Keeping Workers Safe

Safety and Health Conference Returns With Sessions
on Workplace Violence and TOSHA Investigations

By Karen Grigsby
Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development

For businesses focused on protecting their people, there are two words that don’t go together.

Safety and convenience.

That’s the message Ken Alexandrow will deliver as a featured speaker at next week’s Tennessee Safety & Health Conference.

Alexandrow spent 26 years in law enforcement in Middle Tennessee and is the founder of AGAPE Tactical, which works with businesses, churches, and schools to conduct safety assessments and provide training to employees.

He says companies must be vigilant when it comes to safety, even if it means irritating workers.

“You have to identify: Are you either going to be safe or are you going to be convenient? If you’re going to be convenient, well, you’re an easy target,” Alexandrow said.

“If you’re going to be safe, employees now will have to present their scan card to get in and the gate will have to lift after each person goes in. It’ll be slower. People will have to get to work earlier so they can get through that gate process or that vetting process.”

Conference Offers Training and Networking Opportunities for Employers

In its 48th year, the Tennessee Safety & Health Conference returns to Nashville on April 7-9. The conference is co-sponsored by the Tennessee Occupational Safety and Health Administration (TOSHA), a division of the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development.

TSHC offers a variety of workplace safety and health education sessions geared toward managers as well as front-line workers. In addition, dozens of vendors will be on hand showcasing the latest safety products and services. Last year’s conference attracted 554 attendees and 120 vendors.

Classes will cover emerging trends and best practices. New this year are sessions on lithium-ion batteries and legalized marijuana in the workplace. Because the conference draws newcomers every year, session staples such as lockout/tagout, fall protection, and hearing conservation also will be available.

In previous years, THSC offered only one or two classes for construction workers. This year there will be six construction sessions covering topics such as scaffolding and excavation safety hazards.

Employers also can learn about safety through networking, as businesses of all sizes often will share stories about how they tackled a safety problem.

“There’s no trade secrets in the safety and health field,” said Larry Hunt, the Assistant Commissioner of TOSHA.

Getting to Know TOSHA

In addition to serving as a co-sponsor, TOSHA will offer several sessions at next week’s conference.

Hunt will speak about workplace deaths investigated by TOSHA in the past year, including separate instances in which two men were crushed by granite slabs.

Hunt spoke with the widow of one of the men after she requested a copy of the video with the investigation file. Their conversation lasted an hour, with the woman sharing her profound grief and Hunt warning her about the graphic nature of the video.

“People think we’re out there to look for unlabeled containers of chemicals. And it’s true, we want to fix that,” Hunt said about TOSHA’s role. “But mostly we don’t want anybody having to have these conversations.”

Also on the conference schedule is a presentation on what to expect during a TOSHA workplace inspection, led by a former compliance officer.

Hunt says the session generates a lot of interest because most businesses have never had an inspection.

Both TOSHA sessions aim to demystify the agency’s role in helping businesses keep their workers safe.

“We’re not just here as an unseen government agency,” Hunt said. “We are folks that live and work in the state of Tennessee. Our families live and work in the state of Tennessee. We are approachable. … Sometimes people don’t like the rules, but we always want to be upfront about what they are and try to help people understand them where we can.”

Deter, Detect, Deny

Ken Alexandrow knows a thing or two about enforcing rules.

His long law enforcement career includes time as a patrol officer, a confrontation management and firearms instructor, and three years on the FBI Violent Crimes Task Force, where he served on the bank robbery and child molester squad.

Aware of his experience, Alexandrow’s pastor asked him in 2009 if he would create a safety team at their large church in Williamson County. Alexandrow agreed.

Later, when speaking before 2,800 of his peers, the pastor was asked what he was doing about safety and security at his church. He gave out Alexandrow’s name.

“The phone started ringing,” Alexandrow said.

That’s when AGAPE Tactical was born. While first focusing on faith-based organizations, the Franklin company now also advises schools, hospitals, banks, and other businesses on how to prevent workplace violence.

Alexandrow and his team of 18 security consultants and instructors train clients using a three-pronged approach: deter, detect, deny.

In the first stage, they conduct a vulnerability assessment of the client’s property and procedures.

“I look at it from the eyes of the wolf. How can I hurt you?” Alexandrow said. “The problem is if it never happened to them before, it’s probably not on their radar as being a possible risk.”

During a recent assessment for a 1.5-million-square-foot factory, Alexandrow found the facility had 97 open doors.

“It had an incredible security fortress at the front,” he said. “It’s just funny that they’ll put so much effort in the facial structure, but then the delivery gates are open for 14 hours a day and they have 97 doors open.”

Alexandrow learned that many of the doors were just feet apart and open for convenience, not necessity.

“I think we got them down to like nine,” he said.

After the vulnerability assessment is complete, Alexandrow will present the client with safety recommendations. AGAPE Tactical doesn’t sell any products, but it will help businesses write security and weapons policies, review building plans, and provide training to staff.

Alexandrow has heard from clients how their ramped-up security efforts have succeeded in thwarting intruders. At Alexandrow’s own church, a man in a stolen car tried to hide from police in the children’s building but was unable to gain entry.

“And that’s the goal,” Alexandrow said. “The greatest achievement is the crime that never occurred.”