Pub. 2 2020 Issue 4

Loss Prevention Services Moving Forward PAT AUSTIN SENIOR LOSS PREVENTION CONSULTANT W orker health and safety has never been more visible. For months on end, there have been daily briefings from politicians and infectious disease experts leading the news cycle. In many ways, COVID-19 has been the tipping point for heightening the status of employee health and safety. The inherent risks associated with the industry have not gone away during the COVID-19 pandemic. Employees still need to know the risks associated with their duties as well as how to effectively reduce their exposure. From experience, I have seen that so many businesses have had incredible open-door policies. Employees were able to have direct and candid conversations with man- agement and ownership regarding workplace safety. Now due to COVID-19, the doors are figuratively and literally closed because of social distancing measures. The loss of this face-to-face interaction is a new challenge for the workplace. Communication must not be lost. The NHADA Loss Prevention staff is here to assist in bridg- ing the gap and helping develop a plan of action. Environmental, Health and Safety Audits The Loss Prevention staff is set to begin continuing our biannual environmental, health and safety audits. In the past, these audits were performed at random, but mov- ing forward, we will be reaching out to management to schedule these audits. The audits will then be emailed to management in a timely manner. THE LOSS OF THIS FACE-TO-FACE INTERACTION IS A NEW CHALLENGE FOR THE WORKPLACE. COMMUNICATION MUST NOT BE LOST. Employee Training For some time, the Loss Prevention staff has been working on creating a number of options on various platforms to provide flexibility in how training is delivered. 10 D R I V E