Environmental

Health and Safety

In this guide, learn how prioritizing environmental health and
safety in your facility can improve everything.
 The EHS Manager

Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) Managers have two grave tasks: to
keep workers and facility safe and decrease the possibility for injury and
accidents; make sure that the facility is in compliance to OSHA regulations.
This responsibility is especially difficult when you keep in mind that often,
EHS manager is an additional responsibility—something a manager has to
do in addition to main role. Safety is a vital part of any successful company,
but it can be easy to forget about its importance. It’s the EHS manager’s
responsibility to build protocols and visual communication systems to ensure
workers don’t slip into habits that undermine rules.

Responsibilities of EHS managers

 Keeping workers safe

 Ensuring company is compliant

 Establishing Safety training programs

 Stay educated on new updates to standards

The Cost of Non-Compliance

In addition to safety programs, EHS managers are responsible for making sure
companies are in compliance with OSHA. OSHA doesn’t actually create the
standards that determine compliance or non-compliance. Instead, they rely
on entities like American National Standards Institute (ANSI), National Fire
Protection Association (NFPA), and others to create the standards they enforce.
EHS managers are required to have full knowledge of these standards and to
adjust safety programs to reflect current standards. Failure to comply with
regulations can be costly.

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 Costly Mistakes

As of Jan. 23, 2019, OSHA penalties can be as high as $13,260 per violation
for serious violations and failures to abate, and up to $132,598 per violation for
willful or repeated violations.

OSHA Ten Most Frequent Citations from 2018

1. Fall protection (1926.501) – 7,270 violations:

Fall protection often tops the list each year with the highest
number of violations. The standard requires fall protection for
walking or working platforms, roofing activities, residential
construction, and protection from falling through holes.

2. Hazard communication (1910.1200) – 4,552 violations:

Having a written hazard communication standard. Additionally,
facilities are responsible for conducting hazardous chemical
training and meeting information requirements, labeling of
hazardous chemical containers according to the Globally
Harmonized System (GHS), and providing copies of safety data
sheets (SDS) in the facility.

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 3. Scaffolding – General Requirements (1926.451)
– 3,336 violations:
Requirement for fall protection on scaffolds and each platform
on working levels must be fully planked or decked and guardrail
systems must be put in place.

4. Respiratory Protection (1910.134) – 3,118 violations:

Requires a written respiratory protection program where
respirators are necessary. The program must have worksite-
specific procedures, medical evaluation of workers for fit testing,
annual fit-testing for each type of respirator face piece used, as
well as a general outline for respirator selection.

5. Control of Hazardous Energy – Lockout/Tagout (1910.147)

– 2,944 violations:
Safely de-energizing and re-energizing equipment when
service or maintenance is performed. Requires energy control
procedures, periodic inspections of those procedures, energy
control programs, the use of LOTO procedures, and training of
these procedures.

6. Ladders (1926.1053) – 2,812 violations:

Ladders should have side rails on upper landing surfaces and
secured support. Defective ladders must be properly marked and
withdrawn from service until repaired. Employees are prohibited from
carrying any object that may cause them to lose balance and fall.

7. Powered Industrial Trucks (1910.178) – 2,294 violations:

Requires safe operation of industrial trucks as well as refresher
training and evaluations. Operators need to be certified, trained,
and evaluated before operating industrial trucks and trucks in
need of repair are taken out of service.

8. Fall protection – Training Requirements (1926.503)

– 1,982 violations:
Training programs must be provided to employees who might
be exposed to fall hazards along with written record of training.
This includes training on guardrail systems, personal fall arrest
systems, safety net systems, warning line systems, and other fall
protections in place.

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 9. Machine Guarding – General Requirement (1910.212)
– 1,972 violations:
Requires machines and machine areas to have guarding.
These include point of operation guarding, secure anchoring of
machinery, guarding of blades, and general location of a machine
guard to protect employees from injury.

10. Personal Protective and Lifesaving Equipment –

Eye and Face Protection (1926.102) – 1,536 violations:
Providing appropriate eye and/or face protection for employees
exposed to flying particles, molten metal, liquid chemicals,
acids or caustic liquids, chemical gases or vapors, or potentially
injurious light radiation. There also needs to be proper storage for
PPE and training in place for employees.

Implementing Safety Solutions

For new EHS managers, implementing safety solutions can feel insurmountable.
There are so many pieces to modern industrial facilities that it can feel
impossible to find a starting point. Consequently, EHS managers can feel like
there’s too much to do, that workers are frustratingly unwilling to adhere to new
practices, that the only thing to do is maintain the status quo and handle crises
as they arise.

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 BECOME AN EXPERT.

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 The good news is that, once strong safety practices are implemented, individual
teams and departments own the safety practices for their slice of the facility. Once
safety becomes part of the fabric of company culture, workers see its importance
and help enforce safety protocols without constant urging by EHS managers.

The tricky part is getting to that point. That’s where we can help. To successfully
change worker safety in your facility, you’ll need to take a few steps.

The Recipe for a Safe Facility:

A clear, concrete policy.

This declaration needs to be specific and

concise, and cite the goal of the facility
IMPORTANT
regarding safety. This policy should be TAKEAWAY:
decided by upper-level management,
but should emphasize importance of
Clear instructions mean
cooperation from entire company. Policy
safety practices stay
doesn’t need to be detailed, but should
consistent, and puts the
state commitment to safety and assign
responsibility of staying
responsibility to individual teams.
compliant on employees.
When workers are
Plan of Action.
responsible for staying
Safety programs need a plan of action that safe, they are more
ensures the above policy bears fruit. EHS or engaged and invested in
Facility Safety mangers should be in charge the process, and safety
of putting together plans of action for specific becomes a part
teams/departments, such as Lockout/Tagout of company culture.
(LOTO) programs, 6S, Hazard Communication
(HazCom) programs, etc.

