| |
All Products
Product Comparison
|
Hazardous Materials Management Software FAQ's
- How do the MSDS Management and Environmental
Reporting Modules contrast to the Material Process Control Module?
- How does the Material Process Control Module
improve regulatory compliance?
- If employees already have access to MSDS's,
why do they need SOPs?
- How will use of the Request benefit my company?
- Do I have to have a Request for each material
used in every work area?
- Do I need to submit a Request every time
that I want to use a material?
- Who is going to enter all of this additional
information into the computer?
- Who are the hazardous material professionals
within my facility?
- Do I have to have a formal review process
to get the benefits of this module?
Hazardous Material Management FAQ's
- Why manage hazardous materials?
- Are there specific federal or state regulations
that require the data management of hazardous materials?
- Is classroom training enough?
- We've already designated a responsible staff
person. Isn't that sufficient?
- Why do I need to computerize a review process?
- Who uses a review process?
How do the MSDS Management and Environmental Reporting Modules contrast to the Material Process Control Module?
The MSDS Management Module makes the MSDS available for Right-To-Know
and the details of the MSDS available to the hazardous material
professionals. The Environmental Reporting Module accumulates
inventory, usage and disposal information and computes the required
environmental reports. While both of these modules are important
for regulatory compliance, they only reflect the materials in
use. The Material Process Control Module is the essence of hazardous
material management within a facility or corporation. As such,
this module controls what materials are to be used or not used
in various operations and how employees are to be trained to
ensure compliance with the management program.
Top
How does the Material Process Control Module improve regulatory compliance?
The module provides a systematic approach to the management
of hazardous materials. If realized to its full capability, the
module can be used to evaluate materials before they are ever
purchased. Materials which will present significant hazards to
employees or which will be difficult to dispose of, can be kept
out of the facility. When hazardous materials are allowed into
the facility, their use can be limited to approved usages (or
"Requests"). Once materials have been "approved"
for usage, an "SOP" (Standard Operating Procedure for
their safe use and disposal) can be established. By integrating
these documents and MSDSs into a company's standard business
practice, safety of employees and proper disposal of materials
can be better ensured.
Top
If employees already have access to MSDS's, why do they need SOPs?
MSDSs are written by the manufacturer for multiple customers;
they cannot address customer-specific situations. Typically,
MSDSs provide a disclaimer which states, in some form, that it
is your responsibility to determine safe conditions of a material's
use. Therefore, the HAZMIN® SOP is available so that you can provide
facility-specific safe-use and disposal information. The "SOP"
can specify the exact make and model of an OSHA-approved respirator
to be used. The MSDS cannot. The "SOP" can state the
explicit instructions for disposing of wastes in accordance with
the facility's waste permits. The MSDS cannot. The "SOP"
can outline usage instructions to minimize employee chemical
exposure. The MSDS cannot.
Top
How will use of the Request benefit my company?
Your company will benefit in many ways. First, the Request
can document how each hazardous material was utilized and the
potential exposure to your employees. Such documentation may
be invaluable in workers' compensation claims. Second, these
records could be crucial in determining what chemicals are entering
various waste streams from the facility. Third, the Request can
document that a material was evaluated. This would give employees
the assurance that the material has been determined to be safe
for their use as trained by the SOP for their facility.
Top
Do I need to submit a Request every time that I want to use a material?
No. The "Request", which is short for Request for
Use of Hazardous Material, is designed to describe an ongoing
process within a work area. A HAZMIN® Request is not to be confused
with an inventory request which is generated every time that
a material is used. A Request is usually generated when a material
(MSDS) is introduced into a facility.
Top
Do I have to have a Request for each material used in every work area?
No. HAZMIN® is very flexible. You may require Requests only
for your most hazardous materials. However, if you have Requests
for everything, HAZMIN® Environmental Reports can be run against
the Request numbers. If you have identified the maximum and average
storage and usage at each location, the Requests may provide
adequate accuracy for environmental reporting.
Top
Who is going to enter all of this additional information into the computer?
The Request may be submitted on the computer by the staff
or foreperson responsible for a work area. The SOP may be created
and maintained by the hazardous material professionals within
the facility or corporation. These processes are fairly easy
due to the many tools, within HAZMIN®, that minimize the actual
keystrokes necessary to enter this information.
