Like A Horror Movie Plot Right In Your Facility
A major problem faces thousands of health care and lab workers who experience more than 70,000 preventable injuries each year caused by everything from needlesticks to lancets and scalpels.
- By Isaac Rudik
Sharp needles protruding unseen in the dark. Virulent bacteria strains escaping, ready to wreak havoc on an unsuspecting city. Gory blood spills. Injured workers everywhere.
It sounds like the plot line for Wes Craven’s next horror movie but, in fact, we’re talking about a major problem facing tens of thousands of health care and lab workers every day. Indeed, Ontario health care workers experience an inordinately high number of injuries – more than 70,000 each year – caused by everything from needlesticks to lancets and scalpels. And each time someone is cut, stuck or jabbed, it carries the risk of illness and even a potentially fatal infection.
Even though few injuries result in death, they carry a very high cost to businesses, hospitals, pharmaceutical labs and manufacturers, and other organisations in health care-related sectors. The average cost for injuries that result in a worker being off from work is roughly $2,357. The total claim count of needle-stick injuries in the health care sector alone was $132,000 in 2004, the last full year for which figures are available.
Sadly, nearly all of these injuries and losses are avoidable.
Sticking Problem
The most common injuries involve needlesticks, and health care workers say that many – which can potentially spread blood-borne diseases like HIV and hepatitis – are preventable, in part by disposing of needles properly after use in hospitals, doctor’s offices and other facilities.
Recently, Joanne Brown, a St. Catharine’s, Ont. nurse, got poked with an IV needle and immediately had to be tested for HIV, and hepatitis B and C. So far, Ms. Brown's tests have come back negative but she'll face on-going testing in coming years.
"We need a law that protects people from these injuries," Ted Mansel of the Service Employees International Union told CTV News. In fact, a former Montreal dermatologist is suing the McGill University Health Centre for $1-million after he contracted AIDS through a needlestick injury in 1997. In his claim, the doctor says he tried to throw the needle into the "sharps" basket but because it was full, the needle bounced back out and pricked his left thumb.
Easy Avoidance
There is no reason to subject workers to life-threatening injuries or illnesses. There are numerous, cost-efficient, products that can minimise the risk.
For example, Medical Step-On containers are made of a non-magnetic stainless steel and have a vinyl base to protect floors. It is available in either galvanized steel or with a leak proof, rigid, plastic liner.
Medi-Can manufactures step cans that are both practical and economical for doctor’s offices and clinics. Made of a fire-safe steel, the self-closing lid fits tightly over moulded plastic gasket for maximum odour control. A plastic base ring protects floors.
Finally, Brute’s square container with snap lock lid allows collecting, transporting and shipping regulated medical waste in the same container. Its indented lid design makes stacking easy during transportation and storage, and the container can be customized with the universal bio-hazard symbol or a hospital, clinic or company logo.
With 70,000 injured workers at stake and the cost of preventing many of the injuries so low, it’s actually inexcusable for a horror movie plot to unfold in the workplace.
Isaac Rudik is a compliance consultant with Compliance Solutions Canada Inc. (www.compliancesolutionscanada.com), Canada’s largest provider of health, safety and environmental compliance solutions to industrial, institutional and government facilities.
E-mail Isaac at irudik@csc-inc.ca or phone him at 905-761-5354.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Changing Perceptions: Small Actions Do Make A Big Difference
Changing Perceptions: Small Actions Do Make A Big Difference
Doing something small for the environment, like turning off lights in unused rooms, also results in big savings for organisations.
- By Isaac Rudik
A colleague recently replaced all of the incandescent bulbs throughout his small-to-midsized company with compact fluorescent lights, and removed one-quarter of the fluorescent tubes from ceiling fixtures in areas where worker safety and productivity wasn’t affected.
Urged to action by his pre-teen children, Jack’s intent was to do something positive – however small – for the environment. But he was delightfully surprised by his next Hydro bill: Not only did power usage drop noticeably, so did what the company owed. Jack’s one small step resulted in a $108 savings over the average sum he paid every billing cycle for electricity.
Because some employees grumbled initially at the change, my friend decided to let them see how their reluctant acceptance of the new lighting policy paid off: He treated everyone to a pizza-and-soda lunch. While it ate up more than what he saved in Hydro expenses that first month, he noticed employees became more conscientious about turning off their computers at night, switching off wash room lights when they left the room and taking similar energy-saving steps around the company.
Jack knew that within another few months, he’d not only recoup the price of the lunch, he see new habits in his employees that would save the company real money on an on-going basis.
Initiating Change
Not every business will have the same immediate success. Changing people’s lifelong habits can be tough, especially when the boss is trying to mandate a different way of doing things.
But the simple fact is that turning off a single 60-watt light bulb for one hour a day saves about 85 kilowatt hours each year. That’s good for both the environment and the bottom line.
To begin conserving energy – and money – start small.
Create a workplace policy about turning off lights in unoccupied areas such as copy rooms, break rooms, board rooms and toilets. To help increase compliance, post reminders next to light switches.
Label electrical switches and panels to identify switches that must be left on at all times or during business hours only. Many businesses have other equipment that can be turned off after hours for additional savings, prime among these being computers and copiers.
To get staff to adopt this habit more quickly, offer incentives for turning off unnecessary lights or include energy efficient practices in all job descriptions. Jack was amazed the on-going impact of a “share our savings” pizza lunch had on staff.
A Helping Hand
Even with the best of intentions and motivation, sometimes people need help.
Companies may do well to install occupancy sensors such as Wattstoppers DW-100 dual technology wall switch occupancy sensor. It combines the benefits of passive infrared and ultrasonic technologies to turn lights off automatically when an area is unoccupied and back on again when people enter a room.
Sensors have come a long way since early models sometimes left people in the dark. Making the switch can save anywhere from 15-to-80% of lighting energy. Sensors work best in spaces that are often unoccupied including board rooms, warehouses, storerooms, toilettes, loading docks, corridors, stairwells and break areas.
In the same vein, install timers or photocells to control outdoor lights. Photocells will automatically turn lights on at dusk and turn them off when there is adequate natural light.
Finally, re-think the layout of workspaces to make the most of windows, skylights and other natural lighting. There are also features such as light shelves that help capture natural light, bouncing it off ceilings.
Turning off lights is a simple and effective energy saving strategy and the savings could be significant by engaging the entire company in the efficiency process. Occupancy sensor technology entails a relatively small investment for potentially great savings. And you just may end up buying pizza for the entire company.
Isaac Rudik is a compliance consultant with Compliance Solutions Canada Inc. (www.compliancesolutionscanada.com), Canada’s largest provider of health, safety and environmental compliance solutions to industrial, institutional and government facilities.
E-mail Isaac at irudik@csc-inc.ca or phone him at 905-761-5354.
Doing something small for the environment, like turning off lights in unused rooms, also results in big savings for organisations.
- By Isaac Rudik
A colleague recently replaced all of the incandescent bulbs throughout his small-to-midsized company with compact fluorescent lights, and removed one-quarter of the fluorescent tubes from ceiling fixtures in areas where worker safety and productivity wasn’t affected.
Urged to action by his pre-teen children, Jack’s intent was to do something positive – however small – for the environment. But he was delightfully surprised by his next Hydro bill: Not only did power usage drop noticeably, so did what the company owed. Jack’s one small step resulted in a $108 savings over the average sum he paid every billing cycle for electricity.
