Stay Safe, Stay Healthy

How the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene Helps Wisconsin Businesses

By Nicole Resnick

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Whether at the global level or within our own homes, schools and places of business, our society faces a heightened awareness of what it means to be safe. While each of us as individuals may do our part to stay out of harm’s way, there are agencies at the state and federal levels that receive guidance and funding to look out for us.

One such agency here in Wisconsin is the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene (WSLH). Through its wide range of services and responsibilities, the WSLH plays a role in many facets of our state’s education, health and safety. Founded in 1903 as a part of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the WSLH provides public, environmental and occupational health laboratory expertise to a wide variety of national, state and local organizations. As the state’s public, environmental and occupational health laboratory, the WSLH helps maintain the public health of all Wisconsin’s citizens, safeguards the state’s environment and educates state residents on public health issues.

During 100 years, the scope of the WSLH has grown, and so has its need for more laboratory and administrative space. The UW-Madison campus facility at 465 Henry Mall houses the WSLH’s clinical testing facility and the national WSLH Proficiency Testing program for clinical laboratories; a second facility, completed in 1999, is located on Agriculture Drive on the east side of Madison and is home to the Environmental Health Division.

By providing clinical, environmental and occupational health services, as well as offering specialized public health, testing, training, technical assistance and consultation for private and public health agencies, the WSLH no doubt impacts the lives of many Wisconsinites.

Yet it is not only public and private health agencies, but businesses as well, that continue to benefit from the WSLH. From helping small businesses comply with federal occupational safety and health regulations, to honoring those with stellar safety records, the WSLH can be vital in getting many Wisconsin businesses off the ground and going strong.

The UW-Madison Connection

A critical connection between UW-Madison and the WSLH is an important reason why the state lab is so effective in its many responsibilities. According to William Sonzogni, director of the WSLH Environmental Health Division, “The WSLH is unique among state public health laboratories in that it is one of the few state laboratories that are an integral part of a university. This setting has provided a unique environment for developing state-of-the-art testing capabilities and using these capabilities for scientific research.”

Sonzogni describes several examples of successful partnerships between UW-Madison research projects and the state lab. These projects include the measurement of trace metals in ancient Celtic bones as a way of determining the origin of cystic fibrosis, and the collection and analysis of air particles in Southeast Asia to help determine some key sources of air pollution.

Yet the state lab’s research collaborations are by no means limited to UW-Madison, points out Sonzogni. The WSLH has worked with the industry to determine the chemical form of platinum—a rare element being evaluated as a potential additive to diesel fuel to reduce emissions of soot and toxic gases. Other examples include collaborations between the WSLH and the Harvard School of Occupational Health and the University of California, Irvine, to study how airborne particles, and the chemicals that are associated with them, can affect human health.

“The Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene has been involved in a number of unique research studies, providing high-quality testing services, both within UW-Madison and beyond,” says Sonzogni.

Protecting the Health and Safety of Wisconsin Businesses

When the federal Occupational Safety and Health Act was passed in 1970, resulting in the implementation of many new safety rules and regulations, the small-business community raised its concern as it didn’t have the money or the expertise to deal with these complex standards. In response to the concerns for the small business community, a new national voluntary program was created: the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Consultation Program.

In the state of Wisconsin, for the past two years, the health or industrial hygiene portion of the OSHA Consultation Program. has been administered through the WSLH. The safety portion of the program, which in the past was part of the state Department of Commerce, joins the WSLH as a unified program beginning Oct. 1, 2006. The mission of this program is to offer on-site occupational health (industrial hygiene) and safety consultation services to assist Wisconsin employers in meeting their responsibilities under the federal OSHA Act. With such ambitious goals, the program is capably directed by Terry Moen on the industrial hygiene side and by Barry Glashagel on the safety side.

According to Moen, the OSHA Consultation Program is available in every state and U.S. territory and is funded by OSHA through U.S. Department of Labor federal funds, with a 10 percent state match. OSHA enforcement does not have access to OSHA consultation reports or data. Essentially, the program provides free on-site consultation assistance to the small-business community in both occupational safety and health.

“The program is targeted to companies with fewer than 250 on-site or 500 corporate employees,” says Moen, “but there is more emphasis on companies with fewer than 50 employees—typically small companies without the budget or safety and health expertise.”

Some examples of the many free services provided by the OSHA Consultation Program include collecting air samples to test for chemical exposures to potentially hazardous dusts, fumes, mists and gases; measuring physical hazards such as noise, heat and non-ionizing radiation levels; and evaluating the toxic effects of certain chemicals and biological hazards. On the safety side, consultants evaluate machine guarding, electrical hazards, fall protection, trenching, scaffolding, equipment lock-out, confined space, fire protection, and a myriad other safety standards.

