THE SIX CRITICAL ISSUES THAT YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE

YOU HIRE AN EHS FIRM FOR YOUR SAFETY, ENVIRONMENTAL, DOT

TRAINING

Safety & Environmental Associates, Inc. Safety, Industrial Hygiene and Environmental Services

10515 West Markham Street, Suite E10 Little Rock, Arkansas 72205

www.seainc.net

S A F E T Y & E N V I R O N M E N T A L A S S O C I A T E S , I N C .

The Six Critical Issues You Need to Know Before You Hire an EHS Firm for Your

Safety, Environmental and DOT Training

SEA Inc 10515 West Markham Street

Little Rock, Arkansas Phone 501.568.3111 • www.seainc.net

I N T R O D U C T I O N

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Introduction and Congratulations

ongratulations on your decision to have your employees trained to meet Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Environmental Protection Agency

(EPA), Department of Transportation (DOT) and other regulation and consensus standards. This is a big decision since company funds will be invested. However, be encouraged, several companies and associations such as Liberty Mutual Insurance Co., GEMI and OSHA have conducted surveys for years that show for every $1.00 spent on employee safety programs there is a return of $3.00. I am sure you will agree, that's a hefty return on investment. These savings help companies, which do invest in safety programs, to be more competitive and better able to increase sales and grow. So, with that information in mind you are embarking on the right course of action. However, selecting the best Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS) firm to conduct your employee training can be a problem. • How do you know which company is better or worse?… • How do you know if you get your monies worth?… • Will it be done right the first time?… • Can they work within your budget and production schedules?

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Your company's safety and environmental training program depends upon your informed decision. SEA Inc. is providing this information to help you through the maze and separate the good guys from the bad.

C O M P A N Y E X P E R T I S E

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Company Expertise ow do you know if the EHS company you are considering has the expertise to train your employees to become compliant with the regulations required?

First, make sure the EHS company you select has a requirement that their trainers have at least two (2) years of hands on field experience before they are allowed to train your employees. That all trainers are properly certified, where certification is required, in the training area they are teaching. The company should have a list of the training personnel and their certifications and qualifications. Make sure the firm has trained at least 100,000 students. In addition, make sure the EHS company you select is concerned enough for their customers that they conduct additional internal training of personnel to improve their teaching and training skills.

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C O M P A N Y E X P E R T I S E

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SEA's personnel have over 250 years of combined experience in the environmental, health and safety training and compliance industry. Over 50,000 different training classes and sessions have produced over 500,000 trained employees during the past twenty-seven years. All the principals and trainers have degrees, certificates and/or have expertise and field experience in their specific area of training and all personnel attend annual continuous education courses to stay current with the laws and regulations. Internal Mentoring Program classes are held by SEA to sharpen the trainers’ skills and make sure the classes taught are interesting and geared for retention of knowledge. SEA principals have written and developed in the past 20 to 30 years over 15,000 safety, hygien or environmental programs and procedures for client operations. They are experts at training course development using site specific, customized written safety programs and procedures as the foundation. This also provides for excellent presentation material. The presentation material is customized to the client's requirement maximizing the impact of the training sessions. With presentations in the United States, Mexico and Canada .

P R O P E R T R A I N N G F O R Y O U R C O M P A N Y S ’ C I R C U M S T A N C E S

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Proper Training for Your Company’s Circumstances

ake sure the EHS firm you select is willing to perform an assessment of your processes before a proposal for services is submitted. This is very important, as each company and

their facilities have different machinery, manufacturing processes, layouts, methods, etc. It is necessary to customize your training to specifically deal with your particular situation and processes. Make sure the EHS company will do this FREE of charge and will provide a report of findings along with a quotation and schedule to accomplish the training. Your company cannot afford to pay for training that isn't required nor is customized for your particular plant and facilities. SEA's Training and Compliance Assessment is your guarantee that you only pay for what you need. There is no hidden cost. Your training is done right the first time. SEA Inc. will provide this assessment service, FREE of charge and you will get a report of findings so you are aware of what training is required at your facilities. SEA teaches applications of the regulations as they pertain to the client's specific plant operations. SEA's courses are designed and developed to integrate these specific applications so class participants have a practical understanding of how they apply to their particular job. The courses are taught in layperson's terms to maximize retention.

