The Road to Safer EV Battery Manufacturing Runs On NIXN

One of the largest vehicle manufacturers in the world recently pledged to become fully electric by the beginning of the next decade. To accomplish this feat nearly 10 billion USD was invested to provide the heart of the vehicle, the battery. 

Multiple locations were selected for brand new state of the art facilities that would fulfill the need for the batteries. These facilities are estimated to cost between 2.5 – 3 billion USD each for the automaker.

Each of these projects is slated to be completed through a joint venture with multiple trader partners. These trade partners must abide by safety and health requirements of their own companies in addition to any federal and state regulations. Considering the automaker owns the facilities which are being constructed for, the trade partners must also abide by their safety and health policies.

A core safety and health policy of the automaker involves certain means and methods to pre-plan work. This pre-planning process involves listing which tasks will be performed and then identifying any potential risks, along with the mitigation techniques for the risks. The process was multi-layered and extremely thought out, but one factor wasn’t considered: the human nature of the individuals completing the documents. 

Issues began arising when the automaker uncovered the frontline craft employees were not thoroughly reviewing the job scope prior to starting work. Skipping this step ultimately puts the employees at greater risk. The reason for this is that if a job step is not planned for then the risks are not identified. If the job step and risks are not identified then safety policies and mitigation techniques can be overlooked or bypassed completely. The automaker knew they needed a different solution, and that solution was NIXN. 

By deploying NIXN the automaker was able to meet and exceed their current policy and fill existing voids by creating better workflows from project management to the front line through the following process:

  1. Onsite safety professionals received accounts and hands on training from NIXN account managers
  2. The task, risk, and mitigation combinations were customized for the automaker to match existing verbiage and requirements in their policies
  3. The submitted and approved trade partner plans were loaded into NIXN
  4. Foreman from the various trade partners were onboarded and trained
  5. Craft crew members were onboarded

From following the above roll-out and implementing NIXN for the project the automaker was able to accomplish numerous goals including the following:

  • Streamlined Workflow
    • Daily work plans are created digitally by the foreman
    • Craft employees are digitally onboarded and the company can easily retain and access their contact info, craft, years of experience, training records, and emergency contacts
    • Safety and project management are notified of the job plans, can review the job plans, and make edits if necessary
    • Safety can conduct audits and inspections linked directly to the submitted plans, which provides leading indicators including:
      • Advanced safety metrics
      • Rates of planned vs unplanned work per company or foreman
      • Safe vs unsafe audits per company or foreman
      • Corrections per company or foreman
      • Near misses
  • Advanced Project Metrics
    • Crew member information including craft, years of experience, hire-in date, and emergency information is stored
    • Manhour tracking is automated per task, per crew, per area, and per company through foreman daily work plans
    • Crew experience, crew size, and crew turnover is tracked through foreman daily work plans
    • General Contractors or clients can compare safety performance, manhours, and crew sizes across multiple contractors or the entire project
    • Incident, property damage, and near miss 
  • A More Educated Workforce
    • Daily reinforcement of potential hazards and mitigation techniques are performed when foreman review and submit job plans with their crews
    • Project management and safety professionals are informed of the job description and location
    • Safety professionals are guided through audits and able to determine which mitigation techniques should be in place and if a task was or wasn’t included and reviewed
  • Better Decision Making
    • Trade partners and clients make decisions based off insights rather than knee jerk reactions
    • Safety and project resources can be allocated accordingly from identified needs

Cannabis Industry Health & Safety

All employers in the cannabis industry, including those who cultivate, manufacture, distribute, sell, and test marijuana products, must take steps to protect their employees from all health and safety hazards associated with their work.

Many states have legalized the use of marijuana, both medicinally and recreationally. Studies have long focused on the public health and safety issues associated with these legislative changes. Still, few have given significant attention to the occupational health and safety of those working in the industry. Like any other industry, there is a strong need to take precautions and implement health and safety programs to protect employees of cannabis production and distribution facilities. As demonstrated by MAC Safety, Inc., with capabilities and knowledge of implementation of safety plans, there is an affordable and effective way to provide employee safety.  