Because some employees grumbled initially at the change, my friend decided to let them see how their reluctant acceptance of the new lighting policy paid off: He treated everyone to a pizza-and-soda lunch. While it ate up more than what he saved in Hydro expenses that first month, he noticed employees became more conscientious about turning off their computers at night, switching off wash room lights when they left the room and taking similar energy-saving steps around the company.
Jack knew that within another few months, he’d not only recoup the price of the lunch, he see new habits in his employees that would save the company real money on an on-going basis.
Initiating Change
Not every business will have the same immediate success. Changing people’s lifelong habits can be tough, especially when the boss is trying to mandate a different way of doing things.
But the simple fact is that turning off a single 60-watt light bulb for one hour a day saves about 85 kilowatt hours each year. That’s good for both the environment and the bottom line.
To begin conserving energy – and money – start small.
Create a workplace policy about turning off lights in unoccupied areas such as copy rooms, break rooms, board rooms and toilets. To help increase compliance, post reminders next to light switches.
Label electrical switches and panels to identify switches that must be left on at all times or during business hours only. Many businesses have other equipment that can be turned off after hours for additional savings, prime among these being computers and copiers.
To get staff to adopt this habit more quickly, offer incentives for turning off unnecessary lights or include energy efficient practices in all job descriptions. Jack was amazed the on-going impact of a “share our savings” pizza lunch had on staff.
A Helping Hand
Even with the best of intentions and motivation, sometimes people need help.
Companies may do well to install occupancy sensors such as Wattstoppers DW-100 dual technology wall switch occupancy sensor. It combines the benefits of passive infrared and ultrasonic technologies to turn lights off automatically when an area is unoccupied and back on again when people enter a room.
Sensors have come a long way since early models sometimes left people in the dark. Making the switch can save anywhere from 15-to-80% of lighting energy. Sensors work best in spaces that are often unoccupied including board rooms, warehouses, storerooms, toilettes, loading docks, corridors, stairwells and break areas.
In the same vein, install timers or photocells to control outdoor lights. Photocells will automatically turn lights on at dusk and turn them off when there is adequate natural light.
Finally, re-think the layout of workspaces to make the most of windows, skylights and other natural lighting. There are also features such as light shelves that help capture natural light, bouncing it off ceilings.
Turning off lights is a simple and effective energy saving strategy and the savings could be significant by engaging the entire company in the efficiency process. Occupancy sensor technology entails a relatively small investment for potentially great savings. And you just may end up buying pizza for the entire company.
Isaac Rudik is a compliance consultant with Compliance Solutions Canada Inc. (www.compliancesolutionscanada.com), Canada’s largest provider of health, safety and environmental compliance solutions to industrial, institutional and government facilities.
E-mail Isaac at irudik@csc-inc.ca or phone him at 905-761-5354.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
The Price For Not Recycling Goes Up – To $6-Million!
The Price For Not Recycling Goes Up – To $6-Million!
A bill moving through Parliament in Ottawa will push fines for not recycling up steeply, a lot of money to pay for not recycling a $1 newspaper.
- By Isaac Rudik
Blue bins and boxes are so common around workplaces that people don’t even notice them anymore; they’re part of the industrial landscape. But while most employees may be in the habit of tossing a soda can or old newspaper in the container, not as many businesses are as diligent about recycling.
That may be about to change because the price for not recycling is set to skyrocket.
A bill moving through the House of Commons in Ottawa will push fines up to as much as a whopping $6-million for a corporation found guilty of violating recycling provisions of environmental laws – and a biting $1-million for company officers. Even employees can be held liable, although the fines would be somewhat less.
That’s a lot of money to pay for not recycling a $1 newspaper.
Now The Bad News
As if the prospect of writing a seven-figure cheque to the Receiver General isn’t daunting enough, the law provides that violators face public disclosure, humiliation and even the potential of the business being shut down:
• Convictions will have to be reported to shareholders and the government will list corporations found guilty of environmental offences on a public registry – sort of like a sex offender list.
• It will double fines for repeat offenders – potentially amounting to tens of millions of dollars.
• Business licenses, permits and other authorizations can be suspended or revoked for companies found guilty of not recycling.
• If there is damage to a protected area or a unique or vulnerable environment or species, the penalties and public disclosure policies will be even steeper.
The key to avoiding fines and other penalties is simple: Ensure that the business has a strong and on-going recycling communications plan in place.
Think of Coca-Cola, a brand everyone knows. Anywhere in the world, if you ask for a Coke people understand you. So why does the company continue to spend billions on advertising each year? Because if it stopped, the public would lose interest in Coke and buy a Pepsi instead.
If this can happen to the world’s strongest, most recognizable brand, imagine the effect that reducing information about a company’s recycling campaign activity will have.
Managers often believe that employees have the same level of understanding about waste issues as they do. Wrong. Workers produce waste and want rid of it. To overcome the problem, it’s worth looking beyond waste to the product. It helps the campaign be successful by giving employees the tools needed to succeed.
Some Good News
A multi-store retail chain boosted recycling with a marketing strategy called AIDA, an acronym for awareness, interest, desire and action.
It developed a recycling campaign by introducing details over a four-week period. Posters were in all stores and information was given to employees each week with their pay stub. By the time bins and boxes were delivered, employees were expecting them (awareness), knew what they were for (interest), why they were needed (desire) and how to use them (action).
In the first month, the company achieved a 45% recycling rate and the percent climbed over time as the information campaign continued. It also took advantage of using the proper style and size of container in different places around the store.
• Bullseye and Bullseye TRIO recycling containers provide a single unit with multiple openings for correct sorting of paper, bottles and cans.
• Slim Jim recycling container is designed to be placed where hallway space is tight.
• Brute Containers are a large, round bin for high volume areas.
• Dome Corner Round Receptacles are triangular bins that fit in corners, and multiple units can fit together a real benefit for those tight hallway corners.
• Waste Watcher offering a streamlined profile with customizable lids to match your recycling program
• BUSCH Recycling System offering a three hole and four hole sort system to cover high traffic areas or common space.
Reducing a company’s risk requires a well thought out plan along with on-going reinforcement. Take human behaviour into account when selecting bins because recycling campaign are much more effective if it’s easy for workers to recycle. A good strategy requires upkeep along with on-going communications.
Isaac Rudik is a compliance consultant with Compliance Solutions Canada Inc. (www.compliancesolutionscanada.com), Canada’s largest provider of health, safety and environmental compliance solutions to industrial, institutional and government facilities.
E-mail Isaac at irudik@csc-inc.ca or phone him at 905-761-5354.
A bill moving through Parliament in Ottawa will push fines for not recycling up steeply, a lot of money to pay for not recycling a $1 newspaper.
- By Isaac Rudik
Blue bins and boxes are so common around workplaces that people don’t even notice them anymore; they’re part of the industrial landscape. But while most employees may be in the habit of tossing a soda can or old newspaper in the container, not as many businesses are as diligent about recycling.
That may be about to change because the price for not recycling is set to skyrocket.
A bill moving through the House of Commons in Ottawa will push fines up to as much as a whopping $6-million for a corporation found guilty of violating recycling provisions of environmental laws – and a biting $1-million for company officers. Even employees can be held liable, although the fines would be somewhat less.
That’s a lot of money to pay for not recycling a $1 newspaper.
