It is impossible today to have a discussion about safety without involving economics. The cost of safety is tied directly to the profits of a company. If it is an unsafe company, it will almost certainly pay out more in Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) fines, lawsuits and attorney's fees, and for increased insurance premiums than needed.
All of those payments directly affect the bottom line. This article describes how profits are lost through unsafe practices, and helps provide companies with a program to help stop the leakage. It's directed at construction and demolition (C&D) recycling businesses, both fixed facilities and mobile facilities, but can be used by all industry.
Tours of C&D recycling operations can, unfortunately, reveal unsafe situations at C&D recycling facilities. On one visit I saw three men standing next to a grinder that was in operation. That particular grinder emits out about 110 decibels of sound when it is in full operation. None of the men was wearing ear protection.
Another visit included the site of a worker on a conveyor belt while it was in operation. He's one of those "pack rats" that you see at C&D facilities who can't resist a good find. In this case, he was getting a game for his daughter, but playing a very dangerous game of his own.
Another site I witnessed on a tour was a valve sticking up from …
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