Tag: #NIOSH

‘Nearly always preventable’: Help workers avoid hearing loss

Posted on by McCraren Compliance
metal-worker.jpg

Photo: Gabrijelagal/iStockphoto

From the blare of a forklift-collision warning to the wail of an ambulance siren, noise can make us aware of hazards our eyes haven’t yet seen. But not all noise is helpful.

“At certain levels it can become hazardous,” NIOSH cautions. Repeated workplace exposure to noise that’s 85 dBA or louder can permanently damage workers’ hearing – and even contribute to high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease.

The good news? “Noise-induced hearing loss is nearly always preventable,” NIOSH says. “Reducing workplace noise below 85 dBA is the best way to prevent occupational hearing loss and other effects from hazardous noise.”

Employers can help by:
Buying quiet. “Buy Quiet is a prevention initiative that encourages companies to purchase or rent quieter machinery and tools to reduce worker noise exposure,” NIOSH says.
Monitoring workers’ hearing. NIOSH recommends annual audiometric testing (a hearing test that measures the lowest level of sound someone can hear) for workers who are regularly exposed to noisy environments. “Testing should be performed by a professional certified by the Council for Accreditation in Occupational Hearing Conservation or equivalent certification,” the agency adds.
Creating a noise map. Use a sound level meter to measure areas in the workplace that are loud, and then map out those locations for workers. No access to an SLM? You can use a sound measurement app. NIOSH has one – go to cdc.gov/niosh/topics/noise/app.html to find it.
Communicating with workers about noise exposure. Use plain language to explain the risks to your workers. NIOSH recommends sharing your noise maps and posting signs in noisy areas.

October is recognized as National Protect Your Hearing Month.

McCraren Compliance offers a full range of safety and health training and consulting services. Plus we can help you incorporate well-being into your traditional systems in order to support the Total Worker Health of your workforce.

Call 888-758-4757, email info@mccrarencompliance.com or visit our website www.mccrarencompliance.com

Original article published by Safety+Health an NSC publication

FACE Report: Two workers killed in boom lift rollover

Posted on by McCraren Compliance
19OR001-3.jpg

FACE photo: NIOSH

Case report: #2019OR01
Issued by: Oregon Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation Program
Date of report: June 29, 2023

Two workers were operating a boom lift on uneven farmland where a music festival had taken place. The lift was being used to remove cables suspending fabric sails that had provided shade. It was on a hillside with its wheels parallel to the slope. The first-stage boom arm was extended about 40 feet uphill, while the counterweight was oriented on the downhill side of the slope. Two safety alarms – a tilt hazard alarm and a crush hazard alarm – had been disabled. The workers were moving the lift perpendicular to the hill slope with the boom arm extended when it tipped over in the downhill direction, catapulting the basket to the ground. The workers received blunt force trauma injuries. Other workers called 911 and attempted to give first aid. Emergency responders arrived within 10 minutes and pronounced the workers dead at the scene. Investigator interviews with sail-installation company employees, former employees and volunteers indicated that the practice of disabling the tilt alarm on lifts had been going on for years – and that management was aware of the practice. A former employee stated that she left the company because of issues with employees disabling alarms. An equipment rental company used in previous years reported that it stopped renting equipment for the event because it found an alarm disabled and an illegal substance on returned equipment.

To help prevent similar occurrences, employers should:

  • Ensure, through adequate supervision, that manufacturer instructions regarding equipment operation are followed.
  • Provide training and supervision to ensure boom lift operators know not to move the boom lift with the boom extended.
  • Maintain and regularly inspect equipment for operational safety.
  • Implement pre-task planning for jobs that include varying conditions or environments.
  • Train employees to operate equipment safely, verify training completion, and check knowledge and skill level.

McCraren Compliance offers a full range of safety and health training and consulting services. Plus we can help you incorporate well-being into your traditional systems in order to support the Total Worker Health of your workforce.

Call 888-758-4757, email info@mccrarencompliance.com or visit our website www.mccrarencompliance.com

Original article published by Safety+Health an NSC publication

NIOSH marks 9/11 day of remembrance

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Washington — “The memories and impact of 9/11 have not faded with time,” NIOSH says in a video released on the 2023 National Day of Service and Remembrance.

