Mitigate Risk in the Grain Handling Industry

 Risk in Grain Handling

With the threat of food safety issues, fires, explosions, falls from heights, engulfment, entrapment, serious injury, and even death, grain handling facilities are highly hazardous and chock-full of risk.

Grain handlers are increasingly exploring ways to reduce hazards and mitigate the inherent risk associated with the industry, while striving to meet demand for their products. To complicate matters, when contractors and the nature of their work are introduced into this environment, the risk is compounded.

As a result, the grain handling industry faces unique challenges in all aspects of their operations that require specialized solutions.  The vetting process and management of contractors is one challenge that is often neglected or inadequately conducted.  For this reason, many in the industry have turned to Appruv’s cloud-based contractor prequalification platform to help mitigate risk as it applies to production, insurance, health and safety, food safety, finance, legal, and compliance.

 Compliance

Because of the type of work and the hazardous processes that can be present, the grain handling industry is highly regulated.  Whether it’s health and safety, food safety, or environmental issues, contractors can affect an organization’s compliance.  Qualifying contractors with Appruv removes the cost and burden from an in-house process and ensures that contractors meet or exceed an organization’s high expectations and will perform at a high level.  OSHA’s Process Safety Management (PSM) requirements are just one example of a regulation that includes special provisions for contractors and their employees.

Contractor Training and Orientation

The grain handling industry is complex, and each facility has its own unique policies and procedures that must be communicated to contractors.  Even if contractors have prior industry experience, it is important to ensure that contractor workers are equipped with the knowledge of the hazardous nature of the facility and its policies and procedures, along with applicable health and safety and food safety rules and regulations.  This information must be thoroughly communicated in a reliable and consistent way.  Appruv’s Learning Management System is the perfect platform to host professionally produced and narrated training and orientation modules for contractor workers.  Appruv has an in-house video production team that can produce these modules if needed.  Within their Appruv account, contractors can complete necessary training before arriving to work at your facility.

Worker Management

Because of protected areas and the potential for contamination, contractor workers coming in and out of your facility can be problematic.  Appruv can help you better manage the visibility of third-party contractors, vendors, and suppliers who work in your facilities.  Badges with embedded codes unique to each contract worker are scanned using Appruv and time-in and out are tracked in the system.  Appruv acts as a powerful accountability tool, allowing teams to track contractors on-site during emergency assemblies and project work.

A Network of Experienced and Qualified Contractors

Because of Appruv’s heavy presence in the graining handling, food processing and agricultural sectors, we’ve built a strong network of experienced and qualified contractors who specialize in the industry.  The network includes a spectrum of contractor types and specialties, ranging in size from the small mom-and-pop contractors to large nationwide service providers.  This enables an organization to meet customer demands, increase efficiency, and most importantly, reduce risk.

Preferred by Contractors

In 2019, Appruv conducted a formal survey of its contractor network.  When compared to its competitors, Appruv came out on top across the board.  Contractors gave high marks to Appruv in regard to the following categories:

• Affordable price point
• Ease of use
• Less burden
• Excellent customer support
• Return on investment through the access and use of Appruv’s comprehensive resource center

This is an often overlooked, but important aspect of the contractor prequalification process.  Many of  Appruv’s competitors neglect some of these components of the service, which causes problems and discontent amongst the contractor network.  Utilizing a service with these attributes minimizes the issues that contractors deal with and encourages their participation in the crucial process.

Appruv Resource Center

Appruv’s network of contractors and hiring clients have full access to our industry leading resource center that contains thousands of dollars’ worth of value that included with their membership in our network.  The Appruv Resource Center includes:

• Free interactive health and safety training videos
• Free customizable written health and safety programs
• A comprehensive library of safety meeting and toolbox talk topics
• Discounts on products and services such as safety consulting, background checks, and personal protective equipment
• A library of various safety forms and templates that make day-to-day tasks easier

Access to these resources can help optimize health and safety programs and practices, train and educate the workforce, and helps build a stronger safety culture.

Appruv’s Platform

Appruv’s cloud-based contractor prequalification platform provides a variety of services and tools to help manage contractors.  Appruv verifies that contractor insurance is in place, collects essential health and safety information about the contractor company, collects financial information, and can collect, verify, and manage virtually any documentation or data that’s needed.

Appruv’s worker management feature enables you to effectively manage all workers accessing the site through training verification, site orientation, and worker credentials and certifications.

Appruv acts as a powerful accountability tool through the use of badges with embedded codes unique to each contract worker that can be used to provide all necessary information about the worker, as well as tracking when they enter and leave the site.  This can be especially helpful in managing the site emergency action plan and accounting for everyone’s well-being and safety in emergency situations.

To learn more, contact Appruv today.