From the Staffing Experts

ResponsAble Safety Staffing From the Staffing Experts blog archives.

Hurricane Preparedness and Response

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hurricane preparedness

It’s no surprise that the 2020 hurricane season has proven to be extraordinarily active. Hurricanes Laura and Sally left widespread damage and loss in their path for families and businesses of all kinds. In light of these natural disasters, here are resources to help employers review steps they can and should take to combat the potential damages of hurricanes, as well as other natural and manmade disasters that can impact business operations any time of the year.

Preparedness

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Standards that are part of regulations issued by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), all workplaces with more than 10 employees are required to develop a written Emergency Action Plan (EAP) to identify and coordinate necessary employer and employee actions during an emergency. On OSHA’s hurricane preparedness page, there is an outline describing how to properly plan for hurricanes. This page on OSHA’s website states that it is important to have an EAP to ensure that workers can get to safety in case a hurricane may affect the area. A thorough evacuation plan, OSHA states, should include:

  • Conditions that will activate the plan
  • Chain of command
  • Emergency functions and who will perform them
  • Specific evacuation procedures, including routes and exits
  • Procedures for accounting for personnel, customers and visitors
  • Equipment for personnel (OSHA.gov)

Recovery and Response

While it’s important to have you EAP ready to go, it is just as important to practice it so you are sure your employees are prepared to handle severe weather situations, as well as other pertinent emergencies.

OSHA also provides a hurricane response and recovery page that showcases their Hurricane eMatrix. The eMatrix outlines the most commonly performed duties during hurricane response and recovery work, and the post-disaster hazards that employees could face. OSHA has developed specific standards to address many of these kinds of hazards.

For example, if your crew is needed for disaster cleanup, then the employers must make sure to have the proper equipment and personal protective equipment. Cleanup responsibilities usually involve fixing power lines, repair roofs, tree trimming, or general debris pickup. Only those with the proper training, equipment and experience should conduct cleanup activities.

Communication is Key

Communication is necessary to do any job, but it is needed even more during an emergency situation. It is highly recommended that employers find a way to communicate with employees during all stages of an emergency situation. Employers must be able to tell all employees whether to evacuate, how to get information about the emergency, what areas of the building to avoid, how and when it is safe to return to the work area, and when it is acceptable to contact family members and loved ones.
If your company has experienced damage from the recent disaster, ResponsAble is here to help. We have experienced industrial labor and safety professionals to help get your site back on track. Call us at 225-753-1909. https://responsablestaffing.com/contact-us/

The Ripple Effects of a Safety Incident

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safety incident

Along with the tragic nature of a safety-related incident, there are unintentional costs and lost time that organizations might have to continuously pay for over a long period of time. 

Besides the tragic outcome of an injury, illness, or even death, accidents have a huge impact on your business. It is in your best interest to make sure that the people working for you are well-trained and experienced so that an accident doesn’t happen on your watch.

Why? Here are six reasons. 

1. Needless destruction of life and health is morally unjustified. We must protect life and health. The most obvious reason for proper safety training is that preventing the destruction of life and health is our primary concern as safety specialists. This is a moral obligation for the health and well-being of our employees.  

2. Failure to take necessary precautions against predictable accidents and occupational illnesses makes management and workers morally responsible for those accidents and occupational illnesses. If a potential problem or threat exists, and no action steps are taken to prevent an accident, the outcome will fall on you.

3. Accidents and occupational illnesses severely limit efficiency and productivity. The third reason for preventing accidents is because accidents and occupational illnesses limit efficiency and productivity because of downtime. This is an indirect cost from an accident, but a very costly one. Replacement labor can cost your company time and resources, along with possible sick pay, repairing damaged equipment, or even OSHA fines.

4. Accidents and occupational illnesses produce far-reaching social harm. The fourth reason for preventing accidents is because accidents and occupational illnesses can produce lasting damage to your reputation. Word gets around when accidents happen and it always paints a negative picture of a company in the public eye. We’ve always said that your clients will only think as much of you as they think of your safety personnel. Sending unprepared employees to a job will hurt your reputation because you will be sending them the wrong message about your company. With the right safety staff, you can send a message that says “We take safety and the lives of our employees seriously! We do our best in everything.”

