Environmental Protection Is Part Of Working Safely

There is a direct link between environmental protection and your personal safety.

Companies are taking on greater responsibility for working in an environmentally friendly way. There is a significant business and industry trend for taking on responsibility of what happens beyond the four walls of the plant.

For employees, that means a new responsibility as well. Workers are expected to perform their duties in a safe manner, to produce quality work - and to do so in a way which will protect the natural environment.

Just how this is accomplished will vary a great deal from one industry to the next. In many work situations, good environmental habits may be quite similar to the ones you would practice off the job. In other industries which use large amounts of resources or produce quantities of hazardous waste, there may be a lot more to learn about safe environmental practices.

But the principles are basically the same:

- Reducing - the amount of natural resources which you use, including materials and energy.

- Reusing - materials and energy.

- Recycling - as much as possible.

- Safe Waste Management - making sure that materials, products and waste do not harm people or the environment.

Here are some ideas on how to put good environmental practices into your workday. Many of these practices will vary according to your job, so be sure to check with your supervisor:

- When you travel (even to and from work) practice fuel efficiency and help reduce auto emissions. Drive steadily and don't speed. Avoid fast starts and stops. Use carpools and public transportation if feasible. Encourage the use of fuel-efficient, well-maintained vehicles in the workplace.

- Do your part in recycling programs. This may include separating your trash in the lunchroom. It may also include separating job-related materials and supplies as directed. Be sure to carefully follow instructions about how to separate and store materials. This is because contamination of recyclable materials can create hazardous situations or can make the materials unsuitable for recycling. For example, never dump another substance into a motor oil collection container, and don't put window glass into a container glass recycling bin. The metal scrap recycling system will probably require that you separate ferrous and non-ferrous metals.

- Encourage the substitution of less hazardous substances wherever feasible. For instance, certain cleaning and degreasing products might be less harmful to the environment (and to you!) than the ones which you are now using.

- Be alert for opportunities for your company to exchange waste materials with other companies. For example, the used wooden pallets which a company is hauling to the landfill site might be useful for another plant - saving money for both companies and preserving valuable landfill space for the community.

- Encourage better disposal practices for hazardous materials. Large quantities of hazardous waste may need to be incinerated, or treated chemically or physically, either on the site or elsewhere. Small quantities need to be treated with equal respect. Do not just toss unused quantities or empty containers into the trash, and do not dump hazardous substances down the drain. Dispose of them according to company policy and manufacturers' directions. Small quantities can be picked up and delivered to hazardous materials collection depots, where they will be properly treated, disposed of or recycled.

- Keep informed with current and reliable information about the environment and environmental practices. Obtain your information from a wide variety of sources with differing viewpoints. New solutions are being found all the time for environmental problems.

- Be aware of your company's environmental responsibilities, and your individual responsibilities as well. All companies must comply with certain environmental laws, and it is part of your job to help with this compliance. Any company can be held liable for environmental offenses. In some cases, even individuals can also be held personally responsible for certain environmental offenses.

There is a direct link between environmental protection and your personal safety. Chances are that the procedures and materials which are safer for the environment will also be safer for you in the long run.