I Have One Safety Program Identified…Now What?

Jul 10
07:07

2012

Leighanna Cumbie

Leighanna Cumbie

  • Share this article on Facebook
  • Share this article on Twitter
  • Share this article on Linkedin

A safety program is the framework of your facility, and you are committed to having a manufacturing plant that is compliant and provides a safe environment to work. A Certified Safety Professional (CSP) came and performed a thorough audit of the facility. They found several jobs that might require a program be established to help the employees performing the job stay safe.

mediaimage

A safety program is the framework of your facility,I Have One Safety Program Identified…Now What? Articles and you are committed to having a manufacturing plant that is compliant and provides a safe environment to work.  A Certified Safety Professional (CSP) came and performed a thorough audit of the facility.  They found several jobs that might require a program be established to help the employees performing the job stay safe.  The CSP wants to develop a guide book for all questions related to the safety of each job.  It will cover everything regarding safety at the facility and then some.  It might even talk about drug testing protocol and how training is conducted and how often.  The program could be huge and extensive, but it is your number one defense when OHSA comes knocking on your door.

The CSP explained that while there is no one set standard safety program that span across all industries, he can develop a custom program just for your facility that will cover all the requirements set forth by OSHA.  OSHA does not have a safety program guide, but they have a list of dos and don’ts that you as a responsible Operations Manager must adhere to.  The CSP identified that there were several areas that needed programs written and developed for these specific jobs.

One of the big jobs in your facility is that you have several spray booths.  In these booths different chemicals are utilized to help with your manufacturing plant.  The CSP found that when the paint spray booth and when the bonding spray booth are active, the levels of fumes in the booth exceeds the OSHA limits.  At this point there are several things you can do to increase the health and safety of working in one of the booths.  Is your paint booth properly ventilated?  One safety aspect of the paint booth is ventilation.    

If you have a paint booth or spray booth typically you need some type of ventilation and sometimes the employees need to wear respirators for protection.  Ventilation is the first type of safety measure that OSHA likes to see implemented.  Ventilation allows for adequate air flow and keeps the employees from having to wear respirators.  Unfortunately sometimes respirators cannot be avoided.  A CSP can help create a respirator program.  Respirators are the second line of defense in health and safety in the eyes of OSHA.  But be cautioned that just because a CSP has deemed that you need a respirator program does not mean that you can simply hand out paper masks for the employees to wear. 

This can get you into trouble with OSHA as well.  If OSHA came by and asked an employee if they were required to wear a respirator and they answer yes, now OSHA wants to see your training program and why you choose that respirator.  They might not even ask an employee, but instead specifically want to discuss your respirator program and how you train your employees on that program.  So the lesson is simply handing out masks and not getting an actual written program that includes training, can get you in just as much trouble as not having anything.

Call your local CSP to get a written respirator program in place for your business today!