ZB7.4 STAFF REPORT To:
Board of Management
From:
Robin D. Hale Chief Operating Officer
Subject: HEALTH & SAFETY YEAR END REPORT Date:
2016-02-09
Summary: This report will brief the Board on the Toronto Zoo’s Occupational Health & Safety Programs and safety initiatives were carried out in 2015. In 2016 we will continue our prevention efforts by maintaining our current training programs, revising current policies, and introducing new safety programs to assist in meeting legislative changes and ensure continued due diligence. Recommendation: It is recommended that this report be received for information. Background: The Health & Safety Year End Report for the period January to December 2015 is attached hereto. When compared to 2014, there has been a decline of three employee accidents in 2015. While the number of accidents has declined in 2015, the number of WSIB lost time claims has increased by one and the number of lost days associated with those claims has decreased from 30.5 days to 21.5 days. This has resulted in a decrease to our accident frequency and severity rates, and placed us in a rebate position with respect to our WSIB Neer statement. In 2015 the Workplace Safety & Insurance Board issued a total rebate of $60,716.87. Our efforts in 2016 will continue to focus on reducing workplace accidents and making improvements to our health & safety programs to address issues of accident prevention and hazard recognition.
R. D. Hale Chief Operating Officer List of Attachments: 2015 Health & Safety Report
TORONTO ZOO 2015 HEALTH & SAFETY REPORT
ZB7.4 Attachment 1
JOINT HEALTH & SAFETY COMMITTEE A. Committee Activities: In 2015 the Toronto Zoo’s Joint Health & Safety Committee (JHSC) held eleven meetings. A total of 34 new agenda items were raised through inspection or reporting systems. Eighteen items were discussed and actions were taken to resolve issues by management staff. Some key issues discussed before the Committee included: Noise audit, cold stress policy and annual WHMIS audit. Division Heads are briefed on current issues discussed at the JHSC on a regular basis. B. Inspections, Orders & Charges: None OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH & SAFETY TRAINING PROGRAMS C. General Safety Training Programs: In 2015, the Safety & Security Branch conducted Occupational Health & Safety related training programs for employees. The course type and total number of employees trained are identified below. Course
Staff Trained
Administered Seasonal Refresher Exams Back Care & Repetitive Strain Injury Robbery Prevention Health & Safety Orientation Standard First Aid/ AED/CPR C Lyme Disease WHMIS Safe Driving Program (New drivers) Zoomobile Driver Training Ladder Safety Training Defensive Driving Contractor/Intern Health & Safety Firearms Safety Training & Qualification Shoot Take Your Kid to Work Day Permanent Orientation Mandatory Occupational Health &Safety Awareness Training Smart Serve
297 218 65 62 49 45 38 32 28 27 20 16 16 11 10 6 2 Total Participants
942
-2A total of 942 participants attended training sessions instructed by staff of the Safety & Security Branch. Attaining participation in training programs continues to be a significant challenge due to operating requirements, however mandatory and legislated training remains a priority for staff. SAFE DRIVING PROGRAM D. Safe Driving Program – Evaluations: In accordance with the Safe Driving Program, all Zoo and Food Service employees that are required to drive a vehicle on site must fulfill the following requirements that are administered by the Safety & Security Branch. Following the completion of a driver’s abstract, the employee’s supervisor orientates the employee to the vehicles he/she is required to drive. The Safety & Security Branch then administers a written exam to ensure basic knowledge of Zoo policies and road awareness. Lastly, an in-vehicle evaluation is conducted by Safety & Security’s licensed Driving Instructor. During 2015, a total of 32 new drivers were processed by the Safety & Security Branch. The majority of these were seasonal employees. E. Zoomobile Training: An in-house Zoomobile Training Program has been in operation since 2003. This program includes classroom training combined with field experience and driver evaluations conducted by the Safety & Security Driving Instructor. During 2015, two courses were held for 28 returning and new employees participating in this program. F. Defensive Driving Training: The Defensive Driving Program is open to all Toronto Zoo drivers and includes theoretical and practical classroom discussions concerning driving habits. The intention of the Defensive Driving Program is to make drivers aware of issues that will aid in improving their personal driving skills. Drivers that have had a motor vehicle collision are directed to attend these training sessions. G. Motor Vehicle Collisions: In 2015, there were 24 motor vehicle collisions compared with 37 in 2014. Of the 24 collisions, 23 were deemed preventable. Twelve resulted from failing to correctly judge surroundings, nine are from failure to be aware of surroundings, one was from failing to maintain sufficient care of vehicle and the remaining one was from failing to drive to weather conditions. All collisions reported were single vehicle incidents where only minor damage was reported as drivers made slight contact with rocks, signs, garbage cans etc. The decrease can be likely be attributed to fewer number of vehicle collisions that occurred during lighter snow/winter conditions.