Top
Who are the hazardous material professionals within my facility?
Hazardous material professionals would include all of the
personnel that you need to involve in making decisions on the
use and disposal of hazardous material. Typically, this includes
the Environmental Coordinator, Industrial Hygienist, Nurse, Safety
Officer, Transportation Specialist, Storage Specialist, and Fire
Safety Specialist. In larger facilities, the responsibilities
may be delegated to more individuals. In smaller facilities,
all of the responsibilities may be delegated to one individual.
HAZMIN® is flexible enough to allow either extreme.
Top
Do I have to have a formal review process to get the benefits of this module?
No. Even if you decide to require Requests for only some materials
and/or provide SOPs for only some MSDSs, utilizing at least some
of the features will benefit your company. But, keep in mind
that documenting all uses of material, within HAZMIN®, will provide
a complete history of all material usage and, therefore, will
build a database of material usage that has never been available
within most companies.
Top
Why manage hazardous materials?
Some of the many reasons for managing hazardous materials
follow:
- To improve hazardous materials management by ensuring
that the appropriate chemicals are being used for each operation
and proper disposal procedures are implemented.
- To minimize costs and, thus, maximize profits by controlling
the purchase of unnecessary chemicals, limiting the disbursement
of chemicals to only approved work areas, eliminating redundant
materials from the facility, and waste minimization.
- To provide a safer working environment by training employees
in the proper safety precautions for use of hazardous materials
as it applies specifically to their use within the facility or
corporation.
The best reason depends upon your prospective. Sometimes, its
just the right thing to do.
Top
Are there specific federal or state regulations that require the data management of hazardous materials?
No. The regulating agencies have no authority to force companies
to "manage" either their hazardous materials or wastes.
The agencies can merely enact regulations governing specific
actions. For example, an agency can regulate how to dispose of
a material, but cannot impose controls on a company that would
stop the usage of such material.
And Yes. The EU REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction
of Chemicals) Regulation places a burden on the manufacturer to prove that
certain chemicals were never included in a product or came in contact with a product.
The Material Process Control Module is an excellent tool to document the management steps that were taken
to insure that products where safe from even incidental exposure to certain
hazardous chemicals.
Top
Is classroom training enough?
Typically, classroom training is designed to teach general
concepts, perhaps, because it is impractical to provide comprehensive
training that will enable employees to handle all situations
they may encounter. Within your company, employees are
in positions every day to make decisions which can affect your
regulatory compliance. Can you afford to depend solely on classroom
training to ensure that your employees will always make the right
decisions? With the Material Process Control Module in place,
you have the option to establish practices and procedures for
the safe use and disposal of all hazardous material. In other
words, you do not depend upon employees to determine the correct
course of action, but instead they implement corporate-established
practices.
Top
We've already designated a responsible staff person. Isn't that sufficient?
True, you have designated the person who will meet with agency
representatives and complete required reports. Is one person
sufficient to ensure compliance? Only if you believe that your
accountant is solely responsible for the profits of the company.
The analogy is a good one. The accountant is responsible for
establishing business practices and reporting the results to
the IRS. Replacing the one staff environmental person with a
whole compliance department increases compliance as much as having
a whole department of accountants increases profitability. It
is ultimately the actions of other employees who determine the
compliance or profitability of a company. In both cases, the
application of a sound management program can ultimately make
the difference. HAZMIN® can be the management tool to insure compliance,
like good accounting software can be used to insure profitability
by properly identifying costs.
Top
Why do I need to computerize a review process?
For many years, many companies have instituted review processes
without computers. Similarly, many accountants kept their financial
books on paper spreadsheets. With the computer, HAZMIN® can keep
track of what review work is required of each hazardous material
professional and provide many time saving tools to complete the
review tasks. As soon as the professionals have completed their
work, the Request and SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) can
immediately be made available to all employees on the computer
network.
Top
Who uses a review process?
Automotive and heavy equipment manufacturers have had paper
review processes in place for decades. Recently, more and more
companies have recognized the need to become more proactive with
regulatory compliance and are implementing review processes.
In addition, they recognize the need to have their hazardous
material professionals directly involved in the day-to-day decisions
on the use and disposal of hazardous materials.
Top
|
