because there are not enough experienced, trained and skilled workers to replace them. To function effectively, we need to hold onto the older, experienced workforce. This crisis spreads across several industries that go beyond laborers. There is an impending shortfall of staffing for qualified and experienced doctors, engineers, upper management personnel and a wide range of technical specialists.

In addition, for many workers, pension plans are a thing of the past and the selfretirement plans and Social Security are not providing the lifestyle many people need or want. The idea of retiring at 62 or 65 is rapidly disappearing. However, workers are finding that they now want to stay on the job until 70 or beyond.

The questions arise: How does this impact the health and safety of the workplace? What

is it about these aging bodies that can change the dynamics of a company and its abilities?

In order to understand the impact, we need to look at the physiological, the mental health and the social changes at play.

A full discussion of the effects of aging in the workforce would require a book; for the sake of framing the discussion, letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s look at a couple of major factors such as changes in vision, mobility and the threat of disability.

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The aging workforce is here, and for many of us, we are it. The “Silver Tsunami” is rushing in and we will be riding the crest for the next 15–20 years.

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Vision To put it simply, every aspect of our visual abilities deteriorates. If underlying medical conditions exist, this can be markedly worsened.

The most obvious loss is in the ability to see clearly, known as visual acuity. When you are young, you might need glasses because of the shape of the eye being too long or short to focus the light transmitted through the lens. It is the shape of the eyeball that we develop growing up.

When you reach your 40s, most people begin to have trouble reading. This is actually related to the ability to stretch the lens of the eye, which has muscles to pull on it to flatten it and change the place where the light falls. As we get older, our fluid filled tissues, such as the lens of the eye, the disks of the back, the skin and many others, lose water content and become stiffer and shrink. This is true of the lens as well, resulting in the need for reading glasses to compensate.

With time, you might also need various strengths of correction for distance.

Unfortunately, many workers do not have proper visual correction and often do not see an eye specialist. Older workers are often unable to visualize things adequately. In addition, the lens of the eye can often develop a cloudy deposit in it, called a cataract, which actually fogs up the vision. There may be a whole host of eye diseases that appear in the older worker, such as macular degeneration affecting the central vision, or glaucoma in which peripheral vision may go first, or sudden loss from diabetes related conditions,

sometimes with bleeding in the eye. Ask yourself how important the ability to see objects clearly in your workplace is, and then think about your workforce.

Another vision issue is the ability to transmit light. Light does not pass through the lens and other structures of the eye and the pupil may be smaller in an older eye. Therefore, if you have a room where both the younger and older workers are working together, the lighting set for an older workforce may be too bright and intense for the younger worker and cause discomfort, headaches, malaise and fatigue with visual activities. On the flip side, if the workplace is set up for a younger worker, the older worker might have some difficulty discerning detail if the lighting is not adequate for their visual needs.

The next aspect is the eye’s ability to adapt to changes in light. You know how after you pass through a dark long tunnel and come out into the light, there is a moment of vulnerability when you have not adjusted to the glare? An older worker takes much longer to make this adjustment. Consider a workplace with two rooms, one bright and one dark, which an employee has to drive between with a forklift at a good pace. The hazards are greater with contrasting light levels for the older worker than for the younger worker. Assigning tasks to older workers might be affected by these constraints and should be taken into consideration or, a change in lighting might be in order.

Glare is also difficult on the older eye. Lighting or outside light which produces direct or reflected glare can markedly diminish the visual abilities of the older eye. Uncovered windows may cause light that decreases visual abilities.

Beyond the visual challenges, there is the relationship between the eye and the brain.

Data show that the ability to work with objects in a cluttered or complex workplace, with many different kinds of objects, requires good visual scanning and interpreting skills.

It is much harder for an older worker than a younger one. The older worker does much better in an environment with a limited number of discrete objects, less clutter and more definition between objects.

We are all aware of the deterioration of static vision as we get older. Static vision, the ability to see an object, begins to significantly deteriorate at age 60. However, the ability to deal with and process the information about moving objects starts to deteriorate much earlier. Take for example the worker who drives for a living, such as a school bus driver, a pilot or a fork lift

operator. The ability to process visual information is significantly diminished, and this is made worse during activities at night or in dark areas, such as a warehouse. Nighttime legibility for distant highway signs for those over age 60 is 65–77 percent of the distance for younger drivers. Turn on that flashlight to see something on a map while driving at night, and that 70 year old truck driver might not be able to see clearly on the highway again for quite a while. Is 20 seconds at 65 miles per hour a reasonable time frame to be unable to see the road or objects around it?

Mobility The biggest challenge to an aging workforce, even if we do not succumb to being couch potatoes, is that as we get older our muscle mass decreases. You won’t find a 60 year old playing in the NFL regardless of how much experience he has! Our muscle mass peaks between the ages of 25 and 35, and it’s all downhill after that. Between 50 and 60 years old, we are left with only 75–80 percent of the strength that we had at our peak condition.

In addition, we become stiffer; and our flexibility disappears. Osteoarthritis, common in aging, limits the use of joints and creates more stiffness and pain. We have cartilage between the bones in joints that wears away, and elastic tissues in tendons and throughout the body lose their elasticity. Once things start to hurt, the older worker self-limits their range of motion and further reduces their flexibility as things stiffen up at the lesser range of motion. By age 65, the average person has lost 18–20 percent of their flexibility.

Another major concern is the natural deterioration in our balancing abilities.

Nine percent of people at age 65 experience significant balance issues. This may be related to the balance centers of the inner ear, or to position sensors in the neck, back, spine and extremities; or it may be related to deterioration in the balance centers of the brainstem or the cerebellum or even vision changes. The impact is felt in workplace falls. An astounding onethird of individuals 65 or older fall each year.

A fall in old age can have markedly different consequences than for the younger worker.

worker 18–24 years old, the rate of disability is 9.4 percent. For ages 45–54, it is roughly 20 percent. For age 65 and older, it is a whopping 42 percent. Now, think of the people you work with and wonder who, if almost half of them, will suffer a disability before they leave the workforce.

This does not even begin to discuss the shifting of healthcare costs for handling wear and tear items, such as total knee replacements, neck surgeries for arthritis, or many other age-related medical conditions, from health insurance to workers’ compensation—only because the employee is still in the workplace. The impacts of this shift are phenomenal.

Conclusion This was only an introduction to the aging workforce. We did not discuss issues such as changes in reaction time and speed, hearing deficits, manual dexterity, increasing body fat and chronic illness, maximum endurance as manifested by drops in the ability to supply oxygen to the body, drops in cardiovascular performance, changes in blood pressure and rates of fatigue, the impact of shift work and time of day or the ability to learn and

Now, think of the people you work with and wonder who, if almost half of them, will suffer a disability before they leave the workforce.

retain new information, just to mention a few. The effects of having an older workforce are cropping up everywhere. Hopefully, adjustments, accommodations and engineering and administrative controls can help to soften the impact and assist in safely accommodating the workforce that we have.

First, we have to recognize that the wolf is at the door.

Brenda Wiederkehr, CSC, has been a VPPPA member since 2002 and is currently the vice president at Access Health Systems, the Owner of Access Compliance and the VPPPA Region II Chairperson.

Disability Looking for a moment at the bottom line with regard to the physical impact of the older worker, the rate of disability is a major problem which once was looming on the horizon, but now is rapidly becoming an immediate issue. For a THE LEADER

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BY DANIEL B. KOHRMAN

The American Society on Aging grants permission to VPPPA, Inc. to print unknown number of copies of/ or post electronically, the following: As more workers age, bias and insecurity persist, by Daniel Kohrman, from the November/December 2013, issue of Aging Today, vol. 34, iss.6.

This updated article is reprinted with permission from Aging Today 34:6 November/December 2013.

Copyright Š 2013. American Society on Aging, San Francisco, California. www.asaging.org.

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Most older adults are convinced that age discrimination in the American workplace is alive and well.

T

oni Strength, a 53-year-old commercial property manager, says she lost her job when the new CEO judged her to be “old and ugly” and unlikely to attract new tenants. Phillip Swafford, age 48, asserts that he fell short in a bid to return to work as an oil company scheduler after the firm’s site director told his hiring manager that Swafford was too old, and spent too much time caring for his wife’s cancer and his own ailments. Marjorie Tramp, a 71-year-old insurance customer service representative, found herself unemployed in a reduction in force that her employer said was focused on its “oldest and sickest employees.” These are all recent U.S. court cases of alleged age discrimination at work.

