Workplace Skills Workshop: Energy Careers & Safety Awareness

2. Welcome Workplace Skills Workshop • Purpose • Introduction to the energy workplace • Introduction to workplace skills • Insight into safety on the job • Introductions • Name • Job history • Education • Expectations from workshop • Housekeeping

3. Course Overview • Work Habits of Successful Employees • First Impressions • Attendance and Absenteeism • Dependability • Professionalism • Teamwork • Cooperation • Communication • Conflict Resolution • Resolving Conflict with the Boss

4. Course Overview, cont. • Safety Overview • The Importance of Safety Awareness • Occupational Safety Regulation • An Effective Workplace Safety and Health Program • Examples of Employer Responsibilities • Employee Responsibilities • Drug-Free Lifestyle • Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

5. Course Objectives • Identify key elements of the energy industry • Explain the importance of first impressions • Select characteristics of a positive image • Identify behavior desired in the workplace (habits supervisors and co-workers like) • Identify cooperative behaviors • Engage in team building and negotiating • Demonstrate effective communication with others • Practice active listening • Identify personal conflicts that arise in the workplace • Identify communication strengths and weaknesses

6. Course Objectives, cont. • Identify safety requirements in the workplace • Know the importance of compliance with standards, regulations, and established procedures to ensure a safe and healthy work environment • Know basic regulatory requirements that promote safe and effective operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions • Know the roles and responsibilities of employers and employees in creating and maintaining a workplace safety culture

7. Energy Careers • Get into Energy • Are you ready? • Current job openings • Education • Apprenticeships

8. Work Habits-First Impressions • Research • Appearance • Personal Business (Cell Phones) • Don’t be complacent

9. Attendance and Absenteeism • On time • Every day • Absences cost the company money • Know the company policy • Keep the boss informed • Work breaks • Keep healthy

10. Dependability • Do your job • Do your share and more • Take responsibility • Watch other’s safety • Do what you say you will

11. Professionalism • Keep work area organized • Judged by your tools • Follow procedures • Learn, read • Volunteer • Extra effort

12. Teamwork • Everybody works together • All depend on others to do their part • Help when you can • Ask for help when needed • Listen • Speak up

13. Cooperation • Work together • It IS your job • Offer to help when available • Life may not seem fair • No sulking

14. Case Study – Killing Time • Study the case • Identify options • Evaluate options • What should you do? • Present decision and reasoning

15. Communication • Listen • Put message in your own words • Clarify (ask questions) • Block out distractions

16. Active Listening • Look the speaker in the eye • Don't interrupt the speaker • Don’t move around • Nod your head • Concentrate • Repeat instructions and ask appropriate questions when the speaker has finished

17. Barriers to Listening • Bias or prejudice • Language differences or accents • Noise • Worry, fear, or anger • Lack of attention • Daydreaming • Distractions

18. Sending Messages • Effective Verbal Messages: • Are brief, succinct, and organized • Are free of jargon • Do not create resistance in the listener • Require practice/rehearsal • Don’t include accusations and sarcasm • Focus on behavior and actions needed

19. Listening Assessment • Assess your listening skills • Identify skills that would make you a better listener

20. Conflict Resolution • Disagreements are inevitable • Misunderstanding • Speak up politely, firmly • Let it go • Focus on behavior • Focus on one topic • Listen carefully • Restate • Don’t interrupt or get defensive • Admit when you are wrong • Use shared goals

21. Resolving Conflict with the Boss • More preparation • Practice what to say • Ask to arrange a time • Calm and tactful • Don’t accuse or criticize or act angry or sarcastic • Describe crew or company benefits of suggestions • Accept the boss’ decision

22. Communications Exercise • Teamwork • Devise a system • Implement • Assess

23. Safety Awareness • Essential to providing efficient, reliable, and safe electrical service to the public • Electrical hazards • Cause more than 300 deaths and 4,000 injuries in the workplace each year • Ranks sixth among all causes of work-related deaths in the United States

24. Safety Regulation • Injuries increased by 20% during the 1960’s • Occupational Safety and Health Act signed December 1970 • Workplace fatalities declined by 60% • Rates of injuries declined by 40%

25. An Effective WorkplaceSafety and Health Program • Improves employee morale and performance • Reduces employee turnover • Reduces the extent of work injuries • Reduces workers’ compensation costs • Enhances company profitability

26. Employer Responsibilities • Compliance with OSHA standards and regulations • Provide training, tools, and equipment needed to work safely • Develop safety and health programs, policies, and procedures • Conduct regular work observations and analysis • Keep records of all monitoring data • Resolve safety and health issues • Inform workers of their rights and responsibilities related to occupational safety and health • Investigate and resolve all allegations of unsafe conduct or violations of policies and procedures • Maintain confidentiality and privacy of employees • Establish a company culture of safety by encouraging all employees to be safety specialists

27. Employee Responsibilities • Follow safety rules, policies, and procedures • Ask questions about any rules, policies, and procedures you do not understand • Report any hazards, unsafe actions, or violations of safety policies or procedures • Help coworkers recognize unsafe actions or conditions • Stop the unsafe behavior of others • If instructed to perform an unsafe act, notify a supervisor immediately • Report all injuries and illnesses to your supervisor

28. Grounds for Immediate Termination • Drinking alcohol or drug abuse prior to or during work • Fighting, theft • Willful damage to property • Failure to wear required personal protective equipment (PPE) • Failure to comply with tool and equipment operation policies • Inappropriately altering safety guards, barriers, or guardrails • Failure to follow recognized industry practices • Engaging in dangerous horseplay • Failure to notify the company of a hazardous situation • Failure to notify the company of injuries at the time of occurrence • Deliberately providing inaccurate information in safety/incident investigations

29. Case Study – Digging a Hole • Study the case • Identify options • Evaluate options • What should you do? • Present decision and reasoning

30. Drug-Free Lifestyle • Substance abuse places a major burden on the workplace • Impaired judgment and coordination lead to an increased risk of accidents and injuries • Workplace substance abuse is a serious problem, especially in environments where co-workers rely on each other for safety • Employers provide employee education • It is the responsibility of all workers, to be aware and do what they can to make the work environment safe for everyone • All employees should help co-workers get the assistance they need

31. Personal Protective Equipment • Safety glasses/face shields • Hard hats • Safety footwear • Insulating gloves • Insulating sleeve covers • Flame-resistant clothing • Fall protection equipment • Respirators • Cut-resistant chaps

32. Course Summary • Effective workplace behaviors • First impressions • Teamwork • Cooperation • Communication • Safety • Importance • Employer Responsibilities • Employee Responsibilities