Posts Tagged ‘Safety’

Be Careful When Using Contractors – They Can Hurt You?

Thursday, November 24th, 2011

Many companies depend on contractors to provide dependable, quality work. Most of the time that faith is well founded, but often it is based on mistaken assumptions. When contractors work at your facility, your company falls under the OSHA Multi-Employer Worksite Policy (CPL-02-00-124). In my experience, this policy is either unknown or misunderstood by many.

In general, this policy requires the host employer (the company that owns or operates the facility or worksite) and the contractor to share responsibility for the safety of the contractor’s employees while working at the facility or worksite. If an incident occurs and a contractor employee is injured, OSHA will determine which employer (host employer or contractor) is the Controlling Employer and ultimately the responsible party. Because the host employer has overall responsibility for the facility or worksite, the host employer is usually determined to be the Controlling Employer. However, there are situations where the host employer may not be the Controlling Employer, such as on a construction site where there is a general contractor. In these cases, there is often a clause in the contract between the host employer and the general contractor giving the general contractor the authorities and responsibilities of the host employer. (more…)

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Linking EHS, Ethics and Economic Prosperity

Monday, October 24th, 2011

Striving to “do the right thing” can help environmental and health & safety (EHS) professionals create sustainable EHS programs that also have a positive impact on a company’s economic strength. EHS professionals must go beyond regulatory compliance and consider ethics in order to build successful programs that also boost the bottom line. While laws and regulations inform individuals and companies what they cannot do, ethics instruct individuals and companies as to what they should do. In other words, ethics is about doing the right thing, not about simply avoiding the wrong thing.

I support an “EHS management systems approach” in the workplace, which recognizes that unsafe acts, unsafe conditions and accidents are symptoms of problems in the organizational management system. In this philosophy, senior management is ultimately responsible for building an ethical system that effectively analyzes and controls workplace conditions and hazards. This means that EHS is no longer a “sunk cost,” but an integral function of doing business, just like quality.

Perhaps the greatest economic reason to support an ethics-based approach to EHS management within a capitalistic system is that prosperity generates an environment where continuing improvement and reduced risk are affordable.

EHS professionals must promote a more ethical approach to managing their own profession. This strategy requires moral courage, conviction and professional unity, including a bottom-up approach at their facilities and through professional organizations, and understanding the need to look out for workers, the environment, and the public despite culture, pressure and misdirection from management and peers.

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Go Green and Create a More Productive Work Environment

Monday, October 24th, 2011

Here are a few tips to green the workplace and keep employees working at their best:

• Preserve and make use of green spaces, including courtyards, ponds, walking paths and decks that allow occupants to enjoy and interact with the outdoors. Design workspaces that provide unobstructed views of windows to help bring the outdoor environment inside.

• Avoid “sick building syndrome” by improving air quality in the workplace. Ensure an adequate supply of fresh air and monitor CO2 levels to keep it within a healthy range and to avoid fatigue, headaches and difficulty concentrating.

• Evaluate and control employee exposure to airborne contaminants. Consider banning smoking on your campus including outdoor areas, and install permanent “knock-off” grates at all entrances to control unwanted particles from entering the workplace on employees’ shoes.

• “Green” your cleaning, maintenance and pest management operations by using more environmentally friendly cleaning products and organic, synthetic filters for equipment. For pest control, use non-toxic or minimally toxic methods only in targeted locations and for targeted species.

• Promote recycling. Distribute recycling containers around your buildings or campus to encourage separation of waste and recyclable items. Think beyond cans, glass, and paper. Consider composting food waste, including coffee grounds, from your cafeteria to improve the environment and reduce the cost of the waste stream.

• Control your own environment to work in greater comfort. Ask for the flexibility to adjust temperature, lighting and airflow to maintain personal comfort levels.

• Create a team of employees to monitor, patrol and educate workers on environmentally friendly behaviors. Celebrate events such as Earth Day and World Water Day to raise awareness and promote involvement.

• Add amenities such as huddle areas and quiet rooms to provide an inviting alternative to meeting rooms. Acoustical spray on ceilings and sound masking through white noise can minimize distractions in open office environments.

• Consider adding a fitness center to promote exercise and general health and well-being.

Remember – if employees are happy, healthy and comfortable, they are more likely to be productive at work.

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Maintaining a Safety Committee

Monday, October 24th, 2011

Encouraging worker involvement in company safety committees sometimes can be a challenge. Even so, to create a workplace that fosters employee engagement, morale and safety, workers must have a voice.

Depending on the specific workplace, some managers may face an uphill battle in achieving active employee participation in safety committees. Pressure to increase production, a temporary or short-term work force and overall lack of motivation can contribute to the difficulties of creating a productive safety committee at work. (more…)

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