Age Discrimination Thriving Post Recession For most older workers, the notion that we’re living in a post-civil-rights era has little credence. While the share of older adults employed has been rising for three decades, despite setbacks like the Great Recession, this trend has emerged despite evidence of persistent age bias. Most older adults are convinced that age discrimination in the American workplace is alive and well. In a 2012 AARP survey of voters ages 50 and older, 64 percent said older workers face age discrimination at work, 34 percent reported that they, or someone they know, faced age discrimination in the last four years and 78

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percent agreed that Congress should enact stronger age discrimination protections.

Data from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission confirms that age discrimination is a growing problem. In fiscal year 2008, charges of age bias spiked 25 percent from the prior year, and in fiscal year 2013, it remained 15 percent higher than before the onset of the Great Recession.

Laborforce statistics show huge job losses among older workers since 2007, and suggest, in this and other respects, very uncertain economic terrain. Though unemployment levels among older workers are somewhat lower than for younger workers, according to AARP Senior Strategic Policy Advisor Sara Rix, in December 2012, nearly 1.1 million more workers ages 55 and older were unemployed than at the outset of the recession. Twice as many older than younger jobseekers—nearly half of older jobseekers—were “long-term unemployed” (looking for work 27 weeks or more); and almost five times more older persons were classified by the U.S. Department of Labor as “discouraged workers” (people who want a job, are available to work, but have dropped out of the workforce because they think that no work is available or that employers think they are too old).

Yet the most powerful hint of age bias may be the greater average duration of unemployment for people ages 55 and older, which is roughly 50 percent longer than for younger people. This unemployment age penalty has increased in recent years. On average, AARP data show, in 2012, workers ages 55 and older had been out of work more than a year (55.1 weeks), and workers younger than age 55, on average, just 36.5 weeks. Since then, AARP data show little change, and if anything, growing disparity in the experience of older and younger workers.

As of May 2014, persons age 55 and above spent nearly twenty more weeks out of work, on average (52.5 weeks), than their younger counterparts (32.8 weeks).

Discrimination vs. Reliability, Loyalty and Engagement The last seven years have seen the worst economic conditions in eight decades. For countless people ages 40 and older—those protected by the federal Age Discrimination in Employment Act, and by similar state and local laws—the best-paying jobs of their lives are

gone and health insurance has vanished with their paychecks. They now may fall behind on rent or a mortgage, and may be unable to pay taxes or fend off foreclosure. And with few years left to earn significant income, their retirement savings may have been wiped out or reduced to a pittance. Unless the labor market adjusts to offer these older workers robust earnings, the U.S. social safety net—including new health insurance subsidies, Social Security and Medicare—will see further strain.

As older workers rise to these challenges, many encounter age bias. Job interviews can be rare, and older candidates considered promising on paper may experience swift dismissal when they present themselves in person. Online applications often require agerelated data irrelevant to job qualifications, and refuse submissions if leaving such queries blank. Offers of pay commensurate with experience are also rare. Even offers of reduced pay can be scarce, as employers assume—usually without asking—that these will be rejected by applicants deemed “over qualified.” Older applicants report confronting “ageist” stereotypes held by younger—and worse, by older—managers (e.g., that older workers cannot adjust to technology or are generally resistant to change). Nevermind that smart phones, email and texting are ubiquitous, and Internet use is growing fastest among older Americans, according to a 2012 Pew Research Center study, “Older Adults and Internet Use.” There is a pressing need in this country for more employers to realize that one way they can outpace competitors is by attracting and retaining high-performing older workers via flexible work schedules, regular skills upgrades and “reasonable accommodation” of disabilities. Most such employers benefit from the loyalty, reliability and engagement for which older workers are known.

Even the Supreme Court has tipped the scales, ruling in 2009 that a higher standard of proof applies to age discrimination claims than to job bias claims based on sex or race.

It is ironic that age discrimination persists at the same time employers confront the reality of an aging workforce. If employers do not focus on hiring and holding onto older workers, many will face staff shortages and a loss of institutional memory, skills and experience.

But market forces and the business case for age-friendly policies have not swept away age prejudice. Just because age bias, like other

bias, is irrational and bad for business, does not mean it will disappear on its own. Just ask Toni, Phillip and Marjorie.

Kohrman is a senior attorney with AARP Foundation Litigation (AFL), AARP Foundation’s legal advocacy arm, in Washington, D.C. He handles employment (and voting) rights cases for Americans age 50+, usually involving discrimination on grounds of age and/or disability. Dan and colleagues have represented older workers terminated in reductions-in-force

As older workers rise to these challenges, many encounter age bias. Job interviews can be rare, and older candidates considered promising on paper may experience swift dismissal when they present themselves in person.

at Ford Motor Co., Goodyear Tire & Rubber, Sprint, and credit card issuer Capital One, brought other age bias claims against Allstate, Seagate Technologies, 3M, and Wellpoint, and for years, represented Hollywood writers in age discrimination suits against various TV networks, movie studios and talent agencies. Dan recently helped persuade national bus firm, CoachUSA, to refine its qualification standards for bus drivers with diabetes to reflect current medical knowledge. He also files appellate amicus briefs favoring rights of older workers or voters in federal and state courts.

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BY BILL LINNEWEH

LOCAL OUTREACH 2014 marked another very successful year for VPPPA’s congressional outreach efforts. In all, more than fifty representatives from VPP Star worksites participated in 229 congressional outreach visits in Washington, D.C. Of these, 26 outreach meetings were completed within the Senate and 203 were completed in the U.S. House of Representatives.

C

U.S. Representative Bob Gibbs, OH-7th District, (left) meets with Perry Bahr, VP of Trailer Commercial Vehicle Systems (right)

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ongressional outreach has proven to be an extremely valuable method for educating members of Congress on the benefits and success of VPP. Meeting with re-elected, as well as newly elected, congressional members helps ensure VPP is on the minds of Congress and their staffs.

During this year’s outreach efforts, several congressional members expressed interest in seeing, firsthand, how VPP has benefited employees, employers and OSHA, within their own districts and states. One company, Hendrickson Trailer Commercial Vehicle Systems, agreed to share their experiences on how to conduct local outreach visits and provide insight on how to engage local congressional members. They also shared their beliefs with local leaders as to why VPP is so important to employees.

Steve Limberg, plant manager for a site in Mitchell, SD, spoke about a recent local outreach event. “Senator John Thune visited our operations in Mitchell, SD, in September 2014. He’s very down to earth, and we were very impressed during the plant tour as he personally knew several of the employees on the production floor,” Limberg said.

Limberg and his team first provided Senator Thune with a historical overview of the operations and the importance of safety and VPP. “We discussed our VPP journey—how I was hesitant at first, about entering the program but after having met with OSHA, we realized how great the program was and how valuable VPP would be to our employees,” Limberg recounted.

The Mitchell facility was recommended for Star status in November 2008 and again

in 2012. Limberg explained to the senator, “OSHA conducted some pre-audits at our site and helped educate all our employees on VPP as well as the importance of workplace safety.

Pursuing and attaining VPP was a very good team approach for us, and our employees are very proud to be a VPP Star site.”

Congressional outreach at the local level can come about in a variety of ways.

Once the decision has been made to invite congressional members to the facility, the next step is to formally invite them to visit your site so that you and your team can provide a firsthand look into VPP. Some reasons to invite congressional members to your facility may include: • Participation in the site’s VPP Star recognition ceremony.

• Joint outreach meeting held in conjunction with another outreach effort such as sustainability or community outreach.

• Coordinated visit with VPPPA, following a congressional outreach event in Washington, D.C. Once scheduled, it’s recommended the site safety team put together talking points highlighting the success of VPP at your site.

Whether shared via a formal presentation, provided in a handout or discussed by employees during the facility tour, highlighting how VPP and the safety efforts have benefited employees and their families is an enlightening way to demonstrate the value of the program.

