List essential elements of a safety and health program.
Describe the process for developing goals and objectives.
Develop an action plan based on goals and objectives.
Perform a cost-benefit analysis.
Describe the relationship of training to the safety and health program.
Describe the process for developing standard operating procedures.
Incident Overview
On March 17, 2017, a 54-year-old firefighter collapsed during a fire response.
Death was due to "carbon monoxide toxicity" in presence of underlying cardiovascular disease.
Recommendations included annual medical evaluations, wellness programs, fitness evaluations, SCBA use, and mandatory PPE.
Introduction to Safety and Health Programs
Steps to develop a successful program include identifying essential elements, setting goals, planning actions, cost-benefit analysis, training, and SOPs.
The process may vary depending on organizational needs.
Determining Essential Elements
Key Elements:
Commitment from top management.
Safety and health program manager.
Incident safety officers.
Safety committee.
Department physician.
Risk management plan.
Written safety and health policy.
Record-keeping system.
Training program.
Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
Proper equipment and PPE.
Accident and injury investigation process.
Infection control program.
Access to injury and fatality statistics.
Compliance with regulations and standards.
Setting Goals and Objectives
Goals: Broad statements about desired results, focus resources on critical areas.
Objectives: Specific, measurable actions to achieve goals, written as SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-oriented) objectives.
Objectives include developing SOPs, researching equipment storage, consulting physicians, and conducting cost-benefit analysis.
Action Planning
Action plans provide a step-by-step guide to meeting objectives, including specific actions, completion dates, responsibilities, resources, support, and roadblocks.
Cost-Benefit Analysis
Evaluates cost-effectiveness by comparing current risk costs with post-intervention costs and program implementation cost.
Assesses both direct and indirect costs such as medical expenses, overtime, loss of productivity.
Relationship Between Training and Safety
Training enhances safety by educating responders about knowledge, skills, abilities for safe operations.
Training programs address low-frequency/high-risk events.
Standards dictate training levels, often including safety components like SCBA use, infection control.
Developing Standard Operating Procedures and Safety Policies
SOPs meet goals/objectives and must be reviewed and updated.
Development steps include needs assessment, SOP development, implementation, and evaluation.
Involvement of department members in development ensures acceptance and effectiveness.
Chapter Summary
Essential elements include top management's commitment, a safety committee, risk management plan, training, SOPs, and compliance processes.
Goals guide the program; SMART objectives guide goals.
An action plan provides steps towards objectives.
Cost-benefit analysis determines financial viability of safety actions.
Training is integral to safety; SOPs and policies are critical.
Key Terms
Action Plan: Step-by-step guide to meet an objective.
Cost-Benefit Analysis: Financial analysis of an action's sustainability.
Goal: Broad statement of desired outcome.
Objective: Specific, measurable action to achieve a goal.
Training Resources and Data Exchange (TRADE): Network for exchanging EMS-related training resources.