“Data is the foundation for NIOSH’s work to address the occupational safety and health needs for the nation, driving our safety and health research priorities and recommendations,” says NIOSH Director John Howard, M.D. “[The] gateway is an important step in providing these data resources to safety and health researchers and practitioners for use in their critical efforts to keep the nation’s workforce safe and healthy.”
A Blog From the American Society of Safety Engineers
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
NIOSH Expands Data & Statistics Gateway
NIOSH has launched a new web resource, the NIOSH Data and Statistics Gateway, where NIOSH-generated public-use research datasets can be downloaded. Currently, the tool houses several historical public-use research datasets and surveillance data, each of which features a description of data-collection methods. The site also contains links to other NIOSH data sources such as investigations, HazMat databases, tests and measurements resources, and links to product databases, as well as links to data resources from other federal and nonfederal partners.
“Data is the foundation for NIOSH’s work to address the occupational safety and health needs for the nation, driving our safety and health research priorities and recommendations,” says NIOSH Director John Howard, M.D. “[The] gateway is an important step in providing these data resources to safety and health researchers and practitioners for use in their critical efforts to keep the nation’s workforce safe and healthy.”
“Data is the foundation for NIOSH’s work to address the occupational safety and health needs for the nation, driving our safety and health research priorities and recommendations,” says NIOSH Director John Howard, M.D. “[The] gateway is an important step in providing these data resources to safety and health researchers and practitioners for use in their critical efforts to keep the nation’s workforce safe and healthy.”
ASSE's Upcoming Symposium Presents Roots of a Crisis
Years of research indicate that organizational disasters rarely occur from a single factor, but rather the unexpected interaction of multiple elements ranging from human error to technological failures to poor business decisions. Catherine Tinsley, Ph.D., professor of management and head of the management group at McDonough School of Business, Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., will open Avoiding the Worst, ASSE’s upcoming Fatality and Severe Loss Prevention Symposium, scheduled Nov. 21-22 in San Diego, CA, with her keynote presentation, Roots of a Crisis.
1) Heed high pressure. Psychological research indicates that decisions made under high pressure to meet performance goals (such as tight schedules, costs or production targets) can be more easily influenced by cognitive biases, leading managers to discount or misread near-miss signals. Organizations should encourage employees to examine their decisions during high-pressure situations to determine how their decision-making processes might have been different if they had had more time or resources available.
2) Learn from deviations. Often, when some aspect of operations deviate from the norm, managers will recalibrate what they consider acceptable risk, despite understanding the statistical risk represented by the deviation. Managers should examine their reasons for tolerating the associated risk from operational deviations.
3) Uncover Root Causes. Often when managers identify errors they respond to the symptom rather than the cause of the deviation.
4) Demand accountability. Even when people are aware of near-misses, they tend to diminish their importance. Requiring managers to justify their assessment of near misses is one way to limit this issue.
5) Consider worst-case scenarios. Many people will not consider the possible negative consequences of near misses unless advised to do so. Examining events closely helps people distinguish between near misses and successes.
6) Evaluate projects at every stage. When things go badly, manager will analyze the situation to prevent recurrences, but rarely will they review successful operations, allowing some near-misses to escape scrutiny. Critically examining projects while they’re under way will help teams avoid outcome bias and see near misses for what they are.
7) Reward owning up. Organizational alertness will help prevent errors, but if people aren’t motivated or discouraged from exposing near-misses, no amount of attention will prevent incidents. Leaders should reward staff for uncovering near misses, including their own.
Over the past decade, Tinsley and a team of experts in organizational behavior and intelligence analysis have studied near-misses in dozens of companies. The research shows trends of multiple near-misses preceding every disaster or crisis studied, most of which, the team says, were ignored or misread by business managers and leaders.
“Theoretically, near-misses could be interpreted two ways,” Tinsley says. “1) The system is vulnerable (because a disaster almost happened) or 2) the system is resilient (since a disaster did not happen). Although these two interpretations are possible, it turns out the many near-miss events are interpreted as disasters that did not happen.”
Some near-miss events are categorized as successes, she continues, while others are seen as “less than successful,” but are far from being classified as a negative event, resulting in no follow up action.
This can be an issue for obvious reasons, she continues. “Presumably people want to prevent crises before they occur rather than just investigate them post-hoc for what went wrong. Understanding how organizational disasters often are a complex interaction of quite mundane events can help organizational actors, such as safety and health professionals, be on the lookout for early warning signals, which may presage looming catastrophes,” Tinsley says.