Another local outreach visit resulted from the June 2014 congressional outreach event in Washington, D.C. During the D.C. outreach, Kristyn Grow, VPP manager for Cintas and director-at-large on the national VPPPA Board of Directors, met with U.S. Representative Bob Gibbs (OH-7). After providing an overview of VPP, including highlighting its benefits, Kristyn encouraged the congressman’s aides to visit a VPP site within the district. Soon after the event, Kristyn and the national VPPPA office coordinated a site visit with the Hendrickson Trailer R&D Center located in Canton, OH. A formal visit took place in August 2014, following a presentation to Representative Gibbs about VPP and its benefits to Hendrickson.

Perry Bahr, vice-president of Trailer Commercial Vehicle Systems, emphasized the value of VPP, “VPP has been instrumental in our safety efforts. We have seven VPP Star sites located in Illinois, Indiana, South Dakota, Tennessee and Ohio. With VPP, safety has become a core value at Hendrickson.”

During the tour, it’s best to introduce congressional members to personnel and ask that employees share their insights on the importance of VPP. Employees can highlight success stories such as improved safety practices or elaborate on how they have achieved greater involvement and ownership of the safety programs.

VPP sites have a great story to share with elected officials, and hosting a local congressional visit is a fantastic way to show support for the program.

If you are interested in hosting a local congressional outreach visit or would like more information on how to interact with your representatives, contact the Government Affairs Department at governmentaffairs@vpppa.org or (703) 761-1146.

Top: Hendrickson Canton Safety Team receiving their VPP flag and plaque Bottom: Senator John Tune-SD (left) hears from Grant Derdall (welding fabricator) and Plant Manager Steve Limberg (right) about the importance of VPP

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EXCELLENCE

IN SAFETY CERTIFICATE PROGRAM Introducing the First Ever, VPPPA-Endorsed Safety Education Program

Who should enroll?

Anyone involved in safety within your organization

O

SHA’s Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP) are one of the most highly recognized and respected cooperative programs aimed at improving occupational safety and health by establishing rigorous performance-based criteria. No safety education program has ever received the VPPPA’s official endorsement, until now! The University of Alabama at Birmingham’s VPP Excellence in Safety Certificate Program is the new standard in safety education, in both curriculum and in delivery: a fully online, on-demand learning experience with seasoned professionals from all over the world. The collaboration between UAB and VPPPA follows the rigorous criteria of the OSHA Voluntary Protection Programs, which encourage corporations to meet a much higher standard of safety than mere compliance with OSHA’s mandatory standards.

The program, comprised of six courses, is an opportunity for professionals in the safety field to quickly learn the fundamentals of best safety practices in a self-paced, totally online environment under the instruction of recognized safety and health leaders.

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Program Highlights • • • • •

Completely Online Self-Paced Six courses for completion CEUs offered Leading Industry Instructors

The goal of the VPP Excellence in Safety Certificate Program is to provide students with the tools they need to drive risk reduction, reduce incident frequency and severity and ultimately achieve VPP approval. Students gain the knowledge necessary to develop and implement a world class, VPP Star level, safety and health management system at their respective worksites.

Successful completion of all courses will result in the VPP Excellence in Safety Certificate.

Course Topics • • • • •

Introduction to System Safety Management Plans Hazard Identification and Control Worksite Analyses Management Leadership and Employee Involvement • Advanced Safety and Health Training • Continuous Improvement

Program Co-Author & Instructor “Christopher J. Colburn, MEng, CSP, possesses almost 20 years’ experience in the field of safety and health management. He has worked at companies such as Hunter Douglas, Norbord and is currently the North American Environmental, Health and Safety Manager for the AGCO Corporation.

He has been instrumental in leading and mentoring a number of worksites in significate improvements in safety and health performance including VPP Star status. Chris also sits on the Region IV VPPPA Board of Directors as a director-at-large. Chris has an associate’s degree in occupational safety and health management, a bachelor’s degree in environmental safety and health management and a master’s degree in advanced safety engineering and management from UAB.” Visit our website or contact us directly for additional information!

www.uab.edu/online/vpp Prostudies@uab.edu (205) 934-7217

member spotlight

Katelyn Girouard 2014 June Brothers Scholarship Recipient Katelyn Girouard, from Dedham, MA, is the recent winner of the VPPPA June Brothers Scholarship.

Graduating from a vocational, technical high school in 2010, Katelyn attended Worcester State University in MA, where she graduated in 2014 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Occupational Studies. Currently, Katelyn is attending Worcester State’s graduate school where she continues to study occupational therapy.

Why did you decide on occupational therapy for your degree?

I decided on occupational therapy because I want to help people with disabilities reach their highest potential. At first, I wanted to become a teacher.

I have always loved the field of mathematics and I thought that I would become an elementary school math teacher. Up until high school, I thought this was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I always enjoyed teaching others but as I started looking at college programs, I knew that I wanted to help children with disabilities and becoming a general education teacher would not allow me the opportunity to assist these students.

My mom then suggested the field of occupational therapy. I researched the field and fell in love with it. I would still be able to teach others but I would be able to provide individualized treatment and attention to all of my clients. I would also be able to help many different populations, not just children. At that time, I knew occupational therapy was the career for me. I am very thankful to my mom for this because I am now pursuing the career that I was meant to do.

I know I made the right choice. My intro to occupational therapy course taught me to treat each patient with respect and dignity. It taught me that everyone, no matter what their abilities, deserves to be included in the community.

My favorite course was assistive technology.

This course taught me the different tools that individuals can use throughout their day to

prevent injury or to assist them in being as independent as possible.

You’ve got your whole life ahead of you! What are your plans after graduation from Worcester State? Do you have a dream job?

I am set to graduate in Dec. 2015, upon which I will receive my Master of Science Degree in occupational therapy. I want to become an occupational therapist, hopefully with the opportunity to help young children. Ever since I was little, whether it was in teaching or in occupational therapy, I’ve dreamed of working with children. I also would like to pursue a doctorate degree in occupational therapy.

Honestly, my dream job is what I plan on doing after graduation: working as an occupational therapist, helping young children with disabilities. Like I mentioned, I have always had an interest in bettering the lives of children and I knew from a young age that I would one day accomplish this. I actually got the opportunity to work as a teacher of infants and toddlers. I saw how the children grew from what I had taught them and seeing them go to preschool with the strong values that I instilled in them made all the hours that I put into making my students succeed worthwhile in the end. I have had the opportunity to work with young children with disabilities and witnessing how they can overcome the struggles they are faced with each day, puts a smile on my face.

You mentioned your experience as a teacher of infants and toddlers. Are there any skills and knowledge that you acquired or any lessons you learned from that experience that you will utilize in your future education or career?

I actually received my certification as an infant, toddler and preschool teacher for the state of Massachusetts. The experience taught me that every child has different needs and that you have to tailor your instructions to meet their needs. Not all children are able to complete the lesson plan that you set up for the class. I have had experiences where I needed to modify my lessons for each child in the classroom. These opportunities will assist me when I am creating individualized treatment plans for my clients in the future.

Additionally, my participation in SkillsUSA Massachusetts as an alumni member has actually had the biggest impact on my life. These organization and leadership conferences have taught me how to be a leader as well as a team member, to effectively communicate with my peers and to effectively work as a team for a common goal. I was involved in this organization as a high school student and I have been a part of the alumni organization for the past five years.

Who has had the biggest impact on you?

My dad has had the biggest impact on my life because he has instilled in my brother and I a strong work ethic. My dad has always worked so hard, so growing up, I always admired him for what he was able to accomplish each day.

Throughout my college career, I have looked to him for guidance when I was faced with the challenge of maintaining multiple classes each semester and putting in the hard work and dedication required to succeed in each course.

He leads by example and is always willing to help others. The word “no” is not in his vocabulary. I have admired him for this, and I am striving to be just like him. I was also taught by him to learn from others’ mistakes and pay it forward by sharing with others. Over the years, I have been told of so many stories where things that went wrong could have been prevented.

For this reason, he is a big proponent of using protective equipment during the work day and in the home environment and enforces it regularly.

What motivates you to succeed?

Seeing how I can change the lives of others for the better is my ultimate motivator. I had the opportunity to volunteer at leadership conferences each fall as a mentor to high school students. The students that attend these conferences are shy the first day that they arrive and many do not want to complete the activities that we have planned for them. Throughout the conference, you are able to see the students come out of their shell and realize they can be the future leaders of tomorrow.

On the last day of the conference, when students come up to you and thank you for all you have done for them, it makes me feel proud, and I cannot wait for the next conference to change the lives of even more students.

