How to Improve Your Business’s Hazardous Materials Management
Do you want to improve your hazardous materials management system?
Workplace accidents can cause a lot of trouble with regular workflow and production. Over 2.8 million workplace injuries occurred in the private industry sector in 2019. An accident is worse if it involves hazardous waste or materials.
If you want to ensure that your business remains a safe place for employees, read our guide below. We’ll discuss all that you need to know to improve your hazardous materials training. We’ll also add in some tips on handling hazardous materials in the workplace.
Review Your Hazardous Materials Management Plan
Let’s begin with one of the most important things you need in your business. Review and re-check your hazmat management plans. If you don’t have a Hazardous Materials Management Plan yet, this is the best time to create one.
Make sure your plan provides information, procedures, and guidelines for hazardous materials.
It must detail the steps for buying, storage, use, and disposal of hazardous materials. If possible, add ways to reduce or eradicate the toxicity of hazmat. If your company also takes care of the transportation of hazmat, ensure you have the procedure for it.
Your hazmat management plan must include necessary hazmat training requirements for new employees. If possible, add refresher courses for old employees. This will help them relearn what they need to do when emergencies or accidents with hazmat occur.
Check That Your Hazardous Waste Management Plan Follows the Law
Each state may have specific hazmat waste regulations and environmental protection laws. Some states ask for annual or biennial reports on company hazmat wastes. With that said, check that your hazmat waste management plan reflects the local state’s laws.
Don’t forget that there are also federal regulations on hazardous waste. These regulations govern hazardous waste identification, management, and disposal. You can check the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act Regulations of the Code of Federal Regulations.
Work With an Expert Waste Management Company
Is it your first time handling hazardous materials and chemical wastes in business? Whenever you’re in doubt or having difficulties, get an expert to help you out.
Asking help from a company dedicated to ensuring workplace safety can get you far.
An expert can help you create sound guidelines on handling hazmat wastes. Talking to an expert can also help you get a clearer picture of workplace safety.
A laboratory waste management company can offer walk-through programs for handling hazmat wastes. From here, you learn how to evaluate, store, and dispose of hazardous wastes. You also learn to be ready for emergencies that involve hazardous materials.
If your business is new, it’s best to hire a professional waste management company to care for your hazmat wastes.
The company will identify, sample, and test the chemical wastes for you. It will also do the picking up, storage, labeling, packaging, and disposal of your hazmat wastes. You can shift to in-house hazmat waste management later once you’ve got the procedures down.
Sample and Analyze Potential Contaminants
Are you using new chemicals in your laboratories or factories? Are you creating new products that create different chemical wastes? If you are, don’t forget to analyze these hazardous materials.
Take samples and send them to experts on chemical and toxic wastes for analysis. It’s also a good idea to swab for potential contaminants. These contaminants can be by-products of on-site chemical reactions, which can harm your employees.
Minimize and Substitute Hazardous Wastes When Possible
It’s always in your best interest to keep your total lab waste down to a minimum. This makes it easier for you to dispose of the waste. It’s also easier for your employees to handle the chemical waste when there’s less of it to manage.
Whenever possible, find less hazardous substitutes for your chemical wastes. Look for biodegradable detergents or chemicals to stand in for more hazardous substances. For example, use alcohol as a substitute for benzene.
Keep Chemical Inventories Up-to-Date
Out of all waste generated by healthcare activities, 15% is hazardous waste material. In other fields, hazardous waste takes up a sizable volume from the total waste material. No matter how much or how little the hazardous waste, make sure you know what goes into your labs or systems.
Keep an updated record of every chemical you have on-site. No matter how small the quantity of a chemical, make sure you keep a record of it. Make sure that your chemical inventories aren’t only up-to-date but also organized.
Tracking which and how many chemicals enter your labs helps you keep track of your wastes, too. You also learn how much of the waste, how long, and which chemicals get stored or disposed of in your company. Plus, it’s always smart to keep records of everything, especially chemicals.
Change Some Procedures When Necessary
Finally, if the old procedures aren’t doing enough to keep everyone safe, change them. Sometimes, even a small change can have a big impact on your hazardous waste management plan. It can be something like scaling down on chemical use or holding more hazmat training.
It can even be something as small as changing your labeling and cataloging system. Some simple procedural changes can make all the difference. You only need to decide on the best changes for an improved hazmat waste management system.
Keep Your Business Safe for All
Every business needs to practice safe and sure hazardous materials management. This doesn’t only help you take care of your products, but also your employees. A workplace that’s unsafe for work can give the company a negative reputation.
That’s the end of our tips on how to improve hazardous materials management. We hope you learned something useful in our post on hazmat management. If you want to keep learning about the benefits of hazmat training, check out our blog for more.
Are you looking for a Safety Data Sheet (SDS) Management solution for your business? KHA has the thing for you. Check out our About Us page or our contact page to learn more about KHA.
