A number of federal, state, and local laws require employers to post notices in the workplace. Many of these laws dictate the information that must be posted and how. Employers that fail to comply may be subject to fines and other penalties.

Here is a summary of some of the most common poster compliance mistakes, provided by hr411.com:

1. Not knowing which notices to post. Posting requirements can vary by jurisdiction, employer size, industry, business type, status as a government contractor, and other factors…
   NOTE:  For example, effective January 31, 2012, employers covered by the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) must notify employees of their rights under the NLRA.
2. Not posting in conspicuous location. Posters must be displayed prominently in places where employees can easily see them, such as break rooms or time clock areas…
3. Failing to update posters. Laws change regularly, which may require an update to your posters…
4. Neglecting to post at other worksites. If you have employees at more than one worksite, you are generally required to post required notices at each location…
5. Failing to post in other languages when required. Some laws require employers to post employee notices in English as well as other languages…
6. Printing in an incorrect format. Some posters must be printed on certain size paper or in a certain font…
7. Failing to address defaced or obscured posters. Employers should take steps to prevent posters from being defaced or covered up by other postings…

 

Workplace posting requirements vary by federal, state, and local law, so it is important for employers to carefully evaluate which posters they are required to provide to employees and then ensure that they are posted properly.

Read the whole article here:

http://hr411.adpinfo.com/content/adphr411tip10172011

A number of companies offer a workplace poster service.  These ofren include state-specific poster sets or appropriate content, size & color, and many offer them as a single large laminated poster.  Look for these using an internet search like:

http://www.google.com/#q=laminated+labor+law+posters

 

Adults drank too much and got behind the wheel about 112 million times in 2010—that is almost 300,000 incidents of drinking and driving each day—according to a CDC Vital Signs study released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

“The four million adults who drink and drive each year put everyone on the road at risk,” said CDC Director Thomas R. Frieden, M.D., M.P.H. “In fact, nearly 11,000 people are killed every year in crashes that involve an alcohol–impaired driver.”

For the study, CDC analyzed data from the 2010 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Survey.

The study also found that:

• Men were responsible for 81 percent of drinking and driving in 2010.
• Young men, ages 21–34, made up only 11 percent of the U.S. population in 2010, yet were responsible for 32 percent of all episodes of drinking and driving.
• Eighty–five percent of drinking and driving episodes were reported by people who also reported binge drinking. Binge drinking means five or more drinks for men or four or more drinks for women during a short period of time.

 “Drunk driving is a public health problem with far–reaching effects,” said Linda C. Degutis, Dr.P.H., M.S.N., director of CDC’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. “Drunk drivers, who have delayed reaction times and reflexes, put even the most responsible drivers and pedestrians in harm’s way. Public support to prevent drunk driving is strong. Thankfully, there are proven ways to protect everyone on the road.”

The CDC goes on to discuss three strategies that they say have proven to reduce alcohol–impaired driving:

• Sobriety checkpoints to deter drunk driving and apprehend offenders
• Minimum legal drinking age laws to restrict access to alcohol for teens
• Ignition interlocks for drivers with prior drunk driving convictions

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NEW OSHA RULE ON SLINGS AND SHACKLES

As a part of their “Standards Improvement Project”, OSHA has updated its standards regulating slings for general industry (§1910.184) and construction (§1926.251).   This final rule became effective on July 8, 2011.

In summary, the new changes include:

• Removing all the load capacity tables for slings that were in the previous OSHA standards
• Sling Markings – Employers now must use only slings with permanently affixed identification markings that show the maximum load capacity for each sling.
• Shackle Markings – The final rule also provides similar protection for shackles, requiring them to also show the rated capacity.

In the past, especially with in-house shop-built slings, some companies did not require the wire rope slings being used at their sites to be marked with a tag and/or rated capacity.  And, based on the original OSHA 1910 regulations, it wasn’t required.  

Now, with this change, ALL wire rope slings must be marked.  No exceptions!