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member info corner

Membership Renewals & Upcoming Contest Renew Your VPPPA Membership The bad news is that if you haven’t renewed your VPPPA membership for another year, then it has expired. The good news is that it’s not hard to renew! Don’t miss out on all of the benefits that VPPPA membership provides to you! Also, while you renew for another year, consider helping out future generations of safety professionals by donating to VPPPA’s scholarship fund.

Donations to the fund will benefit the VPPPA June Brothers Scholarship, the VPPPA Stephen Brown Scholarship, the VPPPA Sargeant Safety

Scholarship and the VPPPA William “Sully” Sullivan Scholarship.

If you would like to renew your membership or have any questions, please contact VPPPA’s Membership Department by email, membership@vpppa.org, or by calling (703) 761-1146.

Member’s Illustrated Journey A picture is worth a thousand words.

Fortunately, you don’t have to use any words.

Enter VPPPA’s Illustrated Journey competition and depict your journey through VPP by using only original pictures and artwork. In your illustrated journey, show us how your company got involved with VPP. Where did you begin and how did you get to where you are now in VPP? What does VPP and your involvement within VPPPA mean to you?

No words. Just your own pictures and drawings. The person with the most creative illustrated journey will receive a two page spread in The Leader; the left side will include your artwork and the right side will include an explanation (500 words) of the pictures, company background information and contact information. This is a great chance for

members to market and promote themselves and their company!

The deadline to submit is April 10, 2015.

The rules and requirements to enter this contest are as follows: • Must be a member of VPPPA • You must have the rights to the photos used • We’re looking for original artwork, computer generated or a drawing • VPPPA is not responsible for any lost/ damaged artwork • VPPPA has all rights and ownership to the artwork that is submitted • VPPPA reserves the right to make any minor edits • Photo or graphic must be high resolution (300 dpi) • No nudity, graphic language or imagery, firearms or alcohol may be shown in any artwork Submit entries by April 10, 2015, by email at membership@vpppa.org, or by dropbox.

You can also mail your entry to VPPPA’s National Office: VPPPA, Inc. Attn: Membership 7600-E Leesburg Pike, Suite 100, Falls Church, VA 22043

CROSSWORD ANSWERS FROM THE LAST ISSUE ACROSS; 3. Owner of Access Compliance, Brenda_______ (Wiederkehr); 6. Recognizing something valuable and enhancing it further, in order to meet a particular need (Leadership); 7. Rather than blame the individual worker, leaders should seek to identify _______ within the work system (Deficiencies); 9. Subject of the 2014 Voluntary Protection Programs Participants’ Association Innovation Award - Mobile ________ Simulator (Slip); 12. In response to problems such as personal injuries and cardiovascular issues, Marathon Petroleum Company developed this for their workers (Panicbutton); 14.

To reduce slips, trips and falls, MoveSMART developed a ______ module (Balance); 15. Duration, in years, of World Health Assembly Executive Board members’ terms (Three); 16. The location of the school that completed the VPP Excellence in Safety Certificate Program (Alabama); 18. Cooperation across countries focusing on treatment and prevention, led to the eradication of this disease in 1979 (Smallpox); 19. __________ River Remediation , LLC, established at the initiation of the liquid waste contract with the government, in the summer of 2009 (Savannah); 20. Organization headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland (WHO); 22. Jess Lankford was recently appointed as chief administrative officer of this state’s OSHA section (Nevada); 24. Most common work injury types from 2009-2010 (Falls); 25. Second technique for building a safety culture, Measured ________ (Accountability); 27. Name of the book/movie based on Keni Thomas’ elite special operations unit (BlackHawkDown) DOWN; 1. Percent of fall-related injuries that occur as a result of falls from same-level-walking surfaces (Sixtyfive); 2. City in Texas where 31st Annual National VPPPA Conference will be held (Grapevine); 4.Third technique for building a safety culture, strategic ________ (Visibility); 5. Type of work site where Life Safety Solution was implemented (Refinery); 8. Location of Region I, “The Best of the Northeast” Conference” (Capecod); 10. The “M” in MRO Products (Maintenance); 11. State that welcomed in a new VPP Participant, Loven Contracting, Inc, into the Star Program (Arizona); 13. NIOSH released a guide on improving sleep quality for these workers (Truckdrivers); 15. NIOSH and OSHA released a recommended practices document for staffing agencies and host employers, in order to better protect this type of workers (Temporary); 17. New competition for 31st Annual National VPPPA Conference, VPPPA’s ________ (Gottalent); 21. Maximum amount of a substance allowed in the air. Permissable ______ limits (Exposure); 23. Leadership is more of a _______ than an inherited trait (Mindset); 26. Number of recognized VPP sites in the state of Washington (Thirty)

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infographic corner

Workers 65 and older are

more than four times as likely to sustain fatal on-thejob injuries as workers in their 20s, according to a new report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Workers in the 45 year-old and over category have increased by

49 percent and now make up 44 percent of the workforce. The age group over 55 has grown to

21 percent of the workforce.

A 2013 Gallup poll revealed that

37%

Last year,

21,396

age discrimination claims were recorded.

Older workers tend to

experience longer unemployment than their younger counterparts.

In 2012, adults aged 55â&#x20AC;&#x201C;64, on average, were unemployed for 54.6 weeks, compared to 36.4 weeks for workers aged 25â&#x20AC;&#x201C;34. The lack of jobs for those older Americans cost the United States some

$245 billion in lost output.

of working age respondents indicated they expect to work beyond age 65. Gallup reported that only 22 percent responded the same way in 2003 and only 16 percent in 1995.

Starting in January of 2011,

10,000 people turn 65 every single day, and this will continue through

2030 THE LEADER

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state-plan monitor

COMPILED BY CHARLIE DOSS, GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS MANAGER, VPPPA, INC.

Federal OSHA States State-Plan States P ublic Sector State Plan/Private Sector Federal OSHA

Alaska On Nov. 4, 2014, Barkley Lloyd, president and general manager of Alaska Clean Seas (ACS) of Prudhoe Bay, received notification from Dianne Blumer, commissioner for the Department of Labor and Workforce Development, of their renewal approval as a Star site in Alaska’s Occupational Safety and Health (AKOSH) VPP. “While adherence to our core value of safety is a top priority of every member of the ACS team, our safety specialists, Randy Pittman, CSP, and Eben McWilliams, RSP, are a key force behind our VPP renewal and safety record, including going 13 years without a lost time accident.

They support a world-class team of spill responders to prevent incidents, eliminate risk where possible and seek improvements to our processes to protect the ACS family at work and at home,” said Lloyd.

ACS is a not-for-profit oil spill response cooperative, whose current membership includes oil and pipeline companies that engage in or intend to undertake oil and gas exploration, development and production or pipeline transport activities on the North Slope of Alaska. Originally formed in 1979, ACS was restructured in 1990 from an equipment cooperative into a full-response organization. ACS is now poised to respond, similar to a professional fire department, to spill emergencies with trained responders and over $50 million worth of arctic-based response equipment, including a fleet of over 100 vessels and over 60 miles of oil spill boom, strategically in place across their area of operations.

Arizona Arizona’s state OSHA program is pleased to add Loven Contracting, Inc., to the list of VPP participants, bringing their total to 35 active sites, with at least three pending applications in the works. The Arizona Division of Occupational Safety and Health (ADOSH) has been extremely active working to complete re-approvals with companies such as McCarthy Construction, Hunter Douglas’s Horizontal Blinds Division, Frito Lay Distribution Center, Johns Manville, Raytheon Missile Systems (multiple sites) and more recently, Central Arizona Project, who has once again been re-approved. Great work everyone! Remember, the philosophy of

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the VPP process is to share the knowledge so that other organizations can learn from the path you have forged.

Jessie Atencio, VPP coordinator for ADOSH, has seen very good growth in the Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program (SHARP) as well. He is also working on a program that will enable employers in the construction industry to work through a mobile workforce SHARP, eventually growing their programs to move towards the construction VPP. ADOSH continues to use SGEs and does not anticipate that slowing down, especially given the amount of re-approvals that are still to come. Jessie and his staff in the consultation and training department will continue to educate stakeholders throughout the state on the advantages of the Voluntary Protection Programs as part of several Safety Summit meetings held at varying times during the upcoming year.

