Safety 24/7

Often, as part of a complete safety program, companies are stressing Safety 24/7.  We know from the Bureau of Labor Statics and the National Safety Council’s Injury Facts that the number of deaths and injuries in the workplace had declined over the past few years, while there has been a significant increase in deaths and injuries off-site or away from work.

Recently the CDC released a report on Unintentional Injury Deaths Among Persons Aged 0–19 Years. The CDC states that unintentional injuries are the leading cause of death in the United States for persons aged 1–19 years and the fifth leading cause of death for newborns and infants aged <1 year. Traffic crashes remain the leading cause of death for persons in age groups 5–19 years, accounting for 67% of unintentional injury deaths and 28% of deaths from all causes among those aged 15–19.

Improvements in seat belt use, child safety seat and booster seat use, licensing requirements, vehicle design, the road environment, and reductions in alcohol-impaired driving likely contributed to the decline in motor vehicle traffic–related deaths.

Among the 34 Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development countries, the U.S. unintentional injury death rate for persons aged 0–14 years ranked 30th in 2008, with a rate four times higher than the top performing nations (15). Among persons aged 0–19 years, unintentional injury death rates in 2004 in the United States were almost twice the combined rates of high-income countries in the World Health Organization’s European and Western Pacific Regions.

So what does this report really mean? We are doing a good reducing injuries and deaths in the workplace.  This includes more training and awareness and enforcement by agencies such as OSHA, DOT and EPA.  However we are doing a poor job of educating our employees about potential dangers away from the workplace, and as a nation we are significantly behind many of the high-income countries of the world.

The question is WHERE ARE YOU and YOUR EMPLOYEES SAFER, at work or at home?   Not at home.

I know, you don’t have many or any drivers in your company.  Do you have any employees who drive to and from work, or drive when they are not at work?  Chances are some people in your company drives a motor vehicle for work or pleasure.

April is National Distracted Driving Month.  So what’s the big deal?  You might be a person who has to talk on their cell phone when driving.  I get 2 things done at one time….right?   The BIG DEAL is that motor vehicle collisions are the #1 reason employees/workers are killed and injured.  NOTHING is even close to these staggering numbers.  Not slips, trips, and falls, not machine guarding, not confined space, not electrocution, or any other type of work incident you can think of.  Nothing is close.

According the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the National Safety Council (NSC) you might not live long enough to get 1 thing done.   Distracted Driving is growing at an alarming rate, and the number of injuries and deaths are increasing right along with this growth.

According to the U.S. DOT distracted driving is any activity that could divert a person’s attention away from the primary task of driving.  All distractions endanger driver, passenger and pedestrian safety.  There are many forms of distractions.  Here are just a few:

Sending text messages

Using a cell phone

Eating/drinking

Talking to passengers especially in backseat

Grooming

Reading

Using a GPS

Watching a video

Using a computer

Adjusting your car controls, radio, climate, etc.

Looking at highway bill boards

Looking out the side windows at something

Aggressive drivers

Any or all of these can be a distraction that causes you to loose focus of your job, driving your vehicle.

Each day, more than 16 people are killed and more than 1,300 people are injured in crashes involving a distracted driver.  Distracted driving is driving while doing another activity that takes your attention away from driving;  these activities can significantly increase the chance of a motor vehicle crash.

There are three main types of distraction:

• Visual—taking your eyes off the road;
• Manual—taking your hands off the wheel; and
• Cognitive—taking your mind off what you are doing.

Distracted driving activities include things like using a cell phone, texting, eating, drinking, and talking with passengers. Using in-vehicle technologies (such as navigation systems) and portable communication devices can also be sources of distraction. While any of these distractions can endanger the driver and others, texting while driving is especially dangerous because it combines all three types of distraction.

How big is the problem?

• In 2008, nearly 6,000 people died in crashes involving a distracted driver and more than 500,000 people were injured.
• The proportion of drivers reportedly distracted at the time of a fatal crash has increased from 8 percent in 2004 to 11 percent in 2008.
• When asked whether driving feels safer, less safe, or about the same as it did five years ago, more than 1 in 3 drivers say driving feels less safe today. Distracted driving—cited by 3 out of 10 of these drivers—was the single most common reason given for feeling less safe today.

What are the risk factors?

• Some activities—such as texting—take the driver’s attention away from driving more frequently and for longer periods than other distractions.
• Younger, inexperienced drivers under the age of 20 may be at highest risk because they have the highest proportion of distraction-related fatal crashes.

How can distracted driving be prevented?

