Protecting hearing and preventing hearing loss

According to ISHN, hearing loss is the most common work-related illness.  It's estimated that each year, 22 million United States workers are exposed to hazardous levels of noise.  By developing a hearing loss prevention program, companies can reduce this risk.

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Noise-induced hearing loss is the most common work-related illness in the United States. Each year, an estimated 22 million U.S. workers encounter noise exposures loud enough to be potentially hazardous. In addition to damaging workers' quality of life, occupational hearing loss can carry a high economic price to society.

What are the Risk Factors?

Occupational hearing loss occurs as a result of workers' exposure to loud noise. In fact, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) recommends that workers should not be exposed to noise at a level that amounts to more than 85 decibels (dBA) for 8 hours. The level of risk is influenced by several factors:

• Noise level – as noise level increases, the risk also increases
• Duration of exposure – the longer the noise lasts, the more hazardous it becomes
• Impulsiveness – noises that have very abrupt starts and stops (such as hammering, gunfire, or fireworks) are more dangerous than constant noise of the same overall level
• Intermittency – periods of relative quiet between exposures allow the ear to "rest" and reduce the risk

To read more click here.

AEM, Future Farmers Promote Safe Use of Agricultural Equipment

The proper use of agricultural equipment is a vital factor in keeping employees safe. The AEM and the FFA have joined forces to bring about a new awareness program to help in these efforts. This ISHN article details the process.

ISHN, Farmers Promoting Safety

The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) is partnering with the Future Farmers of America (National FFA) to promote the safe use of agricultural equipment through a new awareness program – “Tune into Safety.”

A large majority of FFA members, many of whom are directly involved in using agricultural equipment, are enrolled in safety training as part of their education.

The program will award points and shared sales revenue to FFA chapters for including AEM safety manuals in their members’ safety training. It will also provide individual members the opportunity to increase their annual fund-raising efforts by selling the manuals in their communities while communicating the importance of farm equipment safety to their peers.

Program Encourages ROPS, Seatbelt Use
Jaime Vos, AEM safety materials manager, stated: “We’re hoping FFA members take the opportunity to share their personal experiences through social media, express their views about safety when using farm equipment, and communicate the importance of using best safety practices to their peers and community.”

Click here to read the full article.

Optrel Weldcap Reinvents the Welding Helmet with Radical, Casual New Design

A new take on the traditional welding cap has been featured in this ISHN article. With its revolutionary wear comfort, extensive field of view and lightweight design, it's no wonder why the Optrel Weldcap(R) is achieving high marks in comfort and design. 

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Optrel Inc., the global innovator of auto-darkening filter technology for welding helmets, has reinvented the welding helmet with a radical, casual new design: weldcap®. The new optrel weldcap combines the lightweight wear comfort of a baseball cap with the full protection of an autodarkening welding helmet. weldcap is soft where it needs to be comfortable, rigid where it needs to be tough — combined with an extensive field of view that expands a welder's line of sight by 2.7 times.

“We know that welders rank field of view and comfort as essential features in a welding helmet. The more comfortable the helmet, the more productive a welder can be. The wider the viewing area, the safer the welder can be,” said Renee S. Bessette, Vice President of Marketing and Operations. “weldcap raises the bar for the ultimate in wear comfort and protection. In our conversations with weldcap users, they are continually amazed by the field of vison they get in such a lightweight helmet.”

Weldcap takes an innovative approach in its design to achieve this revolution in comfort and vision.

Revolutionary Wear Comfort – weldcap’s lightweight, flame-retardant textile is soft where it must be comfortable and its robust plastic is rigid where it must be tough, while meeting the ANSI Z87.1+ standard for impact resistance. Its sleek, flexible design enables users to access confined spaces without hindrance.

To read more on this new welding cap, click here. 

Chuck Noll’s leadership legacy

Leadership comes in many forms - including a NFL head coach. As this ISHN article clearly states, it takes courage and tact to be appropriately candid, but it is very necessary in order to hold people accountable and to set a standard of performance that will define your culture for safety.

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The very recent passing of Chuck Noll, Hall of Fame coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, has stirred the emotions and thoughts of many. Chuck Noll is the only NFL head coach to win four Super Bowls and may be the greatest NFL head coach of all time. Charles Henry Noll never received the credit he truly deserved but those closest to him realized his exceptional leadership qualities, almost instantly.

