Steve Wilder, CHSP, STS, is president and chief operating officer of Sorensen, Wilder & Associates (SWA), a healthcare safety and security consulting group based in Bourbonnais, Ill. SWA performs workplace safety compliance audits and security vulnerability assessments in all types of healthcare facilities. Wilder can be reached at (800) 568-2931 or swilder@swa4safety.com.
Steve Wilder |
August 21, 2017 Employers should create safety policies and procedures for handling domestic violence before it arrives on the doorstep.
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Steve Wilder |
August 18, 2017 Employers should create safety policies and procedures for handling domestic violence before it arrives on the doorstep.
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Steve Wilder |
September 16, 2016 "My employees want to carry a concealed weapon to work." The decision to allow or prohibit "concealed carry" on your premises is a lot more complicated than you think, even if state law allows it.
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Steve Wilder |
July 25, 2016 OSHA, which last adjusted its penalties in 1990, plans to adjust the fines for inflation each year from now on, as per Congressional rule.
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Steve Wilder |
July 1, 2016 The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has passed rules that forbid retaliation and discrimination for reporting injuries, including post-accident drug testing and "incentive" programs that retaliate against those who bring workplace safety violations to light.
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Steve Wilder |
April 8, 2016 Safety training only goes so far unless you train employees’ hands as well as their heads, says safety training expert Steve Wilder.
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Steve Wilder |
January 5, 2016 Many in the long-term care industry applaud the proposed legislation to require assistive devices in all lifting cases, but no one is sure how compliance will be enforced—or who's going to pay for all the equipment.
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Steve Wilder |
November 5, 2015 The new budget signed this week includes hefty increases in fines for occupational (OSHA) violations
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Steve Wilder |
October 29, 2015 Short power outages can wreak havoc on a skilled nursing facility's processes and ability to care for residents. Long outages can be devastating. These tips can help you beef up your preparedness.
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Steve Wilder |
August 14, 2015 The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is about to get tougher on injuries casued by lifting- and transferring-related activities. Here's how to rework your lifting protocols and educate your staff.
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Steve Wilder |
April 28, 2015 A completely secure long-term care environment only can be accomplished with thoughtful planning and performance. Take five steps to keep residents, staff, visitors and property safe.
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Steve Wilder |
March 10, 2015 Your first step in creating a secure facility is to engage a healthcare security professional to take a hard look at your long-term care operation to offer recommendations and solutions to security issues.
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Steve Wilder |
February 10, 2015 In part two, Wilder explains why an accident investigation must be thorough, unbiased and informative to be effective.
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Steve Wilder |
January 27, 2015 Part one of a two-part series focuses on the benefits of conducting thorough accident investigations. The lessons learned help create safer workplaces.
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Steve Wilder |
January 16, 2015 Will the new Congress soften the agenda of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and be kinder, gentler and less aggressive?
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Steve Wilder |
October 28, 2014 When OSHA surveyors come knocking, neither the organization nor its employees can be bullied. Compliance expert Steve Wilder explains everyone's rights during an inspection.
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Steve Wilder |
August 26, 2014 Do your employees and administrators know what to do when someone's domestic violence problems follow them to work? Long-Term Living's safety expert explains what facilities can do to protect themselves and others.
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Steve Wilder |
July 30, 2014 You cannot retaliate against an employee just because he or she exercised the right to demand a safe work environment and perhaps filed a complaint with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. But here's what you can do.
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Steve Wilder |
July 3, 2014 Three steps can help long-term care facility administrators ensure that security is an integral part of their overall management plans.
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Steve Wilder |
May 27, 2014 Have you shaken the dust off your emergency preparedness plan lately? The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has added some new requirements to what must be in an emergency operations plan and how employees must be trained.
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Steve Wilder |
May 15, 2014 OSHA safety compliance goes well beyond the National Emphasis Program on Long-Term Care. Are you watching for these other risks?
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Steve Wilder |
March 13, 2014 The mission statement and core values of your facility probably contain wording and ideology related to compassionate resident care. The active shooter policy for your facility also should consider that care, and it must consider the safety of employees, too. Part 2 in our series.
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Steve Wilder |
February 13, 2014 Does your facility have policies and procedures to handle the potential presence of armed intruders? Unfortunately, the scenario is not as unlikely as you might suspect. Lockdowns are one part of any good response. Part 1 in our series.
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Steve Wilder |
January 8, 2014 Nowhere in a facility is entirely free of safety hazards. Finding and fixing the potential areas of risk is key to an effective and compliant safety program.
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Steve Wilder |
December 9, 2013 When was the last time a staff member lifted something heavier than 35 lbs? Enforcement of this rule might be getting a lot stiffer soon.
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Steve Wilder |
November 4, 2013 OSHA is taking a harder look at workplace violence in long-term care facilities. These tips can help you prepare your staff and shore up your documentation procedures.
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Steve Wilder |
April 11, 2012 When it is time for the walk-around tour, take the compliance officer where he or she needs to go and nowhere else. You may be proud of your facility and want to show it off, but that doesn’t mean they will see it in the same light as you.
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Steve Wilder |
February 28, 2012 Don’t panic. Be polite and respectful; remember this is an official visit. And please, for your sake, remember the old adage: ”If they ask you the time, tell them the time; don’t tell them how to build a watch.”
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