Workplace discussions of respiratory protection frequently focus on required protection. We may ask, "What about comfort? Are you feeling secure and protected in work environments from potential or imagined respiratory hazards?" We want our employees to feel comfortable at work. One problem is when they "feel" better wearing a respirator when there is no real established need or exposure that would require it.
Creating the kind of culture where we go longer periods of time without injuries--and where no injury is acceptable--is a serious undertaking. In the past three articles, we have sketched the characteristics we have observed in organizations that do just this. Notably, the emphasis has been on the role of leaders: taking ownership for the culture, systems, and results; developing an exposure (vs. injury) focus; and rethinking the measurements and metrics that drive safety functioning and shape the assessment of our efforts.
To help ensure that hazardous chemicals are used and handled safety in the workplace, OSHA created the Hazard Communication (HazCom) standard, 29 CFR 1910.1200, in 1994. The standard requires employers to create a program to properly handle hazardous chemicals in their workplaces.
Very few individuals, families, companies, hospitals, cities, or even countries are properly prepared to prevent or minimize the human morbidity and mortality, the social disruption, and the economic consequences caused by the results of an H5N1 avian influenza pandemic.
Safety directors at oil refineries today are required to keep up to date with an ever-increasing list of regulations from a number of sources. State and federal regulations govern everything from the maintenance of equipment to training of operators, and new regulations are proposed continuously.
LONG considered the "ugly duckling" of the safety footwear business, the safety toe overshoe developed from the venerable galosh has a new lease on life. To be fair, there have been some pretty ugly ones, and even some that were downright dangerous. However, the "gumshoe" has come a long way since African-American inventor Alvin Longo Rickman first patented an overshoe in 1898.
WHILE many new topics are addressed in the ANSI Z359 family of fall protection standards--which was available for purchase in late August and takes effect Oct. 15--one of the critical concepts presented is certified and non-certified anchorages for fall protection systems.
Recovering from a disaster is never easy, whether it's a hurricane, tornado, earthquake, fire, flood, or thunderstorm. These events have the potential to cause loss of equipment, power failures, non-functioning communication systems, and missing or otherwise preoccupied personnel.
THE night he fell, Gary was working as a line cook at the signature restaurant of a newly opened, 5-star resort hotel. With more than 10 years of experience in restaurants, he had never experienced an injury on the job beyond some occasional cuts and burns--those all minor and mostly when he was learning the ropes. He was glad to have a nice assignment in this prestigious restaurant; the spacious kitchen and gleaming new equipment made for a very pleasant work environment.
EXPOSURE to high levels of hydrogen sulfide gas is a well-documented and understood hazard. OSHA and NIOSH standards have long recognized this acute risk with appropriate short-term maximum exposure levels for workers. However, long-term, chronic exposure to low levels of hydrogen sulfide is not as well understood.
WE live and work in a performance-driven culture. Everything is defined by how well it performs, from the companies we invest in and the vehicles we drive to the laptop computers, i-Pods, and cellphones we use to increase our personal productivity and individual performance. Interestingly, sometimes devices designed for a much humbler purpose turn out to be a bridge to other functional data that prove to be a significant boost to productivity, personal accountability, and major leaps forward in organizational performance.
We live in a world of labels. We trust some labels to be precise: We expect a 250 mg capsule to deliver 250 milligrams of medication, and our 2-liter soft drink bottle undoubtedly holds two liters. But we also accept that some labels provide us only with an estimate.
IN the previous two articles, we discussed the need for clear ownership and a driving focus on exposure in creating an injury-free culture. These two attributes in themselves may compel leaders to reorient their thinking around safety. There is a third attribute, however, where the injury-free culture truly begins to take shape: measurements and metrics.
In recent years, the health and safety industry has recognized and embraced technology in an effort to find a better way to manage chemical information. MSDS management, in particular, has found a ready audience for technology.
ONE of the most rapidly emerging service industries is that of industrial maintenance, and more specifically, water jetting or water blasting. As with any new or growing industry, specific standards and regulations are non-existent, and the industry is left to regulate itself. Fortunately for the water jetting industry, most of the companies providing this service are professionally oriented and strive to take every precaution necessary to protect the interests of employees and clients.
ACCORDING to recent information from OSHA and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, workplace fall-related deaths in the industrial and construction sector rank second only to occupationally related traffic accidents. When it comes to industrial fall protection systems, while challenges exist in designing systems that facilitate workflow, worker protection and safety must come first: Failure is not an option.
"THE Windy City." "Second City." "Chi-town." More recently, "Da Chi." Chicago is known the world over by these and other monikers, but it is the nickname coined by the city's former Mayor Richard J. Daley (father of current long-term Mayor Richard M. Daley) that the National Safety Council has apparently found most appealing. He called his hometown "The City That Works," and, riffing on that, NSC has made "Safety Works" the theme for its annual Congress & Expo.