health & safety

October 31, 2023

Speak with SCS professionals at BOOTH 618 at the 2024 Wisconsin Safety Council Conference, April 15-17, at the Kalahari Resort in the Wisconsin Dells.

The Wisconsin Safety Council’s Annual Conference is Wisconsin’s premier event highlighting health, safety and human resource best practices challenges and solutions. It features over 50 educational sessions, 200 exhibitors, and 5 pre-conference professional development courses.

The conference provides a unique opportunity for professionals to share resources and experiences with colleagues, and to discuss views and concerns with a wide range of stakeholders. You will hear from top-notch speakers and learn about the latest safety information.

The Wisconsin Safety Council is celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2023.  On tap for the 2024 conference are:

April 15: Professional Development Courses (day prior to conference)
April 16-17: Conference Sessions & Expo
April 16: Networking Reception

Check their website for the latest info.  Preregistration opens in November

We hope to see you there!

 

 

Posted by Laura Dorn at 11:12 am

August 28, 2023

Workers engaged in their workforce safety affect attitudes, outlook, and production positively.

 

Worker Safety:Focusing on worker safety can transform an entire organization and dramatically improve culture, quality, productivity, communication, and ultimately profits.” Paul O’Neill made this statement in 1987 when he took over as Chairman and CEO of Alcoa (Aluminum Company). When Paul finished his term as CEO twelve years later, Alcoa’s market value had increased from $3 billion to $27.5 billion, with net income rising from $200 million to just under $1.5 billion.

Paul joined Alcoa when it was in a state of decline, with failed product lines and an employee injury rate of 1.86 lost work days per 100 workers. At his first board meeting, he told investors he intended to make Alcoa the safest company in America and prioritize safety over profit. Many investors panicked and sold their stock, much to their later chagrin. He stated that Alcoa’s “…safety record is better than the general American workforce, especially considering that our employees work with metals that are 1500 degrees and machines that can rip a man’s arm off…” Paul focused on one key parameter to measure success, the number of daily safety issues. He commented on his strategy: “I knew I had to transform Alcoa. But you can’t order people to change. So I decided I was going to start by focusing on one thing. If I could start disrupting the habits around one thing, it would spread throughout the entire company.

When a worker was hurt, Paul observed that they missed work for days to weeks to months, hampering productivity. His emphasis on having workers prioritize safety over efficiency paid off big time.

Remember the 1.86 lost work days statistic? He dropped it to 0.2 lost work days per 100 workers. By introducing a method of following safety procedures before every task, he implemented protocols for accountability, such as on-the-job work instructions, safety checklists, task management, and safety leaderboards. The process instilled a sense of a progressive and transformative safety culture in the workers. Only one year later, Alcoa reached a new record for its profits.

According to WorkClout, Paul’s influence not only increased Alcoa’s safety, productivity, and profit while positively affecting manufacturing. The number of annual fatal injuries in the manufacturing sector declined from 420 in 2003, to a low of 303 in 2017, and currently stands at 383 in 2021 (Bureau of Labor Statistics most recent data).

So how can you put proactive health and safety at the forefront of your business? Focus on non-monetary things, such as health and safety. Having workers engaged in safety affects everything down the supply chain. Try implementing these practical and positive recommendations in your workplace:

  • Management engagement in safety – if workers see their managers, corporate leaders, and peers buy into safety, there will be a trickle-down effect. Go into work areas or the manufacturing floor wearing the same safety gear as the workers. If management obeys the safety rules, workers will notice.
  • Management communication – avoid posting signs like “safety first” when the workers know that profit is always first. Try signs that say, “Safety is everybody’s business” or “Attention to safety = increased profit = bigger bonus.”
  • Implement reward programs for workers who point out safety hazards. Workers respond much better to positive feedback rather than being blamed when things go wrong.
  • Worker input is vital, so implement their suggestions – if workers know management is listening to them, they are much more apt to remain engaged and work safely.
A healthy workforce is a happy and more productive one.

 

About the Author: Jed Douglas is a Certified Industrial Hygienist, a Certified Safety Professional, and a Professional Geologist, licensed in California, Oregon, Washington, and Arizona.

Mr. Douglas specializes in the health and safety of workforces. He performs indoor air quality investigations for chemical, physical, and biological contaminants, sound and noise studies, hearing protection program, ergonomic evaluation, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) program compliance, chemical usage evaluation, global harmonization system implementation, confined space evaluation, lock-out/tag-out review, security auditing, emergency response plans and evacuation drills, respiratory protection program and fit testing, and training in various safety protocol. Reach out to Jed here or on LinkedIn.

