Protecting America's borders is a tough assignment. For many Customs employees, particularly inspectors, getting the job done means handling potentially dangerous situations every day. Because Customs employees often find themselves in harm's way, Customs is placing a high priority on eliminating work-related injuries and promoting an increased focus on employee safety.

Bringing down the numbers
Safety is everyone's responsibility: employees, supervisors, managers, and the Safety and Assistance for Employees (SAFE) Division. Employees need to know about safety issues and situations, and take the necessary precautions to ensure their safety, the safety of co-workers, and the public. Supervisors enforce safety rules, train their employees to do their job safely, respond to employee hazard reports, and take action to correct unsafe behavior or unsafe working conditions. Managers have an increased responsibility to continuously address potential safety problems and to ensure that their employees are trained on safety issues.

SAFE's responsibility is to work with employees, supervisors, and managers to minimize safety hazards and bring the number of work-related injuries down by:

• Helping supervisors to identify the root causes of employee injuries and making corrective recommendations;

• Utilizing area safety and occupational health managers to determine potential job hazards, assess safety equipment, conduct safety education and awareness training; and

• Developing a comprehensive Return to Work Program for injured employees.

A recent analysis revealed that of all Customs employees, inspectors had the most injuries, followed by criminal investigators and then canine enforcement officers. More injuries resulted from performing administrative duties than from any other activity, followed by inspectional duties. The most common types of injuries include cuts, burns, scrapes, sprains, strains, slips, and falls, most of which could have been prevented.

SAFE's area safety managers are playing an essential role in assisting managers and supervisors to reduce injuries. They identify safety hazards and determine the best ways to take care of each situation. Since October 2001, area safety managers have inspected 221 Customs work sites for hazards. The most common safety hazards found were:

• Electrical violations;

• Tripping hazards; and

• Poor housekeeping, e.g., exposed extension cords, broken eye wash stations, or improper chemical storage.

Area safety managers report these and other safety deficiencies to the appropriate assistant commissioner, who initiates corrective action.

Along with safety inspections, there's been a big push for employee safety training. So far this year, 822 employees have received confined space training. In addition, specialized safety training has been offered to employees working in seizure vaults at 16 CMCs, and SAFE has provided safety and health training to 696 managers, safety officers, and supervisors.

Hazards that can't be dealt with through engineered safeguards or administrative precautions often require the use of personal protective equipment or "PPE." This injury prevention gear helps to protect employees from hazardous impact, penetration, compression, chemicals, heat, dust, electrical sources, light radiation, and the dangers associated with entry into confined spaces. In 2002, Customs has purchased over $1M worth of PPE and confined space entry equipment.

SHIMS - tracking down injuries
To run an effective safety program, it's essential to find out where injuries are occurring and why. To handle this task, Treasury has instituted the Safety and Health Management Information System (SHIMS), which collects information on all safety-related incidents. SHIMS provides invaluable safety-related statistics which will enable managers access to essential safety data. The system also establishes an electronic interface with the Department of Labor to speed the processing of workers' compensation claims.

Web-based orientation will be provided in the near future to managers, supervisors, and employees. For more information about Customs safety program, please contact Ms. Nancy Little-McGuire, Director, SAFE Division at 202-927-3706.

For more information about the Customs safety program, contact Nancy Little-McGuire, Director, SAFE Division, at 202-927-3706.

If you notice a job-related safety hazard, immediately report it to your supervisor or local safety officer.

Long Term Care insurance open season ends December 31, 2002 To apply on-line or obtain information, visit www.LTCFEDS.com or call 800-582-3337.