Iowa Iowa OSHA is proud to announce that three resident contracting companies achieved Star status recently: Thompson Construction, Inc., Clausen Supply Company and J. W. Koehler Electric, Inc. Each is a resident contractor at LyondellBasell, a PSM-covered chemical plant, in Clinton, which has been a Star site since 2002. A celebration was held on Oct. 14, 2014, which included all three contracting companies, their employees and the LyondellBasell partners. Iowa Labor Commissioner Michael Mauro presented each company with a plaque and a flag to recognize how each company went above and beyond OSHA minimum requirements to achieve VPP Star status.

LyondellBasell fully integrates their contractors into their safety and health management systems and their leadership was one aspect that contributed to the successes of their contracting partners.

One small, but powerful, example of safety leadership was demonstrated when the VPP celebration began with a safety moment, shared by Clausen hourly employee, Jeremy Lemon. Safety moments are part of the LyondellBasell philosophy of making safety personal. Every meeting throughout the facility begins with someone sharing a personal story about safety. At the conclusion

of the VPP ceremony, LyondellBasell again demonstrated leadership when they challenged the group to continue to improve and create an even safer workplace, as achieving the Star is only the beginning of their safety journey.

All three contracting companies worked closely together to prepare for the rigorous VPP audit process, just as they do when performing work at LyondellBasell. That close communication was another key to achieving Star status. All resident contractors belong to the Contractor Safety Council, an effective tool to promote close, positive communication and the sharing of best practices between contracting partners.

Thompson Construction, Inc. offers a comprehensive menu of general labor services at LyondellBasell and has been working at the site for 38 years. The services include utility locating, excavation and repair of underground piping, concrete flat work, gravel work, snow removal, bicycle inspection and maintenance and general maintenance of grounds and buildings. Their company motto is “Forging Into The Future Committed To Safety, Quality, And Health.”

Thompson Construction has less than 10 employees, and they are a shining example of how a small company can implement a comprehensive safety and health management system effectively, including behavior-based safety and performing job hazard analyses for every task. For the last 18 years, the company has worked with zero OSHA recordable injuries.

Clausen Supply Company is also a resident general labor contracting company at LyondellBasell. The services performed include general labor, scrap yard management, janitorial support, train hopper car wash, PEX boxing and loading, warehouse coordination, fire watch, confined space entry support and air monitoring for excavations. Their company motto is “Safety First, Quality Always.” Approximately 29 employees work at the LyondellBasell site.

Their three-year total incident rate at the site is 0.0. Clausen Supply Company is another LyondellBasell contractor that trains their employees that they not only have the right to stop a job if it appears unsafe, they have the obligation to do so.

J.W. Koehler Electric, Inc., is the first electrical contracting company to achieve Star status is Iowa. Koehler Electric has been an electrical contracting company at LyondellBasell for over five years, performing industrial electrical design, installation and maintenance.

They began their journey to achieve the Star over three years ago, with full support from the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 145, out of Rock Island, IL. The company’s motto is “Always Striving for Excellence in Whatever We Do.” Koehler Electric has approximately 124 employees, with 32 employees (varies with projects) located at LyondellBasell site. Their three-year total incident rate at the site is 0.0 and the company’s overall Insurance Modification Rate is the lowest possible, demonstrating their commitment to safe work throughout their company.

On Aug. 15, 2014, Monsanto Corn Research-Independence celebrated their Star approval. The audit process was completed in phases since seasonal activities vary. This site employs nine people full time, supplemented by many seasonal workers. Everyone in the core group is deeply involved in safety and is responsible for different safety programs and activities. Monsanto supports safety and health in the community as well and everyone in the core group was also heavily involved in outreach activities. The Star celebration was unique in that family members were also invited and recognized.

Please join us in honoring and congratulating Iowa’s four new Star successes.

For more information about the Iowa VPP program, contact VPP Team Leader, Shashi Patel at (515) 281-6369.

Top: Thompson Construction displays its VPP flag and plaque Bottom: Clausen Supply Company displays its VPP flag and plaque

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state-plan monitor

contacting each state >> Alaska Bill Nickerson VPP Coordinator Phone: (907) 269-4948 www.labor.state.ak.us/lss/ oshhome.htm Arizona Jessie Atencio Assistant Director Phone: (520) 220-4222 www.ica.state.az.us/ ADOSH/ADOSH_main. aspx California Iraj Pourmehraban Cal/VPP & PSM Manager Phone: (510) 622-1080 www.dir.ca.gov/dosh/cal_ vpp/cal_vpp_index.html Hawaii Clayton Chun Manager Phone: (808) 586-9110 labor.hawaii.gov/hiosh Indiana Michael Gaskill Manager Phone: (260) 373-2860 www.in.gov/dol/ Iowa Shashi Patel VPP Coordinator Phone: (515) 281-6369 www.iowaworkforce.org/ labor/iosh Kentucky Joe Giles VPP Program Administrator Phone: (502) 564-4089 labor.ky.gov/dows/ oshp/doet/partnership/ pages/VPP---VoluntaryProtection-Partnership. aspx Maryland Cynthia L. Wheeler VPP Coordinator Phone: (410) 527-4473 www.dllr.state.md.us/ labor/mosh/vpp.shtml

Michigan Doug Kimmel MVPP Specialist Phone: (231) 546-2366 Sherry Scott MVPP Manager Phone: (517) 322-5817 www.michigan.gov/mvpp Minnesota Ryan Nosan MNSTAR VPP Coordinator Phone: (651) 284-5120 www.doli.state.mn.us/ mnStar.html Nevada Jimmy Andrews VPP Coordinator Phone: (702) 486-9069 www.dirweb.state.nv.us New Mexico Melissa Barker VPP Coordinator Phone: (505) 222-9595 www.nmenv.state. nm.us/Ohsb_Website/ ComplianceAssistance/ VPP.htm North Carolina LaMont Smith Recognition Program Manager Phone: (919) 807-2909 www.nclabor.com/osha/ osh.htm Oregon Mark E. Hurliman, CSHM VPP/SHARP Program Manager Phone: (541) 776-6016 www.cbs.state.or.us/osha/ subjects/vpp.htm Puerto Rico Ilza Roman Director Phone: (787) 754-2171 www.dtrh.gobierno.pr

South Carolina Sharon Dumit VPP Coordinator Phone: (803) 896-7788 www.scosha.llronline.com Tennessee David Blessman VPP Manager Phone: (615) 253-6890 www.state.tn.us/laborwfd/vppStar.html Utah Holly Lawrence VPP Manager Phone: (801) 530-6494 www.laborcommission. utah.gov/divisions/UOSH/ VPPprogram.html Vermont Daniel Whipple VPP Coordinator Phone: (802) 828-5084 www.labor.vermont.gov/ vosha Virginia Milford Stern VPP Coordinator Phone: (540) 562-3580 www.doli.virginia.gov/ vosh_coop/vosh_vpp.html Washington John Geppert VPP Manager Phone: (360) 902-5496 www.lni.wa.gov/safety/ topics/atoz/vpp/default.asp Wyoming Karin Schubert Consultation Supervisor Phone: (307) 777-7710 www.wyomingworkforce. org/employers-andbusinesses/osha/Pages/ safety-and-healthcompliance.aspx

For additional information and up-to-date contacts, please visit www.vpppa.org/chapters/contacts.cfm.

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Minnesota Minnesota has 38 Star sites and two Merit sites within the Minnesota VPP (MNSTAR) program. Of the 38 Star sites, 36 are classified as general industry and two are resident contractors at our MNSTAR approved refinery. Minnesota OSHA (MNOSHA) and the MNSTAR Program were very strong in 2014. Since the beginning of the year, we continued to process our re-approval audits in a timely manner and completed four new site approvals into MNSTAR. In addition, one site was recommended to participate in a Merit status. One site is currently under the 90-day deferral period and upon successful completion of the hazard items, they will be recommended as a full MNSTAR participant. The MNSTAR team continues to receive applications from interested employers. This year will see 12 re-approval visits among existing MNSTAR employers.

Having a dedicated MNSTAR team has allowed us to build strong working relationships with our partners and has helped open lines of communication from site to site.

Our current stakeholders continue to promote the program to their clients which has led to an increase of inquiries into the program. Our MNSTAR sites share best practices from site to site which allows all employers to strive to be better.