 

 

 

Posted by Diane Samuels at 6:00 am

May 18, 2022

SCS Engineers Environmental Consulting and Contracting
As scientists, engineers, and Certified Industrial Hygienists we know protecting workers and the environment is not only ethical, it’s good for business. Which came first? Health & Safety!

 

A Healthy and Safe Workforce Reduces Operating Costs – Industrial Health & Safety

 

We have seen the Safety First signs in various businesses, but which comes first, health & safety or profit? Some say, without profit, a business would be out of business, and safety would no longer be a concern. However, SCS Engineers thinks safety is first in this chicken and egg paradox. After all, we are discussing peoples’ well-being, but let’s address the business aspects too.

To increase your profit and reduce your operating costs, you need to focus on your employees’ health and safety, not only trip hazards and other short-term problems. The long-term health of employees is a vital component of health & safety – protecting your people from toxic chemical vapors, having a hearing conservation program in a noisy environment, and don’t forget ergonomics in industrial and office settings.

Safety and health are both essential; they only appear to slow down productivity. In the event of an illness or incident, production could slow or stop while resolving an issue and carrying out investigations. Minimize costly production interruptions by changing your health & safety focus to a proactive preventative approach. Instead of reducing accident impacts, prevent them in the first place.

 

Health & safety becomes an aid to achieving greater efficiency, lower operating costs, and higher profit margins.

You can implement a better health & safety program and stave off the inevitable risks to personnel and business assets across factories, construction sites, and other work environments by better managing and preventing an incident from occurring in the first place. Being proactive becomes an integral part of the safety equation by achieving efficiency and value, leaving behind the ever-present focus on cost.

Taking a preventative approach instead of a reactive one, every business, employee, visitor, and stakeholder benefits. There will no longer be a question of balancing safety and efficiency. Instead, safety is a catalyst for quicker production, superior logistics, easier movement of goods and people, and an overall better working environment.

In January of 2022, two business owners were sentenced to prison for violating Worker Safety Laws, resulting in two workers’ deaths when a rail tanker car exploded. Imagine the blow to employee morale when this incident occurred. Morale is also affected by issues not nearly as dramatic, such as when an employee develops cancer from inhaling chemical vapors over the course of their career or if a co-worker needs back surgery due to incorrect lifting techniques. When OSHA or the lawyers come knocking and asking for training records and personal exposure data, what will you have to show them?

A thoughtful, proactive written health & safety program, regular training, thorough written documentation, and meticulous collection of personal exposure data show agencies and your staff that your employees are knowledgeable about health & safety. They are not exposed to stressors at levels that exceed harmful or regulatory limits. Implementing engineering or administrative controls can also reduce excessive exposure below the legal limits and recommended guidelines. Something very important to potential new hires.

 

SCS provides some additional guidance and brief explanations of useful terminology. SCS is here to help if you would like to learn more.

  • According to the CDC, Workplace Health Programs can produce a positive return on investment of 20% to 239%.
  • Healthy Workers are more productive, have better morale, and are actively engaged in their jobs.
  • Employees that see Management Engagement in Safe Practices are more likely to work safely and speak up regarding observed safety hazards.
  • Trained Workers know how to best perform their jobs without getting hurt.
  • Elimination or Substitution can replace or reduce a hazard in the first place, preventing the need for other potentially costly controls.
  • Engineering controls reduce exposure through ventilation, isolation, dampening, protecting, etc.
  • Administrative controls reduce exposure via changes in employee shifts, tasks, training, policy, etc.
  • Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is the least effective control, as personnel rarely desire to wear protective equipment since it is usually uncomfortable and can interfere with work duties.

 

About the Author:

Jed Douglas, CIH, CSP, PG is SCS Engineers’ National Expert on Industrial Hygiene, and a senior technical advisor specializing in Occupational Health and Safety issues. He has 30 years of experience as a health and safety specialist and project manager, and has managed numerous environmental projects involving: safety; soil and groundwater investigations and remediation of hazardous constituents; and, indoor air quality (IAQ) assessments for physical, chemical, and biological contaminants. Read more from this IH&S expert who shares his knowledge abd insights here:

 

 

 

 

 

Posted by Diane Samuels at 6:00 am

January 21, 2019

Today’s landfill design professionals can help eliminate unsafe configurations and institute features that can proactively warn of and minimize hazards for operator and customer safety. Designers consider subgrade conditions, geotechnical factors and regulatory requirements when specifying how steep a landfill may be constructed.

The practical aspects of landfill operations and maintenance play a significant role in slope configurations since the landfill must provide safe access to monitoring points, environmental control features, and mowing.

