#185 - Revised perspective on Safety training

We recently labored through some rather boring safety training videos to satisfy some mandatory H&S training requirements that we have in our facility. The videos had questionable relevance to office staff, but we paid attention to our lessons and scored good marks on the multiple choice tests that followed. (Our production staff also scored well. More importantly, they have a good record of implementing good safety practices in the shop.)

A couple days later, I noticed an article on the Chem.info website that demonstrated the value of some of the training we received. Apparently, a chemical cleaning powder was mistaken for an edible cheese product in a restaurant and used in the preparation of someone’s meal. The hapless diner fell ill immediately after eating and had to be rushed to a hospital emergency room.

The powdered chemical had been removed from its original container and placed in another container that was not properly labeled. Thankfully the diner quickly recovered. However, incidents like this show that proper labeling of decanted chemicals is important. 

In a recent audit, our company was awarded a high score for safety among the Tenova companies. Perhaps we should open a restaurant. We can build analyzers safely. How hard can cooking be?