5. The safety movement has demonstrated that its techniques are effective in reducing accident rates and promoting efficiency.

6. Prevent OSHA violations. The sixth reason for preventing accidents is because state and federal legislation mandates management responsibility to provide a safe workplace, so this is a legal requirement. OSHA violations could cost you thousands of dollars a day. Even the most unintentional violation can cause serious harm to your company.

To prevent the negative ripple of a safety incident, you must be proactive and fully train your safety staff. Using a proactive health and safety process will help an organization see a large return on investment through improved productivity, improved morale, decreased time away, and lower workers’ compensation insurance costs.

We believe having well-trained, high quality, experienced safety professionals on a job site is the best way to go for accident prevention. The lives of your employees, your reputation, and your bottom line are all at stake, but they will be in good hands with ResponsAble safety professionals on site. Give us a call at225-753-1909to talk with us about your upcoming projects.

Be a Better Employee, Land a Better Job

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industrial jobs

It’s no surprise that COVID-19 brought a lot of strain to the majority of job markets. Layoffs and furloughs left most people jobless and searching for a way to get back on their feet. With everyone looking for new employment across all kinds of industries, here are ways to make yourself stand out as the best future employee.

The Job Search

Before you get the job, you have to find a way to make recruiters notice you.

Update your resume. Many industrial labor jobs involve specialization, so it is wise to make sure to include information about certifications for special equipment, machinery, vehicles, software applications or devices that are utilized in your industry or field. These can be listed in a separate category on your resume or weaved into different descriptions of your work experiences. It is important that the recruiter knows your qualified for the job you are applying for.

Don’t forget to emphasize your accomplishments. Working within an industry, you may not have access to specific numbers to showcase your growth. Often the inside jobs are about improving production, reducing costs, optimizing processes and saving time so think about your specific actions and how the result changed the bottom line. Include that action and result statement in your work experience section.

Your resume doesn’t have to be an artistic masterpiece, but you want to make sure that it is easy to read, and that important information can be found quickly. List your most recent work experience first with bullet points to describe job responsibilities and key areas of expert industrial knowledge.

The Interview

You’ve got an interview and now what? We all know first impressions can be tough.

Polish your interview skills. In the industrial field, communication is key. Truthfully, no matter the job, communication is always essential, but it is the top priority when safety is involved. Over-communicating is always better than not saying anything at all. Effective communication shows you can verbally problem-solve with other team members. Having strong communication skills will lay the foundation for a successful interview and a successful career.

Show the recruiter what you know. Employers want to hire someone who has an interest and aptitude for the technology involved in their field. Conduct some research prior to the interview so that you have an idea of what you are experienced in from previous jobs, and even if you might not know the technology or equipment used, then show a great desire to learn it. The desire to learn new things can send employers a message that you have long-term potential.   

Show up on time. If you are early, then you are on time. Arriving 15 minutes early to an interview, or a new job, is a good way to show your future employer that you are dependable. Industrial jobs can be large so there is minimal supervision. Supervisors need someone who is accountable and excels on with little oversight. Dependability is something to constantly strive for and is a trait that will carry you far in life and in your career.

On the Job

Your search has come to an end and you landed a new job! Start your first day on the right foot.

Teamwork and kindness go hand-in-hand. People will always want to work with someone who is a team player. Don’t become that employee that no one wants to work with because you can’t learn how to solve a conflict in a respectful and calm manner. Small kindnesses, such as saying “Good morning”, can go a long way. Always be the employee to step up and offer help. These things can go a long way to promote a productive work environment.

Be active and proactive. Do what you say you are going to do and take initiative. Make sure you know yourself and your strengths so you can accurately say when you are going to get things done. One of the most important things you can do as a valuable employee is follow through on work commitments. Get your tasks done in a timely manner, but make sure you aren’t sacrificing the quality of your work just to get things done. If you get your tasks done early, be proactive and take on additional responsibility. The willingness to take initiative shows employers that you are self-motivated and truly care about your work.