The Scope of Present Dangers

The hazards associated with workplace accidents can range from minimally damaging to severe and life-threatening. Regardless of how extensive an injury may be, there is always the potential for financial hardship, emotional suffering, and lost labor to compound an already complicated situation. Within the cannabis industry, the following dangers are present:

  • Biological hazards such as mold, allergens, or sensitivities
  • Chemical hazards such as carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, pesticides, disinfectants, nutrient chemicals, corrosive chemicals, and indoor air quality
  • Physical hazards such as compressed gas, combustible or flammable liquids, ergonomics, occupation injuries, electrical, workplace violence, slips and falls, noise, extraction equipment, hand tools or machines, lighting or height hazards, and forklift injury

The Impact of Workers’ Compensation in the Cannabis Industry

Just as protections are afforded in those working in manufacturing, healthcare, or retail, carrying coverage in workers’ compensation for cannabis industry activities reduces the financial liabilities against company’s where an accident report is filed. A workplace accident or incident that causes illness, injury or loss of life for an employee can lead to a lawsuit for medical reimbursement and corresponding damages. Companies that carry workers’ comp coverage can have the costs of litigation or paying out medical benefits taken care of by the insurance provider.  MAC Safety can work directly with your risk team and insurance carrier to help keep these costs in line.

The Necessity of a Health and Safety Program

To limit exposure to accidents involving cannabis industry workers’ compensation claims, it is important to establish robust health and safety programs. Each employee should be involved in a safety program and understand their unique role in preventing accidents. Conduct assessments to identify hazards and train employees in both preventative and response behaviors. Ensure consistency among implementation through a risk management team. Continually evaluate the safety program for deficiencies or weaknesses through feedback or incident reports and adopt corrective measures as quickly as possible.

The Benefits of a Strong Program (and working with MAC Safety, Inc.)

In addition to reducing the occurrences of workplace accidents, a strong safety program can lower the cost of a workers’ compensation plan. All safety procedures should be aligned with the requirements issued by the Occupation Health and Safety Administration, as well as any risk management advice given by the insurance provider.  Occupational health and safety regulations that may apply to employers in the cannabis industry:

Electrical Hazards

Exposures to Airborne Contaminants

Flammable Liquids and Gases

Hazard Communication

Hazardous Energy – Lockout/Tagout

Heat Illness Prevention

Machine Hazards

Personal Protective Equipment

Point of Operation Hazards

Pressure Vessels

Repetitive Motion Injuries

Sanitation and Pest Control

Slips, Trips, Falls and Use of Ladders

Some other areas to focus on for indoor growing facilities – obstructed / or reduced paths of egress, overloaded circuits – wiring, absence or lack of fire suppression systems, and the close proximity of abundant heat sources to flammable material in oxygen-rich environments.

Tax Codes – Insurance – MAC Safety (NIXN)

Section 280E of the federal tax code prohibits businesses from deducting ordinary business expenses associated with “trafficking” Schedule 1 substances.  This tax code provision was intended to penalize illegal activities, but it also prohibits 

cannabis vendors that are operating legally under state law from taking the same federal tax deductions that other small businesses can take.  A cannabis business can deduct the cost of goods sold, but it may not deduct the following: (Employee salaries, Utility costs, Health insurance premiums, Marketing costs,

 repairs / maintenance, rental fees, payment to contractors.) – 26 U.S.C. section 41 – encourages businesses to invest in technology.  MAC Safety provides to all clients our proprietary software, that meets these criteria.   The R&D Tax Credit is a dollar-for-dollar tax savings that directly reduces a company’s tax liability. There is no limitation on the amount of expenses and credit that can be claimed each year. 