Do you want to improve your hazardous materials management system?
Workplace accidents can cause a lot of trouble with regular workflow and production. Over 2.8 million workplace injuries occurred in the private industry sector in 2019. An accident is worse if it involves hazardous waste or materials.
If you want to ensure that your business remains a safe place for employees, read our guide below. We’ll discuss all that you need to know to improve your hazardous materials training. We’ll also add in some tips on handling hazardous materials in the workplace.
Review Your Hazardous Materials Management Plan
Let’s begin with one of the most important things you need in your business. Review and re-check your hazmat management plans. If you don’t have a Hazardous Materials Management Plan yet, this is the best time to create one.
Make sure your plan provides information, procedures, and guidelines for hazardous materials.
It must detail the steps for buying, storage, use, and disposal of hazardous materials. If possible, add ways to reduce or eradicate the toxicity of hazmat. If your company also takes care of the transportation of hazmat, ensure you have the procedure for it.
Your hazmat management plan must include necessary hazmat training requirements for new employees. If possible, add refresher courses for old employees. This will help them relearn what they need to do when emergencies or accidents with hazmat occur.
Check That Your Hazardous Waste Management Plan Follows the Law
Each state may have specific hazmat waste regulations and environmental protection laws. Some states ask for annual or biennial reports on company hazmat wastes. With that said, check that your hazmat waste management plan reflects the local state’s laws.
Don’t forget that there are also federal regulations on hazardous waste. These regulations govern hazardous waste identification, management, and disposal. You can check the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act Regulations of the Code of Federal Regulations.
Work With an Expert Waste Management Company
Is it your first time handling hazardous materials and chemical wastes in business? Whenever you’re in doubt or having difficulties, get an expert to help you out.
Asking help from a company dedicated to ensuring workplace safety can get you far.
An expert can help you create sound guidelines on handling hazmat wastes. Talking to an expert can also help you get a clearer picture of workplace safety.
A laboratory waste management company can offer walk-through programs for handling hazmat wastes. From here, you learn how to evaluate, store, and dispose of hazardous wastes. You also learn to be ready for emergencies that involve hazardous materials.
If your business is new, it’s best to hire a professional waste management company to care for your hazmat wastes.
The company will identify, sample, and test the chemical wastes for you. It will also do the picking up, storage, labeling, packaging, and disposal of your hazmat wastes. You can shift to in-house hazmat waste management later once you’ve got the procedures down.
Sample and Analyze Potential Contaminants
Are you using new chemicals in your laboratories or factories? Are you creating new products that create different chemical wastes? If you are, don’t forget to analyze these hazardous materials.
Take samples and send them to experts on chemical and toxic wastes for analysis. It’s also a good idea to swab for potential contaminants. These contaminants can be by-products of on-site chemical reactions, which can harm your employees.
Minimize and Substitute Hazardous Wastes When Possible
It’s always in your best interest to keep your total lab waste down to a minimum. This makes it easier for you to dispose of the waste. It’s also easier for your employees to handle the chemical waste when there’s less of it to manage.
Whenever possible, find less hazardous substitutes for your chemical wastes. Look for biodegradable detergents or chemicals to stand in for more hazardous substances. For example, use alcohol as a substitute for benzene.
Keep Chemical Inventories Up-to-Date
Out of all waste generated by healthcare activities, 15% is hazardous waste material. In other fields, hazardous waste takes up a sizable volume from the total waste material. No matter how much or how little the hazardous waste, make sure you know what goes into your labs or systems.
Keep an updated record of every chemical you have on-site. No matter how small the quantity of a chemical, make sure you keep a record of it. Make sure that your chemical inventories aren’t only up-to-date but also organized.
Tracking which and how many chemicals enter your labs helps you keep track of your wastes, too. You also learn how much of the waste, how long, and which chemicals get stored or disposed of in your company. Plus, it’s always smart to keep records of everything, especially chemicals.
Change Some Procedures When Necessary
Finally, if the old procedures aren’t doing enough to keep everyone safe, change them. Sometimes, even a small change can have a big impact on your hazardous waste management plan. It can be something like scaling down on chemical use or holding more hazmat training.
It can even be something as small as changing your labeling and cataloging system. Some simple procedural changes can make all the difference. You only need to decide on the best changes for an improved hazmat waste management system.
Keep Your Business Safe for All
Every business needs to practice safe and sure hazardous materials management. This doesn’t only help you take care of your products, but also your employees. A workplace that’s unsafe for work can give the company a negative reputation.
That’s the end of our tips on how to improve hazardous materials management. We hope you learned something useful in our post on hazmat management. If you want to keep learning about the benefits of hazmat training, check out our blog for more.
Are you looking for a Safety Data Sheet (SDS) Management solution for your business? KHA has the thing for you. Check out our About Us page or our contact page to learn more about KHA.