 |
 Stopping
cuts in a grocery store chain
 A
grocery store chain in Connecticut examined employee injury records
for 4 years. The records showed 199 cuts involving case cutters. Of
those, 116 (58%) occurred among workers who had been employed less
than one year, and of those, 42 had been employed 3 months or less.
Soon after, the company started working with local medical professionals.
With their help and the help of the employees, the company found a
case-cutting tool on the market that featured a safety guard. A few
employees were asked to try the new tool. They reported that they
liked the tool and that it would probably not reduce production. The
company decided to evaluate the tool’s effectiveness.
| With the medical researchers,
a team of store managers and workers studied the results of
using the new cutting tool in nine company stores. In three
of the stores, employees received the new safety case cutters
and fifteen minutes of training in their appropriate use. In
three other stores, employees kept their old case cutter but
got 15 minutes of training in how to use them safely. In the
last three stores, employees kept their old tools and received
no training. |
|
Comparison
Groups |
| |
New Tool
& Training |
| |
Old Tool
& Training |
| |
Old Tool
& No Training |
The team decided to compare the three groups on:
- Injury rates: the rate of case-cutting injuries
- Financial gains and losses from the change: for cutters and
training
- Financial gains and losses from injuries: for workers’
compensation and loss of time on the job
After one year, the results showed that the new tool and training
group had the fewest injuries, with no compensation or time-loss
costs after the change. They also had slightly lower training costs
than the old tool and training group. The old tool and training
group also had fewer injuries than the no-change group. The company
eventually adopted the tool for the entire chain.
Cut Injuries by Group Before and After Introduction of
New Cutter
| Group |
Before Change |
After Change |
Injury
Rate Change |
| # injuries |
# injuries per 50 full-time workers |
# injuries |
# injuries per 50 full-time workers |
| New Tool and Training |
48 |
4.7 |
6 |
1.2 |
-74% |
| Old Tool and Training |
39 |
3.3 |
8 |
1.8 |
-45% |
| No change |
79 |
3.6 |
19 |
2.0 |
-44% |
Gains (+) and Losses per 50 Full-time Workers Compared to
the "No Change" Group
|
Supplies |
Education |
Workers' Comp |
Time Lost |
Total |
| New Tool and Training |
+ $41* |
$333 |
+ $317 |
+ $107 |
+ $132 |
| Old Tool and Training |
+ $134 |
$362 |
+ $188 |
+ $98 |
+ $58 |
* "No change" group supply costs were
higher due to the high number of old cutters that were made available
to employees in that group.
[Source for Case 3: Banco L, Lapidus G, Monopoli
J, Zavoski R [1997]. The safe teen work project: a study to reduce
cutting injuries among young and inexperienced workers. American
Journal of Industrial Medicine, 31: 619-622.]
Acknowledgements
|
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