Practical EHS Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
Computing accident incidence rates and severity can help analyze and correct conditions that cause accidents. A simple formula for calculating accident incidence (frequency) is to: Take the total number of recordable incidents for the year from your OSHA 300. Multiply that number by 200,000, which represents the number of hours worked by 100 full-time employees, […]
OSHA, gearing up for a proposed rulemaking on I2P2, is presenting its case to employers and the public. "Injury and illness prevention programs (I2P2) are good for workers, good for business, and good for America." OSHA administrator David Michaels made this statement in support of a plan that would require employers to develop written safety […]
Toxic substances are found in many facilities, and employees can suffer a variety of illnesses as a result of unprotected exposures. According to Understanding Toxic Substances, a guide for employers and employees published by the Washington Department of Labor and Industries: "The toxicity of a substance is its ability to cause harmful effects. These effects […]
Are your workers in danger from corrosive chemicals? If so, give them the information they need to protect themselves. Workers may know that corrosive materials can be hazardous to their skin and eyes, but are they aware that these substances are also highly reactive when they come into contact with certain other substances? Or that […]
In yesterday’s GHS review, we talked about compliance guidelines, how GHS has changed HazCom, and GHS-compliant labeling requirements. Today, we review issues involving the SDS and employee training. Manufacturers, importers, or distributors must provide a safety data sheet (SDS) to their customers for each hazardous chemical at the time of the first shipment of the […]
Yesterday, we reviewed the first 4 steps toward world-class safety performance. Today, we present the rest. 5. Be Ready for Anything Be prepared to handle a wide-range of unexpected events effectively. Emergency plans should anticipate all possible contingencies. Make sure your plans include at least the following: Procedure for reporting emergencies Evacuation policy, procedures, route […]
Today, we present the first 4 steps, and tomorrow we’ll review the rest. 1. Engage Employees Involving employees in the safety process is essential to safety success. It provides a way for them to demonstrate and share their commitment while building pride, ownership, and skills. Here are a few proven methods to spark participation:
The deadline for training employees on the SDS and GHS labels was December 1, 2013, so you should already have done that. The next deadline is June 1, 2015, when chemical manufacturers, importers, distributors must comply with all the requirements of the GHS rule (e.g., hazard classification, SDS format). Then, by December 1, 2015, all […]