The load capacity tables previously designated in these OSHA standards were based on the 1971 ASME/ANSI B30.9 standard, are now obsolete and no longer conform to the load capacity tables of the updated B30.9 industry standards. The outdated tables are being replaced with a requirement that prohibits employers from loading slings in excess of the recommended safe working load as shown on the permanently affixed identification markings.

Basically, this revision prohibits the use of any sling that does not have a permanently affixed identification tag.

Full details can be found in this document:

Federal Register/Volume 76, No. 110/Wednesday, June 8, 2011/Rules and Regulations/Page: 33590

You can download this new change to the standard at this URL:

          http://www.osha.gov/FedReg_osha_pdf/FED20110608.pdf

(look on page 33591, left column, 2nd paragraph for the changes to slings)

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TOP 10 LOUDEST NOISES

Loud noises occur every day. Wincing at the annoyance of a dog bark, or covering your ears as you pass a construction sight is the standard way to guard against the harsh sounds. The pain threshold for humans is 120-130 Decibels. Any sound above 85 dB can cause hearing loss, and the loss is related both to the power of the sound as well as the length of exposure. Here are 10 sounds produced throughout history and how incredibly loud they are. Just remember, human speech is only registered at about 25-35 decibels.

10:  A 400,000 watt set of speakers can reach ear-splitting 135-145 decibels

9:  Though not typically heard up close, fireworks are still explosions and are very loud. Noise at the bursting point can reach a staggering 145-150.

8:  Gunfire can be quite damaging to the ears registering at 145-155 decibels.

7:  As a dragster screams down the raceway it can generate 155-160 decibels. At this level it can blur your vision and make it difficult to swallow.

6:  When the shuttle solid rocket boosters fire, you must stand at least a half-mile away lest you get inundated by 165-170 decibels of painful sound.

5:  The 1883 the Krakatoa Volcano eruption has been historically reported at 180 decibels and heard as far away as the island of Rodrigues, 3000 miles away.

4:  The call of the blue whale reaches levels up to 188 decibels. This extraordinarily loud whistle can be heard for hundreds of miles underwater.

3:  The explosion from a one ton bomb creates a decibel count of 210 and could shake you apart if you are too close.

2:  A 7.1 earthquake reaches a decibel level of 235.

1:  The Tunguska event was a massive explosion that occurred in Russia in 1908. The explosion was most likely caused by the air burst of a large meteoroid or comet fragment at an altitude of 3–6 miles above Earth’s surface. It was measured with the similar impact of a 1000 Megaton bomb with a decibel rating 300-315. This is often considered to be the loudest single-event noise in history.

Courtesy of Science & Nature

Need a good industrial hygienist? Give us a call, we can help. 

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If you employ commercial drivers, you know that the FMCSA has enacted a rule against text messaging (texting) while driving by commercial motor vehicle operators.  This texting ban is regarded by most in the safety business as a very positive step.  Tests and observations have shown that a driver distracted by texting is impaired as much as a driver who is legally drunk.

There is also a current rulemaking by the FMCSA that is considering some sort of ban on cell phone use while driving, again by commercial motor vehicle operators.  This Rule was proposed in late 2010, and the 60-day time period for public comments is now closed.  The Final Rule is being drafted in Washington.  The FMCSA has three options available:  do nothing, ban cell phone use entirely, or restrict cell phone use to hands-free devices but ban dialing or otherwise manipulating a cell phone while driving.  Most observers believe that the new rule will take the middle ground, allowing the use of hands-free devices but restricting texting, dialing and other activities that take the driver’s eyes off the road and hands off the wheel.

http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/about/news/news-releases/2010/Rule-to-Ban-Hand-Held-Cell-Phone.aspx

In anticipation of this new rule, you should consider starting now to develop company policies regarding the use of portable communication devices (cell phones, laptops, etc.) while driving.  The safest policy is an absolute prohibition of the use of the devices while moving, because even hands-free talking takes drivers MIND off the road.  If the driver wants to text or talk, they should do so after pulling safely off the road and while stopped.  However, you may also want to consider a middle ground company policy.