Now The Bad News
As if the prospect of writing a seven-figure cheque to the Receiver General isn’t daunting enough, the law provides that violators face public disclosure, humiliation and even the potential of the business being shut down:
• Convictions will have to be reported to shareholders and the government will list corporations found guilty of environmental offences on a public registry – sort of like a sex offender list.
• It will double fines for repeat offenders – potentially amounting to tens of millions of dollars.
• Business licenses, permits and other authorizations can be suspended or revoked for companies found guilty of not recycling.
• If there is damage to a protected area or a unique or vulnerable environment or species, the penalties and public disclosure policies will be even steeper.
The key to avoiding fines and other penalties is simple: Ensure that the business has a strong and on-going recycling communications plan in place.
Think of Coca-Cola, a brand everyone knows. Anywhere in the world, if you ask for a Coke people understand you. So why does the company continue to spend billions on advertising each year? Because if it stopped, the public would lose interest in Coke and buy a Pepsi instead.
If this can happen to the world’s strongest, most recognizable brand, imagine the effect that reducing information about a company’s recycling campaign activity will have.
Managers often believe that employees have the same level of understanding about waste issues as they do. Wrong. Workers produce waste and want rid of it. To overcome the problem, it’s worth looking beyond waste to the product. It helps the campaign be successful by giving employees the tools needed to succeed.
Some Good News
A multi-store retail chain boosted recycling with a marketing strategy called AIDA, an acronym for awareness, interest, desire and action.
It developed a recycling campaign by introducing details over a four-week period. Posters were in all stores and information was given to employees each week with their pay stub. By the time bins and boxes were delivered, employees were expecting them (awareness), knew what they were for (interest), why they were needed (desire) and how to use them (action).
In the first month, the company achieved a 45% recycling rate and the percent climbed over time as the information campaign continued. It also took advantage of using the proper style and size of container in different places around the store.
• Bullseye and Bullseye TRIO recycling containers provide a single unit with multiple openings for correct sorting of paper, bottles and cans.
• Slim Jim recycling container is designed to be placed where hallway space is tight.
• Brute Containers are a large, round bin for high volume areas.
• Dome Corner Round Receptacles are triangular bins that fit in corners, and multiple units can fit together a real benefit for those tight hallway corners.
• Waste Watcher offering a streamlined profile with customizable lids to match your recycling program
• BUSCH Recycling System offering a three hole and four hole sort system to cover high traffic areas or common space.
Reducing a company’s risk requires a well thought out plan along with on-going reinforcement. Take human behaviour into account when selecting bins because recycling campaign are much more effective if it’s easy for workers to recycle. A good strategy requires upkeep along with on-going communications.
Isaac Rudik is a compliance consultant with Compliance Solutions Canada Inc. (www.compliancesolutionscanada.com), Canada’s largest provider of health, safety and environmental compliance solutions to industrial, institutional and government facilities.
E-mail Isaac at irudik@csc-inc.ca or phone him at 905-761-5354.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Clearing The Air Of Hidden Pollutants.
Clearing The Air Of Hidden Pollutants.
Ottawa is getting serious about “hidden” air pollution, taking a tough new stance on invisible particulates that are as deadly as the thick, brown haze that used to hang over cities all summer. New generation gas detectors will keep businesses compliant without adding to costs.
By Isaac Rudik
There was a time when smog not only was a major health threat, as far back as the 1960s and 1970s it was often the source of jokes on late night comedy shows. While much of the visible smog – that thick, brown haze that hangs over cities on hot, sticky days – has been reduced, hidden air pollution remains a thorny problem with negative effects on health, climate change and everyone’s quality of life.
Much of it comes from a wide range of often colourless, odourless gasses and, finally, Ottawa is taking steps to rein in the pollution they create.
In late spring, Environment Minister John Baird unveiled an action plan targeting three specific areas:
• Introducing concentration limits of volatile organic compounds in 98 categories of consumer products including personal care items like nail polish, adhesives, sealants, caulking and other miscellaneous products.
• Establishing concentration limits for 49 categories of architectural coatings such as paints, stains and varnishes.
• Establishing limits on 14 types of coatings and surface cleaners used for refinishing or repairing painted surfaces of automobiles, trucks and other vehicles or equipment.
Moreover, just last week the feds took action on bisphenol A – a serious industrial contaminent – and introduced tougher food and product safety legislation.
Widespread Problem
Some 308,000 tonnes of fine particulate matter were emitted into the atmosphere in 2006, the last full year for which numbers are available. Residential wood burning and industrial activities accounted for 72%.
Roughly 1.9-million tonnes of volatile organic compounds polluted the atmosphere the same year. Industrial activities, transportation, and paints and solvents accounted for 71% of this total. Meanwhile, about 2.3-million tonnes of nitrogen oxides were emitted to the atmosphere in 2006. The transportation and industrial sectors accounted for 68%. And some 1.9-million tonnes of sulphur oxides were emitted the same year, 69% of it from industry.
Where there isn’t always a direct correlation between levels of air emissions and smog, it often happens because they either move in from other areas or from chemical interactions between airborne pollutants. At the same time, a decrease in one pollutant can actually lead to an increase others. For example, ground-level ozone combines with nitrogen oxides reducing ground-level ozone, a process called “ozone scavenging.” Vut in some parts of Canada, lower levels of nitrogen oxides have actually resulted in less ozone scavenging and thus higher levels of ground-level ozone.
Breathe More Easily
There is a way to both reduce the pollution problem and meet the tougher new rules coming from the government. A combustible gas detector will sniff out a wide range of gases including some that are toxic as well as so-called nuisance vapours.
For example, it can sense everything from natural gas and propane or butane to methane, acetone, alcohol, ammonia, carbon monoxide, gasoline and jet fuel, hydrogen sulfide and smoke as well as solvents, thinners and naphtha.
One of its key benefits is that it offers both audible and visible alarms by using a low power semi-conductor sensor that picks up as little as 50 parts per million of methane. While it takes five minutes to warm up, once the unit is humming the response time is less than two seconds when something foul is in the air.
As negotiations begin this fall to replace the Kyoto Treaty, provincial and federal government ministries are going to be taking an increasing hard line on pollutants that harm health and the atmosphere. There are new ways for businesses to deal with the problem without taking a chunk out of profits even as they take a chunk out of air pollution.
Isaac Rudik is a compliance consultant with Compliance Solutions Canada Inc. (www.compliancesolutionscanada.com), Canada’s largest provider of health, safety and environmental compliance solutions to industrial, institutional and government facilities.
E-mail Isaac at irudik@csc-inc.ca or phone him at 905-761-5354.
Ottawa is getting serious about “hidden” air pollution, taking a tough new stance on invisible particulates that are as deadly as the thick, brown haze that used to hang over cities all summer. New generation gas detectors will keep businesses compliant without adding to costs.
By Isaac Rudik
There was a time when smog not only was a major health threat, as far back as the 1960s and 1970s it was often the source of jokes on late night comedy shows. While much of the visible smog – that thick, brown haze that hangs over cities on hot, sticky days – has been reduced, hidden air pollution remains a thorny problem with negative effects on health, climate change and everyone’s quality of life.
Much of it comes from a wide range of often colourless, odourless gasses and, finally, Ottawa is taking steps to rein in the pollution they create.
