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Workplace Safety
Asbestos Consulting
Although asbestos fibers are a known carcinogen, proper management and control of asbestos-containing materials (ACM) is the most cost-effective way for a building owner or manager to minimize risk to building occupants while controlling costs. The OSHA Asbestos Construction Standard, 29 CFR 1926.1101, requires that the employer communicate the existence of asbestos to building occupants. “Employers and building owners shall identify TSI (thermal system insulation) and sprayed or troweled on surfacing materials as asbestos-containing…” A thorough building survey with bulk material sampling and analysis by accredited personnel is the only way to prove that a presumed asbestos containing material (PACM) does not contain asbestos.
Bulk Surveys
A complete asbestos survey including photos of ACM, AutoCAD© drawings indicating the location and distribution of ACM, field labeled materials, and a complete room-by-room asbestos inventory is the most efficient way to manage asbestos in a building with suggestions for asbestos abatement programs.
Project Design
With an accurate asbestos inventory, professional asbestos abatement design becomes an even more cost-effective approach to proper asbestos removal. Workplace Safety & Health Co., Inc. can assist with asbestos abatement contractor selection and monitor their performance to ensure that the building owner’s risks are properly controlled.
O&M Programs
An accurate asbestos inventory is the basic building block to successful operations and maintenance (O&M) program management. Site-specific asbestos abatement policies, periodic inspections and exposure monitoring are prudent ways for building owners to control asbestos exposure risks to building occupants and visiting contractors. Workplace Safety & Health Co., Inc. has the expertise to partner with you to control risk.
Confined Space Evaluations
Confined spaces can become deadly places if not properly identified and managed. The OSHA “Permit-Required Confined Spaces” standard, 29 CFR 1910.146, requires that the employer determine if any existing confined spaces are permit-required. If permit-required confined spaces exist, employees must be informed of the hazards presented by the space and only be allowed into the spaces after a full confined spaces assessment entry program has been written and implemented.
Effective Programming
An effective “confined space” program must include sufficient measures to prohibit unauthorized confined space entry. Acceptable confined space entry conditions must be created using atmospheric testing, hazard isolation, inerting, purging or ventilating procedures to provide safe conditions.
Space Identification
Many employers are confused about the true definition of a confined space. The experience of Workplace Safety & Health Co., Inc. consultants can be utilized to identify confined spaces and assess whether they should be listed as “permit-required.” In some cases, permit-required confined spaces can be reclassified to non-permit spaces if all hazards can be completely eliminated.
View and download our sample CS Map
View and download our Confined Space brochure
Data Management
Accessing data management tools used by Workplace Safety & Health Co., Inc. can increase the efficiency of our clients by providing the ability to quickly retrieve critical information about confined spaces and lockout/tagout procedures when needed. Workplace Safety & Health Company, Inc. utilizes web-based data management applications including Confined Space Manager™. This cloud-based tool is designed to operate smoothly and quickly to allow rapid retrieval of information from any internet capable machine, whether Microsoft™ PC-based, Apple™ computer or even web-enabled smart phones or tablets from Apple™ or Android-based smart phones and tablets.
Confined Space Manager™
Each confined space in a facility must be assessed for potential hazards and identified as a permit-required confined space or a non-permit space. Collecting and storing this data is a daunting task without a special application that will ultimately allow confined space entry permits to be generated and stored after the entry has been completed. Confined Space Manager™, a web-based application developed by Kelleher, Helmrich and Associates, Inc. (KHA) and Workplace Safety & Health Co., Inc., provides a scalable platform for effective management of a confined space program for small, medium and large sites as well as multi-site customers. Key features include:
- Streamline Workflow for Creating and Issuing Permits
Administrators can create and digitally deliver entry permits to workers by e-mail. Permission controls support task delegation to qualified workers. Centralized data makes issuing permits fast and easy. Authorized users can login anywhere and view active permits to monitor work progress. - Add Greater Detail to Your Confined Space Records
Organizations tasked with managing countless spaces can easily locate individual spaces, review their associated hazards and generate and track permits. Upload AutoCAD generated drawings of your sites’ confined spaces, add images, geo coordinates, and space-specific details ensuring the space you need is quickly located with accuracy. - Archive Permits for Record Keeping Purposes
From ISO to OSHA, standards require that records are maintained as personnel work in spaces where permits are required. No more digging through file cabinets. Easily searchable and organized, reliable records and reporting capabilities allow customers to come through audits without worry. With no limit on data storage, records are maintained indefinitely. - Access Your Data – Powered by the Cloud
Your data is accessible anywhere from any device. No software to install. Updates are provided at no charge and pushed via the Cloud—protecting you from software obsolescence. Redundant DNS infrastructure supports incomparable dependability— with a 99.9% availability guarantee.