General Liability Insurance

Despite the unique nature of the cannabis business, most general liability claims have been the garden variety slip and fall type premises and operation claims.  Depending on the nature of the business, insurers providing commercial general liability (CGL) insurance for cannabis-related business (CRB) are likely to consider the following underwriting factors: Compliance with safety protocols, Management experience (a core NIXN function to identify), and Training and experience of employees (another NIXN function, to identify employee experience), documentation of standard operating procedures (housed and observable in NIXN), management experience in the industry (another core NIXN feature).

Get In Touch

Contact us today by email [email protected] or by phone 724.513.4491

Data Driven Safety via the Vita Lifting System White Paper

Author: MAC Safety Consultants (“MAC Safety”)

Date: December 29, 2021

Key Conclusion

The construction industry experiences lost workdays, equipment damage, personnel injury, and death because of spinning crane loads. In the United States, 25.4% of all crane injuries are due to spinning crane loads, costing the industry hundreds of millions annually. According to our analysis, introducing the Vita Lifting Solution to provide load rotation control reduces the risk of spinning crane load accidents by 63.1%. Additionally, the Vita Lifting System improves load management efficiency, speeding up operations that leads to increased crane productivity by enabling 725,000 more loads to be lifted every single day.

Data Driven Safety

MAC Safety is a construction data aggregation and analysis company that has collected a 4TB crowd sourced dataset populated with real world construction project data from 2018 to Present with 4 million observations across 2,000 projects. This dataset informs a deep learning graph neural network (GNN) that runs a proprietary model called NIXN. The NIXN Model simulates construction site activities to identify risk points and establish the value and risk reduction potential for products like the Vita Lifting System.

Vita Inclinata Technologies is an industrial load control system developer and manufacturer. Vita contracted MAC Safety to leverage NIXN to assess the impact of the Vita Lifting System on construction industry risks, specifically those from cranes moving loads.

According to the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA), there are an estimated 225,000 cranes in operation in the United States on any given day. These cranes move an average 2.4 million picks (“loads”) per day, exposing approximately 250,000 crane operators, load riggers, and other site workers to daily risk of crane-related injury or death. Based upon statistical averages, 25.4% of the crane accidents in the United States are due to personnel being struck or caught by spinning crane loads. Of those accidents, 1 in 9,000 cranes will cause a fatality each year. Given that on average, a SINGLE injury will cost $200,000, and a SINGLE fatality will cost $4,000,000, annual costs to the industry from fatalities alone approach $100 Million dollars.

Based upon NIXN modeling, MAC Safety identified specific risk points such as slips, trips, falls, and crush hazards associated with crane load movement. By removing workers from the load vicinity by application of remote, precision control technology the Vita Lifting System provides, the risks can be eliminated or significantly mitigated. Because of the large data set of real world construction site risks, we are able to quantify the impact as a 300% fatality risk reduction, and a 63.1% overall accident reduction.

About Mac Safety Consultants

MAC Safety was founded in 2006 by Chris Miranda who scaled the business to one of the largest safety service providers in the country. In 2018 MAC Safety ownership founded MAC Intelligence and created a flagship product NIXNTM. Currently NIXN serves as the safety management product of choice for over 500 companies across the world, along with insurance carriers and brokers.

Should Your Business Consider OSHA Training

OSHA Training Boston, MA

Cultivating a safe and efficient work environment is important to any company, regardless of what industry you’re in. Neither worker safety or OSHA compliance are things to take lightly. This is why MAC Safety Consultants is offering OSHA training in Boston, MA.

There are many reasons to consider safety training courses for your workplace. First, OSHA compliance training courses can significantly reduce worker injury. This translates to fewer losses due to workers’ compensation claims or lost productivity and fewer fines for OSHA violations.

Our Boston OSHA training will take your company’s safety program to the next level. A safer work environment can reduce operating costs and increase worker morale and productivity. Safety training accelerates this by shifting the culture of your workplace. An environment is created where everyone feels valued and has each other’s backs.

What’s Included in Our OSHA Training in Boston, MA?

