OSHA's Presence in Healthcare- Is it enough?

Many tend to forget that OSHA doesn't only regulate and enforce standards for industrial settings such as a factories or construction sites. OSHA also regulates the health industry such as medical and dental practices, clinics, and hospitals. Laboratories are also included- laboratories present unique characteristics and challenges for OSHA. Lab workers may be routinely exposed to dangerous chemical hazards. OSHA currently has a standard for occupational exposure to hazardous chemicals in laboratories. According to NIOSHA, rates of occupational injury to health care workers have risen over the past decade. "By contrast, two of the most hazardous industries, agriculture and construction, are safer today than they were a decade ago (NIOSH)."

The article "When Rare Viruses Are Part Of The Workplace" discusses the case of a molecular biologist formaly employeed by Pfizer Inc. Becky McClain is trying to prove that she was fired after 10 years at Pfizer Inc. for complaining about lab safety. McClain is also claiming that during a research experiment she contracted a mystery illness. According to the article, some say McClain's court case "...isn’t simply a debate over Pfizer’s practices or McCain’s illness, but about workplace regulations that haven’t kept pace with technology."

The following comes from the article:

“OSHA is presently incapable of properly protecting the health and safety of workers in the biotech industry because of the failure to have effective health and safety standards in the industry,” said Steve Zeltzer, chair of the California Coalition for Workers Memorial Day, a national worker safety advocacy group."

“There are very few standards for health care workers,” said Steve Schrag, co-chair of the Connecticut Council on Occupational Safety and Health, another worker advocacy group. “Most OSHA standards were industry standards in the 1960s. This is different from falling off of a roof or cutting yourself on a saw. Leaving the industry to regulate itself is like having no stop signs, no policemen; there’d be chaos on the highways.”

"Dr. Adam Finkel, a faculty member at the University of Pennsylvania Law School and former senior executive at OSHA, also believes the agency doesn’t do enough to regulate the biotech industry. He’s also critical of the agency’s failure to help McClain obtain records from Pfizer about the lentivirus she was working with."

“So the combination of OSHA’s lack of progress on health rulemaking and on information disclosure and right-to-know paints a gloomy picture of its ability to stay abreast of emerging hazards,” Finkel told the Law Tribune."

To read the full article click here: http://bit.ly/dgBV9c

Read the article and let us know what you think. Is OSHA' presence and knowledge weak in the healthcare industry?

Roofers: Do you have fall protection?

Did you know that roofers have one of the highest workplace fatality rates of any occupation? OSHA and the Department of Labor are taking a strong stand against falls in the industry. OSHA's website states the following:

Falls are the most frequent cause of fatalities at construction sites and annually account for one of every three construction-related deaths. Although there are commonly available methods for preventing falls, the number of construction workers who fall to their deaths has increased in recent years. According to preliminary 2007 fatality data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), there were at least 442 construction worker fatalities during 2007 as a result of falls from all causes.

Of this total falls from roofs are one specific concern at construction sites and the most frequent cause for fatal falls in construction in 2007. In fact, BLS reports that from 2003 to 2007, construction worker falls from roofs resulted in 686 fatalities.

Recently 12 contractors were fined for alleged workplace safety violations after the companies were hired last summer to fix or replace damaged roofs following hail storms in suburban Albany, N.Y. OSHA inspectors found mostly untrained, non-English-speaking workers exposed to construction hazards, including falls from roofs and ladders and lack of protective equipment, said Edward Jerome, OSHA’s area director in Albany.

Let us help you become OSHA compliant! Give us a call to receive a special price on our roofer's fall protection kits- call in special only!

Sources:
www.osha.gov
"OSHA Cites 12 Contractors." The Business Review (Albany). 25 Mar. 2010. Web. Read the full article: http://bit.ly/c5vfUH Thanks to @elcosh (Twitter) for sharing this article!

Recommended article: Protect workers, protect yourself

The following article is a very good resource that clearly demonstrates that safety pays. Implementing a safety culture in an organization truly has its benefits. Employees tend to feel more valued when they see that worker safety is a priority. As seen in the article, safety can also have huge monetary payouts as well. Although safety programs and equipment usually require a monetary investment in the beginning, you will reap much larger benefits in the future.