-3The 24 collisions occurred in the following Units: Horticulture (13), Retail & Rides (3), Facilities & Services, Safety & Security, and Wildlife Care each had (2). Wildlife Nutrition and First Aid each with (1). The areas that had decreased motor vehicle collisions in 2015 when compared to 2014 were Horticulture (13 vs. 17), Safety & Security (2 vs 4), and Retail & Rides (3 vs 8). Areas that increased were First Aid (1 vs. 0), and Wildlife Nutrition (1 vs 0). Facilities & Services and Wildlife Care remained unchanged (2 vs 2). OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH & SAFETY PROGRAMS H. Policy & Program and Testing Initiatives: Air Quality Mold Sampling was conducted in four major pavilions in 2015 including African Rainforest, IndoMalaya, Australasia, Americas and Education portables. These tests are used as indicators of microbiological contamination that would cause health risks to employees. No such indications were reported in the tests conducted. With respect to the Education Portables, the C02 concentration was reported at a level where complaints could occur, although no complaints have been received. Toronto Zoo Facilities & Services staff are currently investigating ways of increasing fresh air supply to the area to lower the CO2 levels. The Safety & Security Branch continues to strive towards increasing safety awareness among staff as well as visitors. Programs with respect to public and staff site inspections, defensive driving, and general safety awareness continue to be delivered and developed. I. New & Pending OH&S Developments: The Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS), has been Canada’s hazard communication system for workplace chemicals since 1998. The system is changing to adopt new international standards for classifying hazardous chemicals and providing information on labels and safety data sheets. The new standards are part of the Globally Harmonized System for the Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS) and are being phased in between February 2015 and December 2018. The new GHS will be introduced in three phases between 2015-02-11 to 2018-11-30. In phase one, which we experienced in 2015, suppliers were permitted to begin introducing WHMIS labels and Material Safety Data Sheets from either system. In 2016, the Toronto Zoo will be updating our WHMIS training to include information pertaining to the new GHS. ACCIDENT HISTORY In 2015, there were 93 employee accidents. This represents a decrease of three employee accidents in 2015 when compared to 2014. The charts and graphs in this report will provide a means of comparing accident frequencies, injury types, as well as lost time, and claims management.
-4J. Year End Branch Accident Summary: The Branch Accident Frequency Rate (BAF) is determined by dividing the number of accidents a Branch has by the budgeted number of full time equivalent employees (FTE’s including permanent and non-permanent staff). The BAF can be useful in identifying accident trends while excluding the effect of staffing levels and, is therefore, a relevant manner of comparing reported accidents by Branch. Branch Wildlife Care Facilities & Services Horticulture Retail & Rides Wildlife Health Safety & Security Education Projects & Exhibitry Member & Guest Services Human Resources Finance Curatorial & Records Wildlife Nutrition Public Relations Totals:
2015
B.A.F.
2014
B.A.F.
26 22 9 9 8 8 2 2 2 2 2 1 0 0 93
.29 .24 .25 .27 .49 .27 .11 .29 .07 .30 .15 .05 0 0
39 11 8 5 10 8 5 2 1 0 0 1 3 3 96
.44 .16 .22 .14 .62 .26 .28 .30 .03 0 0 .05 .36 .16
Decreases in the frequency of accidents in 2015 versus 2014 were reported by Wildlife Care (26 vs 39), Wildlife Health (8 vs 10), Education (2 vs 5), Wildlife Nutrition (0 vs 3) and Public Relations (0 vs 3). Increases in the frequency of accidents in 2015 versus 2014 were reported by Facilities & Services (22 vs. 11), Horticulture (9 vs. 8), Retail & Rides (9 vs 5), Member & Guest Services (2 vs. 1), Human Resources (2 vs. 0), Finance (2 vs 0). Safety & Security remained consistent with eight each for 2015 as well as 2014. Projects & Exhibitry remained consistent with two for both years and Curatorial & Records with one for each year as well.
