Posts Tagged ‘Safety Compliance’

Five ways to remind employees to work safe

July 14, 2010

Looking for ways to remind your employees to work safe? Want to energize and revitalize your workplace safety program?  Here are five tools to do just that.

1. Safety Reminder Signs: Hang motivational safety reminder signs around your facility to keep employees focused on safety. Consider putting them in locations where accidents are likely to occur or where employees should be extra cautious. Also consider putting safety reminder signs on machines and other potentially hazardous equipment.

2. Certification Cards/Tags: It is important that employees can recognize certified and trained individuals in case of an emergency or to find answers to safety-related questions. Certification cards or tags will identify trained/certified employees. Certification cards and tags can also boost the morale of the trained employees because they are seen as experts in a certain aspect of workplace safety. This can in turn motivate employees to request additional training and/or certification opportunities.

3. Award Labels & Pins: Award labels and safety pins can serve as constant reminders of workplace safety when worn on clothing, uniforms or hard hats. Pins or labels can feature general safety slogans. They can also indicate the number of years a worker has gone without an accident or how many years they have been trained/certified in a particular activity.

4. Scoreboards: Scoreboards remind employees of the company’s dedication to safety and shows how well a group or team is doing to meet the company’s safety goals.  Having progress toward maintaining a safe workplace visibly displayed in a facility can go a long way in encouraging employees to pay attention to safety in their daily jobs.

5. Banners & Posters: Banners and posters are a large and prominent way to promote accident prevention, good housekeeping or teamwork. Banners and posters can be hung in large areas where there are multiple employees for a quick, general safety reminder. Wallcharts are also a great way to inform employees of safe practices and can be used in training sessions or posted around the facility.

Customization
If you are looking for a way to create a unique safety training program at your facility, consider customizing any or all of the tools listed above. Customization allows you to add your logo, wording, colors, and more to any product to make them more effective or create a sense of teamwork and company commitment.

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Posted in Labels, OSHA, Safety Compliance, Safety Labels, Safety Tags, Signs, Tags | Leave a Comment »

What type of eyewash unit is best for your workplace?

May 21, 2010

Does your facility need an eyewash station?

OSHA requires that any place where a person’s eyes or body can be exposed to corrosive materials must have a suitable method or facility for drenching or flushing the eyes and body. This faciilty must be within the work area for immediate use if there is an injury. There are also certain industries that must include an eye wash station in every single facility.  (To view the full regulations, visit OSHA’s web site).

So, if you do need an eyewash in your facility, what type of eyewash unit is best for you? Here are a few of the options you have to choose from:

Faucet Mount Eyewash: These types of units attach directly to goose neck and standard faucets to turn them into eyewash units. The attachment delivers a concentrated stream of cold water to the eyes without the need to install new plumbing. They can be used with any sink or basin so they are a great no-hassle option.

Counter-Top Mount Eyewash: Counter-top eyewash units attach directly to any table or counter top. Some can swivel and therefore can be easily used from any angle. Like many eyewash units, they deliver aerated sprays to flush the eyes and face.

Wall Mount Eyewash: This is a great option if you do not have a faucet in an area where you need an eyewash unit. You can simply attach it to the building’s plumbing system.  They do not take up a lot of space, but they are a permanent installation. You can buy them in plastic, stainless steel and other materials.

Portable Eyewash: You can take a portable eyewash unit with you anywhere. This is great for non-permanent job sites or in places where sinks and/or plumbing systems are not available. They work just like any other eyewash unit, gently spraying water on the eyes and face. You can even store the water in the portable eyewash units for up to six month  if there is an anti-bacterial additive in the eyewash solution.

Combination Eyewash and Drench Hose: These provide flexible use for any industrial area. In addition to a standard eyewash unit, this system includes a drench hose that can be used to direct water to the affected area not only on the face, but any part of the body.

Shower/Eyewash System: Depending on the brand, eyewash/shower systems can have a variety of different features and capabilities. The main benefit of this type of station is that it can be used to rinse the entire body in the event of an accident, not just the eyes and face. It’s a great option for any facility where an accident involving a corrosive substance could affect the entire body.

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Posted in First Aid, Safety Compliance | Leave a Comment »

What's the best way to reduce workplace injuries?

