Applying Risk Management To New Hires - Professional Safety

Applying risk management to new hires. Professional Safety, 61 (9), 29-31

Wwwasseorg September 2016 Professionalsafety 29before We

Wwwasseorg September 2016 Professionalsafety 29before We

september 2016 ProfessionalSafety 29 Before we make a big purchase most of us “kick the tires.†We put in our due diligence, research what experts say and check customer reviews. We hope to reduce risk and avoid surprises through our fact- finding to gain a better understand- ing of what we can expect in quality, reliability and other important per- formance measures. Employers have the same issues. When employers consider hiring, how can they achieve some level of confi- dence that the candidate will perform according to company needs and ex- pectations, rather than bring increased risk of employee injury or incident? Employers must be sure the potential hire has the right skills to execute all aspects of the job in a safe and healthy way.

So, when it comes to evaluating job candidates, employers must find ways to kick the tires so that employ- ees—the most important aspect of an organization—are protected. This article examines accepted safety risk management practices that can be used to increase confidence when making hiring decisions. If the situation requires you to hire a less than ideal candidate, identify where deficiencies exist so that targeted improvements can be made prior to assignment to avoid potential injury. As always, take cau- tion to ensure that the hiring practices employed are compliant with federal and state guidelines, client or union contracts, and any other controlling hiring requirements. Managing risk for the safety profes- sional can take many forms.

Address- ing injury prevention as far upstream as possible is the preferred practice. Al- though this may cost more time, it pays dividends as responding to an injury or a poor decision made by an employee. This article identifies practices that employ- ers can use prior to hire to identify job candidates who exhibit at-risk tenden- cies or conditions. Specifically, this article examines these key indicators: •the propensity to exhibit at-risk behavior; •past behavior as a predictor of future likelihood; •safety acumen and attitude; •physical ability. The Value Proposition Risk takers are out there.

Many employers have regrets about their hiring choices following an incident or a poor decision made by an employee. After the fact, a manager may admit, “I should have seen that coming†or “I knew something wasn’t right with that person.†Relying on intuition is not a reason- able approach, however. Likewise, in- terviews are not always telling. Injuries cost companies lots of money through lost time, increased insurance premi- ums, reduced production levels, and slowed or delayed schedules. Safety losses can also expose the company to a citation or result in negative publicity and threaten its sustainability.

Ultimately employers are responsible for ensuring that employees are properly trained and can otherwise safely per- form their job duties. This performance requirement can be rather nebulous for employers, with hindsight proving to be the standard for determining whether their efforts were good enough to keep employees free from injury. The Propensity to Take Risks It would be great if by looking into a crystal ball one could see the exact time and place when a potential new hire would make a bad decision, or otherwise choose to forego a company safety procedure to save time. As creatures of habit, people hold fast to their ten- dencies. However, habits offer some predictability that can be identified.

For instance, if one wants to know how neat and orderly a person will keep his/her office space, just take a look inside his/her car (or house). Talent Click, a Canadian research firm, has identified a strong correlation between five personality characteristics and causation for workplace safety in- cidents. Through a prehire personality survey, an employer can assess the risk associated with a person’s behavior. The five determining traits are: •Resistant: Those who tend to disregard authority and rules and are resistant to feedback. •Anxious: Those who tend to freeze or panic when faced with safety-sensi- tive issues and doubt their own ability. •Irritable: Those who tend to be easily annoyed, especially when under stress. •Easily distracted: Those who tend to seek stimulation and may lose focus easily. •Impulsive: Those who seek excite- ment and underestimate the conse- quences of their actions.

By assessing a job candidate’s pro- pensity for the five cited behavior traits an employer may get a better sense of how that person would approach safety responsibilities in real life. Candidate Background Vince Lombardi, the legendary Green Bay Packers football coach, once said, “Truth is knowing that your character is shaped by your everyday choices.†How much stock do we put into looking at someone’s past mis- takes as a predictor of future behavior? Risk Taking on the Road One would be wise to check driving records for jobs that require frequent use of a company vehicle or extensive driving on company time. Insurance carrier CNA found that individuals who had two moving violation convic- tions were 2.2 times more likely to have another one within 3 years.

