Rancho Mesa's Alyssa Burley and Account Executive Jeremy Hoolihan discuss job hazard analyses in the janitorial industry.

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Director/Host: Alyssa Burley

Guest: Jeremy Hoolihan

Producer/Editor: Lauren Stumpf

Music: "Home" by JHS Pedals, “News Room News” by Spence

transcript

[Introduction Music]

Alyssa Burley: Hi! This is Alyssa Burley with Rancho Mesa’s Media Communications and Client Services Department. Thank you for listening to today’s top Rancho Mesa news brought to you by our safety and risk management network, StudioOne™. Welcome back, everyone. My guest is Jeremy Hoolihan, Account Executive with Rancho Mesa. He specializes in risk management and insurance for the janitorial and maintenance industry. Today, we're going to talk about job hazard analysis in the janitorial industry. Jeremy, welcome to the show.

Jeremy Hoolihan: Hey, hi, Alyssa. Great to be here.

AB: And as I was preparing for this episode with you, I realized in the six plus years that we've worked together, I don't know if I've ever mentioned that my dad spent most of his career in the janitorial and maintenance industry, you know, working in many different roles, from delivering janitorial supplies to managing facilities’ maintenance. And ultimately, he's about to retire from a sanitary supply company in the near future. So, I have a soft spot in my heart for the important work that this industry does for, you know, on a regular basis.

JH: Yeah, it's amazing. You know, I come across and people and have conversations with them and come to find out there's a lot of people in the industry.

AB: Yeah,

JH: A lot of people such as your dad that are behind the scenes. And it kind of makes sense when you look out, you know, if you're driving down the road and you see a business park, there's a cleaning company, there's a supply company, that's working within that building. So, it goes on a lot more than you think.

AB: Yeah.

JH: And it's pretty interesting. Thanks for sharing that.

AB: Yeah, of course. And so, I understand the importance for keeping people safe in these roles while they're working. Why are Job Hazard Analysis, or JHAs, important for janitorial maintenance industry workers?

JH: Well, I think it's very important to consider that, you know, each job site has its own specific risks and hazards. And by creating a job hazard analysis, it really dives into the actual site itself. So, to create a job hazard analysis, you're going to visit a site, you're going to observe any hazards that exist in that facility, and you're going to make a plan in place to prevent, you know, future injuries or potential hazards to occur. I think the key to running a successful business is to create a safe work environment not only for your employees, but, you know, the general public as well-

AB: Yeah,

JH: -and by creating a good job hazard analysis that can improve those.

AB: Absolutely. So, what are the common exposures found in this line of work?

JH: Well, there's a ton of different exposures. I think if I'm going to just highlight a few. One would be blood borne pathogens. So, you know, that mostly occurs in a in a health care setting, but it can also occur in in an office setting.

AB: Yeah, anywhere.

JH: Anywhere. So, I think it's important to train your employees on what to do in the event that there is that type of hazard in front of them. So, proper training in advance is really critical to that. I think another common exposure are chemical hazards. So again, when you're visiting a job site for the first time and you're doing a walk through, you really want to identify any potential, you know, chemical hazards. And that could be a room that has asbestos exposure. So, making sure that that your employees know not to disturb that. It could be anything from mold, carbon monoxide. So, if it's a room that's not well ventilated, that may have some machinery, you got to make sure that they're aware of that and that there's proper ventilation going through there. Chemicals, right? Cleaning chemicals. Right? So, you've got employees that use different chemicals throughout the day. Making sure that they're aware of the chemicals and making sure that they're not cross contaminating chemicals, because that could create a, you know, a reaction. Right? And then just having proper training on each chemical that they use and the proper use of that chemical is critical.

AB: Yeah.

JH: One of the one of the biggest exposures from a janitorial standpoint is a slip and fall exposure. So, again, when you're walking the premises, you're not going to deal with the same surface throughout the facility, right?

AB: Right.

JH: You might walk into a kitchen that has tile, you might have hardwood floors. Just making sure that you identify those floors that might be more slippery, such as bathroom floors, and really making sure that your employees keep a close eye on those surfaces, not only for their safety, but again, general public.

AB: Yeah. Especially if they're cleaning them and they're wet.

JH: Right. Yeah. So, and that also includes proper signage. So, you know, caution cones or even closing off to that area until it's able to dry. So, all of those are pretty critical in identifying in advance so that when you create the job hazard analysis, you're able to identify those areas and train your employees to address those areas properly.

AB: Yeah.

JH: Personal protective equipment, that's a huge one as well. So, you know, identifying the type of work that your employees will be doing on the job site. I have a client that works in, you know, large scale apartment communities and they have outdoor barbecues and the chemicals that are needed to clean those barbecues are pretty intense, right? So, you don't want them to have to expose their hands to that. So, yeah, you know, proper gloves to wear when they're when they're cleaning proper, you know, face gear. All of those things are critical to know in advance when you're doing specific job. So, you know, it could be obviously proper footwear so they don't slip and fall, eye-wear, you know, goggles, things like that. So, those are all things to identify and train your employees in advance. And that's why JHA is pretty critical. Yeah, another exposure out there is just proper use of equipment, right? So on occasion, you know, you might have some large buffers that your employees need to do. It's, it's vital to, to properly train them on those pieces of equipment. How to maintain them is critical as well. And you know, just to make sure that they're aware of what the possibilities of that equipment are.

AB: Yeah, absolutely. So, those are just some of the hazards that could be on a job site and Rancho Mesa clients can utilize our new job hazard analysis mobile forms to help them identify hazards at each of their individual and unique job sites from within the SafetyOne™ app. Yay, we're really excited about.

JH: Very excited about that.

AB: Yeah. And there are actually two JHA mobile forms. One is a basic form and the other one is more advanced, so both can help the user identify and document those hazards. And what I like about these forms is that they actually require the mobile user to really customize the JHA for their job site. It's not just to check the box and say that we did it. They're actually useful. Like they're they have to identify what those hazards are and how they're going to be mitigated. So Jeremy, if listeners have questions about their risk management, what's the best way to get in touch with you?

JH: Yeah. Alyssa, thanks for asking. I can be reached at 619-937-0174 or my email address is jhoolihan@ranchomesa.com.

AB: All right, so I have a couple of rapid fire questions for you. Are you up for it?

JH: Bring it. Let’s go.

AB: All right. Netflix or Hulu?

JH: Netflix.

AB: All right. Vacation or staycation?

JH: Vacation.

AB: Coffee or tea.

JH: Coffee, for sure.

AB: Hang out with little kids or older folks?

JH: Good question. I'd say little kids.

AB: All right. Board games or video games?

JH: Oh, board games for sure.

AB: Well, I know. I think I know the answer to this. Fast food or healthy food?

JH: Healthy food.

AB: Yeah, that's what I thought. Well, Jeremy, thank you so much for joining me in StudioOne™ I had a good time.

[Outro Music]

JH: It was fun. Thanks, Alyssa. Appreciate it.

AB: This is Alyssa Burley with Rancho Mesa. Thanks for tuning in to our latest episode produced by StudioOne™. For more information, visit us at ranchomesa.com and subscribe to our weekly newsletter.