To read the entire article click here: http://bit.ly/bd396B

According to the Liberty Mutual 2008 Workplace Safety Index, the total financial impact of serious workplace incidents is between $170 and $255 billion annually. By maintaining a safe workplace, employers not only protect their employees, they protect themselves.

The National Safety Council estimates a worker injury with no lost time costs $7,000 on average. A company must sell extra product/services to cover the accident costs. For example, if a company has an accident that costs $5,000 and operates with a profit margin of 3 percent, then $167,000 in additional sales are needed to make up what was lost on this one accident.

“Providing a safe and healthy work environment is the right thing to do and it’s a sound business decision — especially in today’s challenging economic times,” said MIOSHA Director Doug Kalinowski. “As I’ve said many times before, the costs of reacting to workplace injuries and illnesses far exceed the costs of preventing them from happening in the first place.”

Federal OSHA estimates that for every $1 invested in workplace safety and health, employers see a return of $4 to $6 dollars. The “Top 10 Bottom Line Benefits” include: reduced absenteeism, lower turnover rates, higher productivity, greater efficiency, increased quality, decreased scrap/waste, increased employee morale, positive brand image, decreased health care costs and decreased workers’ compensation costs."

Illinois granted federal aid for workplace safety

The Illinois Department of Labor (IDOL) has just been awarded $1.5 million for its worker safety plan. The money will aid in hiring more inspectors and do more training on workplace safety. The new monetary award will be used to protect more than 1 million public employees. This includes 161,200 state government workers and 690,000 municipal workers, along with workers in the public education sector. Illinois has provided protection to its public employees for many years but will now meet the additional requirements of the federal OSHA program.

Illinois joins New Jersey, Connecticut, New York and the Virgin Islands as one of five states and territories authorized by federal OSHA to administer a safety and health program of standards and enforcement specifically for state and local government employees. The Illinois plan is the first new state plan to be approved since New Jersey was added in 2001. Twenty-one states, in addition to Puerto Rico, have OSHA-approved plans for the private sector that also extend coverage to state and local government employees.

Governor Pat Quinn said, "As Illinois faces unprecedented budget challenges, this new federal funding is critical to ensuring the health and safety of public workers across the state." "It is vital to raise awareness about how to protect those who serve and protect all of us every day."

"This new federal funding will allow us to enhance our program to make Illinois public workplaces safer," said IDOL Director Catherine Shannon. "Illinois will now have additional resources to protect public employees from work-related injuries and illnesses and to educate public employers about maintaining safe and healthy workplaces, which will improve the overall quality of life for public service workers, and in turn, the communities they serve."

"We applaud the state of Illinois for its ongoing commitment to the safety and health of public employees," said acting Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Jordan Barab. "It's an honor to recognize this accomplishment, and we welcome Illinois as OSHA's newest state plan partner."

Sources:
www.osha.gov
"Illinois' State Plan Gets Federal Aid." Occupational Health & Safety. 25 Mar. 2010. Web. www.ohsonline.com

Safety Culture- What level are you at?

We found this model in the Professional Safety Journal (PSJ) of ASSE. This is a very good visual of the involvement of safety in an organization. In their article, PSJ references Bergersen by saying that "researchers believe that safety culture is a sub component of corporate culture that affects the safety and health of the group members and others outside of the group as well." The safety culture affects and is affected by other operational processes and systems within an organization.

Generative level: "Health and safety is how we do business around here." This is the highest level an organization can have. In this level, the organization places safety as a priority. The Professional Safety Journal states that "workplace safety is an important factor for organizations as it affects virtually all other elements of an organization, including production, quality, job satisfaction and expenses. As you can see, trust and accountability is the highest at this level. At the same time, employee empowerment is the highest at this level. In their article, PSJ says that empowering employees can be a difficult task for many top managers; "this is often the downfall to full employee trust and involvement, which will limit organizational culture development."

Proactive level: "We work on problems that we still find."