• Many states are enacting laws—such as banning texting while driving—or using graduated driver licensing systems for teen drivers to help raise awareness about the dangers of distracted driving and to keep it from occurring.
• On October 1, 2009, President Obama issued an executive order prohibiting federal employees from texting while driving on government business or with government equipment.
• In January 2010, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration enacted an interim ban that prohibits commercial vehicle drivers from texting while behind the wheel. In March 2010, a proposed rule was announced that would make that ban stronger and more durable.
• The Department of Transportation recently launched a national campaign to encourage the public to get involved in ending distracted driving. Put It Down focuses on the key messages that drivers can’t do two things at once, and everyone has a personal responsibility to pay attention while behind the wheel.

Fires that affect our homes are often the most tragic and the most preventable.  It is a sad fact, but each year over 75 percent of all civilian fatalities occur as a result of fires in residential buildings—our homes.

Recently FEMA published information about residential fires from the U.S. Fire Administration’s (USFA’s) National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS).

Here is a brief synopsis of their findings:

■ Ninety-two percent of all civilian fatalities in residential building fires involve thermal burns and smoke inhalation.

■ Bedrooms (55 percent) are the leading location where civilian fire fatalities occur in residential buildings.

■ Fifty percent of civilian fire fatalities in residential buildings occur between the hours of 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. This period also accounts for 47 percent of fatal fires.

■ Thirty-six percent of fire victims in residential buildings were trying to escape at the time of their deaths; an additional 35 percent were sleeping.

■ “Other unintentionally set, careless” actions and “smoking” (each accounting for 16 percent) are the leading causes of fatal residential building fires.

■ Males accounted for 57 percent of civilian fire fatalities in residential buildings; women accounted for 43 percent of the fatalities.

■ Approximately 44 percent of civilian fatalities in residential building fires are between the ages of 40 and 69.

■ Thirteen percent of civilian fire fatalities in residential buildings were less than 10 years old.

■ Appliance fires produced 1,351 fatalities per 1,000 fatal fires, the largest number of fatalities per 1,000 fatal fires.

Well it finally happened. OSHA has adopted the new Hazard Communication Standard which includes Global Harmonized System. The Hazard Communication Standard, has been revised to align with the United Nations’ Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals.  The new standard will be fully implemented in 2016 and benefit workers by reducing confusion about chemical hazards in the workplace, facilitating safety training and improving understanding of hazards, especially for low literacy workers. OSHA’s standard will classify chemicals according to their health and physical hazards, and establish consistent labels and safety data sheets for all chemicals made in the United States and imported from abroad.

Some of the major changes include:

• Hazard classification: The definitions for most of the physical and health hazards have been changed.  There are several new hazards and drastically different definitions for many of the hazard classes in the original standard.
• Labels: Chemical manufacturers and importers will be required to provide a label that includes a harmonized signal word, pictogram, and hazard statement for each hazard class and category. Standardized precautionary statements must now be provided on each label
• Safety Data Sheets: Formerly called Material Safety Data sheets: must now be in a 16-section format, with precise requirements for what must be in each section
• Information and training: Employers are required to train workers by December 1, 2013 on the new labels elements and safety data sheets format to facilitate recognition and understanding.

Planet Earth Is In A Mess

As John Kennedy might have said, “Ask not what your Earth can do for you, ask what you can do for your Earth!”  What have you done for your Earth today?  Our planet is in a mess, and guess who is creating that mess?  We are.

Some examples are of what we have done are:

The recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico

The estimate that in 25 years all the sharks in our oceans will be gone creating a ecological nightmare

The change in weather throughout the world due to global warming.

The increase in pollution associated diseases such as asthma and certain cancers.

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch in the Pacific Ocean (2x times the size of Texas)

These are only a small portion of things we are doing to our own planet.  Scary isn’t it.

The U.S. Department of Commerce oversees NOAA, The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.  From NOAA’s webpage “NOAA is an agency that enriches life through science. Our reach goes from the surface of the sun to the depths of the ocean floor as we work to keep citizens informed of the changing environment around them.

From daily weather forecasts, severe storm warnings and climate monitoring to fisheries management, coastal restoration and supporting marine commerce, NOAA’s products and services support economic vitality and affect more than one-third of America’s gross domestic product. NOAA’s dedicated scientists use cutting-edge research and high-tech instrumentation to provide citizens, planners, emergency managers and other decision makers with reliable information they need when they need it.”

One of the most interesting parts of NOAA is the Earth System Research Laboratory.  ESRL is working toward a greater stewardship of the Earth through a number of themes aimed at understanding the Earth system processes and changes.  Here are many things ESRL is involved with today.