Create a Standard Protocol.

Write a set of steps for performing specific safety tasks that make each section
of your facility safer and less likely to experience accidents. Instructions make
it easier for workers to stay safe and also ensures that safety policies sustain
over a long period of time.

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 The Ingredients for EHS Success

Management Commitment and Worker Engagement

In order for EHS programs to be successful, management must be fully behind

making hazard and safety improvement measures. Safety and accident
prevention means a healthy, productive workforce; investment of both time and
finances is worth it.

EHS, facility, and safety managers need to assess the current state of the facility
in order to see what changes need to be made to make workplaces safer and in
compliance. Therefore, instituting gemba walks is a smart way of ensuring managers
have a real understanding of safety hazards, and what practices can greatly minimize
the chance of accidents and injury. In Japanese, “gemba” roughly
means “the real place.” A gemba walk is designed to
educate managers and encourage them to get
out of their offices and onto the production
floor to see processes for themselves.
When managers see it for themselves,
they can better improve processes.

After managers assess the safety of

the facility, the responsibility for
enforcing new safety practices should fall
to employees. Giving teams recognition when they
exceed expectations is a great way to ensure sustainable
safety practices. When workers are given clear objectives, but
given the freedom to achieve them on their own volition, they become more engaged
in the process and more invested in the outcome.

Hazard Control

Hazard control refers to the actions a facility takes to prevent workplace

accidents. ANSI, ASME, NFPA, and a few other institutions are responsible for
creating the standards OSHA follows when auditing businesses for workplace
safety. It’s important that EHS managers are well-versed in these regulations so
that companies stay in compliance.

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 Common hazard control measures:

 Visual Communication. Labels, signs, and floor marking communicate

to your team the important messages they need in order to stay safe and
avoid accidents. ANSI suggests a few different format options that OSHA
considers compliant: ANSI Z53 and Z35 (1967), ANSI Z535 (2011).

 PPE. For workers in industrial environments, personal protective

equipment (PPE) is crucial to keeping workers safe. PPE like safety
googles, reflective clothing, and arc flash gloves are developed to
provide the best protection against specific hazards.

 Engineering Controls are physical mechanisms that are built to

prevent accidents. These crucial components give workers added
protection against failures, user errors, and miscommunication between
operators—all historically common causes for accidents.

 Be prepared. It’s important to be ready for accidents, even though you work
hard to prevent them. First aid stations should be well-stocked, accessible,
and well-marked. Eye wash stations should be up-to-date and in the
appropriate areas, such as work stations that deal with volatile chemicals.

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 Training

Training is a way to ensure your workers consistently enforce and abide by the
standards EHS managers have put in place. All workers should be trained as
part of orientation; doing so stitches the importance of safety and following
protocol into your company’s culture.

For sustainability of safety training, EHS managers should schedule periodic

“refresher” sessions for their teams to remind workers of rules and update
any policies when necessary. Since ANSI, NFPA, and other standard-setting
institutions issue regular updates to their standards, it’s crucial that EHS
managers implement necessary changes in practices to comply with updated
standards. Training ensures that workers are aware of these changes.

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 Tools for Success

This guide has provided you with a strong foundation of information about EHS
practices. Now it’s time to offer some tools to get you started.

Transform your facility with visual communication.

Let LabelTac® Help.

LabelTac® industrial sign and label printers are the best printing solution
available for creating a visual communication system. The included LabelSuite™
label design software makes it easy to produce the labels you need when you
need them. There are over 60 different types of LabelTac® label supply available
in multiple sizes. Paired with 7 different ribbon colors, you can print labels for
any application. All LabelTac® printers are backed with a lifetime full warranty,
and technical support. The best warranty in the business.

Keep your workers safe and your worksite OSHA compliant. Use these printers
to create a visual communication system.

LabelTac® Pro X
OSHA Bundle

A complete printing package for visual communication.

LabelTac®industrial label printer • Label Supply • OSHA Label Supply • Print Ribbons
www.creativesafetysupply.com/labeling-bundles

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 Labels: Pre-made Vs. Printing In-house

Ordering labels means meeting costly mandatory minimums, and you’re

required to pick from a pre-made selection of labels that may not fully meet
your needs. Printing in-house means you get to select how many labels you
need right when you need them. Plus, with included, high-quality software,
you’ll be able to design labels easily, without headaches. The printers in the
LabelTac® line are built for mobility and longevity, and they come with intuitive,
world-class LabelSuite™ label making software. The software makes it easy to
create OSHA-compliant labels, barcodes, signs, and so much more.

Not cost effective.

Getting lost in the index, and then injuring

your back putting the catalog away.

Ordering the wrong size and

having to use them because
you don’t want to wait
for the reorder.

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 Make Busy Environments safer with floor marking.

To ensure your environment stays safe and injury-free, it’s important to

implement floor marking tape like SafetyTac®. With floor marking tape and floor
signs, you can manage traffic, establish warehouse organization more effectively,
and reduce confusion between workers and machine operators. SafetyTac® is
designed with a low profile to withstand the tough, unforgiving conditions of
the industrial workplace. Floor marking is a vital part of any successful visual
communication, so get your facility the best tapes on the market.

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Durable SafetyTac® tapes are a hassle-free way to mark floors. No

mess, no damage from forklifts, and practically no maintenance.

Shop now at www.creativesafetysupply.com/safetytac

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 Shop top-ranking products
for organization, labeling, and safety

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