All of my children’s schools have a general rule that flip-flops (or any shoes without a back) are not allowed. When the rule was questioned by parents, the schools stated that the rule was put into place for safety reasons – flip flops are just not as safe as closed shoes for kids running up and down stairs and climbing on playgrounds. As a safety professional, I agree.
My daughter informed me that today she can wear flip-flops but she has to pay a dollar. This is actually quite common – on hat day, you can wear a hat in school if you pay a dollar or on pajama day, you can wear pajamas if you pay a dollar. I shouldn’t say “pay” because it is really a donation of a dollar to whatever cause the school is collecting for at the moment. This is an easy fundraising activity for many schools. I have even heard of workplaces that have days where you can wear jeans in exchange for a set amount which gets donated to charity.
I don’t have any problem with donating money to various charities in exchange for lightening up a dress code but when kids are basically being told they can ignore a safety requirement for a day by paying a dollar, I have concern. Although these kids are still in school, they will be in the workforce in the near future. What are we teaching them? Safety rules – well most of them anyway – are in place for very good reasons. Encouraging someone – in fact encouraging an entire school – to overlook a safety rule in exchange for payment is wrong. We are sending the wrong message.
Each product has a lot of activity surrounding this registration, but one that strikes me as interesting is the registration criteria called “Derived No Effect Levels” (DNELs) from animal toxicity results. These are established for community members and then a separate set of values for each route of exposure for workers. These are not OELs by regulation, but are registration levels. But, they will be seen as very protective levels and could be misconstrued eventually as OELs.
As for workers, there would be both short-term and long-term values for inhalation (ppm or mg/m3), oral and dermal (mg/kg/day). Are there issues of comparing these worker DNELs back to the currently established OELs around the world? The DNELs are calculated using an algorithm with prescribed adjustment (uncertainty) factors and prescribed toxicology studies. The issue from my perspective is that the worker DNELs are 2-3 orders of magnitude lower than existing OELs.
My point of discussion here is to see if other OH&S professionals see these extremely low derived “no effect levels” as a potential litigation issue in other countries (e.g. USA) when using or comparing these to traditional OELs. It certainly would not be a regulatory issue. What are others’ experience and thoughts on the DNEL impacts beyond Europe?
What discretionary spending decisions will my wife and I make this year? We do have a few frugal vacation trips planned, since life is unpredictable and one must enjoy it along the way. Education is another, with my son looking at grad school for an MS. Maybe we'll do some carefully chosen home renovations. Clearly we do not need a large screen TV. Our cars are fine given routine maintenance.
I hope all of you out there earlier in your IH careers get through this. I do have hope that we will see a turn-around of this economic mess this year, but it will be several years slowly climbing up and I am doubtful that recovery will take us back to the high level the economy had reached. I always felt that when a normal hard working family had trouble making ends meet to live in a normal home, something had to give. Well, the problem is too many people went too far beyond their means, and bubble after bubble burst.
Anyway, this is just the view of an industrial hygienist and not that of a professional economist. Of course, a lot of good THEY did us!
Do any of you others out there have insights on what we should be doing in these tough times as a group of professionals with concern for the well-being of workers throughout the world? Do we need to watch that corners are not cut on exposure control system maintenance? Is this a time for further pushing on "green industrial hygiene initiatives"? If yes on that, how could we undertake that? Are we already optionally involved in that? I'll leave these thoughts open to ponder over in later blogs.
]]>Additionally, Aaron Trippler, AIHA's GA Director, noted that the Sunday Washington Post mentioned how Obama is going to create over 4 million jobs -- over 600,000 in construction and over 400,000 in manufacturing. What do you think that means for practicing IH/OH professionals?
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One part of my committee activities I hope to "ramp up" on a bit is more interaction with the newer members of the committees. I consider many of the committee members I have worked with over the year among my best professional friends, and actually, just among the best of my friends. Period. Maybe we don’t see each other socially all that often, but we do have fun and accomplish lots too with the conference calls and emails! This year, I thus resolve to build new IH friendships and strengthen those I already have.
How about any of you others that read this? Do you have an “IH” related resolution? Would you write a note and share it with the rest of us?
Have a Great New Year.
I am still wondering what happened with the condensation from freezer cold to warmer room temperatures when the hard drive is used again. Will the cold temperature of and/or the condensation on the hard drive affect other parts inside the pc when it is used?
I’m not sure if it is my innate characters or just a habit acquired due to working in health and safety fields, I have a tendency to anticipate and evaluate before taking actions to resolve a problem. Otherwise, enthusiasm without proper knowledge is danger. Japanese proverb has this: Action without a vision is a nightmare. I wonder how many nightmares one will have when a hard drive crashes.
When the hard drive of my desk computer died the first time, I lost some data since it crashed just right before my routine backup schedule. Learnt from that, I have backed up my data more frequently. When it crashed the second time, I lost a lot of valuable information and data. Luckily, I had backups. I was also able to save all data when my portable computer died last year. Our computer specialist at work had it replaced without any need to recovering the data. We now are working and living in information age where we try to maintain large volume of useful data. Especially in health and safety fields, we must safe keep data in compliance with regulations, in anticipation of legal litigation, and for research or future references.