There are also state laws regarding texting and the use of handheld cell phones while driving.  These laws apply to truck as well as cars.  Here’s a list of state laws:

http://handsfreeinfo.com/us-cell-phone-laws-at-a-glance

To learn more about the U.S. Department of Transportation’s efforts to stop distracted driving, you can visit http://www.distraction.gov.

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Every year OSHA publishes its Top 10 Violations List, and every year employers fall into the same trap, garnering citations and often-hefty fines. Last year was no different.  During your next visit from your RCI safety professional, ask him/her to review these items with you.  

The top 10 OSHA violations for fiscal 2010 were:

1.      Scaffolding, general requirements, construction (29 CFR 1926.451)  – primarily construction, but could be found in a warehouse setting

2.      Fall protection, construction (29 CFR 1926.501) – again primarily construction

3.      Hazard communication standard, general industry (29 CFR 1910.1200)

4.      Ladders, construction (29 CFR 1926.1053)

5.      Respiratory protection, general industry (29 CFR 1910.134)

6.      Control of hazardous energy, general industry (29 CFR 1910.147) – also known as Lockout/Tagout.

7.      Electrical, wiring methods, components and equipment, general industry (29 CFR 1910.305)

8.      Powered industrial trucks, general industry (29 CFR 1910.178) – fueling, maintenance, operator training.

9.      Electrical systems design, general industry (29 CFR 1910.303)

10.  Machines, general requirements, general industry (29 CFR 1910.212) – primarily machine guarding

The same standards, with one exception (machines replaced training requirements for fall protection in the number 10 slot this year), featured in OSHA’s Top 10 for 2009. In fact, with few exceptions the same violations appear on the list year after year, which means employers and employees are making the same mistakes every year about compliance with OSHA standards.

Highest Penalties

Standards for which OSHA assessed the highest penalties in fiscal 2010 were: 

•  Fall protection, construction (29 CFR 1926.501)
•  Electrical, general requirements, construction (29 CFR 1926.403)
•  Safety training and education, walking and working surfaces (29 CFR 1910.21)
•  Lockout/tagout, general industry (29 CFR 1910.147)
•  Machines, general requirements, general industry (29 CFR 1910.212)
•  General Duty Clause (Section 5[a][1] of the OSH Act)
•  Excavations, requirements for protective systems, construction (29 CFR 1926.652)
• Lead, general industry (29 CFR 1910.1025)
• Grain handling facilities (29 CFR 1910.272)
• Ladders, construction (29 CFR 1926.1053)

Protect yourself from these huge fines!  Contact RCI today to arrange an on-site safety evaluation and mock OSHA inspection.

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One common problem that RCI safety professionals encounter during our reviews of employers of commercial drivers involves the paper employment application that the employers are using to hire new drivers.

Paraphrasing the FMCSA regulation slightly, “…a person shall not drive a commercial motor vehicle unless he/she has completed and furnished the motor carrier that employs him/her with an application for employment that meets the requirements of paragraph (b) of FMCSA regulations, §391.21“:

http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/rules-regulations/administration/fmcsr/fmcsrruletext.aspx?reg=391.21

This is not a new requirement; in fact, it has been around since 2004.  However, our safety professionals are finding that many of the employment applications currently in use are older than 2004, and so do not meet §391.21.

Take a moment to compare your current driver employment application to §391.21, line item by line item, and make sure your application is compliant.

Compliant applications, and complete driver file packages, can be purchased from a number of vendors that serve the industry.

As always, consult your RCI safety professional for specific advice.

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You may already be subject to a new National Labor Relations Board posting requirement, and even if you are not already, chances are good that you soon will be.