In late spring, Environment Minister John Baird unveiled an action plan targeting three specific areas:
• Introducing concentration limits of volatile organic compounds in 98 categories of consumer products including personal care items like nail polish, adhesives, sealants, caulking and other miscellaneous products.
• Establishing concentration limits for 49 categories of architectural coatings such as paints, stains and varnishes.
• Establishing limits on 14 types of coatings and surface cleaners used for refinishing or repairing painted surfaces of automobiles, trucks and other vehicles or equipment.
Moreover, just last week the feds took action on bisphenol A – a serious industrial contaminent – and introduced tougher food and product safety legislation.
Widespread Problem
Some 308,000 tonnes of fine particulate matter were emitted into the atmosphere in 2006, the last full year for which numbers are available. Residential wood burning and industrial activities accounted for 72%.
Roughly 1.9-million tonnes of volatile organic compounds polluted the atmosphere the same year. Industrial activities, transportation, and paints and solvents accounted for 71% of this total. Meanwhile, about 2.3-million tonnes of nitrogen oxides were emitted to the atmosphere in 2006. The transportation and industrial sectors accounted for 68%. And some 1.9-million tonnes of sulphur oxides were emitted the same year, 69% of it from industry.
Where there isn’t always a direct correlation between levels of air emissions and smog, it often happens because they either move in from other areas or from chemical interactions between airborne pollutants. At the same time, a decrease in one pollutant can actually lead to an increase others. For example, ground-level ozone combines with nitrogen oxides reducing ground-level ozone, a process called “ozone scavenging.” Vut in some parts of Canada, lower levels of nitrogen oxides have actually resulted in less ozone scavenging and thus higher levels of ground-level ozone.
Breathe More Easily
There is a way to both reduce the pollution problem and meet the tougher new rules coming from the government. A combustible gas detector will sniff out a wide range of gases including some that are toxic as well as so-called nuisance vapours.
For example, it can sense everything from natural gas and propane or butane to methane, acetone, alcohol, ammonia, carbon monoxide, gasoline and jet fuel, hydrogen sulfide and smoke as well as solvents, thinners and naphtha.
One of its key benefits is that it offers both audible and visible alarms by using a low power semi-conductor sensor that picks up as little as 50 parts per million of methane. While it takes five minutes to warm up, once the unit is humming the response time is less than two seconds when something foul is in the air.
As negotiations begin this fall to replace the Kyoto Treaty, provincial and federal government ministries are going to be taking an increasing hard line on pollutants that harm health and the atmosphere. There are new ways for businesses to deal with the problem without taking a chunk out of profits even as they take a chunk out of air pollution.
Isaac Rudik is a compliance consultant with Compliance Solutions Canada Inc. (www.compliancesolutionscanada.com), Canada’s largest provider of health, safety and environmental compliance solutions to industrial, institutional and government facilities.
E-mail Isaac at irudik@csc-inc.ca or phone him at 905-761-5354.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Avoiding The Landfill Saves Money – And The Environment
Avoiding The Landfill Saves Money – And The Environment
The more a business reduces, reuses and recycles, the less waste it needs to dispose. The less waste, the fewer bins or pickups are required and disposal fees drop. Anything that lowers operating costs adds to the bottom line.
By Isaac Rudik
Not long ago, a 70-year old Ontario hospital was to be razed – right down to the footings and foundation – before being rebuilt. A simple job except the hospital told the contractor that at least 50% of the material had to go somewhere other than a landfill.
Once hazardous material was removed, the demolition contractor physically inspected the property, prioritizing and marking items for reuse. A detailed waste management plan identified a schedule of activities and workers were instructed in proper techniques and workmanship. Materials were handled carefully, maximizing reuse and recycling opportunities.
Eventually, the hospital reused or recycled nearly everything from its old building: Newer windows, door frames and hardware, numerous structural elements and bricks were among the most-common components that found a second life. Over 5,000 red bricks from the hospital were salvaged, cleaned and donated to the hospital, which sold them for $10 each in a fundraising drive, netting more than $50,000 for the organization. The remaining 55,000 salvaged bricks sold for 40-to-60 cents each. A useable generator was sold for $50,000.
In all, the hospital not only reused, recycled or sold off more than half of the old structure, it reduced the cost of the new medical complex that replaced the old building. Best of all, it kept hundreds of tons of perfectly good, useable material from being dumped in landfills.
Practical Recycling
Few businesses tear down an old facility to build a new one but the hospital serves as a vivid – if unusually large – example of how recycling can bring green economies to a company.
Once garbage arrives at a landfill, it is dumped and covered by a layer of dirt. Some of it decomposes over time but water can filter through the waste, picking up metals, minerals, organic chemicals, bacteria, viruses and other toxic materials. Contaminated water, called leachate, can travel from the site to contaminate ground and surface water for miles in every direction.
Landfill hazards don’t stop with ground water and soil contamination; they also release pollution-causing methane and greenhouse gas emissions.
Ontario is a recycling pioneer, the birthplace of the Blue Box. Avoiding disposal fees should be one of the primary goals of a recycling program.
Still, the more a business reduces, reuses and recycles, the less waste it needs to dispose. The less waste, the fewer bins or pickups are required and disposal fees drop. Anything that decreases operating costs adds to the bottom line.
Readily Available
When recycling containers are stationed throughout a workplace, people get in the habit of using them – just as they'll find a trash can rather than toss litter on the floor.
Even better for managers and so-called Green Committees, recycling bins finally come in a wide variety of sizes so the container can fit the workspace where it is used: Smaller bins in offices, larger ones in break rooms or lounges and locker areas, humungous sizes on the shop floor. And if workers congregate in outdoor areas on breaks, savvy companies are stationing handy blue bins to collect newspapers, discarded cigarette packs, drink bottles and other recyclables.
With careful planning and execution, companies of all sizes can create solutions to a growing landfill problem. Selecting products manufactured with the smallest foot print creates sustainability from start to finish. For example, Bullseye Trio bins are made from recycled plastics and offer convenient, one-stop disposal for paper, waste and cans/bottles an all-in-one station.
Because businesses get charged for garbage removal based on the amount, recycling programmes can be built around cost avoidance rather than potential recycling revenues. While the relatively small revenue generated may help offset some costs, it is unlikely they will support the entire program.
Isaac Rudik is a compliance consultant with Compliance Solutions Canada Inc. (www.compliancesolutionscanada.com), Canada’s largest provider of health, safety and environmental compliance solutions to industrial, institutional and government facilities.
E-mail Isaac at irudik@csc-inc.ca or phone him at 905-761-5354.
The more a business reduces, reuses and recycles, the less waste it needs to dispose. The less waste, the fewer bins or pickups are required and disposal fees drop. Anything that lowers operating costs adds to the bottom line.
By Isaac Rudik
Not long ago, a 70-year old Ontario hospital was to be razed – right down to the footings and foundation – before being rebuilt. A simple job except the hospital told the contractor that at least 50% of the material had to go somewhere other than a landfill.
Once hazardous material was removed, the demolition contractor physically inspected the property, prioritizing and marking items for reuse. A detailed waste management plan identified a schedule of activities and workers were instructed in proper techniques and workmanship. Materials were handled carefully, maximizing reuse and recycling opportunities.
