You Know You Need CHESS When …

• Personal stereos are worn for hearing protection.

• You have heard of Employee Right to Know, but cannot remember if it applies to something safety related or health insurance.

• All of the equipment has guards — you just don't know where they are.

• You think an AWAIR program is just a bad spelling for a program requiring flashing lights and safety alarms.

• Employees complain about fumes and funny smells — and are not referring to someone's lunch.

• Eye protection is worn around the neck, on the shelf, looped on a gas cylinder — anywhere but on the employee's eyes.

• Respirators are used to keep beards from getting dirty (since they don't offer any other type of protection to someone with a beard).

• One type and size of respirator is issued to everyone — regardless of task, exposure, need or face size.

• There are aisles — you just can't tell where they are.

• Employees play daily games of "guess the container contents," usually by smelling it.

• Ventilation in the welding area is so poor employees need flashlights to see the other side of the room.

• Not everyone knows where the Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) are kept. Fewer know what they are.

• If OSHA knocks on your door, you immediately want to throw the bolt. Hearing that OSHA’s targeting your industry makes you start firming up your retirement plans.

• The person responsible for your safety program trained at the school of hard knocks.

• You have an in-house expert overseeing your safety program — expert in business management, but not in safety.

• The people overseeing safety are very competent at their job, which is business management or maintenance, but learned about safety from their own accidents.