In September, 2010, the NLRB’s Office of Labor-Management Standards issued EXECUTIVE ORDER 13496: NOTIFICATION OF EMPLOYEE RIGHTS UNDER FEDERAL LABOR LAWS which currently applies to all businesses that are contractors or subcontractors to the US Government. 

http://www.dol.gov/olms/regs/compliance/EO13496.htm

The poster, entitled “EMPLOYEE RIGHTS”, lists seven bullet points that state that employees have the right to organize, form or join a labor union and state that they have the right to negotiate their wages, benefits and working conditions with their employer.  A separate bullet point also explains that employees have the right to act with each other to improve working conditions, raise work related complaints “directly” with the employer or with a government agency and to form a union.  Another bullet states that employees have the right “to strike and picket.”  The last bullet advises that employees can, “Choose not to do any of these activities…”

Also included on the poster is a descriptive summary of seven types of illegal activity by employers and five types by unions.  The poster concludes with the warning that, “Illegal conduct will not be permitted,” along with a description of the NLRB’s authority and possible remedies which the Board can order.  Finally, it provides employees with contact information for the NLRB.

Poster:  http://www.dol.gov/olms/regs/compliance/EmployeeRightsPoster11x17_Final.pdf

As noted, the current requirement applies ONLY to businesses that are contractors or subcontractors to the US Government.  HOWEVER… on December 22, 2010, the Federal Register published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that would require all employers subject to the NLRB to notify employees of their rights under the National Labor Relations Act by posting a notice. 

http://mynlrb.nlrb.gov/link/document.aspx/09031d458055aa2e

This Notice of Proposed Rulemaking contains provisions similar to the requirements for government contractors.  The publishing of the Notice was followed by a 60-day comment period and a 90-day period for the government to review the comments.  Those time periods have recently expired, and a new Rule is expected shortly.  Given the political climate in Washington, it is very likely that the new rule will be in force soon.

So… in the near future, expect to have yet another government posting requirement.  You will be able to print the poster for your own use, and some of the companies that sell laminated posters to satisfy government requirements have anticipated the new rule and are already selling the NLRB poster.

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Hazards of all kinds exist in the workplace. Determining what those hazards are and deciding how to protect them are everyday challenges for employers.

The first choice should be to control the hazard at its source, because eliminating or isolating it from the workplace altogether is the best solution. When the hazard cannot be eliminated or controlled effectively, personal protective equipment (PPE) may be used to continue the work process. PPE should be considered as the last level of protection when other systems or techniques are not available or possible.

So who needs personal protective equipment? How do you identify any potential hazards in the workplace? What kind of protection is required? Those questions aren’t the true conflict for employers. The challenge lies in getting the employees to understand the significance, the importance and the necessity for this equipment; not as an OSHA or employer requirement, but as a personal responsibility.

Employers have long been providing personal protective equipment to their employees for several reasons. Of course, OSHA mandates countless activities that require the use of PPE, but ultimately and most importantly, the employers genuinely want those skilled and experienced employees protected to be able to continue performing their activities. So what can we do to get the employees to take ownership of their PPE use?

Having an established PPE program is a must. This program should detail the procedures for selecting, providing and using any PPE as part of the employees operation. A written PPE program is easier to establish, evaluate and maintain as company policy. Once established, the decision on how to enforce PPE use, provide medical examinations (if needed) and evaluate your PPE program should include the following essential steps.

Once your program is established, employees must be trained on the proper use of their personal protective equipment. They need to be trained on why the PPE is necessary, how the equipment will protect them, the limitations of the equipment, how to identify signs of wear, and how to clean/care for the equipment.

Then, eventually, we have to get to the heart of what motivates each employee. Employees, like all people, always act in what they perceive to be their own best interests.  Maybe it’s family. Ask them how their family would be affected if they were to get injured. Would they be able to play with their children they way they used to? Perhaps, it’s a personal motivation. Would they be able to play golf after suffering an injury? Whatever the employee’s motivation, it is the employer’s responsibility to discover that connection. Building personal relationships with your employees is the foundation for uncovering those key pieces of information and will always play an integral part of employee buy in.