Eventually, the hospital reused or recycled nearly everything from its old building: Newer windows, door frames and hardware, numerous structural elements and bricks were among the most-common components that found a second life. Over 5,000 red bricks from the hospital were salvaged, cleaned and donated to the hospital, which sold them for $10 each in a fundraising drive, netting more than $50,000 for the organization. The remaining 55,000 salvaged bricks sold for 40-to-60 cents each. A useable generator was sold for $50,000.
In all, the hospital not only reused, recycled or sold off more than half of the old structure, it reduced the cost of the new medical complex that replaced the old building. Best of all, it kept hundreds of tons of perfectly good, useable material from being dumped in landfills.
Practical Recycling
Few businesses tear down an old facility to build a new one but the hospital serves as a vivid – if unusually large – example of how recycling can bring green economies to a company.
Once garbage arrives at a landfill, it is dumped and covered by a layer of dirt. Some of it decomposes over time but water can filter through the waste, picking up metals, minerals, organic chemicals, bacteria, viruses and other toxic materials. Contaminated water, called leachate, can travel from the site to contaminate ground and surface water for miles in every direction.
Landfill hazards don’t stop with ground water and soil contamination; they also release pollution-causing methane and greenhouse gas emissions.
Ontario is a recycling pioneer, the birthplace of the Blue Box. Avoiding disposal fees should be one of the primary goals of a recycling program.
Still, the more a business reduces, reuses and recycles, the less waste it needs to dispose. The less waste, the fewer bins or pickups are required and disposal fees drop. Anything that decreases operating costs adds to the bottom line.
Readily Available
When recycling containers are stationed throughout a workplace, people get in the habit of using them – just as they'll find a trash can rather than toss litter on the floor.
Even better for managers and so-called Green Committees, recycling bins finally come in a wide variety of sizes so the container can fit the workspace where it is used: Smaller bins in offices, larger ones in break rooms or lounges and locker areas, humungous sizes on the shop floor. And if workers congregate in outdoor areas on breaks, savvy companies are stationing handy blue bins to collect newspapers, discarded cigarette packs, drink bottles and other recyclables.
With careful planning and execution, companies of all sizes can create solutions to a growing landfill problem. Selecting products manufactured with the smallest foot print creates sustainability from start to finish. For example, Bullseye Trio bins are made from recycled plastics and offer convenient, one-stop disposal for paper, waste and cans/bottles an all-in-one station.
Because businesses get charged for garbage removal based on the amount, recycling programmes can be built around cost avoidance rather than potential recycling revenues. While the relatively small revenue generated may help offset some costs, it is unlikely they will support the entire program.
Isaac Rudik is a compliance consultant with Compliance Solutions Canada Inc. (www.compliancesolutionscanada.com), Canada’s largest provider of health, safety and environmental compliance solutions to industrial, institutional and government facilities.
E-mail Isaac at irudik@csc-inc.ca or phone him at 905-761-5354.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Taking The LEED In Controlling Indoor Air Quality And Pollution
Taking The LEED In Controlling Indoor Air Quality And Pollution
A growing number of people work in “sick buildings” that cause problems for workers ranging from simple fatigue to complex respiratory illnesses.
- By Isaac Rudik
When judges and support staff working in the historic Alberta Court of Appeal building in Calgary began experiencing fatigue, respiratory illnesses, and eye, ear, and nose irritation, they wondered if the famous building in which they worked was causing their multiple health complaints.
So building managers brought in Professor Tang Lee, a University of Calgary specialist in sick buildings to conduct air sampling. He confirmed high levels of a toxic microbe growing as mould throughout the building, recommending the building be closed until the toxin could be removed.
It turned out that the court house was a veritable Petri dish of bacteria, thanks to an improperly installed air intake system. Not only were toxins alive and well and living in the building’s air conditioning, they took up residence and were multiplying in the furniture and carpets – even the court’s files and books. Making matters worse, when judges took files home with them, they inadvertently carried toxins to their residences, in some cases making family members ill.
In effect, the historic building was like a setting for an absurd horror movie: The Spores That Consumed Calgary.
Common Problem
In fact, the Appeals Court building problem is not an isolated, one-off incident. Indoor air pollution causes 14-times more deaths than outdoor air pollution according to the WHO, and Washington’s EPA reports indoor air pollution is one of five top environmental threats to human health.
It turns out that many commercial offices are highly toxic environments from the glues, paints, organic chemicals, adhesives and formaldehyde used during construction and finishing. These contribute to indoor air pollution through off-gassing that may continue years after new construction or renovations are completed.
The problem is both widespread and deadly: Statistics Canada reports that, in 2003, some 1.3- million people were diagnosed with Multiple Chemical Sensitivities from working or living in what the media dubs “sick buildings.” Since most of us spend roughly 90% of our day indoors, indoor air quality is a serious health risk factor.
Healthy Buildings Increase Profits
Enter the Canada Green Building Council (CGBC). Although the acronym could be mistaken for an Eighties heavy metal band, CGBC actually manages LEED Canada for new construction and major renovations; LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, a green building rating system.
Among other things it does, LEED sets an indoor environment quality including carbon dioxide monitoring, ventilation effectiveness, construction management, using low-emitting materials, indoor chemical and pollutant source control, system controls, thermal comfort, and using daylight
to supplant HVAC.
But beyond charts, graphs and reports, LEED has established the economic benefits of healthy buildings. Making general improvements is demonstrated to increase worker productivity of up to 6%. Productivity gains pay for the cost of building and air quality improvements in less than two years.
Fast Payback
Why such a fast payback?
Because the cost of indoor air quality sensors such as a readily available, multi-gas detector models that cost less than $2,500. They monitor everything from carbon monoxide and oxygen levels to hydrogen sulphide, combustibles and exotic, problem-causing gases such as nitric oxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide, chlorine, ammonia, hydrogen, hydrogen cyanide and chlorine dioxide.
Sick buildings not only produce sick workers, they rob profits from a company’s bottom line – and do so year after year. Yet there are effective, low-cost ways of monitoring an office, factory or warehouse to ensure it stays healthy. They are an easy way to prevent complicated problems.
Isaac Rudik is a compliance consultant with Compliance Solutions Canada Inc. (www.compliancesolutionscanada.com), Canada’s largest provider of health, safety and environmental compliance solutions to industrial, institutional and government facilities.
E-mail Isaac at irudik@csc-inc.ca or phone him at 905-761-5354.
A growing number of people work in “sick buildings” that cause problems for workers ranging from simple fatigue to complex respiratory illnesses.
- By Isaac Rudik
When judges and support staff working in the historic Alberta Court of Appeal building in Calgary began experiencing fatigue, respiratory illnesses, and eye, ear, and nose irritation, they wondered if the famous building in which they worked was causing their multiple health complaints.
So building managers brought in Professor Tang Lee, a University of Calgary specialist in sick buildings to conduct air sampling. He confirmed high levels of a toxic microbe growing as mould throughout the building, recommending the building be closed until the toxin could be removed.
It turned out that the court house was a veritable Petri dish of bacteria, thanks to an improperly installed air intake system. Not only were toxins alive and well and living in the building’s air conditioning, they took up residence and were multiplying in the furniture and carpets – even the court’s files and books. Making matters worse, when judges took files home with them, they inadvertently carried toxins to their residences, in some cases making family members ill.
In effect, the historic building was like a setting for an absurd horror movie: The Spores That Consumed Calgary.
Common Problem
In fact, the Appeals Court building problem is not an isolated, one-off incident. Indoor air pollution causes 14-times more deaths than outdoor air pollution according to the WHO, and Washington’s EPA reports indoor air pollution is one of five top environmental threats to human health.
