What Is EHS and Its Best Practices for Manufacturing Employers in Ohio?

What is EHS? It stands for environmental, health, and safety, and its standards are essential guidelines for businesses and organizations to ensure safe environments and healthy workers. These regulations help prevent accidents and injuries in the workplace. If you’re wondering how EHS can affect your workers’ compensation premiums, read on for advice and tips on implementing its best practices.

Common Safety Gaps

The first step in implementing EHS standards in your workplace is to identify and understand your current EHS issues. There may be gaps in your implementation, and filling these is crucial for maintaining safety. The following are a few examples.

Poor Hazard Communication

Hazard communication (HazCom) entails communicating about the dangers in the workplace, as this is crucial for preventing accidents. Mislabeled or unlabeled chemicals, machinery without instructions, inadequate labels, and instructions without translation are HazCom issues that can lead to workplace injuries.

Inadequate Chemical Inventory

A hazardous chemical inventory list is a record of all harmful workplace products. Incomplete inventories are dangerous, as you may not know how to manage chemicals in an emergency, which ones are present at the facility, and where they are stored. For example, a fire could endanger facility workers and first responders if they are unaware of the exact chemicals on site.

Unsafe Machinery Use

This issue does not only refer to chemicals. Lax machinery safety can also cause workplace injuries and more tragically, deaths. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 391 manufacturing deaths occurred in 2023. Of these, the majority were 120 “contact incidents,” where workers were struck by objects or caught in or crushed by machines or other equipment.

Inadequate Lockout-Tagout (LOTO)

As part of machinery safety, workplaces should consider energy hazards. During equipment and machine servicing and maintenance, unexpected equipment startup or energy release can result in worker injury or death. LOTO is the process of shutting off machine energy sources, thus successfully shutting down machines and equipment. Insufficient adherence can lead to machinery and equipment starting up unexpectedly and causing injuries.

Spill Response

Spill response keeps workers safe from slips and contact injuries. Common mistakes include a lack of or inadequate spill preparation, delayed response to spills, inadequate containment, and improper cleanup. Failure to document and report spills is also an issue and can lead to regulatory discipline, lawsuits, and higher labor premiums.

Recommended Safety Solutions

Once you understand what EHS is, you must implement safety solutions to avoid worker injuries. Creating and maintaining safety policies and providing comprehensive, ongoing training are vital to workplace safety. Documentation assists in measuring the results of safety solutions and preserving records that help lower premiums. Inspections and audits enable you to form policies and solutions for EHS issues.

Hazard Communication Plans

EHS safety starts with developing hazard policies. An essential aspect is communication. Create hazard communications to identify potential risks to employees. Use specific criteria for classifying health and physical hazards. For example, start by documenting physical hazards like corrosive substances, health documentation for side effects, and environmental dangers.

Labels

As part of hazard communication, chemical manufacturers are required to provide warning labels, including pictograms, hazard statements, and signal words. Signal words are those on container labels. These indicate the level of hazard, thus alerting employees to potential danger. Examples of signal words are “Danger” and “Warning.” In your workplace, check that labels are present and include all necessary information.

Safety Data Sheets

Safety data sheets are HazCom documents that provide information about workplace chemicals. This documentation addresses managing chemicals safely and responding to emergencies. Safety data sheets have technical safety details, including information on chemical properties and exposure control measures. Keep them updated and easily accessible.

Emergency Action Plan

Details about workplace chemicals and their dangers are important, but their effectiveness is limited if you don’t have an emergency action plan. To create one, you should follow OSHA guidelines. Response issues that you should include are:

• Maintenance of alarm systems with signals for specific purposes, such as fire, flood, and chemical spills. Alarms should have alerts that are audible and visual, such as flashing or strobe lights.
• Procedures for reporting a fire or other emergencies. Alarm systems should ideally be connected to a monitoring service for a rapid emergency response.
• Emergency evacuation plans, including the type of evacuation (e.g., fire, flood, etc.), and exit routes. Facilities should have dedicated escape routes, with central meeting points.
• Employee procedures for workers who operate critical plant operations before evacuation. Ideally, equipment and machinery will shut down automatically via alarms triggered by sensors. However, this may be a manual process requiring human intervention.
• Procedures to account for employees after evacuation. All employees should be accounted for after an evacuation has occurred. A supervisor or a similarly tasked person should have an easily accessible list of all workers.
• Employee procedures for performing rescue or medical duties. Workers who have emergency first aid experience and certification should oversee rescue and medical duties.