With a little time and effort, eventually, getting the employee to take the responsibility to protect themselves for their own benefit, not for the employers benefit, won’t always be a PPE mystery.

Courtesy of:  Aaron Wissen

Accident prevention often begins with accident investigation. You can’t prevent future accidents if you don’t know what caused similar accidents in the past.

Nobody wants a workplace accident. Not you. Not your insurer. Not supervisors. Not employees. Not the families of injured workers.

However, when an accident does happen, it is important to handle the investigation promptly and effectively. To do that, you need to consider the why, who, what, when, and how of accident investigation.

(more…)

According to the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), about 2,000 U.S. employees experience a work-related eye injury that requires medical treatment every day. About one third of the injuries are treated in hospital emergency departments and more than 100 of these injuries result in one or more days of lost work.

Common causes for eye injuries include:

• flying objects (bits of metal, glass);
• tools;
• particles;
• chemicals;
• harmful radiation; and
• any combination of these or other hazards.

There are three things you can do to help prevent an eye injury.

• Know the eye safety dangers at work – complete an eye hazard assessment.
• Eliminate hazards before starting work. Use machine guarding, work screens, or other engineering controls.
• Use proper eye protection.

Safety eyewear protection PPE can include:

• non-prescription and prescription safety glasses;
• goggles;
• face shields;
• welding helmets; and
• full-face respirators.

The type of safety eye protection you should wear depends on the hazards in your workplace. If you are working in an area that has particles, flying objects, or dust, you must at least wear safety glasses with side protection (side shields). If you are working with chemicals, you should wear goggles. If you are working near hazardous radiation (welding, lasers, or fiber optics) you must use special-purpose safety glasses, goggles, face shields, or helmets designed for that task.

The Texas Department of Insurance has made available some Eye Safety materials that you can download and use in your company without cost:

• Eye Injury Prevention FactSheet ( English / Spanish )
• Eye Protection Safety Training Program ( English / Spanish )
• Eyewash Safety Workplace Program ( English / Spanish )

Days after the budget for the rest of Fiscal Year 2011 was finalized, OSHA Administrator David Michaels defended OSHA’s need for a bigger budget in Fiscal Year 2012.

OSHA currently operates on a budget of $558.6 million.

Speaking and testifying before the Subcommittee on Labor, Health, and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies Committee on Appropriations, Michaels pointed out key OSHA activities that would benefit from a budget increase:

• Continuing OSHA’s 40-year task of preventing injuries
• Increased enforcement
• Whistleblower protection
• Issuance of ‘Common Sense’ standards
• Compliance assistance
• OSHA State Plans
• Technical support
• Safety and Health statistics.

Michaels summed up key developments within each of these areas.    Read his complete testimony here (worth a read, just to look into his mind):

http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=TESTIMONIES&p_id=1422

COMMENTARY:  Gee… a government bureaucrat who thinks that HIS department needs more of OUR money.  What a surprise!

As most employers know all too well, the OSHA regulations on recordkeeping represent the worst of government bureaucratic doubletalk:  complex, convoluted, difficult to understand, even for professionals.  OSHA has finally given us a tool that can help.

The OSHA Recordkeeping Adviser is a new Web tool that helps employers understand their responsibilities to report and record work-related injuries and illnesses under the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s regulations. A set of questions assists in determining quickly:

•  Whether an injury or illness (or related event) is work-related…
•  Whether an event or exposure at home or on travel is work-related…
•  Whether an exception applies to the injury or illness…
• Whether a work-related injury or illness needs to be recorded…
• Which provisions of the regulations apply when recording a work-related case…

Find the Advisor here: 

http://www.dol.gov/elaws/OSHARecordkeeping.htm

Where is OSHA headed?   In a speech to the American Society of Safety Engineers in June, 2010, OSHA chief David Michaels outlines the agency’s new regulatory and enforcement agenda:

“We’ve accelerated our push to make fundamental changes in the way employers and workers cooperate to secure safe workplaces,” says Dr. Michaels, “and we are doing this through an aggressive regulatory agenda.”

