Issue link: http://psai.uberflip.com/i/886164
WEEKLY EDITION October 11, 2017 All Aboard! It's Time to Get Trained No matter if you're brand new to the industry or if you consider yourself a veteran, Nuts and Bolts has a training session for you! Each year, the Nuts and Bolts Educational Conference schedule is jam- packed with numerous educational opportunities, from relevant speakers and panels to topical roundtable discussions. The 2017 program is no exception, boasting plenty of useful sessions for anyone involved with portable sanitation. Among the numerous presentations and events, the industry-specific training opportunities are what stand out as some of the most invaluable aspects of our conference. The PSAI Training Committee works diligently throughout the year to prepare industry focused trainings that are beneficial to all operators. This allows them to unveil new training sessions at PSAI events almost bi-annually. Our upcoming conference will follow suit with the premier of their newest session: Transportation and Logistics in Portable Sanitation. Additionally, the committee will also hold their Portable Sanitation and Work Sites training at our event specifically for new and prospective PSAI Members. Current Members are welcome too – just let the office know you want to attend. Finally, the committee will conclude the event by offering the PSAI Basic Service Technician Training Course and Certification Exam, which allows operators to gain or renew their title as a Certified Portable Sanitation Industry Professional (CPSP). To read more about each of these trainings as you prepare to attend Nuts and Bolts, continue onto page 5. Question of the Week: Does the PSAI have any sample safety manuals or a sample program my company can use? We want something where we can just fill in the blanks and get this done. By PSAI Executive Director Karleen Kos There is good news and bad news about safety manuals and safety programs. The bad news is the answer is "no." The PSAI does not have a template for building your own safety manual or program. We've had legal advice that this would be a bad idea for several reasons - not least of which is the tendency of companies to simply "fill in the blanks" without doing the important work necessary for building and implementing a good safety program. Offering, essentially, a "one size fits all" safety program would dramatically increase liability risk for the company and the PSAI because OSHA says, "Vague, generic health and safety plans will not meet the requirements [of the law]." So the companies would be at risk if they took something like that, filled in the blanks and called it good without taking the steps necessary to demonstrate a thorough process. The risk would grow exponentially if someone got sick or hurt and OSHA – or your employee's attorney – found you were relying on a cookie-cutter safety program. The PSAI would also be at risk for publishing something like that and portraying it as a suitable safety program solution. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 CONTINUED ON PAGE 5