It is a fact that finding a solution starts with understanding what the problem is all about.

The ability to identify, and provide safeguards (barriers) to undesirable events in a business operation is one of the most crucial factor in achieving business success – TOMSEY ENGINEERING is your solution plug in services that we offer to various industries such as Construction, Oil & Gas, Manufacturing, and Power Generation/Distribution. We at TOMSEY ENGINEERING and our Competent Engineers working to Prevent and Mitigate the risk aspect of your business in ensuring continuity and project success.

We evolve to meet the industry’s needs through our different services, BUILDING & ROAD CONSTRUCTIONS, TECHNICAL SAFETY SERVICES (e.g. HAZOP, SIL, BOWTIE, QRA, FERA, FIRE PRAN, DROPPED OBJECT STUDY, HSE CASE DEVELOPMENT, etc), HSE CONSULTANCY SERVICES, PPE PROCUREMENT & HSE TRAINING following best practices, compliance with local and international codes.

Let your business thrive by taking advantage of our Consultancy Services and Expertise.

We are here to serve and do business with you.

#PEOPLES SAFETY #ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION #ASSET INTEGRITY #REPUTATIONAL PROTECTION

www.tomsey.com.ng

info@tomsey.com.ng

Every worker is exposed to one or more hazards in the workplace no matter how safe your workplace appears to be

Communication At Work: 3 Tips For Developing A Hazard Communication Plan

Every worker is exposed to one or more hazards in the workplace no matter how safe your workplace appears to be. For example, Cleaners are exposed to chemicals, office workers are exposed to slips, trips and falls and Musculoskeletal injuries (MSIs), electricians are obviously exposed to electric shocks and fires, caterers to burns and fires, call centre workers and teachers to stress, traders to stress and long working hours, dressmakers to pin pricks and back pain, to mention a few. If these hazards are left unattended, they are very likely to cause serious problems for workers and their employers. A hazard often presents many risks so ignoring the hazard will cost you more than it would have cost you to put protective measures in place or get rid of the hazard. Knowing the hazards you are exposed to and the necessary protective measures can help you protect yourself from adverse effects.

How then can one know the hazards they face at work? You can only achieve this through communication and many fail at this – that is because communication isn’t as easy as many make it appear. Many employers believe their plans, policies, and procedures are for the filing cabinet – either to prove to themselves that they are safety compliant, are good at keeping records, or to safeguard them when inspectors come around. Your plans, policies, and risk assessments must not be kept secret. If you don’t have a communication plan here is a good way to start.

Have A Written Plan

(2) Have a written plan

When writing a plan, employers must assign responsibilities – that is decide who is responsible for various aspects of the communication plan in the workplace. The plan should also describe the standards which must be maintained in the workplace e.g. you should have a written list of chemicals, who is responsible for them and where the written materials are stored for easy access. The written plan should also describe the requirements for labels and other forms of warning, MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet), and how employee information and training will be met.

Workplace labels include written materials that can help easily identify hazardous materials such as signs, placards, process sheets, batch tickets and safe systems of work.

The plan can be in any form – hardcopy or electronic. With advancements in technology, it is now easy for employers to share documents with their employees. Explore all available options.

(3) Share the plan

Remember also that employees must be trained before exposing them to hazards. Through training, employees must learn how to write secondary container labels that are not confusing, and how to use protective practices such as using personal protective equipment (PPE) and engineering/administrative controls.

Get your employers to be hands-on during training. Don’t just present a lecture, there must be lots of demonstrations and practical sessions until your employees can carry out their tasks safely with minimal supervision.

The advantage of having a communication plan. There are many advantages of having a communication plan in your workplace. The most important is that it helps in preventing adverse effects from exposure to hazards and subsequently reduction of illnesses and injuries. There will be less sickness absences, less compensation, reduced staff turnover and reduced losses as your business stays functional and profitable.

Are there any other key points you keep in mind when writing a communication plan? Please share them.

Source: #BeHSEWise

Warren Buffett, who was recently named as the fourth wealthiest individual in the world, once said:

“It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.”  

This Is Good Advice That Can Be Applied To Many Aspects Of Life

but it’s especially true when it comes to health and safety.

When an accident occurs there are of course measurable outlays: damage to equipment, loss of revenue and sick days caused by injuries. There are also intangible costs such as damage to reputation and/or a loss of trust in an organisation. So here are 3 good reasons to make health and safety your top priority in 2020:

1) Your reputation depends on it  

A major accident often attracts media attention and public outcry. If the situation is not handled confidently and competently, this can easily translate into reputational damage. It is difficult to be precise about the cost of reputational damage to an organisation or company. However, Tim Ward, chief executive of the Quoted Companies Alliance says that the “total value of corporate reputation for all UK-listed companies could be worth as much as £1.7tn, or 28% of companies’ collective market value”.

One way to build trust in your organisation’s health and safety processes is to join the Tomsey PPE Community. Having Tomsey PPE Community is so much more than  it helps your organisation to continually improve its accident prevention polices, by gaining access to a wealth of health and safety knowledge, materials and benefits that’ll help your organisation stay compliant with current regulation and up-to-date on best practice plus PPE latest Equipments

2) Accidents Cost Money

It is often assumed that workplace accident costs are recoverable through insurance. This is a dangerous misconception. Accident and ill-health costs can be likened to an iceberg: costs that are recoverable are visible but those that are unrecoverable are hidden below the waterline and are many times greater. The HSE estimates the hidden cost of accidents can be up to 10 times greater than the insured costs. Uninsured costs can include:

• Lost time
• Sick pay
• Damage or loss of product and raw materials
• Repairs to plant and equipment
• Extra wages, overtime working, and temporary labour
• Production delays
• Investigation time
• Loss of contracts and damage to reputation
• Legal costs.

To make sure you have a solid foundation to manage safety effectively, we offer a one-day Risk Assessment course which will help you carry out ‘suitable and sufficient assessments – thereby protecting employees as far as is reasonably practicable and reducing the likelihood of unnecessary costs. The course is suitable for anyone with a responsibility for undertaking risk assessments, particularly line managers, supervisors, and safety representatives.

3) It’s The Law

Still not convinced you should prioritise health safety? You should be – it’s the law. The Corporate Manslaughter Act in 2007 means that failure to meet your directors’ responsibilities for health and safety could now result in imprisonment. If you are a director, safety falls within your remit, and the law will therefore hold you accountable for any failings.

To make sure you stay compliant with the law, we offer 3 days of training on the Director Involvement course to teach you everything you need to know to monitor and review health and safety issues, as well as provide practical advice on driving forward health and safety strategy. The course is designed for directors, governors, trustees, officers, and their equivalents in the private, public, and voluntary sectors.

For more information on our Management Staff Involvement training qualification, you can visit our website, email us, or call us on +234 (01) 290 0903-5.