Original Date: 04/24/2006
Revision Date: / /

Midwest Metal Products has taken a proactive and cost-effective approach to ensuring company compliance with local, state, and federal regulations involving environmental health and safety requirements. Teaming with an outside health and safety contractor has given the company a leading-edge program that cost-effectively ensures the health and safety of its employees.

Midwest Metal Products (MMP) is a mid-sized contract precision-metal fabricator that employs approximately 125 people. Like most manufacturers, MMP had a safety program in place that maintained the general safety and health of its employees while trying to adhere to all local, state, and federal safety requirements. However, like many small manufacturing companies, MMP found that the pressure of production overshadowed the need for a comprehensive safety program. MMP tried to schedule its own safety meetings, conduct its own safety tours, process its own reports, and follow up on accident investigations while staying abreast of changing laws – all with one supervisor doubling as a safety coordinator.

Realizing the need to more proactively adhere to safety compliance, MMP management began looking for ways to improve its safety program and better protect its employees. In 2004, management investigated the cost and effectiveness of hiring a full-time safety person who would receive ongoing training in local, state, and federal requirements for health, safety, and environmental mandates. Another consideration was to find a local safety inspection company that specialized in conducting industry safety programs. Two companies located in the area reviewed MMP’s safety program, made recommendations, and submitted bids for implementing a comprehensive safety program at MMP.

In 2004 a contractor was hired to develop and manage a comprehensive environmental, health and safety program at MMP. The consultant conducts bimonthly safety tours of the facility and all accident investigations, prepares formal reports for regulatory requirements, conducts required annual health and safety training consisting of 4 one-hour classes for all employees, keeps the company up to date on changes in statutory requirements, and audits the company’s hazardous waste compliance.

By using a specialized expert in the field of environmental health and safety, MMP is realizing yearly savings of $35,000 to $50,000 versus having a full-time staff member in charge of an in-house health and safety program. In addition, the company has achieved a fully compliant, proactive program to ensure the safety of its employees.

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