Gather the right data to assess staff needs
Employee health professionals (EHPs) who are trying to justify their staffing levels to administrators will need to compile and present certain information, but where do you start? The Atlanta-based American Association of Occupational Health Nurses, in its publication SuccessTools: Strategies for Thriving and Surviving in Business, recommends that EHPs seeking to justify staffing levels take the following steps:
• Analyze health and safety data, including:
— OSHA 200 logs and first-aid records (types of injuries and illnesses encountered and expected per year);
— the number of patients (clients) encountered and expected per year;
— workers’ compensation statistics/loss run/experience modification rates, incident/ severity rates;
— average time encountered or expected per visit for both occupational and nonoccupational services;
— industrial hygiene and safety survey findings;
— absenteeism and turnover records;
— incident reports;
— disability records (short- and long-term);
— health insurance records.
• Review work organization, layout, flow diagrams, etc.
• Review jobs and tasks performed.
• Determine seasonal nature of jobs and anticipate peak utilization of services.
• Identify health and safety hazards (chemical, physical, biological, and ergonomic).
• Document engineering, administrative, and personal protective equipment controls in place and list those needed.
• Review the emergency response/disaster-planning program.
• Evaluate the need for legislative and regulatory compliance.
Source: Haag A. "Staffing Occupational Health and Safety Programs." In: SuccessTools: Strategies for Thriving and Surviving. Atlanta: American Association of Occupational Health Nurses; 1999.
[Editor’s note: SuccessTools: Strategies for Thriving and Surviving in Business includes information on strategic planning, staffing, budgeting, compliance, project management, and worksheets. It is available for purchase ($40 members, $55 nonmembers) from the American Association of Occupational Health Nurses, Suite 100, 2920 Brandywine Road, Atlanta, GA 30341. Telephone: (888) 646-4631. E-mail: [email protected].]
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