Facility Identification
- By George Sloan
- Jun 01, 2004
Making the right choices affects your bottom line because a properly marked facility has better ROI.
YOU can increase productivity and reduce downtime in your plant by applying a systematic facility identification program. If you think this is an expensive proposition, the alternative--downtime, errors, and injuries--can be much more costly. You realize cost benefits through a reduction in process and production errors and fewer lost time accidents.
We all know how important a safe workplace environment is. A key contributor to a safe environment is an informed workforce. Proper facility identification puts important information about a potential hazard exactly where it's needed, and all employees have the information communicated to them simply by reading a sign.
Accidents can be avoided or minimized with proper facility identification. When safety procedures are readily available, most worker-initiated accidents can be reduced. If an accident does occur, the extent of loss can be minimized with workers well trained in accident response procedures. For example, clearly marked escape routes help evacuate all workers from a hazardous area faster and more efficiently, reducing the risk of additional injury.
Clear facility identification should be an integral part of your risk management program. It is a useful tool to contain insurance costs and to address regulatory compliance needs.
Where to Begin
To start assessing your plant's needs, review any safety and productivity initiatives already under way or under consideration. Determine how clear facility marking can eliminate unsafe confusion, cut wasteful search time, and reduce operator errors.
Code compliance is critical to any plant. OSHA regulations go into great detail about clear identification of potential hazards and mandate procedures and practices to control the hazards. A good working knowledge of OSHA requirements that apply to your plant is critical to assessing its identification needs. If you or your staff don?t have this expertise, it?s best to call in an outside identification expert who does have it. Many companies offer OSHA compliance training materials to help you and your staff keep up with compliance issues.
Individual industries also have their own safety standards--some highly formalized, some just practices generally acknowledged in that industry. Not meeting those standards can seriously increase your liability assessment in the event of an accident.
After thoroughly reviewing relevant safety standards, industry best practices, and internal initiatives, you're ready to start a facility audit.
Conducting a Facility Audit
Before starting your audit, you have a basic decision to make: Should your own personnel perform the audit or should you bring in an outside expert? There are pros and cons to either option.
Having your own employees conduct the audit and assess your plant's needs allows the project to be done with available internal resources. This can be a good use of employee downtime, helping reduce outside expenditures. Compliance audit checklists can help guide your internal auditors.
However, there are some possible disadvantages to internal audits. Your staff may not have a proper knowledge base or training regarding regulatory compliance. And they may be unsure about how to approach a complex labeling project. Consequently, important items can be inadvertently overlooked. If the project is a second or third priority for the employees involved, inconsistent or erratic planning could produce results that are less than expected. And in most busy work settings, the project may take too long to accomplish due to limited employee availability.
An alternative is for an outside consultant to conduct your on-site facility assessment and audit. Some advantages to this approach are the assurance that the assessment will be conducted in a professional, thorough manner and that regulatory needs will be addressed by professionals trained in compliance. The assessment will be completed within a scheduled time and will identify quickly where you are "out of compliance."
After conducting the audit, the consultant will be familiar with your facility and can be a resource for revisions in the future. A professional needs assessment also makes for an easier "internal sell" of your labeling program. But, of course, there is a price for this service, with additional outside expenditure.
Implementation Options: Where Do We Go from Here?
Your audit is complete, and you have in hand a long list of identification needs for your pipes, valves, machines, circuits, etc. How do you get it implemented efficiently without disrupting production? Again, choose from in-house or outside.
A turnkey service provided by an outside consultant can be the most cost and time effective for a large, complex facility identification project. You are assured that your facility identification will be consistent and in compliance. Implementation is completed on time by professionals who guarantee their materials and installation.
This article originally appeared in the June 2004 issue of Occupational Health & Safety.