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2015 Branch Accident Summary
Figure 1
30
Workplace Accidents
25 20 15 10 5 0
2015 Branch Accident Frequency 0.50 0.45 Accident Frequency
0.40 0.35 0.30 0.25 0.20 0.15 0.10 0.05 0.00
K. 2015 Accidents by Type:
Figure 2
-6Type
2015
Percent
2014
Percent
Contact Strains Animal Action Slips/Falls Exposure
40 19 15 11 8
43.0 20.0 16.0 12.0 9.0
27 27 12 23 7
28.1 28.1 12.5 24.0 7.3
Totals:
93
100.0
96
100.0
All categories of accidents with the exceptions of contact, animal action and exposure experienced decreases when compared with the previous year for the same time period. Contact related accidents increased by 13 when compared to the previous year. Analysis of contact related injuries reveals that 42% of these incidents involve injuries to the hands and fingers. These included cuts from knives during food preparation. In 2013, an increase in contact accidents was also observed which prompted an emphasis on awareness training on knife safety and prevention of these types of accidents through ensuring staff wear the required personal protective equipment. With these injures being on the rise again in 2015, it is necessary that we once again increase our efforts to prevent these types of injuries. The remaining 58% of contact related injuries primarily stem from staff making contact with items such as when bumping their hand on a wall surface or their heads on swinging doors while performing normal work duties. When examining these individual injuries, no commonalities could be found that would warrant a need for further training or additional PPE. These injuries were all minor in nature and involved staff making contact with objects in their surrounding work areas that would normally be found there which had no obvious safety concerns such as protruding or sharp edges. These types of injuries relate to how staff interacts with their work environment. Simply, staff need to be continually aware of their surroundings. The identification and labeling of known areas of concern on site will continue to ensure staff are aware of hazards that are present in their work areas. Slips/Falls accidents decreased by 12 accidents in 2015 and can be attributed to Health & Safety initiatives implemented to decrease slip/fall accidents. Training, education and the purchasing of ice cleats for those who work in winter conditions have contributed to this decrease. In addition, the accumulated snow fall in 2015 was on average much lower than what was recorded in 2014. We will continue to proceed with our current approach and monitor its success in 2016. Animal Action related injuries increased in 2015 and primarily involved Wildlife Health staff who were providing care for smaller and younger members of our collection. When providing care to young wildlife, direct human to animal contact may be required. Animal action injuries will continue to be monitored and may warrant additional safety precautions such as additional PPE and safe handling instructions for working with young wildlife. Strain related injuries decreased by eight in 2015. In 2015 our Back Care & Repetitive Strain training has been updated and rolled out to permanent, and non-permanent staff. Additionally, training provided to permanent staff was conducted within the individual work areas to make the training more job specific.
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Exposure related incidents increased by one when compared with the previous year. These types of injuries included, debris in eyes, allergic reaction, electrical shock and frostbite. Efforts will continue into 2016 with increased emphasis on reducing all workplace related injuries through training and awareness. L. Toronto Zoo Lost Time Accident Rates: Accident Frequency and Accident Severity are used to monitor increases or decreases of accidents in the workplace. Accident Frequency Rate (AFR) is calculated based on the number of new lost time injuries multiplied by 200,000 hours, representing the average total hours worked for 100 workers. This is divided by the number of total budgeted hours. This represents the number of disabling injuries per 100 workers, which can be used for comparison purposes. Accident Severity Rate (ASR) is calculated by the total number of lost days multiplied by 200,000 hours representing the average total hours worked for 100 workers. This is divided by the number of total budgeted hours. Severity relates the amount of the lost time to the number of accidents for comparison purposes. Year
Accident Frequency Rate
Accident Severity Rate
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
2.5 1.8 4.0 2.8 2.3
26.0 39.7 13.9 20.5 7.2
AVERAGE
2.7
21.5
2015
2.6
5.2
Accident Frequency of 2.6 increased from 2.3 in 2014 and remains below the five year average of 2.7. Accident Severity of 5.2 for 2015 decreased from 2014 and is well below the five year average of 21.5. One method of reducing the Accident Severity is to decrease the time workers are off after a workplace injury as well as reducing the overall claims. Active monitoring of our Early and Return to Work program and pursuing the return of injured workers helps us manage the program and decrease accident severity. Accident Frequency and Accident Severity are illustrated in Figure 3.
