Near misses avoided thanks to new tagging system

Scafftag gives Chevron all round benefits as near misses reduced to zero with Unitag system.

Scafftag gives Chevron all round benefits as near misses reduced to zero with Unitag system.

Petro-Chemical company looks to implement further Scafftag systems after unprecedented success with fall arrest equipment tagging.

Near misses have been significantly reduced and safety improved at The Chevron Phillips Chemical Company, Ohio, USA following the implementation of Scafftag's Unitag system for the maintenance and inspection of fall arrest harnesses.

The Chevron site, which has been in operation since the 1950s, has 180 employees and produces Polystyrene for use in an array of applications from medical equipment to CD cases.

Scafftag's Unitag system is being used on the site to clearly identify both harnesses and lanyards which have not been inspected by the site's qualified equipment inspectors.

The Unitag system comprises two components - a holder that attaches permanently to the equipment, and replacement inserts.

It has a permanent locking holder system to help ensure security and flexibility in terms of attachment.

Once the two parts of the holder are locked together, it can only be removed with the use of heavy duty cutters.

A selection of coloured holders is available providing the option of additional visual qualification.

Steve Cunningham, VPP Coordinator for the Safety Compliance Department on the site gives more details about the system saying: "Chevron has instigated a safety regime that is more stringent than OSHA requirements".

"With the Unitag system we give each year a colour and therefore it is immediately apparent if the equipment that you are using has been inspected in that period".

"If the Unitag colour is incorrect or if the equipment is found to be faulty the insert is removed from the holder to reveal the 'do not use' legend".

Fall arrest harnesses and lanyards are used on the site to access pipe racks, elevated racks and overhead gantry cranes.

There are around 50 harnesses on the site and a similar number of lanyards, whilst 50 people on the site use the fall arrest equipment regularly and a number do so infrequently.

After having experimented with a number of different systems Steve Cunningham found the Scafftag system perfectly suited Chevron's needs".

""The tags are easy to locate," says Steve, "they are numbered and can be identified easily and this makes tracking them across the site so much simpler without a long paper trail".

Enhanced safety and improved profitability.

The most pronounced effect of the introduction of the Unitag at the site has been the reduction in recordable incidents that the site experienced in 2006.

No near misses were recorded relating to slips and trips at the site nor, more tellingly, were there any near misses recorded of employees reporting faulty or non-compliant harnesses or lanyards".

""What this reduction in near misses actually means," says Steve "is that by using the system we have not lost any man hours due to accidents, nor have we experienced down time because of a health and safety incident".

"Plus, and significantly here in the U.S.

our compensation costs and insurance premiums have been positively affected".

Another example of how well the Unitag system has been received at the Ohio site is the fact that other Scafftag systems are being introduced in 2007.

While the fall arrest system was specified after positive feedback relating to the Scafftag scaffolding system, the success of the Unitag will see Chevron manage the maintenance and inspection of its forklift fleet in 2007 with Forkliftag and also its ladders with Laddertag.

In addition to this Steve Cunningham is such an advocate of the systems that he is sharing his knowledge at a 'Safety Share' meeting in February 2007 and advising other companies from many different industries to improve their site safety using Scafftag solutions.

The Safety Share is a quarterly event where various companies meet to discuss common safety concerns and issues.

Speaking about the additional Scafftag systems to be implemented in 2007 Steve says: "The Unitag has worked so well on the harnesses that everybody involved can see the benefits of rolling the Scafftag systems out across other areas of safety concern".

"The impetus to develop how the Scafftag system is used across the site has come from employee suggestions, which has to be the greatest endorsement that any product can receive.".

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