The motto for OSHA’s new agenda is “plan, prevent, and protect.” This motto, says Michaels, is echoed in a proposed OSHA standard that would require employers to implement an Injury and Illness Prevention Program tailored to the actual hazards in their workplaces.  [This does NOT mean to just buy an off-the-shelf pre-written program.]

“Instead of waiting for an OSHA inspection or a workplace tragedy to address workplace hazards,” Michaels explains, “employers would be required to create a plan for identifying and remediating hazards, and then implement this plan.”

Just having a safety plan filed in a drawer or on corporate computers isn’t enough, however.  “An effective injury and illness prevention program requires management leadership and worker participation, hazard assessment and abatement, setting goals, and continual improvement,” according to Michaels. 

“An effective program doesn’t simply address individual problems; it fosters a culture of workplace safety and health based on prevention—and prevention must be part of the normal, everyday culture for every job, every workplace, every company, every manager and every employer.”

Under the proposed new standard, workers would have a greater voice in workplace safety as well. “Workers would participate in developing and implementing the safety and health plan, and have a role in evaluating the plan’s effectiveness in achieving compliance.”

Read the speech here:

http://osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=SPEECHES&p_id=2221

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According to OSHA Assistant Secretary, David Michaels, the agency will raise penalties starting October, 2010. In his speech, Michaels revealed that OSHA issued more egregious and significant cases in the recent fiscal year than at any time in the previous decade.

Michaels concedes that the fine increase may jack up the contest rate and affect OSHA, the Solicitors’ Office, and the OSH Review Commission. However, he does not foresee that the change will be as substantial as when the Mine Safety and Health Act was amended.

The penalty increase is just one among many of OSHA’s recent enforcement activities, which include the Severe Violators Enforcement Program. Michaels believes that a stronger enforcement attitude is a proven, useful deterrent for employers who defer maintenance and cut corners on worker training and safety procedures.

“Enforcement remains a priority for us because it is a proven, useful deterrent, even for the best employers who may be tempted to defer maintenance or cut corners on worker training and safety procedures. The threat of enforcement and penalties reminds all employers to do the right thing for their workers.”

Read Michaels’ full speech:

http://osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=SPEECHES&p_id=2299

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The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently initiated Site-Specific Targeting 2010 (SST-10), setting its sights mainly on over 4,000 establishments that have relatively high DART (Days Away, Restricted or Transferred) and DAFWII (Days Away From Work Injury and Illness) rates.

The targets of SST-10 are included in three inspection lists: primary, secondary, and tertiary. Worksites in the primary category are: 

• About 3,300 manufacturing sites with a DART rate at or above 7.0 OR a DAFWII case rate at or above 5.0. 
• About 500 non-manufacturing sites with a DART rate at or above 15.0 OR a DAFWII case rate at or above 14.0. 
• About 300 nursing or personal care facilities with a DART rate at or above 16.0 OR a DAFWII case rate at or above 13.0. 
• Random sample of establishments who hadn’t supplied safety data in the 2009 OSHA Data Initiative survey by May 2010.

These selections were based on 2008 injury and illness figures gathered in the 2009 Data Initiative. Also considered were the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) and North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Codes.

The “OSHA Notice” dated August, 2010, outlines key terms, the scheduling and inspection process, IMIS coding, as well as appendices relating to the 2009 OSHA Data Initiative (ODI), checklist for compliance and safety and health officers, and instructions for Area Offices on using the targeting website.  This initiative will continue into 2011.

For more detailed information, read the full notice here:

http://www.osha.gov/OshDoc/Directive_pdf/CPL_02_10-06.pdf

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Confused about exactly which items of PPE you have to pay for and which you don’t? Here’s quick review of the “employer pays” rule.