Ergonomics Consulting
Ergonomics is the study of the relationship between people, their work, and their physical work environment. The major purpose of ergonomics is to fit the job to the individual and promote healthy and safe work practices. Workplace Safety & Health Company can assist you with your ergonomic risk identification, assessment, and solution needs.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) website, musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) involve tendons, muscles, and nerves. Musculoskeletal disorders that develop at work (including those of the neck, upper extremities, and low back) are one of the leading causes of lost workday injury and illness, according to OSHA. In a number of industries, a worker’s likelihood of injury is increased by workplace exposure to risk factors, such as “lifting heavy items, bending, reaching overhead, pushing and pulling heavy loads, working in awkward body postures and performing the same or similar tasks repetitively.” However, applying the principles of ergonomics to the work environment can help prevent work-related injuries. Whatever the body size, shape, and personal limitations, the goal of ergonomics is to evaluate the total human being, both mental and physical, and then apply sound principles to each individual's needs. Whether someone is working with heavy machinery or sitting at a desk, the practice of good ergonomics will provide health benefits now and in the long run help workers feel more invigorated, comfortable, and productive.
Workplace Safety & Health Company specializes in evaluating employee workstations, assessing potential for injury, prioritizing stations based on risk, and making appropriate recommendations in order to reduce or eliminate worker ergo-related risk as a whole.
Industrial Hygiene Consulting
OSHA regulates hundreds of chemicals in “Subpart Z-Toxic and Hazardous Substances,” 29 CFR 1910.1000 through 1910.1450. Understanding which if any of these chemicals may be a cause for concern at your workplace is the job for a CIH. A certified industrial hygienist can help you identify potential chemical or physical exposures, evaluate their severity and assist in controlling or eliminating the hazard.
Industrial Hygiene Experience
Workplace Safety & Health Co., Inc. has conducted industrial hygiene consulting at a wide variety of sites including automotive manufacturing and supply facilities, aerospace companies, high-rise commercial buildings, hospitals, surface and subsurface mines, gray iron and non-ferrous foundries, fiberglass manufacturers, rare earth metal alloy manufacturers, food and beverage processing facilities, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, ship-building operations and steel mills.
Accurate Sampling
Areas of industrial hygiene evaluation at these facilities include sampling and analysis for:
- Organic Solvents, Heavy Metals, Gases
- Noise, Bioaerosols, Airborne Particulates (including Respirable Crystalline Silica -RCS) and Fibers
- Non-Ionizing Radiation, Illumination Levels, Heat and Cold Stress
Innovative Solutions
Innovation and experience set Workplace Safety & Health Co., Inc. apart from the competition. Specialized use of database programs to store and manipulate critical exposure data has been well received by many clients who want to not only receive a report but use the data to their advantage.
Lead-based Paint Assessments
Workplace Safety & Health Co. Inc. industrial hygienists cover a wide breadth of workplace environmental concerns, from noise to air quality, from chemical exposure to asbestos and lead paint identification. We can identify and evaluate hazards, and develop corrective action plans to economically solve your industrial hygiene problems.
Title 29 Code of Federal Regulations 1926.62, OSHA’s Lead Standard for the construction industry, addresses lead in a variety of forms, including metallic lead, all inorganic lead compounds, and organic lead soaps. According OSHA, lead is a cumulative and persistent toxic substance that poses a serious health risk.
