OSHA Extends Nominations Deadline for FACOSH

The public now has until March 10, 2014, to submit nominations for OSHA's Federal Advisory Council on Occupational Safety and Health (FACOSH). The agency is seeking to fill positions for two federal agency management representatives and three labor organization representatives. Members of FACOSH will advise the secretary of labor on OSH matters including how to reduce injuries and illnesses within the federal workforce, and how to create and maintain effective OSH programs. Find more information in the Federal Register notice.

NIOSH Considering Updates to Hot Work Environments Standard

A public meeting will be held Feb. 13, 2014, to discuss the potential to update a NIOSH publication pertaining to hot work environments. The "Criteria Document on Hot Environments," published in 1986, discusses effects of heat exposure, and information on prevention and control, however, the agency says that in recent years, questions have been raised on whether the document was out of date.

In response to these concerns, the public meeting, scheduled for 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (EST), will consider the draft document, "Criteria for Recommended Standard: Occupational Exposure to Heat & Hot Environments." The public can submit comments until Feb. 25, 2014. Visit NIOSH's website for further information.

Using Ergonomic Culture to Achieve Multiple Returns

On Jan. 15, 2014, Robert Pater, the managing director of SSA/MoveSMART, presented Leading a Concentric Ergonomic Culture to Achieve Multiple Returns, his 22^nd webinar for ASSE.

According to Pater, ergonomic principles of preventing cumulative trauma can be applied to overall safety and to organizational change. In terms of ergonomics, cumulative trauma is generally caused by a concentration of pressure on one part of the body during work activities and results in weakness of joints and muscles. For example, when one’s occupation involves continuous sitting, cumulative trauma can be prevented by periodically shifting positions during the day.

Cumulative trauma also applies to other areas of safety, such as hearing loss and eye injury. If one is exposed to loud noises without wearing the needed protective equipment only a few times, the hearing loss experienced will be less severe than if s/he is exposed to damaging noises on a regular basis. Similarly, workers often overlook the importance of eye protection based on the infrequency of severe eye injuries, yet even small particles of dust entering the eyes can cause serious damage if a worker’s eyes are exposed to dust often and over long periods of time.

To create a concentric ergonomic culture, Pater says an organization must focus on increasing leverage; using few actions to gain multiple results that will affect many people over long periods of time. He explains that there are four levels of ergonomic culture:

1. Forced. Safety is done to workers by top management with a minimal amount of effort exerted.
2. Protective. Safety is done for workers, and managers view safety as important but treat workers like children by underestimating worker competencies in regard to ergonomics and blaming workers for incorrect approaches.
3. Involved. Safety is done with workers and viewed as very important. 
4. Leadership. Everyone practices ergonomics and views himself or herself as an ergonomics expert. People are made responsible for their own actions and check in with themselves to ensure that they are carrying out tasks in the safest manner possible.

Achieving level four requires focusing on internalized ergonomics as well as training workers on how to become more aware of their own actions, reporting incidents and avoiding blaming individuals. Additionally, organizations must make use of the safest equipment possible. Many times, organizations invest in safer equipment but fail to take the time to implement its use.

Because strains and other ergonomic injuries often result from work objects being located too far away from the worker, engineering approaches to ergonomics often involve moving work objects closer to the worker. Another approach is to move the worker closer to his or her work and train workers on ergonomic skills regarding decision making. However, Pater suggests that the most effective approach is to simultaneously move work closer to the worker and the worker closer to his or her work while also encouraging workers to take responsibility for their own actions. This coordination approach yields the best results because it gives workers control over their own movements but also allows workers to gain comfort at work by controlling their work environments.

  

Call for Papers: History of OHS

New Solutions, A Journal of Environmental and Occupational Health Policy, has issued a call for papers on the topic of the history of occupational health and safety. The journal will publish a special issue on the subject, highlighting ways to build on that history to address health and safety in the 21st century workplace. The journal seeks manuscripts of the following nature:

• discussions of the connection between workers' health in the workplace and in the community, including the need for protecting the natural environment;
• occupational health in unconventional public health settings that demonstrates the importance of on-the-ground engagement toward health in all policies, grassroots efforts in workplace protections and policy achievements;
• profiles of influential people or groups in workplace health and safety.

Submissions are due March 15, 2014, and must be made through the journal website. Visit the site for information about the journal and to download submission guidelines.

New Survey Analyzes Long-Haul Truck Driver Health

A new study released by NIOSH finds that U.S. long-haul truck drivers were twice as likely to be obese compared to the general U.S. working population. These drivers were also more likely to smoke and suffer from other risk factors for chronic disease.

In 2010 NIOSH interviewed 1,670 long-haul truck drivers at truck stops across the nation about their health and work practices. The survey found 69% of these drivers were obese, 54% smoked and 88% of those interviewed reported having at least one risk factor (hypertension, obesity, smoking, high cholesterol, no physical activity, 6 or fewer hours of sleep per 24-hr period) for chronic disease, compared to 54% of the adult working population.

The study, published in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine, is the first of its kind, providing a comprehensive look at the health status, risk factors and work practices of long-haul truck drivers in the U.S. According to NIOSH, data collected from this survey will provide the trucking industry and researchers with valuable information to guide future health and safety efforts.