Benefits an Industrial Hygienist Brings to Your Insurance Team
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An insurance agency is only as good as its people: the deep bench of resources they have at their disposal, the experience that they carry with them, and the strategic approach with which they service their clients.
Working with an insurance agency that provides access to world-class resources gives you a distinct advantage in the marketplace. An industrial hygienist is just one resource that a top-tier insurance agency should provide to their construction, real estate, and manufacturing clients.
What is an industrial hygienist?
An industrial hygienist specializes in recognizing exposures in safety and employee health in the workplace and develops policies and procedures to manage and prevent risk.
Do I need an industrial hygienist?
The truth is, nearly every company needs an industrial hygienist on their side, including property owners, businesses with office space, or contractors.
Having an industrial hygienist on your team gives you access to specialized knowledge on employee and workplace safety that could save you in the long run when it comes to claims. Knowing that you’ve done your due diligence to protect your employees and your organization is bound to bring you peace of mind.
However, hiring an industrial hygienist internally is not always feasible. To start, there just aren’t very many Certified Industrial Hygienists (CIH) in the country. The recruitment process for these highly sought-after professionals can be time-consuming and expensive.
That’s why it’s important that M3 staffs this position for our clients.
A bit of a humble brag: M3 is one of the only insurance agencies in the country to have a Certified Industrial Hygienist on staff full-time and available to our clients. We’re proud that our clients have access to this world-class resource through us, and that they don’t have to have a full-time industrial hygienist in house in order to reap risk management benefits.
Benefits of having an industrial hygienist on your insurance team
There are many technical benefits to having an insurance team that includes an industrial hygienist, but there is one major underlying advantage that puts them into perspective. If your insurance team employs an industrial hygienist – you don’t have to.
One less position to recruit. One less paycheck. One more reason to work with an insurance agency that has the bench strength to back up their strategy.
And then, there are the technical benefits. Industrial hygienists provide consulting on a myriad of workplace safety and risk management topics. Here are just a few:
- Industrial hygienists can perform silica sampling, provide engineering control solutions, and advocate for respiratory health best practices in your workplace.
- Noise exposure evaluations and assessments can be performed by industrial hygienists, along with the development of hearing conservation programs to promote auditory health.
- You can work with industrial hygienists to complete indoor air quality (IAQ) assessments in buildings including baseline exposure evaluations such as temperature, relative humidity, CO, and CO2. Additional evaluations include: reviewing HVAC system maintenance and performance troubleshooting, moisture damage including mold exposure consultation and assistance, and potential chemical exposures including total volatile organic compounds (TVOCs). This work is not just recommended for construction, real estate, or manufacturing clients; it is also relevant to schools, college campuses, and other commercial or public buildings.
Many industrial hygienists have specializations. M3’s Certified Industrial Hygienist, Paul Klein, has expertise in industrial ventilation system design, evaluation, and performance. He is also a seasoned OSHA 10-hour General Industry outreach trainer specializing in respiratory protection, hearing conservation, ventilation, and chemical exposure assessments.
When you’re choosing an insurance agency, your first question may not be about whether or not they have an industrial hygienist on staff. However, your insurance team is only as good as its people – and having an industrial hygienist on board gives you an advantage in the marketplace.
Contact a member of M3’s Construction and Real Estate practice group to learn more about how an industrial hygienist can make an impact.
