Reprinted from the ACJ - August, 1992
Seems that everyone has some rules or regulations for you to follow — OSHA, federal and state EPA, water treatment authorities. If you don't, your shop (that's you!) will pay the price.
These government agencies have been getting a lot of attention and you've been bombarded with information on how to deal with them. In this column we will put them off to the side, but not out of sight, and concentrate on something equally important — DAY TO DAY SHOP SAFETY.
Running your shop in a safe manner provides several benefits. Your workers benefit from the improved work environment, lost time due to injury and illness are reduced, which may reduce or stabilize insurance rates (dream on!), and a clean shop run in an obviously safe manner always impresses both your customers and those OSHA and EPA guys.
Thinking about the safe operation of your shop, common sense tells you these things should be done.
1 Determine the hazards present in your shop — both chemical and physical hazards.
2 Make the hazard obvious — labelling (NOTE: Watch for upcoming information on a NARSA sign program—ed.). Provide information to all employees about the hazard — MSDS.
3 Make the worker/area safe.
—Environmental and engineering controls
—Personal protection equipment
4 Train the workers in following safe practices.
Generally speaking, the only additional step OSHA requires is to write down what you did.
In upcoming issues, I would like to use these simple methods to take a concentrated look at some specific hazards commonly found in a radiator shop; chemicals, physical hazards, customers … well, you get the idea. If there are any shop safety topics you would like to see discussed, please let me know and I will add them to the list. Among the topics to be covered so far are: controlling lead exposure, zinc chloride and "zinc free" flux safety, paint hazards, and ultrasonic and boilout tank safety.
As a step in the right direction, when you walk into your shop tomorrow morning, pretend it's the first time you have seen it. Look for the safety hazards and/or situations that would scare you if it wasn't your "everyday" world. Then take steps to correct them. Remember, that's how the OSHA, EPA and insurance guys see your shop.
The above article was written by David M. Brown, Chief Engineer of Johnson Manufacturing Company, Inc. and is published by JOHNSON with the expressed approval of the National Automotive Radiator Service Association and the Automotive Cooling Journal. Other reproduction or distribution of this information is forbidden without the written consent of JOHNSON and NARSA/ACJ. All rights reserved.
JOHNSON MANUFACTURING COMPANY
114 Lost Grove Road / PO Box 96 / Princeton, Iowa 52768-0096
Phone 563-289-5123 or Fax 563-289-3825