Have you had a Certified Safety Professional to come and audit your safety programs lately? A safety program is the framework of your facility. It is the go to guide book for all questions related to safety. It can cover everything from drug testing protocol to how training is conducted and how often. The program can be huge and extensive, but it is your number one defense when OHSA comes knocking on your door.
Have you had a Certified Safety Professional to come and audit your safety programs lately? A safety program is the framework of your facility. It is the go to guide book for all questions related to safety. It can cover everything from drug testing protocol to how training is conducted and how often. The program can be huge and extensive, but it is your number one defense when OHSA comes knocking on your door.
It is true that currently there is no one set standard safety program that span across all industries. OSHA does not have a safety program guide. They DO have a list of do’s and don’ts that you as an Operations Manager or HR Director do not have time to sift through. That is why you want to hire a Certified Safety Professional (CSP) to come by and do an audit of your facility and your current safety program. A CSP is an individual that has a bachelor’s degree in safety and has had many years’ experience in the safety industry. There is a standardized test they must take to become a CSP and the test is brutal.
So what types of programs will be needed to run your facility? There are programs for everything it seems like. A fun one is paint. Typically if there will be a lot of painting happening then you will have a paint booth. They look different from plant to plant but essentially they are an area where you can paint and expose the rest of the warehouse or employees to the fumes of the paint. One safety aspect of the paint booth is ventilation. Is your paint booth properly ventilated? The CSP can make that determination, along with respirators.
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. A CSP will perform a type of Industrial Hygiene monitoring to determine if the air in the paint or spray booth warrants its users to utilize respirators. If the results of the air monitoring show respirators are required then the CSP can help devise a Respirator Program.
Do not just hand out paper masks and ask your employees to wear them in an attempt to skip the monitoring. 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.
Call a local CSP to find out a) if you need a respirator program, b) what type of respirators to use, and c) how to get a program written and your employees trained to use it. Click hereto find a Certified Safety Professional near you.
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.
