N any work environment, employers need to consider environmental controls before ever putting an employee in personal protective equipment, such as a respirator, to protect them from dangerous contaminants. A fume extraction system should be one of the first steps to minimize employees' exposure of chemicals and particulates.
LABORATORIES can be dangerous places. Because research and teaching labs often work with such a wide variety of potentially volatile and hazardous substances, they are bound by some very strict operational protocols and safety procedures.
EACH year, more than 100,000 injuries and deaths are attributable to work-related falls. According to the National Safety Council, falls are one of the leading causes of deaths in the workplace. In addition to permanent injuries and lost lives caused by falls, businesses lose billions of dollars each year from significant increases in insurance premiums, worker's compensation claims, product liability costs, and other related expenses.
WHEN the first human cases of avian flu arose in Asia, employees in the affected areas became anxious and, in some cases, terrified. Anxiety and rumors spread, as did the virus, and people were dying--young, healthy people. Asian operations of multinational companies raised the alarm to their corporate offices in the United States.
PICTURE the manufacturing industry as the process of constructing walls. Early manufacturing began by piling one large, irregular-shaped stone atop another, resulting in a wall that was sturdy because of its weight and size but demanding maximum space and materials and reaching only a fraction of its strength potential. As the industry progressed, these stones were shaped into blocks that fit one along another, increasing stability while reducing space and materials.
What is "duct cleaning"?
Ductwork sometimes can become both the source and the pathway for dirt, dust, and biological contaminants to spread through the building. In this case, duct cleaning usually means the removal of dirt, slime, mold, debris, and other materials found in ductwork and other HVAC components (e.g., cooling coil, drain pan).
SHORTcircuits and faults in electric power systems are nothing new--and are typically damaging and even deadly. One type of fault that has received particular attention in recent years is the arc fault, or fault current that travels through the air, which differs from the bolted fault current that flows through conductors, busbars, or other equipment optimally designed to withstand its effects.
IN the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, mold has been receiving substantial press, and for good reason. Many health conditions have been attributed to mold exposure; as a result, there have been more than 10,000 mold-related lawsuits in the United States and the coining of the term "toxic mold."
RESPIRATORS are essential personal protective equipment for protection against some airborne biological hazards in health care settings, tuberculosis (TB), the virus causing severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), avian influenza, and smallpox virus among them.
THE most critical element in ensuring that work inside confined spaces is completed safely is the ability to anticipate safety problems before they become life threatening. Hazard evaluation can be as simple as evaluating changes in work attitude or as complex as evaluating environmental conditions.
IT'S 2:30 in the afternoon and you are home in bed with a cold, sore throat, and runny nose, when the telephone rings. Your wife answers, then brings the phone to you. "It's your boss. There's a problem at work," she says.
IN the quest to treat everybody fairly, quite often we forget the wisdom contained in the expression "different strokes for different folks." Although I have been on site to some 500 workplaces in Canada, the United States, Mexico, and Europe, I've never seen more than one set of rules and procedures--or, for that matter, more than one type of safety training program.
YOUR hearing protection/conservation program is rolling along. Upper management is in full support. The budget is workable and approved, including audiometric testing, and engineering corrections (where possible) have been put into place. Your written program is great.
IMAGINE being an employee in a workplace and going about your duties as you would on a daily basis . . . and an arc flash occurs. There is an explosive pressure wave and fire breaks out. Radiant heat is projected. Dangerous chemicals can be produced. And the damage is serious to fatal.
MICHAEL White is the executive director responsible for apprenticeship and training for the Ironworkers union. He oversees numerous training programs for their members at a variety of locations, as well as classes at three permanent training centers the union maintains in New Jersey, Missouri, and California.