Editor's note: Notifying employees and/or the public in an emergency situation is a tougher challenge in the post-9/11 world. Many facilities face an expanded threat profile that cannot be adequately addressed by a siren or some other general alarm signal. MadahCom Inc.
INTENDED to remind workers of safety hazards, warning signs are not necessarily the quick and easy safety reminders they are supposed to be.
HOW does the theory of adult education fit into Hazard Communication training? What truly is "effective training" as required by OSHA? Does HazCom training have to be boring?
TWO high-rise building evacuations last year focused building owners and city officials nationwide on the issues of adequate signage and evacuation systems. Thousands of workers and diplomats successfully found their way out of the United Nations headquarters in Manhattan during the massive Aug. 14 electrical blackout.
IN theory, warnings are an important means for accident prevention. They reveal hidden hazards so the user of a product or facility can avoid injury. Unfortunately, warnings frequently, and some would say usually, fail to affect behavior.
EACH year, millions of people are injured in the workplace. One of the most difficult tasks facing employers is to identify the hazards associated with the products and equipment used by their employees. Such careful considerations will not only provide a safe work environment for the employee, but protect the employer as well, in that costs associated with workplace injuries (loss of productivity, worker's compensation) and litigation will be minimized.