What will you do when your company’s building is with a flood? What actions will you take and who will you call? While the water is rushing in and destroying equipment and materials by the second and time is critical, do you have someone to call in to stop the damage? The answer should be a resounding yes by the time you finish this article.
What will you do when your company’s building is with a flood? What actions will you take and who will you call? While the water is rushing in and destroying equipment and materials by the second and time is critical, do you have someone to call in to stop the damage? The answer should be a resounding yes by the time you finish this article.
A plan to mitigate to the damages caused by a disaster or flood starts with careful planning. The plan needs to have executable actions to reduce the downtime as much as possible and get the area back to operational conditions quickly. Time spent now to carefully devise each step can save precious time when a disaster and flood happens, as well as thousands of dollars. Each misstep would eat more time and money for repairs, further delaying the time necessary to resume daily operations.
A team needs to be assembled and be standing by for when a disaster or flood hits. Everyone on the team needs to have a role outlined and be able to work in a particular role that efficiently restores the area. A Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH) must be called in to evaluate damage done. Areas will need to be tested based on the type and extent of damage done. Areas deemed to require demo and repair will be carried out by a remediation company and a crew of carefully training people who do this type of work day in and day out. The experience is crucial to reducing the downtime, as mentioned above.
The area must be retested to insure a safe working environment, once the immediate repairs are made. Air Quality must be measured and tested for airborne particulates. Any area affected by water must be tested for mold. The right people get the job done the first time and drastically reduce the amount of time the area is not operational.
The first step is to contact a local Certified Industrial Hygienist by clicking here. This expert will devise a Disaster and Flood Response with each step broken out for a variety of different events. A detailed plan will simply be a checklist to be executed in order. A costly and time consuming mistake would be to wait until the disaster strikes. The CIH should have an agreement to be on standby as well to oversee the plan being carried out to reduce the downtime experienced.
Occupational Health Overcomes Everyday Hazards
Many workers face different types of hazards on a daily basis. Each company has a responsibility to proactively protect their employees from hazards encountered in the workplace. Accidents or injuries can bring production to a halt, reduce the workforce while the employee is recovering and lead to costly worker compensation claims. A Certified Industrial Hygienist can help your company improve the Occupational Health present at your facility.
The Risk from Asbestos
Asbestos poses a major health risk in many office buildings and homes due to the wide adoption and usage of asbestos as an insulator in the construction process. Asbestos can be found in the glue beneath vinyl flooring or in material applied to concrete to regulate the temperature between floors in an office building. These buildings and homes are being remodeled and modernized as an update to the space, but the demolition process can be hazardous if asbestos is present. Test for asbestos prior to starting your next remodeling project to ensure workers are safe.
Communicating the Dangers with HazCom
Hazard Communication focuses on explaining the dangers present at the workplace. The employees have a right to understand the hazards present and how to remain safe on the jobsite. A Certified Industrial Hygienist can work with your company to fulfill the HazCom requirement set forth by OSHA.
