Safety First!
When a small business launches, one of the last things the management team thinks of is compliance with Occupational Safety & Health Administration regulations. This is especially true of many high-tech companies, like life science or IT firms, which may believe OSHA laws only apply to manufacturing companies or to larger companies with lots of employees. This can be a big mistake and can lead to violations, fines, and even accidents or death of employees. So what is a small company to do? Hire a pricey OSHA consultant? Not in Michigan! In Michigan, there is help available and it’s FREE!
The Michigan Occupational Safety & Health Administration (MIOSHA), through its Consultation Education and Training Division (CET), provides training video loan services. Basically, it’s a DVD & VHS video lending library, and it’s free of charge to all businesses in Michigan. Now, I know what you’re thinking: “Yeah, but they won’t have anything relevant to MY businesses.” Well, you’d be wrong. Does your company develop lasers? There is a safety video entitled “Laser Safety: The Blink of an Eye.” Does it require employees to work with hexavalent chromium? There is a video called “Hexavalent Chromium Awareness.” Do you have a laboratory function? Then the video “Lab Safety: Handling Hazardous Chemicals” may be useful to your training program. And there are plenty of general training videos covering topics such as avoiding back injuries, driving safety, ergonomics, and workplace violence.
Users pay nothing for the use of the training videos borrowed. The only things a borrower pays for is the return shipment and insurance cost via an express package service, and, of course, the replacement costs of any materials the borrower loses. Because the materials are provided under special permission from vendors, borrowers are not allowed to copy or further distribute videos. You can request up to five videos at one time and you can keep them for ten days. Requests for videos are first-come-first-served, and you must request materials at least 5 business days before the date by which you need them. You cannot reserve videos more than six months in advance.
So, make safety a priority at your company. Take advantage of the easy and free video lending library provided by MIOSHA. The life you save may be your own!
For more information, to obtain a catalog, and to order materials, contact:
MIOSHA Videos
7707 Rickle Street, P.O. Box 30677
Lansing, Michigan 48909-8177
E-Mail: mioshavideos@michigan.gov or
Fax No. 517.322.3219
Telephone 517.322.2633
