• 23Jun

  Beware of companies offering “OSHA Certified” training.

  As Observed - An EHS Professionals Viewpoint, EHS Training No Comments

  Looking for Safety & Health Training Services? Let the buyer beware!

  John DeFillippo, CHMP

  Not all companies that offer EH&S training services (and therefore not all trainers) are created equal. There is a wide range of quality out there and shopping by price or not checking references and qualifications can result in a nasty surprise. Let’s face it, training is an investment in time and dollars and you want a return. Many savvy managers are auditioning potential trainers before hiring them, or at least diligently checking references. It takes more than knowledge of a given subject to deliver effective training.

  Beware of companies offering “OSHA Certified” training. There is no such thing. For certain, OSHA Outreach Programs OSHA does permit Authorized Providers to deliver approved curriculum and they have been cracking down on those making false claims as the following statement reveals:
  “The use of independent trainers has allowed OSHA to significantly extend its training capabilities,” said Jordan Barab, acting assistant secretary of labor for OSHA. “But OSHA will not tolerate fraudulent activity or unscrupulous trainers when workers’ health and lives may be at stake.”
  Authorized Providers must attend OSHA Trainer training, adhere to rigorous standards, and are subject to unannounced audits by OSHA at any time.

  Credentials and certifications are great and provide a way to verify competency in particular fields, but real-world experience should not be overlooked. For example, it’s one thing to talk about a confined space, it’s quite another to be in one! Field experience enables a trainer to put the material in perspective and helps students make the connection between theory and practice.
  Do your trainers have the field experience to make this happen? Does the training company have the project experience as it relates to your field of endeavor? Ask these questions before you make your decision and your dollars will go a lot further and you job will be a lot easier.

  
  
  

• 16Jun

  Picking a Green Theme: Part II

  Green Living, etc. No Comments

  More Businesses, Charities & Groups that Can Help You be Green

  by Barbara Glynn Alves

  Following up on my last posting, here are more helpful ways to help you keep your stuff out of the landfills whenever possible. This posting will focus on e-waste and smaller household items. Thanks to all who responded to my last posting with even more ideas!

  E-Waste or Electronic Waste
  E-Waste generally refers to consumer electronics such as laptops, personal computers, televisions, toys, phones and batteries. We covet and enjoy our electronics, but they pose a real problem when they come to the end of their life or usefulness. All contain one or more of those real nasty hazards like lead, mercury, cadmium, nickel, zinc, and brominated flame retardants http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polybrominated_diphenyl_ethers and must be disposed of responsibly and properly. They should not go to the landfills! So what can you do?

  Give to your local Women’s and Children’s Shelter. Recycling cell phone for victims of domestic abuse is a worthy and wonderful cause. The Shelter Alliance website will help you find a local connection www.shelteralliance.net

  The Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation (RBRC) is a non-profit, public service organization dedicated to rechargeable batteries. Their slogan “If it’s rechargeable, it’s recyclable!” You can type in your zip code to find a retailer near you who will collect your batteries and cell phone or check out their nation-wide collection events www.rbrc.org

  There are plenty of businesses who collect and recycle electronics for a fee. A quick internet search brought me to several in my local area. I simply typed e-waste + NJ. The NJ Department of Environmental Protection also had a listing under the title “Consumer Electronics Recycling Facilities, http://www.nj.gov/dep/dshw/lrm/uwaste/ucomplist.htm which gave me at least 30 names of e-waste recyclers. NJDEP also listed a free state-wide program for computer electronics drop off. Most states are moving in this direction, so check out your state’s environmental management agency website.

  FLUORESCENT LIGHT BULBS
  Traditional and compact florescent light bulbs are great energy saving choices, but they cannot go in the landfill since they contain mercury. One of my favorite sites comes from our friends at Waste Management, Inc. who has a wonderful program. Online you can buy shipping boxes and small containers with pre-paid postage to ship bulbs and batteries back to them. I actually gave these as holiday gifts to my greener friends and family! Check out www.wmlamptracker.com and www.thinkgreenfromhome.com

  SMALL HOUSEHOLD ITEMS AND CLOTHING
  After my last posting, a reader reminded me of the good works of Goodwill Industries. The Goodwill website is great and easy to maneuver. Their thrift stores are a great place to donate all clean clothing, small housewares and household goods. Some take electronics. They even have an on-line auction program in the e-bay fashion, but your dollars go to them! Goodwill Industries has teamed with Dell® in a program called Reconnect, which is a free drop-off program to recycle any brand of unwanted computer equipment. Go to www.goodwill.org.