It turns out that many commercial offices are highly toxic environments from the glues, paints, organic chemicals, adhesives and formaldehyde used during construction and finishing. These contribute to indoor air pollution through off-gassing that may continue years after new construction or renovations are completed.
The problem is both widespread and deadly: Statistics Canada reports that, in 2003, some 1.3- million people were diagnosed with Multiple Chemical Sensitivities from working or living in what the media dubs “sick buildings.” Since most of us spend roughly 90% of our day indoors, indoor air quality is a serious health risk factor.
Healthy Buildings Increase Profits
Enter the Canada Green Building Council (CGBC). Although the acronym could be mistaken for an Eighties heavy metal band, CGBC actually manages LEED Canada for new construction and major renovations; LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, a green building rating system.
Among other things it does, LEED sets an indoor environment quality including carbon dioxide monitoring, ventilation effectiveness, construction management, using low-emitting materials, indoor chemical and pollutant source control, system controls, thermal comfort, and using daylight
to supplant HVAC.
But beyond charts, graphs and reports, LEED has established the economic benefits of healthy buildings. Making general improvements is demonstrated to increase worker productivity of up to 6%. Productivity gains pay for the cost of building and air quality improvements in less than two years.
Fast Payback
Why such a fast payback?
Because the cost of indoor air quality sensors such as a readily available, multi-gas detector models that cost less than $2,500. They monitor everything from carbon monoxide and oxygen levels to hydrogen sulphide, combustibles and exotic, problem-causing gases such as nitric oxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide, chlorine, ammonia, hydrogen, hydrogen cyanide and chlorine dioxide.
Sick buildings not only produce sick workers, they rob profits from a company’s bottom line – and do so year after year. Yet there are effective, low-cost ways of monitoring an office, factory or warehouse to ensure it stays healthy. They are an easy way to prevent complicated problems.
Isaac Rudik is a compliance consultant with Compliance Solutions Canada Inc. (www.compliancesolutionscanada.com), Canada’s largest provider of health, safety and environmental compliance solutions to industrial, institutional and government facilities.
E-mail Isaac at irudik@csc-inc.ca or phone him at 905-761-5354.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Swine Flu, Workplace Air Pollution And Employee Health: An Inseparable Trio.
Swine Flu, Workplace Air Pollution And Employee Health: An Inseparable Trio.
Swine flu headlines are gone but many businesses are flooded with calls from “pandemic preparedness” consultants, offering high-priced advice for low-value solutions that, in many cases, aren’t even necessary.
– by Isaac Rudik
The news media was all agog the last few months over the possibility of a swine flu pandemic sweeping the globe. While much of the coverage was blown way out of proportion – another example of much sound and fury signifying little – it inadvertently highlighted a connection between the H1N1 flu strain, workplace air pollution and employee health. In many respects, they are an inseparable combination.
Even with screaming headlines and yammering jackals on cable news fading into memory, many businesses are still being flooded with calls and visits from so-called “pandemic preparedness” consultants, offering high-priced advice for low-value solutions that, in many cases, aren’t even necessary.
Why?
Businesses with adequate air pollution prevention solutions in place are well on their way to having a plan to prepare for a pandemic, no matter how unlikely. The common thread is preventing “bad” air particles from circulating in the workplace and avoiding emitting these same particles into the outside air. There’s just one difference between what companies do to control air pollution and containing the spread of a deadly flu virus: Pollution sources are machines and processes while preventing germs from spreading also involve what employees do.
Easy Steps
The first step is to have an infection control plan in place – just in case. After all, a plant may never have a fire but it has an evacuation plan, and common sense dictates the same for situations such as a wide-spread, possibly deadly, flu.
The first step should be using HEPA filters.
A HEPA filter is easily installed in a workplace. There are available in countless models, sizes and price ranges. For example, Air Exchangers offers models ranging from the very basic to the gold standard deluxe, depending on a company’s specific situation and need. Like all HEPA filters, Air Exchangers offers specific benefits to a company:
• It reduces waste from disposing of used masks and gloves.
• It reduces the cost of buying cases of N95 approved medical mask; each pack contains 20 masks and sells for $199 but there is a six-to-eight week delay because of the swine flu scare.
• Meanwhile, employees work in comfort because they don’t have to wear masks or gloves.
• They’re designed for indoor installation.
• They save operating costs by decreasing electrical energy consumption and reducing the use of heating equipment considerably.
• Most major parts can be replaced within seven minutes, meaning little downtime.
At the same time, reminding workers to wash their hands thoroughly and frequently during flu season is the first line of defence against a workplace being felled by flu.
Beyond The Obvious
Telling workers to wash their hands may seem obvious but few companies bother doing it, figuring adults know how to wash. They may, but they may not wash regularly.
But there are also easy-to-implement ideas that go beyond the obvious.
• Provide hand sanitizers, boxes of tissues and encourage their use.
• Remind staff to not share cups, glasses, dishes and cutlery, and ensure they are washed in soap and hot water after each use.
• Remove magazines and papers from waiting areas or common areas.
• Clean an employee’s workstation if they have an identified influenza
• Ensure ventilation systems work properly.
Whether or not Ontario suffers a swine – or other – flu pandemic during the next flu season, it makes sense to do some simple, low-cost things now to ensure that there isn’t a major problem down the road.
Isaac Rudik is a compliance consultant with Compliance Solutions Canada Inc. (www.compliancesolutionscanada.com), Canada’s largest provider of health, safety and environmental compliance solutions to industrial, institutional and government facilities.
E-mail Isaac at irudik@csc-inc.ca or phone him at 905-761-5354.
Swine flu headlines are gone but many businesses are flooded with calls from “pandemic preparedness” consultants, offering high-priced advice for low-value solutions that, in many cases, aren’t even necessary.
– by Isaac Rudik
The news media was all agog the last few months over the possibility of a swine flu pandemic sweeping the globe. While much of the coverage was blown way out of proportion – another example of much sound and fury signifying little – it inadvertently highlighted a connection between the H1N1 flu strain, workplace air pollution and employee health. In many respects, they are an inseparable combination.
Even with screaming headlines and yammering jackals on cable news fading into memory, many businesses are still being flooded with calls and visits from so-called “pandemic preparedness” consultants, offering high-priced advice for low-value solutions that, in many cases, aren’t even necessary.
Why?
Businesses with adequate air pollution prevention solutions in place are well on their way to having a plan to prepare for a pandemic, no matter how unlikely. The common thread is preventing “bad” air particles from circulating in the workplace and avoiding emitting these same particles into the outside air. There’s just one difference between what companies do to control air pollution and containing the spread of a deadly flu virus: Pollution sources are machines and processes while preventing germs from spreading also involve what employees do.
Easy Steps
The first step is to have an infection control plan in place – just in case. After all, a plant may never have a fire but it has an evacuation plan, and common sense dictates the same for situations such as a wide-spread, possibly deadly, flu.
The first step should be using HEPA filters.
A HEPA filter is easily installed in a workplace. There are available in countless models, sizes and price ranges. For example, Air Exchangers offers models ranging from the very basic to the gold standard deluxe, depending on a company’s specific situation and need. Like all HEPA filters, Air Exchangers offers specific benefits to a company:
• It reduces waste from disposing of used masks and gloves.