Understanding atmospheric mechanisms that drive the Earth’s climate.

· Aerosols: Climate

· Carbon Cycle Science

· Radiative Forcing of Climate by Non-CO2 Atmospheric Gases

· Surface and Planetary Boundary Layer Processes

Assuring the continuing health and restoration of atmospheric resources.

· Aerosols: Air Quality

· Stratospheric Ozone Layer Recovery

· Tropospheric Ozone and Air Quality

Improving predictions through expanded climate and weather products.

· The Weather-Climate Connection

· Climate and Water Systems

· Regional and Local-scale Assimilation and Modeling

· Global Weather Assimilation and Modeling

· Hydrometeorological Testbed (HMT)

Advancing national research capabilities.

· Building a Service-based Grid Computing Infrastructure

· Information Systems

· Observing System Design, Simulation, and Demonstration

Another interesting partner of NOAA is CIRES, The Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences between NOAA and The University of Colorado.

It is time for man to re-look at what he has done in the past and what we can do in the future to create a planet where our children, grandchildren and their children can live in a clean environment and breathe fresh air.  Where animals are not on the IUCN red list of threatened species and the Earth is a beautiful place to live.

We created the mess, let’s fix it…….NOW!

An estimated 5 million workers are required to wear respirators in 1.3 million workplaces throughout the United States. Respirators protect workers against insufficient oxygen environments, harmful dusts, fogs, smokes, mists, gases, vapors, and sprays. These hazards may cause cancer, lung impairment, other diseases, or death. Compliance with the OSHA Respiratory Protection Standard could avert hundreds of deaths and thousands of illnesses annually.

OSHA now has training videos to assist your Respiratory Protection program.  The videos provide information to general industry and construction workers, and cover topics such as respirator types, fit-testing, training requirements, and maintenance and care of respirators. Nine of the videos are in English and eight are in Spanish

Test Your Home For Radon. Radon is the leading cause of non-smoking lung cancer. The only way to know if you and your family are at risk from radon is to test your home. The U.S. Surgeon General and EPA recommend that all homes be tested.
http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/names/hq_2012-1-4_radonmonth

- Contact your state radon office for more information:

Radon is a cancer-causing, radioactive gas.

You can’t see radon. And you can’t smell it or taste it. But it may be a problem in your home.

Radon is estimated to cause many thousands of deaths each year. That’s because when you breathe air containing radon, you can get lung cancer. In fact, the Surgeon General has warned that radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States today. Only smoking causes more lung cancer deaths. If you smoke and your home has high radon levels, your risk of lung cancer is especially high.

Radon can be found all over the U.S.

Radon comes from the natural (radioactive) breakdown of uranium in soil, rock and water and gets into the air you breathe. Radon can be found all over the U.S. It can get into any type of building — homes, offices, and schools — and result in a high indoor radon level. But you and your family are most likely to get your greatest exposure at home, where you spend most of your time.

You should test for radon.

Testing is the only way to know if you and your family are at risk from radon. EPA and the Surgeon General recommend testing all homes below the third floor for radon. EPA also recommends testing in schools.

Testing is inexpensive and easy — it should only take a few minutes of your time. Millions of Americans have already tested their homes for radon.

You can fix a radon problem.

Radon reduction systems work and they are not too costly. Some radon reduction systems can reduce radon levels in your home by up to 99%. Even very high levels can be reduced to acceptable levels.

New homes can be built with radon-resistant features.

Radon-resistant construction techniques can be effective in preventing radon entry. When installed properly and completely, these simple and inexpensive techniques can help reduce indoor radon levels in homes. In addition, installing them at the time of construction makes it easier and less expensive to reduce radon levels further if these passive techniques don’t reduce radon levels to below 4 pCi/L. Every new home should be tested after occupancy, even if it was built radon-resistant. If radon levels are still in excess of 4 pCi/L, the passive system should be activated by having  a qualified mitigator install a vent fan. For more explanation of radon resistant construction techniques, refer to EPA publication, Building Radon Out: A Step-by-Step Guide on How to Build Radon-Resistant Homes.

How Does Radon Get Into Your Home?

Any home may have a radon problem

Radon is a radioactive gas. It comes from the natural decay of uranium that is found in nearly all soils. It typically moves up through the ground to the air above and into your home through cracks and other holes in the foundation. Your home traps radon inside, where it can build up. Any home may have a radon problem. This means new and old homes, well-sealed and drafty homes, and homes with or without basements.

