The cost of compliance
Driven by provincial legislation and monitored in accordance, workplace hygiene and safety compliance are inherent to new construction projects. While the legislation still applies to work carried out in the context of facilities maintenance and repairs, compliance here is less likely to be subject to anything but random inspection and is largely self directed. In the push to “get things done”, it is sometimes possible that some elements of compliance may be overlooked, or even worse, ignored. Then what is the cost of compliance, or non-compliance and what do facilities managers, maintenance managers, and other administrators do to ensure that
policy is followed, especially when an outside contractor is involved? When related to plumbing repairs, the use of an open flame for the purposes of soldering, brazing or welding in a building fall under Part 12 Tools, Machinery and Equipment of the OHS guidelines. The guidelines reference the CSA Standard W117.2 Safety in Welding, Cutting and Allied Processes, which stipulates compliance requirements. Specific references address: • Ventilation in the local workspace • Marking hot work areas • Fire watch These and many other requirements can impact the facility owner/manager
and occupants. These may result in additional upfront costs, as well as backoffice (or soft costs) for the receipt and review of hot work permits, scheduling additional staff for fire watch, providing the facility with an interruption of service or occupancy disruption notice. Further, policy guidelines of the facility owner/manager may result in some repair processes being carried out only outside the hours of normal building occupancy/use. Thus the challenges and cost of compliance faced with repairs where the use of a torch, even for making a simple soldered connection (also known as a sweat fitting connection), in a plumbing or heating system are more than what is obvious at first glance. Through careful consideration when specifying the products to be used in carrying out maintenance or making emergency repairs, it is possible for facilities managers, maintenance managers and other administrators to mitigate risk, reduce soft costs, and more importantly ensure compliance and the safety of workers during the course of the installation or repair. There are now pipe connection systems available that allow for permanent repair of plumbing and heating systems and do not require the use of an open flame for welding, brazing, or even soldering. Press technology such as Viega ProPress® and Viega MegaPress® offer these benefits and more. While the cost of compliance is not directly related to the value of the project and may be viewed as a onetime budget item associated with the cost of the project, the cost of noncompliance can be catastrophic and result in elevated premiums for the employer that carry forward and affect the entire organization. They say, “don’t sweat the small things”. Now we know why. b
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