NIOSH Update: Aging Workers at Higher Risk of Death, Severe Injury, Conference Report Suggests Ways to Keep Workers Healthy and Productive
     A report of conference presentations and discussions among participants from the National Academies of Science, universities and research institutions, and representatives of professional associations, industry and labor, recommends attention to workplace environments to maintain “work ability” as workers age, along with legislative fixes and research to fill in knowledge gaps for keeping workers healthy and productive.
     According to researchers using U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data, older workers are more severely injured and die with greater frequency from work-related injuries than younger workers. Older workers also have longer recovery periods than younger workers. These findings raise health care delivery and economic issues for the nation, as more workers are choosing to delay retirement due to collapsed 401(k) plans and savings. BLS uses workers age 55 and older in its calculations, although the rates rise sharply for those workers over age 65. Other agencies and organizations define the term as age 50 or 55 and up. The Department of Labor uses age 40 as a starting point for “older worker.”

Click here for the full report.

From NIOSH - Improving Manual Material Handling in your Workplace
     Manual material handling (MMH) work contributes to a large percentage of the over half a million cases of musculoskeletal disorders reported annually in the United States. Musculoskeletal disorders often involve strains and sprains to the lower back, shoulders, and upper limbs. They can result in protracted pain, disability, medical treatment, and financial stress for those afflicted with them, and employers often find themselves paying the bill, either directly or through workers’ compensation insurance, at the same time they must cope with the loss of the full capacity of their workers.
     Scientific evidence shows that effective ergonomic interventions can lower the physical demands of MMH work tasks, thereby lowering the incidence and severity of the musculoskeletal injuries they can cause. Their potential for reducing injury related costs alone make ergonomic interventions a useful tool for improving a company’s productivity, product quality, and overall business competitiveness. But very often productivity gets an additional and solid shot in the arm when managers and workers take a fresh look at how best to use energy, equipment, and exertion to get the job done in the most efficient, effective, and effortless way possible. Planning that applies these principles can result in big wins for all concerned.

Click here for the full report.

Just in Time for the Holiday Shopping Season - OSHA's Crowd Control Guidelines
     The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has prepared a fact sheet providing crowd control guidelines for retailers to protect workers during major sales events. Last year a worker was trampled to death while a mob of shoppers rushed through the doors of a large store to take advantage of an after Thanksgiving Day "Black Friday" sales event. The store was not using the kind of crowd control measures recommended in OSHA's fact sheet.
     The fact sheet provides employers with recommended elements for crowd control plans. Plans should include having trained security personnel or police officers on site, setting up barricades or rope lines for pedestrians and crowd control well in advance of customers arriving at the store, making sure that barricades are set up so that the customers' line does not start right at the entrance of the store, preparing an emergency plan that addresses potential dangers, and having security personnel or customer service representatives explain approach and entrance procedures to the arriving public. OSHA also recommends not allowing additional customers to enter the store when it reaches its maximum occupancy level and not blocking or locking exit doors.

Click here to download the fact sheet.

Combustible Dust Hazards - Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
     OSHA has addressed the need for a combustible dust standard by publishing an advance notice of proposed rulemaking on October 21.  This is an initial step in developing a standard to address combustible dust hazards in 29CFR Part 110.  In this advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPR), OSHA is requesting comments, including data and other information, on issues related to the hazards of combustible dust in the workplace. For the purposes of this notice, the term "combustible dust" includes all combustible particulate solids of any size, shape, or chemical composition that could present a fire or deflagration hazard when suspended in air or other oxidizing medium. OSHA plans to use the information received in response to this notice in developing a proposed standard for combustible dust. Interested parties are invited to submit comments in response to this ANPR by January 19, 2010.

Click here for the Federal Register notice with more information.

OSHA Promotes H1N1 Worker Precaution and Protection
     OSHA issued fact sheets about H1N1 that employers and workers can use to promote safety during the current H1N1 flu outbreak. The fact sheets offer ways to minimize work-related risks of exposure to the H1N1 virus.

Click here for more information.

Follow the NIOSH Science Blog - Workplace Hearing Loss
     Work-related hearing loss continues to be a critical workplace safety and health issue. It is estimated that over 22 million workers are exposed to hazardous noise on the job and an additional nine million are at risk for hearing loss from other agents such as solvents and metals. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has a long history of working to prevent workplace hearing loss. While noise-induced hearing loss is 100 percent preventable, once acquired, hearing loss is permanent and irreversible.

Click here to follow the blog.