  There are many thrift stores throughout the US, some for profit, and some that support specialty institutions and schools or charitable organizations. You can choose to donate your household items and clothes or participate for a small profit. The National Association of Retail & Thrift Shops has a search feature on their website, by state, zip code and type of merchandize to locate a thrift shop near you. www.narts.org

  A word about clothing bins. There are actually two types of bins: one type collects directly for the charity listed on the front and distributes usable clothes to the needy through different channels (mostly oversees); the other type of bin is rented from a textile recycling operation that gives the charity listed on the front dollars for every pound of textile collected or simply a fixed amount every year to use their name. Clothes in these are usually recycled into rags and spill booms. Most municipalities require bins to be registered and placed in a designated place, so don’t be scared away. In most cases, these are legitimate and serve the recycling, reusing strategy quite well.

  Next Posting: Understanding plastics and what all those numbers mean.

  
  

  

• 11Jun

  There is no OSHA in many developing nations

  As Observed - An EHS Professionals Viewpoint No Comments

  Sweatshop Conditions in Global Garment Factories – Efforts to Eliminate these Conditions

  By: Paula Kaufmann - CIH
  

  Last week I was fortunate to have attended a series of presentations about eliminating sweatshop conditions in global supply chains at the American Industrial Hygiene Conference. The goal of these presentations was to inform the occupational health and safety professionals about projects that focus on improving health and safety conditions at factories in the developing regions of the world.

  I found the reports of the prevalence of horrific work conditions throughout the world very disturbing. It seems like the conditions of the late 1800’s and early 1900’s (pre-organized labor) in the US and Europe, are currently wide spread in developing countries. Our desire for cheap consumer goods and high corporate profits are fueling these conditions.

  On the brighter side, in response to reports of sweatshop conditions, many brand name companies have adopted Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Codes of Conduct. To meet these CSR codes, many multinational or transnational corporations ask their production facilities and contractors to commit to operating under codes through contractual agreements.

  However, verifying compliance can be very complex as the supply chain of materials and production can be more of a web than a straight chain. Also, the purchasing corporation often creates requirements on the production facility that are directly opposed to conditions meant to be established by the Codes of Conduct. Examples of these opposing requirements are the use of short-term contracts, tight lead and delivery times, along with the steady reduction in the amount paid for the product. Several of the speakers referred to a schizophrenic business plan because the corporations seem to be split between two attitudes about getting to the buyer.

  One alarming fact I learned was that, although it has been more than 15 years since the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Codes of Conduct were adopted by major athletic footwear brands, less than 25% of the workers making the products are working in conditions meet that these codes. This kind of business model seems to work at cross-purposes with the CSR codes of conduct.

  As consumers, what can we do about these work conditions for the people who make all the stuff that we buy? Well, one approach is to make informed decisions about what we buy and where we buy it. Unfortunately, I haven’t seen any clothing tags labeled “Made in a socially responsible way”. However, there is a lot of information available on the internet, and here are a few of the key organizations and websites that explain how we can help:
  Asia Monitor Resource Center – www.amrc.org.hk
  Business for Social Responsibility – www.bsr.org
  Business and Human Rights – www.business-humanrights.org
  Clean Clothes Campaign – www.cleanclothes.org
  Maquila Solidarity Network – www.maquilasolidarity.org
  Maquiladora Health & Safety Network – www.igc.org/mhssn
  China Labor Watch – www.chinalaborwatch.org
  Better Factories Cambodia – www.betterfactories.org

  
  

  

  Tags: Codes of Conduct, Compliance, CSR, EHS, Health and Safety, OSHA, Sweatshops

• 28May

  When We Return…..

  Uncategorized No Comments

  EHSWire.com will return with new content on June 11th. Our staff is currently packing/ traveling to Toronto Canada for the AIHce Conference and Exhibition May 30th- June 4th -http://bit.ly/oSLke.

