Edition No. 12

Effective EHS Delivery for a Global Field Staff

With companies continuing to expand their global presence and the recent trend of shrinking Environmental, Health, and Safety (EHS) staffs, it is extremely important to have a strategy in place that manages risk on a global basis with limited EHS resources. This is especially critical for organizations with remote locations that may not have an EHS presence or for those that outsource their staffs to customer locations where there are different EHS expectations and requirements.

Also in this Issue...

Future Science: Developing Tomorrow's EHS Professionals

Today’s EHS Landscape—Navigating the Changes

Update: New ISO 14001 Standard Changes

Zavitz on Ergo: Building a Leading Ergonomics Management System

If we define suppliers as those entities that are supplying EHS functions to either a remote facility within their organization or to a customer site and end user as the recipient of those services, we can offer insights to better manage the process.

Leveraging Web-based Training

One way to effectively manage a global field staff in the EHS function is to leverage remote supervisors. Since EHS staffs are leaner today and their time is at a premium, many end user EHS professionals are requiring that their suppliers provide training to their remote staff that meets or exceeds the end user’s expectations. Suppliers of everything from servers to semiconductor capital equipment are facing the challenge of how to train their field service staffs to demonstrate proficiency and capability with respect to EHS knowledge.

Also, companies that are proactive in EHS and need to effectively service remote locations make good use of web-based systems. These systems are stocked with tools that help facilitate EHS functions including basic compliance training and information exchange. In remote sales facilities where there is no active EHS presence, employees can be trained at their convenience on specific EHS topics through these web tools. Of course, not all EHS learning is best delivered via the web. But, if a good background in confined space entry is transmitted to the student through the web, the instructor-based portion of the course can be shortened. This type of tool is especially beneficial for shift work because it allows employees to complete the coursework at any time during the day. In addition, qualified staff (i.e., supervisors) at the remote location can be trained as extensions of the EHS function which allows them to conduct tasks such as routine inspections, industrial hygiene surveys, and training on certain EHS topics. Many companies today are building and improving a company-wide infrastructure aimed at reducing risk in remote locations that has no EHS staff present.

Using Web Tutorials

Web-enabled tutorials are another effective way to train your remote staff. New employee orientations that cover the basic EHS functions are one effective tool; life safety requirements that can be customized for each location is another. (A fill-in-the-blank template with the basic information already included and customizable slots for local requirements can be used.) Here’s a typical example: Contract janitorial staffs who work in manufacturing areas that house hazardous chemicals can be trained to refer to material safety data sheets (MSDS) that are located on the web.

To fully realize the benefits of this approach, there must be increased communications between supplier and end user in regard to EHS requirements and expectations. Let’s look at a couple of examples to illustrate this point.

Supplier Training

Even though miniaturization is a way of life now, some technical equipment is actually much bigger and heavier than it was five years ago. For instance, rack mount servers can be as tall as a full-grown technician. Semiconductor manufacturing equipment processing 300mm wafers have huge footprints and large process chambers. End users of these products require that service or maintenance personnel, as a prerequisite for working on this equipment, demonstrate proficiency in the requisite EHS program areas. Because of the increased complexity of the equipment, or its massive size, there is risk involved in installation and maintenance. This risk can be categorized in three areas: 1) injury to field service or maintenance staff; 2) equipment damage, and 3) damage to property and/or the environment. Many end users are developing robust supplier management teams with a docket of expectations to better manage this risk.

Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI), the trade organization, has developed a guideline that addresses this situation. It’s called SEMI S19-1102 Safety Guideline for Training of Semiconductor Manufacturing Equipment Installation, Maintenance and Service Personnel. Information on the standard can be accessed at www.semi.org.

Meeting End-user EHS Requirements

When an end user sets expectations for entering and working on equipment in its facility, the supplier’s EHS team must respond by training their installation and field service staffs accurately and efficiently. For example, a supplier of large manufacturing equipment is ready for an installation at an end user’s manufacturing site. That end user will have the expectation that the installation crew has a completed a level of EHS training that is deemed satisfactory. Elements of this training could include the following: emergency situations, shut down situations, the hazards associated with the equipment, how to protect the end user’s employees and property in case an emergency situation occurs with the equipment. This knowledge goes beyond the mechanics of a basic preventative maintenance task.

Here’s another example: if a large 300mm turbo pump has to be removed from a plasma etcher in a semiconductor manufacturing facility -- it’s not a simple PM task. There is potential for injury, for damage to the equipment and damage to the facility. The supplier has to have the proper lifting equipment to service the pump and to protect its service personnel; the end-user has to communicate the expectation that the supplier will be able to perform the task with minimal risk.

There are many other examples that illustrate this point. If analytical equipment delivered to a site has a source of ionizing radiation, both the end user and the supplier must have enough knowledge to monitor and document the exposure of the facility and the personnel involved, not to mention the coordination of necessary licensing arrangements. Or if there are highly potent compounds present in a manufacturing facility, all personnel involved (end user and supplier) should be trained to use supplemental respiratory equipment.

How EORM can help

At EORM, we face these challenges with our clients every day. We can help minimize the risk by helping you set up an effective remote staff management program. In addition, we can train your remote staffs with instructor-led training classes or with web-based programs through our affiliate, ESHconnect. For more complex training needs, we offer a blended learning approach that utilizes the best advantages of both instructor-led and web-enabled learning. Please see the previously published Priority Press article on Blended Learning.