Radon from soil gas is the main cause of radon problems. Sometimes radon enters the home through well water. In a small number of homes, the building materials can give off radon, too. However, building materials rarely cause radon problems by themselves.

Nearly 1 out of every 15 homes in the U.S. is estimated to have elevated radon levels. Elevated levels of radon gas have been found in homes in your state. Contact your state radon office for general information about radon in your area. While radon problems may be more common in some areas, any home may have a problem. The only way to know about your home is to test.

Radon can also be a problem in schools and workplaces. Ask your  state radon office about radon problems in schools, daycare and childcare facilities, and workplaces in your area.

How to Test Your Home

You can’t see radon, but it’s not hard to find out if you have a radon problem in your home. All you need to do is test for radon. Testing is easy and should only take a few minutes of your time.

The amount of radon in the air is measured in “picocuries per liter of air,” or “pCi/L.” There are many kinds of low-cost “do-it-yourself” radon test kits you can get through the mail and in hardware stores and other retail outlets. If you prefer, or if you are buying or selling a home, you can hire a qualified tester to do the testing for you. You should first contact your  state radon office  about obtaining a list of qualified testers. You can also contact a private radon proficiency program for lists of privately certified radon professionals serving your area. For links and information, visit www.epa.gov/radon/radontest.html.

There are Two General Ways to Test for Radon:

SHORT-TERM TESTING:

The quickest way to test is with short-term tests. Short-term tests remain in your home for two days to 90 days, depending on the device. “Charcoal canisters,” “alpha track,” “electret ion chamber,” “continuous monitors,” and “charcoal liquid scintillation” detectors are most commonly used for short-term testing. Because radon levels tend to vary from day to day and season to season, a short-term test is less likely than a long-term test to tell you your year-round average radon level. If you need results quickly, however, a short-term test followed by a second short-term test may be used to decide whether to fix your home.

LONG-TERM TESTING:

Long-term tests remain in your home for more than 90 days. “Alpha track” and “electret” detectors are commonly used for this type of testing. A long-term test will give you a reading that is more likely to tell you your home’s year-round average radon level than a short-term test.

EPA Recommends the Following Testing Steps:

Step 1.  Take a short-term test. If your result is 4 pCi/L or higher take a follow-up test (Step 2) to be sure.

Step 2.  Follow up with either a long-term test or a second short-term test:

• For a better understanding of your year-round average radon level, take a long-term test.
• If you need results quickly, take a second short-term test.

The higher your initial short-term test result, the more certain you can be that you should take a short-term rather than a long-term follow up test. If your first short-term test result is more than twice EPA’s 4 pCi/L action level, you should take a second short-term test immediately.

Step 3.  If you followed up with a long-term test: Fix your home if your long-term test result is 4 pCi/L or more. If you followed up with a second short-term test: The higher your short-term results, the more certain you can be that you should fix your home. Consider fixing your home if the average of your first and second test is 4 pCi/L or higher.

What Your Test Results Mean

Test your home now and save your results. If you find high radon levels, fix your home before you decide to sell it.

The average indoor radon level is estimated to be about 1.3 pCi/L, and about 0.4 pCi/L of radon is normally found in the outside air. The U.S. Congress has set a long-term goal that indoor radon levels be no more than outdoor levels. While this goal is not yet technologically achievable in all cases, most homes today can be reduced to 2 pCi/L or below.

Sometimes short-term tests are less definitive about whether or not your home is above 4 pCi/L. This can happen when your results are close to 4 pCi/L. For example, if the average of your two short-term test results is 4.1 pCi/L, there is about a 50% chance that your year-round average is somewhat below 4 pCi/L. However, EPA believes that any radon exposure carries some risk – no level of radon is safe. Even radon levels below 4 pCi/L pose some risk, and you can reduce your risk of lung cancer by lowering your radon level.

If your living patterns change and you begin occupying a lower level of your home (such as a basement) you should retest your home on that level.

Even if your test result is below 4 pCi/L, you may want to test again sometime in the future.

Winter storms create a variety of hazards and can have lingering impacts on everyday tasks and work activities. According to the National Weather Service, about 70 percent of injuries during winter storms result from vehicle accidents, and about 25 percent of injuries result from being caught out in the storm. Learning about how to prepare for a winter storm and avoid hazards when one occurs will help keep you safe during the winter season.

This is from the new OSHA Winter Storm site.  The site has four (4) main sections to help employers learn about dealing with winter storms. These sections are:

• Introduction
• Preparedness
• Response/Recovery
• Additional Resources

With winter in its full glory this information will be useful to anyone who has to deal with this season.