In the local press coverage, former players and those from the Steelers’ front office have had the most to share about Coach Noll. He had many outstanding leadership qualities but one of the most highly regarded was his candidness. Chuck Noll knew how to be very straightforward about performance but he wasn’t deeply offensive – he had tact. We can learn from Chuck Noll by being forthright and candid about safety-related performance.

1. Be as direct about performance issues by being as open and honest as possible.

2. Don’t make it personal or use name-calling to defeat someone.

3. Don’t wait to address performance issues - the earlier the better.

4. Don’t belittle someone in front of their peers or others.

5. Use your words carefully – some words cut deeply and humiliate.

It takes courage and tact to be appropriately candid, but it is very necessary in order to hold people accountable and to set a standard of performance that will define your culture for safety. Mike Tomlin, the current head coach of the Steelers, often uses a phrase that characterizes the Steelers’ culture of success, “the standard is the standard.”

The Steelers’ standard of success didn’t start with Coach Tomlin, it started with Chuck Noll. Learn to be candid about safety performance; it will go a long way in setting and defining your own standards of success.

To see the full article, follow this link. 

What is a safety program policy?

Safety in the workplace could not be of greater importance but without the foundational policy, a company lacks a key element needed to build and maintain a strong safety program. This ISHN article plainly states four elements that are necessary for an efficient and effective safety program.

takomabiblelot, Flickr.com 

In conducting OSHA training, I’ve found a common misconception about what a safety program policy is. When asked, attendees have repeated company mission or value statements. Some don’t know what it is, or if their company even has one.
A policy statement by definition is an expectation with a consequence attached; in other words, a “work safe or else” message. A policy needs to be all inclusive and relate to a company’s safety program which has specific job processes in place and identified personal protective equipment (PPE) required.

All employees will follow all safety and health procedures, including the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) when required. Failure to do so will result in disciplinary action up to and including verbal warning, written warning and suspension.

What needs to come after this is the “How”

Click here to read more. 

API: Be Safe, Prevent Accidents, Call 811 Before Digging

We're all eager to get to spring yard work! Don't be afraid to tackle the job on your own, but be safe and do this first. According to this ISHN article, it's vital that you check to make sure you're not hitting a utility line, especially if you have not hired a professional contractor.

yael.benari, Flicker.com

The American Petroleum Institute (API) is helping to promote the seventh annual National Safe Digging Month by reminding all Americans to always call 811 before any digging project.

“Dialing 811 before you put the shovel in the ground will keep you and your neighbors safe,” said API Pipeline Director Peter Lidiak. “Striking a single utility line can cause injury, repair costs, fines and inconvenient outages. Every digging project, no matter how small, warrants a call to 811.

Keeping pipelines safe

“The thousands of miles of pipeline that safely crisscross this country supply Americans with the energy they need to fuel their daily lives,” said Lidiak. “To keep this infrastructure safe and reliable, we need the public’s help to prevent accidents resulting from excavation damage to pipelines.”

To read more, click here.

Safety excellence - The six critical components

Power Pusher helps to provide safety in a working environment through their material handling tugs but safety can also be provided in a number of different ways outside of purely physical safety. Actions made in management and supervision also play an important role according to this ISHN article. Are these visible elements a part of your safety processes?

Eugene Zemlyanskiy, Flickr.com

Dr. Dan Petersen was one of the great safety pioneers of the last 50 years. His focus was consistently on developing a viable safety culture that lived safety accountabilities at all levels of the organization. Organizations fully utilizing his Six Criteria for Safety Excellence are among the leaders in safety performance. These criteria are:

Visible Upper Management Commitment to safety. In most organizations it is difficult to pry executives away from their cost, quality and customer responsibilities and have them be visible in the workplace with respect to safety. Roles, responsibilities and associated activities are essential if we are to make the executives field presence accomplishable.

Active Middle Manager Involvement in safety. It is not uncommon for organizations to have far fewer middle managers than in years past. This fact makes their active presence on a regular basis at the workface even more of a challenge. Once again, practical roles, responsibilities and activities provide guidance for these important people to make themselves known in safety where it counts most, on the front line.

