In This Issue |
Why do Some Drivers Text While behind the Wheel?
We all know that texting while driving can be extremely dangerous, even deadly. So why do some drivers still do it? Do they feel an urge or obligation to reply to a text message immediately? Do they feel a message is too important to ignore for a while? The answer may have to with their psychological ability, or inability, to wait for rewards, according to a new study at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).
Traffic-related fatalities are the leading type of job-related deaths. Knowing what motivates texting while driving is a basic prerequisite for designing and evaluating effective countermeasures in workplace safety programs.
In this preliminary study, researchers found that voluntary participants who reported texting while driving were more vulnerable than their non-texting peers were to impulsive decision-making. Participants who reported texting while driving on a study questionnaire were more likely than non-texting drivers to show a preference for immediate, smaller amounts of hypothetical money over delayed, larger amounts that they would receive after waiting weeks to months. In other words, the texting drivers were too impulsive to wait.
Traffic-related fatalities are the leading type of job-related deaths. Knowing what motivates texting while driving is a basic prerequisite for designing and evaluating effective countermeasures in workplace safety programs.
In this preliminary study, researchers found that voluntary participants who reported texting while driving were more vulnerable than their non-texting peers were to impulsive decision-making. Participants who reported texting while driving on a study questionnaire were more likely than non-texting drivers to show a preference for immediate, smaller amounts of hypothetical money over delayed, larger amounts that they would receive after waiting weeks to months. In other words, the texting drivers were too impulsive to wait.
Test that Measures Silica Dust in Fiber-Cement Siding Leads to Simple Solution
Researchers at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) confirmed that a test method they designed accurately measures silica dust released when construction workers cut fiber-cement siding. In lab and field studies, they also found that attaching a regular shop vacuum to a dust-collecting circular saw is a simple, low-cost way to reduce exposure to silica dust released when cutting the siding. In addition to affirming the accuracy and reliability of the measurement method itself, the studies also led NIOSH to further examine, validate, and recommend use of shop vacuums attached to power saws as a simple, effective exposure control measure. NIOSH presented its findings and recommendations in a recent guidance document called Workplace Solutions: Reducing Hazardous Dust Exposure when Cutting Fiber-Cement Siding.
Fiber-cement siding comprises a plant-based material called cellulose fiber, silica sand, cement, and water. Although this kind of siding is a popular construction material used in place of wood or vinyl, silica dust can be released into the air when cut with power saws. Respirable silica dust poses a significant health hazard to construction workers. As NIOSH recommends, employers can mitigate the risk by using proper control measures to meet exposure limits, but to do so, they need to know how much respirable silica dust is released in cutting. With the dust released from fiber-cement composite, this means being able to distinguish the silica content in the overall dust and the sizes of the dust particles. Particle size is one of the factors that determine the likelihood that silica dust will be inhaled into the lungs and so is a factor in guiding exposure control strategies.
Fiber-cement siding comprises a plant-based material called cellulose fiber, silica sand, cement, and water. Although this kind of siding is a popular construction material used in place of wood or vinyl, silica dust can be released into the air when cut with power saws. Respirable silica dust poses a significant health hazard to construction workers. As NIOSH recommends, employers can mitigate the risk by using proper control measures to meet exposure limits, but to do so, they need to know how much respirable silica dust is released in cutting. With the dust released from fiber-cement composite, this means being able to distinguish the silica content in the overall dust and the sizes of the dust particles. Particle size is one of the factors that determine the likelihood that silica dust will be inhaled into the lungs and so is a factor in guiding exposure control strategies.
Randomly Sampled Convenience Stores Didn’t Always Follow All Regulations to Prevent Robbery
Although Dallas and Houston, Texas, require convenience stores to take a range of precautions to prevent robbery, 598 randomly sampled stores in the two cities didn’t always follow all the requirements, a National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) study found. And the two precautions least likely to be taken by storeowners were those costing little time or money: posting signs with messages to deter would-be robbers—such as No Loitering and Security Camera in Use—and keeping an unobstructed view between the cash register area and windows and doors.
Owners may have instituted those precautions less often because they thought that it was more important to comply with other requirements, such as installing drop safes, alarm systems, and security cameras, the researchers theorized. Also, with limited window space, owners may have put a higher premium on advertisements than on warning signs.
Owners may have instituted those precautions less often because they thought that it was more important to comply with other requirements, such as installing drop safes, alarm systems, and security cameras, the researchers theorized. Also, with limited window space, owners may have put a higher premium on advertisements than on warning signs.
Real-time Feedback Combined with Coaching Can Help Fleet Drivers Decrease Unsafe Driving Practices
Vehicle safety technology that uses real-time alerts and coaching can help reduce unsafe driving practices among drivers who work for truck and other fleet companies, according to results of research by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Fleet operators are increasingly adopting in-vehicle monitoring systems (IVMS) as part of their motor vehicle safety programs. IVMS applications often combine real-time alerts in a vehicle and coaching by supervisors to help employees improve their driving performance. To address the lack of strong scientific evidence for the effectiveness of IVMS in the workplace, NIOSH researchers have conducted a multi-year field study.
The IVMS technology used in this study was based on accelerometers that detect maneuvers such as hard braking, acceleration, cornering, or swerving, supplemented by forward- and driver-facing cameras mounted in the vehicle. When the IVMS detected one of these harsh vehicle maneuvers during the study, the system was set to automatically capture 30 seconds of video and audio data (15 seconds before and 15 seconds after the triggering event).
The IVMS technology used in this study was based on accelerometers that detect maneuvers such as hard braking, acceleration, cornering, or swerving, supplemented by forward- and driver-facing cameras mounted in the vehicle. When the IVMS detected one of these harsh vehicle maneuvers during the study, the system was set to automatically capture 30 seconds of video and audio data (15 seconds before and 15 seconds after the triggering event).
Research Study Finds Inconsistent Respirator Practices in Sampled Hospitals
A research study involving a sample of 98 hospitals in six states found inconsistencies in some practices for using respirators to safeguard healthcare workers when in close contact with patients who may have seasonal flu or other infectious respiratory diseases. The findings from the study, which was supported by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and included two NIOSH co-authors, were published in a peer-reviewed journal.
The sampled hospitals followed most respiratory protection program requirements, including providing healthcare workers with medical evaluations, respirator fit testing, and training prior to their use of a respirator. However, the study also found that healthcare workers did not consistently check respirator seals and hospitals did not conduct follow-up training on how to properly put on and take off a respirator. The study was conducted between January 2011 and June 2012 in sampled hospitals in California, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, and North Carolina. Because this was an exploratory study, the findings can’t be generalized beyond the six hospitals involved, but the results do suggest questions for further analysis and issues for attention, the research article said.
The sampled hospitals followed most respiratory protection program requirements, including providing healthcare workers with medical evaluations, respirator fit testing, and training prior to their use of a respirator. However, the study also found that healthcare workers did not consistently check respirator seals and hospitals did not conduct follow-up training on how to properly put on and take off a respirator. The study was conducted between January 2011 and June 2012 in sampled hospitals in California, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, and North Carolina. Because this was an exploratory study, the findings can’t be generalized beyond the six hospitals involved, but the results do suggest questions for further analysis and issues for attention, the research article said.
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