Our Boston, MA OSHA training includes the following:

  • OSHA Consultation
  • Mock OSHA Inspections
  • Customized Safety Programs
  • Risk Assessments
  • Professional Safety Staffing

Our OSHA compliance experts bring their extensive knowledge on a number of site-specific safety issues to your workplace. This allows us to create a customized safety training program that is responsive to the unique needs of your workers.

Lean on our years of experience to protect your workers and keep them safe. We’ll change the way your workers think about workplace safety. Everyone will realize the individual role they play in ensuring all workers return home safely at the end of the workday.

OSHA Training Can Save Money & Lives

Promoting safer work practices helps prevent accidents and exposures that are risks to you and your workers. Each year, roughly 4000 workers die on the job while over 3 million are injured. These numbers don’t even include the thousands of people that die every year from workplace-related illnesses.

Training is an important part of any health and safety program.

For example, a survey of 195 workers before and after OSHA safety training revealed that 75 percent of workers carried things like lunch boxes or tools up ladders prior to training, but only 26 percent did afterward.

In another example, prior to training, only 37 percent of trainees checked the build and security of scaffolding, but that number increased to 79 percent post-training.

Countless other examples have been noted. Workers avoiding injury or even possible death thanks to lock-out/tag-out training. Awareness goes a long way.

From a business perspective, needless to say, savings from averted accidents can be extensive.

Stop Sweating OSHA Compliance Audits

Our OSHA training will also get your business and worksite prepared for OSHA compliance audits. Fines levied for OSHA violations found during an inspection can be quite serious. Boston OSHA safety training will get your site into shape and ensure your safety documentation is in order.

Contact Us Today for OSHA Safety Training in Boston

For more information on our OSHA training in Boston, MA, contact us today at (617) 997-8399. Take the next step to improving worker safety and running a more efficient and productive worksite.

How Risk Assessments Control Risks At The Workplace

Controlling workplace risks is a huge part of keeping your workers safe and healthy. To achieve this type of control, you need to step back and take note of anything that might cause harm to your employees or on-site guests. From there, reasonable steps must be taken to prevent or minimize that harm.

This process is known as a risk assessment. It’s a pivotal step in establishing sensible measures to better control workplace risks. Even if you feel you’re already proactive when it comes to protecting your employees, a risk assessment can give you some much needed peace of mind that nothing is being overlooked.

Risk assessments allow you an opportunity to really think about anything that could happen to harm, injure, or jeopardize the lives of your employees. This gives you a chance to concentrate on real risks – the things that are most likely or could cause the most harm.

Some risks may require more specific control measures. A risk assessment helps you identify where more detailed control measures need to be implemented. These control measures can actually be an extension of your overall risk assessment.

There are five key steps to a successful risk assessment.

#1 – Identify Workplace or Jobsite Hazards

A successful risk assessment comes down to accurately identifying any potential workplace or jobsite hazards.

Walking around the site to note any potential dangers is a good starting point. Watch your employees in action. Observe how they’re using certain machines and tools or handling certain substances. Look for things that could potentially injure them or harm their health.

Now, anyone that has worked at one place long enough knows how easy it is to look past certain things in the monotony of your day-to-day. So, it’s important to do other things beyond a physical walk through.

Such things may include checking a manufacturer’s instructions or equipment manuals, reviewing previously documented accidents or workplace illness records, assessing non-routine operations like maintenance, cleaning, or production cycle changes, or looking more closely at potential long-term health hazards like exposure to harmful substances or high levels of noise.

While not all may be relevant to your business, certain hazards have a widely assumed risk of harm – whether it’s working with chemicals, working at heights, working around asbestos, or the use of high-risk machinery. By all means, take a close look at these.

#2 – Identify Who Might Be Harmed

Think of who could be the most harmed by these identified hazards. Whether it’s employees, contractors, their subcontractors, or visitors. Talk to your employees. Ask them what they think the hazards every day are. They may even have some good ideas when it comes to controlling risks.

