May/June 2005
ISRI is taking safety in scrap operations to a whole new level with its ambitious and innovative new safety program.
By Robert L. Reid
Safety should be the highest priority in every scrap recycling operation. After all, no other priority is truly a life-or-death issue like safety.
The main reason to strive for safe operations is a human one: You want your employees to go home whole and healthy every day. Federal law, in fact, says that every worker has the right to a safe and healthful workplace.
Beyond this human reason, however, safety is just smart business. A safe scrap company can enjoy lower insurance premiums, higher employee morale, minimal operational disruptions and downtime, greater freedom from lawsuits, and more. In short, safety can protect not only your employees but also your bottom line.
Since its inception, ReMA has recognized both the personal and corporate benefits of safety. As a result, the association has always made it a priority to offer a variety of products, programs, and services to help its members raise the safety bar in their facilities. ISRI’s offerings over the years have included the Working Safe & Smart video series, the bilingual Working Safe & Smart newsletter, a comprehensive Safety Reference Manual, safety workshops at ReMA chapter meetings and the annual convention, and much more.
In recent years, however, the scrap industry has experienced a rash of accidents and, hence, some significant losses, as reflected in claims paid by the ISRI-sponsored RecycleGuardsm insurance program. If nothing else, these accidents suggested there was still room for improvement in the industry’s safety efforts. Recognizing that fact, ReMA embarked on an aggressive new safety program in 2004. This stepped-up program builds on the success of ISRI’s existing safety resources while offering several innovative additions, as outlined below:
ISRI Safety Consulting Services
The cornerstone of ISRI’s upgraded safety efforts is ReMA Safety Consulting Services (ISCS), a program that literally brings safety to members’ doorsteps by providing on-site, one-on-one safety evaluations and training.
Specifically, ISCS enables ReMA members to bring an experienced safety consultant into their facilities to help them identify and correct safety deficiencies, provide safety training to employees, and manage the burden of compliance paperwork—all at a fraction of the cost of hiring consultants on their own.
“Depending on where a yard is located, recyclers could expect to pay close to $100 an hour plus travel expenses for an independent consultant, and those fees can accumulate without end,” notes John Gilstrap, ISRI’s director of safety. “One of the great benefits of ISCS is that the fees are both affordable and fixed. Members will know the entire cost of the service before the consultant even arrives.”
Another benefit of the ISCS program is the opportunity for ISRI’s safety consultants to find solutions to common safety problems in the industry and then apply successful procedures at one scrap operation to others with the same safety issues across the country.
“Think of the clearinghouse of solutions we’ll develop over time,” says Gilstrap. “While providing strict confidentiality, we’ll be able to apply a safety solution implemented at, say, a recycler in Los Angeles to problems at a facility in upstate New York.”
After months of planning and preparation—a process that included conducting four “test” safety audits at ReMA member locations—ISRI officially launched ISCS at its annual convention, held in April in New Orleans.
“This program is unlike anything the association has ever offered,” says ReMA President Robin Wiener. “For years, we’ve been telling our members what they need to do to comply with OSHA and reduce their workers’ comp liability. Now, we’re providing the personnel and expertise on-site to actually implement those measures.”
Thought-Provoking Posters
Another key component of ISRI’s revamped safety program is a series of four hard-hitting posters (above). Through dramatic images and sharp graphics, these new safety tools are designed to catch the attention of employees and drive home the importance of safety gear and safe behavior.
Each of the 16-by-20-inch posters features a striking four-color image and a simple—but direct—safety message. In March, ReMA mailed the first poster in the series to all members free of charge as a membership benefit. The other three posters in the series will also be mailed free to members on a quarterly schedule this June, September, and December.
ReMA members who would like additional copies of the new safety posters can purchase them for $12 each or $36 for the set of four posters (refer to the ordering information at the end of this article).
