Occupational Health Management Archives – August 1, 2005
August 1, 2005
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An award-winning Iowa program has a different view of wellness
Wellness with a twist: Health is more than diet and exercise The employees of Mercy Medical Center in Mason City, IA, told employee health coordinators what they wanted in a wellness program, and for young health educator Kelly Putnam, MA, what they described was not the wellness model she knew. -
Consensus regarding effects of mold slow
Risk to cleanup workers may be greatest -
Old nemesis still puzzles experts
Because of the lack of data on maintenance or remediation workers engaged in mold-related activities, there presently is no way to link specific work practices to exposures, nor to measure the effectiveness of exposure reduction techniques, the group finds. -
Protection measures studied
Labor, industry, and health interests are slowly working toward consensus on how to minimize exposure when mold is suspected or confirmed, Latko says. Determining when protective equipment is needed is one issue, she says; is the cutoff point when mold is visible, when its microscopic, when its sealed behind walls, or when its presence is just strongly suspected? -
Grass-roots training funds on OSHA’s chopping block
Safety training for immigrant workers impacted As it has in the past, the OSHA is seeking to cut a longtime source of federal funding for state-level workplace safety programs, opting to offer replacement training that critics say cannot fill the gap. -
OSHA issues hazardous exposure guidelines
Guidelines directed at first receivers Hospital employees, especially those working in and around the emergency department (ED), are at significant risk of occupational exposure to hazardous materials when contaminated patients arrive. -
Should flu shots be mandatory?
Experts weigh pros, cons Cautioning that an influenza pandemic could be looming, officers of Infectious Diseases Society of America (ISDA) and at least one state medical association are urging that health care workers be required to receive the flu vaccine. -
New alliance promotes occ health and safety
Two more occupational health and safety entities have formed a partnership to jointly promote best practices and encourage employers to develop and use health and safety management systems and effective prevention strategies.