3E protects employees from workplace hazards
Round-the-clock emergency response available
In many facets of employee wellness, improved health can be achieved by avoiding potentially harmful behaviors. Unfortunately, in many industries, the handling of hazardous materials is a necessary part of the job. Such potential employee exposure, however, does not have to lead to injury or illness.
Carlsbad, CA-based 3E Company seeks to keep workplaces, employees, and the environment safe. Operating as both a library and an emergency response center, 3E allows companies to access crucial HazMat data via the Internet, telephone, or facsimile. The company’s "mission control center," supported by what it claims is the world’s premier Hazmat Internet database, is available to customers 24 hours, seven days a week. Its range of services includes:
- 3E-On-line
- MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheets) on Demand
- 24/7 Spill, Exposure, and Info Hotline
- Transportation Services
- On-site/Off-site DOT/OSHA Training
- Hazardous Waste Info & Training
The 3E Company of today is far different than the organization that was launched in 1988. "We started as a sophisticated call center, where people would call if they had a spill, were exposed to chemicals, wanted to dispose of materials or needed to transport them," recalls Jess Kraus, CEO, president and founder. "We collected information over the years relating to over 3 million chemicals produced commercially in North America — undoubtedly the largest database of its kind. We began to realize that what we really were was an information provider, and that we had massive amounts of content. We also realized four years ago that the Internet was the wave of the future, and that ultimately people would prefer to contact us through that medium."
Thus began 3E’s evolution into a "brick & click" company.
Learning from its customers
3E, says Kraus, is not a typical hazardous materials company. "We customize our services for
our clients," he notes. Most of its customers are obtained on a referral basis. Interestingly, the Atlanta-based Home Depot, one of its largest customers and a major source of referrals, played an instrumental role in the evolution of 3E’s services.
"A lot of our services have sprung up from working with Home Depot," says Kraus. "When they had a need, we would fulfill it, and then make the service available to the rest of the industry. They’re very entrepreneurial and true to their vision."
The Home Depot requirements, in turn, sprung from a strong desire to keep its employees safe. For example, one of the newer services offered is poison control. "When there was a spill or a potential for exposure, we wanted our associates to have access to immediate toxicology information from a specialist," recalls Cesar Salomon, who handles corporate risk management for Home Depot. "Now, they are able to get clarification and direction. For example, if they get something in their eye they are told whether to wash it out."
Today, 3E is affiliated with the University of California San Diego (UCSD) Regional Poison Center. Calls received regarding chemical exposure accidents involving eye or skin contact, inhalation, or ingestion are connected to UCSD. UCSD’s physicians, toxicologists, and poison control specialists are available to handle exposure/ poisoning calls with immediate — and often lifesaving — guidance. 3E says it responds to 2,000 Home Depot exposure incidents annually.
"Home Depot was the first to adopt this service," says Kraus. "Before, the standard practice was to go to a doctor or to an urgent care center for chemical exposure. Meanwhile, while you’re going there, you’re doing damage and no advice is being given. Now, 70% of these employees are not referred; they stay in the workplace and are triaged. The client ends up with safer employees, and with a huge cost reduction in workers’ comp and lost work time."
Another service inspired by Home Depot is the MSDS service. "The Home Depot came to us and said, We have 100 facilities, and each of them needs to maintain MSDS,’" notes Kraus. "And 7,000 products in each store require them — from paints to pesticides. Plus, they’re updated every year. So Home Depot suggested we maintain the information and fax it to them as needed. This was a real innovation."
"On the data management side, we wanted them to provide MSDS and shipping papers and chemical information on demand, so we could have immediate access — not only to fulfill regulatory requirements, but if there ever was an exposure or a chemical spill, we wanted to know immediately what were dealing with," Salomon explains.
Today, MSDS are maintained as part of the 3E centralized library, and are available to all Home Depot employees via fax 24 hours a day. 3E processes over 40,000 MSDS requests and conducts 1,600 training sessions annually for Home Depot.
Chemical spill data
Another critical service 3E offers Home Depot is the toll-free, 24-hour chemical spill and information hotline. It provides assistance with chemical spills, including smaller spills related to everyday use and handling of chemicals, as well as larger spills resulting from disasters (fires, floods, accidents, earthquakes).
Hazardous material specialists advise on all matters involving chemicals and their properties, including spill clean-up procedures, personal protective equipment, disposal options, and compatibility hazards. Those specialists can also dispatch emergency contractors to pack, haul, and dispose of spilled materials.
The live HazMat specialists, available 24 hours per day seven days a week, work out of "mission control," which is equipped with beds, kitchens, and showers. "It really looks like mission control in Houston, with huge monitors on the wall," says Kraus. "We have about 110 people in a single day shift."
Not all of the challenges faced by 3E fit the mold of everyday hazards. "For example, we may get calls about how to safely ship a tarantula, or a case of pepper spray," says Kraus. "Several major airlines also use our services to make go’ or no-go’ calls. Ever since the ValuJet accident, there has been heightened awareness, and it’s an important issue of safety for both employees and the general public."
Another important issue today is bloodborne pathogens, and the threat is not at all restricted to health care workers. "Any employee can be cut and bleeding, and people leave all kinds of stuff in parking lots," Kraus explains.
Salomon, who has worked with 3E for five years now, is keenly aware of the value of such a service. "Overall, we are very pleased with how our relationship with 3E has evolved," he says. "Things have worked out really well."
Key points
- Client needs drive the creation of new services aimed at greater protection for both employees and the public.
- Exposure to potentially dangerous chemicals and bloodborne pathogens are among the key concerns.
- Transportation consults cover everything from live tarantulas to a case of pepper spray.
Sources
- Jess Kraus, 3E Company, 1905 Aston Ave., Carlsbad, CA 92008. Telephone: (800) 360-3220. Fax: (760) 602-8858. Web site: www.3ecompany.com.
- Cesar Salomon, The Home Depot, 2455 Paces Ferry Road, Atlanta, GA 30339. Telephone: (770) 384-4980. Web site: www.homedepot.com.
You have reached your article limit for the month. Subscribe now to access this article plus other member-only content.
- Award-winning Medical Content
- Latest Advances & Development in Medicine
- Unbiased Content