• It reduces the cost of buying cases of N95 approved medical mask; each pack contains 20 masks and sells for $199 but there is a six-to-eight week delay because of the swine flu scare.
• Meanwhile, employees work in comfort because they don’t have to wear masks or gloves.
• They’re designed for indoor installation.
• They save operating costs by decreasing electrical energy consumption and reducing the use of heating equipment considerably.
• Most major parts can be replaced within seven minutes, meaning little downtime.
At the same time, reminding workers to wash their hands thoroughly and frequently during flu season is the first line of defence against a workplace being felled by flu.
Beyond The Obvious
Telling workers to wash their hands may seem obvious but few companies bother doing it, figuring adults know how to wash. They may, but they may not wash regularly.
But there are also easy-to-implement ideas that go beyond the obvious.
• Provide hand sanitizers, boxes of tissues and encourage their use.
• Remind staff to not share cups, glasses, dishes and cutlery, and ensure they are washed in soap and hot water after each use.
• Remove magazines and papers from waiting areas or common areas.
• Clean an employee’s workstation if they have an identified influenza
• Ensure ventilation systems work properly.
Whether or not Ontario suffers a swine – or other – flu pandemic during the next flu season, it makes sense to do some simple, low-cost things now to ensure that there isn’t a major problem down the road.
Isaac Rudik is a compliance consultant with Compliance Solutions Canada Inc. (www.compliancesolutionscanada.com), Canada’s largest provider of health, safety and environmental compliance solutions to industrial, institutional and government facilities.
E-mail Isaac at irudik@csc-inc.ca or phone him at 905-761-5354.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Don’t Let A Fork Lift Truck Skewer Your Company.
Don’t Let A Fork Lift Truck Skewer Your Company.
Like so many things, pedestrian and lift truck lane markings become part of the background scenery in most plants: They’re visible but no one really notices them any more. Now, there’s a better way to avoid costly accidents.
– By Isaac Rudik
It doesn’t take much of an accident for a fork lift truck to cause serious injury.
Not long ago, an Ontario woman was severely injured at work when the company’s fork lift swung around suddenly and hit her in the middle of her chest. She was spun around by the impact of the truck and sent flying several feet across the plant. The woman was rushed to hospital for emergency, life saving, surgery. Fortunately, she recovered fully from the accident and was able to return to work within six months.
Also fortunate is that the fork lift was carrying only an empty plastic container. Had the load been any larger or heavier, doctors say that most likely the woman would have been killed instantly.
The accident happened even though the area where she was working had been marked with designated forklift and pedestrian lanes. But like so many things in life, the markings became part of the background scenery in the plant: Yes, they were there but no one really noticed them any more.
Visible – But Invisible
The accident was costly to the company. Not only was the injured employee on Worker Compensation for a half-year, the poor operator was so distraught by causing the accident he was unable to work for two months. But the combined eight months of Worker Comp claims was only a small part of the financial cost to the company. A steep fine was levied by the province and a court awarded hefty damages to both the woman and the fork lift driver.
The accident highlights a major shortcoming of using hanging signs and floor lane markings to create safety zones: They rely almost entirely on a fork lift driver being able to see not only the signage but whether someone has wandered in front of the vehicle. Too often, accidents happen because a large load is being moved and the driver’s view is at least partially blocked. Thus, it’s frequently impossible for the operator to know whether a worker has wandered out of the pedestrian lane – or whether the truck has strayed into the lane.
In effect, the very tools used to ensure safety become their own hazard. Even though they’re visible, they can become invisible for a split second, more than enough time for a serious accident to occur.
Moreover, the layout of far too many factories does not take driver visibility into account. Blind corners, a flash of blinding sunlight from a window, a burned out lighting fixture all can make it difficult, if not impossible, for the operator to spot pedestrians crossing the plant floor. Even worse, the recession means most businesses are pushing all-out for productivity, efficiency and speed but these very factors can result in carelessness and not paying attention.
Government regulations mandate that companies take adequate precautions to ensure worker safety. When first introduced decades ago, rules requiring lane markings on a plant floor and posting signs were more than adequate: They were a significant improvement over the era of having no markings and they were the best warning available.
Intelligent Signage
But, thanks to inexpensive new technology, there is a better way to protect workers and help ensure that a fork lift truck out in the plant doesn’t end up skewering an employee or the company.
Now there are traffic signs which sense approaching vehicles and whether people are walking into the path of the fork lift. Once a person is detected, an audio as well as a visual alert is sent out so both know the other is approaching well before they are seen. This greatly increases the ability to avoid an accident. Moreover, unlike signs, the 95db audible alert coupled with a flashing light will never become “just part of the scenery” on a factory floor.
Low cost technology removes the excuse companies have used for some time to prevent accidents. And prevention is always the least costly way of avoiding a lot of needless expense and hassle. Implementing the new generation of warnings now will help ensure that no uncontrollable incident will happen.
Isaac Rudik is a compliance consultant with Compliance Solutions Canada Inc., Canada’s largest provider of health, safety and environmental compliance solutions to industrial, institutional and government facilities.
E-mail Isaac at irudik@csc-inc.ca or phone him at 905-761-5354.
Like so many things, pedestrian and lift truck lane markings become part of the background scenery in most plants: They’re visible but no one really notices them any more. Now, there’s a better way to avoid costly accidents.
– By Isaac Rudik
It doesn’t take much of an accident for a fork lift truck to cause serious injury.
Not long ago, an Ontario woman was severely injured at work when the company’s fork lift swung around suddenly and hit her in the middle of her chest. She was spun around by the impact of the truck and sent flying several feet across the plant. The woman was rushed to hospital for emergency, life saving, surgery. Fortunately, she recovered fully from the accident and was able to return to work within six months.
Also fortunate is that the fork lift was carrying only an empty plastic container. Had the load been any larger or heavier, doctors say that most likely the woman would have been killed instantly.
The accident happened even though the area where she was working had been marked with designated forklift and pedestrian lanes. But like so many things in life, the markings became part of the background scenery in the plant: Yes, they were there but no one really noticed them any more.
Visible – But Invisible
The accident was costly to the company. Not only was the injured employee on Worker Compensation for a half-year, the poor operator was so distraught by causing the accident he was unable to work for two months. But the combined eight months of Worker Comp claims was only a small part of the financial cost to the company. A steep fine was levied by the province and a court awarded hefty damages to both the woman and the fork lift driver.
The accident highlights a major shortcoming of using hanging signs and floor lane markings to create safety zones: They rely almost entirely on a fork lift driver being able to see not only the signage but whether someone has wandered in front of the vehicle. Too often, accidents happen because a large load is being moved and the driver’s view is at least partially blocked. Thus, it’s frequently impossible for the operator to know whether a worker has wandered out of the pedestrian lane – or whether the truck has strayed into the lane.
In effect, the very tools used to ensure safety become their own hazard. Even though they’re visible, they can become invisible for a split second, more than enough time for a serious accident to occur.
Moreover, the layout of far too many factories does not take driver visibility into account. Blind corners, a flash of blinding sunlight from a window, a burned out lighting fixture all can make it difficult, if not impossible, for the operator to spot pedestrians crossing the plant floor. Even worse, the recession means most businesses are pushing all-out for productivity, efficiency and speed but these very factors can result in carelessness and not paying attention.