A proactive person also stays on top of their industry. Technology and equipment are constantly evolving so it is important to stay on top of what’s new. Knowing what you are doing and having the proper training are of the upmost important to keep the jobsite safe and running smoothly.  

Your perception is everything. If the job you have just landed is temporary or requires work that you don’t particularly like, adopt a positive attitude from the beginning. Looking at only the negatives in your work can decrease your productivity. Adopting an attitude of success ensures that you are actively working toward the goals your boss has set for you. These experiences can be steps toward great career growth.   

Need help finding your next job? ResponsAble has the resources you’ve been looking for. Apply for our open job listings and use some of these helpful tips.

Managing Safety Professionals in Today’s (Weird) Economic Environment

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Managing Safety Professionals

Things are weird for business owners and managers right now. We find ourselves having to make decisions that are foreign to our professional experience and to our world. Many projects and turnarounds are indefinitely cancelled or delayed, and others are being implemented with extraordinary measures. Making hiring decisions and finding qualified workers may be difficult to balance with the risk of unreliable work projections.

Uncertainty in the market does not have to mean uncertainty for your next project.

Safety staffing may be your solution.

With the current economic climate, a consistent flow of opportunities may not feel promised. Safety staffing with ResponsAble is a valuable solution when you need qualified employees on demand, but maybe not long term.

Perhaps you had to let a portion of your staff go at the beginning of the pandemic. Maybe you’ve got a job coming up that requires extra hands. Yet the risk of COVID’s effects have not passed. There’s another solution to hiring full-time employees. ResponsAble is not a temp agency. We work year-round building a database of qualified, experienced and specialized safety professionals. Our staff know what they’re doing when it comes to safety work.

If you don’t have safety staff readily available, ResponsAble is a valuable solution.

Find the qualified help you need without the financial risk of adding permanent employees to your payroll in the wake of economic downturn and future uncertainty.

Your Opportunities with ResponsAble

Staffing Services

ResponsAble Safety Staffing provides critical safety-related personnel across a broad range of industries including Oil & Gas, Chemical Processing, Construction, Power, Nuclear, and General Industries. Once you are matched with one of our project managers, we’ll handle the complete hiring process for you. Let us know what you need, and you’ll have staff on the job when you say to be there.

Temp-To-Hire

Find a qualified safety professional and have them on the job for a period of time before making a hire. You don’t have to learn the hard way that a hire isn’t a good fit. ResponsAble can provide staff on a temporary basis while you determine what skills and characteristics fit with your work environment.

Get connected with a project manager to explore solutions and options for your upcoming project or job. We exist to make things happen for your team. Let’s talk at (225) 753-1909.

What is the Benefit of Working with ResponsAble?

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working with responsable

If you’re considering solutions for staffing your sites and jobs, you may be thinking to yourself – why would I hire ResponsAble? It’s a valid question. We’d love to tell you some of the perks and benefits of being our partner, as well as some secrets behind our process.

We’re driven by value. ResponsAble is a sincere company. We truly want to be valuable to our customers. We know that what we do isn’t needed by everyone, but we’re the best option for those who do. We want you to know that we’re here to create value for those who have a need for safety personnel.

We take what we do very seriously. We’re in this business because we believe safety matters. It’s the livelihood of real people. We also know the only way to develop a valuable business relationship is to do good work. We want to provide the best match for every job. As an additional service, we also want to be a resource for our clients in whatever their safety needs may be. We’ve built a team that takes both seriously.

We can accommodate your needs. We work with a variety of customers in different work environments. This allows us to keep our employees consistently working and allows them to bring more experience to your jobsite. As they work, they gain more and more exposure and opportunity to grow their safety tool belt.  You can discuss specific needs you have and we’ll supply the perfect person for the job.

We do both temp and direct hiring. Whatever your safety staffing need, we are equipped to handle it. Keep all of your business under one partnership. If you don’t have the internal personnel to cover your safety needs, we can supply ongoing support or on a project-to-project basis.

