Loss prevention program

Risk sensitivity results are also very useful in identifying key elements in your existing loss prevention program. For example, suppose your fire protection system was assumed to have a very low probability of failure because you test it weekly. Fire protection failures may not show up as an important contributor to your total risk (because failure is so unlikely), but your total risk estimate may be extremely sensitive to any change in the probability of fire protection failures. Flence you should not divert resources away from testing the fire protection system unless the alternate use of funds will decrease risk more than the reduced testing will increase risk. 

The first step in minimizing accidents in a chemical phuit is to evaluate the facility for potential fires, explosions, and vulnerability to other liazards, particularly those of a chemical miture. This calls for a detailed study of plant site and layout, materials, processes, operations, equipment, and training, plus an effective loss prevention program. The technical nature of industry requires detailed data and a broad range of experience. Tliis complex task, today becoming the most important in plant design, is facilitated by the safety codes, standiu ds, and practice information available. The technical approach to evaluating die consequences of hazards is discussed later in tliis cliapter and in Part V (Chapters 20 and 21). 

The minimiziiig/prevendon of accidents in a chemical plant calls for a detailed study of plant site and layout, materials, processes, operations, equipment, and training, plus an effective loss prevention program. 

In chemical plants and laboratories the industrial hygienist works closely with safety professionals as an integral part of a safety and loss prevention program. After identifying and evaluating the hazards, the industrial hygienist makes recommendations relevant to control... 

Controls and surveillance procedures that ensure contractor-performed work also adheres to all facility health, safety, and environmental, and loss prevention programs. 

The heart of Dow s safety and loss prevention program is summarized in Minimum Requirements for Safety, Loss Prevention and Security. Like other elements of safety and loss prevention, Minimum Requirements is revised as experience indicates revision is desirable. 

Each Dow location is required to establish a loss prevention program base on hazard evaluation and designed to reduce the probability and magnitude of incidents. Programs must include the following elements, based on criteria and guidelines contained in Dow s Loss Prevention Principles. ... 

All supervisors receive basic training in industrial and chemical plant safety, including training and motivation of their workers for safety on the job. They also receive specialized training appropriate to their responsibilities. Formal training courses, held annually with documentation of the training, focus on some phase of the safety and loss prevention program. In addition, specialized courses address specific operational problems. 

Review the entire safety and/or loss prevention program to determine if it contains all the essential elements. 

A Pre-Audit Safety Awareness Survey, distributed through line management, asks employees about their knowledge of and attitude toward the location s safety and loss prevention programs. 

Management interviews and the examination of program documents and records reveal whether the safety and loss prevention program contains essential elements with written standards of performance based on Dow s best global know-how. 

The professional s ability to acquire upper-management commitment and to sell a safety and loss prevention program to upper management is often the key to the success of most safety and loss prevention efforts. But, the question for many safety and loss prevention professionals is how does one actually acquire this commitment and the appropriate support and funding ... 

Several safety and loss prevention professionals have taken community involvement to the next level by actually involving the community in their in-plant safety and loss prevention programs. For example, one safety and loss prevention professional writes a column for the local newspaper that talks about the safety and loss prevention activities of her company and other local companies. In another location, the safety and loss prevention professional published photographs of the safety award winners each month in the local newspaper. In yet another town, a safety and loss prevention professional held an open house for the community to tour the facility and learn about the company. 

Safety and loss prevention must be ever-present in the forefront of the thoughts of employees. Providing effective visual and auditory communication with regard to safety ideas and methods can be effective in focusing attention on the important safety and loss prevention aspects of the job. With repetition and practice, the unacceptable and unsafe behaviors can be changed into acceptable safety and loss prevention behaviors if the basic elements of an effective safety and loss prevention program are in place. 

One of the major issues facing many employers that has a direct impact on the safety and loss prevention efforts is the selection and hiring of quaUlied employees. Many safety and loss prevention professionals have established exceptional safety and loss prevention programs however, injury and illness rates continue to escalate, with the cause of this escalation being blamed on the lack of qualified candidates. In the tight labor market of today, more than one safety and loss prevention professional has been heard blaming his or her increased injury and illness rate on the bottom of the barrel employees who were hired because we needed warm bodies for production. ... 

Internal safety system audits should take place every 6 months by a trained team of internal accredited auditors. The audit is not merely a safety inspection. A safety audit provides the means for a systematic analysis of each elanent of a loss prevention program to determine the extent and quality of the controls. It is a critical examination of all, or part, of a total safety operating system, and it is a management tool that measures the overall operating effectiveness of a company s safety and health program. 

Five years of progressively responsible experience in developing corporate and/or government safety, risk management, and loss prevention programs. Two years must include responsibilities applicable to motor carrier safety — preferably in heavy-duty fleet transportation systems. 

Ineffective Loss Prevention Program Inadequate support by top management Lack of assigned responsibility... 

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