OSHA Releases H1N1 Flu Guidance for Employers and Workers
     OSHA issued worker safety and health guidance for H1N1 flu, including the followingfact sheets and QuickCards™ in both English and Spanish.

• What Employers Can Do to Protect Workers from Pandemic Influenza (English/Spanish)
• Respiratory Infection Control: Respirators Versus Surgical Masks (English/Spanish)
• Healthcare Workplaces Classified as Very High or High Exposure Risk for Pandemic Influenza  (English/Spanish)
• Pandemic Flu Respiratory Protection (English/Spanish)
• How to Protect Yourself in the Workplace during a Pandemic (English/Spanish)

Click on the above links to download the documents.

NIOSH Focus - Going Green: Safe and Healthy Jobs
     There are benefits as well as challenges of moving to a green economy. Green jobs are being defined broadly as jobs that help to improve the environment. These jobs also create opportunities to help battle a sagging economy and get people back to work. Yet, with the heightened attention on green jobs and environmental sustainability, it is important to make sure that worker safety and health are not overlooked. NIOSH and its partners are developing a framework to create awareness, provide guidance, and address occupational safety and health issues associated with green jobs and sustainability efforts.

Click here for the full report.

OSHA's Tips on Ticks

     Ticks can be more than just a nuisance to those who work outside - they can cause serious illnesses, including Lyme Disease. Workers in the construction, landscaping, forestry, farming, railroad, oil field, park and wildlife management, and utility industries - to name a few - are at increased risk of tick-related and other outdoor hazards. OSHA has resource information on these potential hazards and how to prevent them.

Click here to download the Working Outdoors in Warm Climates fact sheet

Click here to download Potential for Occupational Exposure to Lyme Disease.
 

Nominations Now Being Accepted for “Safe in Sound” Award
     NIOSH and the National Hearing Conservation Association (NHCA) are accepting nominations for the 2010 “Safe in Sound” award, which is given to companies or organizations that exemplify Excellence in Hearing Loss Prevention. Nominations will be accepted until August 1, 2009.

Click here for additional information and application details.

OSHA Announces Rulemaking on Combustible Dust Hazards
     The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is initiating a comprehensive rulemaking on combustible dust. OSHA will issue an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and convene related stakeholder meetings to evaluate possible regulatory methods, and request data and comments on issues related to combustible dust such as hazard recognition, assessment, communication, defining combustible dust and other concerns.
     Since 1980, more than 130 workers have been killed and more than 780 injured in combustible dust explosions. These include 14 people who were killed in a dust explosion Feb. 7, 2008, at an Imperial Sugar Co. plant in Georgia and three workers who were burned in April 2009 in an Illinois pet food plant dust explosion.
     Combustible dusts are solids finely ground into fine particles, fibers, chips, chunks or flakes that can cause a fire or explosion when suspended in air under certain conditions. Types of dusts include metal (aluminum and magnesium), wood, plastic or rubber, coal, flour, sugar and paper, among others.
     In 2006, the U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) recommended that OSHA issue a combustible dust standard. OSHA received additional support for a combustible dust standard from the CSB during a congressional hearing in 2008 when the board said a new standard, combined with enforcement and education, could save workers' lives.

Click here for more information.
 

Ergonomics on the Cutting Edge

Safety knives designed and developed in response to the direct feedback from safety professionals. The S4 features a shorter, slimmer, more ergonomic handle than previous models. Other features include a see-thru body for quick inspection of blade levels, an easier blade change release lever, and a new shorter, single-notch blade that eliminates any possibility of misalignment when loading replacement blades. Blade positions: Top (box) cut and two tray (window) cut positions.  Color coded - left hand model is red, right hand model is green.

Click here to order.      
 

News You Can Use

Let NC State Help You Manage the Risks of Doing Business. Free!
     OSHA Safety & Health Management Systems for Small Businesses is free, online, self-instructional, classroom-quality training developed by NC State University and funded by OSHA . This program is designed to assist your business in developing and implementing an effective, in-house, safety and health management system that is:

• • Easy to develop and inexpensive
• • Reflects your way of doing business
• • Based on specific needs of your workplace

For more information, or to begin now, click here.

Injury Facts - The Economics of Safety - From the National Safety Council

Costs of Unintentional Injuries by Component, 2007 

Source: National Safety Council

Child Safety
     Most people assume the products they use every day are safe. But how does anyone really know for sure? Does someone actually check products before they're sold? Underwriters Laboratories® does! UL helps to make sure the products people buy operate safely and are safe to use. UL smashes, burns, explodes, drops -- basically trashes the products people use every day!
     Sound interesting? You can help make the world a safer place.  UL and Disney have teamed up to create Disney's Wild About Safety for parents and kids.

Click here to visit Disney's Wild About Safety.

Free Fall Protection Online Training - Revised ANSI Standards

OBJECTIVES of this 55 minute video

• Explain the changes to ANSI/ASSE Z359.0 to Z359.4
• Identify Personal Fall Arrest Systems and the hardware that are affected by these changes
• Assess the highlights of the more significant changes in the standard
• Recognize what other subparts will be changing in the future

Offered by Miller Fall Protection - Miller by Sperian

Click here to watch the video.

How to Reduce Workers' Comp Costs in Recessionary Times
     Amid a slumping economy, there still are opportunities for organizations to reduce workers' compensation costs and save money through savvy risk management practices. A comprehensive, well-executed workers' compensation program tailored to an organization's specific needs can provide benefits beyond insurance and services – such as improving worker safety programs and reducing both the incidence of workers' compensation claims and claims severity. These benefits can enable organizations to achieve significant cost savings, improve financial security and reduce the potential need for budget cuts.
     These conclusions are discussed in a new white paper by PMA Companies, "Top Ten Workers' Compensation Considerations in Recessionary Times." The 10 considerations are tools a buyer should have in mind when selecting a carrier or third-party administrator (TPA) most capable of addressing their needs in the current market.

Source: EHS Today Magazine

Click here for the full report.

1. CUTS AND PUNCTURES- Many glove materials offer different degrees of protection from cuts and punctures, ranging from stainless steel ring mesh to natural and synthetic rubber.
2. CUTS AND SCRATCHES - Modern protective eyewear has scratch-resistant coatings, but they are not permanently scratch-proof.  Inspect eyewear before use and replace when scratched or pitted.
3. CUTS, SCRATCHES AND SCRAPES - Protective headwear can't protect if it is damaged.  Cuts, scratches and scrapes reduce the level of protection from your safety helmet.
4. CUTS, PUNCTURES,  SCRATCHES, SCRAPES, AND CHEMICALS - Electrical rubber insulating gloves must be inspected before each use (and more often if necessary) to check for any physical damage that might impact dielectric properties.  At a minimum, inflate the glove with air and look for signs of damage.
5. CUTS, PUNCTURES, SCRATCHES, SCRAPES, CHEMICALS, AND MORE - Be sure your first aid cabinet or kit is fully stocked with antibiotic ointments, antiseptic wipes, gauze pads and adhesive bandages and a wide range of sizes.

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

Tammy Ioffe has been with Saf-T-Gard for over 15 years as Data Processing Systems Administrator

• What Tammy likes about Saf-T-Gard: "Ability to work independently and as well as part of the team (good team) AND the ability to learn as I work on new tasks"
• What makes Tammy's day: "If everything on my checklist is done by the end of the day"
• Tammy's outside interests are: "Spending time with my family, reading, cooking, walking, gardening, camping."
• Anything else: "My desire to go to work in the morning and return home after work."