OVER-the-counter medications can be "the right stuff" for colds, allergies, first aid, fevers, headaches, and pain in general. They're relatively inexpensive and readily available--all too readily, considering the ease and potential risks of ordering and refilling via online sources.
Editor's note: Static postures aren't harmless; they can cause low back pain, varicose veins, and other problems. Sit to stand postures are preferable, says Ann Hall, marketing manager for LINAK U.S. Inc. LINAK, a Scandinavian company with its North and South American headquarters located in Louisville, Ky., provides movement by electric actuation for customers who design and manufacture a multitude of finished products, including sit-stand desks.
THE statement "All injuries can be prevented" has been bandied around for decades. Some people even have added, "All injuries can and should be prevented." In theory, these statements may be partially true. But in reality, millions and millions of injuries occur every day, in every corner of the world, and this has been going on forever.
FEW workplace injuries leave more noticeable scars and jagged reminders than head/face injuries. Scarring, burns, pitted or uneven skin texture, severe sunburn or frostbite damage, or disfiguring skin pigmentation changes can be forever present after an injury to the face or head.
IN bridge-building environments where natural foot-level anchorage points exist, contractors and inspectors can look at installing horizontal lifeline systems for their means of fall protection.
ACCORDING to OSHA 1910.95(b)(1), when harmful workplace noise cannot be controlled by other means, "personal protective equipment shall be provided and used . . . ." This may seem like an easy task, but it's not. With a plethora of product options available and new technologies offering improved capabilities, safety professionals are often at a loss to understand which product is best in which application.
FLAMMABLE and combustible liquids are present in nearly every workplace. Gasoline, diesel fuel, and many common products such as solvents, thinners, cleaners, adhesives, paints, and polishes may be flammable or combustible.
FOR some years now, there has been a debate over whether it is safer to leave a portable oxy-fuel welding and cutting unit in a constant state of readiness for use, or whether the unit should be disassembled when it will not be used for "X" period of time.
Editor's note: Private and public organizations can use NFPA 1600, Standard on Disaster/Emergency Management and Business Continuity Programs, to set up effective programs for mitigation, preparation, response, and recovery from disasters and emergencies. NFPA (www.nfpa.org) has made the 2004 edition of the standard freely available on its Web site to allow for widespread use.
THE basics of heat stress are well known, as are the ways to prevent it from becoming a problem. That anyone remains at risk of heat-related serious illness, or worse, is a sign that the dangers have been forgotten or simply are being ignored.
IN June 2001, a Marietta, Ga., worker was using his feet to tamp down cardboard inside a compactor when his feet became caught in the cardboard and he was pinned inside the machine.
ENSURING subcontractor safety requirements are adequately defined is often an arduous task. Procurement specifications are used as a complement to the design package and provide additional information to the bidders that defines special conditions associated with the work site, how scrap materials are to be handled, quality provisions and, of course, safety requirements.
THE federal government finally has involved itself seriously in fire protection--a decidedly local responsibility from the days when Ben Franklin organized the first volunteer fire department. In the days since September 11, 2001
IN any large-scale industrial environment, the coordination between providing immediate assistance to injury victims and concurrent dispatch of follow-on assistance is extremely critical.
CALIFORNIA leads the nation in milk production. Its approximately 1,200 dairies produced more than 32 billion pounds of milk in 2000.
IN our work with companies striving to become safety excellence organizations, we've learned the biggest impediment to achieving improved performance is an inability to overcome the conventional "wiz-dumbs" of safety (wrongheaded thinking that impedes progress in the right direction) that inhibit organizational change.