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F I N D I N G A C O M P A N Y

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Finding an EHS Company that makes Safety and Environmental Training Affordable

ake sure the EHS consulting firm you select give you an accurate training proposal. This means a FREE assessment must be performed. Be aware of companies that low-bid

just to get their foot in the door. If a company gives you a quote without evaluating your facility, you can be fairly sure you may be headed for trouble. Once you get an accurate quote, make sure the EHS company has a standard option of spreading payments over a 12-month period. This not only helps your budget situation but also lets you know the EHS company is strong and willing to help you over budget hurdles. This is also another indication of the superior service you will get from an EHS company. SEA's FREE Training and Compliance Assessment program guarantees the right training price and the Easy Payment Program allows you to pay for training over 12 months. It is possible that the savings generated in the first few months could actually pay for the training before you have completed the 12-month payment program. This process of proposal development and easy payments is your guarantee of affordable safety training for your employees.

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V A L U E F O R Y O U R C O M P L I A N C E D O L L A R

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Make Sure You Get The Training Value You Pay For…

raining value can be described as; information and knowledge imparted to participants that is meaningful, focused, interesting and retained. Training value is applicable

knowledge that when transferred to the workplace results in fewer accidents. SEA, Inc. knows that training sessions can be boring and dull. The results of boring and dull classes are participants that fail to learn necessary tools to be effective at their jobs. SEA's trained experts go through additional training at their corporate headquarters called "Internal Mentoring Program". This additional training, which amounts to 72 annual hours, is designed to help trainers increase their knowledge of laws and regulations they will be teaching. It also aids trainers to see how they can use their vast industrial experience to make the sessions more interesting and more practical. This is accomplished by simply asking participant's relative questions concerning their job and having the level of experience to relate directly to their situation. In addition, the mentoring program helps develop training methods that focus on participant retention of training materials. As a requirement, SEA's trainers must have at least two years of field experience. The information they receive from the Training and Compliance Assessment and the report of findings helps them to customize the training sessions for each company and each employee.

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Will The EHS Firm Provide A Flexible Training Schedule So Employees Are Trained In A Reasonable Time?

ake sure the EHS firm you select can provide at least three ways to conduct training.

• At your facilities, according to your production schedule, on call 24 hour a day, 7 days a week.

• At the EHS firm's facilities on a scheduled basis, and • By providing online, live, interactive, computer training where

participants can be trained at work or at home.

It is important that the EHS firm you select have the flexibility to come to your facility and train your employees even at 2:00 o'clock in the morning. This can provide for some of the best training sessions and it is more convenient for employees to attend. In cases where these training sessions cannot be performed at your plant or facility, it is important the EHS firm have provisions for training by computer or at off location sites convenient to the employees.

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F L E X I B L E T R A I N I N G S C H E D U L E

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SEA, Inc. is on call 24/7 to train client participants even if that means early morning sessions or late at night. SEA, Inc. also conducts training at their corporate facilities and at classrooms in off-corporate site locations. All these facilities are well lighted with excellent audio/visual systems, cushioned chairs, rest room facilities and well-regulated HVAC systems. SEA, Inc. has the eSEA-Training System, which can be used at employee's homes or at their company's computers. This is a live, inter active, real-time web based program with SEA's trainers and your participants connected via the World Wide Web. These three flexible training methods make it easy for participants to be trained quickly and on schedule.

S I Z E D O E S M A T T E R

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Make Sure Your EHS Firm Is Large Enough To Handle Your EHS Training Needs But Small Enough To Give You The Personal Attention You Need.

ver 62 percent of the EHS firms in the US are small, one to three person firms. Small firms are not necessarily bad but there is risk to consider when selecting them.

1) Most small firms cannot afford the necessary insurance to

protect them or your company from liability issues. 2) If one or two of their people is working with another customer it

is difficult for them to respond to your needs on an on-call basis. 3) Most small firms are limited in their training ability and can not

provide all the training classes or courses you may need. 4) The loss of a key person can jeopardize the continuation of the

firm. SEA’s staff of 10 full time and 10 part time, trained, experienced and certified training personnel is ideal. They can expand or

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contract to meet demand without being so big that personal attention is lost. All SEA personnel are crossed trained in different areas of safety and environmental laws, which maximizes their flexibility. This flexibility allows SEA to conduct many training sessions on a flexible schedule with many clients. Clients can be serviced at all times for all training needs. Personal attention is reflected in their quick response to client's needs.

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SAFETY & ENVIRONMENTAL ASSOCIATES, INC.

We hope this report gives you information to make the proper decision in selecting an EHS consulting firm. We at SEA, Inc. want to thank you for responding to our promotional material. We will continue our dialog with your company by sending a monthly newsletter. This newsletter will keep you updated on all new issues concerning the EHS laws and regulation.

If you have any questions or need additional information about a specific subject matter, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Safety & Environmental Associates, Inc. 10515 West Markham Street, Suite E10 Office: 501-568-3111 Web: www.seainc.net

Best Regards,

Derek Jennings, President SEA Inc.