April 29, 2010

We all agree that reducing workplace injuries and keeping employees safe is important. But there are different schools of thought on how exactly to achieve that. On one hand, some feel that more regulations and stricter fines are the most effective way to ensure employees are protected. On the other, some think that creating a workplace committed to safety is the more effective.

Those who support the idea of stricter fines and more regulations will be happy to know that in the near future OSHA will be introducing a new program to help protect workers in all types of jobs. The program is called the Severe Violator Enforcement Program.

This program is designed to concentrate OSHA’s effort more specifically on the repeat offenders – companies that are obstinate and show a lack of concern for safety laws and regulations. The program will  increase the number of OSHA inspections at those companies as well as increase fines for repeat offenders. Hopefully this program pushes companies to comply with safety regulations out of fear of harsher  fines and penalties.

In a recent news release announcing the program OSHA stated that: “For many employers, investing in job safety happens only when they have adequate incentives to comply with OSHA’s requirements. Higher penalties and more aggressive, targeted enforcement will provide a greater deterrent and further encourage these employers to furnish safe and healthy workplaces for their employees.”

This reasoning supports the idea that greater fines and penalties are the way to reduce workplace accidents and injuries.

So, okay. That makes sense. But is there more we need to do? Fines and penalties may serve as motivation to ensure workers are safe, but that is reactionary rather than proactive.  We can’t sit back and assume that inspections and fines are going to fix everything.

This is where the other side of the debate comes into play. Making employees committed to safety is an important part of maintaining an injury free workplace. If employees take ownership of the safety program and feel that they play an integral part in developing and maintaining that program, then they are more likely to follow all safety regulations. It may even cause employees to start suggesting safety improvements that they feel are important.

Overall, I don’t feel that either approach will solve the workplace injury issue. I think a combination of fines and regulations paired with a stronger sense of ownership for safety in one’s workplace will help reduce the number of workplace injuries and accidents.

What do you think?

Posted by got2 love safety

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Posted in Motivation, Training | Leave a Comment »

Make Emedco your One-Stop Safety Source!

February 2, 2010
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$50 off your purchase of $250 or more - offer end February 12, 2010, Use Keycode EM0207 when ordering

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Custom Products | Signs | Labels | Tages | Parking Lots & Grounds | Lockout & Electrical | Satey Compliance | Warehouse Safety & Inventory | Security Aids | Safety Compliance

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Make Emedco your
One-Stop Safety Source!
Best Selection: Over 225,000 products available by phone or at our new, redesigned website www.emedco.com
Customize Anything: You choose the wording, color, and graphics
Lifetime Guarantees: Available on thousands of our most popular items
Fast Shipping: Same-day shipping on more than 125,000 products

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Posted in Safety & Security Solutions | Leave a Comment »

How Individual Food Companies can Make America’s Food Safer

January 29, 2010

With the ongoing debate on the Senate floor waging about the safety of food there is still much that needs to be done and that can be done by individual companies in order to keep the food that Americans consume safer. Food companies all across the country that excel as far as sales and exports go usually have one thing in common; they have outstanding compliance and traceability.

One of the more common functions in obtaining better compliance and tractability at food companies is the formation of a cross functional improvement team. Such a team is made up of individuals who possess a vast knowledge of the industry as a whole and will see these individuals implement new and innovative techniques to better safeguard the production, processing, and shipping of any and all food items.

Furthermore, food companies should make employees accountable for their roles. Proper training is the key ingredient here and if an employee knows that there is an oversight group watching they will also know that any problems may be traced back to them. This ensures that proper care in preparation is more often taken and that oversight happens less.

Finally, companies need to implement technologies that will help with the safety of their food production whenever it is applicable. Waiting for the government to mandate rules and regulations is a sure way to see a food company to the bottom of the food chain as far as reliability goes. If there is a technology that has come out and it will help a company to further enhance safety measures then it behooves that company to implement it sooner rather than later as a better and safer product means more to the bottom line.

While many companies are doing their parts to implement safety on their own, there is much more that needs to be done. The government is already on its way so a quality company will go ahead and beat the government to the punch.

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Posted in Food Safety, Safety Compliance | Leave a Comment »

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