News You Can Use

ASSE Announces Revised Workplace Fall Protection Standard
     In an effort to provide the most current information on slip, trip and fall prevention, the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) recently announced the approval of a newly revised American National Standards Institute (ANSI) /ASSE Z359.0-2009 “Definitions and Nomenclature Used for Fall Protection and Fall Arrest” voluntary consensus standard. The recently updated Z359.0-2009 standard, approved by ANSI on October 27, 2009, is available to download at no cost. The standard establishes definitions and nomenclature for fall arrest and fall protection equipment, which includes definitions and nomenclature used for all the current Z359 standards.
     According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), out of the 5,071 fatal on-the-job injuries that occurred in 2008 in the U.S., 680 were attributed to falls. In addition, Richard Fairfax, director of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) directorate of enforcement programs, recently noted that fall protection is one of the top 10 most cited OSHA violations for 2009.

Click here to download of ANSI/ASSE Z359.0-2009

From the National Safety Council - Bring Safety Home
     Safety in the home is more important now than ever. Preventable injuries and deaths are on the rise in homes and communities across the United States. To really make an impact, people need to be aware of the hazards around them and change their behaviors. The information you find in this section will help you do just that.  Share what you learn here about safety in your home with your family, friends and neighbors. Simple steps could make a huge difference. Don't forget to engage your family. Children could help.

• Don't use your cell phone while driving. Encourage those around you to do the same.
• Get trained in first aid, CPR and AED.
• Get a flu shot and make sure your family receives flu shots too.
• Fall proof your home.
• Conduct emergency evacuation drills.
• Identify safety hazards around your house, such as electrical cords that someone could trip over, rugs that slip, etc.

Source: National Safety Council

FDA Word on BPA Delayed
     Consumer groups, food packagers and the plastics industry have been awaiting a Food and Drug Administration reevaluation of bisphenol A, or BPA, the plastics additive that has been linked to health problems in a growing number of studies. But a self-imposed Nov. 30 agency deadline for an announcement has come and gone, leaving interested parties wondering what the hang-up is and how long it will be before the FDA weighs in. Soon, or at least fairly soon, according to an FDA spokesman, who said late Monday that “it won’t be 2010.”
     BPA is a plastics-hardening chemical used in dozens of household items, including CDs, canned food and baby bottles. The compound mimics the effects of the hormone estrogen and has been tentatively linked to a variety of maladies including cancer, diabetes and neurological and behavioral disorders in children.

Click here for the full report.

Source: Los Angeles Times

ACOEM Launches Health Workforce Now Initiative
     The American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM) believes that the time has come for the United States to recognize the workplace as a critical location for achieving the goals of health reform and for improving the overall health of employees and their families.
     It will be impossible to achieve true health care reform without this shift in focus. Our workforce – the engine that drives our economy and supports the financial underpinnings of our health care system – is ailing and aging, with a rapid rise in chronic disease across all age groups. At the same time, many baby boomers are exiting the workplace altogether. As a consequence, the pipeline of healthy, productive workers in the United States is threatened. Without a healthy, able, and available workforce, the United States will not be able to sustain its long-term health care programs – nor will it thrive in an increasingly competitive global marketplace.
     ACOEM has launched its “Healthy Workforce Now” initiative to raise awareness of these vital facts.

Click here for more information and to download program documents.

Bring Your Green to Work with ENERGY STAR
     Did you know that the energy used by a building to support just one office worker for a day causes more than twice as many greenhouse gas emissions as that worker’s drive to and from work? The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has the tools to learn how you can fight global warming while you’re at work, including:

• Useful tips and posters
• How to create a "Green Team"
• Learn what we all can do to improve energy efficiency
• Find fast facts about energy use

Click here for more information.

1. ERGO-SMARTS - Back support belts can help reduce back muscle overreaction and injury.
2. ERGO-SMARTS - Vibration-reducing gloves help protect against hand-arm injuries from pneumatic, gas, hydraulic, and electric power tools.
3. ERGO-SMARTS - Wrist wraps and braces open the carpal tunnel area to reduce discomfort and the likelihood of injury.
4. ERGO-SMARTS - Wear proper-fitting personal protective equipment (PPE) - too loose or too tight - it's not right!
5. ERGO-SMARTS - In the event of injury, apply ice to reduce swelling, immobilize if necessary, and seek immediate medical attention.

Want more information on any of this month's Saf-T-Tips?  E-mail us for a prompt reply.

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Karen Newton is a Senior Sales Representative and has been with Saf-T-Gard for over 24 years.

• What Karen likes about Saf-T-Gard: "Saf-T-Gard's professionalism and high regard for its employees and its customers."
• What makes Karen's day: "Helping customers meet their safety requirements."
• Karen's outside interests are: "Boating, exercising and traveling. "
• Anything else: "Supporting the Humane Society of the United States."