MORE than 30 million workers are exposed to hazardous noise levels in the workplace. It is estimated that costs just for work-related hearing disability exceed $242 million annually! The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health reports hearing loss is one of its priority areas for research for this century. Noise-induced hearing loss is the most common way for a person to lose hearing; one out of every 10 Americans suffers a loss of hearing severe enough for it to affect daily conversation and how normal speech is understood.
HOW a person thinks about a problem influences how he or she plans and responds. In most science--physical, biological, and social--analytic thinking is common. As established in analytic geometry, one axiom of this type of thinking is that "the whole is equal to the sum of the parts." Consider three examples.
Many professionals seek the holy grail of upgrading their Safety "culture." But just what is culture, and how can you strengthen it?
FORKLIFT trucks are an essential part of most industrial and supply chains around the world. However, statistics indicate they also present a very significant hazard to people occupying the same workspace. Forklift-involved injuries can be severe or fatal because the trucks are heavy and powerful vehicles.
Are some trainers/companies thinking the new guidelines have discredited on-scene defibrillation or made it less important?
"I need ear plugs--what've you got handy? Can I have these?" This request startled me, coming as it did from a senior-citizen-age office worker whose regular work environment was one of the most tomblike in the building. So I began to quiz her on what she needed and how she planned to use the hearing protection, thinking maybe a music concert with grandchildren, some target practice, or leaf blower/lawn work was causing her concern. Unfortunately, this was not the case.
SIX years ago in New York City, and again two years ago in New Orleans, responders had to collaborate and communicate in crisis environments where tried-and-true technologies were of little use.
DURING the majority of inspections and maintenance performed on aircraft fuel tanks, personnel must enter the interior of the tanks. This type of entry is defined as confined space entry and is regulated by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. In these spaces, personnel can be potentially exposed to dangers such as oxygen deficiency and enrichment, explosive gases, and toxic effects from fuels and maintenance chemicals.
INDUSTRIAL hygienists and the American Industrial Hygiene Association reacted positively to OSHA's request for comments last September on implementing the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals.
At the start of the American Industrial Revolution, worker safety and health were nowhere near the priority they are today. As manufacturing grew, so too did worker injuries and deaths. The idea of safe work grew slowly from a small glimmer to a bright flame inside the collective consciousness of the American workforce.
AS the number of regulations increases worldwide, companies are being held increasingly responsible for the safety of products they manufacture and/or use in the workplace. Not everyone is aware, however, that EH&S compliance is required at multiple steps throughout the lifecycle of a hazardous material or chemical, including during research and development, testing, manufacturing, transportation, usage and disposal.
The glass is decidedly half full when some of the U.S. safety profession's leaders contemplate the Occupational Safety & Health Administration as it enters early middle age. At age 35, the premier federal agency for ensuring workers' safety is obsolete, hamstrung, more competently staffed, and more helpful to its regulated industries, all at once, these experts said in interviews. The bottom line: OSHA accomplishes too little but succeeds at what it does.
TIMES were hard in 1932. In the midst of the Great Depression, deprivation and desperation were the order of the day for the millions of Americans struggling to get by. Bank crashes, business failures, homelessness, and unemployment were at all-time highs; bread lines were lengthening in every major city in the country, and malnutrition was rampant.
IMAGINE you're at an air show. It's a crisp spring day, and you're waiting in anticipation for the next fly-by of aircraft. Next on the list is the famous Air Force Thunderbirds aerial demonstration team.
NO one wants an unsafe work environment. Unsafe or hazardous spots in your environment must first be reported before they can be corrected, however. That takes cooperation from all employees, including those reluctant to blow the whistle.