THE Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon have left their marks on all of us. For those who were present in the New York and Washington areas when these coordinated acts of terror occurred, the joy of surviving the assault was tempered by concerns over the safety of local relatives and colleagues.
THE smell of scorched coffee fills the air on Monday morning. The only sound is that of high-pitched, heatedly arguing staff members, about whose responsibility it was to have shut off the pot before the weekend, as they fan the thin haze of smoke out of the break room.
FALL hazards are a year-round challenge. Some are lurking underfoot in the safest of workplaces; workers encounter others anywhere from a few feet to hundreds of feet above the ground. It helps to have the mindset that fall protection applies at any height, not just at the height where protective equipment is mandatory.
WHAT is it that draws women into the realm of safety consultants? Like many others, Pamela Ferrante, CSP, a consultant in Pittsburgh, was searching for a new career that would provide the potential for more income, and she knew that potential could be found in male-dominated fields.
COMPUTER simulation is helping to protect astronauts on board the International Space Station from carbon dioxide buildup when the crew quarters ventilation system is out of service.
MANAGING hazardous materials in a safe and compliant fashion can be a complex and daunting task unless proper planning and procedures are in place. Many environmental, health & safety (EHS) professionals turn immediately to OSHA and EPA regulations to determine what is required, then provide guidance to those who will ultimately be held responsible for proper use and storage of the hazardous materials.
MANY hospitals today find their financial health in critical condition. Increasing worker's compensation claims, an ongoing nursing shortage, higher operating costs, and reduced government funding contribute to a challenging operating prognosis.
WHEN a recognized hazard cannot be eliminated through engineering controls (at the source) or reduced through administrative controls (staff rotation, procedure development), the last line of defense is through the use of personal protective equipment. One common type of PPE that is also often downplayed is foot protection.
ACCORDING to the National Safety Council (2000), falls represent one of the most common causes of unintentional injury deaths in the United States annually (approximately 14,200 in that year). Only motor vehicle accidents and poisonings ranked higher, with 42,900 and 14,500, respectively.
MAINTENANCE and inspection of the sloping, 600-foot face of Hoover Dam is not a task that can be accomplished in a great many ways.
EFFECTIVE management of flammable and combustible materials is a critical fire prevention and protection issue. The essence of fire prevention is keeping potential fuel away from ignition sources.
DURING the past few years, safety professionals worldwide have been observing the developments in CD-ROM and online training courseware. The advantages of training with these formats are numerous.
PERHAPS never before have the challenges facing occupational health and safety professionals been so starkly defined and potentially consequential. A rapidly expanding global marketplace is creating opportunities in places that could scarcely have been foreseen a decade earlier.
WHAT do you really know about machine safety? Ask yourself, "Would I be comfortable working on this equipment? What if someone I cared about was working on this machine? A spouse? A brother? A sister? Would I want them working on a machine that is not safe?" If you answered no to any of these questions, why would you let your employees work on an unsafe machine?
Editor's note: Ambassador Medical Services Inc. of Marlton, N.J., a third-party administrator of federally required testing programs, has seen its business shift from 100 percent DOT testing at startup in 1988 to a 40 percent DOT/60 percent non-DOT mix today.