We keep it simple for you. We assign a ResponsAble Project Manager to every project. Their job is to assist you with the staffing needs, support you in managing safety compliance, and help recruit, vet and staff as your needs change! That’s right, we do all of this for you so that you can focus on your project.

ResponsAble helps you find the right people with the necessary skills to effectively and safely complete the job. Big or small, temporary or permanent. ResponsAble has the ability to truly customize our approach. We have the ability to staff experienced Safety Professionals and Managers, Confined Space/Hole Watch Attendants, and Industrial Laborers. Get in touch and let’s talk about how ResponsAble may be a benefit to you. 

Safety Staff are Essential | A COVID-19 Update

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essential safety staff

As the medical community and civic leaders urge only essential personnel to work, you should ask, who are essential employees? 

Safety professionals are high on the list.

Industrial companies and their suppliers are essential businesses and have remained in operation since the outbreak of the Coronavirus.  Due to the stay-at-home order issued by the Governor, most currently scheduled turnarounds have been pushed out to later this year. The disruption of the Coronavirus has brought new and unexpected needs to the businesses we serve.  Being up for the challenge, ResponsAble has been a source of essential staffing for our clients:

It’s important that we keep our distance from people, but not from safety.  An unintended, costly violation can make the current challenging situation worse, threaten the safety of your workers, and negatively affect the reputation that you’ve worked so hard to build. Here are three ways ResponsAble helps you hire qualified, capable staff: 

  1. We’re a part of your industry so we understand the regulations that you’re responsible for maintaining.
  2. We handle all the details (hiring, training, payroll, support and liability) so you can stay busy ramping up for your next project. 
  3. On-demand safety staff. We know you need experienced safety professionals (and backups) that are just a call away when you need a position filled.

We take safety seriously.

Over the past several weeks, we have worked to meet the needs of a changing safety climate and needs. Here are some positions we’ve seen an increased need to recruit and supply:

essential safety staff

Health Screening Personnel

We’ve gained experience in supplying Health Screening Personnel over the past month, and now have the capability to supply Health Screening Technicians to your job sites.  Here’s how this position can help:

The Health Screening Technician may be responsible for assisting the Client with policies and procedures that promote a safe and healthy working environment.  May be capable of performing assignments of limited scope and complexity following the direction of an assigned Client supervisor. Health Screening Technicians can promote safety and health by performing temperature screening for personnel, completing CDC questionnaires based on CDC guidelines, and directing personnel for any advanced medical attention.  Health Screening Techs are also knowledgeable of CDC guidelines for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and other applicable standards.

Industrial Laborers

We also have a database of Industrial Laborers available for your specific projects.  Industrial Laborers help prepare and maintain a site by cleaning, loading, unloading, and transferring of materials to where they may be needed on a work site. These workers have a valid Basic Orientation Plus and TWIC. Each laborer is screened to ensure a strong work ethic, strong mind and strong body.

essential safety staff

Permanent Positions

ResponsAble can source Direct Hire and Temp-To-Hire employees for our clients.

With our Direct Hire service, ResponsAble Safety Staffing agrees to recruitment services, through the provision of resumes for candidate evaluation, in support of our Client’s stated intent to locate, identify and potentially hire candidates as full-time employees. Contact us for more information, including pricing.

Our ResponsAble Temp-To-Hire services include contract employees whom are assigned to a ResponsAble Client with the negotiated intention of “temp-to-hire”. The temporary employee must work for a Client as a Contract Employee from ResponsAble Safety Staffing for a total of amount of consecutive verified hours before becoming eligible for hire by Client.  It is at our Client’s discretion to determine if and/or when they may choose to convert the Contract Employee once eligible for conversion. It is also at the Contract Employee’s discretion to negotiate the terms of their offer for hire by Client and acceptance or refusal of hire offer by Client.  Contact us for more information, including pricing.

We specialize in all the work and details that you don’t have time for when you need additional safety staff. Give us a call today for a free needs assessment to find solutions for safety measures such as health screenings of your workers before entering a jobsite, or simply recruiting qualified safety personnel. Let us know how we can help at (225) 753-1909 or John@rasafetystaffing.com.