CHESS provides safety, health & environmental consulting services, with a focus on small business – those where the primary decision-makers have a direct involvement in safety. Our primary goal is to protect the company assets, particularly its human assets.
CHESS:
- Helps companies deal with regulators such as OSHA and the MPCA/EPA. We identify what regulations apply and explain how to comply with those.
- Conducts safety/health/environmental compliance audits, to determine where the company is at risk of employees being harmed and at risk of being out of compliance with regulators.
- Evaluates workplaces for hazards and recommends ways to address those hazards.
- Handles regulatory reporting (hazardous waste, wastewater, air quality, even the electronic filing of OSHA 300A injury log summaries).
- Provides safety and health training to employees.
- Helps to return injured employees to work.
- Writes OSHA grant proposals.
Although CHESS specializes in providing comprehensive services to small businesses, we work with companies of all sizes, from two employees to over 200,000, and on projects of all sizes, from providing a one-hour safety training session or one day of noise monitoring to helping, year after year, with all aspects of a client’s safety/health/environmental program.
We believe that every client has unique needs and its own culture, so we adapt to that, providing the services that you need. We will work with you to develop your occupational safety and health program from the ground up, building upon what you have already established, assist you with safety training where appropriate, or consult with a specific safety, health, or environmental concern.
CHESS’s Core Values
Since we founded CHESS, we have used these principles to guide our business:
- Strive for excellence
- Education is critical
- Getting it right
- Always learning and growing
- Documents and correspondence are accurate
- Clients get what they need
- Every client is important
- Strive to meet their needs, even if it’s last minute
- Treat them with respect
- Listen
- Operate ethically
- Programs and work are customized for each client
- People matter
- Family is important
- Respect and protect the environment
- Never put employees at risk (our own) and reduce the risk for client employees
- Listen
Are you right for us?
- You’re looking for a trusted adviser. You rely on your accountant and your lawyer. You can rely on us, too, for honest, practical and correct advice.
- You are willing to invest in your employees. Even if you’re hiring us because you want help with OSHA compliance, the ultimate reason is for the health and safety of your employees.
- You value quality. You don’t want the minimal generic compliance you would get by buying an off-the-shelf safety program. You want someone who can actually help you.
- You try to provide a safe working environment – but you know you don’t know everything.
DBE/Women-owned and Insurance
CHESS is a certified DBE, small and women-owned business enterprise. We hold the following certifications:
- Minnesota United Certification Program
- Department of Transportation
- Metropolitan Airports Commission
- Metropolitan Council
- Minnesota Small Business Procurement Program
- Central CERT (Hennepin County, Ramsey County, St. Paul, and Minneapolis)
- Wisconsin Department of Transportation
Copies of certifications are available upon request. CHESS also maintains the highest level of Errors and Omissions insurance possible. We are in excellent standing with our insurers.
History
Carol Keyes and Janet Keyes, the sisters who own CHESS, began the company in 1993. Carol had her own rehabilitation firm, trying to get injured workers back to work. Janet’s job was to keep people from being harmed at work. They joked that instead of Janet trying to put Carol out of business and Carol dealing with Janet’s mistakes, they should work together.
The safety sisters knew that in smaller businesses, the company owner, the human resources director, or the production supervisor wears many hats, with safety being just one of them. They needed help with safety programs and OSHA compliance. These small and medium-sized businesses care about their employees (and about the cost of injuries), but don’t need a full-time safety person. Janet’s background and training as an industrial hygienist put emphasis on preventing workplace injuries and illnesses. Carol’s background in workers’ compensation and her experience running her own small business gave her insight into the need of business owners for cost-effective safety and health consulting.
1993
CHESS is incorporated
1996
First automotive repair shop as client
1996
Started working with the Alliance of Automotive Service Providers – MN
1998
Started working with municipalities
1998
First Workplace Consultation safety grant secured for a client
2007
Janet awarded Fellow, American Industrial Hygiene Association
2008
CHESS recognized as Small Business of the Year by the Dakota County Regional Chamber of Commerce
2010
Carol becomes a Certified Safety Professional
2014
Moved to current offices in West St Paul
2015
American Society of Safety Professionals publishes Consultants Business Development Guide, co-edited by Carol with Janet’s assistance
2020
Carol awarded President’s Award and the Culbertson Award by American Society of Safety Professionals