In correlation with NASA, Tinsley and her team have developed seven strategies to help SH&E professionals and business leaders detect and learn from near misses and ward off loss events:
2) Learn from deviations. Often, when some aspect of operations deviate from the norm, managers will recalibrate what they consider acceptable risk, despite understanding the statistical risk represented by the deviation. Managers should examine their reasons for tolerating the associated risk from operational deviations.
3) Uncover Root Causes. Often when managers identify errors they respond to the symptom rather than the cause of the deviation.
4) Demand accountability. Even when people are aware of near-misses, they tend to diminish their importance. Requiring managers to justify their assessment of near misses is one way to limit this issue.
5) Consider worst-case scenarios. Many people will not consider the possible negative consequences of near misses unless advised to do so. Examining events closely helps people distinguish between near misses and successes.
6) Evaluate projects at every stage. When things go badly, manager will analyze the situation to prevent recurrences, but rarely will they review successful operations, allowing some near-misses to escape scrutiny. Critically examining projects while they’re under way will help teams avoid outcome bias and see near misses for what they are.
7) Reward owning up. Organizational alertness will help prevent errors, but if people aren’t motivated or discouraged from exposing near-misses, no amount of attention will prevent incidents. Leaders should reward staff for uncovering near misses, including their own.
For more examples, look for Tinsley’s keynote at ASSE’s Avoiding the Worst: Fatality and Severe Loss Prevention Symposium.
ASTM International has published ASTM D7841-13, Standard Practice for Sustainable Laundry Best Management Practices, initiated by TRSA, an organization representing the U.S. textile services industry. According to TRSA, publication of the standard recognizes key criteria for TRSA's Clean Green certification as universal indicators of maximum sustainability in commercial laundry work."The ASTM standard, implemented through TRSA's Clean Green certification, encourages every laundry facility to adopt sustainable, green best management practices," says Joseph Ricci, TRSA president.
The standard codifies the best management practices in the TRSA Clean Green standard as the structural, nonstructural and managerial techniques most effective and practical for a laundry to achieve green objectives (such as preventing or minimizing pollution) while making optimum use of natural resources.
Among the best management practices from the TRSA program incorporated in the ASTM standard:
- reducing greenhouse gas emissions by capturing heat from wastewater stream;
- conserving with water reuse system;
- using environmentally friendly detergents;
- filtering wastewater before discharge to sewer;
- solar energy and energy-efficient lighting;
- recycling programs;
- rerouting trucks to save vehicle fuel.
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
Celebrate Farm Safety Week With Videos, Fact Sheets & More
September 15-22 is National Farm Safety & Health Week, and several organizations are making efforts to raise awareness about the many hazards present in agricultural work. Here is a partial list of resources to help protect workers and families:
- OSHA's agricultural operations page offers facts on agricultural injuries, vehicle hazards and concerns regarding young workers in agriculture, as well as links to other resources and relevant standards.
- The National Education Center for Agricultural Safety at Northeast Iowa Community College provides National Farm Safety Week resources including links to webinars on grain bin safety, agricultural chemical safety and respirator programs for agriculture.
- Canadian Agricultural Safety Association provides access to presentations, videos and booklets on various farm safety topics, including foreign worker farm safety training, ergonomics in agriculture and safe animal handling practices.
- Farmsafe Australia Inc. offers resources addressing several unique issues including farmers with disabilities, emergency preparedness in agriculture and hearing safety for farmworkers.
- Farm Safety For Just Kids is an educational website geared toward children living on farms. It features lesson plans, puzzles and other educational materials on topics such as animal handling, safe riding, ATV safety, tractor safety, chemical identification and reading chemical labels.
- Directory of NIOSH Ag Safety Centers also includes links to informational newsletters.
- OSHA's grain handling page provides information on standards, hazards, and evaluating and controlling exposure to grain handling risks.
ASSE Foundation Scholarships or Professional Education Grants Available
ASSE Foundation's 2014 Scholarship Award and Professional Education Grant programs are available to students pursuing degrees in occupational safety and health and to ASSE members and safety professionals who are working to advance their careers. The Foundation will award more than $200,000 to occupational safety and health students and professionals through the programs this year. Applications are due Dec. 31, 2013, and recipients will be announced on the Foundation's website in April 2014. Applicants are encouraged to visit the Frequently Asked Questions website for both the Scholarship Award and Professional Education Grant programs.