-8-
Accident Rates 2010 -2015
Figure 3
60
Rate
50 40
21.5
30 20 5.2
10
2.7
2.6
0 2010-2014
2015
2010-2014
Average Accident Frequency
2015
Average Accident Severity
WSIB SUMMARY In 2015 there were a total of 25 claims submitted to the Workplace Safety & Insurance Board (WSIB), of which 11 WSIB claims resulted in 21.5 days of lost time. Fourteen cases had no lost time. This compares to 27 claims, 10 of which were lost time totalling 30.5 days in 2014. Of the 11 claims that resulted in lost time, nine claims resulted in lost time that was three days or less in duration, one claim resulted in lost time that were four days or less, and one claim had 7 days. M. Lost Time Accidents by Branch: Branch
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
Wildlife Care Horticulture Facilities & Services Safety & Security Public Relations Wildlife Nutrition Education Wildlife Health Centre Retail & Rides Computer & Telecom Serv. Curatorial & Records Finance
3 4 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
2 2 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0
6 5 3 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0
4 2 3 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0
4 2 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
4 0 4 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 1
Totals
10
7
16
12
10
11
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There were 11 lost time accidents in 2015, which is a slight increase when compared with 2014. lost time decreased by nine days over the same period.
Lost Time Accidents 2010-2015
Figure 4
16 Number of Accidents
16
12
14 12
11
10
10
11
10
7
8 6 4 2 0
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
Average
2015
N. Lost Time Accidents by Type: Type
2015
Percent
2014
Percent
Strains
4
37.0
6
60.0
Slips/Falls
3
27.0
4
40.0
Contact
2
18.0
0
0
Exposure
2
18.0
0
0
Animal Action
0
0
0
0
Totals:
11
100.0
10
100.0
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Figure 5 shows Lost Time Accidents by Type.
2015 Lost Time Accidents by Type
Slips/Falls 27.0%
Figure 5
Contact 18.0%
Exposure 18.0%
Strains 37.0%
O. Modified Work Summary: Of the 28 WSIB claims, a total of 10 staff incurred lost time equaling 30.5 days. Of the 28 claims, 14 required no modified work duties, while 14 required modified duties. Of the 14 workers that required modified duties 13 were accommodated within their own work area. The remaining one employee was accommodated in another work area for a short period of time and then returned to their regular duties. P. WSIB Cost Summary: Under the WSIB, New Experimental Experience Rating Plan (NEER) employers receive rebates or surcharges based on their accident frequency and length of the accident claims. Calculated at the end of September, and using historical data for the past four years, the current results are compared to current trends within the rate group. The Workplace Safety & Insurance Board assessed a total rebate of $60,716.87 for the 2014/2015 NEER (experience rating) statement. This is a slight decrease compared to the rebate of $64,255 for our 2013/2014 NEER statement.
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Every year, the WSIB sets a premium rate for each rate group based on the collective workrelated injury experience of its members. This rate covers the costs of new injuries and overhead expenses, and the cost of paying off the unfunded liability. Our 2016 WSIB rate of $2.19 per $100.00 will remain the same as the 2015 rate. Q. 2016 – Targeted Efforts: In 2016, the Safety & Security Branch will focus efforts on training, awareness and assisting various areas of the Toronto Zoo in designing programs with specific objectives to include: • • • •
Review and update Occupational Health & Safety Policies. Continue diligence with Return to Work initiatives in an effort to reduce employee lost time. Continue to increase health & safety awareness, including personal protective equipment with all Toronto Zoo staff through training. Update WHMIS training to reflect changes in legislation.
Together it is hoped that these efforts will maintain legislative compliance and continue to improve the overall workplace safety conditions at the Toronto Zoo.
S. Alexander Manager, Safety & Security