Calculative level: "We have systems in place to manage all hazards."

Reactive level: "Safety is important, we do a lot every time we have an accident."

Pathological level: "Who cares as long as we're not caught." This is the worse level an organization can be at. Here worker safety is completely disregarded and given no priority. Workers face dangerous and risky tasks every work day.

What do you think of this model? Do you think the safety culture of an organization is directly affected by other operational processes and systems within that particular organization?

Sources:
Turnbeaugh, Treasa M. "Improving Business Outcomes." Professional Safety Journal of the American Society of Safety Engineers Mar. 2010: 41-43. Print.

Young workers safety video- vote for your favorite!

The Young Worker Video Contest is sponsored by the Oregon Young Worker Health & Safety Coalition. Oregon OSHA, along with several other stakeholder groups formed this coalition in 2007. The mission of the Coalition is to help young workers prevent injuries and fatalities while on the job.

The contest invited Oregon high school students to submit a 45-second video about young worker safety on the job. Cash prizes range from $300 for third place to $500 for the first place, in addition to a matching amount for each winner's school.

To participate, log in to YouTube and go to www.youtube.com/user/OregonSafetyHealth. Once there, watch and rate each of the top seven video finalists.

Here is a preview of two of them:

Strong evidence against Tennessee Commerce for violating whistleblower provisions- ordered to pay $1M to former CFO

OSHA has ruled that Tennessee Commerce Bancorp's leaders retaliated against former CFO George Fort when they fired him two years ago. The former CFO had raised red flags about Tennessee Commerce's internal controls and other governance issues with OSHA in April 2008 under the whistleblower provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. The Nashville Post satates that Fort "had been placed on administrative leave the month before – the day after he met with officials from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. to discuss his concerns. He would be fired by the bank in May of that year and file a separate lawsuit two months later."

OSHA has ordered the bank to pay Fort more than $1 million in back wages, interest and other fees and to reinstate him to his old post.

David Michaels, assistant secretary of labor for OSHA, said "This case clearly shows the department's commitment to ensuring that individuals are provided the protections and relief afforded by the law and sends a strong message that retaliatory actions will not be tolerated."

It's been reported that Tennessee's Commerce will be appealing OSHA's ruling. Although this is true, it's been said there's “a strong inference of retaliation” in the bank’s actions.

One of the pieces of evidences discusses the timing of Fort’s being placed on administrative leave, investigators note that officials began working on a Securities and Exchange Commission filing before the bank’s board officially decided to sideline Fort. OSHA also reported that the current COO Lamar Cox e-mailed an auditor about a new CFO search five weeks before Fort was fired.

The report also states that “There is also evidence of animus and intent to retaliate against Complainant… Mr. Cox stated in one email that he was “in a ‘get even’ mode and I am enjoying every minute of it.”

Sources:
De Lombaerde, Geert. "‘Evidence of Animus and Intent to Retaliate’." Post Business. 19 Mar. 2010. Web. 22 Mar. 2010. http://business.nashvillepost.com
De Lombaerde, Geert. "Tennessee Commerce Told to Pay $1M to Former CFO." Nashville Post. 19 Apr. 2010. Web. 22 Mar. 2010. www.nashvillepost.com

Machine grabs worker's head after accidentally triggering sensor

OSHA is currently investigating an accident that occurred in Eugene, OR. An employee of Grain Millers was injured when he accidentally tripped a sensor. The sensor triggered a mechanical arm that picks up bags and sets them on pallets. Somehow the employee's head was caught by that machine. News outlets are reporting the machine clamped down on his head. Emergency crews were able to free the employee, a maintenance worker, and transport him to a local hospital. Fortunately, the employee suffered only minimal injuries; he has not been released yet.

In the past few years, OSHA has reported at least one other major incident at the grain mill. In December 2009, a man got three fingers caught in one of the machines. Former employees say the man had to have those three amputated. OSHA says the company was cited for the incident, but the citation was later withdrawn.

Grain Millers is a manufacturer of conventional and organic whole grains. The Eugene location is the west coast operations of the company.