OSHA’s PPE standard (29 CFR 1910.132[h]) says that employers must pay for most types of PPE when used by employees exclusively in the workplace (that is, not for personal use at home or other non-workplace activities).

The general rule of thumb is that you must pay for PPE whenever an OSHA rule explicitly requires it, such as for respiratory protection when air contaminant levels are above the PEL or hearing protection when noise exceeds established decibel levels.

OSHA’s “employer pays rule” also mandates that you pay to replace required PPE on a regular basis. But you don’t have to pay for replacements whenever employees request it as long as the PPE is still in safe condition. If an employee purchases his or her own PPE and is allowed to use it at work, you are not required to reimburse the employee for that purchase. You also don’t have to pay for replacement PPE if the employee has lost the item due to negligence or has intentionally damaged the PPE (1910.132[h][5]).

OSHA recommends that you establish a policy to clarify PPE payment and replacement rules so that both employees and supervisors understand requirements… (more…)

Because of their enforcement role, sometimes, we are inclined to regard OSHA as “the enemy”.  It is important to remember, though, that they are also a great source of safety and health resource material and training guides.

 In particular, OSHA’s Salt Lake Technical Center (SLTC) has a wealth of good information.  The entry point to their “Safety and Health Topics Pages” is found here.  Use the pop down in the “Quick Links” box to see the available topics, or use the SEARCH feature.

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    http://osha.gov/SLTC/index.html

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Also be sure to see the OSHA Publications List, from which you can download OSHA forms and booklets and/or order printed copies of them

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    http://osha.gov/pls/publications/pubindex.list

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While everything else in this world seems to be getting more complicated, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) keeps on getting simpler, reports the October 2010 issue of the Harvard Health Letter. 

From the Letter: “…the most important part of CPR is pressing on the chest; breathing is secondary. If you start immediately after someone collapses, you can give up to 50 or 100 compressions between breaths. Each time you stop to deliver a breath, get back to doing compressions as fast as you can. If there are two of you doing CPR, have the larger or stronger one do the chest compressions and the other do the breathing. Switch when the person doing the compressions starts to tire out.”

Read more here: 

http://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletters/Harvard_Heart_Letter/2008/July/Streamlined-CPR-guidelines-a-life-saving-move

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Most people do not realize that the poop of pigeons, other birds and even bats, whether moist or dry, carries significant health risks…

EXAMPLES:  Employees need to access a confined space in a pedestrian bridge to work on an electrical conduit.  Pigeons have gotten into this space, leaving feces and other debris. (Similar situations can exist in attics, storage buildings, sheds, exterior building cleaning, changing light bulbs, etc.)

What PPE should these employees be provided?

Our high-flying experts informed the questioner that pigeon droppings can expose workers to serious conditions, including histoplasmosis and cryptococcosis. Citing a NIOSH publication, they noted that disposable protective clothing and shoe coverings should be worn whenever regular work clothing and shoes might be contaminated with dust-containing, disease-carrying spores. Wearing such clothing can reduce or eliminate the likelihood of transferring spore-contaminated dust to places away from work, like a car or one’s home.

When spore-contaminated material is likely to fall from overhead, NIOSH recommends that workers wear disposable protecting clothing with hoods. They should also use disposable shoe coverings with ridged soles made of slip-resistant material to reduce the likelihood of slipping on wet or dusty surfaces.

After working in such an environment and before removing respirators, personnel should remove all protective clothing and shoe coverings and seal them in heavy-duty plastic bags for disposal in a landfill.

Using the proper PPE to tackle pigeon poop in a confined space can impede essential sweat evaporation. NIOSH recommends taking precautions to control heat stress in these situations. For example, when protective clothing is needed, wearing a lightweight, cotton coverall would create less of a heat-stress risk than wearing a chemical-resistant suit. Workers should know the symptoms of heat-stress-related conditions and be able to take measures before serious problems develop.

Reference:

http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/nas/RDRP/appendices/chapter6/a6-133.pdf

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