STUDIES confirm that most workplace injuries are preventable. The level of prevention achieved, however, will depend upon the manufacturer's commitment to safety and also employees' willingness to become involved in injury prevention.
IT is a tough, competitive world out there. Every day, the news reminds us that capital is footloose and labor is fungible: For the price of group health benefits for a single American worker, a firm can hire a Ph.D. engineer offshore. And many do.
FIRE, smoke, explosion, medical trauma, and injury present obvious threats to health and safety. But when chemical or biological toxins are floating invisibly as "aerosols" in the air we breathe, the presence and nature of the hazard are much harder to determine and the consequences potentially far reaching.
THIS paper considers the different safety risks present in modern foodservice, the impact of these risks on stakeholders of foodservice, and suggests an evaluation protocol called SARA, safety analysis risk assessment. Personal safety is one of the most basic concerns of the human species.
DURING the past decade, the methamphetamine (meth) situation in the United States has changed dramatically. What was known primarily as a West Coast problem has quickly spread throughout the country, posing a serious occupational hazard for probation and parole officers, cleanup workers, and others.
SINCE the dawn of man, fire and light have beaten away the dark. A lit torch meant the difference between living and falling prey. Ever since Edison invented the light bulb, flashlights, like all technology, have progressed from a simple momentary torch to a sophisticated lighting instrument that is integral to safe plant operations.
"GETTT iiittt done," one of our maintenance fellows good-naturedly growls at me as a "good morning" comment almost every day as he makes his job list for the day and walks a multi-story construction project in the pre-shift quiet. It seems to be the unspoken slogan for most maintenance men, from entry level to advanced engineers.
Editor's note: Today's clean agents quench fires quickly without damaging sensitive contents of the structure, and they cause no environmental damage, says Joe Ziemba, marketing manager for engineered systems with Marinette, Wis.-based ANSUL Inc., which is part of Tyco Fire & Security. He discussed clean agents' role in fire suppression and the best applications for new, cleaner agents in this June 10, 2005, conversation with Occupational Health & Safety's editor.
THE other night, I was watching the blockbuster movie "Titanic." Seeing that iceberg break up the world's most un-sinkable ship, it occurred to me that it's life's dangers that you can't see that will get you in trouble.
Editor's note: Motivating the younger generation of workers is a new, more challenging ballgame, employers everywhere are learning. Fortunately, recognition and incentive programs can help them win it, says Adrienne Forrest ([email protected]), national director of special markets for Bulova Corp. (www.bulova.com) of Woodside, N.Y. She explained why in a June 27, 2005, conversation with Occupational Health & Safety's editor. Excerpts from the interview follow:
IN today's environment, a company simply cannot afford the financial or lost productivity costs associated with work-related injuries. Skill necessary to perform most tasks requires significant training, and time lost to injuries not only costs a company in medical expenses, but also in lost productivity and morale.
THE United States Postal Service has dramatically reduced job-related injuries and illnesses by bringing management, unions, and employees together to identify potential hazards and health risks and develop programs to eliminate them.
SLIPS and falls are a leading cause of unintentional injury in the United States. National Safety Council statistics noted in 2003 that 14,200 deaths from the previous year were caused by falls from one level to another or falls on the same level--the leading non-vehicular cause of death in public places.
IT'S hard to judge from day to day how much you should invest in training. Even through you know training improves productivity, morale, and retention of key employees, the question of cost still remains.
BY now it is well understood by industrial workers that unprotected exposure to loud noises can lead to permanent hearing loss. In fact, it could be said that most people living in the modern age have at least some sense of the potentially harmful effects of loud noise on hearing.