New Nevada program helps firms comply with health, safety rules

Phil Levine

Tuesday, Feb. 1, 2000 | 11:44 a.m.

Safety seminars

The Safety Assistance Service program will conduct the first of a series of safety information seminars in Las Vegas on Feb. 8 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Tropicana hotel-casino.

The seminars are sponsored by the Business Environmental Program, a division of the University and Community College System of Nevada's Small Business Development Center.

In addition, safety awareness training is offered by the Nevada Division of Industrial Relations, Safety Consultation and Training Section.

A pilot program under way in Nevada may serve as a national model for businesses seeking to offer employees a safer workplace.

Dubbed the Safety Assistance Service, the program is geared to helping small businesses meet and exceed workplace safety standards set by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

The initiative was launched with funding from the federal Small Business Administration; it has an initial operating budget of $180,000.

"There is a definite need for this type of program," said Business Environment Program Manager Kevin Dick. "Our goal is to assist businesses to find the information resources needed to meet OSHA standards.

"The end-goal, though, is really to increase awareness of (small business') safety obligations, and let them know where they can turn to for help."

Dick said the SAS program will act as an informational portal, directing small business owners to a wide array of resources of safety information.

Unsafe workplaces reap both a fiscal and human toll in Nevada; last year, there were 33 workplace fatalities statewide.

Danny Evans, chief administrator for the state-run Occupational Health and Safety Enforcement Service, said $1,115,450 in fines were levied between July 1998 and June 1999 against Las Vegas-area companies.

Fines for major safety violations can run $5,000.

"That amount can be reduced, based on the company's safety history and how quickly they move to abate any problems," he said. "Even after a fine is levied, there's still an opportunity for small businesses to lessen the final amount paid.

"However, in the most serious situations, fines levied for willful (safety) citations can start at $70,000."

Program officials believe unfounded fear of regulators is one of the biggest obstacles in engaging small businesses in safety issues.

"Small businesses have their greatest fear of three federal agencies, the IRS (Internal Revenue Service), the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) and OSHA," said SBA Nevada Director John Scott. "Those are fears predicated basically on a lack of information."

Scott said programs such as SAS are designed to convince small business owners that "people of goodwill" in federal and state organizations can assist them in reaping the financial benefits of good safety practices.

"The overriding message we want to get out to small businesses is that (safety) violations will cost far more than meeting basic OSHA safety standards," he said.

Scott said that -- unlike their larger counterparts -- most small businesses don't have a lot of resources to allocate to safety issues.

"Many larger businesses have a safety department, with people trained in health and environmental issues," he said. "Small businesses simply don't have the time or manpower to address the (safety) issue in that way."

Kathleen Santor agrees.

"As a small business owner, we work hard to provide employees with a safe workplace," said Santor, director of the Henderson-based Stress Management Center of Nevada. "But I can also tell you that I've never been informed by any officials about OSHA guidelines."

With a staff of just six employees and a growing business to run, Santor said she has little time to spare; that's why she would welcome safety-related information, albeit in an easily-accessible format.

"I really don't have the time to go and attend a seminar," she said. "But I would like to see more (safety) information made available, especially through efficient channels such as the Internet."

More information on the SAS program is now available through the Nevada Small Business Development Center's Las Vegas district office.