EMPLOYEE SAFETY TRAINING SOLUTIONS

Employee Training Identification

Tracking your employee safety training can be cumbersome, especially in a large facility. The old options of a database search are not a good use of time.   And time is money!

What is the most cost effective way while keeping track? Without a doubt….Safety Trained Hard HatDecals are your best option. From a simple “Safety Trained” to a more specific type; such as “Contractor North Mill Night Shift,”  OR "GHS TRAINED" you can easily clarify compliance at a glance.   Or color-code your Safety Trained sticker program depending on the year, the shift or the department.  What a great use of time and resources! 

So the next time you are considering a fast cost effective way to identify who has gone through your company’s annual safety training consider the following: Do your current decals stand out?  Are they  easily indefinable? Are you changing colors every year for quick identification?  Do they hold up?  

It is also important to use a quality hard hat decal that will hold up to the grueling abuse that a hard hat is subjected to. 

Choosing Safetycal for your Safety Trained or Contractor Trained Hat stickers is an excellent choice.  We put the PRO in Professional when it comes to Hat Stickers, Labels, Safety Signs and Tags.

Give us a call!

ARE YOU READY FOR GHS?

There has been an overwhelming amount of industry chatter regarding the GHS additions to the HCS Rule.  So much confusion out there…but it needn’t be confusing or difficult.  First of all, as stated many times in this BLOG, there is plenty of time to meet the labeling requirements of GHS.  Secondly, until updated SDS forms have been received from your suppliers, there isn’t much you can do in regards to labeling.  This writer cautions anyone from hastily jumping into any kind of conversion software.  There is data required in the SDS and further, on GHS labels, that simply is not available in old, out of date MSDS forms.   

What is needed now is training.  OSHA is well aware that the most confusing element of the new GHS components is the symbols.  Trainers are likely to be reminded of the days when we were teaching what the rating numbers meant in the old NFPA and HAZCOM systems .  Now we have a total of 8 OSHA required symbols and a 9^th symbol added in by ANSI.  To complicate issues, the symbols have a variety of meanings.  The meanings are not contradictory, but beware that you do not over simplify them in your training sessions.   SAFETYCAL® has created a complete GHS Pocket Card for your employees to carry in pocket or wallet.  We also have a full size Poster.  Both are “must-haves” as we all transition to this new method.

What’s next?  Certainly, if your training is completed and documented, and you have updated SDS forms, getting started on labeling projects is the next step.  SAFETYCAL® is your answer here.  Our new EZMAKE® SIGNSYSTEM will make creating GHS labels quick and EZ!  Affordable and user friendly, this software, with its newly updated programming, works with your office type Laser Printer to create outdoor durable signs and labels.

In the end…GHS is here to stay.  And with its many benefits, this new addition to the HCS rule will create a safer workplace.

For all of your Sign, GHS, Tagging or Facility Marking needs, allow us to serve you.

Call 800-446-3525 or email us at info@safetycal.com

GHS FEASIBLITY

Is GHS really feasible? 
 
One of the requirements for any OSHA rule is that it be feasible.  The added elements of the GHS to the revised Hazard Communication Standard are in fact, very feasible.
While the modifications of the labels and the format of the SDS must both be adjusted to fit these new elements, employers will be able to use their current methods of training to comply.  Yes, the content of the training changes.  Yes, there are new pictograms to understand and there is a format change to the display of the information.  Where in the past an employee may have been able to gather PPE information at a quick glance, they must now read the text as provided on the label before beginning their task.  However, the fact remains that employers’ must train, must label and must maintain accurate and up to date SDS on file for all chemicals within their facility.
Remember, the updated HCS Rule states the following:
“Labels are intended to provide an immediate visual reminder of chemical hazards.  Whereas labels in the past could be presented in a variety of formats using inconsistent terminology and visual elements, labels prepared in accordance with the requirements in this final rule will be consistent.  Standardized signal words and hazard statements attract attention and communicate the degree of hazard.  Pictograms reinforce the message presented in text and enhance communication for low-literacy populations.  Precautionary statements provide useful instruction for protecting against chemical-source injuries and illness”
The rule states -- see (f)(1)(i) thru (f)(1)(v) -- that every container, save these "immediate use" containers must be labeled with the following: Product Identifier, Signal Word, Hazard Statements, Pictograms and Precautionary Statements.  This information will be found on your SDS and should be supplied by your Chemical Supplier.
SAFETYCAL® is hard at work putting together all the labeling products you will need to meet the rule head-on with confidence.  For now, send us an email to be put on our announcement list when these products are ready to launch you into compliance.   Visit us at www.safetycal.com
 
This information is offered for evaluation and discussion only.  For more information contact your local OSHA representative or go to http://www.osha.gov/dsg/hazcom/index.html 

GHS TRAINING

Training….training…training and GHS?
One might ask,  why is there such an emphasis on training for the new GHS elements of the revised Hazard Communication Standard?  While most of the information that will be presented on new GHS Labeling and in incoming / updated SDS will be fairly straight forward, the Pictogram element probably causes the most reason for thorough training.
The Occupation Safety & Health Agency has had a long standing position that employees have the Right-To-Know what hazards they face daily in the workplace.  That said, the Pictogram(s) that will be required on the new GHS compliant labels can have multiple meanings and can change when shown in combination.  It is obvious that understanding all of these meanings is critical to the end-user in their understanding of the hazards they are facing.  While many systems in the past included a set of symbols addressing required PPE, these symbols are no longer needed.  PPE requirements are addressed the text body of the label. 
Proper training will insure that all employees are prepared to quickly and accurately read the new label format whether for daily handling or in the event of an emergency.
Remember, SAFETYCAL® is hard at work putting together all the labeling products you will need to meet the rule head-on with confidence.  For now, send us an email to be put on our announcement list when these products are ready to launch you into compliance.   Visit us at www.safetycal.com
This information is offered for evaluation and discussion only.  For more information contact your local OSHA representative or go to http://www.osha.gov/dsg/hazcom/index.html