The following sites achieved MNSTAR or Merit status in 2014: • Nyco, Incorporated—(Rosemount, MN) was recommended and approved as a full MNSTAR site • Delta Air Lines—Minneapolis Reservations Customer Engagement Center—(Minneapolis, MN) was recommended and approved as a full MNSTAR site.

• Firmenich—(New Ulm, MN) was recommended and approved as a full MNSTAR site.

• Bosch Security Systems—(Burnsville, MN) was recommended and approved as a full MNSTAR site.

• Sysco Asian Foods—(St. Paul, MN) has been recommended and approved to participate as a Merit—MNSTAR Site.

Also in 2014, we completed successful reapproval visits at:

• Danfoss Power Solution— (Plymouth, MN) • Aveda Midwest Distribution Center— (Blaine, MN) • Marvin Windows and Doors— (Warroad, MN) • Monsanto Corn Research— (Olivia, MN) • CB & I—(Rosemount, MN) The MNSTAR Team continues to receive inquires and has visited with multiple employers that have an interest in the MNSTAR Program. The small team approach has allowed MNOSHA to remain consistent from site to site and helped alleviate any scheduling conflicts.

If you would like further information about the MNSTAR Program, please visit www.doli. state.mn.us/WSC/Mnstar.asp or contact Ryan Nosan, MNSTAR VPP coordinator, at ryan. nosan@state.mn.us.

Nevada

Washington There are currently 30 recognized VPP sites in the Washington State program. Initial approval onsite visits were held at MA Mortenson Construction in University Place, NuStar Energy in Tacoma and Starbucks Roasting Plant in Kent. Onsite evaluations for continued participation were conducted at GE River Road Generating Plant in Vancouver and Monsanto in Othello.

The sites most recently re-approved were Intermech in Richland, Simmons Bedding in Sumner and Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories in Pullman. Celebrations were held for Veolia Environmental in Vancouver, WA, and Cascades Sonoco in Tacoma. An initial approval onsite visit was scheduled in January for Trident Seafoods in Seattle.

The Washington State Voluntary Protection Programs will hold its 3rd Annual Safety Excellence Seminar on March 19, 2015, in Tumwater. The focus of the seminar this coming year will be Safety Culture.

Our (Minnesota) MNSTAR sites share best practices from site to site which allows all employers to strive to be better.

As was noted in the last issue of The Leader, Nevada’s State OSHA program VPP Coordinator, Jess Lankford, vacated his role to take the helm as chief administrative officer. We have learned that the position of VPP coordinator has now been filled by Jimmy Andrews. We want to congratulate Mr. Andrews on his new appointment and are looking forward to working with him within Region IX. Mr. Andrews is already actively involved in the program as they continue to work to add to the nine active VPP sites within Nevada. In fact, there are four reapprovals already slated for the 2015 calendar year and 2014 saw one new site added to the roles of the VPP family. Keep up the good work and welcome aboard, Mr. Andrews!

Oregon Oregon had two sites re-approved during the quarter. Boise Packaging and Newsprint, a wholly owned subsidiary of Packaging Corporation of America, underwent their evaluation in October and was re-approved as a Star site in November 2014. Covanta Marion, Inc. went through their evaluation in November and was re-approved as a Star site in December 2014. Three evaluations are scheduled for the first quarter of 2015, and two new applications are anticipated in the near future.

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chapter round-ups

COMPILED BY BENJAMIN MASSOUD, COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR, VPPPA, INC.

Region I Hello from Region I, where New England sparkles in winter. Blanketed in snow, white church steeples stand out against the deep blue sky. Whether it’s winter, spring, summer or fall, it’s a great place for a vacation. If you haven’t visited New England, plan on attending one of our annual safety conferences. With that said, Region I is planning for our spring conference, held on beautiful Cape Cod, at the Sea Crest Beach Hotel in Falmouth, MA, May 18–20, 2015.

As always, we are planning an all-out event by providing keynote speakers that you’ll remember long after the conference. The vast number of workshops, along with various exhibitors and their products, will present a host of information. Don’t miss this event!

Early registration is recommended. Visit www.vppregion1.com for more information.

We recently held our fall chapter meeting, hosted by L.L. Bean at their Brunswick Manufacturing facility in Brunswick, ME. The chapter meeting opened with the facility’s manager, Rick Bohan, and safety program

manager, Karen Girardin, presenting an overview of the facility. The facility employs 360 people who support operations, the manufacturing of new products and the refurbishing of Maine Hunting Shoe and Bean Boots.

Chapter Chair, Steve Gauthier, welcomed everyone and provided a chapter report. Steve also informed the membership about the Feb. 10, 2015, chapter meeting which will be held at United Technologies Aerospace SystemsUTC, Windsor Locks, CT. Following the chapter report, OSHA gave a regional report. We’d like to thank the OSHA representatives in attendance; their participation continues to demonstrate the strong relationship our members have with their regional OSHA representatives.

Region I’s Tim Irving, assistant regional administrator for cooperative and state programs, Robert Sands, Region I VPP manager, Lynnda Ignacio, VPP coordinator, Maryann Medeiros, area director Maine, and Brian Sullivan, compliance specialist, were on hand to answer questions about the most recent national initiatives.

The chapter meeting was adjourned, and L.L. Bean then provided a tour of their facility.

Thanks to L.L. Bean for hosting.

Contributed by Steve Gauthier, Region I Chairperson

Region III The Region III VPPPA Board of Directors is excitedly preparing for our 18th Annual Conference, scheduled for March 4–6, 2015, at The Homestead in Hot Springs, VA. It is time to register! The registration link (www. vppparegion3.org/2015RegistrationForm.pdf ), is available on the Region III website.

Be prepared to absorb all that The Homestead has to offer, including natural hot springs, mountains with skiing on the property, hiking trails and two championship golf courses. You can book your hotel reservation online or directly with The Homestead. Don’t miss out on the discounted conference hotel rate of $135. Be sure to visit The Homestead’s website for more information on the Conference: www.thehomestead.com/ VPPPARegionIII2015AnnualMeeting.

Sea Crest Beach Hotel, location of Region I’s conference

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Congratulations to Region III Directorat-Large, Kristyn Grow, (Cintas) for her election to the National VPPPA Board of Directors during this year’s national conference! Also, the Region III Board would like to welcome Carol Hash of Kennametal, to the Board of Directors.

Carol will be filling our hourly union representative position.

In addition to following Region III VPPPA on our website (vppparegion3.org/ homepage.html), you can also keep up with our activity by becoming a Facebook “friend” of Region III VPPPA. Contributed by Bob Schroeder, Region III Secretary

Region IV The 2015 Region IV Safety & Health Excellence Conference, held June 16-18, 2015, will be in Orlando, FL, at the fabulous Caribe Royale. New for the 2015 conference, adding to the vast educational opportunities, five free pre-conference workshops will be offered. For more conference and registration information, visit www.regionivvpp.org.

L.E. Meyers is hosting an SGE Training Class in Chattanooga, TN, April 7–9, 2015. For more information on the SGE program within Region IV, visit www.regionivvpp.org/sge.

Looking for assistance from another VPP site on the complexities of navigating through the process? Region IV has many VPP sites that are eager to help other sites achieve VPP status. Learn from those who have been through the process. The Region IV website has an online form for those looking to mentor others and for those looking for a mentor. Visit www.regionivvpp.org/mentoring for more information or to submit a mentor/ mentee request.

Contributed by Phil Walsh, Region IV Chairperson

Region V The 2015 Region V Conference will take place May 19–21, at the Great Columbus Convention Center in Columbus, OH. Be sure to save the dates!

Some Conference Highlights are: Keni Thomas will be this year’s keynote speaker. In the summer of 1993 Sergeant Keni Thomas was deployed to Mogadishu, Somalia.

Keni and his fellow rangers distinguished themselves in an eighteen hour firefight that would later be recounted in the highly successful book and movie “Black Hawk Down.”

A powerful speaker, Keni captivates audiences from beginning to end as he tells the incredible story of extraordinary individuals and how they fought to bring each other home. Drawing from his experiences on the battlefield, Keni inspires people to achieve greatness by stressing the importance of outstanding leadership at every level. Attendees can also look forward to: • Over 40 Outstanding EH&S Workshops • Raffle Prizes • Great Networking • VPP Application Workshop • Pre-conference Tour at Nucor Steel in Marion, OH For more information on becoming an exhibitor, contact Eric Siefker at (419) 9431183 or siefkeej@proteccoating.com. The Region V Conference provides an excellent opportunity to create new, and strengthen existing relationships and reinforce your services and products to companies who continuously strive for safety excellence.

