I was honoured to be asked to present at an International Women’s Day event at Loyalist College on March 6th.

I spoke about how I grew up on a farm, where I did everything from collecting eggs, to driving the tractor. During those years I learned from my Dad that “a good carpenter never blames their tools”. In other words, you can always find a solution to a problem with patience and perseverance.

Having the Right Tools for the Job is More Efficient

As a university student, I tried first the heel of a shoe and then used a rock to put up picture hooks in my first apartment. I decided then that while a good carpenter should never blame their tools, it is much more efficient to have the right tool and I bought a hammer the very next day.

Today, I make sure that employers and workers have the right tools in their hands to manage the chemicals they handle within their workplaces. Having the right tools and using them properly is no different from taking advantage of the right chemicals and handling them responsibly.

Chemicals come with hazards, which can present risks when not managed properly and improper handling can lead to anything from skin irritation, compromised breathing or even death if good and safe practices are not followed.

How to Make Responsible Chemical Management More Efficient

Employers that keep safety data sheets (SDS) in paper or e-binders and hope that their employees read them are using the heel of a shoe to hammer a nail. It probably won’t work. Employers who require their employees to read SDSs are using a rock to hammer the nail. If 10 people read 10 SDSs, you will waste time and get different responses from each individual because like rocks everyone is different. But it you have one qualified employee read 10 SDSs, identify the hazards, assess the risks according to the risk tolerance of the organization and share the resulting knowledge to all employees, safe handling of these chemicals becomes clear, predictable and sustainable (like your hammer) – much more efficient!

At Rillea Technologies we are innovating with technology to provide you with the knowledge at your fingertips that you need for efficient chemical management in your workplace.

Interested? Need more information? Rillea Technologies’ SDS RiskAssist can help. Check our the Rillea Technologies website at: https://sdsriskassist.ca or give us a call at: 613-969-7533.