Safety Tidbit 5.04 - WBGT vs. Heat Index

Safety Tidbit 5.04 – WBGT vs. Heat Index

Reference:        https://www.weather.gov/ict/WBGT.

The Heat Index is a measure of how hot it feels to the human body, considering the temperature and the relative humidity. The higher either value is, the higher the heat index and the greater the stress exerted on the body. Heat Index utilizes the temperature measured in the shade, and therefore, it will be higher in the sun, where many activities take place. For temperatures taken in the full sunlight, Heat Indices can increase as much as 15°F. Humidity plays a significant effect on cooling the body. If the humidity is high, sweat on the surface of the skin does not evaporate as quickly, slowing the cooling of the body. If the humidity is low, sweat evaporates too fast, leading to dehydration.

Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) is similar to the Heat Index in that it is an indicator of the stress on the body from the heat. While it is not as well-known as the Heat Index, it’s not a new term. WBGT was developed in the 1950s after heat-related illnesses affected the US armed services during the 1940s. After its implementation, there was a reduction in heat-related illnesses during basic training. One fundamental difference between the Heat Index and WBGT is the WBGT factors in heat loading from the sun. While Heat Index only takes temperature and Relative Humidity into account, WBGT takes several variables into account. These variables include:

• Temperature
• Humidity
• Wind Speed
• Sun Angle
• Cloud Cover
• Physical Activity

Since most outdoor work happens in the sunlight, use of the WBGT is a better tool to keep your workers safe. The Heat Index, as given by the weather forecasters and used in the NIOSH/OSHA app, are great monitoring tools. However, through good industrial hygiene by taking WBGT readings and understanding the work performed, can you adequately protect workers.

Hope this was helpful and thank you for reading my Safety Tidbits! Comments and questions are always welcome. ~ Bryan

P.S. If you have a new safety or health question, please let me know.

Safety Tidbit 5.03 - Flu Season

Safety Tidbit 5.03 – Flu Season

Reference:       CDC website - The Flu Season

It’s that time of year again. School has started, college football season is underway, and everyone seems to be sick. On top of all this, all the drug stores have ads reminding you to get your annual shot to get sick - aka Flu Shot.

The 1918 influenza pandemic was the most severe pandemic in recent history. It is estimated that about 500 million people or one-third of the world’s population became infected with this virus. The number of deaths was estimated to be at least 50 million worldwide with about 675,000 occurring in the United States. Seasonal influenza (flu) viruses are detected year-round in the United States. However, flu viruses are most common during the fall and winter typically starting in October and peaking between December and February.

CDC collects, compiles, and analyzes information on influenza activity year-round in the United States and produces FluView, a weekly surveillance report, and FluView Interactive, which allows for more in-depth exploration of influenza surveillance data. 

The best way to prevent influenza is to get vaccinated. Everyone 6 months of age and older should get a flu vaccine every season. Vaccination is particularly important for people who are at high risk of serious complications from influenza.  Flu vaccination has important benefits. It can reduce flu illnesses, doctors’ visits, and missed work and school due to flu, as well as prevent flu-related hospitalizations. Flu vaccine also has been shown to be life-saving in children. In fact, a 2017 study showed that flu vaccination can significantly reduce a child’s risk of dying from flu. There are many vaccine options to choose from. CDC does not recommend one flu vaccine over another. The most important thing is for all people 6 months and older to get a flu vaccine every year. If you have questions about which vaccine is best for you, talk to your doctor or other health care professional.

You should get a flu vaccine before flu viruses begins spreading in your community, since it takes about two weeks after vaccination for antibodies to develop in the body and provide protection against flu. Make plans to get vaccinated early in fall, before flu season begins. CDC recommends that people get a flu vaccine by the end of October, if possible. Getting vaccinated later, however, can still be beneficial and vaccination should continue to be offered throughout the flu season, even into January or later.

So, what are you waiting for go get your flu shot and help reduce the spread of this disease.

Hope this was helpful and thank you for reading my Safety Tidbits! Comments and questions are always welcome. ~ Bryan

P.S. If you have a new safety or health question, please let me know.

Safety Tidbit 5.02 - Who is Dr. Alice Hamilton?

Safety Tidbit 5.02 – Who is Dr. Alice Hamilton?

Reference:        Hamilton, Alice (1943). Exploring the Dangerous Trades: The Autobiography of Alice Hamilton. Boston: Little, Brown, and Company.