Paint Sampling
There are currently two methods recognized by EPA for testing paint: using an X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) analyzer and taking paint chip samples that are then analyzed by an accredited laboratory. We also use AutoCAD drawings to indicate the location of each sample. Photographs are taken of every sampling location to document the appearance of each surface coating we analyze.
Routes of Exposure
Certain types of lead exposure can damage the kidneys and the cardiovascular, central nervous or other body systems. It also can be harmful in children’s development. Most commonly, lead is inhaled as a dust or fume or accidentally ingested. Once it has entered the bloodstream, lead circulates through the body and is stored in certain organs and body tissues.
Often remodeling or renovation projects such as sanding, cutting with saws or torches, and demolition can create hazardous lead chips and dust by disturbing lead-based paint, which can be an unhealthy environment for adults and children. Workplace Safety & Health Co. Inc. can provide industry-standard testing for lead-based paint according to OSHA standards.
Lockout/Tagout
Controlling hazardous energy is a must for all industrial maintenance activities where the sudden release of energy can cause injury or death. The “Control of Hazardous Energy” standard, 29 CFR 1910.147, requires that all sources of energy related to a machine or piece of equipment must be identified and controlled with “lockout/tagout” procedures so as to prevent the unexpected energization, start-up or release of stored or residual energy.
Effective Programming
An effective “lockout/tagout” procedure should include documented machine-specific energy isolation procedures, which are carefully developed to follow manufacturer suggested shutdown procedures and isolate and dissipate all energy sources.
Training
Effective energy control programs include initial and annual training to authorized and affected employees and periodic inspections observing the use of procedures to ensure the program’s continued effectiveness. The “Lockout/tagout” regulation is one of the top five cited OSHA standards. Many employers have found that generic procedures addressing an entire department or common type of machine were simply not detailed enough to prevent employee injuries or OSHA scrutiny. Here is where Workplace Safety & Health Co., Inc. can accommodate your needs.
Data Management
The careful machine evaluations, quality graphics, powerful database software and detailed labeling provided by Workplace Safety & Health Co., Inc. will elevate a marginal lockout/tagout program to an effective risk management tool.
Noise Measurement
Noise Control
Noise, or unwanted sound, is one of the most pervasive occupational health problems. It is a by-product of many industrial and commercial processes. Exposure to high levels of noise causes hearing loss and may cause other harmful health effects as well. The extent of damage depends primarily on the intensity and duration of the exposure. Noise-induced hearing loss can be temporary or permanent. OSHA promulgated a hearing conservation amendment that became effective in 1983, (29 CFR 1910.95, Occupational Noise Exposure Standard) requiring hearing conservation programs for all employees exposed to noise on an eight-hour, time weighted average (TWA) in excess of 85 decibels measured on an A-weighted scale (85 dBA). The permissible exposure limit is 90 dBA for an eight-hour TWA.
Hearing Conservation Program
Virtually all companies that perform manufacturing, construction or mining activities create noise. The first step to protecting your employees’ hearing is to establish a hearing conservation program. The program includes provisions for noise measurement, engineering and/or administrative control of noise, audiometric (individual employee hearing) testing and provision of hearing protectors.
Noise Surveys
With an accurate noise survey, the cost impact of a hearing conservation program can be minimized. Using top quality sound level meters and noise dosimeters, Workplace Safety & Health Co., Inc. can help you identify only those employees that need to be included in the noise control program and determine if the initial cost of engineering controls is a sound investment over the on-going costs of hearing conservation program management. Workplace Safety & Health Co., Inc. has the expertise to help you make sound decisions for noise measurement and control.
Noise/Sound Control Services
- Noise Surveys
- Preliminary Engineering Control Design
- Octave Band Analysis
- Hearing Conservation Program Authoring
- Audiometric Testing (with qualified vendors)
- Noise Dosimetry
- Noise Mapping
- Program Review
- Hearing Conservation Training