Insights into the Health and Safety Industry

The Industry

Health and Safety began as a sincere effort to reduce injury and death in the workplace, however, to some extent, the original purpose has been lost in what might be called “The Industry of Health and Safety”.

The Myth

In one way or another many of us have come to believe that occupational health and safety is complicated and requires trained professionals to manage. Of course this idea is often propagated or at least quietly re-enforced by many health and safety professionals. In reality, health and safety is not complicated, it is actually quite simple.

The Training

The National Construction Safety Officer (NCSO) designation has become widely accepted as standard training for health and safety professionals. The training and designation only involves approximately 18 days of theory and minimal field experience. Health and safety professionals are usually paid well and with the short duration of the NCSO training many people pursue a career in health and safety for what is perceived as “easy money” instead of actually being interested or committed to true health and safety. Others pursue higher levels of occupational health and safety training at universities and colleges and seek registration as a Canadian Registered Safety Professional (CRSP).

The Reality

A Health and Safety Management System (Program) is a necessity for businesses to be compliant with federal and provincial statutes and regulations.  Once a system is established, health and safety professionals do not really have much to do except be ambassadors or police of the system until something needs to be revised or there is an incident that requires management. In reality, supervisors can be trained to manage the day to day aspects of an existing health and safety system as well as manage any incidents that may occur. In fact, originally, before health and safety became an industry, the NCSO training was created for supervisors.

Options

Many companies hire a full time health and safety professional and consider it part of the cost of doing business in today’s marketplace.

Some companies send their supervisors for NCSO training to save themselves the cost of hiring full time safety professionals. Aside from cost savings, training supervisors in health and safety is by far the superior way to truly ensure the health and safety of personnel as supervisors are usually present and directly involved with the workforce.

Other companies simply cannot afford a full time safety professional and do not have supervisors that are trained in health and safety. Influenced by the myth that “safety is complicated and requires trained professionals” these companies may resort to hiring safety consultants. Health and Safety can be big business so consultants are plentiful and often exceedingly expensive.

An Effective Economical Solution

For companies that cannot afford a full time safety professional an effective and economical solution might be to have one experienced health and safety professional on call (at a reasonable hourly rate) to function just as if he/she was on staff, yet they only pay for what they need. Their “pay-as-you-go” safety professional would be available for system maintenance or revisions, COR maintenance, incident management, field presence, supervisor coaching, training etc. and would be only a phone call away.

If you are interested in such a service please call me for further information. In 14 years of experience in health and safety, from the work site to the boardroom in various industries, I have learned that health and safety does not need to be complicated or expensive. Perhaps I can help you increase safety, simplify things, and save costs.

Jon Robinson
Direct HSE Services Ltd
587-335-1361

Are You Visible On The Job Site?

X on back, vertical on front, stripes 360 around the arms and legs but do you know why?

We do after market striping and we get many requests for to vertical stripes to be sewn on the back of a garment to accommodate logos.  We won’t do it. It is a safety hazard.  A person operating equipment at night can recognize that if he or she sees an X then the person wearing the garment is facing away from them. If the wearer is wearing hearing protection they can’t hear equipment coming or possibly hear the approach at a noisy site.

Many people, to try to save money, feel with all the tape on the front and back taping around the arms and legs is not necessary. I tell them to drop the back and front to make a point. Arms and legs gives the wearer 360 coverage. Also if the upper or lower body is obstructed there is still visibility.

About 20 years ago I heard a story of a worker crossing a rural, two lane, highway in southern Alberta. It was a moonless night and the driver of vehicle didn’t see the person until it was too late. I don’t know if this is true or an urban legend but the point is obvious.

Fashion vs Safety:

Black is cool but is it safe. Recently a lot of workwear has been manufactured in black or darker colours.  At night it may not make a difference but during the day you may not be as visible. Many sites are now insisting on level 2 visibilities. That means the background has to be visible during the day. This usually is orange or lime yellow garments. The background colour is for daytime visibility and the retro-reflective strip is for nighttime visibility. Logically: the larger the background the greater the visibility. That is why you may see coveralls that are solid orange with just two inch retro reflective stripes.  In a future blog I will discuss colour and retro-reflectivity.

How effective is my striping:

As mentioned I will in the future discuss the science of colour and retro-reflectivity however, I will leave you with two rules: If it is dirty, clean it. It is worn replace it. To work, especially at night, the retro- reflective stripes have to be clean and complete to be effective. Imagine your safety glasses have grease or mud on them. You can’t see well enough to do your job safely. If stripes are full of grease, oil, or dirt it can’t do its job and the approaching operator can’t see you effectively. Yes, it can cost money to replace PPE but what is the cost of an injury or death?

….but that is just my opinion.

-Frank, Owner, CEO, Direct Workwear Ltd.

Fire Retardant Clothing Misconceptions

We seem to get a lot of questions about fire retardant clothing and many misconceptions or understanding revolving around what is fire retardant and good practice. I will deal with the fabrics first.