Government regulations mandate that companies take adequate precautions to ensure worker safety. When first introduced decades ago, rules requiring lane markings on a plant floor and posting signs were more than adequate: They were a significant improvement over the era of having no markings and they were the best warning available.
Intelligent Signage
But, thanks to inexpensive new technology, there is a better way to protect workers and help ensure that a fork lift truck out in the plant doesn’t end up skewering an employee or the company.
Now there are traffic signs which sense approaching vehicles and whether people are walking into the path of the fork lift. Once a person is detected, an audio as well as a visual alert is sent out so both know the other is approaching well before they are seen. This greatly increases the ability to avoid an accident. Moreover, unlike signs, the 95db audible alert coupled with a flashing light will never become “just part of the scenery” on a factory floor.
Low cost technology removes the excuse companies have used for some time to prevent accidents. And prevention is always the least costly way of avoiding a lot of needless expense and hassle. Implementing the new generation of warnings now will help ensure that no uncontrollable incident will happen.
Isaac Rudik is a compliance consultant with Compliance Solutions Canada Inc., Canada’s largest provider of health, safety and environmental compliance solutions to industrial, institutional and government facilities.
E-mail Isaac at irudik@csc-inc.ca or phone him at 905-761-5354.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
The Serious Spillover Of Toxic Spills
The Serious Spillover Of Toxic Spills
Business executives and owners can pay a stiff personal and financial price for not taking steps to prevent toxic spills coming from their business. Since prevention costs a fraction of the price, it’s silly not to be proactive.
– by Isaac Rudik
Not long ago, the owner and president of a small company in Belleville, Ontario was found guilty of discharging PCB-contaminated sediment into the environment from his factory. Not only was he held responsible for the spill, a court found that he failed to comply with a provincial order to clean up the site. The man was fined $659,000 and sent to prison for four months.
That’s an expensive personal and financial price for anyone to pay for something that could have been prevented in the first place – at a fraction of the cost and without anyone being locked up. How much less costly? The price of one salvage drum for storing toxic material such as PCB-contaminated sediment is $264.
Indeed, Ontario’s Ministry of Environment is pushing for tougher penalties as it raises fines and hires more inspectors to enforce the Environmental Protection Act. For companies with a potential exposure, the time to deal with a problem is before it happens: To borrow a phrase and adapt it to today’s cleaner, greener world, $264 worth of prevention is worth a lot more than $659,000 of cure.
Heavy Costs
Even without the stiff fine and jail time handed down to the Belleville businessman, the cost of cleaning up a spill and preventing another one is high.
Simply removing the toxins after-the-fact is an expensive proposition. A consultant will be needed to assess the damage and create a clean-up implementation plan. Specialists will be needed for the actual clean-up and removal. Transporting and disposing of toxic waste once it has been let loose in an uncontrolled way is as expensive as it is time-consuming and dangerous.
Moreover, if the toxins spread into the atmosphere, ground water or property beyond the site of the actual spill, the negligent company is likely to face enormous legal bills for negotiating settlements with municipalities, regions, the province and adjoining businesses or homes. If the accident causes injury or death, the resulting lawsuits might make the rest of the costs seem like lunch money by comparison.
While some of the cost of a first accident may be covered by insurance, one toxic discharge will mean that either insurance is no longer available or the premiums are so steep a business cannot afford them.
Proactive Solutions
Every business dealing with toxic materials is under a number of serious legal obligations. The law says that companies having control over a pollutant that spills must notify the ministry within a short period of time; more to the point, it must also implement a program to eliminate, fix and prevent the negative effects of the accident on the environment, restoring it to the condition it was in before the damage.
There is a smart way to prevent damaging the environment – and the business.
The easiest, and the one that is cost-effective for many locations, is a simple spill kit. They are available for use inside a facility as well as outdoor locations. A supplier such as CSC can provide these as well as specialised spill kits for vehicles. Spill containment systems are placed under barrels and other containers of all sizes carrying substances that are harmful to the environment.
Preventing spills is a much less expensive than cleaning up a site. As the Belleville company and its president learned too late, $264 worth of prevention is worth a lot more than $659,000 of cure.
Isaac Rudik is a compliance consultant with Compliance Solutions Canada Inc., Canada’s largest provider of providing health, safety and environmental compliance solutions to industrial, institutional and government facilities.
E-mail Isaac at irudik@csc-inc.ca or phone him at 905-761-5354.
Business executives and owners can pay a stiff personal and financial price for not taking steps to prevent toxic spills coming from their business. Since prevention costs a fraction of the price, it’s silly not to be proactive.
– by Isaac Rudik
Not long ago, the owner and president of a small company in Belleville, Ontario was found guilty of discharging PCB-contaminated sediment into the environment from his factory. Not only was he held responsible for the spill, a court found that he failed to comply with a provincial order to clean up the site. The man was fined $659,000 and sent to prison for four months.
That’s an expensive personal and financial price for anyone to pay for something that could have been prevented in the first place – at a fraction of the cost and without anyone being locked up. How much less costly? The price of one salvage drum for storing toxic material such as PCB-contaminated sediment is $264.
Indeed, Ontario’s Ministry of Environment is pushing for tougher penalties as it raises fines and hires more inspectors to enforce the Environmental Protection Act. For companies with a potential exposure, the time to deal with a problem is before it happens: To borrow a phrase and adapt it to today’s cleaner, greener world, $264 worth of prevention is worth a lot more than $659,000 of cure.
Heavy Costs
Even without the stiff fine and jail time handed down to the Belleville businessman, the cost of cleaning up a spill and preventing another one is high.
Simply removing the toxins after-the-fact is an expensive proposition. A consultant will be needed to assess the damage and create a clean-up implementation plan. Specialists will be needed for the actual clean-up and removal. Transporting and disposing of toxic waste once it has been let loose in an uncontrolled way is as expensive as it is time-consuming and dangerous.
Moreover, if the toxins spread into the atmosphere, ground water or property beyond the site of the actual spill, the negligent company is likely to face enormous legal bills for negotiating settlements with municipalities, regions, the province and adjoining businesses or homes. If the accident causes injury or death, the resulting lawsuits might make the rest of the costs seem like lunch money by comparison.
While some of the cost of a first accident may be covered by insurance, one toxic discharge will mean that either insurance is no longer available or the premiums are so steep a business cannot afford them.
Proactive Solutions
Every business dealing with toxic materials is under a number of serious legal obligations. The law says that companies having control over a pollutant that spills must notify the ministry within a short period of time; more to the point, it must also implement a program to eliminate, fix and prevent the negative effects of the accident on the environment, restoring it to the condition it was in before the damage.
There is a smart way to prevent damaging the environment – and the business.
The easiest, and the one that is cost-effective for many locations, is a simple spill kit. They are available for use inside a facility as well as outdoor locations. A supplier such as CSC can provide these as well as specialised spill kits for vehicles. Spill containment systems are placed under barrels and other containers of all sizes carrying substances that are harmful to the environment.
Preventing spills is a much less expensive than cleaning up a site. As the Belleville company and its president learned too late, $264 worth of prevention is worth a lot more than $659,000 of cure.
Isaac Rudik is a compliance consultant with Compliance Solutions Canada Inc., Canada’s largest provider of providing health, safety and environmental compliance solutions to industrial, institutional and government facilities.
E-mail Isaac at irudik@csc-inc.ca or phone him at 905-761-5354.
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