You should be clear on who is the most at risk for every hazard identified. This is key to controlling that risk. Break them down into groups rather than individual names.

You also need to keep in mind that none of your employees are alike. New or younger employees are more susceptible to accidents or incidents. You could also have employees who don’t speak English, are pregnant, or have disabilities. People on-site who just aren’t there all the time like contractors, clients, customers, or other on-site guests. Be sure EVERYONE is factored in and don’t hesitate to ask workers if anyone or anything may be missing.

#3 – Evaluate Workplace/Jobsite Risks

Once you’ve identified the hazards and who is at harm, it’s time to determine the level of risk and put an action plan into place to deal with it. Risks are a part of everyday life and are unfortunately unavoidable. They cannot altogether be eliminated. Your only hope is to responsibly manage them in a way that minimizes their occurrence and impact.

Some hazards you might be able to completely eliminate. If you can’t, you need to at least establish how to control them. Are there less risky options available? Is there protective equipment available? Can access or exposure to the hazard be reduced?

Sometimes the most low-cost precautions can do the trick. The placement of a mirror at a blind corner wouldn’t cost you very much. Remember, nine times out of ten, an accident will cost you more than taking some simple precautions to prevent it.

Include your workers in this evaluation. A culture of safety can only be achieved if every employee understands their individual role in achieving it.

#4 Document Everything

Significant findings need to be documents. The identified hazards, how many are in harm’s way, how many have been harmed, and the steps taken to control the risks. It doesn’t have to be overly complicated. Make note of the main points and what you concluded.

Risk assessments must show that a proper check was made, you’ve addressed any obvious hazards, you’ve taken reasonable precautions to minimize the risks tied to these hazards, and you’ve involved your employees in the process.

#5 – Regularly Review Your Risk Assessment

From new equipment to new employees to new substances or procedures, no workplace ever stays the same and new risks and hazards will emerge. Risk assessments should be kept up-to-date to note any significant changes, improvements that still need to be made, and review all accidents and near misses to note patterns.

REST EASY: YOU DO NOT NEED TO TAKE THIS ON YOURSELF

If you’re in the New England area, MAC Safety Consultants – located in Cambridge, MA – will perform a comprehensive risk assessment for you. We’ve performed many risk assessments in Boston and its metropolitan area within a variety of sectors/industries. You can learn more about our MA risk assessments at http://www.macsafetynewengland.com/risk-assessments-new_england or call us today at 617-997-8399.

Your Simple Five-Step DOT Compliance Training Checklist

YOUR SIMPLE FIVE-STEP DOT COMPLIANCE TRAINING CHECKLIST

Contrary to popular belief, Department of Transportation (DOT) compliance isn’t something only trucking companies have to be concerned with. DOT compliance should be a focal point of any business that carries out business tasks on our roadways – whether it’s transporting goods, materials, or passengers.

DOT rules and regulations specifically apply to any vehicle (and its driver) used in interstate commerce with a Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) of 10,001 lbs. or more. This is how much the manufacturer thinks the vehicle can safely carry, which includes the actual weight of the vehicle itself.

While people may envision big rigs when they think of DOT regulations, a ¾ to one ton pickup truck can have a GVWR in the 8,000 to 10,000 lb. range. Adding any cargo or a trailer to that can easily put you over the 10,001 GVWR requirement for DOT compliance.

When MAC Safety meets with a new company to embark on DOT compliance training, helping them develop their very own DOT compliance checklist is an important first step to ensuring they remain in the DOT’s good graces.

Since DOT regulations themselves can be full of complicated and boring legal jargon, we’ve come up with five easy-to-understand items that are absolute musts on any DOT compliance checklist.

Up-To-Date Driver Qualification File

You must stay on top of all records required for your drivers. These employee documents should be kept in one personnel file. Specific records and documentation demonstrating the employee is qualified, safe, and healthy enough to operate a Commercial Motor Vehicle (CMV) should be in this file.