One-of-a-Kind Resources
Over the years, ReMA has established itself as the authority on safety in scrap operations. Not only has the association always employed a safety professional on staff to assist members with their safety needs, it has also created an impressive library of scrap industry-specific resources to help recyclers improve their safety performance. These resources include videos, manuals, newsletters, articles in Scrap, workshops at ReMA functions, and more. Last year alone, ReMA released a DVD video on cargo securement and a VHS video on backing-up safety for vehicles and machinery.
Under its new safety program, ReMA will continue to expand its safety resources. In April, for instance, ReMA introduced the first of several DVD videos to be released in 2005. This new video—titled Burner Safety—focuses on safe torchcutting procedures. It will be followed by Crane Safety, Fire Safety and Prevention, and Hazard Communication.
ReMA also saw the need for a resource that could help supervisors with their monthly safety meetings. The problem, ReMA found, is that many supervisors aren’t trained safety professionals but simply the designated “safety manager” in their respective firms. As a result, they can bear the burden of providing monthly safety training but often don’t know what to talk about over time. To address that need, ReMA will introduce a new publication named Monthly Safety Meeting, an instructional tool that will include everything scrap supervisors need to run a focused, productive, and informative monthly safety meeting. This novel safety resource is set to debut this summer.
While ReMA has always made safety a priority, the association saw the need to make it a higher-profile priority. Toward that end, ReMA has created an exhibit booth exclusively to promote its safety programs. This new booth, which prominently displays the new ReMA safety slogan “New Day, New Choices,” was used for the first time on the expo floor at this year’s ReMA convention. Look for it at future ReMA events such as chapter meetings and the Operations Forums.
Industry-Specific Training
Hand in hand with its safety resources, ReMA also offers the most authoritative, industry-specific safety training for scrap recyclers. This training is offered through various ReMA forums, including chapter meetings, the ReMA convention, and the Operations Forum.
This year’s largest Ops Forum, for instance, included a targeted safety and environmental management program that attracted several dozen safety managers. In truth, safety was the theme of the entire Ops Forum, regardless of track. Also, the ReMA convention in April offered a special series of four safety workshops. Individuals who attended all four sessions earned an ReMA Safety Certification and received a special white hard hat bearing the new ReMA safety logo.
In addition to these events, ReMA is taking its safety message “on the road”—literally—to chapter meetings. Now, those events will frequently include safety-focused presentations by ISRI’s John Gilstrap and other invited safety professionals, with the goal of spreading the safety message throughout the association.
All of the above efforts are meant to underscore the importance of safety in scrap operations—and ISRI’s commitment to improving the safety of its members and the industry as a whole. Like life itself, safety is a journey, not a destination, and ISRI’s new safety program can help scrap recyclers achieve success on that journey.
As ISRI’s John Gilstrap asserts, “For years, ReMA has been the voice of the recycling industry in many areas. Now, more than ever, we’ll be the voice of scrapyard safety as well.”
New Logo Promotes ReMA Safety Program
As part of its new safety programs and resources, ReMA has created a special logo whose tagline—“New Day, New Choices”—communicates an upbeat, empowering message about safety in scrap recycling operations.
“For too long, the safety business has been all about doom-and-gloom,” says John Gilstrap, ISRI’s director of safety. The new logo portrays safety instead as “something that’s bright. It’s really about choices made every day at the management level and the worker level. It’s about personal responsibility.”
The ReMA safety logo incorporates a variety of symbols, including a sunrise signifying a new day and chasing arrows representing recycling. The logo’s serrated edges even suggest a gear and the industrial nature of the scrap business. “To me, the imagery says a lot,” Gilstrap states, adding that the logo will communicate the message that safety is “in every decision people make.”
For additional information on ISRI’s safety programs and resources, to schedule a site visit through ReMA Safety Consulting Services, or to order additional ReMA safety posters, contact Anne Marie Horvath at 202/662-8511 or annemariehorvath@isri.org.
ISRI is taking safety in scrap operations to a whole new level with its ambitious and innovative new safety program.