Florida and Hawaii can disregard this posting.  Aren’t you lucky and warm.

I was recently chosen to chair the Distracted Driving sub-committee of the Transportation Specialty Practice of the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE).  I fell strongly this is an important issue.  Little did I know how much national attention this issue is generating during the past several months.

First, Harris Interactive and HealthDay conducted a poll of almost 3000 drivers and some of the results are listed below.

Second, on December 13, the National Transportation Safety Board announced a recommendation on Distracted Driving, to ban all electronic devices when driving a motor vehicle.

Adult drivers engage in activities such as texting, eating, watching videos and surfing the Internet while driving, according to a new online poll, conducted by market research firm Harris Interactive and HealthDay, a producer of health news.

In the poll, conducted between Nov. 10 and 14, 2,810 adults older than 18 who drive regularly were asked whether they have ever or have often or sometimes engaged in certain distracting activities while driving. Among the poll’s results, drivers reported performing the following behaviors:

• 86 percent ate or drank, with 57 percent doing it “often/sometimes.”
• 44 percent drove while feeling drowsy or momentarily fell asleep while driving, with 12 percent doing it “often/sometimes.”
• One-fourth drove after consuming two or more alcohol-based drinks, with 7 percent doing it “often/sometimes.”
• 41 percent set or changed their GPS, with 21 percent doing it “often/sometimes.”
• 37 percent sent or read text messages, with 18 percent doing it “often/sometimes.”

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) issued a recommendation to the 50 states, and D.C., to ban driver use of all portable electronic devices in a vehicle, including hands-free devices. The NTSB’s Chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman addressed the press regarding the issue and some of the specifics about the recommendation.

“According to NHTSA, more than 3,000 people lost their lives last year in distraction-related accidents,” said Hersman. “It is time for all of us to stand up for safety by turning off electronic devices when driving. No call, no text, no update, is worth a human life.”

Will Workers Compensation injuries be on the increase, merely because we have an aging workforce?

We hear it constantly – the aging workforce – and for some of us that are of the baby boomer generation we don’t like hearing it!  We can’t stop the aging process, but we do actually have some control over the WC injuries that can result.

Whether you work at a desk, in commercial construction, or in manufacturing, it’s unfortunate but true that as you age your body parts just get worn out!  Years of typing can cause repetitive motion issues; years of lifting or digging trenches can cause repetitive traumas, as well as knee, back, and shoulder issues.   But it comes down to the fact that even though just the aging process may weaken the body part, if the “final straw” happens on the job, it’s a workers’ comp claim.

It is evident that the baby boomer generation is willing to learn new techniques, take care of us both physically and mentally, and they don’t want to give in to the idea of getting older so they can’t do certain tasks.  They are highly motivated to keep going, but without pain.

So, what can an employer do to help the aging workforce not get injured?  First of all observe how tasks are performed and be open to having them done a different way to alleviate stress on certain body parts.  Enlist assistance with this evaluation from those who actually do the job and have done the job for many, many years.

For repetitive motion issues, it can merely be an ergonomics issue.  Still even in 2010 we should be looking at how an individual’s workstation is set up and if they have the proper tools.   From a construction standpoint it can be holding training sessions regularly on proper lifting techniques, or merely telling your employees it’s okay to ask for assistance when lifting items of a certain weight – in fact encourage or insist they ask for help!

By providing your employees with training on correct body mechanics, healthy eating habits, support in joining a gym, more employees may come to realize that they do have control over their personal discomfort and/or pain and see that they can prevent and alleviate the physical stresses or work and personal life!

To take it a step it a step further let’s look at the worker compensation cost to a company.  To get a more accurate figure the company should  multiplying the number of injuries by the average costs of such injuries. Direct average costs for medical care were drawn from the National Council on Compensation Insurance Ultimate Reports. Lifetime medical costs for deaths were valued at $17,226; for Permanent Total at $113,372; for Permanent Partial at $15,342; for Temporary Total and Partial at $2,782; and for no work loss at $294. The average cost per hour is estimated to be abut $30 per hour worked for injuries.  The medical expenses were drawn from workers’ compensation accounts and did not require adjustment for charges versus payments since workers’ compensation paid virtually 100 percent of medical bills that is, very few co-payments or deductibles were charged to clients.

The bottom line is as we get older we have more incidents and  it takes us longer to heal.  The cost of healthcare continues to rise.  Therefore, companies can expect a rise in worker compensation cost which goes directly to the bottom line.  For the safety professional, this present a greater challenge to reduce incidents and injuries in the workplace.