As health care reform is debated throughout the nation, businesses in the southwest suburbs already are taking some responsibility for their employees’ well-being.
There’s good reason to do so, they say. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ estimates of occupational injuries and illnesses (any acute or chronic illness caused by exposure to something at work), there were 8.6 recordable cases per 100 full-time workers in 1989, 8.8 in 1990 and 8.4 in 1991, the most recent year for which statistics are available.
What those numbers mean in dollars lost, according to Social Security Administration figures, is $38.2 billion in worker’s compensation paid in 1990 (more recent figures are not available). With these figures in mind, businesses are motivated to provide safer and healthier work environments for employees, whether they lift boxes or hoist babies, cap teeth or capture criminals.
Ergonomics, the science of fitting the work station to the employee, has been adopted at Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing (3M) in Bedford Park.
“We use a team-based approach to safety and identifying hazards,” said safety engineer Tom Jacobsen of 3M, which in Bedford Park manufactures industrial tapes for masking, photo or medical uses. “We do job safety analysis-breaking a job down by tasks, identifying what hazards exist and responding by eliminating those hazards.”
One such innovation was the installation of individualized work stations for plant employees, Jacobsen added. Stations are open and “work stations are designed to eliminate as much bending and lifting as possible. They are adjustable to the size of the person working in it. And we rotate tasks,” he said.
Another technological answer to job-related injuries is to substitute machinery for manpower. “Automated handling eliminates the jobs that have caused problems in the past,” Jacobsen said.
Jacobson also said that targeting different muscle groups by breaking down the jobs into 20-minute increments has eliminated stress injuries. For example, someone who stands up to pack tape in a box may alternate that task with running a slitting machine from a sitting position.
Leo Vernon of Chicago, who converts large rolls of tapes into smaller rolls, said there is no comparison to the working conditions when he started with 3M 26 years ago. At that time, it was not unusual to repeat a task for eight hours, lifting and pushing heavy equipment, whereas today partners alternate the tasks approximately every 15 to 20 minutes.
“The job difference is like night and day,” Vernon said. “It has gone from all physical to very little physical work,” because of the automation of the workplace.
It’s not just factories that are retooling for employee safety. Health care, child care and fire and police department employees also are becoming more aware of the risks involved in making contact with the public.
In addition, Occupational Exposure to Blood-Borne Pathogens, a federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulation adopted by the Illinois Department of Labor, states that employers must provide employees who have “reasonable anticipation of exposure to blood” with an exposure-control plan that includes being inoculated with the hepatitis B vaccine. This went into effect in the private sector on March 6, 1992, and in the public sector on May 28, 1993.
That “reasonable anticipation” of exposure to blood usually covers the employee most likely to be providing emergency medical care at a site, said Lenore Killam, acting manager of the safety inspection and education division of the Illinois Department of Labor in Springfield. (Information can be obtained by calling 312-793-1820.)
At a cost of $30,000, Tinley Park recently inoculated 143 village employees against hepatitis B. Police officers, firefighters, department of public works employees and evidence technicians were offered the inoculations free of charge or required to sign a waiver releasing the village of any responsiblity if they refused the injection.
Also, all police vehicles carry disposable, head-to-toe coverings that officers can put on to avoid contact with blood and other body fluids from people involved in traffic accidents. According to Charles Montgomery, a commander with the Tinley Park police, the getup is used when accident victims are spurting blood. The covering is similar to the disposable coated garb used in hospitals and includes a visor, gown, gloves and foot coverings.
“It’s becoming an enormous job to keep up with legislative mandates,” said Tinley Park Police Chief James Wade. Although he thinks mandating the hepatitis B shots or the equipment is a good move, “there should be some funding to back these requirements up,” he said.
Dentistry was one of the first industries to adopt preventative measures against infection. Employees at offices such as Lamacki & Kowalik D.D.S. Ltd. in Burbank have been inoculated for hepatitis B, have patients complete detailed questionnaire about their health, use only disposable or sterilized equipment and wear protective gloves and clothing laundered on site.
“No one can afford to be careless in this day and age,” said Dr. Michael Kowalik. “Whether I am handling a 3-year-old or a 90-year-old, I treat them as potentially infectious.”
In the wake of such care, Kowalik said he has no fear of contracting blood-borne illnesses. His concerns lie more in the realm of back strain and damage to the hands caused by repetitive stress.
“I once heard the hightest percentage of related injuries for dentists were to the back and hands, like carpal tunnel syndrome. The nature of the position we assume puts a strain on our bodies,” he said.
Even many south suburban child care facilities are taking precautions to protect themselves and the children they serve. Wiping tears and runny noses and changing diapers are everyday occurrences at centers such as Acorn Child Care Center in Oak Forest.
All employees wash hands before and after diapering, and rubber gloves are available, said Janice Grubisichs, Acorn’s owner. “We sanitize all toys and all cots every week and infant and toddler toys every day,” Grubisichs said.
Infant caregiver at Acorn Lisa Sullivan of Chicago said these measures and the use of rubber gloves when caring for an injury in which blood is present guarantee a comfortable level of security.
“I don’t feel at any risk,” Sullivan said. “We are on top of things, aware and educated.”
Measles, mumps, strep throat, chicken pox and head lice are kept under control at Acorn because they distribute health department information and carefully handle and observe children, Grubisichs added. “We do whatever we can to prevent illness by notifying parents of rashes and sending home letters when there has been a case of something like strep throat or chicken pox,” she said.
And, as mandated by the Illinois Department of Public Health, a registered nurse visits Acorn monthly to observe the children and staff, monitor the children’s immunization records and notify the staff when shots are required.
Prevention is always the key to eliminating disease, and Griffith Laboratiories in Alsip takes a giant step in that direction. According to director of human resources Bob Ufferman, employees are offered free annual physical examinations (which are confidential) and periodic clinics to stop smoking.
“The physicals give employees a sense of their own well-being,” Ufferman said. “It’s good thinking to keep your work force healthy.”