Because the program is completely employer-driven, according to Moen, a company must first request a particular service. An industrial hygienist or safety specialist from the WSLH will then travel to the place of business, do a walk through of the facility, review the OSHA mandated programs, and provide monitoring —including air sampling for contaminants. Any industrial hygiene samples that are collected are returned to the WSLH for analysis. The Wisconsin Occupational Health Laboratory, part of the Environmental Health Division, provides the analysis for more than 40 states nationwide and serves as the national laboratory for the OSHA Consultation Program.

“If the OSHA consultant identifies a serious hazard, the company agrees to correct the problem without threats of fines or citations,” says Moen. “Most companies that participate in the program do so in good faith; they want to protect the health and safety of their employees.”

Yet OSHA consultation goes beyond hazard identification. A well-trained and experienced professional staff of industrial hygienists, safety specialists, engineers and occupational health nurses are often able to assist companies in finding cost-effective solutions to the problems identified.

Recognizing the Safest Businesses

Perhaps the most rewarding job of the OSHA Consultation Program is the opportunity to recognize small businesses that run an exemplary safe workplace. The Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program (SHARP) was created to award such companies, and acceptance into SHARP is considered a significant achievement. Businesses that attain SHARP certification are regarded by their peers as models for work-site safety, and such work sites are exempt from programmed inspections during their period of certification.

Once a company chooses to participate in SHARP, it must follow a process that involves requesting a full safety and health consultation visit, undergoing a complete hazard identification survey, correcting all hazards identified and having in place a comprehensive safety and health management system.

 “Attaining the status of a SHARP business is the pinnacle of this process,” says Moen. “SHARP recognizes companies that have integrated total quality management in terms of safety and health into their business plan, and this results in very few injuries, few illnesses and more profitability.”

In the state of Wisconsin, 13 companies have achieved SHARP certification status. Almost all are either privately held or family owned; one is employee-owned.

Trostel Ltd., headquartered in Lake Geneva, Wis., is an internationally recognized designer and manufacturer of custom seals, precision rubber-molded products and custom-mixed products. With three locations in Wisconsin employing 300 employees, the Lake Geneva facility earned a SHARP award in June 2005 and then gained re-certification the following year.

Shelly Heston, Trostel’s environmental health and safety manager, says that because Trostel always made safety a very high priority, the company already had a great process in place. Yet employees and management strove to go above and beyond OSHA requirements, which required a constant review of its programs, policies and employee involvement.

“A significant culture change has occurred, and all employees now understand their role as well as their impact on the business as we continue to move toward a ‘Zero and Beyond’ safety culture (zero injuries at work and at home)” says Trostel’s human resource manager, Catherine Cerny. “The recognition of receiving the SHARP Award has been a source of pride for our all of our employees.”

The day that Trostel received its SHARP award was indeed a special one. WSLH staff traveled to the facility to present the award, and the mayor and numerous other community dignitaries were among the invited guests. Wisconsin state Sen. Neal Kedzie attended the ceremony and congratulated company employees.

Other Wisconsin companies that have received SHARP certifications and awards include Schoeneck Containers in New Berlin; Edstrom Industries in Waterford; Menasha Packaging in Hartford, Green Lake and Oshkosh; Inland Label and Marketing Services in La Crosse; Weyerhaeuser Company Customer Service Center in Green Bay; Jensen Metals in Racine; Rehrig Pacific in Pleasant Prairie; Scot Forge in Clinton; WASCO in Milwaukee; and American Packaging in Columbus.

Rehrig Pacific, a privately owned company located in Pleasant Prairie, Wis., was awarded SHARP certification earlier this year. As the world’s largest manufacturer of returnable plastic crates and pallets for handling and transporting food and beverage products, the company is led by the fourth generation of the Rehrig family. With eight other divisions around the country, the Pleasant Prairie facility is the only one in the Midwest and has close to 60 employees.

“There’s no doubt that a safe work environment is the best,” says Rehrig Pacific plant manager Adam Santa. “As a privately owned company, we put safety first, quality second, and everything else after that. That’s our approach, and one of the biggest benefits of a safe work environment is a healthier morale.”

Another benefit of working toward SHARP certification was that it required Rehrig Pacific to bring all company policies and procedures up to par. Santa points out that this helps employees understand what they need to do to comply with OSHA regulations and gives them the opportunity to exceed those they deem most important to the company. Santa also says that the WSLH was extremely helpful in answering questions and sending educational videos free of charge as the company prepared for SHARP certification.

 As for the award ceremony, clearly it was “a big deal” for all Rehrig Pacific employees. Like the celebration at Trostel, the day included visits from WSLH staff, praise from local dignitaries, a catered lunch and the highly unusual shutdown of the plant, which normally runs round the clock.

“More than anything, it’s been a good opportunity for the company to show employees how much safety really matters,” says Santa. “We have to continue to develop that attitude in our culture and drive that message home so employees will buy into it and really live by it.”

Visit our archives to read articles from previous issues of the UW Business Wire.