Photo: World Trade Center Health Program

Washington — “The memories and impact of 9/11 have not faded with time,” NIOSH says in a video released on the 2023 National Day of Service and Remembrance.

In an accompanying statement, NIOSH Director John Howard remembers those “who lost their lives, those who survived, and all who responded with courage and selflessness at the World Trade Center; the Pentagon; and in Shanksville, PA. To this day, we know that many still deal with health impacts, whether from injuries or illness.”

Howard is also the administrator of the World Trade Center Health Program, which provides no-cost medical monitoring and treatment for 9/11 emergency responders, recovery and cleanup workers, and volunteers. It also offers initial screenings and treatment to people who were present on the day of the attacks or who worked, lived or went to school in the New York City disaster area on or in the months after 9/11.

In 2022, NIOSH announced Health Effects of 9/11, an online exhibition that spotlights the ongoing health problems of workers who responded during and after the attacks. The exhibition, in which workers share their stories, can be visited in person at the CDC Roybal Campus in Atlanta.

“With more than 400,000 people estimated to have been exposed to toxins or suffer from physical or mental health conditions as result of 9/11, our work and commitment to provide compassionate WTC-related care continues,” Howard said.

McCraren Compliance offers many opportunities in safety training to help circumvent accidents. Please take a moment to visit our calendar of classes to see what we can do to help your safety measures from training to consulting.

Original article published by Safety+Health an NSC publication

Preventing Occupational Hearing Loss

Posted on by McCraren Compliance

Preventing Occupational Hearing LossA new online guide to prevent occupational noise-induced hearing loss from NIOSH is now available. The guide walks employers and safety professionals step-by-step through the basics of creating a safer, quieter workplace.

Noise is part of everyday life, but at certain levels it can become hazardous.

Repeated exposures to sounds that are 85 A-weighted decibels (dBA) or higher can cause permanent hearing loss and are associated with other problems including

  • Ringing in the ears (tinnitus)
  • High blood pressure (hypertension)
  • Cardiovascular disease

High noise levels can also contribute to serious workplace accidents and injuries. Noise can reduce workers’ awareness of what is happening around them, including signals, alarms, and verbal warnings. Continue reading»

McCraren Compliance offers a full range of safety and health training and consulting services. Plus we can help you incorporate well-being into your traditional systems in order to support the Total Worker Health of your workforce.

Call 888-758-4757, email info@mccrarencompliance.com or visit our website www.mccrarencompliance.com

Original article published by NIOSH

New Heat Stress Training Module for Mine Workers

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New Heat Stress Training Module for Mine Workers

Heat stress is a growing problem among mine workers. NIOSH researchers developed a training module to address this issue and decrease heat-related illnesses in miners. The training will also help mine workers recognize the signs of heat-related illness and provide first aid.

McCraren Compliance offers a full range of safety and health training and consulting services. Plus we can help you incorporate well-being into your traditional systems in order to support the Total Worker Health of your workforce.

Call 888-758-4757, email info@mccrarencompliance.com or visit our website www.mccrarencompliance.com

Original article published by NIOSH

Celebrate National Farm Safety and Health Week 2023

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No One Can Take Your Place
September 17-23, 2023

#NoOneCanTakeYourPlace

NIOSH joins the Centers for Agricultural Safety and Health (Ag Centers) in recognizing National Farm Safety and Health Week! This annual event is when we highlight the importance of working together to prevent injuries and illnesses among agricultural workers.

The 2023 theme is “No One Can Take Your Place.” This year’s events will focus on tractor and rural roadway safety, health and wellness, priority populations, combined spaces in agriculture, and brain health.

McCraren Compliance offers a full range of safety and health training and consulting services. Plus we can help you incorporate well-being into your traditional systems in order to support the Total Worker Health of your workforce.

Call 888-758-4757, email info@mccrarencompliance.com or visit our website www.mccrarencompliance.com

Original article published by NIOSH

Respiratory Protection Week 2023

Posted on by McCraren Compliance

Happy Respiratory Protection Week! Each year, NIOSH highlights the importance of respiratory protection in the workplace and provides resources to help workers and employers make educated decisions when selecting and wearing respirators. Millions of workers across the United States rely on respiratory protection to keep them safe on the job. This year we’re helping to fill in the gaps in respiratory protection with our new resources. To check them out, visit the Respiratory Protection Week 2023 webpage.

