From the September 8, 2005 edition of the Notheast Times Playing it safe at Deer Meadows By Jeannie O’Sullivan Times Staff Writer To say Deer Meadows Retirement Community residents are in good hands would be bit of an understatement. After all, they have an around-the-clock SWAT team and CIA members looking after them. While the acronyms refer to a smaller-scale concept of safety — SWAT stands for "Staff Working All Together" and staff members wearing CIA stickers were "Caught in the Act" (of safety) — workers who’ve earned these designations take them earnestly and a bit joyously. The atmosphere at Deer Meadows, at 8301 Roosevelt Blvd., sends a fun but serious message to the retirement community’s employees: check your carelessness at the door. Blanketing the walls are banners proclaiming "Safety is as Safety Does" and "KISS (Keep It Safe and Sweet)." As part of the community’s safety-awareness program, the eagle-eyed SWAT team was staked out to "catch" examples of safe work practices: cleaning up spills, putting away chemicals, careful wheelchair-to-bed transfers, and wearing protective goggles. Balloons, streamers and candy made the program’s official launch last month seem more like a celebratory bash than a routine safety-education course. The decor and hoopla in general, said program founder Margi Johnston, is an attempt to build a safety "culture" for the staff that would last beyond any seminar. " The banners are meant to make them start to think," Johnston said. "They’re also designed to make it fun." As director of community education, Johnston has seen plenty of bored faces at dreary "in-services" — the required job-education seminars all employees must endure. The phrase "in-service" was nothing new — or particularly inspiring — to medical records director Rhonda Moore, who has worked at Deer Meadows for 15 years. " We sit and listen to someone read something someone else probably copied out of magazine," was her recollection of past seminars, and one with which Johnston agreed. Workplace safety, critical in any industry, warrants particular attention from health-care workers, who face such unique hazards as needlestick injuries, back injuries, latex allergies and stress, according to the National Institute on Safety and Health. Despite readily available prevention and exposure-reduction methods, health-care workers actually are experiencing increasing numbers of occupational injuries and illnesses, according to the national institute. Meanwhile, National Institute on Safety and Health data shows that two of the most hazardous industries — agriculture and construction — are safer today than they were a decade ago. But even sobering statistics are most effectively delivered with rewards, incentives and general creativity, areas previously lacking in seminars. "How creative could you be just telling people to use common sense?" Johnston had questioned as an idea formed in her mind. A fan of the movie Forrest Gump, Johnston designed several banners with an image of Gump star Tom Hanks and the message "Safety is as safety does," a play on a memorable line from the film. After she assembled a team of employees who range from administrators to members of the housekeeping staff, Johnston sparked some healthy rivalry with a contest that rewarded the best slogan writer with $100. Daily incentives include the distribution of "lunch bucks," coupons redeemable in the employee cafeteria, to CIA sticker-wearers and a random winner in each of Johnston’s daily class activities. Laughs aside, there is an educational component. Employees must spend part of each day in Johnston’s "classroom," learning about such areas as body mechanics, use of personal protective equipment, chemical safety techniques and accident reporting. Instead of relying on rote speeches, Johnston uses class discussions and role-playing to stimulate learning. "I want to get their feedback, because they’re the ones on the floor," said Johnston. Next month, Rutgers University instructors will teach Deer Meadows workers a course on ergonomics, the concept of adapting equipment and furniture to suit the workspace. The in-services conclude next month, but Deer Meadows will still "put safety first to prevent the worst," said Johnston, recalling another creative slogan. "The best way to make it stick is to simply make it fun," said Johnston. "And that’s what we intend to do." Reporter Jeannie O’Sullivan can be reached at 215-354-3038 or osullivanj@phillynews.com