To continue reading about the six critical components to safety excellence, click here.

Hand Protection Tool Box Talks

Hand safety is key in any workplace - especially when pulling, pushing, or operating machinery. Make yourself more aware of potential dangers by reading this article from ishn.com. 

Hand Bandage, eveline.timeless

Hand injuries account for 80 percent of all occupational injuries.

This is because the hands are engaged in almost all activities on the job. Can you imagine any occupation that does not make use of the hand? Hands are so important because of their utility. They provide us with the dexterity needed to perform most daily activities. In fact, hands, as tools, are so versatile and can perform many intricate functions more than any single known tool developed by man.

No wonder hands are highly useful on our jobs. There are many dangerous conditions on the job to which the hand is always exposed. Sharp edges, pinch points, protruding objects, splinters, exposed blades on unguarded machinery and many more. These conditions may not always be too obvious to the working person.

To continue this read in hand safety, click here. 

Glove Selection Guideline

 

Public Domain Photo at flickr.com

The right kind of glove can be very helpful in preventing exposure to toxic chemicals. Discover some glove guidelines from this excerpt at ISHN.

Skin contact is a potential source of exposure to toxic materials; it is important that the proper steps be taken to prevent such contact.

Most accidents involving hands and arms can be classified under four main hazard categories: chemicals, abrasions, cutting, and heat. There are gloves available that can protect workers from any of these individual hazards or any combination thereof.

Gloves should be replaced periodically, depending on frequency of use and permeability to the substance(s) handled. Gloves overtly contaminated should be rinsed and then carefully removed after use.

Gloves should also be worn whenever it is necessary to handle rough or sharp-edged objects, and very hot or very cold materials. The type of glove materials to be used in these situations include leather, welder’s gloves, aluminum-backed gloves, and other types of insulated glove materials.

To read the full article, visit www.ishn.com. 

Quality vs. safety: Not a superiority contest

Tug of war by Joshwept via flickr.com

Safety professionals and others in the company often come into conflict when it comes to convincing management who to prioritize, but Dr. Leemann thinks that is counterproductive. Instead, both sides need to come together to improve a company's success. Read more in this ISHN.com article. 

Recently a colleague at my office, Dr. Ron Schulingkamp, shared a Quality Progress article entitled “Quality vs. Safety” by Mustafa Ghaleiw.  As a quality professional, Ron found it interesting that Ghaleiw draws upon Lowellyne James, a quality lecturer at the Aberdeen Business School in the United Kingdom, pitting the quality culture against the safety culture when describing the BP Deepwater Horizon disaster.  James concludes in his blog post, “Safety is not the issue; it is a lack of an understanding of quality and its impact on the triple bottom-line — economic, social and environmental. It is time for BP, the oil and gas industry and regulators to adopt an industry-wide approach that embraces continuous improvement that goes ‘beyond quality.’”

In sharing the article, Ron asked the question,

“How would we describe our quality culture at the Strategic Petroleum Reserve?” 

Read the full article at ISHN.com. 

Diesel exhaust the culprit in some lung cancer deaths

1 Diesel Engine 1930s by Rich701 via flickr.com

With the possible cancer causing effects of diesel, will that impact how you purchase new equipment or replace existing equipment in the coming year? How do you manage the long term impact of job sites on health with immediate business needs? Read more on the topic of diesels harmful effects on ISHN.com.
 
An estimated 6 percent of lung cancer deaths in the United States and the United Kingdom – 11,000 deaths per year – may be due to diesel exhaust, according to a study recently published in Environmental Health Perspectives.
 
The researchers estimate that 4.8 percent of lung cancer deaths in the United States and the United Kingdom is due to occupational exposure to diesel exhaust, while 1.3 percent is due to environmental exposures to the exhaust.

Truckers and miners exposed over their careers to diesel exhaust face a risk of deadly lung cancer that is almost 70 times higher than the risk considered acceptable under U.S. occupational standards. The scientists calculated the lifetime risk for these workers at up to 689 extra lung cancer deaths per 10,000 workers exposed.

Read the full article on ISHN.com. 

Your execs should know: Safety isn’t a commodity anymore

The following is an excerpt from ISHN.com.