• 19May

  Picking a Green Theme: Household Items

  Green Living, etc. 2 Comments

  Businesses, Charities & Groups that Can Help You be Green

  by Barbara Glynn Alves

  Everybody’s jumping on the Green bandwagon and there is a lot of information out there about just how to do that - maybe too much information for the average busier than busy American. It reminds me of the Nilssen song from Midnight Cowboy, “Everybody’s talkin’at me. Can’t hear a word their saying … ” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AzEY6ZqkuE

  Short of living like the Amish, going Green can simply mean personally figuring out which of our energy grubbing, earth-polluting habits need to go and which need to stay in our lives. I think the best approach is to pick your cause or theme and stick to it. Mine … I try to keep as much as possible out of the local landfill, in particular, non-food related household items.
  I have found lots of help in the form of charities, businesses and groups who do nothing but promote recycling, reusing and repurposing our household throw-aways.

  For this posting, let’s look at bigger household items:

  Petals for Progress – this is one of my all time favorites! P4P collects used bicycles and sewing machines, refurbishes them and ships them around the world for needy people and businesses. The P4P website tells us, “Every year, affluent Americans buy 22 million new bicycles and discard millions of old ones, abandoning many more unused in basements, sheds, and garages. Most of these end up in our already overburdened landfills. Meanwhile, poor people overseas need cheap, non-polluting transportation to get to jobs, markets, customers, and school.” You can easily find a local collection event on their website www.p4p.org

  The Freecycle Network™ is a really great idea. This network, made up of 4,743 groups with 6,718,589 members across the globe, helps you give your stuff away! It’s entirely nonprofit and comprised of people who are giving (and getting) stuff for free in their own towns and thus keeping good stuff out of landfills. www.freecycle.org

  Don’t forget the Salvation Army! You can bring all types of gently used items to their Thrift Stores. Some branches may even pick up. Just a zip code entry on their website will give you a list of stores with the approximate miles from your home. The nearest to my house was only 8 miles. www.salvationarmyusa.org

  There are businesses that will haul your stuff away for a fee such as 1-800-GOTJUNK, which is franchised nationwide. From their website, “Every day our teams donate and recycle as much junk as possible. At a corporate level, we’ve also taken steps to decrease our carbon footprint by participating in Million Acts of Green, a Canadian grassroots initiative to help reduce our impact on the environment.” www.1800gotjunk.com

  Or you can try a local business. A quick search on the web brought me to Recycling Angels who states, “We are committed to keeping our planet clean by recycling as much of your unwanted clutter as possible. “ www.RecyclingAngels.com

  Look for professional recyclers through Recycler’s World & the Recycler’s Exchange which is a membership of professional recycling companies for all types of industries. Homeowners can use their website to search for local firms. www.recycle.net

  Other Choices: Our town has a Department of Community Services that oversees the Community Service Hours some of our friends, family and neighbors may have to serve for less than stellar behavior such as DWI. They have a huge collection area and will take almost any usable household item. Check to see if your town or county has a similar program - or think about your local university fraternities! These guys are always in need of furniture, fridges, dishes, etc., and they will be glad to pick them up. Both www.fraternityinfo.com and www.nicindy.org will give you a complete listing from Acacia to Zeta Psi.

  The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has an entire section on their website dedicated to making us responsible recyclers. Check out www.epa.gov/epawaste on the hazards in many household products, how to dispose and recycle them with some helpful links from for federal environmental professionals. They also have shopping tips to help make smart decisions at the store with resource conservation in mind.

  Stay tuned – my next posting will focus on E-waste (Electronic waste) and miscellaneous household items.

  
  

  

  Tags: Compliance, EHS, Environment, EPA, Green, Health and Safety, Recycling

• 12May

  Swine Flu: Webinar

  Regulatory Hot Topics No Comments

  Swine Flu Webinar: Planning, Prevention and Response

  By: Douglas R Clark - EHS Journalist

  EHSWire.com contributing writer Dale Wilson, CIH LEED AP, touched on the Swine Flu subject last week in his post – “The Swine Flu Panic: Were You Ready?: Pandemic Response Planning for Businesses”.

  In this post he spoke about many issues that were either left out, or pushed back in their level of importance by the media concerning work related scenarios. A May 15th Webinar, developed by EHS professionals, will further detail the Planning, Prevention and Response to the virus should it ever become an epidemic or affect your workplace.

  Included Information:

  “Pandemic-specific planning should include developing procedures for:
  • Establishing a Response Team and Team Leader, including responsible representatives from all departments
  • Restricting access to you facility to anyone exhibiting flu-like symptoms
  • Promotion of personal hygiene and the specifics, such as signage and supplies to maintain a sanitary environment
  • The potential increase of workplace housekeeping activity and the specifics of what, where and how
  • Evaluation and possible changes of attendance policies
  • Possible restriction of non-essential travel
  • Possible restriction or minimization of group meetings and implementation of teleconferences or telecommuting
  • The potential need to increase fresh air ventilation and/or the efficiency of HVAC system filters.”

