G2 Provides Risk Assessment Services for Vancouver, WA, Industrial Coating Company
When a small industrial coating distributor moved into their new facility in Vancouver, WA, they wanted to assess the quality of their safety plans and implement new programs. They decided to contact G2 Consultants for a risk assessment.
ASSESSING THE RISK FACTORS
Between disagreements about the value of risk management plans and difficulty arriving at a consensus on risk strategies among different departments, companies of all sizes can struggle to enact strong risk management programs. Knowing expert guidance was needed to effectively protect employees from workplace hazards, our client turned to G2 Consultants. Specifically, they asked for comprehensive help developing, implementing, and managing company-wide safety and health programs that also ensured OSHA compliance, especially as some of the products they work with pose a fire hazard.
THE IMPORTANCE OF WORKPLACE RISK ASSESSMENTS
A systematic approach to efficiently managing workplace safety and health risks involves several elements. Risk management includes governance of the organization’s health and safety procedures, policies, and protocols. It requires solid knowledge of the laws and regulations under which the organization operates. That’s why G2 is your company’s best resource to create an effective risk and hazard management methodology that identifies hazards and resolves them before they cause injury or illness.
Don’t wait for an incident to occur; prevention is always better than reaction.
RISK ASSESSMENT FINDINGS & RECOMMENDATIONS
After speaking with the company to understand their goals and concerns, two G2 Consultants technicians conducted an onsite risk assessment over the course of one day. This included a gap analysis and fire and life safety inspection.
Gap Analysis
The goal of the gap analysis is to provide the company with a roadmap for establishing the foundation of an effective safety program. Within the analysis, seven categories were inspected, and findings were given on a scale of 1-25 based on their risk (the higher the number, the more risk). The seven categories are:
- Organizational Culture
- Safety and Health Programs
- Hiring Practices
- Employee Training and Development
- Accident/Incident Investigation Procedures
- Return to Work Claims
- OSHA Regulatory Compliance
While organizational culture, hiring practices, and return to work claims had low or normal risk levels across multiple measures, the other four categories revealed higher risk concerns.
There were multiple high-risk areas in the safety and health programs category ripe for improvement, including company safety policies and procedures, safety committee/meetings, and ergonomics.
Similarly, under employee training and development, a few areas of high risk were identified, including new employee orientation, training, and review, safety training, PPE training, and task and equipment-specific training.
The one area of high risk identified within the accident and incident investigation procedures category was namely the lack of such a program.
Finally, under OSHA regulatory compliance, measures, including emergency evacuation plan, fire extinguisher training, forklift/vehicle training, hazard communication, industrial chemical hygiene, L&I recordkeeping, and PPE, were identified as high risk.
This gap analysis helped G2 Consultants lay the groundwork for our health and safety plan recommendations. There were other areas, aside from what is outlined above, with minor or normal risk factors and recommendations, while the high-risk areas were given priority.
Our recommendations included:
- Establish a written safety plan
- Employees should attend regular safety meetings
- Establish a back safety program for employees who lift large or heavy containers
- Establish a formal new employee training program and orientation
- Provide general safety training for employees, including task and equipment-specific training
- Obtain a separate PPE assessment followed by PPE training
- Establish an accident and incident investigation program
- Formulate an emergency evacuation plan
- Provide fire extinguisher, hazard communication, and forklift training
- Obtain separate industrial chemical hygiene assessment to determine further action
- Establish L&I record-keeping system
- Provide PPE
Fire & Life Safety Inspection
Because the products employees interact with contain potentially hazardous chemicals and pose a possible fire hazard, G2’s fire and life safety inspection was deemed necessary. Using the same rating system, we identified several areas with high risk:
- Emergency evacuation route identification
- Safety showers and eyewash stations, accessible within 10 seconds
- Eyewash tested, flushed, and documented monthly
- Adequate fire safety and evacuation plan
- Standard guardrails on elevated walking surfaces
- No smoking signs posted in areas where flammable material is present
Our recommendations based on this inspection include the creation or implementation of the lacking systems/safety equipment.
G2 CONSULTANTS RISK ASSESSMENT SERVICES
Our client appreciated G2’s thorough assessment of present risks to their workplace health and safety. With our recommendations, the company had the necessary information to take the next steps toward the creation and implementation of a safety program. Additionally, they are further empowered to put other hazard protections in place to keep their employees safe and ensure regulatory compliance.
Contact us today for your risk assessment needs. Our credentialed and experienced team can provide the tools, assessment services, and expertise you need to keep your employees, customers, and workplace safe.