To create a safer environment for both residents and employees, Silverado Senior Living invested in a unique inspection program that was honored as a Best of the Best Award Winner.
ALFA 2013 Best of the Best Award Winner
Effective April 5, 2012, the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) put all nursing homes and residential care communities on notice that it was officially stepping up safety inspections.
To keep a step ahead, Silverado Senior Living launched SilveradOSHA, an aggressive internal mock inspection program.
According to Frank Russo, VP of risk management, the naked eye is not always the best judge when it comes to assessing whether a community is fully compliant with the federal OSHA regulations. “You can’t just walk the grounds and know there’s an OSHA violation, as they often are not overt. They may deal with specifics like make and models or a matter of inches or location,” says Russo.
A case in point: When Silverado Senior Living acquired a small but gorgeous, high-end memory care community recently, it was surprised to discover that it had been cited under the previous owner for 17 OSHA violations totaling $117,000 in penalties.
To ensure the safest possible working environment and prevent costly penalties, SilveradOSHA inspections go well beyond a checklist approach to inspections. Nor are they limited to the subject areas targeted under OSHA’s National Emphasis Program. For example, the complex, thorough inspections involve auditing personnel and training records and a physical plant inspection. They are conducted by the risk management department with the assistance of an OSHA trained specialist from Silverado’s insurance carrier and the company’s broker representative.
Like OSHA inspections, SilveradOSHA inspections are unannounced and kept strictly business. “They don’t know when we leave if they’ve passed or not passed,” says Russo. Every community is given a score card that is distributed after the inspection to the administrator and executive team. Any deficiencies must be remediated immediately.
Unlike OSHA, the inspections are annual for each community and the risk management department is ready to step in with whatever support is needed to rectify any issues. The purchasing department has devised an OSHA-specific product list to expedite purchases as needed.
So far, SilveradOSHA has helped reduce workplace injury claims by approximately 11 percent; trips/falls claims were reduced by about 15 percent.
The above best practice was recognized as an ALFA 2013 Best of the Best Award winner. Do you have a best practice, product, service or solution at your community or company that is advancing excellence in senior living? The Call for Nominations for the ALFA 2014 Best of the Best Awards will begin in October. Visit ALFA.org/bestofthebest to read more best practices.
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