Those with four convictions were 3.1 times more likely to have another one in 3 years (Figure 1, p. 30). For some employers, the number of hours employees spend on the road makes driving a significant risk area. A motor vehicle record (MVR) report summarizes a driver’s moving violations and can easily be obtained through the state’s department of motor vehicles. Failing to complete an MVR check, which satisfies the employer’s responsibility of perform- ing due diligence to account for the element of negligent entrustment, can expose the employer to considerable risk should an at-fault crash occur.

Criminal Activity & Substance Abuse Criminal background checks disclose only convictions. Pointed discussions Applying Risk Management to New Hires By Dan Hannan Employers must be sure the potential hire has the right skills to execute all aspects of the job in a safe and healthy way. Best Practices 029_031_BP_0916.indd 29 8/19/16 1:42 PM 30 ProfessionalSafety september 2016 Best Practices Figure 1 Likelihood of Crashes vs. Motor Vehicle Record Convictions Note. *Crash likelihood multiplier: driver is X times as likely to have a crash during the next 3 years with a candidate or his/her references may reveal problems in the past. In some cases, employment history may indicate a pattern of substance abuse.

According to National Council on Alco- hol and Drug Dependency (NCADD), workers who report having three or more jobs in the previous 5 years are about twice as likely to be current or for- mer users of illegal drugs compared to those who have had two or fewer jobs. Prehire drug and alcohol tests can be effective in screening out chronic substance abusers, but these tests only provide a snapshot of the present. Drug and alcohol screening is still valuable and patterned abuse proves to be prob- lematic for employers. NCADD has also found that workers with alcohol problems were 2.7 times more likely than workers without such issues to have injury-related absences. Additionally, a candidate’s social media postings may portray question- able off-the-job behaviors, but can we say that those behaviors relate directly to safety responsibility, following direc- tions and risk-taking?

Safety Attitude Where else has this job candidate worked? Learned safety behaviors are developed through time, based partly on the accumulated expecta- tions of previous employers. One will likely inherit an employee with a solid safety basis if the employee’s previous employer(s) are known to use engagement, account- ability and peer-to-peer messaging methods. In addition to verifying employment, employ- ers should target safety as a discussion point during interviews. “A good tactic is to ask questions spe- cific to safety during the job interview to evaluate a candidate’s situational understanding about safety,†says Beth Mathison, director of employment services for MRA.

Mathison helps em- ployers focus on the quality of a hire. Asking open-ended safety questions related to behavior or decision making helps reveal a candidate’s thought process. Such ques- tions might include, “What would you do if your coworker did not report or fix an unsafe condition?†or “How would you respond to a supervisor asking you to bypass a safety step?†Training, Knowledge & Skill Check At times, the media reports on an individual who committed fraud by claiming to be someone s/he is not. For the employer, taking a candidate’s word that s/he holds a credential is risky. The best policy is “trust but verify.†In the case of previous safety training, it is best to follow up on train- ing certificates, cards and diplomas, and verify that they were obtained correctly and are current.

This extra time may uncover a lie and reveal an employee characteristic that does not fit with the organization. Every employee job description should include a description of tasks and the required safety training ele- ments. For example, if a person will be working often on ladders, how will the employer know that the candidate has adequate knowledge of ladder safety? For someone to make correct decisions, s/he must first understand what safe conditions are required. This can be accomplished by: •Knowledge testing through a written or oral quiz.

These should be thorough and identify specific areas of safety that can be targeted for remedial instruction before assigning tasks. •Skills testing through the demon- stration that s/he can safely perform a task. This might include, for example, assembling scaffolding, operating power tools, defensive driving, and any other hands-on means that allow for a determination of a minimum compe- tency level. •Comfort within the work environ- ment. As part of the hiring process, expose the candidate to the actual work environment and gauge his/her reaction. For example, walk the indi- vidual through an assembly line area while describing the requirements to wear PPE and utilize other workplace safeguards.

