Collecting Information in the Workplace (Internal Links)
Inspections
Regular inspections are a great way to spot problems. Use your eyes, ears and nose as you walk through the job site. Note whether the air feels too hot or cold. Record the hazards you find such as labels on chemical containers, dangerous machinery, wet floors, attacks from inmates or clients, lifting, contact with blood or body fluids, and so on.
Talk to your co-workers as you go through the workplace. They will know about problems that you may not be able to spot. Your co-workers can tell you if working conditions have changed over time. They can also let you know if there have been any close calls where someone almost got hurt.
Keep notes on where you find hazards. Note the names of people who give you information. It is also a good idea to draw a floor plan of the area.
If you have a checklist as you go through the workplace you will not have to remember everything you are looking for. You can use the checklist to go back later to see if problems have been corrected. There are sample checklists in later chapters. AFSCME's health and safety staff can help you design a checklist for your workplace.
Surveys
Surveys can be useful to find out what problems concern members and what they are willing to do about them. They can be done in the form of a written questionnaire or in person. Keep these points in mind when using a written survey:
There are sample surveys in later chapters. AFSCME’s health and safety staff can help you design a survey form for your workplace.
You need a plan on how to carry out your survey. How will you get the surveys out to workers and how will you get them back? Who will sort through the answers you get back? What will be done with the results?
It is often more effective to do a survey by asking workers questions and writing down their responses. The benefits of a one-on-one survey are that:
Besides finding out what workers are concerned about, ask if they would be willing to put some time and energy into solving a problem. If no one is concerned enough about a problem to do anything about it, this may not be a good issue to start working on.
Job analysis
A job analysis examines how a worker performs the tasks that make up his or her job. The purpose is to find out what is causing the worker’s health problems.
Job analyses are often used to find out why workers are having repetitive strain injuries (RSIs). For example, you might need to find out why computer operators are having pain in their wrists and hands. A job analysis would look at factors such as equipment, the position of the workers' arms and hands, the pace of work, the amount of time spent at the computer, and other tasks they do that require repetitive hand movements.
A checklist is useful for doing a job analysis. AFSCME's health and safety staff can help you design a checklist for your workplace.
Risk mapping
A "risk map" is a good way to collect information and get workers involved in making jobs safer. Find out where hazards are located in the workplace by surveying workers as described previously, and then transfer the answers from the survey to a map of the workplace. Use shapes, color symbols, or different shadings for the different types of hazards. You can also note how serious the hazards are. One way to do this is to write a number inside the symbol. For example, #1 is a very dangerous hazard; #2 is a serious problem; and #3 is somewhat of a problem. An example of a risk map is in Figure 4.
 Figure 4: Sample Risk Map |
After drawing the map, bring the workers together to talk about it and add to or change the map as needed. Have the group suggest ways that the hazards could be corrected and then use the map on an ongoing basis to check the progress that is made in correcting problems.
Niosh health hazard evaluation (HHE)
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is part of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. NIOSH conducts research on the health effects of workplace hazards and how to control them. NIOSH also has a Health Hazard Evaluation Program in which its experts will investigate the toxic effects of substances or work practices in the workplace. An HHE can be requested by the employer, the workers’ representative, or jointly.
1-800-35-NIOSH (800-356-4674)
See the Following Publications and Web Sites for More Information
AFSCME fact sheets:
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Access to Employee Exposure and Medical Records, OSHA Fact Sheet #93-29
OSHA, Injury and Illness Recordkeeping
University of California — Los Angeles Labor Occupational Safety and Health (LOSH) Program, Risk Mapping