Bob Gardner highlights the most important features to consider for landfill cells, including the design and construction phases of the entire landfill’s infrastructure. Bob covers a broad range of topics including:

  • State regulations
  • Site monitoring
  • Signage
  • Site access and traffic considerations
  • Citizen convenience centers

Many states regulate the maximum design slope, and although these vary, it is up to the landfill designer to take practical, safety and regulatory considerations into account when establishing the slope configuration. Bob recommends working closely with the field staff to incorporate a design that is user-friendly, effective and safe.

Read the WasteToday article “Ensuring safety during landfill design,” by clicking here.

About the Author: Bob Gardner, PE, BCEE

 

 

 

 

Posted by Diane Samuels at 6:02 am

August 27, 2018

A few years ago, an engineer working for a“friend’s plant” chose to replace their  evaporative condenser with an adiabatic condenser. On the surface, the choice seemed like a good idea since  adiabatic condensers often provide higher heat rejection with lower water and electricity usage. The condenser was purchased and installed, but all was not well. When not carefully considered, replacing equipment or control programs can have unforeseen consequences such as negative impacts on operational safety.

In this real life example the author examines what information would have made a big difference and significant savings had the right questions been asked.

Click to read this article and others written for those in industries using ammonia refrigeration.

 

 

 

Posted by Diane Samuels at 6:03 am

April 27, 2016

Can Computer Technology Enhance Safety and Environmental Protection?

Just when you thought we had gone as far as we could, now there is remote monitoring and control technology. Did you know that you can have live access to monitor equipment and data in real time from your living room? You can see how fast pumps are running or what temperature or flow rate you have at your flare. You can access live video feeds from cameras and actually see inside your flare station or storage area. Notification of unplanned shut downs can be set up. You can be notified on your mobile device when something goes wrong. The technology exists to remotely start flares when they shut down. Imagine eliminating a three-hour drive to restart a flare. Not only do you save time and money, but you avoid a potential environmental impact or fine. This is cool stuff.

Remember, whatever technology you use or plan to use, make it user-friendly. Most people resist change, and the ability to use technology varies among employees. Generation X’s  and Millennials tend to understand and use computers and mobile devices more effectively than some Baby Boomers. If you want your technology to work for everyone, take a slow and defined approach to implementing the use of technology. Provide training to explain what the benefits are, and how to do things step by step. Develop written procedures that can be accessed when people become confused or forget how to do things. These measures will help others welcome the introduction of technology in the workplace. Set employees up for success. Identify employees that are well suited to use technology, and consider empowering them to assist others. As technology use grows, develop IT positions to support your efforts.

Technology is continually improving; this is a good thing. Despite these advances, try to monitor the changes you make. Try not to fall victim to continually changing the way things are done. Allow time for people to understand and use the tools they have. Consider user abilities and develop updates that are necessary or enhance your process. Include end user employees in the technology development process. Keep in mind that technology, in most instances, solid waste industry included, should support workers and operations, and not the other way around.

Contact Michael Knox or continue to read his entire article here.

Technology in the solid waste and landfill gas industry.

About Michael Knox

For over 30 years, Mr. Knox has participated in projects ranging from clearance of unexploded ordnance (UXO) from military impact ranges to construction and management of waste treatment and disposal facilities. Currently, he performs compliance audits of SCS operations. His experience in environmental safety, construction, and remediation is exceptional in terms of both field and administrative application. He often serves as the primary interface between federal, state, and local regulatory agencies and SCS project teams.

In addition to his work as a compliance auditor, Mr. Knox is a Project Manager in Florida. In this role, his responsibilities include the execution of contracts, plus management oversight and coordination of all field operations; including landfill gas collection systems at numerous landfills.

Posted by Diane Samuels at 6:00 am

August 19, 2015

SCS Engineers -- Help Protect Life and the Environment
SCS Engineers — Help Protect Life and the Environment

SCS sustains and improves our organization’sHealth & Safety Program by having a designated Corporate Health & Safety Director. We know H&S is important to you, and to SWANA who recently announced that it will begin collecting safety data from municipalities about collection injuries and accidents.

An organization with a limited budget is nevertheless responsible for the overall technical direction, management, and implementation of a company’s Health & Safety Program. Providing a safe and healthful environment for employees and communities is the core mission of our work. In keeping with the goals of OSHA and the USEPA, SCS makes safety and health expertise affordable to any organization, regardless of size or budget. We have resources available to help you achieve OSHA and USEPA compliance while increasing your productivity, morale, and safety awareness.

Click here to learn more about these H&S programs and training:

  • Health and Safety Program Development
  • Health and Safety Training & Certifications
  • Industrial Hygiene and Occupational Safety Evaluations
  • Health-Risk Assessments

Posted by Diane Samuels at 12:21 pm