Cost-effective Rollover Protective Structure (CROPS)
April 30th, 2013 8:29 am ET - Paul R. Keane, MBA and Tony McKenzie, PhD
Despite a decades-long effort to raise awareness about the importance of roll over protective structures (ROPS) in preventing injury and death from tractor roll overs, tractor overturns continue to be the leading cause of occupational agricultural death in the United States.While all tractors produced since 1986 come with ROPS as standard equipment, farm tractors have a long life span. Unless a tractor has been retrofitted, operators of older tractors are unprotected during rollovers. We know there are various reasons for the reluctance to retrofit older tractors with ROPS. We’ve heard them all: “They cost too much.” “They are too much of a hassle to find/install.” “My dad/grandpa/ mother/uncle never used them and they never had a problem.” The fact remains that farmworkers continue to die while working on unprotected tractors.
WORKERS MEMORIAL DAY 2013
Categories: Uncategorized
April 26th, 2013 9:00 am ET - John Howard, MD
On Workers Memorial Day, we honor the men and women who suffered work-related injury, illness, and death, and we rededicate ourselves to the mission of preventing future tragedies. Earning a day’s pay should not place anyone at risk of losing life or livelihood.Thanks to a concerted partnership of labor, industry, government, science, and public opinion, great strides have been made in reducing the burden of workplace injury and disease over the last century. Since 1913, the toll of work-related deaths has fallen by some 80 percent.
In 2013, occupational safety and health professionals strive to continue that progress. It is important to recognize that progress is only a relative term as long as anyone faces a risk to life or wellbeing at work. We must eliminate for good the legacy hazards of the 20th Century. We must also embrace a new 21st Century paradigm in which worker health and safety are fully incorporated into the design, start-up, and lifespan of new businesses, industries, structures, work processes, and technologies.
Help! What do you want from a mobile Pocket Guide?
Categories: Chemicals, Emergency response, Exposure, Manufacturing, Personal protective equipment, Technology
April 15th, 2013 10:15 am ET - Donna Van Bogaert Ph.D. and Glenn Doyle
Since its first printing in 1978, the NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards (NPG) continues to be the Institute’s most popular document. The NPG provides general descriptive, exposure, and protective and emergency recommendations for 677 chemicals commonly found in the work environment. Workers, employers, and occupational health professionals all use the NPG in the course of their work and often in emergency situations. Fire fighters, for example, use the NPG to prepare themselves for exposures they might encounter on fire scenes.The current printed pocket guide is a 424 page, 3 inch by 7 inch, pocket-sized book. We know many people rely on the printed version, particularly in times of emergency when power may be out or signals down or overextended. The NPG will continue to be available for print. We also know that there is a growing demand for the NPG in a mobile version that could offer users more convenience and flexibility.
Workplace Health Is Public Health
Categories: Economics, Total Worker Health
April 1st, 2013 10:23 am ET - Frank Hearl, PE
It’s National Public Health Week
. Those of us who work in workplace safety and health know that workplace health is an integral part of public health. While “Creating a Healthy Workplace” is one of the five themes of National Public Health Week, the role of workplace health in Public Health is not always clear to the general public. If you were asked to make the case for or provide examples of the importance of workplace safety and health in the broader context of public health, what would you say? We would like to hear how you explain to your colleagues, friends, and family that workplace safety and health IS public health.
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario