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If the worst happens to workers, will safety training save the day?

When a barrel at an East St. Louis plant was dropped containing the highly toxic chemical nitroaniline, the lid popped off. White powder spilled and coated eight workers. Instead of calling 911, however, the workers went home. When they began having breathing problems, some drove themselves to the nearest emergency departments (ED). Others waited hours before seeing medical care.

4 ways to be sure workers are ready

Do these four things so employees know what to do if an incident occurs, whether it be a catastrophe, disaster, or injury:

Teach all workers this disaster info

All employees should know the following steps in order to prepare for workplace incidents, says Anita M. Holloway, MD, MBA, manager of health strategy and clinical programs at Warrenville, IL-based Navistar:

Will employees self-transport to ED?

The fact that employees exposed to a toxic chemical at a St. Louis plant drove themselves to the emergency department reinforces one of the key lessons learned from the Tokyo sarin gas attack of 1995, says Robert Emery, DrPH, assistant vice president of safety, health, environment and risk management at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.

OSHA could multiply fines by number affected

Lapses in personal protective equipment and training could soon become a lot more costly. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has proposed a "clarification" of rules, including the respirator protection and bloodborne pathogen standards, that give it authority to magnify fines for employers.

New wording emphasizes 'per employee' duty

OSHA has proposed wording changes to the following sections of standards that related to the health care industry:

Employees must wear the PPE

The thought of being liable for multiple violations can be daunting. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently inspected a veterinary lab within the Marshfield (WI) Clinic in response to a complaint, says Bruce Cunha, RN, MS, COHN-S, manager of employee health and safety at the clinic.

Do you give presenteeism the attention it deserves?

The number of days an employee is absent and worker's compensation costs are fairly black-and-white metrics. But what about presenteeism, when employees are at work, but not optimally productive?

Can you show a direct cost savings?

The problem with presenteeism is proving that money is saved by decreasing it. "It's not impossible, but it's very, very difficult, to show this," says Joseph Fortuna, MD, co-chair of the Health Steering Committee of the Automotive Industry Action Group.

3 steps to get back lost productivity

To tackle presenteeism, assess it first, and then use the information wisely. Take these three steps:

Get office workers up and moving

Instead of "economy class syndrome," should deep vein thrombosis (DVT) be called "sitting at a desk all day syndrome?" According to new research, prolonged sitting at work is linked to double the risk of DVT and pulmonary embolism.

How big is the DVT risk, really?

Although a new study says that sedentary workers double their risk of deep vein thrombosis (DVT), it's difficult to gauge the true risk of DVT, according to Monika Fischer, MN, RN, APRN BC, CCM, COHN-S, FAAOHN, health services administrator for the City of Glendale, CA. For one thing, Fischer points to the "extremely small sample size" in the study and other confounding factors.

Tips for reducing employee stress

Employees rank time pressures, deadlines, office politics, and their bosses as the top stress-inducing factors at work, according to a new workplace wellness survey conducted by Eclipse gum and the Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp).

Occupational Health Management Archives – November 1, 2008

November 1, 2008