Comprehensive and Ongoing Training

Ongoing and comprehensive training keeps your workplace and employees safe and helps lower your premiums. Focus on the following critical training areas.

Chemical Safety

Chemical safety is crucial for protecting employees from toxins and corrosive substances. Training should include information about chemical labeling, safety data sheets, and hazard communication.

PPE

Along with chemical safety, PPE training is essential. Employees must understand how to use, store, and maintain it. Protective equipment includes safety showers and eyewash stations for chemical exposure.

Machine Safety

Safe machine use helps prevent workplace injuries. For example, LOTO procedures teach employees how to prevent machinery from starting up unexpectedly or releasing stored energy.

Emergency Response

Employers must assign and train employees to assist in the orderly evacuation of their peers. Knowing who oversees emergency response, the procedures to follow, and where to meet after evacuation are critical to saving workers in an emergency.

Training Review

For facilities like manufacturing, annual training reviews are crucial. When implementing a new plan, employers must train all employees in its policies. For new hires, training is vital for success and safety. When a worker’s job description or responsibilities change or there are updates in regulations or policies, additional training is mandatory, but it can be delivered in many formats:

• In-person. The primary benefit of in-person training is the opportunity for firsthand practice in the workplace. The downside is scheduling.
• Virtual. This type of training is flexible. Using webinars or videos enables employers and employees to train at their convenience.
• Document-based. Training manuals, such as virtual training, offer flexibility.
• BWC programs. The BWC offers safety training programs in various formats. The sessions are offered in-person and virtually.

Inspections and Audits

Inspections and audits help prevent injuries, environmental hazards, and premium increases. A monthly walk-through to find dangers and areas for improvement should include chemical labeling, first aid supplies, and PPE, along with:

• Regular equipment checks. These should be frequent to detect defective and missing machinery.
• Structured checklists. These, along with calendars, can help assign corrective actions within deadlines. They also help keep audits and audit actions organized.

Clear Documentation and Record-keeping

Keeping records of your business facilitates training, audits, and other documentation necessary for EHS compliance. Items that you should keep include:

• Permits
• Safety policies
• Training records
• Safety incidents
• Injury records
• Maintenance logs
• Environmental reports

Safety-First Culture

A safety-first culture comes from workplace transparency. Employees must have access to information about chemical and machine safety, the availability of PPE, and workplace safety policies. There should also be open availability of records for workers, employers, and government agencies. Management should lead by example in safety management, practicing and championing workplace safety.

Continuous Improvement

A safety culture is not a one-time effort, but rather a culture of continuous improvement. To make consistent improvements, assess and update programs, equipment, and training to reflect current policies, practices, and regulations. Consider integrating Plan-Do-Check-Act cycles.

• Plan: Make a plan and goals for environmental health and safety. For example, reducing chemical injuries in your workplace would be part of the plan stage.
• Do: Implement the action. An example of “do” in the cycle would be better chemical labeling and storage.
• Check: Study the effectiveness of your EHS safety plan and implementation.
• Act: Once the plan and implementation are effective, roll out the project and safety procedures throughout your workplace.

Final Note

The best practices of EHS include proactive hazard identification, training, and safety protocols. Hazard communication is a critical component, as it’s essential for informing and training employees on how to avoid workplace injuries. The benefits can lead to cost-saving premiums, long-term employees, a respected manufacturing brand, and a successful business.

Workplace safety and workers’ compensation are closely linked. Ohio manufacturing businesses can reduce workers’ compensation claims and premium costs by prioritizing proactive EHS strategies and injury prevention. It’s time to bridge the gap between safety and savings. Protect your workforce and reduce your costs. Discover how CSI can help you lower your workers’ compensation expenses.