News Briefs
News Briefs
Virtual quiz show targets safety
Would your employees know what to do in the event of a chemical spill? 3E Company, Carlsbad, CA, enables companies to test their HazMat (hazardous materials) readiness and responsiveness at www.hazmatquiz.com.
Hosted by "Bone Daddy," 3E’s HazMat mascot, the quiz presents a new mock incident every month, followed by a series of "What would you do next?" questions ranging from regulatory reporting to environmental considerations and emergency response techniques.
For more information, contact: 3E Company, 1905 Aston Ave., Carlsbad, CA 92008. Telephone: (800) 360-3220. Web site: www.3ecompany.com.
Crashes impact 40% of workers
Motor vehicle crashes impact nearly 40% of workers annually, causing each to miss an average of 5.3 hours of work, according to an internal survey conducted by AAA and Nationwide Insurance.
"Whether employees are driving for work or just to and from work, traffic crashes should be a major concern for all employers," says Tom Walsh, former corporate health and safety director for United Parcel Service and chairman of the Network of Employers for Traffic Safety (NETS) in Washington, DC.
To make it easy for employers to launch a well-organized campaign, NETS offers a program tool kit that focuses on a traffic safety theme for each day of the week.
For more information, contact: Network of Employers for Traffic Safety, 1900 L St. N.W., Suite 705, Washington, DC 20036. Telephone: (202) 452-6005. Fax: (202) 223-7012. Web site: www.trafficsafety.org.
Lifeguard launches renal disease program
Lifeguard Inc., the San Jose, CA-based not-for-profit health plan, has launched a care management program for members with end-stage renal (kidney) disease (ESRD) to coordinate their care and improve the effectiveness of their treatment.
"This ESRD care management program is a proactive approach to improving the health and well-being of our members," says S. Joseph Aita, MD, executive vice president and chief medical officer for Lifeguard. "We should improve patient outcomes and quality of life." The program was created through a joint venture with Golden State Nephrology Medical Group Inc.
For more information, contact: Lifeguard Inc., P.O. Box 5506, San Jose, CA 95150-5506. Telephone: (800) 995-0350. Web site: www.lifeguard.com.
Safety council seeks to reduce workplace injuries
Citing an "alarming" rise in deaths from preventable injuries last year, the National Safety Council has proposed an agenda to substantially reduce the number of injuries and loss of life in the nation’s workplaces, homes, and public places.
The council estimated that unintentional injuries claimed the lives of 95,500 Americans, and more than 20 million were seriously injured last year, with the cost of unintentional injuries climbing to $500 billion.
The council’s safety agenda proposes these remedies:
• Expand the use of workplace safety best practices identified by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, and the National Safety Council to all workplaces.
• Encourage companies to adopt a corporate code of safety and health ethics, creating a comprehensive safety audit to identify current and potential hazards and assign accountability for finding solutions.
Hearing experts recommend new workplace standards
Experts at a National Industrial Noise and Hearing Loss Consensus Meeting have proposed new guidelines to help reduce the health care and economic problems associated with noise-induced hearing loss.
Current standardized employee hearing tests should be replaced with new functional assessment tests that are far superior in measuring hearing and communicative ability, experts said. Already in use by many state and federal law enforcement agencies, such tests can more accurately screen employees for suitability in hearing-critical and high-noise jobs.
The panel also suggested adopting hearing protection technology that enhances communication. Many employers provide workers with only rudimentary types of hearing protection such as foam earplugs, which also reduce an employee's ability to communicate. In contrast, advanced hearing protection devices such as headsets protect hearing and enhance workplace communication.
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