Making regularly backups of necessary information/data is critical, and it saves time when recovering data during technology disasters.
What do you think about this type of software tool? Do you see an application your practice? Does your inner computer geek have a special tool it would like to share?
The proceedings from this meeting will eventually be posted on the NIOSH web site. But that will be months in the making… So here are some notes… If you attended the workshop and have additional notes from the sessions you attended, post them here! Plese provide your thoughts for NIOSH research efforts and focus in the area of direct-reading instruments,
From John Howard, one of the keynote speakers… “for employees it is a plus to have that immediately available information. Direct reading instruments (DRIs) are not a replacement for industrial hygiene or laboratory analysis but a first-line assessment of worker exposure.”
From another speaker… from the worker’s perspective, the number one concern/point: do not want exposures to be used to restrict work and overtime, this is especially true in mining.
Gas and Vapor. Could not be held to 5 top research topics, reported on nine. #1: gas chromatography (GC) miniaturization; OK to trade some precision for ease of use and lower cost. #2: worker self-monitoring. #9: worker empowerment (which was a recurring theme in all the sessions). DRIs increase work awareness and provide workers with needed information and data to allow workers to self-mitigate. Immediate feedback helps workers make decisions and/or modify their job tasks. #7: OSHA needs to transition and have new DRIs be “compliance acceptable”. #8: DRIs for unknown mixtures.
The ideal DRI would be small, low cost, multifunctional and self-calibrating. DRIs do not replace laboratory analysis for compliance. Need to work on their acceptable use as a field screening tool.
Aerosols. There needs to be a consensus on needed accuracy and validation standards. Standards are also needed for performance and use. (Nanoaerosols were not in the scope of this workshop.) Strategies are needed for the appropriate use of DRIs.
Ergonomics and Vibration. Worker feedback monitors needed. Would like to see the ergo equivalent of a pedometer so that workers know when they are approaching the number of repetitions of a task that might cause problems. Observational approach used more by IH practitioners than DRIs. The gaming industry/Hollywood is using motion-capture biomechanics using video techniques developed in the Netherlands. Musicians can gain performance ability when their instruments are redesigned for improved ergonomics. Research need: field-based/worker self-monitor DRIs. DRIs can help drive work practice and process improvements. DRIs may have negative impact on employees ergonomically. Analogy given: PAPR-welding helmets add back stress/load but provide better respiratory protection.
Noise. No entity has yet taken on testing and certifying noise instruments and this is needed. NIOSH dropped this in the 70s. Focus on DRIs as a way to allow workers to self-modify tasks and work habits when they have real-time noise exposure measurements available to them. Noise exposure for soldiers and music students has got some good, new research. Decreasing the hearing loss in military personnel increases their survivability rates. Loss of speech recognition has negative impact on safety. Overprotect and you increase the danger. There is a focus on hearing protection but that can mean the person can not hear alarms and other audible warnings. Metrics are needed on the quantification of performance/productivity and the ergonomic impact of NOT having a solid hearing conservation program. A depository of exposure and risk data is needed that can be accessed by practitioners and researchers. Data is in silos and needs to be categorized and analyzed. Employees don’t like to wear PPE when they don’t need to. DRIs can give them the data they need to make that decision.
Radiation. No extended audience discussion about this area. Presented as one of the areas that has a pretty well developed set of DRIs and the protocols are well-established.
Biomonitoring and Surface Sampling. Useful for evaluation of cleanup controls and decontamination. Worker empowerment key. Example: used hand wipes for lead to show workers that 50% of the lead was still on their hands after they washed with soap and water.
Research needs. #1: Standards for instruments and performance specifications. #2: Accreditation - need a workshop on this issue, needs to be defensible in court. #3: Training. #4: Acceptable DRIs need to be defined. Standard methods need to be developed. Use for identifying action levels is potential application. #5: new biomarkers and sensors needed. NIEHS gene environment interaction program has some great new results. Exhaled breath monitors one area of potential research. Worker acceptability of biomonitoring is improving. Surface sampling DRIs can be used to determine if action levels have been crossed. Standards are needed that address methods, appropriate surfaces, and acceptable levels.
Canada’s Worker & Safety Insurance Board has been creating very graphic TV commercials as well as other products such as posters and “interactive spots.” If you have not seen these materials, I would encourage you to take a look. Be aware that the commercials are very graphic. You can view these materials at http://www.prevent-it.ca/.
Is there a place for commercials in an EHS program? Have you found an effective way to use this type material? Can material be too graphic and therefore loose its effectiveness? How might we use this in our profession?
