Supervisors trained as back health monitors
Employers ask for follow-up program
What do you do when you’ve completed an extremely successful back health training program? Why, go right back in and start a new program to reinforce what’s been learned, naturally.
Dennis Downing, president of Future Industrial Technology (FIT), Santa Barbara, CA, readily admits he "wasn’t that smart." It was his clients who saw the need for this second layer of learning.
"The employers wanted it," he says. "They were getting [what they felt] were very good programs, and the companies wanted long-term benefits rather than just short-term. They wanted the precepts reinforced on a regular basis."
Upon reflection, Downing realized they were right. "In order to change behavior, it has to be reinforced both positively and in a corrective mode," he says.
FIT, an injury prevention company, helps reduce workers’ compensation costs by teaching employees how to be responsible for their own health and to control their own well-being.
Its two back health programs, BACKSAFE® and SITTINGSAFE®, have already achieved these impressive results:
Back injuries at the Fabrication Division of Boeing Corp. have been reduced 41%.
In the Los Angeles County Office of Education, carpal tunnel syndrome cases were reduced by more than 37%.
At United Airlines, preliminary data show a 47% reduction in cart-related injuries and a 90% reduction in luggage-related injuries.
Rolling out the new program
In response to the employer requests, FIT rolled out its new "supervisor training module" in the fall of 1998, conducting pilot programs with United Airlines and the State of California.
"We did the BACKSAFE® and SITTINGSAFE® programs in April and May for about 2100 employees, and in October 1998, we delivered the training to the supervisors," says Claire Florio, safety coordinator of engine maintenance with United in San Francisco.
There is a separate training module for each program, Downing explains. "For BACKSAFE®, we train up to 10 supervisors at a time in how to do a safety audit — to walk around their facility, and be able to observe and differentiate between proper and improper biomechanics."
But they have to do more than that. "We teach them how to acknowledge and reinforce the proper biomechanical movements; how to intervene and correct an employee without making someone feel wrong,’" Downing explains. "We also teach them how to conduct 24 different 10-minute safety meetings that are distilled from the original programs, because the same language must be reinforced."
In the SITTINGSAFE® module, supervisors are trained to perform personal work site consultation. "They’re taught how to assist employees in setting up their workstations in an ergonomically correct fashion for their specific body type — as well as how to sit properly, and exercise and stretch regularly," he continues.
These four-hour modules are specifically designed to take place immediately after the work force, department, or division is trained. "This way, right from the git-go,’ you have supervisors who are capable of immediately acknowledging proper behavior," Downing explains.
The cost of the program depends on the number of employees. The two base programs are $35 an employee. Supervisor training for up to 10 individuals is less than $2500.
United buys in
United is fully committed to the supervisor training concept. "The original program was excellent, but we realized that with any training, people needed to be reminded and coached to make a habit of what they’ve learned," says Florio.
Her goals were to "further ingrain and to support change in people’s work habits," which, she admits, is often easier said than done. "We’re still trying to get the team leaders to get out there and do it, because for them it’s also a change."
That’s because it’s more than just a change of behavior; it’s a cultural change. "It’s hard for our mechanics, who want to look strong and bulletproof," she notes. "At the same time, our supervisors want to give them that respect, but they want to help them."
While the change will not be easy, Florio asserts it is well worth the effort.
"This is a very new concept — for a supervisor to go out and observe someone working and to be able, if they see they’re doing it right, to thank or congratulate them, or if they’re doing it wrong, to tell them," she notes. "That’s what was so very valuable. Now, it’s up to us to help the supervisors feel comfortable doing it."
To that end, United is reinforcing the messages on its own as well. "We have monthly safety meetings where people get up and do exercises that come out of the BACKSAFE® program. We asked the supers’ and their volunteer safety reps to do the same at least monthly among their own people, so they’d be more comfortable," says Florio.
It seems to be working. "Some groups are saying they actually want to do the exercises at break time," she reports. "That’s a key, because the more comfortable they become, the more comfortable the supervisors will be. It all goes together."
At same time, United is instituting an overall focus on ergonomics. "We’re going to have some ergonomics consultants come and walk through the building and talk about workstation ergonomics," says Florio. "Together with the supervisor training module, it will encourage our team leaders to pursue good body mechanics."
Employees greatly appreciate these programs, she adds. "They loved [the FIT programs]. They thought they were practical and useful."
Sources
• Dennis Downing, Future Industrial Technology, 4930 Cervato Way, Santa Barbara, CA 93111. Telephone: (805) 964-3172. Web site: www.backsafe.com.
• Claire Florio, United Airlines SFMC, SFOPA, San Francisco International Airport, San Francisco, CA 94128. Telephone: (650) 634-2108.
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