October 2016 OH&S -- Occupational Health & Safety

October 2016

INDUSTRIAL HYGIENE/IAQ: Basics of Indoor Air Quality in the Workplace
INDUSTRIAL HYGIENE/IAQ: Sick Building Syndrome: What It Is and Tips for Prevention
FOOT PROTECTION: Putting Our Best-Protected Feet Forward
HEARING PROTECTION: Proven Methods for Reducing Noise Exposures
HEARING PROTECTION: Can You Hear the Training Now?
HEARING PROTECTION: Selecting Hearing Protectors -- It's the Fit That Counts
NSC 2016 PREVIEW: Our Anaheim Excursion
ERGONOMICS: Creating an Effective Ergonomics Program
EMPLOYEE ALCOHOL & DRUG TESTING: Maintaining Drug-Free Workplaces Where Marijuana is Legal
EMPLOYEE ALCOHOL & DRUG TESTING: How to Maintain a Drug-Free Workplace and Ensure Audit Success
MATERIALS HANDLING: Fork Truck Free and New Materials Handling Innovations
EMPLOYEE GIFTS & INCENTIVES: OSHA Guidelines, Incentives, and the Win-Win-Win-Win Scenario
EMPLOYEE GIFTS & INCENTIVES: Safety Incentive and Reward Programs Can Help Increase Work Safety
DEFIBRILLATORS & CPR: A Standardized Process to Determine Appropriate and Effective Placement of Automated External Defibrillators
DEFIBRILLATORS & CPR: Your Heart: The Differences Between Sudden Cardiac Arrest and a Heart Attack
TRANSPORTATION SAFETY: A Comprehensive Look at the FAST Act
TRANSPORTATION SAFETY: Prevent Future Profits From Going 'Down the Crack'
SAFETY MANAGEMENT: Protecting Our Future: Young Worker Safety On the Job

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Cover Story

You will at times be amazed at how little the employee knows about why they must wear the hearing protection and other fundamentals of the program.

Can You Hear the Training Now?

By Linda J. Sherrard

There is no correct, best, or worst training effort. The main things to remember are consistency and repetition. Any information has to be repeated in order for us to actually remember and put it to use.

Features

Sources of chemical pollutants come from five main categories: products used in the building, products that can get pulled into the HVAC system from outside the building, accidental spills, products used during construction activities, and byproducts of combustion such as carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, and nitrogen dioxide.

Basics of Indoor Air Quality in the Workplace

By Wesley J. Maertz

OSHA suggests that a proactive approach be taken to address IAQ concerns. Failure to respond expeditiously and effectively to IAQ concerns can quickly lead to more numerous or serious adverse health issues.

You also might want to consider having your ducts cleaned, or at least inspected. If they contain mold, dirt or vermin, increasing the airflow through them actually might exacerbate your sick building problem.

Sick Building Syndrome: What It Is and Tips for Prevention

By Nikki Heinkel

Telltale clues include increased absenteeism, a large number of occupants complaining about vague but similar symptoms, and a common history of symptom resolution when people are not in the building.

Our Anaheim Excursion

By Matt Holden, Jerry Laws

Get ready for 2016's biggest U.S. safety show by viewing dozens of the new products exhibitors will be displaying.

In addition to selecting HPDs and documenting the PAR achieved by each worker, hearing protector fit testing is a critical component to worker training. (Photo courtesy of 3M Personal Safety Division)

Selecting Hearing Protectors—It's the Fit That Counts

By Ted Madison

In addition to selecting HPDs and documenting the PAR achieved by each worker, hearing protector fit testing is a critical component to worker training.

Protecting Our Future: Young Worker Safety on the Job

By Mike Stearns

Encourage young workers to ask questions about tasks or procedures that are unclear or not understood.

Preferably, have an outsider perform the audit or someone who is somewhat familiar with your program and can ask questions that may cause you to have to think—why do we do it this way?

How to Maintain a Drug-Free Workplace and Ensure Audit Success

By Lisa Ruehle

Our drug-free workplace program should also get a checkup every year. Laws and regulations may have changed, and the company may need to adjust its policies and procedures.

A critical analysis shows that fork trucks are used in manufacturing cells and areas of distribution centers when far less machinery is needed to move product from point A to point B. (Magline photo)

Fork Truck Free and New Materials Handling Innovations

By Thomas R. Cutler

The ergonomic answer to moving heavy items without a fork truck, this innovative approach is designed for ease of use, higher productivity, and keeping workers on the job and free from injuries.

The bottom line is that MSDs affect workers in almost every occupation and industry in the nation and in workplaces of all sizes.

Creating an Effective Ergonomics Program

By Gene Kay

With the right assessment, training, management support, and processes in place, you can proactively identify and eliminate ergonomic issues before they result in debilitating injuries.

For much longer than many people realize, employee engagement has been the driving factor in not only safety, but performance in general.

Safety Incentive and Reward Programs Can Help Increase Work Safety

By Benita Johnson

Ultimately, one of the keys to ensuring job satisfaction and happiness in the workplace is by celebrating your employees’ achievements.

The most effective way to manage noise exposures in the workplace is always by the elimination or removal of the sources that contribute the most to the overall noise exposures. Some processes are inherently noisy, however. (Cirrus Research plc photo)

Proven Methods for Reducing Noise Exposures

By James Tingay

Noise dosimetry may be necessary if the workplace noise levels vary throughout the day or if the workers are mobile, driving vehicles, or working in areas where it is either unsafe or impractical for a sound level meter to be used.

When a defibrillator has shocked the patient, it’s important that the emergency services are called, even if the heart

Your Heart: The Differences Between Sudden Cardiac Arrest and a Heart Attack

By Adam Maidment

Eating healthy, regularly exercising, and generally looking after the body are the best ways to reduce your chances of suffering a heart attack or an SCA.

An emergency involving a cardiac arrest or stroke may require a team with advanced life support providers and equipment or may need to be directed to a hospital that is specially equipped for that particular emergency.

A Standardized Process to Determine Appropriate and Effective Placement of Automated External Defibrillators

By Nancy Famolare, Jane C. Romano

The new tool is an innovative, standardized method of determining the most effective placement of these necessary devices.

Some locations, operations, or hazmat personnel may require security awareness training that includes security risks associated with their specific tasks and methods designed to enhance security.

A Comprehensive Look at the FAST Act

By Matt Holden

The law mandates that FMCSA provide recognition for motor carriers that make voluntary use of advanced technologies and enhanced driver fitness measures.

Properly designed programs are those that improve employee engagement as a precursor to a final goal (in this case safety), and when structured correctly, they produce remarkable results.

OSHA Guidelines, Incentives, and the Win-Win-Win-Win Scenario

By Brian Galonek

Improving employee engagement will greatly enhance the effectiveness of your safety training and meetings, increase participation in voluntary programs, improve two-way communications between employer and employee, and raise morale companywide.