Following the recommendations from The Hartford’s risk engineering consultants, a medical equipment manufacturer can see a potential savings and return on investment between $787,000 and $830,000.
The Problem: Exposure to Mercury
As part of the quality assurance process at the medical equipment manufacturer, employees had to work with the highly toxic material mercury. The company didn’t have an adequate glove box during the step in the process that involved mercury. This put workers at risk for toxic exposure, which can damage the:
- Central nervous systems
- Kidneys
- Reproduction systems
- Unborn fetuses
In addition, consultants found an unsafe air level due to the mercury, which put the impacted workers’ breathing at risk.
The Solution: Reducing Future Exposure to Mercury
Our risk engineering consultants worked with the manufacturer to create a plan to significantly reduce future mercury exposure. The plan included:
- Decontaminating the work area
- Providing medical testing of employees
- Removing the inadequate glove box
- Purchasing and installing a new glove box designed to work with toxic materials
- Implementing a respiratory protection program
- Buying a direct reading mercury monitor
- Daily monitoring of mercury levels
Significant Savings and High Potential Return on Investment
The manufacturer’s total investment was $43,000. This included $10,000 for a new glove box and another $10,000 for a new mercury monitor. The investments this company made led to:
- Potential direct loss avoidance of $207,000
- Potential indirect loss avoidance of $623,000
- Total potential loss avoidance of $830,000
- Potential return on investment of $787,000
