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.

End of Year Four

Hello Folks!
Sorry I didn't get as many Tidbits this year. I will try to do better next year. Remember if you have an interesting question or topic please send it to me.

Thanks for reading Safety-Tidbits! See you in September after new semester starts up!

Bryan

Safety Tidbit 4.37 - Hearing Test Exception

Safety Tidbit 4.37 – Hearing Test Exception

Reference:        OSHA 1910.95 - Noise Standard

Paragraph 1910.95(g)(1) of OSHA’s 1983 Hearing Conservation Amendment to their noise standard states: “The employer shall establish and maintain an audiometric testing program as provided in this paragraph by making audiometric testing available to all employees whose exposures equal or exceed an 8-hour time-weighted average of 85 decibels.” Easy enough, you perform audiograms annually, correct? And the employer is responsible for conserving the worker’s hearing by comparing the newest audiogram to a baseline audiogram. For a new employee, when is baseline audiogram to be taken, before employment? That does seem to be the most natural time. Incorporate the audiogram into the pre-employment physical with eyes, lungs, and drug testing.

OSHA’s standard states: 1910.95(g)(5) - The baseline audiogram - Within six months of an employee’s first exposure at or above the action level, the employer shall establish a valid baseline audiogram to compare subsequent audiograms. Ok, this seems to make sense say for a temporary employee or as a probationary period to ensure they’re going to work out and stay on permanently. Ah, but OSHA has made an exception for those using mobile test facilities versus fixed medical clinics. Use of mobile test vans is helpful for remote employers where a health provider that can conduct an approved hearing test is hard to find. But what does this exception open to the less than ideal employer?

OSHA’s mobile test van exception states: “Where mobile test vans are used to meet the audiometric testing obligation, the employer shall obtain a valid baseline audiogram within one year of an employee’s first exposure at or above the action level. Where baseline audiograms are received more than six months after the employee’s first exposure at or above the action level, employees shall wear hearing protectors for any period exceeding six months after first exposure until obtaining the baseline audiogram.

Let’s work through a scenario. Company A has a hearing conservation program for its employees. It uses a mobile test van and contracts them to come in every October when production is typically at its lowest. Over the summer months, temporary workers are brought on to help during the summer rush. Some become permanent employees, while others do not. In October, the employer decides to provide hearing testing only to permanent employees. Is the company out of compliance with the OSHA standard? Technically, no doe not hit the one year mark until after the summer month hiring the worker. The time from then until October, when conducting routine hearing tests, is when the employer would be out of compliance.

The prudent answer is that temporary and new hires exposed to noise levels exceeding 85 dBA as an 8-hour time-weighted average should receive a baseline audiogram at the earliest opportunity. This way, all occupational exposure is monitored. The employer might negotiate hearing testing with the temporary agency or union since both are responsible for the worker.

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 4.36 - Sunburn

Safety Tidbit 4.36 – Sunburn

Reference:        OSHA Webpage - https://www.osha.gov/Publications/OSHA3166/osha3166.html

I hope everyone made it through the heat wave okay. In the last Safety Tidbits, we talked about the temperature and how to protect yourself. How many of you enjoy the warm summer sunshine and like a good tan?

Note: There are no safe UV rays or safe suntans. Sunlight contains ultraviolet (UV) radiation, which causes premature aging of the skin, wrinkles, cataracts, and skin cancer. The amount of damage from UV exposure depends on the strength of the light, the length of exposure, and whether the skin is protected.

Skin Cancer

Sun exposure at any age can cause skin cancer. Be especially careful in the sun if you burn easily, spend a lot of time outdoors, or have any of the following physical features:

• Numerous, irregular, or large moles.
• Freckles.
• Fair skin.
• Blond, red, or light brown hair.

If you find such unusual skin changes, see a health care professional immediately.

Controlling Exposure

Engineering controls:

            Shelters - Stay under a room, Use portable shelter, tarps or umbrellas to keep the sunlight out.

Administrative Controls:

            Limit your duration of exposure. UV rays are most intense between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. If you're unsure about the sun's intensity, take the shadow test: If your shadow is shorter than you, the sun's rays are the day's strongest.

Personal Protective Equipment:

Skin - Cover up. Wear tightly-woven clothing that blocks out light. Try this test: Place your hand between a single layer of the clothing and a light source. If you can see your hand through the fabric, the garment offers little protection.

Head - Wear a hat. A wide brim hat (not a baseball cap) is ideal because it protects the neck, ears, eyes, forehead, nose, and scalp.

Eyes - Wear UV-absorbent shades. Sunglasses don't have to be expensive, but they should block 99 to 100 percent of ultraviolet radiation.

Last resort - Use sunscreen. A sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 15 blocks 93 percent of UV rays. You want to block both UVA and UVB rays to guard against skin cancer. Be sure to follow application directions on the bottle. Remember: Swimming or sweating reduces sunscreen protection.

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.