McCraren Compliance offers a full range of safety and health training and consulting services. Plus we can help you incorporate well-being into your traditional systems in order to support the Total Worker Health of your workforce.

Call 888-758-4757, email info@mccrarencompliance.com or visit our website www.mccrarencompliance.com

Original article published by NIOSH

Potentially harmful ‘forever’ chemicals may be present in many industries

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Washington — Exposure to cancer-causing per- and polyfluroalkyl substances, or PFAS, is common “across occupations,” according to a recent research review from NIOSH.

After consulting multiple Centers for Disease Control and Prevention databases, NIOSH researchers examined 92 papers related to occupational exposure to PFAS that were published between 1980 and 2021. Analysis shows a wide range of use of PFAS – also known as “forever chemicals” because they break down slowly over time.

Although workers in PFAS-based chemical manufacturing had the highest exposure levels, the risk was also apparent among textile mill workers, metal plating workers, office workers, fishers and barbers.

NIOSH notes that the majority of the papers analyzed measured blood tests for PFAS, with others monitoring exposure levels through air, dust and urine samples.

“This study highlights the importance of measuring exposure to PFAS, including new types, among workers in manufacturing and other work settings,” NIOSH says. “Identifying patterns of work-related exposure is critical to establishing guidelines to protect workers.”

The study was published online in the Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology.

McCraren Compliance offers a full range of safety and health training and consulting services. Plus we can help you incorporate well-being into your traditional systems in order to support the Total Worker Health of your workforce.

Call 888-758-4757, email info@mccrarencompliance.com or visit our website www.mccrarencompliance.com

Original article published by Safety+Health an NSC publication

Participate in Safe + Sound Week 2023: August 7-13

Posted on by McCraren Compliance

Safe + Sound Week is a nationwide event held each August that recognizes the successes of workplace health and safety programs and offers information and ideas on how to keep America’s workers safe. This year Safe + Sound Week will provide resources for businesses on mental health and well-being. These materials will be posted before the start of Safe + Sound Week. Please check back soon!

Safe + Sound Week

Photo: OSHA

Why Participate?
Successful safety and health programs can proactively identify and manage workplace hazards before they cause injury or illness, improving sustainability and the bottom line. Participating in Safe + Sound Week can help get your program started, energize an existing one, or provide a chance to recognize your safety successes.

Who Participates?
All organizations looking for an opportunity to recognize their commitment to safety are welcome to participate. Last year, more than 3,300 businesses helped to raise awareness about workers’ health and safety!

Check out our event archive for information on previous years’ engagement.

Registration is available online.

McCraren Compliance offers many opportunities in safety training to help circumvent accidents. Please take a moment to visit our calendar of classes to see what we can do to help your safety measures from training to consulting.

Original article published by OSHA

Respirator Fit Evaluation Challenge: NIOSH announces Phase 1 winners

Posted on by McCraren Compliance

Washington — NIOSH has selected 20 winning entries for the initial phase of its Respirator Fit Evaluation Challenge.

Respirator Fit Evaluation
Photo: NIOSH

The three-phase challenge “seeks practical solutions that deliver real-time information on filtering facepiece respirators.”

For Phase 1, individuals or teams submitted a paper that outlines concepts for delivering “immediate evaluation and feedback to end users about the fit of filtering facepiece respirators.”

The winning entries include Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR), infrared imagery and thermal monitoring, fabric-based sensor networks, light sensing (LED), and an app combining artificial intelligence and facial recognition.

Each Phase 1 winner is awarded $5,000 – part of a total award sum of $350,000.

For Phase 2, the winning teams will design prototypes based on their submitted concept papers. NIOSH will award up to 10 prizes – part of a $100,000 purse – to help the teams build preproduction prototypes, which will be evaluated during the final phase of the challenge.

“Respirators are crucial to protect workers and the public from various respiratory hazards, including airborne infectious agents and wildfire smoke,” Maryann D’Alessandro, director of NIOSH’s National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory, said in the release. “Many small or disadvantaged workplaces, however, lack the resources for fit testing, and workers at these underserved workplaces and the general public often wear respirators without knowing if they fit properly and provide the expected level of protection. The challenge aims to address these issues.”

McCraren Compliance offers many opportunities in safety training to help circumvent accidents. Please take a moment to visit our calendar of classes to see what we can do to help your safety measures from training to consulting.