Generally there are four types of fibre and or blends: 100% cotton, 88% cotton/12% nylon blends and inherently fire retardant fibres such as Nomex (an aramid) or Modacrylic. It is not unusual to find any of these fibres to be blended with other fibres.  With the exception of 100% Cotton, which may wash out after about fifty washes, these fabrics fire retardancy will not wash out. In purchasing any garment one should read the laundering instructions or google them to maximize the life of the item. It should be noted fabric softeners should not be used as they can coat the fabric diminishing the effectiveness of the cloth.

In our industry we tend to concern ourselves with hydrocarbon flash. Not all garments labelled as fire retardant meets the criteria for hydrocarbon flash. For example, items that only meet NFPA 701 criteria (A test in which determines the garments ability to deter flames from spreading or in other words self-extinguishes). THE NFPA 701 criterion appears basically to be the standard for curtains and sleepwear.

Having said this one must presuppose that the manufactured when making a claim of fire retardancy has had the product tested in an accredited lab. It also has to meet the standards of the environment one will be working in. If unsure, the provider should be able to get test results.

It should be noted that these tests are conducted under laboratory conditions. In the field if a coverall, for example is soiled with a combustible material, some of that may have to burn off. The point is to keep the item one is wearing as clean as possible. This includes the usage of proper cleaning methods to avoid the garment being contaminated by a lipid (or fat) based substance, such as liquid detergent.

Another point that, to me, has almost reached an urban legend status is the idea that only your outerwear has to be fire retardant. There are two components that should be considered: fire and heat. We know that fire retardant fabrics will not sustain a flame once the source has been removed but heat is another matter. If one is wearing a synthetic material under their clothing it could melt from the heat. If worn against the skin it could be very painful if it melts into the skin and potentially lethal from complications. What should be worn is anything made from a natural fibre or fire retardant cloth against the skin. In the jurisdiction I am in it is  the law to wear natural or fire retardant fabrics beneath your outerwear.

Regardless, law or no law you can survive a hydrocarbon flash. Many manufacturers have invested thousands and thousands of dollars to develop and improve products. There is lots of information on the internet about these fibres, textiles and the manufacturing processes. All I care about is that everyone has the information to work safe and be safe.

….but that is just my opinion

-Frank, Owner, CEO Direct Workwear Ltd.

Job Board & Job Security Tips

It is hard to think about safety when job security is top of mind. Many formally secure jobs are now on hold. One young lad was told to show up on site but he would have to find his own transportation. He was just starting out and went and bought a truck. The job disappeared but the payments didn’t. There are many stories like this but the most important thing on or off the job site is attitude. When working focus on the job. If suddenly unemployed focus on strategies to get re-employed. Negative thoughts or emotions will not solve any problems nor playing the blame. We have no control over the price of oil but we do have control how we handle our own circumstances. Maybe it means taking a lower paying job and a leaner life style for the moment but the price will rise and the jobs will be back.

But that is just my opinion.

Now for some blatant promotion:

We know times are tough and many will need to supply their own workwear. Another expense when times are tough, ouch. Direct Workwear Ltd. has reduced their already low prices to reflect the times with many great sales. Check out our sales link.

On our Job Board we are accepting resumes at no charge and are offering free ad placements to companies, no hidden fees or upgrades. Employers are not only looking for skills but great attitude. Good Luck

-Frank, Owner, CEO Direct Workwear Ltd.

Pump prices up. Oil down. Does anyone really know?

There was a recent news item insinuating the price of oil could drop to around eight dollars per barrel. As I write this the price of oil is hovering around $45.00. I will predict somewhere between eight dollars and a hundred and fifty dollars. I am sure the reflex reaction is anybody can predict that. The eight dollar was based on the premise that the Saudi’s can refine oil for less than eight dollars a barrel and have over 850 billion dollars in reserve. On the other hand it could rebound to higher than the price of $147.00 set in 2008 as some pundits speculate based on lack of investment due to the slump.

To the writer the other wild card is global tensions in the Middle East inclusive of uncertainty due to the collapse of the government in Yemen and Iran’s future intentions. One must also not forget the US is in an election mode, which could cause a change in current policies. Taking in consideration any of these influences it is fair to suggest predicting the price of oil long term is complex and many factors could cancel or override any other dynamic. In Canada, particularly the West is passenger as this global dance moves forward.

Those of us that can remember the oil embargo of 1973, oil was priced at $4.75 a barrel. By 1980 the price rose to $37.42 and five year mortgage rates in Canada by September 1981 was over 20%. I am not offering a correlation between these two facts but all things considered the overall situation is not as bad as it has been in previous years.

The facts are that the decline in the price of oil is as predictable as it will rise. What is unusual about this current decline is that it seemed to be sudden and deep.  Most indicators seem to be that by the fall the oil should be back to about $75.00. My personal philosophy is to always prepare for the worst and prudently enjoy the good times.

But that is just my opinion.

-Frank, Owner, CEO Direct Workwear Ltd.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/energy/oilandgas/11370166/Opec-warns-of-200-oil-without-investment-despite-recent-slump.html
http://inflationdata.com/Inflation/Inflation_Rate/Historical_Oil_Prices_Table.asp
https://history.state.gov/milestones/1969-1976/oil-embargo
http://www.ratehub.ca/5-year-fixed-mortgage-rate-history