  – Dale Wilson

  Visit - H1N1_influenza_A.asp - For More Information

  Tags: Compliance, EHS, Environment, Swine Flu, Training

• 07May

  Make sure you can see your future!

  General Health and Safety No Comments

  Healthy Vision Month 2009
  

  By: Martha Hernandez - EHS Training Manager
  

  
  

  

  The National Eye Institute (NEI) has deemed May “Healthy Vision Month”. This year they are emphasizing getting your eyes checked by an eye care professional. Over 11 million Americans have one of the most common (and correctable) vision problems in the United States; refractive errors.

  These are such problems such as nearsightedness (myopia), farsightedness (hyperopia), astigmatism and Presbyopia. These problems are easily corrected with the prescription of corrective eyewear such as eyeglasses or contact lenses.

  Early detection and treatment of eye conditions and diseases are essential to maintaining good vision at every stage of life. The key to preventing eye injuries is to take a more proactive approach to sustaining healthy vision; so make an appointment to get your eyes checked today! Your eyesight is a terrible thing to lose. Make sure you can see your future!

  
  

  

  Tags: EHS, Eye Care, Health and Safety, Healthy Vision Month, NEI

• 05May

  The Swine Flu Panic: Were You Ready?

  As Observed - An EHS Professionals Viewpoint, EHS Training, Regulatory Hot Topics No Comments

  Pandemic Response Planning for Businesses
  

  By: Dale Wilson - CIH, LEED AP
  

  The Swine Flu (H1N1 influenza A) outbreak has created a firestorm of media coverage, but the news focus has concentrated mostly on the possible effects on families, schools, hospitals and communities. All kinds of advice has been released to the public about precautions-with little emphasis on the business community. Illnesses can spread through an office complex as quickly as anywhere else. Businesses need to consider what appropriate emergency response actions must be in place to ensure business continuity should a full fledged pandemic be declared.

  Prior to swine flu, the need for facilities to develop and maintain current emergency response and continuity plans has been highlighted by numerous events –both man-made and naturally occurring–such as terrorist attacks, anthrax in the mail, the Bopal chemical release in India, the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, civil unrest, blackouts, earthquakes, wildfires, and of course, Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Unlike the events listed above, however, which tend to affect localized areas, a pandemic flu outbreak has the potential to spread - reaching distant areas- and therefore cause the most widespread disruption to our daily lives. A good Emergency Response and Business Contingency Plan needs to consider not only the direct impacts on business, but the potential impact on employees and their families, suppliers, and customers.

  Hopefully, if you are in charge of your companies Emergency Response and Contingency Planning, you can easily pull your current plans off the shelf to review their content and start preparing for any eventuality. If you are not at that point, you really need to begin the process immediately to minimize potential consequences. There are a number of resources available on the internet. I have pulled together the best of the available resources.

  From the Building and Owners Management Association (BOMA) of Canada:
  http://www.bomacanada-pandemic.ca/wp-content/uploads/2007/04/200704_PANDEMIC_GUIDE.pdf

  From the International Facility Management Association (IFMA) Foundation http://www.ifmafoundation.org/pandemic.pdf

  While these documents are geared to commercial buildings and facilities management, they can be adapted to fit most businesses. The IFMA Foundation document provides a greater level of detail on continuity planning and really may be beneficial to evaluating business continuity for scenarios other than pandemic flu, as it has sections on maintaining infrastructure, supply chain management, etc.

  Finally, I will mention http://www.pandemicflu.gov/index.html which is one of US government’s websites devoted to pandemic flu response. There is information and checklists available for business as well as information for individuals. As any business is dependent on their employees to function, it is advisable to distribute some of the individual and family information to employees- who may not be absent due to their own illness, but to care for a sick family member instead. Keeping their entire family well is in your best interest.

  
  

  

  Tags: Compliance, EHS, H1N1 influenza A, Health and Safety, Swine Flu, Training

• 28Apr

  Training Amidst the Melting Pot

  As Observed - An EHS Professionals Viewpoint, EHS Training 1 Comment

  The Importance of Effective and Understandable Training At The Workplace

  By: Diego Tolosa, CHST

  My interest in bilingual safety training started the day I entered a construction site in which a number of Spanish-speaking employees were working in a trench excavated from green soil. As a health and safety professional, my attention was immediately drawn to them. I asked if they knew what the green soil was and they said “No se”, which means, “I don’t know.”