Suggested article: Worker dies in trench collapse

South Africa- "A Durban Metro Water worker has been crushed to death despite a desperate bid by frantic co-workers to rescue him from a collapsed trench.

In a race against time on Sunday, with concrete, mud and rubble still falling, they risked their own lives, digging with their bare hands and spades to try to save their stricken colleague. But what started out as a rescue attempt became a recovery operation as it became clear that the as yet unnamed man had been killed instantly, said SAPS Search and Rescue Inspector Dave Steyn.

The man had been asphyxiated by the mud compressing his chest and there had also been visible fractures to his lower limbs, Steyn said." "The victim was in the trench alone when a water pipe unexpectedly burst, softening the soil and causing rubble, mud and concrete to wash away and collapse on him.

When his fellow workers heard a scream for help, they rushed to his aid as a 4m deep crater appeared and he was buried beneath the collapsing infrastructure."

To read the full article click here: http://bit.ly/9lZGrI

Worker falls 20 ft off a natural gas rig

OSHA is currently investigating the death of 31-year-old Greg Allen Henry of Athens, Tenn. The fatal accident occurred in a drilling site in Towanda Township where the Henry's employer, Chesapeake Energy Corp., has currently shut down its operations at the site.

According to reports, Henry died Thursday after he fell 20 feet off a natural gas rig. State police said Henry was attempting to dislodge a handrail while the drilling unit was being moved to another drilling hole site on the drilling pad when the handrail gave way and in doing so, he slipped and fell approximately 20 feet. Henry was pronounced dead at the scene after suffering severe head trauma.

For more information on fall protection, please contact us at 800-642-0775.

Sources:
LOEWENSTEIN, JAMES. "OSHA, Chesapeake Investigate Fatal Fall in Towanda Township." Www.pressconnects.com. 13 Mar. 2010. Web. 15 Mar. 2010.

15,000 High Rate Workplaces Receiving OSHA Letters

OSHA has identified and sent letters to approximately 15,000 workplaces with the highest occupational injury and illness rates and is urging the employers to take action to remove hazards causing the high rates.

The employers are those whose establishments are covered by OSHA and reported the highest "Days Away from work, Restricted work or job Transfer injury and illness" (DART) rate to OSHA in a survey of 2008 injury and illness data. For every 100 full-time workers, the 15,000 employers had 4.5 or more injuries or illnesses which resulted in days away from work, restricted work or job transfer. The national average is 2.0.

Along with the letter, employers also were provided copies of their injury and illness data, along with a list of the most frequently cited OSHA standards for their specific industry. Employers are encouraged by OSHA to consider hiring an outside safety and health consultant, talking with their insurance carrier, or contacting the workers' compensation agency in their state for advice. OSHA offers an on-site consultation program for employers with 250 or fewer employees. The consultation program is administered by state agencies and operated separately from OSHA's inspection program. The service is free, and there are no fines even if problems are found. The letter tells the employer where the OSHA consultation program in that state may be contacted.

“Receipt of this letter means that workers in that particular establishment are being injured at a higher rate than in most other businesses of its kind in the country,” said Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Dr. David Michaels. “Employers whose businesses have injury and illness rates this high need to take immediate steps to protect their workers.”

Sources:
www.osha.gov

Fatigue in the Workplace

Fatigue is often a subject that is overlooked by many in the workplace. It can usually be regarded as having some impact on work productivity and costs. According to a study in the January Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, nearly 40 percent of U.S. workers experience fatigue, a problem that carries billions of dollars in costs from lost productivity. One of the main concerns is that fatigue can attribute to accidents in the workplace.

According to the study, "total lost productive time averaged 5.6 hours per week for workers with fatigue, compared to 3.3 hours for their counterparts without fatigue. For U.S. employers, fatigue carried overall estimated costs of more than $136 billion per year in health-related lost productivity $101 billion more than for workers without fatigue. Eighty-four percent of the costs were related to reduced performance while at work, rather than absences." Beyond the costs, fatigue can also attribute to physical and mental health problems among employees.