Such documents should include the employee’s initial application, annual Motor Vehicle reports (MVRs), a list of any moving violations, medical certifications (DOT medical evaluation is required once every 24 months at minimum), and their Commercial Driver’s License (CDL), proper endorsements, and road test certifications. No driver should be operating a vehicle on the road without these things.

Electronic Driver Logs

In December of 2015, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) published the electronic logging device (ELD) mandate. These devices are integrally synchronized with a truck’s engine and will electronically track a driver’s hours of service. Data is usually passed to dispatchers or safety and fleet managers in real-time. Everything from driving reports to behaviors (speeding, hard braking, idling), to routes can be monitored.

Accident/Incident Reports

Anything that happens on the road needs to be documented as soon as they happen. Reportable DOT accidents include anything where there’s significant bodily injury (for instance, if someone is taken by ambulance), a fatality, or at least one vehicle is towed from the accident scene.

The date, time, and location of the accident/incident, names of involved parties, number of injuries or fatalities, any hazardous material leakage, and copies of all accident reports should be kept of file for at least 3-5 years.

Even minor accidents/incidents where there’s no liability claim filed against the company or driver should be documented somewhere – just to be on the safe side.

Drug Screening Records

DOT regulations require companies to drug screen all drivers prior to employment and then re-test at least half of them randomly every year. Drivers should be notified they’re about to be tested and then tested immediately afterward.

Any driver that fails a drug test must be pulled off the road right away. This is important since the DOT commonly fines any company that drags their feet to produce paperwork for a driver that has failed a test and needs to complete a substance abuse program.

Document Comprehensive Annual Reviews

DOT regulations require that a company’s safety manager meet with each driver annually for an annual review. This typically involves a quick overview of the driver’s MVR and then both parties signing the document. If the driver’s MVR is clean, this meeting could be as short as one or two minutes; however, we recommend that this time be used to really talk to and connect with your drivers. This is a good way to retain drivers since it helps define your expectations of them and understand their expectations of you and your company.

Interested in DOT Safety Training in Pittsburgh?

MAC Safety provides DOT safety training in and around Pittsburgh, PA. DOT compliance should not be tackled alone. Let our DOT compliance consultants steer you to the right path. Call us today at 724-513-4491.

Natural Disaster Protection

Natural disasters also adversely affect business, industry, and commerce. In fact, their impact on business can be felt for as long as two to three years following the event. While large companies can invest a portion of their operational profits into disaster recovery plans and preparation, losses accrued by an ill-prepared small business can be catastrophic.

We here at MAC Safety thought it would be helpful to provide some natural disaster preparedness tips for the businesses we work with every day.

Read more about Natural Disaster Preparedness.

How to Protect Your Company During a Natural Disaster

How to Protect Your Company During a Natural Disaster

As the nation recovers from the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, Hurricane Irma, and the wildfires in California, much attention right now is rightfully on the lives lost or severely impacted. We’ve watched the cable news coverage. We’ve seen the startling images. We’re aware of the number of residents displaced and the number of homes destroyed. We all wish we could do more for these people. We donate. We pray. Many have traveled to Texas or Florida to physically assist in rescue and recovery efforts. It is times like these where we come together as people to help fellow man in whatever way we can.

Natural disasters also adversely affect business, industry, and commerce. In fact, their impact on business can be felt for as long as two to three years following the event. While large companies can invest a portion of their operational profits into disaster recovery plans and preparation, losses accrued by an ill-prepared small business can be catastrophic.

We here at MAC Safety thought it would be helpful to provide some natural disaster preparedness tips for the businesses we work with every day. Although our clients in Pittsburgh and the New England area may feel far removed from the threat of a hurricane, earthquake, or wildfire, storm cycles and mother nature, in general, are becoming increasingly unpredictable. The threat of tornadoes, flooding, fires, and disruptive winter storms are very real in our region. The best time to respond is before they even take place.

It’s a matter of preparing a plan for business continuity and workplace safety and putting it in place. This kind of preparation is key to weathering the storm and recovering in its aftermath. Some well-placed attention and effort right now can minimize damage, ensure worker safety, and help mitigate business disruption once disaster hits.