Would your organization like to sponsor or donate items for the 2015 conference?

We are looking for items such as cups, ID lanyards, notebooks, etc. All sponsors will have their company name, logo and the level of sponsorship provided to all attendees and will be prominently displayed at all the Opening and General Session events. Additional information about sponsorship opportunities is available on the Region V website.

The 2015 VPP assessment schedule for Region V has been posted on our website. If you’re an SGE and looking to participate on an assessment in 2015, be sure to review the VPP schedule and contact the OSHA lead as soon as possible. For the VPP assessment schedule and the OSHA contacts, please visit www. vppregionv.com/region-v-sges.

Contributed by Bill Linneweh, Region V Chairperson

Region VI Region VI is gearing up for our 2015 conference, “Hooked on Safety,” held at the American Bank Center in Corpus Christi, TX, May 4–7, 2015.

Workshop proposals are now being accepted as well as sponsorships and registration for exhibitors. All this can be completed via the Region VI website, www.regionvivpp.org.

Once again, OSHA will be offering an SGE class on the days leading up to the 2015 Region VI VPPPA Regional Conference.

The dates of the class are May 2–4. The application Deadline was Jan. 15, 2015.

The future SGE training schedule is as follows: July 14–16, 2015—McKee Foods, Gentry, AR. Application deadline April 15, 2015. Sept. 15–17, 2015—NASA-JSC (Gilruth Center), Houston, TX. Application deadline is July 15, 2015.

To register, please go to www.osha.gov/ dcsp/vpp/sge.html. If you have any questions, please contact Chantel Sollers at sollers. chantel@dol.gov or at (202) 693-2237 or Bill Klingbeil at klingbeil.william@dol.gov.

Have you recently celebrated a success at your site? Share your story with the rest of the VPP community. Let’s hear what’s going on at your site. Send us your stories with photos and brag a little about what you’re doing well and how it has impacted your site and safety program. Send your stories and photos to Kirk Crandall, kirk.crandall@ nrgenergy.com. Visit the Region VI website at www.regionvivpp.org for more details.

Region VI recognizes Connie Pritchard: An outstanding and accomplished employee of the NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) for 30 years, Connie Pritchard is an advocate and mentor for both VPP, and the OSHA Challenge Program.

Her support for VPP and the JSC grew when she transferred into the Safety & Test Operations Support Division in 2009. She is actively involved in supporting JSC’s VPP Star program by educating employees and contractors on the importance of maintaining JSC’s safety and health excellence.

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chapter round-ups

Connie presents VPP information at pre-proposal conferences, an important early stage in the NASA procurement process.

She coordinates and implements safety requirements in request for proposals and evaluates safety and health plans and safety past performance reviews on all support contracts at JSC. She also supports JSC’s annual VPP self-evaluation by providing documentation on several critical elements for the report and assists in the development of the report. She provides one-on-one mentoring to several contractors for the Challenge Program.

Region VI recognizes Kimberly Cooper (Written by Kimberly) In February 2012, I became VPP site coordinator for Chevron Phillips Chemical Orange Plant. To familiarize myself with VPP and my role, my manager suggested that I take “learning journeys” and to network at our sister sites. Each time I visited a new site, I learned something new.

At the 2014 VPPPA national conference, I attended a pre-conference workshop presented

by OSHA, about possible upcoming changes to the Annual Self-Evaluation and PSM Supplement B questions. Since I was the only Chevron Phillips Chemical employee in attendance, I invited all our domestic VPP site coordinators and our OSHA area VPP coordinator to a two day networking meeting.

We have three coordinators who have been in their positions for less than a year, and they found these meetings to be very beneficial.

It gave them a chance to ask questions and learn from more seasoned VPP coordinators, learn how each site prepares and submits their self-evaluations, as well as learn OSHA’s expectations and best practices from their counterparts. As a result, we now have an established VPP Coordinators Best Practice Team in our corporation.

Contributed by Kirk Crandall, Region VI Director-at-Large

Region VII The Region VII VPPPA Board of Directors would like to thank everyone that attended the VPP Application Workshop in October in Des Moines, IA. A big thanks to Matt Gaines,

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Mike Minicky, Mike Murphy and Terry Bass for leading the workshop.

The Region VII VPPPA BOD is very busy preparing for this year’s conference in St. Louis, MO, at the Chase Park Plaza, May 18–20, 2015. We are very excited to announce that we have dynamic speaker, singer and song writer, Keni Thomas, presenting at the opening session. Keni is an American country music singer and a former United States Army Ranger. Keni was a member of Task Force Ranger as a part of Operation Restore Hope, in Somalia, and served in the Battle of Mogadishu that was later immortalized in the book “Black Hawk Down” and its subsequent film adaptation, for which he served as a consultant.

We would like to congratulate Jeff Klinksick, chairperson, and Randy Bickford, vice chairperson, on their retirement and we wish them the best of luck in their future plans. We also want to thank them for their dedication, passion and leadership they have had for VPP and the VPP Participants’ Association.

With their retirements, the BOD has elected Mike Murphy, Ply Gem and Bill Turner, NuStar Energy, as chairperson and vice chairperson, respectively, and Alicia Hardacre, Tyler Pipe, has stepped into the role of secretary/historian. With the new leadership, we look forward to maintaining the same level of quality and conferences, while at the same time increasing interest in employee safety, VPP and VPPPA. We hope to see you all this May at the conference in St. Louis.

Contributed by Bill Turner, Region VII Vice Chairperson

Region VIII Planning for the 2015 conference, scheduled for May 5–7, 2015, in the Denver area, is in full swing. We are currently working with the DoubleTree to relocate exhibitors to a friendlier environment. Additionally, we are generating a “Things to Do in Denver” flier so our guests enjoy the “Mile High City.” Our keynote speakers have not been confirmed, but we have narrowed it down to three top choices. We are focusing on speakers that will bring a fresh undertone to the opening and closing sessions.

In order to improve the conference each year, we

are switching to a feedback-based conference.

We are hoping to establish regional committees to meet the needs of all six states, while focusing on mentorship, outreach and growth.

Region VIII is on the verge of something great and understands we are part of something bigger. As we press on together, the synergy is unstoppable. Change is inevitable, but our region is worth the work. This year the goals were to develop a regional mission statement, define roles and responsibilities for the board, support our OSHA regional VPP manager, maintain our current VPP sites and look for opportunities to expand outreach. I am happy to report that all of these were carried out in 2014.

This year’s goals also include a Government Relations Committee while continuing to focus on member relations, increasing membership and participation and improving conference attendance and workshops. I believe that with everyone’s dedication and support, we can master all of these items and develop an even better region.

This year, four board positions will be open for election: chair, treasurer, site representativeunion and director-at-large #2. I urge you to get out and vote and get involved in shaping the future of the region.

It has been an honor to serve as the interim chair for 2014. Rest assured, we still have work to do, and I am up for the task. I sincerely want to thank the Board of Directors for their patience, willingness to change and most importantly, trust.

I wish for health and happiness for you all in the upcoming year. Thank you for being such a supportive group of hard working individuals committed to health and safety excellence.

Contributed by Mark. A. Moya, Region VIII Chairperson

Region IX Reaching the summit in any endeavor, simply put, implies that you have arrived; you are the best! But what does it take to get there? It doesn’t just magically happen. It takes work, commitment, engagement and education, just to name a few. Then there is the issue of making sure that once we achieve those lofty goals designed to get us to the pinnacle of success in safety, that we remain at the top,

that we don’t fall off the ledge! These are all areas that each and every VPP participant struggles with on a daily basis and the Board of Directors for Region IX VPPPA are committed to helping you get the answers.

You will find that help at the 2015 Regional Safety Summit in Reno, NV, April 14–16, 2015. Learn from people who have already forged a path to the peak: management and employees, who in the interest of saving lives and enhancing safety within their varied organizations, have already scaled the mountains, eliminating the obstacles placed before them, eventually to discover there is such a thing as safety excellence. Come learn from corporate executives, charged with the day-to-day decisions affecting and shaping the very direction of their journey to excellence as they explain what it means to them! In addition, you can discover new methods and best practices utilized by those organizations, all of whom have successfully maintained that engagement and level of success year after year, demonstrating continuous improvement the entire time. Learn how VPP saves lives, saves money and builds success into an organization. Join region IX VPP participants at the 2015 Safety Summit. If you want to get involved and contribute to our success by doing a presentation, volunteering to help with conference duties or in some other way, simply go to the Region IX website, www.regionixvpppa.org/ and discover the ways in which you can contribute to our journey to success!

