It is a fact that water utility employees face hazards that can result in life altering injuries or even death.

Should a worker die or suffer a very serious injury, OSHA and/or prosecutors will look to management for answers. Prosecutors seek those in the organization that knew or should have known of any hazardous conditions that lead to the event. Make no mistake, managers and supervisors carry a tremendous amount of responsibility and liability. 

Since 1990 more than a dozen supervisors and managers have received jail time in connection with workplace deaths. Quite a few received jail time following trench fatalities. A southern California city manager was prosecuted following a confined-space death. More recently a professor at UCLA faced prosecution for the death of a young lab worker; in addition the organizational monetary fines were staggering.

One key factor is a lack of safety training, oversight and the knowledge required to ensure a safe working environment for employees. Unfortunately, supervisors and managers may sometimes be omitted from training required for their employees — therefore limiting their knowledge and ability to manage the safety of workers.

Supervisors must have the knowledge and training to ensure that they can manage and direct the activities of their staff in a safe manner. Therefore, supervisors’ safety training can go far to address the risks and hazards their workers face and to ensure a safe working environment. This knowledge can be beneficial in helping to avoid prosecution and other control legal issues. A short list of topics might include but is not limited to:

• Trenching operations
• Chemical safety
• Equipment operations
• Confined spaces
• Laboratory safety
• Field operations
• Traffic control/flagging
• Fall prevention
• Treatment plant safety

Employers need to be attentive to increased awareness and expanded knowledge necessary to assist supervisors and managers to help ensure the safety and health of their employees and help reduce legal liability. Water Otter continues to expand our safety curriculum to assist supervisors and managers in accessing the information they need. 

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