September 2014 OH&S

September 2014

  • HEARING PROTECTION: Enough Already with the Preaching!
  • TRANSPORTATION SAFETY: Moving Beyond Reactive Safety
  • 2014 NSC PREVIEW: San Diego Sojourn
  • FOOT PROTECTION: Choosing the Right Protective Footwear
  • HEAD & FACE PROTECTION: Understanding Head Protection
  • DRUG & ALCOHOL TESTING: What Are the Costs Associated with Marijuana Legalization?
  • DRUG & ALCOHOL TESTING: Drug Testing & Safety: What's the Connection?
  • DEFIBRILLATORS & CPR: The Importance of CPR & AED Safety Training
  • DEFIBRILLATORS & CPR: CPR/AED Training Isn't Enough
  • EMPLOYEE GIFTS & INCENTIVES: Eliminating the Controversy Over Safety Incentive Programs
  • EMPLOYEE GIFTS & INCENTIVES: Wellness Incentives Encourage Participation and Engagement
  • MATERIALS HANDLING: Taking a Second Look at Training
  • INDOOR AIR QUALITY: New Alliance Helps with Clearing the Air
  • INFECTION CONTROL: Keeping Infections Out
  • ERGONOMICS: It's Personal
  • FACILITY MAINTENANCE: Vacuuming Up to Prevent Dust Explosions
  • HEALTH CARE: Opportunity Knocks
  • INJURY PREVENTION: Cut Costs, Not Fingers, with an Injury & Illness Prevention Program
  • INCENTIVES: Leading the Way to Leading Indicators
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Cover Story

As work environments change and new hazards emerge, ANSI/ISEA Z89.1-2014 attempts to eliminate any ambiguity regarding characteristics of industrial head protection and their importance in the work environment. (MSA photo)

Understanding Head Protection

By Trish Luedtke, Mackenzie Peters, Sue Pingree

The bottom line is that hard hats must be properly utilized and maintained to ensure safety.


Features

The incentive is the reward, but don

Eliminating the Controversy Over Safety Incentive Programs

By Carrie Greene

Research proves that positive reinforcement generates consistent and continuous behavior change.


Common risk factors include frequent manual material handling, repetitive motions throughout the work shift, and awkward or stationary work positions.

It's Personal

By Chuck Paulausky

Back injuries are one of the leading workers' compensation claims. Repetitive motion injuries account for hundreds of thousands of lost workdays every year.


The 2014 NSC National Safety Congress & Expo will take place at the San Diego Convention Center. (San Diego Tourism Authority photo)

San Diego Sojourn

By Matt Holden

More than 970 exhibitors and approximately 14,000 attendees will participate in this year's National Safety Council Congress & Expo this month.


There are significant benefits of having healthier employees, both in savings in medical costs and related insurance premium reductions, and in productivity though better well-being and fewer sick days and time off.

Wellness Incentives Encourage Participation and Engagement

By Ira Ozer

Every wellness program should be designed and measured to produce a return on investment.


The designation of roles and the responsibilities of the leader and team members must be defined prior to the emergency.

CPR/AED Training Isn't Enough: We Must Teach 'Response'

By Odelia Braun

Failure to respond poses the real threat to SCA survival.


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.

Moving Beyond Reactive Safety

By Dave Terry

Employers should review the hazards associated with each job task in order to determine the level of safety training provided.


Before launching an I2P2 program, think about the last facility safety audit conducted at your facility. What items or activities were checked? Were the changes implemented? (American Red Cross photo)

Cut Costs, Not Fingers, with an Injury & Illness Prevention Program

By Jack Rubinger, Brian McFadden

Ensure that employees understand the systems and procedures that are in place, and continue to take their feedback.


Reasonable suspicion drug testing is a critical safety measure.

Drug Testing & Safety: What's the Connection?

By Joe Reilly

Enacting a clear drug testing policy to eliminate workplace substance abuse is an important step toward maintaining a safe work environment.


The HAI landscape also has changed because of new fomites, or substances and objects that carry infectious organisms.

Keeping Infections Out

By Jamie Friedlander

Health care-associated infections still plague hospitals across the country. Properly protecting against and preventing them is the key to lowering the annual number of illnesses and deaths.


The U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration projects a shortage of 20,400 primary care physicians by 2020.

Opportunity Knocks

By Annessa Fort

Among the ACA's many changes, new career opportunities in occupational health are emerging.


A staged explosion is used to test a dust collector

Vacuuming Up to Prevent Dust Explosions

By Dawn Shoemaker

Industrial vacuum cleaners or wet/dry vacuums can help to prevent the development of dust clouds or electrical sparks that can be generated by compressed air systems.


The assessment should consider facility-wide needs, department needs, and specific job functions and be documented.

Choosing the Right Protective Footwear

By Bob Hogan

A larger selection of brands usually means a larger selection of comfort technologies, and a larger selection of styles usually means more satisfied workers.


Mold grows easily in flood-related conditions. (VFA, Inc. photo)

New Alliance Helps with Clearing the Air

By Fred Elliott

AIHA is one of the partners in the new Indoor Environmental Quality Global Alliance.


Eighty percent of the more than 3,300 SHRM members polled from Dec. 16, 2013, though Jan. 16, 2014, for SHRM

Leading the Way to Leading Indicators

By Bill Sims Jr.

Companies need to reinforce desired behavior, not results, especially when it comes to injury hiding. However, injury hiding isn’t the only thing to question in lagging incentives.


Treating marijuana the same as alcohol is impossible for several reasons. There are no measurements for marijuana impairment that relate across the board to how we understand alcohol impairment.

What Are the Costs Associated with Marijuana Legalization?

By Jo McGuire

An employer who takes the view that Friday night use of marijuana is none of his concern will begin to see ramifications when impairment on Monday morning endangers workplace safety.


Perhaps the most impressive improvements in ear muffs have been achieved through the integration of electronics. (PIP photo)

Enough Already With the Preaching!

By Anthony Di Giovanni

Workers now have a choice. Plugs come in all shapes and sizes so that they are comfortable to wear, and ear muffs allow you to communicate and hear warning signals without having to pop them on and off.


Yale combines classroom and hands-on training into a comprehensive instructional program for lift truck operators. (Yale Materials Handling Corporation photo)

Taking a Second Look at Training

By Jay Costello

Use these tips to ensure you have an effective materials handling training program.


AEDs available today only require the user to turn the AED on and follow audio instructions when prompted.

The Importance of CPR & AED Safety Training

By Jeff Walters

One challenge with saving victims of cardiac arrest is that there is often a lag before bystanders take action.


Departments

Sherlocking Safety

By Robert Pater

Sherlock's tales consistently show there's typically more going on than what's on the surface.


Report Offers Lessons from the Oso Landslide

By Jerry Laws

It recommends communicating landslide risks clearly and consistently to the public, implementing monitoring and warning systems, and making seismological recordings of landslides–especially large ones.


Becoming a Rising Star in Safety

By Shawn M. Galloway

Anyone can be an effective leader if provided the right focus, skills, tools, and support.


Artificial Intelligence