Often in industrial plants there are many processes that require a form of safety protection. This protection can be ear plugs because the noise levels in the facility are over the OSHA standard. It can also be respirators to be used when handling hazardous chemicals. These pieces of equipment are called Person Protection Equipment or PPE. How does a facility manager know when his employees need to wear a PPE? Should he simply assign PPEs to everyone?
Often in industrial plants there are many processes that require a form of safety protection. This protection can be ear plugs because the noise levels in the facility are over the OSHA standard. It can also be respirators to be used when handling hazardous chemicals. These pieces of equipment are called Person Protection Equipment or PPE. How does a facility manager know when his employees need to wear a PPE? Should he simply assign PPEs to everyone?
The PPE is a double edged sword when it comes to OSHA inspections. If they see an employee wearing one, they might ask that employee if it is required. This employee, not wanting to get his boss in trouble, could answer “yes” when in fact it is voluntary. OSHA will ask the facility manager to see is respirator program or his hearing conservation program and want to know when that employee was trained last on his PPE. They might also ask how often the employees are fit tested for their PPE. The manager says he doesn’t have those things then he could get fined. He could also get a fine for needing some industrial hygiene (IH) programs and not having them. How does a plant know if they need an IH program?
The only way to know if you need a program is to hire an Industrial Hygienist to come and perform some monitoring. If employees are exposed to silica, iron oxide, and a whole list of other chemicals then IH monitoring is necessary. The monitoring will tell managers if employees are getting exposed to lethal or harmful levels of these chemicals. It will also tell the facility manager if his employees need to wear any type of respirator. There is also IH monitoring for noise levels to determine if hearing protection is needed. IH monitoring is absolutely required before any type of PPE can be suggested or put into use. Who can perform the IH monitoring?
IH monitoring is typically performed by an Industrial Hygienist, Certified Safety Professional, Certified Industrial Hygienist or an Environmental, Health and Safety Coordinator (EH&S). Professionals with these titles can visit the facility and by doing a thorough walk through and seeing the different departments in the plants facility, can make an accurate assessment of what type of monitoring is needed for the employees.
It isn’t difficult to find an EH&S Coordinator, to find one close by click here. They will ask what type of plant it is, what is the end product being produced, how many employees work there, and other operations questions. Then they will want to schedule a time to come and look at the facility and make an assessment of what they believe is the best type of monitoring.
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.