Cues can be telling, and negative reactions may signal a lack of desire to observe OSH requirements. Physical Fitness OSHA’s directive to employers to ensure that each employee remains free from harm clearly extends into the realm of accounting for each worker’s physical condition. The question, there- fore, is whether a candidate can safely perform the essential job duties based on his/her physical condition and ability. A candidate’s physical condition is typically assessed by qualified health- care professionals. Physicians occasion- ally find significant health conditions such as high blood pressure, heart disease or diabetes that the candidate was unaware of or elected not to dis- close.

Hiring the candidate with such preexisting conditions could put him/ her in peril and place the employer at risk of a lawsuit. Following are common postoffer conditional-hire physical evaluation methods. Physical Exam A general physical exam is performed by a physician and often includes a re- view of a medical history during which the candidate discloses previous expo- sures and preexisting health conditions. The clinic will work with the employer to understand the physical demands of the job and will consider that informa- tion when performing an examination. Elements of the exam are both sub-jective and objective, and can include a check of vital signs, blood work, pulmonary function, vision, hearing and flexibility.

The conclusion of the 029_031_BP_0916.indd 30 8/19/16 1:42 PM september 2016 ProfessionalSafety 31 C O N N E C T E D L E A R N I N G O P P O R T U N I T I E S F O R P R O F E S S I O N A L D E V E L O P M E N T Connect. Learn. Succeed. A community of peers is here to support you. Learning opportunities for professional development are waiting for you.

Take the next step: LIVE LIVE FREE Online Exam Review Courses • Member Center and Forums Webinars and Study Sessions • Workshops Exam Prep Questions and Apps Register Today for a Certification Exam Review Course A S P C S P C I H C H M M Dan Hannan, CSP, is corporate safety director at Merjent Inc., an environmental consultancy firm in Minneapolis, MN. He has been an OSH professional for 26 years and supports program and project safety and health by applying the principles of risk management at all levels. Hannan is the author of Preventing Home Accidents, an employer resource to promote off-the-job safety. He can be reached at [email protected] . exam is a written opinion by the physi- cian as to whether the candidate can safely perform the physical demands of the position.

The employer receives this report and can still hire a candidate despite an “unsatisfactory†recommen- dation from the physician. However, hiring a candidate who fails to meet the physical requirements exposes the employer to more liability. Work Simulation Work simulation involves the con- struction of a simulated work envi- ronment where the essential physical activities are tested. This evaluation is commonly performed by professionals at an occupational medicine or ergo- nomic clinic. A candidate must perform tasks such as shoveling sand, moving full 55 gallon drums, lifting compressed gas cylinders or climbing a ladder. This is done under the observation of an ergonomist, occupational therapist, registered nurse or a physician. Heart rate and other vitals are often evaluated during the testing. The benefits of this type of evaluation are many, including the ability to gauge how the person would perform on the job with similar tasks, endurance and body mechanics including lifting techniques. The employer gains a better understanding of where injury risk lies, which allows for target improvements, through training, to prevent injuries such as muscle strains and sprains. Functional Capacity Testing Functional capacity testing is a mechanical method of evaluating the strength and range of motion of critical body parts most susceptible to injury (e.g., back, shoulders, knees).

The candidate is placed into a machine that records the force output of a series of exercises simulating push, pull and lift movements. The testing output is then compared to the position’s required physical demands. Added benefits of this testing include the ability to compare a worker’s physical condition following an injury to his/her pre injury (baseline) performance to prevent reinjury. Conclusion Employers can utilize numerous practices before hiring a job candidate to account for safety risk of injury. This approach realizes the full value of “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.†While crystal balls are not an option, there are ways to gain insight into a candidate’s behavior and physi- cal ability to safely carry out job duties before being hired.

Taking time to kick the tires before making a job offer can help address liability and risk posed by potential new hires.