  Well, I did!

  The “green soil” was contaminated with hexavalent chromium (CrVI), a known carcinogen. After asking the workers to exit the trench and decontaminate themselves, I conducted a brief training session on excavation hazards and the health hazards of CrVI. I also addressed the issue with their employer and informed them of the requirements of the OSHA Standards for Construction (29 CFR 1926) and Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response (HAZWOPER) (29 CFR 1910.120).

  On multiple occasions I have encountered employees and supervisors (even entire companies) that do not understand or are unaware of the safety and health regulations associated with their jobs. The OSHA Construction Standard states “….The employer should avail himself of the safety and health training programs the Secretary provides…“

  In plain English, employers are required to develop and implement training programs that promote hazard recognition and avoidance of injuries associated with their environment and job duties. The test is in the comprehension. For example, all too often, the use of videos as the sole training method can be ineffective and may most likely not meet the requirements of the standard. Video training lacks the interaction and hands-on elements required by many OSHA construction standards.

  What does effective mean? ”The instruction that employers must provide under §1926.21 must be tailored to the employees’ language and level of education, the hazards its employees will encounter, and convey the required information.” Employers need to consider the end result of any training session – did the employees understand the message and can they implement what they learned on the job?

  Effective training is an OSHA requirement. What’s more, effective training helps employees understand and perform their jobs correctly and recognize unsafe conditions, thus reducing injuries, work stoppage, costly lawsuits and penalties. If a company requires an employee to enter an oil tank, a trench, or any confined space, he or she should know how do it safely.

  
  

  

  Tags: Compliance, Confined Space, EHS, Health and Safety, OSHA, Spanish Safety Training, Training

• 23Apr

  Life as an HSO

  As Observed - An EHS Professionals Viewpoint No Comments

  By: John Quatermas - EHS Consultant
  

  Working as a Health & Safety Officer (HSO) at a hazardous waste site presents many challenges. It is our job to insure that workers on the site perform their activities in a manner that protects them and the public from injury or illness. Each hazardous waste site has its own unique dangerous conditions, which must always be considered - dirty soil, contaminated groundwater, containers of hazardous materials -contaminates vary from location to location, depending on the prior use of the site. It is never just a “show up job” and the HSO must learn the risks associated with every new site. Additionally, hazardous conditions within the site often vary from area to area. The purpose of the HSO is to understand the hazard, convey the risks, and enforce the site’s Health and Safety Plan.

  Basically, the HSO’s daily activities include insuring that workers are using the proper personal protective equipment (PPE) and following decontamination procedures to prevent the spread of contamination from the “dirty” side to the “clean” side. Or an HSO may be called upon to perform air monitoring while work is being conducted to insure that workers are adequately protected and that contamination is not becoming airborne and being spread to other site locations or to public areas. However, life on a hazwaste site gets interesting when an HSO is working with several organizations and trades on the site at the same time. This can include drillers, pipeline contractors, environmental contractors, heavy equipment operators, surveyors, and other specialty groups. Each organization has its own set of rules and methods for completing their assigned tasks - a good HSO makes sure that all groups are following the site’s safety rules and procedures.

  Adding more spice to the soup is the possible addition of a specialty contractor brought in from another country. The Occupational, Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) sets and governs the regulations for worker safety in the US, but workers from non-US companies may not be familiar with the requirements. Regardless, the HSO on a hazardous waste site must communicate these requirements and insure their compliance. All too often, the health and safety rules in other countries are more relaxed than those set by OSHA, presenting a cultural change for visiting workers. Also, if enforcement of regulations in the country of origin is basically non-existent, our stricter regulations appear as nuisances to visiting workers-slowing work progress or just a cause of physical discomfort. All too often, blatant disregard for the site health and safety plan is apparent.

  A good HSO must be ready for any challenge. It is our job to know the regulations, the cause and effects of the hazards present, and be able to interpret data, all while working through the maze of a multi-employer and possibly multi-cultural work site. Since keeping people safe, well or even alive is the task, there is very little room for error.

  
  

  

  Tags: Compliance, EHS, Environment, Health and Safety, OSHA, Training

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