Researchers from the study concluded that "Interventions targeting workers with fatigue, particularly women, could have a marked positive effect on the quality of life and productivity of affected workers." The researchers also suggested that companies could offer "work-life programs" to help employees balance their work and personal responsibilities, and take steps to improve assessment and treatment for the large subgroup of workers who have fatigue co-occurring with other health conditions.



Sources:
"Fatigue In The Workplace Is Common And Costly." Medical News Today. Jan. 2007. Web.
Thanks to @SafetyCares (Twitter) for the video!

Recommended Article: Foreman says mine boss ordered him to fake records

A mining foreman accused of forging safety inspection reports at a West Virginia coal mine says his boss put profit ahead of potential danger, telling him to stop production and evacuate the mine only if a federal inspector was watching.

John Renner, a foreman at Patriot Coal Corp.'s Federal No. 2 mine near Fairview, told state investigators he wanted to do his job properly. But he wanted to keep it even more: In 2009, he made $106,000 with overtime.

"I've got three kids at home, and I've never had a good job like this," he told state mine safety investigators on Jan. 29. At the time, the state was investigating reports of trouble at the north-central West Virginia mine.

The investigation has since been turned over to federal authorities, and Renner has been charged with falsifying inspection reports. He is cooperating with prosecutors and is expected to plead Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Clarksburg.

To read the full article click here: http://bit.ly/bOw8i4

If it is true that the foreman was ordered to fake records, the boss should face consequences. To put profit before the safety of others is unacceptable. However, if this is the true case, do you believe Renner should also face consequences? What was his responsibility?

Recommended Article: Ex-city buildings inspector busted for selling fake OSHA safety certificates...

"A former city buildings inspector was busted Friday for selling fake safety training certificates required to work on high-rises.

The arrest of Michael Dinardo, 52, comes after a series of Daily News probes uncovered a thriving black market in the coveted certificates, which are issued through the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Dinardo, a Buildings Department inspector from 2004 to 2007, was charged in Manhattan Federal Court with selling 47 training cards to city Investigations Department undercover agents who did not complete any training."

By Alison Gendar and Brian Kates
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2010/03/05/2010-03-05_excity_buildings_inspector_busted_for_selling_fake_osha_safety_certificates_for_.html#ixzz0hau9NdWr

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Update: SeaWorld policy raised concerns about 'dangling hair' for trainers

(The following is directly from an article in the Orlando Sentinel.)

SeaWorld has a policy forbidding its killer-whale trainers from having "dangling hair" that the animals could grab onto, according to records from a workplace-safety investigation at the company's San Diego theme park.

Investigators with Cal-OSHA, examining a 2006 incident in which a trainer was injured when an orca grabbed him by the feet and held him underwater, found that SeaWorld trainers are "not allowed to have dangling hair or any accessories on their bodies that the whales might be able to grab when they are around the pool."

But a veteran trainer at SeaWorld Orlando was killed last week when, authorities say, one of the park's orcas grabbed Dawn Brancheau by her long ponytail, pulled her deep into his tank and drowned her. The tragedy has prompted fresh scrutiny of SeaWorld's safety practices, including its hair-length policy.

In the initial version of its report, the California workplace-safety agency, known as Cal/OSHA, warned that "swimming with captive orcas is inherently dangerous."

"If someone hasn't been killed already, it is only a matter of time before it does happen," the agency warned. Investigators said SeaWorld should be prepared to kill one of its animals to save a trainer caught by an orca that is "out of control and not responding to other available control measures."

SeaWorld said Monday that its policy was designed to prevent "free-flowing hair" and that trainers could still have long hair as long as it was tied in a ponytail, as Brancheau's was. The company said the rule was meant to reduce risks other than being snatched by an orca.

"Free-flowing hair has the ability to flow in front of your eyes, blocking you, or, most importantly, it gets in front of a killer whale and becomes a distraction," said Chuck Tompkins, corporate curator in charge of animal behavior for all of SeaWorld's parks. He added that the risk of a long ponytail being grabbed was lessened because "all of the water-work animals have been trained not to pull on hair."

To read the complete article click here: http://bit.ly/cQEidw