Alice Hamilton (February 27, 1869 – September 22, 1970) was an American physician, research scientist, and author who is best known as a leading expert in the field of occupational health and a pioneer in the field of industrial toxicology. Subsequent to her graduation from the University of Michigan Medical School, she became the first woman appointed to the faculty of Harvard University. 

Hamilton began her long career in public health and workplace safety in 1910, when Illinois governor appointed her as a medical investigator to the newly formed Illinois Commission on Occupational Diseases. Hamilton led the commission's investigations, which focused on industrial poisons such as lead and other toxins. By 1916 Hamilton had become America's leading authority on lead poisoning. Hamilton focused her explorations on occupational toxic disorders, examining the effects of substances such as aniline dyes, carbon monoxide, mercury, tetraethyl lead, radium, benzene, carbon disulfide and hydrogen sulfide gases. In 1925, at a Public Health Service conference on the use of lead in gasoline, she testified against the use of lead and warned of the danger it posed to people and the environment. Nevertheless, leaded gasoline was allowed. The EPA in 1988 estimated that over the previous 60 years that 68 million children suffered high toxic exposure to lead from leaded fuels. 

Her work on the manufacture of white lead and lead oxide, as a special investigator for the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, is considered a "landmark study". Relying primarily on "shoe leather epidemiology" (her process of making personal visits to factories, conducting interviews with workers, and compiling details of diagnosed poisoning cases) and the emerging laboratory science of toxicology, Hamilton pioneered occupational epidemiology and industrial hygiene. She also created the specialized field of industrial medicine in the United States. Her findings were scientifically persuasive and influenced sweeping health reforms that changed laws and general practice to improve the health of workers. 

Hamilton's best-known research included her studies on carbon monoxide poisoning among American steelworkers, mercury poisoning of hatters, and "a debilitating hand condition developed by workers using jackhammers." Hamilton was also a member of the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of the Mortality from Tuberculosis in Dusty Trades, whose efforts "laid the groundwork for further studies and eventual widespread reform in the industry.

Her scientific research focused on the study of occupational illnesses and the dangerous effects of industrial metals and chemical compounds. In addition to her scientific work, Hamilton was a social-welfare reformer, humanitarian, peace activist, and a resident-volunteer at Hull House in Chicago.

Hope this was helpful and thank you for reading my Safety Tidbits! Comments and questions are always welcome. ~ Bryan

P.S. If you have a new safety or health question, please let me know.

Safety Tidbit 5.01 – What is IH

Safety Tidbit 5.01 – What is IH

Reference:        American Industrial Hygiene Association

American Board of Industrial Hygiene

What is an Industrial Hygienist? When I present, I joke and say, “I work on big teeth.” So, what is industrial hygiene? The American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) defines industrial hygiene as  “the science and art devoted to the anticipation, recognition, evaluation, prevention, and control of those environmental factors or stresses arising in or from the workplace which may cause sickness, impaired health and well-being, or significant discomfort among workers or among citizens of the community.”

Industrial Hygiene is an Art because:

1. The Industrial Hygienist must always be trained and prepared to:

•       Anticipate, Recognize, and Prioritize potential health hazards in the workplace

•       Develop Evaluation Strategies

•       Identify feasible Control options

2. Industrial Hygienists must make judgments

•       Is sampling/monitoring really necessary?

•       What types of samples should be collected, or what kinds of monitoring should be conducted to obtain the most useful information?

•       Some important questions include:

Where?

When? 

Who?

How long?

3. The IH must document observations & make decisions

•       Workplace Conditions (Routine vs. Unique)

•       Employee Work Practices

•       Controls (Present/Absent/Possible)

4. Last but not least, industrial hygiene is an “Art” because the IH  must use effective communication skills to a) correctly and appropriately characterize the exposure situation and b) prepare written reports that are clear, concise, easy to understand and accurate.

Industrial Hygiene is a Science because the Industrial Hygienist must acquire and apply knowledge in the areas of biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics & related academic disciplines (e.g., toxicology, epidemiology, statistics)

For example, because of their understanding of the “Sciences,” IHs should be able to:

Anticipate and Recognize potential health hazards 

Evaluate - Conduct appropriate equipment selection, calibration and sampling

Control:  Identify, select, develop  and/or evaluate control strategies (e.g. LEV, Administrative Controls & PPE)

So, why is Industrial Hygiene both an Art and a Science - because we must Anticipate, Recognize, Evaluate, and Control (Preventing when possible) workplace hazards.

Hope this was helpful and thank you for reading my Safety Tidbits! Comments and questions are always welcome. ~ Bryan

P.S. If you have a new safety or health question, please let me know.