The American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) has recommended five basic steps to preparing your workplace for a hurricane or other natural disaster.

1. DEVELOP A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

OSHA requires many businesses to have an Emergency Action Plan (EAP) in place. This plan has a thorough evacuation plan. Specified are the conditions in which it’s activated, establishing a chain of command, emergency functions to be performed, who performs them, evacuation procedures (routes, exits), how to account for all personnel, customers, and visitors, and equipment operation/shutdown protocols.

Even if your business isn’t required to implement an EAP, it’s important to assess how you’d keep your business operating through a natural disaster. You should consider the following:

  • Backing Up Business Critical Data & Applications
  • Protecting Site Facilities & Equipment
  • Operating Remotely if Facility Becomes Inaccessible
  • Establishing an On-Site Support Plan to Ensure Business Continuity
  • Securing a Recovery Services Provider
  • Declaring Emergency Status Sooner Rather than Later
  • Implementing an Effective Communications Strategy
  • Always Bracing for the Unexpected

Hospitals, in particular, have a number of different challenges. All of the above-mentioned items remain important, but hospitals have to prepare for patient overflow, have an evacuation plan in place for patients, and develop critical partnerships they can rely on during the event. For instance, triages may need to be set up for emergency care if there’s patient overflow or a necessary evacuation at the hospital. They’d want to partner with community centers, local schools, or the municipal building in this case.

Structural protection is also important. Especially pre-storm. Windows or glass doors will need to be boarded up. Any people, items, and equipment near any windows or doors should be moved.

Supply inventories need to be checked.

Backup power generators need to be checked to ensure they have adequate capacity to power medical equipment and AC units. Since generator failure is quite common in these situations, make sure there’s at least 7 to 10 days of fuel for generators, repair parts, or redundant systems in place.

Secure or anchor down anything that has the potential to become flying debris.

Turn off non-essential electrical equipment or shutting off gas to reduce the risk of fire or explosion.

2. DETERMINE PROCEDURES & INDIVIDUAL CRISIS MANAGEMENT RESPONSIBILITIES

Obviously, when there’s warning of an impending disaster, not every employee has to be on-site that day. Establish what personnel are essential to business operations and whether they need to be on-site or off-site.

Areas of accountability and responsibility have to be clearly communicated to designated managers and staff. Particularly when it comes to effectively carrying out crisis management and emergency-response duties.

3. COORDINATE WITH LOCAL BUSINESSES & EMERGENCY RESPONSE SERVICES

Talk to other businesses in your area as well as local police, fire departments, EMTs, hospitals, and utility companies. It’s important that everyone is aware of who is where. Everyone needs to be on the same page as the storm or event nears.

It’s also recommended that you talk to suppliers, shipping companies, and others you regularly do day-to-day business with.

4. MAKE SURE EMPLOYEES ARE PREPARED

A plan only works if it is fully understood by employees. Any natural disaster preparedness plan needs to be clearly communicated with all personnel and staff. Everyone needs to understand their roles, individual or team responsibilities, and the expectations for every employee.

Designate a disaster team and then have a team designated to back that team up. It’s best that these teams be representative of a diverse range of employees. Designated leaders need to understand they’re empowered to make complex decisions in the face of unanticipated scenarios. All teams need to be regularly updated regarding the plan and their role.

5. REVIEW EMERGENCY PLANS ANNUALLY

Nothing remains the same. Make sure you assess your emergency plans every year. Changes to your business or within your region will affect any natural disaster response plan. Alterations to your plan need to be made each year in response to such changes.

For more information and disaster preparedness planning tools, please visit FEMA.gov or OSHA.gov.


ABOUT MAC SAFETY

MAC Safety Consultants, Inc. is a full-service safety consulting company committed to providing a range of cost-effective safety solutions ranging from consultations to staffing services to drug/alcohol testing. We offer completely customizable business solutions addressing the specific needs of each individual client. Our objective is to help your company cultivate a safety culture where worksite safety practices are promoted and workplace injuries or illnesses are minimized.