Contributed by Mark Norton, Ambassador to the Region IX Board

Region X On Oct. 1, 2014, Idaho Cleanup Project (ICP) President and CEO, Tom Dieter, congratulated employees for achieving one million hours without a recordable injury for the fourth time. In recognition of this great achievement, employees were treated to a special safety appreciation lunch. In his message he praised his workers: “As you know, most companies tout how many hours they’ve gone without a ‘lost workday injury,’ but we took the challenge to take safe work metrics to a new level of achievement.

Through your dedication to ensure work

is performed safely, you demonstrate that zero injuries is achievable, and you not only know how to do it, but also take personal accountability for your actions while looking out for your colleagues.”

Employees of Tessenderlo Kerley Inc. (TKI), of Burley, ID, celebrated Star re-approval on Oct. 9, 2014, for their continued excellence in safety and health.

The TKI manufacturing plant sits on approximately 40 acres. The site is located five miles south of Burley, ID, and is surrounded by farmland. It employs 12 workers who produce soil fumigant for distribution to agricultural product retailers.

Production time is limited to six to eight months a year, depending on demand.

Generally, production times are from mid-February to the end of April and from the first of June to the end of November.

During extended downtime periods, facility maintenance and improvements are completed. OSHA initially approved the facility’s VPP Star status in February 2006.

The facility has an injury and illness rate 100 percent below the national average for its industry.

Congratulations to the employees of the URS E&C office in Boise, ID, for the successful renewal of their VPP Star. The Boise office first received OSHA VPP Star status in 2006 and is the first URS office to receive the recognition. This important achievement was marked at a ceremony on Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2014.

“This is a significant achievement and places the Boise office among the safety elite,” said Brad Giles, energy & construction (EC) senior vice president of safety. “Less than 0.03% of workplaces in the United States have achieved this level of health and safety performance.” A thank you is extended to the Boise employees and the safety committee that assisted in the reapproval process.

In addition, celebrations also took place at the following sites: Potlatch Land & Lumber of St. Maries, ID, and Everett Naval Station in Everett, WA.

Top: (Back Row, left to right) Jack Kerns, Steve Sailors, Chace Thomas, Richard Hobbs, Spencer Sorensen, Jordan Burns (Front Row, left to right) Mike Granillo, Rick Hieb, Stephanie Johnson, Scott Vail, Mark Payne, Todd Hale, Greg Roggentine, not pictured Daryl Scott Bottom: Employees of Tessenderlo Kerley celebrate Star re-approval

Contributed by Jack Griffith, Region X Communications Committee Chairman

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calendar of events

VPPPA Contacts

february

may

To reach the VPPPA National Office, call (703) 761-1146 or visit www. vpppa.org. To reach a particular staff member, please refer to the contact information below.

Jan. 12–Feb. 23, 2015

May 4–7, 2015

VPPPA’s Got Talent Voting

Region VI VPPPA Conference Omni Bayfront Hotel, Corpus Christi, TX

march March 2015 Registration open for the 31st Annual National VPPPA Safety & Health Conference

May 5–7, 2015 Region VIII VPPPA Conference Doubletree Hotel Denver Tech, Greenwood Village, CO

May 13–14, 2015

March 3–5, 2015

Region X VPPPA Conference Red Lion on the River, Portland, OR

Region III VPPPA Conference OMNI Homestead Resort, Hot Springs, VA

May 18–20, 2015

april April 14–16, 2015 Region IX VPPPA Conference Grand Sierra Resort & Casino, Reno, NV

R. Davis Layne rdlayne@vpppa.org Senior Advisor

Sara A. Taylor, CMP staylor@vpppa.org Director of Operations Ext. 107

Amanda Buckner abuckner@vpppa.org Senior Conference Coordinator Ext. 112

Sarah Neely sneely@vpppa.org Communications Manager Ext. 121

Region I VPPPA Conference Sea Crest Beach Motel Falmouth, MA

Benjamin Massoud

May 18–20, 2015

Charlie Doss

Region VII VPPPA Conference Chase Park Plaza Hotel, St. Louis, MO

cdoss@vpppa.org Government Affairs Manager Ext. 113

May 19–21, 2015 Region V VPPPA Conference Hilton Columbus Downtown, Columbus, OH

bmassoud@vpppa.org Communications Coordinator Ext. 117

Tom Webb twebb@vpppa.org Strategic Development & Member Services Manager Ext. 114

Jenna Shay

june May 30–Jun 4, 2015 American Industrial Hygiene Conference and Expo (AIHCE) 2015 Salt Lake City, UT

June 1–3, 2015 Region II VPPPA Conference Taj Mahal, Atlantic City, NJ

June 16–18, 2015 Region IV VPPPA Conference Caribe Royal, Orlando, FL

jshay@vpppa.org Member Services Coordinator Ext. 115

Laura S. Rotzler, CMP lrotzler@vpppa.org Advertising & Sponsorship Coordinator Ext. 111

Marianne Trinh mtrinh@vpppa.org Senior Accountant Ext. 106

Bryant Walker bwalker@vpppa.org Information & Data Analyst Manager Ext. 110

Courtney Malveaux, Esq

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cmalveaux@vpppa.org Government Relations Counsel Ext. 105

crossword puzzle Fill out this crossword puzzle featuring clues on VPP, the association and content from this issue! Answers to this puzzle will appear in the spring issue of The Leader. Do not include spaces for multiple-word answers. To submit a crossword puzzle clue/answer in the next issue of The Leader, contact communications@vpppa.org.

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11. Repetition, posture and _______ are ergonomic risk factors that become magnified as we age because the body has had those factors impacting it over time even in the best of conditions

Across 2.

One of Region VIII’s goals; Government _______ Committee

6.

Theme of the 2015 Region VI Conference, “ _______ on Safety”

10. To help prevent serious injuries on the job, you need a comprehensive process that includes an ergonomics improvement process, education/ training and early _______

12. Representative from Ohio’s 7th Congressional District, Bob _______

Down The term for workers who want a job, are available to work, but have dropped out of the workforce because they think that no work is available or believe that employers think they are too old

15. This type of program can address multiple issues related to standing, muscle fatigue and foot pain

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Older workers can provide many benefits, including loyalty, engagement and _______

18. City where 2015 Region VII Conference will be held

20. The belief that older workers cannot adjust to technology or are generally resistant to change” is an example of an _______ stereotype

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Cloudy deposit that can develop in the lens of an eye

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By 2020, an estimated _______ percent of the labor force will be 55 and older

21. Periods of _______ last about 50 percent longer for older people

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The optimal location to perform work

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22. By looking at _______ trends associated with aging workers, organizations can develop a targeted, age-specific strategy to prevent or reduce the duration of days that older workers miss

City where the 2015 Region IV Safety and Health Excellence Conference will be held

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23. Plant manager for Hendrickson Trailer Commercial Vehicle Systems, in Mitchell, SD, Steve _______

The scientific discipline concerned with the interaction among aging humans and other elements of the system within which they work

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13. Limits the use of joints and creates stiffness and pain

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14. Number of completed outreach meetings with the Senate in 2014

16. At this age, workability starts to decrease at its most critical point

26. A proper ergonomics program can help prevent workplace _______ disorders See page 40 for Crossword Answers from last issue.

A person’s fatigue _______ is lowered if they experience reduced recovery time for muscle endurance and get tired earlier in work activities

17. Idaho Cleanup Project President and CEO, Tom

19. According to Aon’s Ageonomics diagnostic research, the two leading causes of injuries to knees and shoulders, strains/sprains and slips/trips/ falls, can be attributed to reduced strength and _______ 20. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2009 that a higher standard of proof applies to _______ discrimination claims than to job bias claims based on sex or race 24. The science of designing the workplace to fit the worker while keeping in mind the capabilities and limitations of the worker 25. Utilizing diffusers of light sources, indirect lighting and installing a larger number of lower power and adjustable light sources can help reduce this in a worksite

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