Evernote is a note taken and organizer tool* that helps one search and save information found on the internet or mobile devices. It keeps them categorized, organized to be easily retrieved later at your conveniences. You can keep all the notes you want, and don’t need to carry around any sticky notes or a paper daily planner. You just select from what you see on a web page, and Evernote will “clip” it right from your browser. Of course, it can’t understand your voice notes yet. Yeah, like you, I am still waiting for that day (humor intended).
An Evernote is formatted with tags, attributes, and of course those standard options such as rename, delete, properties, etc. Evernote owners can have their books shared or not published. Some hand-on play is helpful to see how useful is the program. There is an introduction You Tube video briefly describing how it works on the website.
What I like the most is that, with my digital camera, I take a picture of an ad or a label, then later tag it and do a search using the information within the picture. Yes, Evernote looks at the picture and read whatever is shown in the picture! It is like having a personal robot assistance. The search returns with many related information that I can pick and choose, and organize into folders for later retrieve. Just for fun, why don’t you use this to compare prices of an item on your shopping list, see if you can find a best price for it. This program may not only save you time, but also your pocket book too.
*Evidently, technology is a part of our life. It can affect our work as well as life, so it has a lot to do with IH, health and safety. IH can learn about it, tell employees how to use it, and make them work efficiently too. When ones find tools that can help them perform better, they will have less stresses, and so and so on. At this information age, tools can be associated with soft-tools (software tools).
Disclaimer:
I am not working for this company, or endorsing any of their products. I am just an IH who is keen on using technology to help me work more efficiently. Whatever I have found to be a useful tool on my job or for my life, I don’t mind to blog it so other can share the benefits.
Thanks for those who have provided inputs to my past blogs. They are priceless regardless of the TONES. Once again, many thanks!
]]>"The Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) is an international organization created by the governments of Canada, Mexico and the United States as part of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) to protect North America’s shared environment through cooperation, prevent potential trade and environmental conflict, and promote the enforcement of environmental law. "
QUESTION:
Does an equivalent body exit on Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) issues and what part does AIHA membership play in it across the trinational boundries?
Andrew Cutz, CIH
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
NORTH AMERICAN ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION LAUNCHES TRINATIONAL VAQUITA CONSERVATION PLAN
Trinational cooperation key to rescuing the vaquita, a small porpoise exclusively found in the Upper Gulf of California, currently the planet’s most-endangered marine mammal
MEXICALI, MEXICO, October 28, 2008 --/WORLD-WIRE/--
In response to the urgent need to save the vaquita porpoise, the governments of Canada, Mexico and the United States asked the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) to formulate a strategy to support Mexico’s efforts to recover the world’s most-endangered marine mammal.
Today, the CEC launched the North American Conservation Action Plan (NACAP) for the Vaquita (Phocoena sinus), a vital cooperative initiative that is the result of contributions from scientists, academics, environmental groups and officials in the three countries.
The vaquita is critically endangered and its population is estimated at only about 150 individuals. Unless concrete conservation actions are taken, the effective size of the population—individuals capable of reproduction—may fall to just 50 adults in the next two years.
The main and most immediate threat to the vaquita’s survival is their incidental capture in fishing nets, such as gillnets and drift nets. About 40 vaquitas are estimated to die each year from incidental capture.
Though the vaquita only inhabits the waters of the Upper Gulf of California, in Mexico, the three countries in North America consider it to be a species of common continental concern.
One of the greatest challenges in the integration of the plan has been to link conservation efforts with the well-being of the fishing communities of San Felipe, Golfo de Santa Clara and Puerto Peñasco. The document lists a series of priority actions aimed at finding economic alternatives for local residents and, especially experimenting with vaquita-safe fishing methods. With international cooperation, the efforts already begun by the Mexican government can be strengthened.
“The objective of the recovery efforts is for people who make their living from fishing to see the vaquita as an opportunity for economic and social well-being, and not a threat to their future,” explained Adrián Vázquez-Gálvez, executive director of the CEC. “In the end, only with the support of Upper Gulf communities can we achieve vaquita recovery and the conservation of the region’s marine resources as a whole.”
The actions spelled out in the vaquita plan seek to ensure, on one hand, the survival of the species, and on the other, the sustainability of the communities in the Upper Gulf.
Together with research, monitoring and assessment of the vaquita population, a key aspect of the plan is the creation of awareness with respect to the current status of this endangered cetacean and its importance within the ecosystem.
The Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) is an international organization created by the governments of Canada, Mexico and the United States as part of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) to protect North America’s shared environment through cooperation, prevent potential trade and environmental conflict, and promote the enforcement of environmental law.
Contact:
Eduardo Viadas
Media and Outreach Officer
eviadas@cec.org
+ (514) 350-4331
http://www.cec.org
Copyright © 2008, World-Wire. All rights reserved.
Issuers of news releases and not World-Wire are solely responsible for the accuracy of the content.
World-Wire is a resource provided by Environment News Service
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END Forwarded by Andrew Cutz, CIH (Wednesday, October 29, 2008)
Do you use case studies as part of your training? How do you present them? What do you think of the video based example provided above?