Visit us online at http://macsafetyconsultants.com. If you’re in the Pittsburgh area, call us today at 724-847-3331. If you’re in the New England region, you may reach us at 617-855-8377.

How Can a Boston Safety Consultant Help You Through an OSHA Inspection?

How Can a Boston Safety Consultant Help You Through an OSHA Inspection?

You’ve just received a notification that your Boston area business is scheduled for a routine OSHA inspection. You’re reasonably certain that your work place is safe—probably. A nagging concern grows in the pit of your stomach. How detailed is the inspection? Are there new regulations that you haven’t heard about yet? How many strikes do you get before they close your doors? Can your business survive expensive citations?

Relax. The safety experts at Mac Safety New England can help you through every step of the inspection process.

Create a Written Safety Plan

If you have been “winging it” in regards to safety procedures, now is the time to make everything official before OSHA gets involved. Our safety consultant comes to your Boston area job site, inspects your premises, observes your routines, meets with your staff and then expertly creates a written safety program tailored to the unique needs of your industry and location. Your safety consultant even works with you to educate your staff on the new policies. A written safety plan is the first line of defense against OSHA citations.

OSHA Required Training

Are all of your employees up-to-date on all of the training that OSHA requires? Do you know which specific courses are required for your industry? Let your Mac Safety consultant worry about that. Our years of experience means that we know what needs to be taught, how to teach it and how to complete any paperwork that needs to accompany the training. We ensure that your entire staff is trained and certified before OSHA shows up at your door.

Mock OSHA Inspections

Have our consultants perform a mock OSHA inspection to see how well your business fares before you face the risk of penalties. We perform our inspections based on the most current OSHA regulations and analyze every detail that the real inspection team would cover. After our inspection, we go over the results with you and help you to correct any problems so that you can breathe easy when the big day comes.

There is nothing worse than being underprepared for your next OSHA inspection. Stay a step ahead by contacting MAC Safety for your Boston, Massachusetts business.

Can Hospital Safety Consultants Help Save Your Boston Business Money?

Can Hospital Safety Consultants Help Save Your Boston Business Money?

When considering high-risk jobs, health care is probably not one of the first careers that come to mind. However, according the Bureau of Labor Statistics, workplace injury occurs more frequently in hospital settings than in manufacturing plants or even construction sites.

Throughout a typical day in any New England area hospitals, healthcare workers may be responsible for lifting and transporting patients, handling needles and other sharp medical devices, and interacting with potentially hazardous bodily fluids and chemicals—all of which can easily lead to injury. Slip and fall injuries are also common as well as run ins with disoriented or combative patients.

Hospital Injuries are Expensive and Inconvenient for All

Workplace injuries are never easy, but in the fast-paced environment of a hospital they can be especially trying. Aside from the typical costs associated with Workers Compensation claims and medical bills, unique staffing headaches can also arise. Scrambling to cover shifts for out-of-work employees can be difficult in understaffed hospitals and often results in overworked coworkers picking up the slack.

This means overtime pay must be given and employees must work longer hours, which can lead to low morale, medical error and further employee or patient injuries. Workplace safety is critical to maintain the delicate balance of a hospital environment.

Injury Risk Can Be Lowered

Luckily, hospital injuries can be drastically reduced through awareness, planning, and employee training. The hospital safety consultants at MAC Safety of New England are specially trained in the unique needs of the hospital environment. We survey your hospital to identify hazards, create and implement safety plans tailored to your specific site, and train staff to reduce the daily risks. From start to finish, we help you to establish an all-inclusive safety program and train your employees and management to identify risks, avoid injury and minimize impact if injury does occur.

Your staff must be healthy and feel safe to assist the countless patients who come through your doors. Call MAC Safety to see how our hospital safety consultants can help your New England area hospital to be the safest it can be.