As many field staff have commented after smaller bottles were released, the great thing about new ALS bottles is that you can fit twice as many in a large cooler. This presents a risk, which ALS is working to overcome, as many smaller bottles in a large cooler can result in individual coolers weighing 30, 40 or 50 kg! This is a risk that ALS is using the hierarchy of safety control to address.
Based on the NIOSH hierarchy of hazard controls, the best way to control a hazard is to eliminate it or to find a substitution that is less hazardous. We believe that the elimination of large coolers significantly reduces manual handling risks associated with field sampling activities for ALS clients, couriers and front-end staff.
New Coolers for ALS Customers
Ergonomics and Safety Drivers for Change
One of the other challenges of two handled large coolers is that they are difficult for a single person to carry as it places strain on our back. If the same weight is distributed between two smaller one handled coolers, and carried at our sides, it is much easier for a single person to carry and significantly reduces the potential for back strain.
Important benefits of using the new smaller ALS coolers include:
- Safety as a Priority - Improved safety for field samplers, couriers, and ALS shipping & receiving staff
– Reduced risk of manual handling injury - Smaller coolers will weigh less and are much easier to handle
- Improvements to freight, storage space and sampling logistics
– Our clients will benefit from smaller coolers through decreased freight costs and storage space requirements as many large coolers go out a quarter full.
This initiative has been implemented in other ALS regions globally with unanimous support from clients, as it aligns with the corporate strategic objectives of almost every customer of ALS globally.
The ALS cooler initiative is another phase in our Canada-wide efforts focused on safety for field sampling and logistics staff via good science and consideration of your challenges and needs.