The safety job has matured, and will continue to do so – that was one of the takeaways from last week’s National Safety Congress & Expo, sponsored by the National Safety Council.
You can measure safety’s maturity a number of ways. What your execs should understand, if they don’t already, is the days of “a glove is a glove,” “glasses are glasses,” training videos come “canned” from off the shelf, and safety programs… well, if you seen one you’ve seen them all – those days are gone.

Advances in the materials used in just about every type of PPE require a more educated buyer when it comes to making selections. More and more training is not “canned” but customized to specific sites. Leading and lagging safety performance indicators are also customized to be site-specific. Wireless gas detector networks generate volumes of data to be analyzed. Safety apps are raining down on safety departments with absolutely no end in sight.

When you purchase a safety product now, check out the services that are offered with it. PPE vendors are big on education and consultative selling, knowing how overworked many safety managers are today. Some are creating portals where, for a subscription fee or some other form of pricing, you can download training materials, safety meeting materials, checklist, tip sheets, and more. Yes, all this “value added” from PPE makers.

To read the full article, visit ISHN.com.

States strive to reach young workers with safety messages

This is an excerpt from an ISHN article.

They may be at different ends of the country, but Connecticut and Oregon have one thing in common: both are taking steps to help keep young workers safe.

It's a special area of concern. Employees under the age of 25 are twice as likely to be injured on the job, according to a 2005 study published in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine.

They also tend to be unaware of their workplace rights.

Oregon’s OSHA has gone the video route, using a YouTube-hosted video series heavy on humor and music to educate teen workers about things like speaking up on the job and ladder safety. A quirky teacher passionate about lifting techniques demonstrates safe lifting, and singing restaurant workers bring home the message about safety in that industry. (The videos can also be found on Oregon OSHA's website at www.orosha.org/subjects/young_worker.html.)

To read the full article, visit ishn.com.

Healthier Workforces May Lead to a Healthier Bottom Line

This is an excerpt from an ISHN article.

Companies that build a culture of health by focusing on the well-being and safety of their workforce may yield greater value for their investors, according to a study published in the September issue of the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (JOEM), official publication of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM).

The stock market performance of companies that had received ACOEM’s Corporate Health Achievement Award (CHAA), which annually recognizes the healthiest and safest companies in North America, was conducted at HealthNEXT LLC and analyzed by lead authors Raymond Fabius, MD, and R. Dixon Thayer, and colleagues. Companies that receive the award must be engaged in demonstrable and robust efforts to reduce health and safety risks among their employees.

To read the full article, visit ISHN.com.

RIF – Breaking Through Safety Performance Plateaus

This is an excerpt from an ISHN blog post.

RIF, Recordable Injury Frequency, the worldwide standard for judging safety performance, is often talked about as inadequate, but in actuality is seldom, if ever, replaced. Why use this concept?

• RIF is reactionary, not proactive 
• RIF doesn’t give a hint as to what you should do differently to improve safety 
• Why incent RIF performance when all it does is lead to hiding injuries and thus impede progress in resolving the recurring issues that should be addressed 
• RIF means nothing to the front line worker where the risks are lived with every day
• We have all heard these arguments and more. Yet we keep slogging down this same old road expecting a different result, the classic definition of insanity.

A group of safety professionals recently met with the executive safety leadership of a Fortune 50 company that was struggling with the RIF plateau. A number of years back when their injury numbers were higher they attacked the RIF culture that existed, solved many conditional and regulatory issues and took a steep drop in RIF and its associated costs.

The full article is available at ISHN.com.

Why Construction Workers Don't Report Injuries

This is an excerpt from an ISHN article.

More than 25% of construction workers responding to a recent survey by the Center for Construction Research and Training (CPWR) said that they had suffered a work-related injury at some point in their career that they did not report.

Multiple reasons

• Workers accept that injury is part of the job

• They wanted to remain eligible for safety incentive prizes

• They did not wish employers or coworkers to see them as complainers or as weak

• They feared they would not be hired again by their employer if they reported an injury; and

• They found the paperwork and process for filing a claim daunting

“Pain is a natural part of my job”

The focus group participants identified multiple reasons why workers failed to report workplace injuries:

Workers who explained their failure to report a work-related injury were most likely to say that “my injury was small” and “pain is a natural part of my job,” according to the CPWR.

The full article is available at ishn.com.